The night passed quietly, with only a few demon beasts disturbing the peace. Zhao Wuji simply used a sonic wave to drive them away. As dawn broke, Zhao Wuji stood up, dressed in his full robe, and looked at Feng Yun Wuji. After glancing at the horizon, he spoke, "I plan to visit a friend of my master, the one known as the Hand of Demon Slaughter. I'll be staying there for a while. If you're willing, you can join me."
Feng Yun Wuji nodded, "I'm not familiar with this place, and I have nowhere else to go. It would be good to have someone to watch my back."
Zhao Wuji smiled and then leaped from the cliff's edge, soaring through the air like a streak of rainbow, heading east. Feng Yun Wuji followed closely behind, using his sword to fly.
Three days later, they arrived at a vast valley, shrouded in mist. It was difficult to make out the details, but the valley stretched endlessly. When they were still some distance from the entrance, Zhao Wuji signaled for Feng Yun Wuji to land. They proceeded on foot towards the valley entrance. The opening was narrow, and two large characters—Hidden Valley—were written in cinnabar at the entrance. Feng Yun Wuji looked at Zhao Wuji in confusion, but Zhao Wuji didn't notice. He walked forward and bowed deeply to two elderly men with white beards lying on the ground.
Zhao Wuji then picked up a rusty small knife lying nearby, and with a swift motion, cut his own finger. Despite the knife's dull appearance, it was surprisingly sharp, easily slicing open his finger. A drop of blood fell into a stone bowl that was connected to the rock. The bowl glowed a deep crimson, and the bottom of the bowl was covered with a layer of darkened, reddish material.
The two old men opened their eyes slightly, as if to check the bowl, then nodded in approval before turning their gaze toward Feng Yun Wuji.
"Do the same," Zhao Wuji handed the small knife to Feng Yun Wuji, explaining, "This is to prevent high-level demons from sneaking into the valley. Some demons possess excellent transformation techniques that even top experts struggle to see through. So, the only way to confirm their identity is through their blood."
Feng Yun Wuji nodded, understanding. He took the knife and, with a swift cut, let his blood drop into the bowl.
"You two can enter now. Remember, life and death are fated," one of the old men said, waving his hand. The two then closed their eyes and fell silent.
Inside the Hidden Valley, the cliffs rose sheer, and countless caves were carved into the walls. In these caves, one could faintly make out figures sitting cross-legged, unmoving.
"The stronger the cultivator, the higher they reside. Three hundred meters is the boundary. Anyone below that level must not disturb the ones above," Zhao Wuji explained. "I've been here twice, once tens of thousands of years ago, and again a few thousand years ago. But I've never seen anyone living above three hundred meters. Some of them have been meditating in solitude for hundreds of thousands of years without moving a muscle."
Feng Yun Wuji sneered inwardly, thinking it would be easy to just fly up and take a look. Zhao Wuji, however, smiled knowingly and said, "You can try flying up above three hundred meters."
Intrigued, Feng Yun Wuji attempted to ascend. As he rose, he immediately felt the resistance of the air growing stronger. By the time he reached two hundred meters, his speed slowed to a crawl, and by the time he reached two hundred and fifty meters, he couldn't go any higher. It was as if the entire space had become solid, like a giant block of cold iron, preventing him from moving further.
His internal energy stalled and nearly depleted, Feng Yun Wuji had no choice but to slowly descend back to the ground.
"How was it?" Zhao Wuji asked.
"I could only reach two hundred and fifty meters," Feng Yun Wuji replied.
"Ten thousand years ago, I could only reach two hundred and eighty meters," Zhao Wuji mused. "And from there, I could barely progress another one or two meters. The higher you go, the stronger the aura becomes. The presence of these powerful cultivators is so intense that even their unintentional aura feels like a tangible attack. With our current strength, it's impossible to reach the upper levels. Everyone in the Hidden Valley below three hundred meters is of our level. The higher levels haven't been visible for many years."
Feng Yun Wuji looked up, sensing the thick spiritual energy and swirling flow of true energy above. He mused, "Are they all cultivating in seclusion?"
"Yes," Zhao Wuji replied.
"In this valley, there is a grand spiritual formation arranged by the Supreme Being that accelerates the gathering of spiritual energy a hundred to a thousand times compared to self-cultivation. That's why many cultivators from free factions come here to train. But the most important reason is…" Zhao Wuji turned to look into Feng Yun Wuji's eyes and continued calmly, "In the ancient world, things are not as simple as in the plane where we originally came from, where a cultivation technique can reach great success in just a few decades. Our human race, though not as numerous as the Celestial Birds or demons from other planes, still has a considerable population. But along this journey, how many have you seen? None, right? That's the point. In this world, truly powerful techniques, the ones with great divine might, take tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years to master. The more powerful the technique, the longer the cultivation time. The reason why there are so few humans in the ancient world is that most are deep in secluded cultivation. I've also spent tens of thousands of years cultivating, and only now have I made slight progress. But I could not endure the endless years of cultivation, so I decided to leave and take a walk. Those above three hundred meters are likely cultivators refining tremendous powers."
"How long…" Feng Yun Wuji muttered, thoughts drifting to the Mind Sword Body technique he obtained from the Holy Temple. How long would it take to reach completion? Tens of thousands of years? Or hundreds of thousands? A million years? With such a vast gap in time, if it took that long, what would he do when facing powerful demons or even hostile human factions in the meantime?
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Feng Yun Wuji's brow furrowed. Though he understood that martial arts cultivation couldn't be rushed, the reality of the situation weighed heavily on him. Even low-level demons were difficult for him to handle, and this cruel reality made him anxious.
"Let's go," Zhao Wuji clapped him on the shoulder. "The boat will find its way when it reaches the bridge. We'll head inside now."
Feng Yun Wuji snapped out of his thoughts and followed Zhao Wuji as they entered the valley. The deeper they went, the more expansive the valley became. The mist thinned and dispersed. After walking about a thousand meters, there was no more mist.
At the base of a cliff, Zhao Wuji suddenly stopped and called out toward a dark cave, cupping his hands and speaking loudly, "Junior Zhao Wuji comes to pay respects to the Hand of Demon Slaughter."
The cave was silent, like a stagnant pool. Feng Yun Wuji sensed no life force inside. But as soon as Zhao Wuji's voice faded, a powerful aura rushed out of the cave, like a storm, with the pressure of invisible winds and blades flying toward them. In an instant, Feng Yun Wuji was forced to retreat rapidly, his chest tight with the overwhelming force.
A mighty voice echoed from inside the cave, "Who is this? Why have you brought a stranger here? ... How strange, who exactly have you brought? His strength is so weak, perhaps the weakest in the entire ancient world."
"He is a newly ascended cultivator, only three years since his ascension," Zhao Wuji explained respectfully. "I encountered him on the way and received his help to escape a disaster. I brought him to the Hidden Valley."
The voice inside let out a surprised exclamation. Then, there was silence. Feng Yun Wuji noticed that Zhao Wuji's lips were moving, seemingly communicating via a secret technique.
After a long pause, the voice finally sighed, "I didn't expect your master... sigh... come in, both of you."