Chapter 378: Blood Rain

Walking through the cracks in the ancient formations, dazzling, otherworldly light was everywhere, as if they were surrounded by rainbows. These rainbows, however, represented danger. Qin Sang followed dutifully behind Yun Youzi, cautiously moving forward along the cracks, not daring to make any rash moves.

The cracks were not entirely safe. Dangerous areas were marked on their map, allowing them to prepare in advance.

Upon safely reaching the exit of the cracks, Yun Youzi turned to look. Qin Sang understood immediately, conjured his magical artifact, and concealed himself in the shadows, watching Yun Youzi exit.

It was impossible for an ambush to be inside the cracks. Unless someone was confident of a one-hit kill, even the slightest leak of spiritual energy, if it touched the ancient formations, could trigger a counter-attack from the formations. If there were any rogue cultivators lying in ambush, they would only be at the exit.

Qin Sang waited for a moment. Yun Youzi returned, confirmed there was no ambush ahead, and then stepped out of the formations.

The scenery of the second level of Boundless Valley was largely similar to the first. However, the blood-red clouds in the sky hung even lower, creating an incredibly oppressive atmosphere. At the edge of their vision, there were also many areas of mist and miasma, glowing with strange lights or emitting various colors. These places were clearly dangerous, appearing even more densely packed than those on the first level.

On the barren stone ridges, entirely composed of stacked white stones, no vegetation grew. Numerous similar ridges dotted the surroundings, resembling raised burial mounds, creating a desolate landscape.

Yun Youzi stood on the stone ridge, his aura somewhat chaotic, yet he didn't adjust his breathing. Instead, he gazed intently into the distance, a hint of worry in his expression.

Qin Sang was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, Yun Youzi's eyes lit up. In the distance, a streak of sword light, like a shooting star, streaked across the sky and rapidly approached. In a flash, it landed near the stone ridge, revealing Qin Sang's slightly dishevelled figure.

“How are you, Brother Qin? You're not hurt, are you?”

Qin Sang, arriving on his sword, steadied himself and took a few breaths. He shook his head and said, “These Yin Beasts are truly troublesome. Fortunately, Senior drew away most of them.”

This was already the heart of Boundless Valley's second level. They followed the map's markings, and the first part of their journey went smoothly. However, as they ventured further, the map's annotations became ambiguous, with many areas only marked as guesses, forcing them to discern the path themselves. This inevitably led them to encounter dangers. Fortunately, their cultivation was not low, and they were extremely vigilant, managing to turn every danger into safety.

This particular encounter was the most perilous. They accidentally stumbled into a nest of Yin Beasts. Caught off guard, they were separated by the beasts before they could regroup, and had no choice but to agree on a meeting point and escape individually. After separating, Qin Sang was able to act more freely. He released his Living Corpse and the Ten Directions Yama Formation, slaying a group of Yin Beasts. When he realized that the beasts simply reverted to Yin energy upon death, leaving nothing behind, he didn't linger and hurried to the meeting point.

“It's good that you're unharmed, Brother Qin.”

Yun Youzi nodded, relieved, and looked around. “This white stone wilderness is just as I remember it. From here, three hundred *li* to the east, we will reach the third level of Boundless Valley, the edge of the inner valley. If those two demon groups haven't been disturbed, the path I took before should still be open.”

Before they departed, Qin Sang turned his head to glance to his left. The dark abyss where the Flood Dragon was hiding was directly north of this wilderness.

Half a day later.

Qin Sang and Yun Youzi appeared before a vast mountain range. This boundless range stretched endlessly, with towering peaks rising from the ground, seemingly supporting the blood-red clouds. On the mountains and between the peaks, layer upon layer of ancient formations shimmered in and out of view, leaving no gaps, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.

“Brother Qin, this is the barrier to Boundless Valley's third level!”

Yun Youzi pondered for a moment, then swept forward to the entrance of a valley. He gazed intently for a long time, a look of delight appearing on his face as he said, “Excellent! For decades, these formations here haven't changed, nor have they been discovered by anyone!”

Qin Sang followed him, and upon seeing the scene before them, his face paled slightly. He gave a dry laugh and said, “Senior, you're not planning to cross through here, are you?”

What met their eyes was a valley where 'blood rain' was falling. This blood rain wasn't actual rain; the 'rain' consisted of countless dense strands of red light, filling the entire valley. Though seemingly fragile, these strands gave Qin Sang an extremely dangerous feeling. These strands were undoubtedly manifestations of ancient formations; each one was incredibly sharp, comparable to the keenest sword.

Qin Sang had no doubt that if he were to rush into the valley, his body would instantly be pierced into a honeycomb by the blood rain. He would surely perish, and even his Seven-Colored Luminous Umbrella wouldn't be able to block it. He had thought Yun Youzi found a flaw in the formations. Could it be they were going to force their way through?

Yun Youzi glanced at Qin Sang, smiling as he said, “Don't be fooled by appearances, Brother Qin. This formation, though seemingly dangerous, has actually been weakened by the passage of time, just like the otherworldly light at the edge of the second level. Its power has diminished, and flaws have appeared. However, this particular formation hasn't weakened as severely, so the flaws aren't visible to the naked eye. Watch…”

With that, Yun Youzi opened his palm, and spiritual energy materialized into a sparrow, which chirped as it flew towards the valley. As it neared the edge of the blood rain, the sparrow paused. After a few breaths, Yun Youzi urged, “Go!”

The sparrow flapped its wings and flew into the blood rain, immediately causing a strange phenomenon. A strange suction seemed to emanate from the sparrow, drawing the surrounding strands of 'rain' towards it. It appeared as though the sparrow was about to be pulverized by the blood rain, but unexpectedly, the strands passed right through it, leaving the sparrow completely unharmed.

Qin Sang watched the sparrow with a look of astonishment as it passed through the blood rain and flew safely into the depths of the valley. The blood rain appeared to be an illusion.

Yun Youzi dispelled his spiritual energy, a smile spreading across his face. “The formation hasn't changed; it follows the same pattern as before. The flaw isn't always present; it only appears for a single breath of time at regular intervals. Brother Qin, make sure to follow me closely. As long as we seize the right moment, there's nothing to worry about.”

Seeing Yun Youzi's confidence, and having witnessed the sparrow's safe passage, Qin Sang no longer worried. He summoned his Ebony Sword and stood beside Yun Youzi.

Yun Youzi fixed his gaze on the blood rain, motionless.

Time slowly passed. A quarter of an hour later, Yun Youzi suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, “It's here!”

Then, Yun Youzi rose on his sword and rushed into the blood rain from the exact spot where the sparrow had entered. Qin Sang followed closely, not wanting to fall behind Yun Youzi.

The moment he entered the blood rain, Qin Sang saw strands of 'rain' entangling him from all directions. His vigilance peaked, but he quickly realized that the strands indeed had no destructive power and caused no unusual sensations on his body. Relieved, he continued to follow Yun Youzi.

Yun Youzi moved like lightning, his path not straight but exceedingly winding. It was hard to imagine who could have had the audacity to find such a route through the incredibly dangerous blood rain.

After an unknown distance into the valley, Yun Youzi suddenly stopped. Qin Sang's heart stirred. He lowered his sword light and found that they had already passed through the blood rain, with a cave appearing ahead.