"Hey, don't climb up there, you can't climb this tree, this ancient pine has been growing here for hundreds of years, if you climb it, it might just break off, and if it breaks, you'll fall down!"

As Jiang Chen and You Ye were speaking, a few tourists tried to climb the pine tree to take pictures, but were stopped by an old man in front of a fruit stall.

Jiang Chen smiled slightly, folding his arms as he watched the old man usher people away.

"Mr. Jiang, let's wait here for a while, someone will come to drive people away soon," You Ye whispered at this moment.

"Drive people away? Is this place under the control of the tourism bureau or the Yi Wu Mountain administration? And why drive people away at this hour?" Jiang Chen asked, looking at You Ye with surprise.

You Ye smiled slightly: "This place isn't managed by the administration, but the tourists don't know that! They're driving people away at this hour because we've arrived!"

"Ha ha! I see!"

Jiang Chen chuckled and nodded his head, admiring the wit of Unchanging Valley.

The scenery here was beautiful and it was near Yi Wu Mountain. If there were no tourists at all, that would be suspicious.

But now, with tourists playing here and management personnel on hand to drive them away on schedule, it served as a kind of camouflage, preventing outsiders from suspecting that a Martial Arts Force was hidden here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry, the scenic area is under maintenance; please descend the mountain for now!"

"Please understand, the scenic area is under maintenance; please go elsewhere for now!"

In a short while, two men dressed in scenic area management uniforms came to the edge of the cliff and began to disperse the tourists here, but deliberately ignored Jiang Chen's trio and the old fruit stall keeper.

"Mr. Jiang, let's go!"

After everyone had left, You Ye gestured to the old man and the three walked over.

"Second Elder."

"Second Elder."

Upon reaching the stall, You Ye and the other addressed the old man with a clasped fist salute.

"Venerable sir!"

Jiang Chen also clasped his fist and greeted the old man.

The old man looked Jiang Chen up and down, then sighed softly, "Young man, I hope you truly are the one we've been waiting for. Go on down, our ancestor is already waiting for you! If you are not, next time, it will be my turn to be sacrificed!"

"Venerable sir, the sacrifices of the Shadow Clan should end!" Jiang Chen spoke solemnly.

The old man looked at Jiang Chen in surprise and chuckled, "Young man, you're quite confident. Alright, let's see if you can truly put an end to the age-old teachings of my Shadow Clan this time!"

"I will!"

Jiang Chen chuckled and nodded.

The old man smiled faintly, said nothing more, and turned to reach his hand into a small hole in the trunk of the large pine tree.

Click, click, click!

A series of locking sounds ensued, and Jiang Chen was slightly astonished to see a dark hole reveal itself on the side of the green pine near the cliff.

"Young man, let's see your skills," the old man said with a chuckle.

Jiang Chen smiled faintly, stepped off the cliff, floated in the air, and moved behind the pine tree.

"Spirit You, I'll lead the way," whispered Spirit You, stepping into the tree hollow first.

Jiang Chen and You Ye followed one after another into the hole.

"I hope this can truly end the ancestral teachings. The Shadow Clan can't bear these wounds anymore!" The old man sighed and reached into the tree hollow again.

Boom crack!

Another sound erupted, and the tree hollow behind the pine tree vanished, leaving no trace whatsoever.

Once inside the tree hollow, darkness fell immediately, but for Jiang Chen and the others, this level of darkness was nothing.

The hollow inside the tree was two square meters in size, with an iron chain extending downward.

"Commandant, we follow this chain down; at the hundred-meter mark, there'll be a platform. I'll go first," Spirit You said softly.

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement.

Spirit You grabbed the chain with both hands and leaped down, sliding swiftly.

After waiting a bit, Jiang Chen slid down, followed by You Ye.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The sound of wind roared in Jiang Chen's ears as he slid rapidly down the chain, quickly seeing a light below.

The light grew larger, revealing a natural platform underfoot.

Thud!

Letting go of the chain, Jiang Chen landed on the platform and turned to look around, immediately struck by the sight before him.

Jiang Chen was now at a cave a hundred meters below Broken Heart Cliff. The cave had a diameter of just five meters and was pierced into the cliff wall of Broken Heart Cliff, with the mouth straight over the abyss below.

Looking out from the cave, clouds and mist swirled around, with the afternoon sunlight casting illusory rainbows in the air.

Standing at the edge of the stone platform and looking down, the clouds below gave a feeling of being in a fairyland!

"You Unchanging Valley folks... You really know how to pick a spot! When I get old, I too want to retire here!"

Jiang Chen said with a light chuckle, admiring the view outside.

"That'd be great!"

You Ye followed with a faint smile.

Spirit You's expression changed, lamenting, "We wish to come here, but the people of the valley have always longed to see the outside world!"

"Hm? Aren't there people who often go out to collect information and such?" Jiang Chen asked, looking puzzled at Spirit You.

After taking a deep breath and a bitter smile, Spirit You said, "Those who go out to collect information are members of the collateral lines, but the direct heirs spend their entire lives in the valley, trying to minimize deaths, all in wait for the day when the time comes to provide Essence Blood to extend our ancestor's life!"

"All direct descendants of the Shadow Clan have always known their mission is to study diligently, to reach at least the Venerable Realm, and their purpose in doing so is to wait for the time to come, to allow our ancestor to survive, in hopes of the day our Shadow Clan once again sees the light of day!"

Jiang Chen's mood suddenly grew heavy, and his expression became serious as he patted Spirit You's shoulder solemnly, "Very soon! Very soon, the Shadow Clan will be able to leave this plight!"

"Commandant, I'm counting on you! If…"

Spirit You looked at Jiang Chen expectantly but hesitated.

Jiang Chen frowned, sensing something amiss, and said in a deep voice, "Speak."

"Commandant, let's... let's just go! Let's not go down anymore!" Spirit You bit his lip, speaking solemnly.

You Ye's expression changed, opening her mouth but without a word, her eyes complex as she looked at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen was slightly startled and asked curiously, "Why?"

"Because…"

Spirit You hesitated again, then said with a sorrowful tone, "Commandant, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept this from you. The family invited you here to see if you could help our ancestor break through while in the Venerable Realm. If you can't, then it'll have to wait until you reach the Saint Realm. And the family... they will keep you in the valley until you break through to the Saint Realm before letting you leave!"

"What?"

Hearing Spirit You's words, Jiang Chen's face changed, his eyebrows creasing tightly.

Could there really be such a thing?

Were they planning to imprison him?

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