"Dark Valley stretches far and wide. The terrain within isn’t all the same barren wasteland," Ning Wuhui said.

Ning Wuhui took out a jade bottle and handed it to Qin Sang. "The poison in the Dark Valley is colorless and tasteless, extremely hard to detect. By the time one realizes it, it’s already too late. This bottle contains Snow Toad Pills; they can detoxify."

Qin Sang thanked him and uncorked the jade bottle. The pills inside were pure white, yet he caught a faint spicy scent.

"The deeper we go into Dark Valley, the stronger the toxins become. At first, one can still resist using true essence, but later on, only poison-warding treasures can help. Otherwise, not a single step can be taken. You’ve prepared, haven’t you?" Ning Wuhui asked.

Qin Sang nodded. Ever since his discussion with Ning Wuhui years ago, he had taken the warning seriously and made preparations. Although he possessed the Poison-Warding Armor refined by the fat silkworm, to be safe, he had still bought some detoxifying treasures and spirit pills in Tianshing City.

However, the detoxifying pills he had purchased were certainly inferior in quality to the Snow Toad Pills.

Ning Wuhui gave a faint nod, then took out an astra capable of shielding him from poison. Still uneasy, he added, "If you sense anything wrong, if the poison pierces your defenses, take the Snow Toad Pill immediately. I also have a few more poison-warding treasures that should suffice to handle emergencies."

"Thank you for the warning, Daoist. I understand." Qin Sang awakened the fat silkworm and hid it beneath his inner armor.

The fat silkworm clung to a poisonous algae fruit, munching contentedly, allowing Qin Sang to handle it as he pleased.

The power of the Poison-Warding Armor was well-proven. To avoid exhausting the silkworm’s strength, Qin Sang decided not to let it activate the armor for now. He could still manage the early phases of the journey himself.

Next, he took out a Poison-Warding Bead and placed it in his mouth. Once activated, a thin, transparent layer of liquid film spread over his skin, barely visible to the eye.

When both were ready, they entered the Dark Valley. At first, there was no noticeable change. After walking for some time, the effects of the poison began to emerge, and the bead started to work.

They had assumed that, since the night owl had fled Dark Valley gravely wounded, there must have been some turmoil inside. Unexpectedly, the valley seemed calm, with no signs of disorder at all.

Perhaps they had simply chosen a remote route. Either way, avoiding trouble was always a good thing.

Even though Ning Wuhui had condensed an External Spiritual Infant, he dared not act recklessly here. Everyone capable of reaching this place was at least a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, making the two of them among the weakest present.

Every so often, Ning Wuhui would release his External Spiritual Infant to scout ahead. Even the slightest anomaly made him change course without hesitation. Qin Sang followed closely, secretly activating his Sky Eyes ability to maintain vigilance.

With each leg of their journey, the toxins in the air grew more intense. The bead gradually lost its strength. A faint gray-black hue began to stain the transparent film over Qin Sang’s skin, as if the poison were about to breach the barrier. The bead’s surface, once lustrous, had dulled significantly.

Prepared for this, Qin Sang promptly replaced it with another poison-warding treasure. Thus they advanced, stopping and resuming, deeper and deeper into Dark Valley.

Ning Wuhui showed no sign of slowing down. Qin Sang noticed that the deeper they went, the higher the terrain gradually rose, forming a massive, gentle slope.

The ground, once gravelly and desert-like, turned into hardened stone. Jagged rock outcrops jutted from the surface, their broken edges sharp as blades.

"Daoist Ning, how much farther?" Qin Sang couldn’t help but ask.

They had walked so far that they could have crossed Purple Mist End by now, yet the valley still showed no end in sight.

Ning Wuhui had been tight-lipped all along. He had only told Qin Sang that they would be entering Dark Valley and should prepare poison-warding items; beyond that, he revealed nothing.

Although Qin Sang had approached him under Senior Qingzhu’s guidance, he carried no token of proof. It was already a favor that Ning Wuhui had agreed to bring him along.

He suspected that Ning Wuhui might be the contingency Senior Qingzhu had left behind to deal with his devilish incarnation, a matter of grave importance. Thus, he refrained from prying further.

Ning Wuhui stopped, scanned their surroundings, and said after a moment, "This is only the middle section of Dark Valley. We must reach its deepest point."

"The deepest point?" Qin Sang’s heart tightened. That was the farthest place humanity had ever managed to explore, and they were heading straight for it.

What exactly is Senior Qingzhu after? Does it have anything to do with the ancient teleportation array? Qin Sang thought.

"That’s right." Ning Wuhui nodded, then continued, "At the deepest part of Dark Valley lies a region known as the Spirit-Suppressing Domain. Have you ever heard of it?"

Qin Sang thought for a moment and replied helplessly, "I haven’t. I’ve only ever associated with Core Formation cultivators, and few of them have even entered Dark Valley, let alone reached the Spirit-Suppressing Domain."

Ning Wuhui wasn’t surprised. He explained, "The Spirit-Suppressing Domain is an unusual area. No one knows whether it hides an ancient array or something else, but any cultivator who enters will feel an inexplicable suppression. It’s said that only great cultivators or middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivators at their peak can withstand it. All others can only turn back."

"Such a place exists?" Qin Sang’s eyes flickered as realization struck. "Daoist Ning, are you planning to enter the Spirit-Suppressing Domain?"

Ning Wuhui nodded. "Don’t worry. I know another route, one that will let us bypass the domain’s suppressive force."

"Another route..." Qin Sang was startled, realizing that this must have been something Senior Qingzhu had personally taught Ning Wuhui.

So many Spiritual Infant grandmasters across Canglang Sea had no idea this path existed, yet Senior Qingzhu had found it. Clearly, he knew far more about Seven-Kill Hall than anyone imagined.

Ning Wuhui gave a brief explanation, then fell silent again. Qin Sang suppressed his curiosity and followed quietly.

After a long walk, Ning Wuhui abruptly changed direction. Instead of continuing along the valley’s edge, he veered diagonally toward its center. After some distance, Qin Sang noticed the landscape shifting again.

The rolling hills turned into small, bare stone mountains. The further they went, the taller and denser the peaks became. From time to time, roars of ferocious beasts echoed between the mountains, reverberating endlessly.

They climbed ridge after ridge. By now, the mountain they stood on was no lower than the ranges flanking Dark Valley.

All around, peaks stood like ranks of soldiers, layer upon layer. Some appeared lush from afar, but the plants were long since turned to stone.

"Finally, Yitian Peak!" Ning Wuhui pointed ahead.

Following his gaze, Qin Sang saw an awe-inspiring mountain towering among countless others, standing out like a crane among chickens, piercing through the clouds and glowing mist, vanishing into distant celestial light.

In sheer height alone, Yitian Peak might rival the Sky Tower of the outer hall.

"Yitian Peak lies at the very heart of the Spirit-Suppressing Domain. Now that we can see it, we’re not far!" Ning Wuhui let out a breath of relief; the journey had weighed heavily on him.

"Where do we go now?" Qin Sang asked quickly.

"Follow me," Ning Wuhui said, leaping down the mountain.