The two of them stopped at the entrance of the valley, where the howling wind was cold and filled with the scent of murder and death.
Wu Ruoxian explained simply:
"When we enter, we must be careful. The valley is divided into three circles: the outer circle contains third- and fourth-grade beasts, the middle circle has fifth-grade ones, and the inner circle holds sixth-grade beasts. Apart from the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng, there are also many other treasures."
Zhang Yong glanced at her from the corner of his eye and asked,
"And in which circle is the ginseng?"
Wu Ruoxian replied directly,
"It's located between the middle and inner circles. As long as we don't enter the inner circle, we won't be attacked by sixth-grade beasts."
The two of them entered the Dilapidated Demon Valley, walking between the rocky walls. The place felt deserted.
Zhang Yong couldn't help but grow suspicious.
"This place is far too quiet… and there's no trace of any beasts."
Wu Ruoxian chuckled lightly with a hint of mockery.
"Of course, this is just the entrance."
Immediately, they emerged from between the rocky walls to see a vast forest before them. The trees had gray wood and purple leaves, and the walls they had just walked through stretched outward endlessly, vanishing at the horizon. At the center of the forest stood a lone mountain, towering, but still very far away.
It was only called a valley because the rocky walls circled the entire area.
Wu Ruoxian continued,
"This is the true Dilapidated Demon Valley. The outer circle begins here."
They walked deeper into the forest, yet despite the trees appearing alive, they looked more like phantoms—trees that both were and weren't at the same time.
Wu Ruoxian sniffed around and asked,
"Do you smell that?"
Zhang Yong looked at her curiously, then sniffed as well.
"I can barely smell anything other than the stench of death."
Wu Ruoxian walked ahead a bit, bent behind a tree, and picked up a mushroom from the ground.
"Yes, I was right—it's Blood Mushroom. It can be refined into blood-coagulating pills."
She returned and placed the mushroom in Zhang Yong's hand.
"It can also be used to stop bleeding. Keep it, just in case."
On the ground were many footprints of wild beasts. The two of them continued moving deeper into the forest.
As they advanced, the trees grew taller, and the smell of death thickened. Zhang Yong couldn't help but wonder what kinds of beasts could live in such a place. Surely, many battles had occurred here.
Wu Ruoxian explained calmly,
"Although this place is filled with strong beasts due to its nature, the denser the smell of death, the fewer beasts remain—because they kill one another in struggles for dominance."
Zhang Yong let out a breath and showed some admiration.
"Heh, you seem to know a lot. Have you been here before?"
Wu Ruoxian chuckled softly.
"No, I've only studied more than others."
Still, Wu Ruoxian advanced steadily. She knew that someone like Zhang Yong had his pride, and though he wasn't of demonic origin, having an aggressive temperament was natural for her kind. She had dealt with many like him before, so how could handling one boy that isn't even eighteen can be difficult? She had to take the lead, but she also knew that if she tried openly to seize command, Zhang Yong would never agree.
In truth, if she had tried, Zhang Yong would have gladly let her. Matters of leadership weren't things he cared about. If she wanted it, she could take it.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Loud crashes echoed as trees fell one after another in the distance.
The direction of the falling trees was right toward the two of them.
With the last tree's destruction, a rhino burst through, shattering the trunk into splinters. Its horn gleamed golden, its eyes glowed crimson, and its skin was blood-red.
Without even moving, Zhang Yong stretched out his hands, stopping the beast instantly. He lifted it and threw it into the air, slamming it onto its back.
Clapping his palms together, Zhang Yong muttered,
"Something isn't right."
Wu Ruoxian responded,
"It wasn't attacking us—it was fleeing."
At first, Zhang Yong wanted to ignore it. But then he thought 'It ran straight toward us… could this girl's luck have drawn it? If something attracted that beast, there must be treasures nearby. If we check it out, we might find an opportunity'
With arrogance, he said,
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
The two followed the path opposite the rhino's direction. On the way, a violent surge of energy erupted, and a roar shook the skies.
Zhang Yong was taken aback.
"That sound!"
Wu Ruoxian announced,
"That's the aura of a fifth-grade beast."
"Didn't you say the middle circle is where the fifth-grade beasts are?"
"Normally, yes… unless something attracted it, or it just broke through, or perhaps even a grudge."
Wu Ruoxian laid all the possibilities on the table
But there was no way to tell without checking.
Even from a distance, the roar made Zhang Yong's ears ache.
He focused his eyes on the horizon and spotted a head raised high—it was a giant serpent.
When the two arrived, they saw a battle underway.
One side was a massive crimson-furred wolf, five meters tall, with two long, sharp fangs jutting from its upper jaw.
The other was a giant serpent, its length exceeding thirty meters, with a head the size of a car and whiskers dangling beneath its nose like an eastern dragon. Its scales shimmered like jade plates.
The two were fighting over a plant on the ground, pulsing with golden light.
It looked entirely wooden, shaped like a plump human body with small leaves sprouting from its head.
Wu Ruoxian's eyes widened in shock.
"That's… a Crimson Wolf of the fourth grade, battling a Jade Shadow Serpent of the fifth grade! They're fighting over Earth-Mother Grass! No wonder they're at each other's throats."
Zhang Yong focused on the fight, particularly the herb, and smiled.
"That herb looks very fine indeed."
Wu Ruoxian raised her chin toward the battle and said "there's no need to fight just for this grass"
Zhang Yong drew his sword and began walking toward it.
"no way i'll sit here and watch , that grass is mine!"
'like i will leave something you bought Infront of us with your luck just like that , i'll farm your luck till the end'
He stomped the ground and shot forward without another word.
The serpent and the wolf immediately noticed Zhang Yong. Both turned their gazes toward him, but neither moved. They were intelligent enough to know that whoever struck first and got distracted by this human would leave the other beast free to claim the herb.
Zhang Yong stomped the ground again, soaring straight toward the serpent.
The serpent opened its mouth wide, spitting a stream of green liquid at him. Unable to dodge midair, the liquid splashed onto Zhang Yong, and his clothes began smoking and dissolving under the venom.
(Poison Resistance Activated)
Arching his back midair, Zhang Yong swung down at the serpent's head. His blade scraped its thick hide but failed to cut through.
"Damn it."
The serpent opened its jaws again, forcing his sword backward, and Zhang Yong fell.
Its tail whipped around, striking him and sending him flying.
He crashed through a tree, tumbling from branch to branch until he landed headfirst on the ground.
Wu Ruoxian walked over calmly and looked down at him.
"Still alive?"
Zhang Yong blew a leaf off his face, smirking at himself.
"Yeah. What about the Earth-Mother Grass?"
Wu Ruoxian raised her hand, the root calmly held within it.
Zhang Yong stared in surprise.
"How? Did the beasts give it up?"
She lifted another herb in her other hand, a green stalk.
"Shadow Grass. It can conceal scent and presence. While you distracted the beasts, I simply took it. The Earth-Mother Grass' sap is excellent for treating internal injuries. You'll need it if you're hurt."
Zhang Yong grumbled, glaring at the herb.
"You could've told me you had that earlier. I got beaten up for nothing."
Wu Ruoxian crouched beside him and teased,
"You're the one who rushed in without listening. Do you enjoy lying upside down?"
Zhang Yong stood, dusting off his clothes - or rather what lasted from them
"Let's keep moving."
The two carefully advanced toward the valley's middle circle, a place swarming with skeletal venomous snakes. Though only second-grade beasts, their tough flesh allowed them to survive here, making them far from weak.
Wu Ruoxian asked,
"You didn't use your sword power earlier. Why not?"
Zhang Yong hesitated, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
"What makes you ask that?"
A faint smile spread across Wu Ruoxian's face.
"It just seemed stronger… that's why I asked."
Though Zhang Yong was still young, he was mentally mature enough to know that if she kept acting as an overbearing leader, the gap between them would grow—against her own plan. Gaining his trust was the only way to control him. She was trying to understand him, and you couldn't understand someone while standing above them. Only by lowering yourself to the same level could you see them clearly.
But how could she understand something unstable by nature?
Even Zhang Yong himself didn't know which path to walk in life.
Would he carry the kindness his grandfather had taught him?
Would he continue with madness, casting his anger and frustration upon the world?
Or would he choose another road entirely?
Even he did not know. He didn't want to disappoint his family's soul watching him from above, nor did he want to betray himself.
"It doesn't belong to me," Zhang Yong said at last. "My sword owns that power. Not me. I merely borrow it."That was half a lie
At the same time, Zhang Yong avoided revealing too much. If Wu Ruoxian sensed he was hiding something, she might act forcefully—and he was no match for her yet. So instead of widening the gap, he stepped half a pace closer, revealing just enough to keep her satisfied. After that, he fell silent, refusing to share more.
The aura of death thickened like soup. The purple leaves slowly turned brown, and the trees bore streaks like veins of blood—though it wasn't blood, but the trees themselves.
It was the sign they had reached the middle circle.
Suddenly, black clouds filled the sky. Thunder struck fiercely, and winds converged toward one area.
To an ordinary person, this seemed natural. But Wu Ruoxian, with her years of experience, immediately recognized it. Her gaze snapped toward the distant region.
"A beast is undergoing tribulation—it's trying to ascend to the sixth grade. We must hurry. The place where the lightning falls is where the ginseng is."
Zhang Yong's expression changed instantly. He stomped hard, embedding his foot deep into the ground, grabbed Wu Ruoxian, and leapt forward at incredible speed.
He activated a Wind Talisman, increasing his speed further. Kicking off a tree trunk, he shot forward, Muramasa's aura flaring faster and faster.
Whether Wu Ruoxian was lying or not didn't matter. The Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng wasn't something easy to obtain, and he couldn't afford to lose it.
His speed surpassed even the wind.
Wu Ruoxian couldn't help but marvel. No matter how much the human body was tempered by external methods, there were always limits… yet this man seemed to exceed them.
She couldn't help but wonder—who exactly was he?
From her memories, there was no record of anyone by his name. Someone with this kind of talent couldn't possibly remain unknown. Was this the work of the butterfly effect?
When they arrived, Zhang Yong landed swiftly, releasing Wu Ruoxian. Before them loomed an enormous creature.
It was a colossal worm, its body like a massive cylindrical structure, with a circular maw full of sharp teeth and multiple jaw-like appendages. Its length stretched over a hundred meters, its mouth as wide as twenty meters. Its body seemed to extend miles underground, weighing several tons.
Beneath it glowed a pure, radiant green light, filled with vitality.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng.
Its rounded head was the size of a large bowl, about ten centimeters across, its root extending deep underground.
Wu Ruoxian's face grew grim.
"This is bad—it's an Earth-Swallowing Worm. It intends to evolve into a Earth's Perdition Worm. To survive its lightning tribulation, it plans to use the ginseng."
Zhang Yong stomped forward, rushing at the beast.
"Wu Ruoxian, take the ginseng—I'll distract it."
He gripped his sword tightly, Muramasa's aura surging violently around him.
Channeling his energy into the blade, he unleashed a crescent slash at the worm—but it didn't even scratch its hide.
As he closed in, Zhang Yong gathered the five elements into his fist, slamming it against the worm. But it felt like punching solid rock.
With a thunderous roar, the worm released the full aura of a fifth-grade spiritual beast against him.
Clinging to its flesh, Zhang Yong tried to hold on, but his nails tore free as he failed to find a grip.
He kicked off, retreating as the worm's massive maw rotated its teeth like a meat grinder.
It lunged down, attempting to devour him whole.
Zhang Yong leapt back just in time, barely escaping as the worm burrowed into the ground.
Suddenly, the earth split beneath him. The worm erupted upward, its mouth opening beneath his feet. He jumped high, narrowly avoiding being swallowed.
Dark aura surged around him, clinging to the edges of its jaws. He nearly fell into the whirling teeth.
The worm thrashed violently, plunging deeper into the mountain, dragging him along.
Burrowing through stone, it pierced the mountain's core.
Zhang Yong managed to leap free, landing hard, clutching his head in pain.
"Damn worm…"
But then the worm vanished into the mountain, leaving behind only a cave.
Zhang Yong felt a strange pull from within, a familiar sensation—like the first time he had swallowed the Seed of Life in the Douluo world.
There was another seed here.
Should he laugh at his fortune… or curse it?
If he could absorb it, perhaps he could survive.
He dug furiously, channeling the five elements into his fists until the cavern shook.
At last, he uncovered a black seed, shrouded in a dark aura.
Without hesitation, he swallowed it.
(Seed of Death absorbed successfully. Current Yggdrasil Puzzle Pieces: {1/7})
(In any place where the power of death exists, the host's strength will now rise as well.)
Zhang Yong ignored the system's notification, focusing instead on his aura. Muramasa's power surged stronger than ever.
With one leap, he shot out of the cavern, racing after the worm.
Though it was distant, he could see its massive body burrowing toward the ginseng.
Launching himself off the mountain's face, he bellowed,
"Miss me, you filthy worm?"
He swung his axe, enlarging it into a massive weapon imbued with Muramasa's peak aura.
One strike.
The mountain split, and the worm was cleaved clean in two.
He recalled the axe, but his body wavered, drained and unstable, exhaustion flooding him.
As he collapsed, Wu Ruoxian caught him gently.
"We must leave now," she ordered swiftly.
They hurried away.
But suddenly, the ground shook violently. Both realized it at once—
The damned worm was still alive.
From the place where it had been split, a new head emerged. The single worm had become two.
The twin worms rose high into the sky, coiling around each other before diving at them together.
At that moment, Wu Ruoxian had a choice.
She could abandon Zhang Yong and escape—her condition was far better than his.
Or she could stay… and die.
But which choice did she make?
The answer was clear.
Her gaze turned cold, yet her lips curved in a calm smile, as if she had expected this.
The two worms crashed down, burrowing into the ground toward them with immense force.