Before them was a pit, a gaping hole a thousand meters wide, resembling a vast canyon and forming a deep abyss. Looking down, thick clouds and mist filled the canyon, obscuring the view and concealing the dangers within.
An ordinary person without some skill wouldn't even dare to look. The surrounding slopes were treacherous; an accidental fall would mean certain death.
Even a professional mountaineering team would likely hesitate to explore the canyon floor.
"This must be where it fell," Jiang Wen said, smiling at the canyon.
During his chats with the village chief, he had learned about some strange occurrences around the town. It was said that several months ago, bizarre events had taken place in Zouma Mountain outside the town. It was a dry night.
The villagers came out to enjoy the cool air, and suddenly, the night sky turned fiery red, followed by a brilliant light, like a sun.
The light descended from the sky, tearing a hole in the night, and landed in Zouma Mountain. Then, a tremendous tremor and roar were heard.
The village chief said the sound was like a bomb exploding, deafening everyone. Many elderly villagers suffered ear damage.
Later, the county government sent a team of experts to investigate, using various instruments to explore the area. They spent several days in Zouma Mountain, and when they left, they announced that a meteorite had struck the mountain, advising people to stay away.
The villagers trusted the experts, so they rarely went to Zouma Mountain out of curiosity. Only a few daring young men in the village wanted to check it out, hoping to find a meteorite and get rich.
However, those young men disappeared without a trace. The rescue team searched several times but couldn't find them. The matter was eventually dropped.
Consequently, the county issued a notice declaring Zouma Mountain a restricted area, warning people to stay away. If anything happened again, the county wouldn't be responsible.
So, even out of curiosity, the villagers didn't dare to venture into the mountains.
Jiang Wen had his doubts when he heard this. Although the phenomenon resembled a meteorite strike, there were differences. The immense sound was puzzling, and it was unlikely a meteorite could tear the sky open.
Since the cat demon came from the mountains, he decided to investigate Zouma Mountain.
Seeing the so-called meteorite crater, Jiang Wen understood why the adventurous young men had disappeared and why the experts had warned the villagers to be careful.
This canyon wasn't caused by a meteorite at all; it was clearly the result of a massive architectural complex crashing down.
Although the valley was shrouded in mist, it was useless against someone like Jiang Wen.
The mist in the canyon was formed by the demonic power from the Joyful Abode, concealing the entire canyon and preventing the outside world from seeing its interior.
The mist had a bewitching effect, causing anyone who came into contact with it to lose their minds and become lost in endless illusions. This was likely why the experts couldn't figure it out after several days of investigation. After all, there were many unsolved mysteries in the world, and this strange event on Zouma Mountain was just one of them.
As for the later young men, they had likely died in this canyon.
Reining in his thoughts, Jiang Wen began to examine the ruins of the Joyful Abode.
Along the way, he saw many corpses of demons and cultivators, as well as signs of fighting. It was unknown why, but these corpses hadn't decayed. Instead, they were perfectly preserved in the ruins of the Joyful Abode, like sculptures.
As he walked towards the center, the path became increasingly difficult.
Signs of fire and lightning strikes were everywhere, showing how fierce the battle had been.
"I never thought I would return here one day. It truly is fate," Bai Jing said, following behind Jiang Wen, looking at her former home with emotion. She had lived cautiously here, and then she met Jiang Wen.
It was because of meeting Jiang Wen that the fate of the White Fox clan was changed. They didn't have to wander in the wilderness, living a precarious life.
"When I first saw you, you were just a cultivator in the Lighting Lamp Realm. I never thought it would be so long," Jiang Wen said, hearing Bai Jing's words, and couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met her. At that time, he thought Bai Jing was Chi Yao and thought the demon was beautiful. He naturally had desires, but he was just a coward.
Now that so many days had passed, Bai Jing had become his subordinate. One could only say that fate was truly wonderful.
Just as he was feeling emotional, Jiang Wen frowned. He walked towards the depths of the Joyful Abode, his expression somewhat solemn.
Not far away, three young men's bodies were lying there.
Their bodies were tattered, as if they had been gnawed on by something.
Jiang Wen made a sword gesture with his fingers and pointed at the corpses, taking out three ID cards from them. Looking at the names, they were the three missing young men from the village.
Now it seemed they had met with disaster, and the marks on their bodies showed they had been torn and bitten by something.
They died tragically, but it was also their own fault. If they hadn't been greedy, the three of them wouldn't have died here.
Putting away the ID cards, he waved his hand and collected the bodies of the three men.
Suddenly, Jiang Wen turned his head to look at the depths of a palace, his eyes containing a hint of sharpness.
"Impudent," he said, and a flying sword flew towards the dilapidated palace. He heard a sharp cry, and a large snake swam out of the palace, rushing towards Jiang Wen madly.
The great snake had a human head and a snake body, with a face like a fierce Rakshasa.
It grinned, its long tongue flicking out.
"Hiss—!"
It bit towards Jiang Wen, its speed astonishing. It was like a car traveling at 300 kilometers per hour, reaching him in an instant.
The great snake's mouth sprayed saliva, its green eyes fierce. Jiang Wen clearly saw the sharp yellow teeth in its mouth.
It was already in front of him, about to bite Jiang Wen. The great snake showed a look of joy, feeling successful.
But the next moment, a jade hand stretched out in front of Jiang Wen. This jade hand was as white as solidified fat, and as slender as scallions. It looked exquisite, but it fiercely pinched the great snake's neck.
"Truly impudent," Bai Jing's voice came, and she looked at the great snake with a cold expression.
The great snake was ten meters long, moving like a giant. But Bai Jing was only meters tall, like a toy in front of the great snake.
But precisely because of this, the great snake never thought that it would be pinched by such a petite person, unable to move even half a point.
"I didn't expect to see a dragon snake here. It truly surprises me."
