Emerging from the gap, all Xiao Zi and You Xiang could see was a thick mist that enveloped the surroundings, obscuring all sense of direction and topography. If not for their reasonably sharp eyesight, they likely wouldn't have seen anything beyond twenty meters.

Even so, the view fifty meters out was already extremely hazy.

“This place is truly strange, are you sure about this?” You Xiang frowned, unable to help asking.

Xiao Zi shook her head. “No mistake, this is the place. But what happens next is beyond the scope of Jian (Gap/Void Technique); finding that Yōkai will rely solely on our eyes and senses… Are you really determined to challenge that Yōkai?”

“You’ve asked that several times already. Since we’re already here, why ask again?” You Xiang replied with a composed, indifferent tone.

Xiao Zi spoke, “I just find this place incredibly eerie. Although I can’t pinpoint what it is, it gives me a sensation entirely different from the outside world. Perhaps that Yōkai isn't as simple as we imagine.”

“Of course it’s not simple. If it were, how could thousands of Yōkai outside be unable to enter this barrier?” You Xiang’s expression was matter-of-fact, then the corner of her mouth curled up into a hint of excitement. “As for that feeling you mentioned, it must be danger. Isn't experiencing danger precisely the purpose we came for? Rest assured, even if we can’t win, you’re quite proficient with Jian now. We can escape anytime.”

“Very well, I hope so.” Xiao Zi nodded, knowing that You Xiang, with her innate thirst for battle, would absolutely not turn back now. She decided not to press the dissuasion any further and proactively suggested, “In that case, let’s look around first. Maybe we can find some clues.”

Moments later, the two began moving through the misty terrain.

Although You Xiang possessed a degree of impulsiveness and aggression, she wasn't mindlessly reckless. She proceeded with extreme caution, and given the harsh environment, she maintained an elevated state of alertness, being more vigilant than ever before. As for Xiao Zi, she was naturally ill-disposed toward this place and certainly wouldn't let her guard down.

Because the mist was so dense, it took them quite a while to ascertain the local terrain. What surprised them was that this supposed blessed land (Dòngtiān Fúdì) was nothing like they imagined. On the contrary, it was exceptionally desolate. Forget trees—there wasn't even a single blade of grass. The ground was covered in crushed stones, devoid of any sign of life.

Furthermore, the area was remarkably small; stone walls loomed on all sides, meaning that no matter which direction they walked, they would be blocked by a sheer cliff in about ten minutes.

“This place is really weird. Is it really a blessed land?” You Xiang voiced her doubts again. To her, this looked like nothing more than a gigantic open-air cavern.

“This… I’m not entirely sure either.” At this point, even Xiao Zi began to doubt her own initial judgment. She then proposed, “Perhaps we should search further? Maybe there’s a hidden door or something.”

“That’s all we can do then,” You Xiang replied, spreading her hands in resignation.

Since no danger had materialized in the past half hour, the two had unconsciously let their guard down slightly, and they began searching separately.

After approximately another half hour, Xiao Zi suddenly let out an exclamation. “You Xiang! Come quickly, what is this?!”

You Xiang’s heart tightened upon hearing this and she immediately ran toward the sound. A moment later, she arrived beside Xiao Zi, who was staring blankly at a stone wall with a look of utter astonishment.

You Xiang instinctively followed where Xiao Zi pointed and her expression immediately shifted, because on that section of the wall, she saw a face.

“Phew, you scared me. I thought it was something else—it’s just a stone face.” You Xiang was indeed startled at first, but upon closer inspection, she realized it wasn't a real face, but a sculpted stone visage carved by someone, yet rendered with unnerving realism.

“But it looks a little different,” Xiao Zi continued to gaze at the stone face, knitting her brow tightly.

“What’s different?” You Xiang asked, perplexed.

Xiao Zi shook her head. “I can’t quite say, it’s just a feeling…” As she spoke, her gaze swept toward the surrounding stone walls. A moment later, she gasped again. “Ah, there’s another one over there!”

You Xiang looked up and sure enough, about three meters up the wall, there was another stone face. However, this one was somewhat peculiar, giving the impression of being sunken inward, perhaps due to insufficient force during the carving.

“Why are there things like this on the wall? Who carved them here? What sick sense of humor,” You Xiang muttered, unable to resist stepping forward and reaching out to touch the stone face she could reach.

“You Xiang, wait!”

Xiao Zi cried out in alarm, but it was too late. Just as her words left her lips, You Xiang’s hand pressed against the stone face, and then…

Crack! Crack! Crack…

It didn't seem like You Xiang applied much force, but the entire stone face began shedding vast quantities of stone dust as it crumbled downward, as if a curtain was being violently stripped away. Fortunately, the two girls retreated quickly enough to avoid being covered, but when they looked again, their faces changed dramatically.

Because the surface that had been relatively smooth was now pitted and uneven, covered with countless stone faces. Each face bore a different expression—some had their mouths wide open in silent wails, some showed sheer terror, while others had their features completely scrunched together, clearly contorted in pain and savagery… Every single stone face was terrifyingly lifelike, as if they were real people.

“This… what in the world is this?” You Xiang was completely stunned, speechless. Looking at the stone faces, a chilling sense of dread rose instinctively within her.

Xiao Zi, standing beside her, felt her scalp prickle as well.

This was only because they weren't timid souls to begin with; an ordinary person seeing so many horrifying visages might not faint, but would surely be thrown into complete panic.

“No! We must leave this place immediately. This is definitely not a blessed land!” After the initial shock, Xiao Zi urged, her feeling of unease growing stronger by the second.

“Right, let’s go!” At this point, even You Xiang didn't hesitate. After all, the great Yōkai she intended to challenge was one thing; these malevolent entities were quite another.

However, sometimes life is utterly theatrical—when you wish to leave, you can go freely, but when you try to leave, you find you cannot. Just like now: as soon as Xiao Zi opened the Jian, before either of them could slip through, a violent repelling force shuddered through the surrounding space, forcibly shattering the Jian.

Technically speaking, it wasn't the Jian that was shattered, but the space itself. This wouldn't normally affect the technique, but Xiao Zi’s power was still too weak; when space became unstable, she couldn't create a stable Jian.

“Bad! What do we do now?” With her ultimate escape skill nullified, Xiao Zi panicked slightly and immediately asked You Xiang.

“Don’t rush. Let’s wait until the space stabilizes. No enemy has appeared yet…” You Xiang seemed calmer, but before she could finish her thought, her expression contorted, and she spun around, her pupils dilating instantly.

Because the faces carved into the stone walls had come alive!

They appeared like people submerged in a mire, tilting their heads back, emitting silent howls while straining mightily to pull themselves outward, desperate to escape the fetters of the stone. Then, as their struggle intensified, countless hands stretched out from the stone walls, followed by bodies… This wasn't just carved stone faces; these were clearly "Stone Men" embedded within the rock!

You Xiang saw it, and Xiao Zi certainly did too. Witnessing this, the two girls finally became flustered and instinctively backed away.

However, the subsequent development defied all their expectations: they had anticipated these Stone Men emerging to attack them, but the result was that the moment their bodies pulled free of the stone walls, they disintegrated into a pile of stone dust in less than a second, vanishing completely with a puff of wind.

“What is going on?” You Xiang asked, bewildered, while maintaining her guard.

Xiao Zi shook her head, equally perplexed, but as more and more Stone Men vanished, a realization suddenly struck her, and she spoke quickly. “I understand. These Stone Men must have originally been living creatures. Someone must have petrified them and sealed them within the walls. Then, your touch must have triggered some mechanism, causing them to ‘live’ again. Not truly alive, perhaps, but even though their lives are gone, the instinct for survival remains, so they desperately try to escape the stone. But life that has departed cannot return; while sealed in the wall, their petrified bodies could remain intact, but the moment they leave the stone…”

Xiao Zi left the rest unspoken, but it needed no further explanation, as the phenomenon before them made everything clear… Leaving the wall meant annihilation.

“…This is truly pitiful.” Listening to Xiao Zi’s words and watching the Stone Men dissolve into powder one after another, You Xiang’s fear turned into a touch of pity. Yet, she immediately raised a question: “But how exactly did I activate them?”

She found it hard to believe that a simple touch could bring these Stone Men back to life.

Faced with this question, Xiao Zi could only offer helplessly, “It’s just speculation; I don’t know if it’s precisely correct.”

While Xiao Zi’s guess wasn’t entirely accurate, it was close to the truth. The catalyst that activated these Stone Men was You Xiang’s immense soul, empowered by its recent fiery burn.

You Xiang’s soul possessed an unyielding, indestructible, and uncompromising will, and after the recent combustion, her soul had acquired many abilities even she was unaware of. Upon contact with her, the Stone Men instinctively ‘came alive.’

Simultaneously, something else was also awakened.

“ROAR!!!”

The very instant all the Stone Men vanished, a deep, guttural roar suddenly echoed, startling the two girls who immediately snapped into a state of alert vigilance.

Then, the voice spoke words filled with intense rage: “Damn it! I have endured and slumbered for tens of thousands of years, finally on the verge of complete recovery, and you two little rats dare to intrude upon my forbidden ground and destroy my altar! You are courting death!!”

The deep voice was saturated with fury, oppressive might, and terrifying fluctuations of power.

It was as if a great demon king, long asleep, was about to rise!

PS: Given my current state, talking about an outburst is genuinely unrealistic. Even writing three thousand characters has left me dizzy and seeing stars. Alas… I misspoke; I apologize. (To be continued)