The wind in West Mountain grew colder, carrying the scent of damp earth and rotting vegetation, sending chills down Ye Chenyu's spine. He clutched the core fragment tightly and followed the faint glow traced by the fractured stones, stepping cautiously into an unusually wide valley. At the center, a crimson light shimmered through the thin mist. Ye Chenyu held his breath, sensing the heartbeat of the entire valley—a pulse not of this mortal realm.
As he drew closer, the valley revealed its full, terrifying nature: a pool of blood-red water flowed quietly, its surface like a mirror, reflecting not the real world but a twisted, alien, unbearable landscape. In the center of the pool, countless vague shapes seemed to float. Their faces were distorted, their limbs dismembered and recombined, echoing silent wails throughout the valley. A shiver ran down Ye Chenyu's spine. He instinctively stepped back, but his gaze remained fixed—the pool reflected even his future self, limbs torn apart by unknown beings, his body mirrored in the crimson water. Every ripple brought a sharp psychological sting, making his chest feel as if struck by a heavy hammer.
Suddenly, the surface of the blood spring churned violently, and strange creatures emerged from the shattered reflections. Cat-sized, their wet fur clung to their bodies. Thin wings sprouted from their backs, and they let out piercing cries like infants. They lunged at Ye Chenyu with unnatural speed, their bodies seemingly able to slip through the gaps in the air. He retreated hastily, stepping on the muddy edge of the pool and splashing the red water, his heart pounding violently.
Just as the creatures were about to strike, a cold figure flashed from the side. Her bowstring vibrated, sending arrows flying with deadly precision, repelling the attackers. Ye Chenyu looked up to see Li Yueying at his side, her gaze calm and sharp as a blade. Her movements were swift and decisive, her form blending with the shadows amid the crimson glow.
"Fall back!" she commanded, her voice low yet commanding. Arrows sliced through the air above the blood spring, knocking back several attacking creatures. Ye Chenyu felt a flicker of warmth in his chest—amid this West Mountain secret land of death and despair, Li Yueying's presence was a single anchor, allowing him to maintain his composure in fear.
The creatures were forced back into the depths of the blood spring, yet their high-pitched cries continued, reverberating through the valley like countless trapped souls wailing. The surface of the spring churned as if responding to some unseen signal. Its color darkened into a viscous black-red, as if recording the valley's horrors and laments. Ye Chenyu noticed strange symbols flickering in the water, as though every drop whispered the secrets of ancient rituals—West Mountain had once been a center of sacrifice, where blood, souls, and mysterious forces intertwined, forming an eternal chain of energy.
Li Yueying did not pause. She swept her gaze across the blood spring, eyes wary and cautious. "Be careful. They are not mere creatures," she warned. Her voice was low and powerful, striking Ye Chenyu's heart like a solid stone. He looked back, seeing the reflections in the blood spring grow even more twisted, each ripple revealing an unknown abyss.
Ye Chenyu adjusted his breathing and gripped the core fragment tighter. He could feel the fragment trembling slightly, as if responding to his heartbeat. Each squeeze brought forth a faint glow, reminding him that the danger of the blood spring was not only the monstrous beings before him, but also the alien world reflected within its waters—there lay the incomprehensible laws and forces of the Spirit Realm.
He retreated slowly, step by step, avoiding the creatures and the glimmering reflections of the rippling water. Li Yueying followed closely, her movements calm and precise, each strike causing the approaching creatures to scatter in terror. Side by side, they moved through the valley, the mingled scent of blood and cold seeping into their lungs, each breath a reminder of West Mountain's lurking danger.
A silent pressure rose in Ye Chenyu's chest—he realized that the secret lands of West Mountain were far deeper than he had imagined. The blood spring was only a surface manifestation. The monstrous creatures, the symbols, the reflections, and Li Yueying's mysterious intervention made him understand that this Spirit Realm was not just filled with death, but woven into a web of ritual and intelligence, where a single misstep could lead to permanent entrapment.
When the last creature was driven back into the depths of the blood spring by the fragment's glow, the valley fell into a brief, deathly stillness. Ye Chenyu and Li Yueying exchanged glances, seeing in each other unspoken caution and questions. The blood spring still churned quietly, the symbols on its surface flickering with red light, whispering: countless lives had been sacrificed here, leaving behind an eternal curse.