Ye Chen saw how excited Evan Yang was and grew curious herself. She also wanted to go take a look.
So, a few days later, Ye Chen and Evan Yang headed there together.
Hundred-Change Valley lies between three star systems and isn’t governed by any power. It’s a special place—danger and opportunity coexist. If you dig up a stone here, you can sell it for a million.
Some gems are especially unique and get auctioned off. In short, the stones inside attract the Three Palaces and all the major clans—every hundred years, they send people in.
There are also some wandering cultivators, unaffiliated with any group or power. These people go to try their luck, or to sell their stones to the Three Palaces buyers.
So the place is already packed. When Evan Yang arrived at the outskirts of Hundred-Change Valley, he couldn’t even tell who was who.
"That’s a lot of people," Evan Yang muttered.
"Yeah, after all, it only opens once every hundred years. It draws a huge crowd—whether they’re here for Immortal artifacts or to get rich, every time, tens of millions of cultivators gather here," Ye Chen replied.
"That many?" Evan Yang exclaimed.
"Of course. Look, the front is already packed. As soon as the white mist at the edge of Hundred-Change Valley disappears, everyone can go in. But you only get one month—if you don’t come out in time, that’s just tragic," Ye Chen answered.
Evan Yang looked around—people everywhere, all talking at once. He couldn’t tell who was saying what; the noise was overwhelming.
'What happens if you can’t get out?' Evan Yang asked curiously.
'No one knows for sure, but I’ve heard that if you don’t get out, you’re trapped forever—as if you entered another space. All communication methods fail inside,' Ye Chen explained.
'Trapped forever? Does that mean you die in there?' Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
'I think so. Otherwise, everyone would stay inside for a hundred years, collect enough stones, and bring them out next time,' Ye Chen replied.
'Makes sense,' Evan Yang nodded.
'The strongest cultivators here are at Spirit-God Great Perfection, the weakest are at Spirit-Wandering Realm,' Ye Chen said.
'Aren’t weaker cultivators afraid of being robbed?' Evan Yang didn’t think the Three Palaces, major clans, or other cultivators would be so kind.
'Of course they’re afraid, but they go in anyway to try their luck. Maybe they’ll find an Immortal artifact or some stones—then they won’t have to live in poverty anymore,' Ye Chen sighed.
'Looks like there are a lot of people,' Evan Yang glanced around and noticed many weren’t very strong.
'Yeah, and once you’re inside, things get intense. The dangers are unimaginable, and plenty of cultivators have bad intentions—so be careful,' Ye Chen warned. She’d often heard stories of people openly robbing others in Hundred-Change Valley; it was faster than searching for stones.
'Don’t worry. If they leave me alone, fine—but if they provoke me, they’ll regret it,' Evan Yang said with a cold smile.
'Alright.' Ye Chen wasn’t worried after hearing Evan Yang’s words.
Right now, people were everywhere outside. Evan Yang used his divine sense to scan ahead and saw a thick white mist at the front—he couldn’t see where it ended.
One thing was clear: the valley was huge. With tens of millions here, the area around the white mist was packed with people, all waiting for it to disperse so they could enter.
Evan Yang and Ye Chen blended into the crowd, not worried about being spotted by the Fenn Family. In this sea of people, finding anyone was nearly impossible.
So, Evan Yang and Ye Chen just waited in the crowd, not thinking about anything else.
But a few things made Evan Yang curious—at the very front, some people wore matching clothes, like they belonged to the same faction.
'Those are the Three Palaces and the major clans. Look to the right—that’s the Fenn Family,' Ye Chen explained when she saw Evan Yang’s puzzled look.
Evan Yang looked to the right and saw the Fenn Family all standing together—there were at least a thousand of them.
'The Fenn Family really deserves its reputation as Ninefold Palace’s top clan—so many people, and their auras aren’t simple,' Evan Yang muttered after scanning them.
'So when we go in, let’s enter from the center—not with them,' Ye Chen said to Evan Yang.
'Alright,' Evan Yang nodded.
So, Evan Yang and Ye Chen waited a while longer, until the white mist started to thin out.
'It’s starting! It’s starting!' someone shouted, and the crowd erupted—like an army charging into Hundred-Change Valley.
People started getting restless, and soon the crowd was shouting from behind.
After about fifteen minutes, the white mist vanished and everyone rushed in.
The whole crowd surged crazily toward the interior.
Evan Yang and Ye Chen were swept along—after flying for a while, they passed through the area where the mist had been and saw a vast, boundless gorge.
It was enormous—even with tens of millions here, they only occupied a portion.
Once inside, everyone instinctively split up—no one stayed together in a big group.
In just a short while, most of the people ahead of Evan Yang had vanished. Occasionally, he’d spot a few running, some as if following a set route straight toward the interior.
'What’s so special inside? Why are so many people heading deeper?' Evan Yang asked curiously.
'Everyone thinks the stones in the outer area are already gone, so only by going deeper can you find more,' Ye Chen replied.
'I see—let’s go check it out too,' Evan Yang said, leading Ye Chen deeper.
If earlier was a flood of people, now you’d only see one or two at a time—sometimes none for a while. Hundred-Change Valley was just that vast.
'It really was huge. Even with his divine sense expanded, Evan Yang could only spot a handful of people. From tens of millions to just a few—it was unbelievable.'
'Let’s go check out another place,' Ye Chen suggested after thinking for a moment.
Curious, Evan Yang followed Ye Chen. About half an hour later, they arrived at a river.
Curious, Evan Yang followed Ye Chen. About half an hour later, they arrived at a river.
The river was crystal clear—not a single stone could be seen.
'That’s odd,' Ye Chen said suspiciously.
'What’s wrong?' Evan Yang asked, not understanding why Ye Chen brought him here.
'My dad told me there was a river here, and there were stones in it,' Ye Chen said, still puzzled.
'If there ever were stones, they’ve probably been taken already,' Evan Yang joked after looking at the river.
'Maybe so. Looks like my dad’s info was from a long time ago,' Ye Chen muttered, seeing not even a pebble.
'Did your dad tell you how to find the stones?' Evan Yang asked, having scanned the area with his divine sense—only mountains, trees, water, and rivers, but no stones, let alone treasures.
'No, he didn’t. All I know is this place is dangerous and there’s something about the river,' Ye Chen said, waving her hand.
Seeing Ye Chen didn’t know, Evan Yang thought for a moment and took out a small box.
'What are you doing?' Ye Chen asked, seeing Evan Yang take out a small box.
'This little guy should know,' Evan Yang said with a smile.
Ye Chen didn’t know what was in the box. When Evan Yang opened it and a bug appeared, she jumped in fright. 'Ah!'
'Scared you, huh?' Evan Yang teased, then took the bug out and, using their spiritual link, communicated with it.
Seeing Evan Yang staring at the bug, Ye Chen thought to herself, 'How can he have such a disgusting thing?'
Evan Yang didn’t know what Ye Chen was thinking. After communicating with the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects, he smiled and said, 'Let’s go.'
'What’s going on?' Ye Chen asked, eyeing the bug suspiciously.
'Just follow me,' Evan Yang said with a smile.
Ye Chen followed, not understanding. Evan Yang, guided by the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects, led them through the woods to a mountain, where a few people could be seen nearby.
'Why did you bring us here?' Ye Chen asked, seeing it was just a rocky mountain.
'You’ll see soon,' Evan Yang said, approaching a fissure, punching it open, and quickly making a small hollow.
A gem-like stone lay quietly in a small crevice.
'How did you know?' Ye Chen exclaimed in shock when Evan Yang took out the stone.
'It told me,' Evan Yang said via sound transmission with a smile.
'Is it really that amazing?' Ye Chen asked skeptically, hearing it was the bug that found it.
'Don’t believe me? You’ll see soon,' Evan Yang said, knowing the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects could find these stones.
Just then, the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects darted onto the stone and took a bite.
'It!' Ye Chen exclaimed, shocked by the bug’s actions.
'It’s fine—let it eat. There’s nothing valuable inside,' Evan Yang said, knowing the bug was attracted by the contents.
Ye Chen watched as the bug slowly devoured the powder inside. Once it finished, it returned to Evan Yang’s hand, satisfied.
Evan Yang tossed the ruined stone aside.
'Tell me, what is it?' Ye Chen demanded, already startled by the bug.
'I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else. Otherwise, neither of us will benefit,' Evan Yang warned after glancing at the bug.
Ye Chen nodded, already eager to know what it was.
'It’s the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Insects,' Evan Yang said via sound transmission.
'What!' Ye Chen exclaimed.
'Surprised?' Evan Yang asked with a smile.
'Hard to believe. I’ve only heard that tens of thousands of years ago, the Three Palaces found one, but it was taken by someone and disappeared. How did you get yours?' Ye Chen asked in amazement.
'It’s exactly the one from those records,' Evan Yang said with a smile.
'No way!' Ye Chen protested, unable to believe it.