First Entry, the Snow Wolf Causes Trouble

After several days of travel, Serena Feng and Ninth Royal Uncle finally arrived at the fissure Ethan Xiao had described—a crack that was very likely the entrance to the Myriad Blades Grove.

From a distance, they saw a thread of golden light refracted through layer upon layer, emerging from the fissure. The towering peaks on either side looked as if cleaved by a giant sword—edges neat and bare, with not a blade of grass growing.

Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle exchanged a glance and led the Snow Wolf forward. Between the two peaks, the space was only wide enough for one person, and at the entrance, all kinds of flowers and plants grew thickly.

The climate within the fissure seemed untouched by the outside world; neither wind nor snow could penetrate that little realm. Even though autumn was setting in, the place inside was still in full bloom.

Walking inside, misty vapors curled and drifted—sometimes twining around their fingertips, sometimes swirling overhead. Clouds and fog veiled the way, sunlight refracted in, making the place seem like a dreamlike fairyland.

It was a narrow path, but breathtakingly beautiful. Yet such beauty often walks hand in hand with death.

The fissure stretched for a full kilometer, with a winding, twisting road inside. The peaks were so high that, except for the entrance, no sunlight reached within. Beyond the entrance and what could be seen from outside, the interior was all shadowy and damp. According to Ethan Xiao, plenty of plants grew in the fissure, but they were all shade-loving poisonous flowers and herbs.

Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle stood at the entrance, able to see only the sunlit patch. As for how winding and difficult the road inside truly was, only those who had walked it would know—and they could not get more details from Ethan Xiao.

The unknown is the scariest of all. To ensure their own safety, Serena repeatedly insisted that Ninth Royal Uncle put on a protective suit: "It may be a bit clumsy, but safety comes first."

Though they had taken the Valley Master's Mystic Valley Antidote ahead of time, there is no medicine in the world that cures all poisons, and even the Valley Master's pills couldn't neutralize every toxin.

Where there is a remedy, there is a greater malady. Most of the time, the illness is discovered first, then the medicine is developed.

Henpecked husband!

Under the Snow Wolf's mocking, sympathetic gaze and Serena's relentless pressure, Ninth Royal Uncle obediently changed into the protective suit to ease Serena's mind.

Of course, Serena herself also put on her gear. If there had been a suit in the Snow Wolf's size, she would have suited it up too.

As she always said: now that they have everything, there's no reason to risk their lives or health for a sword whose value is unknown. To lose a life or suffer serious injury over it would be utterly not worth it.

"I'll go first," said Ninth Royal Uncle, trying to walk inside. He found that with the protective suit on, he could only move sideways; otherwise, he'd have to raise his arms and hunch his body to squeeze through...

The path was truly cramped. No wonder Ethan Xiao, locked in for over ten years, only managed to get out after so long.

"Alright, Snow Wolf, you take the rear." As the weakest in combat, Serena naturally knew this was not the time to show off, so she didn't argue with Ninth Royal Uncle for the lead.

The three lined up single file, leaving a space between each, so everyone would have room to retreat if danger appeared.

Not a hundred meters in, they reached a bend, and Ninth Royal Uncle and Serena were suddenly plunged into darkness—no sunlight at all could reach them.

It was like crossing the equator: before the bend, it was daytime—sunlit and warm; after, it was night—cold, damp, and chilling to the bone.

Serena turned and saw the Snow Wolf, half its body swallowed by darkness and the other half still shining in the sunlight, its fur gleaming. As the Snow Wolf moved forward, its body was gradually consumed by shadow—it felt like walking the road to the underworld, vanishing bit by bit.

Serena shivered, thinking she was being too imaginative. When the Snow Wolf drew near, she bent down and switched on the flashlight strapped to its head. With its beam, the three pressed forward again.

"Watch your step—it's slippery."

The farther in they went, the worse the air became. Both Serena and Ninth Royal Uncle felt their throats sting, and the wet, sticky mountain walls could be felt even through layers of clothing.

"So gross," Serena muttered, turning to inspect the walls by flashlight. She saw layers of moss like snakeskin, and goosebumps sprang up instantly.

Who knows how many years it had been—the moss was so thick even a knife couldn't pierce it.

"It's normal—too much moisture and no sunlight. Just watch your footing." The farther they went, the slicker the ground became. The moss could make someone slip and never get up again. If not for bracing himself with a dagger wedged in the wall, Ninth Royal Uncle wouldn't have dared to go further.

If you fell here and no one helped, you'd probably never get up again.

Serena and the Snow Wolf managed fine, but Ninth Royal Uncle had to step heavily, leaving deep footprints. Serena just followed in his tracks; as for the Snow Wolf...

As long as it lagged a few steps behind, it would be fine.

"It's a miracle Ethan Xiao made it out of here," Serena thought. She realized she'd been wrong before: Ethan didn't just decide to leave after a dozen years; he must have tried again and again, failing repeatedly before finally finding a way out.

A truly stubborn person, if not crushed by reality, will always achieve more than most. It was a pity Ethan's heart had died and he'd lost all purpose—otherwise, he would have been a remarkable talent.

Inside the fissure, there was no sense of day or night—you just ate when hungry and drank when thirsty. Here, Serena's Smart Med-Pack came in handy; she could store food and water inside without taking up any space.

"I really don't know how Ethan Xiao managed to get out," Serena thought. The deeper she went, the more she admired him—without a strong will, no one could make it through alone.

"If you have a goal, you'll have the drive to keep going." For Ethan, that lonely cliff was a prison; he was its only inmate. Not wanting to die there, wanting revenge, he had to force his way out.

"Maybe my goals aren't clear enough—that's why this road feels so long?" Serena divided the rations into three, handing portions to Ninth Royal Uncle and the Snow Wolf.

"Awooo..." The Snow Wolf twisted in discomfort, its fur matted with wet moss, hanging heavy and limp. Irritated, it wished it could shear off the sticky, weighted patches.

"Hang in there, we're almost out." Counting her steps, Serena estimated they'd gone a third of the way. At this pace, they were moving fast.

Their speed was impressive—mainly because the sunlit stretch at the start was easy. The farther they went, the harder it became. The longer they stayed in the dark, suffocating space, the more irritable and exhausted they grew.

Still, they didn't need to worry—they were not like Ethan Xiao, not alone. With two people and one wolf together, even the hardest road could be overcome.

"Awooo..." The Snow Wolf howled in frustration, swatting open the wooden tub of braised beef. The rich aroma instantly lifted its mood.

Grabbing the tub, the Snow Wolf was about to pour the fragrant beef into its mouth—when suddenly, a sound echoed from up ahead in the darkness...