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Bibidong gave a brief explanation, but her expression turned grave when she mentioned the Slaughter City.
"Even so, most of these people remain relatively well-behaved. After all, killing ordinary people offers no benefits. Only those with evil martial souls that can use ordinary people for cultivation would find it useful."
"And other evildoers are in the far west, searching for the so-called entrance to the Slaughter City," Bishop Cheng Jian interjected at this point.
Although rumors about it were widespread, no one had ever seen it, and the entrance to the Slaughter City was extremely well-hidden.
Even if someone managed to find the entrance, it was unlikely they would come out alive. Thus, information about the entrance was scarce.
"Let's set aside the elusive Slaughter City for now. Our top priority is to clarify the situation with the villagers and eliminate the troublemaking fallen ones," the Blue Silver Emperor spoke up, steering the conversation back to the main issue.
"That's right. Whether these evildoers are from the far west or not, we need to resolve the villagers' situation first," Bibidong nodded, no longer discussing the Slaughter City.
"Bishop Cheng, do you have a detailed local map? Give us one. It's still early, and we should head to the village," Bibidong then requested.
"Of course, I do. Moreover, the martial soul awakening house in the village should have our people stationed there. When you three arrive, you can ask them for more detailed information," Bishop Cheng said as he pulled out a brand-new map.
Lin Yongming and the other two took the map and left the hall, heading toward the affected villages.
By noon, they arrived at a village called Eucalyptus Village, which was built halfway up a mountain.
In the village, they met the stationed personnel Bishop Cheng had mentioned. The man, in his thirties, wore the silver-white uniform of the Spirit Hall and had short, grayish-black hair.
"Who are you?" The man, sitting in the village's martial soul awakening hut, stood up upon seeing Lin Yongming and the trio.
"Judgment Team," Bibidong said, showing her token.
"Judgment Team... You're the Three Heroes of Wuying!"
"Greetings, esteemed guests. My name is Fang Yan, a deacon from the West Cloud City branch of the Spirit Hall. Bishop Cheng instructed me to lead a team of Spirit Hall knights to guard Eucalyptus Village and prevent the fallen ones from returning," Fang Yan said, clearly surprised. He seemed to recognize the reputation Lin Yongming and the others had built over the past two years.
"Deacon Fang Yan, let's skip the formalities. Tell us what you've discovered so far," Bibidong cut straight to the point.
"Reporting to the esteemed guests, we arrived at Eucalyptus Village five days ago. This village is one of the affected areas where children have gone missing. Five members of the Spirit Hall knight team have been searching the mountains daily, leaving early and returning late. So far, we've only found traces but no sign of the children or the fallen ones. The Yunluo Mountains are vast, and just the western side of the three peaks spans ten miles," Deacon Fang Yan explained.
"So, you haven't gathered any useful information yet," Bibidong frowned. The area was too large, and with multiple villages affected, their manpower was severely stretched.
"How many children are missing?" Lin Yongming asked.
"Four, aged between four and seven."
"According to their families, the children went missing around dusk, just before dinner. The families went out to call the children for dinner but couldn't find them anywhere in the village. The villagers reported the incident to West Cloud City that very night," Fang Yan sighed.
"It's been so long. The children are likely in grave danger. Without any useful information, how are we supposed to find them?" Bibidong sounded somewhat helpless.
"Maybe we should visit the other affected villages and ask if anyone has found any useful information," Blue Silver Emperor suggested.
"Esteemed guest, I'm afraid they haven't found anything either. Before we set out, we agreed that if anyone discovered anything, they would immediately inform the others," Fang Yan explained regretfully.
"Deacon Fang Yan, have the villagers mentioned any forbidden areas deep in the mountains?" Lin Yongming asked, knowing that villages often had places they feared or avoided.
"Yes, deep in the southwestern part of the Yunluo Mountains, there's a place called the Hundred Insect Valley. According to the villagers, the valley is filled with all kinds of venomous snakes and insects. Anyone who enters will be reduced to a pile of bones by the poisonous creatures. The nearby villagers all avoid it," Fang Yan replied after some thought.
"Have the Spirit Hall knights investigated this Hundred Insect Valley?" Lin Yongming pressed.
"Not yet. We've only been here for five days and have only searched about half of the mountain. The terrain is rugged, making it difficult to explore," Fang Yan shook his head.
"Esteemed guests, look here. The Hundred Insect Valley is located in this canyon between the western and southern parts of the mountains. To investigate it, we'd have to descend from the steep cliffs on either side," Fang Yan then pulled out a map of the Yunluo Mountains and pointed to a small crevice.
"Alright. Since there's nothing unusual elsewhere, don't go into the mountains tomorrow. Wait for us to gather more people, and we'll head to the Hundred Insect Valley together."
"Notify the deacons in the other villages," Lin Yongming said after some thought.
"Esteemed guest, do you suspect the fallen ones are hiding in the Hundred Insect Valley?" Fang Yan asked, puzzled.
"Rumors don't come from nowhere. Perhaps the fallen ones created this myth to keep people away and hide in the mountains. It's strange that there were no incidents before, but now that something has happened, there must be a reason."
"Whether they're in the Hundred Insect Valley or not, we'll find out once we investigate," Lin Yongming explained calmly, addressing both Fang Yan and the two women.
"We will follow the orders of the three esteemed guests!" Fang Yan nodded.
Lin Yongming and the others left the hut, and Bibidong asked, "Xiao Ming, what should we do now?"
"Of course, we'll return to West Cloud City to gather more people. Also, you two need to change your clothes. Wearing dresses in the complex terrain of the mountains won't be convenient," Lin Yongming said, glancing at the women's dresses.
"That's true. Wearing dresses like this in the damp, thorny mountains would be troublesome," Blue Silver Emperor agreed.
"But what if the fallen ones aren't hiding in the Hundred Insect Valley? Wouldn't we be wasting our time?" Bibidong asked doubtfully.
"If they're not there, we'll split into two teams and search from the Hundred Insect Valley in both the southwestern and southern directions. If we find nothing all the way back to the village, we'll have no choice but to give up," Lin Yongming shook his head helplessly.
"Xiao Ming is right. We can't stay here indefinitely if the fallen ones don't show up," the Blue Silver Emperor agreed with Lin Yongming.
"That's all we can do for now. If we don't find anything, we'll have the bishop station someone in the village to keep watch," Bibidong nodded.
With that, Lin Yongming and the others returned to West Cloud City. By around 3 PM, they were back at the West Cloud City Spirit Hall branch.
"Esteemed guests, you've returned just in time. At noon, the bishop of South Cloud City's Spirit Hall branch sent a message saying that a few days ago, villagers living in the southern part of the Yunluo Mountains also encountered problems," Bishop Cheng Jian reported as soon as they entered.
"Which day exactly?" Bibidong asked seriously.
"The letter said three days ago, but it took a day and a half to reach me, so it's been less than five days," Bishop Cheng replied.
"Xiao Ming, it seems your guess was correct. The fallen ones might indeed be hiding in the Hundred Insect Valley between the southwest and south," Bibidong turned to Lin Yongming.
"Bishop Cheng, how many people do you have left in the branch?" Lin Yongming asked.
"Aside from me, there are twenty Spirit Hall knights and one deacon."
"This is a third-tier city's standard setup. Originally, there were five deacons and fifty knights, but as you know, some have already been dispatched," Bishop Cheng explained somewhat helplessly.
"Alright, then we'll request thirty more knights and three bishops from another city. We need to make a big move this time. We can't delay this matter any longer," Lin Yongming ordered sternly.
"Yes, I'll make the arrangements immediately. We'll also prepare some supplies since we don't know how long we'll be in the mountains," Bishop Cheng replied promptly.
Lin Yongming and the others then left the Spirit Hall and went shopping for clothes. Since the two women preferred wearing dresses, most of their spare clothes were also dresses.
After buying new clothes, they returned to the inn for the women to try them on. The outfits were conservative, full-body suits similar to leather pants and jackets.
When they put on these clothes, the women's perfect figures were accentuated, especially their long legs.
"These clothes feel a bit uncomfortable, especially the lower half. They're too tight," Bibidong said as she turned around.
"There's no other choice. The terrain here is rugged, even more complicated than the Star Dou Forest. Plus, we're heading to a place called the Hundred Insect Valley, which is bound to have all kinds of poisonous insects."
"So, you don't want bugs crawling up your legs, do you?" Lin Yongming's words made the women shudder.
"Ugh! Stop it, Xiao Ming! Who are you trying to scare? I'm not afraid of spiders," Bibidong said, though the image of a green, hairy bug crawling up her leg made her skin crawl.
"You're the Spider Emperor. Why would you be afraid of spiders? But there are bugs scarier than spiders," Lin Yongming continued.
"Stop it! That's disgusting," Bibidong said, hitting Lin Yongming's arm in annoyance.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Lin Yongming said, wrapping his arm around Bibidong's waist.
"Hey, I'm still here, you know," Blue Silver Emperor rolled her eyes at the two.
"Ah Yin, aren't you scared?" Bibidong asked curiously.
"Bugs? What's there to be scared of? I'm just worried about getting bitten. If a bug bites you, the area around the bite turns red and itches like crazy. You want to scratch it, but you can't," Blue Silver Emperor shook her head helplessly.
"Ugh, Ah Yin, stop it! I'm sleeping with Xiao Ming tonight. I'm scared!" Bibidong said, genuinely frightened.
"Fine, fine. You can."
Lin Yongming facepalmed, unable to understand why Bibidong, who had a spider martial soul, was afraid of other bugs.
Over the past two years, it was precisely because of encountering bugs in the wild that Bibidong often clung to Lin Yongming, which had accelerated the growth of their relationship.
The next morning, they left the inn and arrived at the Spirit Hall. After having breakfast together, Lin Yongming and the others, along with two deacons and fifty Spirit Hall knights, returned to Eucalyptus Village.
Following Lin Yongming's orders, aside from Fang Yan, there were three other deacons and thirty Spirit Hall knights present.
In addition, a hundred soldiers from the kingdom were also there.
"Everyone, these three esteemed guests are members of the Spirit Hall's headquarters' Judgment Team. They are the famous Three Heroes of Wuying. Today, we will all follow their orders," Fang Yan addressed his colleagues and the Spirit Hall knights.
"Esteemed guests, this is the centurion of West Cloud City's city guard and his men. They've been helping us search the mountains these past few days," Fang Yan then introduced the soldiers to Lin Yongming and the others.
"Good. This time, we're heading to a forbidden area known to the villagers as the Hundred Insect Valley. It's said to be filled with all kinds of venomous insects. Once we enter, everyone must be extremely cautious. Any negligence could not only endanger yourself but also your comrades," Lin Yongming spoke with authority to the group.
"The Hundred Insect Valley is undoubtedly dangerous, and I don't know how many poisonous creatures we'll encounter. So, if anyone is afraid, you may stay in the village to protect the villagers," Lin Yongming reminded them again.
"The fallen ones are enemies of all. We are ready to die for this cause!"
"Long live the Spirit Hall!"
"Long live the kingdom!"
The two groups shouted in unison.
"Ah Yin, I didn't expect Xiao Ming to have such a commanding presence," Bibidong whispered to Blue Silver Emperor, her cheeks slightly red as she looked at Lin Yongming.
"Yes, this side of Xiao Ming is quite rare," Blue Silver Emperor whispered back.
"Into the mountains!" Lin Yongming shouted after hearing their response.
With that, Lin Yongming and the others led the way into the mountains.
"Everyone, follow!" Fang Yan and the centurion instructed their respective teams.
Nearly two hundred people entered the mountains. With a clear goal in mind, they didn't linger.
Even so, navigating the rugged terrain, it was already evening by the time they reached the steep cliffs above the Hundred Insect Valley.
Bibidong and the others looked down into the valley, where a gray mist swirled above the Hundred Insect Valley.
"It's too late today. The valley is denser than the outside, and it's unsafe to enter now. Moreover, this gray mist will likely thicken as night falls, and it might be toxic," Blue Silver Emperor said gravely.
"Right. We'll have to camp outside for the night," Lin Yongming nodded.
"Everyone, listen up. It's too late today. Set up camp nearby, and we'll descend tomorrow morning. But remember, no loud noises. We don't want to alert the fallen ones if they're hiding in the valley," Bibidong instructed Fang Yan and the others after discussing with Lin Yongming and Blue Silver Emperor.
"Understood. Everyone, rest up. Remember, no fires tonight. Eat dried meat and rations," Fang Yan instructed the Spirit Hall knights.
The centurion gave similar orders to his soldiers.
"Xiao Ming, Ah Yin, the Spirit Hall knights aren't particularly strong, but they all have spirit power. The city guards are just ordinary people. If the valley is as toxic as it seems, sending them down with us would be sending them to their deaths," Bibidong expressed her concern for the city guards as they sat in their tent.
"Yes, I've been thinking about that too. That gray mist is likely poisonous miasma. But don't worry, I have a spirit herb that counters poison."
"It's called the Fragrant Silk Immortal Herb, a bane to all poisons. Within its fragrant range, all toxins are neutralized," Blue Silver Emperor said, pulling out a purple spirit herb.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 257 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 85 power stones I will publish the next chapter.