This valley was extremely remote and exceedingly difficult to find. Two towering mountains flanked either side, forming a narrow passage like a sliver of sky—the only route into this deep, mist-shrouded gorge.
Beyond the gorge lay the legendary wasteland.
Standing outside the valley and peering inward, one could see smoke curling and swirling, multicolored miasma blanketing the depths in a perpetual haze that gave the place an eerie, otherworldly air.
Around the valley's entrance, streams of energy occasionally surged forth like purple lightning, revealing the presence of powerful restrictions.
"So this really is the entrance to the wasteland."
Gazing at the formidable barrier of restrictions, which periodically erupted with currents as thick as an infant's arm, Jiang Chen had no doubt that if the restrictions were functioning properly, let alone these scattered cultivators—even an emperor-level powerhouse attempting to enter the wasteland would be struck down and reduced to ash in an instant.
"The ancient restrictions are truly remarkable. After all these countless ages, they still possess such might. No wonder the Eastern Kingdom and the Black Moon Kingdom, despite being so close to this place, never had anyone explore it. With the strength of cultivators in those two kingdoms, forget about exploring—even reaching this entrance would be a tall order."
Jiang Chen didn't doubt this in the slightest.
From Marquis Jianghan's estate to this spot, the distance was less than two thousand li. But those two thousand li were impassable for any cultivator from an ordinary kingdom. Along the way lurked all manner of fierce beasts and perilous terrain. Even yuan-realm cultivators would struggle to keep themselves alive, let alone the strongest fighters of these two mundane kingdoms, who were merely spirit-realm cultivators at best.
"What are you skulking around for? Stay away from me!" When Jiang Chen and Huang'er moved inward, someone immediately acted as though their territory had been encroached upon, bellowing with an ugly scowl.
Jiang Chen paid no heed. He focused his gaze on the valley entrance, activating the Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil at full power to scan every direction.
He wanted to pinpoint exactly which section of the restrictions had a gap. He also wanted to determine when these gaps appeared and for how long.
These details were absent from everything He Hongshu had provided. He Hongshu had only mentioned that one had to pass through layer after layer of restrictions and consume poison-warding pills to get inside. Once the restrictions opened, they would close again shortly after. To exit, one would have to wait for the next opening.
Jiang Chen was a man who pursued details. He liked to investigate everything thoroughly before taking action. Only through investigation could one earn the right to speak, and only then could one proceed with confidence.
However, this behavior of his infuriated the man who had just been shouting at him.
"Kid, are you deaf or mute? Didn't you hear me tell you to scram?" That shrill voice rang out again, now laced with even greater fury, as though the man might throw a punch at any moment if provoked further.
Jiang Chen frowned and cast a glance at the speaker.
He was standing a good dozen meters away from the other party—surely far enough not to disturb anyone. Yet this fellow was barking like a mad dog, making Jiang Chen's already poor mood sink even lower.
"Is this your home?" Jiang Chen's tone was ice-cold.
A casual glance revealed that the other party had five members. Looking more closely, Jiang Chen found them somewhat familiar.
He exchanged a glance with Huang'er, and both of them suddenly recalled where they had seen these five.
After the Danhang Palace was destroyed and Jiang Chen had taken his revenge on
At the time, the bounty from the Red Cauldron Central Domain and the Immortal Hebdomad had just been issued. The reward had not yet reached its current absurd levels, but even then it already amounted to five million saint-grade spirit stones, three thousand primordial elixir pills, a single heavenly-grade spiritual medicine, a ten-thousand-li marquis title, a Red Cauldron National Scholar token, and the right to establish one's own sect within the Red Cauldron Central Domain.
These five had appeared at the Dragon and Phoenix Tavern, boasting shamelessly that they would capture Jiang Chen and claim the bounty.
Jiang Chen remembered them fairly well. Their leader was a fierce-looking, one-eyed man with a cunning mind buried beneath that brutish exterior.
Jiang Chen also recalled that these five had called themselves the "Ghost Cavern Five Companions." Their strength was no joke—all were saint-realm cultivators, making them absolutely first-rate among the scattered cultivators who had gathered here.
Moreover, as a tight-knit group of five, they currently cut an especially imposing figure, having carved out an enormous territory around themselves. The nearest cultivators to them were at least a hundred zhang away.
When Jiang Chen not only ignored them but actually talked back, the other four members of the Ghost Cavern Five Companions—all except the one-eyed leader—flushed with rage.
The one who had spoken, a gaunt man with a sharp chin, shot to his feet: "Kid, you've got a death wish, have you?"
It was clear that these Ghost Cavern Five Companions, though mere scattered cultivators, carried themselves with extraordinary arrogance.
Jiang Chen, naturally, was not intimidated. Even during his days as a fugitive, he had never feared the so-called Ghost Cavern Five Companions, let alone now.
His eyes swept over the man with cool indifference. "The Ghost Cavern Five Companions? I must say, I'm genuinely surprised that someone as arrogant as you has managed to survive this long."
Huang'er silently shook her head. They had only stopped here for a moment, and this fellow was already being this rude. If he ran into a truly powerful cultivator, a casual slap might just send them all to their graves.
Setting others aside, even Jiang Chen could crush all five of them without the slightest effort.
Sensing the sharp edge in Jiang Chen's tone, Huang'er gently tugged his arm. "Forget it. Why bother stooping to his level?"