Seeing the village chief's expression, Yang Tian knew there was a chance.
"Young man, you absolutely must not enter the Dark Land!" the village chief said anxiously. "This is the deepest Abyss of Changbai Mountain, the Land of the Devil. Anyone who goes in will die. For centuries, village chiefs have entered but never returned, and the Divine Spirit inside punishes us. If anyone goes in, our villagers will suffer!"
"Oh? So, your village exists to guard this Dark Land?"
Yang Tian asked.
"Exactly, our village's existence is indeed to guard it, preventing anyone from entering the Dark Land for generations."
The village chief said.
"Then you are wrong. No Divine Spirit in the world would casually torment its people. For hundreds of years, you have lived neither as humans nor ghosts. Why would you want such a Divine Spirit?"
Yang Tian retorted.
The village chief fell silent upon hearing this.
Soon, the news that Yang Tian was going to Changbai Mountain to find the Dark Land spread.
The villagers, originally immersed in joy, all turned pale.
Each surrounded the village chief's house anxiously saying, "Benefactor, don't go in there! If you do, we'll be in trouble!"
Yang Tian said nothing, but looked toward the village chief.
The village chief nodded and said, "There is no Divine Spirit in this world. If there is one, it should protect us, not punish us, causing us pain and suffering for generations. Such a Divine Spirit is better lost!"
The expressions of the crowd were mixed.
Yang Tian raised his voice and asked, "Is that tombstone taken out from the Dark Land?"
"Correct, it was taken from the Dark Land!"
Everyone said in unison.
"Then it's settled. Although the tombstone was destroyed, to completely rid of the punishment, you must go in and find the root of the problem, or else you will still suffer punishment!"
Yang Tian deliberately exaggerated.
Yet the crowd found it reasonable.
After all, they were the original inhabitants here, punished by the Divine Spirit for centuries.
"Benefactor, let me take you in!"
The village chief's son, Liao Tianxian, stepped out and said respectfully.
"Alright!" Yang Tian nodded: "Let you take me in, and I'll help you find the root of the problem!"
Then, Yang Tian instructed Wang Ying and the other three to prepare well to head to the Dark Land.
Before departing, Yang Tian crafted a Spirit Talisman: "This Spirit Talisman can protect you, so don't go out until I return."
Yang Tian placed the Spirit Talisman at the central pavilion of the village.
"What kind of talisman is this?"
Villagers saw the Spirit Talisman emitting a red light and calmed down.
They glanced at Yang Tian, knowing he was a mysterious person.
Perhaps Yang Tian could really find the root of the problem!
"Benefactor, this way please, let me take you to find the Dark Land!"
Subsequently, under Liao Tianxian's lead, Yang Tian and the four left the village and headed toward Changbai Mountain.
"Tianxian, take this Spirit Talisman, it can protect you."
With a flick of the hand, Yang Tian handed Liao Tianxian a Spirit Talisman.
Liao Tianxian held tightly to the Spirit Talisman, seeming rather excited: "The item from Benefactor must be a treasure!"
"Isn't that obvious? Big brother's items are always treasures, aren't they?"
Wang Yue exclaimed.
Wang Ying immediately knocked Wang Yue's little head, signaling her to be quiet, "We are going to find the Dark Land, be serious!"
Wang Yue stuck out her adorable little tongue and went to find Ling Ying.
The five of them walked toward Changbai Mountain in the snow.
Along the way, Liao Tianxian happily chattered with Yang Tian, who found Tianxian to be a simple and honest lad and enjoyed conversing with him.
"The Dark Land is located deep within Changbai Mountain. Apart from village people, others cannot enter. For centuries, our villagers have been tempted to go in but never returned. And once the Divine Spirit inside is offended, our village suffers!"
Liao Tianxian spoke with a heavy heart.
Yang Tian didn't reply but used Divine Sense to probe ahead.
His brows furrowed: "There's a Snow Valley ahead!"
"Through this Snow Valley, we will arrive!" Liao Tianxian said. "Benefactor, whether we can enter the Dark Land depends on the weather. If snow falls heavily, we must return, otherwise, we will die in the Snow Valley!"
Speaking thus, they walked toward the Snow Valley.
The snow was not heavy along the way.
Yet upon entering the Snow Valley, the winds suddenly howled and snow swirled wildly.
"This weather is eerie, Benefactor, let's go back, we can't make it!"
Liao Tianxian, seeing the unfavorable situation, urged Yang Tian to return repeatedly.
Yang Tian used Divine Sense to explore, surprised to find the Snow Valley enveloped in white, even his Divine Sense couldn't penetrate it.
He flicked his hand trying several Spirit Talismans but they couldn't ward off the blizzard.
"Let's go back."
Yang Tian turned around, his brow furrowing: "Where are they?"
Behind him, Liao Tianxian, Wang Ying, Ling Ying, and Wang Yue were nowhere to be seen.
Yang Tian quickly retreated, hearing Wang Yue's anxious voice in the storm. He flashed over to a large rock and found Wang Ying, Ling Ying, and Wang Yue.
"Big brother..."
Wang Yue rushed into Yang Tian's arms upon seeing him.
Yang Tian checked on the girls, finding them unharmed, then asked, "Where's Tianxian?"
"Wasn't he following you? When the snowstorm hit, you went to test the talismans, so we had to hide by the big rock, and Tianxian followed you!"
Wang Ying explained.
"Followed me?" Yang Tian's brow furrowed: "Could he be lost?"
"In this blizzard, getting lost spells trouble!"
Ling Ying realized the serious nature of the issue.
"Let's go find him!"
Yang Tian gestured, using Divine Sense to explore the surroundings, but in the blizzard, his probing rate decreased, causing him silent surprise: "This Snow Valley must be the Ghost Gate of the Dark Land. To enter the Dark Land, one must pass through here."
They searched the Snow Valley for half an hour, eventually faintly hearing Liao Tianxian's call.
"Benefactor, I found you!" Liao Tianxian arrived, immediately saying: "Benefactor, let's leave here without further talk, this Snow Valley is evil!"
"Evil?"
Mystery flashed in Yang Tian's eyes, then he nodded.
Quickly, they retreated out of the Snow Valley.
On the way back, Yang Tian remained silent, lost in thought...
After roughly an hour, they returned to the village, only for Yang Tian to furrow his brow upon entering. He heard cries of anguish coming from the village: "Something happened."
"Something happened?"
Wang Ying, Ling Ying, and Wang Yue were startled.
Liao Tianxian, however, changed face and suddenly ran forward.
With a wave, Yang Tian led Wang Ying and the others to follow.
Soon, they arrived before a wooden cabin to find the villagers gathered, their expressions sad. Upon seeing Yang Tian, their anger flared: "Did we not warn you not to enter the mountain? It will anger the Divine Spirit! Now look, the Curse has manifested!"
"What curse?"
Wang Ying, Ling Ying, and Wang Yue squeezed through the crowd and soon emitted screams as if seeing a ghost...