Within Dark Valley, rivers crisscrossed the terrain. There were even traces of waterfalls once washing through the mountains. Without exception, all had long since dried up. Only here did water remain abundant. The lake stretched wide and smooth as a mirror.

Trees lined the shore, yet all had turned to stone. Not a single living plant could be found. The reflection of the stony forest rippled across the lake, creating a strange and eerie sight.

"There are poisonous lakes within the Spirit-Suppressing Domain, each containing terrifying poison, and this isn’t the only one. It’s believed that the toxins drifting throughout Dark Valley come from these very poisonous lakes." The armored demon’s expression grew solemn, doubt stirring within him.

The secret technique guiding them pointed straight toward the poisonous lake, urging them to search for the corpse within.

"Have humans ever explored what lies beneath these lakes?" The Jiao King gazed into the depths of the water, but the lake was pitch black, its bottom impossible to see.

The armored demon shook his head. "This is a true secret. It’s almost impossible for any such knowledge to have leaked out."

"It seems like the only way is to go down ourselves." The Jiao King’s golden armor trembled, layers of golden light merging and thickening it severalfold until it enclosed him completely. Even he dared not take this poisonous lake lightly.

Splash! The Jiao King leapt into the lake, and the golden armor was instantly submerged in poison.

Hiss, hiss... The armor began corroding rapidly, pitted and scarred, the golden light fading layer by layer. The poison was far more potent than the toxins floating in the air.

The armored demon followed him in, the shadow of the Black Tortoise on his back swiftly drawing in and expelling breaths of energy to resist the poison's erosion. Neither demon dared delay, diving rapidly downward.

Yet the lake proved far deeper than they had imagined. Even after descending for a long while, they could not reach the bottom. The underground space was vast, and as they probed the edges, they found several dark rivers branching outward in all directions.

It seemed the entire subterranean area beneath the Spirit-Suppressing Domain was interlaced with poisonous rivers, connecting one poison lake to another.

Splash! The two demons emerged from the water.

The situation was tricky. To retrieve the dragon’s corpse, they would have to endure the poison's corrosion for an extended time. Fortunately, they had not encountered any ferocious beasts or other threats beneath the surface.

After discussing their options, they decided to take turns resisting the poison's onslaught. With the secret technique guiding them and a clear direction ahead, they were confident they could endure.

After a brief rest, they approached the shore. The Jiao King withdrew his golden armor, while the armored demon expanded a protective barrier around them both before diving back into the lake.

This time, following the guidance of the secret technique, they soon entered one of the dark rivers and wove through the tangled web of waterways, changing course repeatedly.

Along the way, they alternated maintaining their protective powers. No one knew how deep they had gone when their demonic qi began to grow unstable. It was becoming harder to resist the poison.

The poisonous rivers corroded not only flesh but also spiritual consciousness. The underground waterways were immensely complex, entirely filled with poisonous currents. Without the secret technique leading them toward the dragon’s corpse, their cultivation alone would never have allowed them to reach this depth.

Then, after passing through another dark river, a vast underground poisonous lake appeared before them.

At the bottom of the lake lay a massive stone slab. When they pried it open, they uncovered a square stone door beneath it.

The door had already merged completely with the riverbed. Without careful observation, it would have been easy to overlook. The secret technique pointed directly toward what lay beyond that door.

"This is it!" The two demons rejoiced.

Before entering, the Jiao King gently pressed against the stone door, but it did not budge. A faint glimmer of light flickered across its surface.

They exchanged a glance and spoke in unison. "There’s a barrier!"

"Daoist, break it with all your strength. Don’t worry about the poison, I can hold out for a while longer."

The armored demon’s eyes gleamed. The dragon’s corpse might very well be behind that door.

The Jiao King focused on sensing the barrier, attempting to unravel it again and again, but made no progress. The armored demon grew restless, yet the Jiao King’s face suddenly lit up with excitement. "It’s an ancient barrier of the Dragon Clan!"

"What? It’s not a human barrier?" The armored demon was astonished.

"The ancient barrier remains intact, and its power is still strong. If it were a human barrier, we might truly have no hope of breaking it and would be forced to return empty-handed. But since it’s of dragon origin, then this corpse rightfully belongs to us!" The Jiao King laughed heartily.

***

In an unknown underground cavern, a group of witch cultivators stepped out of a teleportation array. They immediately activated their protective treasures. Everyone was safe. They swiftly arranged themselves into formation, alertly scanning their surroundings, and realized they had been transported underground.

The teleportation array sat atop a square stone platform, with nothing else in the chamber.

The cavern appeared natural, not carved by hand. The rock walls were rough and uneven, showing no traces of chiseling.

There were no stone pillars, no witch arrays, and no barriers. The place was utterly silent, as if no living being had entered for countless years.

This surprised them. They had expected to arrive within the ruins of their witch race, yet found themselves in such a barren place instead.

At the far end of the cavern was a passageway, its end shrouded in darkness. From within came the faint sound of flowing water.

After a brief discussion, Old Devil Fang once again took the lead. Soon, they reached the passage’s end and were startled to find a well in the ground, filled with water, seemingly an entrance to an underground river.

A Spiritual Infant witch cultivator cast a strand of spiritual power into the water. It dissolved instantly before their eyes.

"A poisonous river!" He jumped in alarm. "What a vicious poison!"

"Why would our ancestors’ teleportation array connect to a dead end? Should we try going up and see where we are?" someone suggested. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"No!" The grand witch priest immediately stopped them, her expression grave. "I know where we are now. There’s only one place within Dark Valley that has poisonous lakes, and that is the Spirit-Suppressing Domain. This poisonous river must be connected to those lakes. We are near the Spirit-Suppressing Domain. It is one of the most important hidden realms guarded by humans. We must not act rashly."

"The Spirit-Suppressing Domain?" All the Spiritual Infant cultivators fell silent at her tone of severity. None dared make a decision.

Old Devil Fang asked, "How much do you know about the Spirit-Suppressing Domain?"

"Not much," the grand witch priest replied helplessly, "Humans guard their secrets closely. I only found a few vague records. It’s said that the Spirit-Suppressing Domain contains a mysterious power, and only those at the late stage or the peak of the middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm dare to enter."

"Then doesn’t that mean only you and Daoist Fang can go in?"

The others stirred uneasily, until one spoke up, "We haven’t felt anything strange yet. Perhaps the rumors were exaggerated. Why don’t we all go down and see? If we meet resistance, we can simply retreat."

"Very well..." The grand witch priest did not object.

Upon entering, they soon discovered that the poison within the underground river was extremely potent. They could not endure it for long and were forced to retreat.

The situation underground was unclear, with several branching dark rivers. Out of caution, the group made careful preparations and took turns exploring the passages.

After multiple attempts, they finally discovered that every branch of the dark river connected to a vast underground lake.

Old Devil Fang led several Spiritual Infant cultivators to enter the poisonous lake separately. Not long after, an unusual fluctuation swept through the area.

Confirming that the fluctuation had no effect on him, Old Devil Fang immediately rushed elsewhere to rescue the others.

Within the poisonous lake, the sudden suppression from the Spirit-Suppressing Domain descended. One Spiritual Infant witch cultivator was caught off guard and unable to resist the poisonous water. His body was instantly corroded away, leaving only his Spiritual Infant, which Old Devil Fang managed to save.

The others could only defend themselves, each one emerging injured.