Chapter 1 The First Ray of Morning Light

The next day, the first ray of morning sunlight shone into the forest.

The campfire had gone out, with wisps of smoke rising from the pile of burnt ashes. A gentle breeze blew, and a faint red glow could still be seen on the charred wood.

Yuta opened her eyes, feeling refreshed. After days of vigilance, she had finally had a good night's sleep. She didn't disturb Suren, who was meditating beside her, and quietly packed up the animal skin mat she had been sleeping on.

Before long, the silence was broken by the crisp chirping of birds, and Suren slowly opened his eyes from his meditation.

After a night of digestion, he had almost figured out the effects of his new colony equipment.

"Awake?"

Yuta smiled at him and used a wooden stick to pull a few yams from the campfire, which had been cooked by the residual heat.

"Yeah."

Suren nodded and cleaned his mouth.

He picked up a roasted yam and ate it with relish.

As it was already dawn, there was no longer a need for a campfire, so Yuta completely covered the fire with soil. One had to be very careful when using fire in the forest, and the Daru people would not cause trouble for the forest.

While working with the soil, she said, "It's not far from 'Cursed Valley' from here. If we continue north from here, there's a pass. The last time the tribesmen came here, they encountered many strange creatures. We have to be careful..."

"Yeah."

Suren nodded as he listened.

He originally didn't want Yuta to come along on this adventure, but she insisted.

She said that the ancestors of the tribe would risk their lives for the continuation of the tribe, and she could do the same. Now that the tribe was in its most difficult time, she intended to do something.

Suren didn't say much.

The Daru people had their own beliefs, and Yuta had her own convictions.

She was brave, persistent, kind, and sometimes silly. Just like once at sea, she knew she might die, but she resolutely came back to support them.

Suren thought it was pretty good too.

The two packed up the temporary camp and set off again.

.......

The entrance to Cursed Ancient Valley was about twenty kilometers north of the Skull Labyrinth.

Because they were being very careful, it took Suren and Yuta half a day to reach a cliff pass.

The ground seemed to have suddenly cracked a large gap, extending far into the distance to the north, becoming wider and wider.

Standing at the pass, the field of vision was quite limited, and they could only vaguely see some blurry mountain shadows in the distance.

The wind at the pass was very strong, and there were eagle nests on the cliffs on both sides of the canyon. From time to time, they could hear the loud and distant cries of eagles resounding through the valley.

Yuta pointed to the misty canyon ahead, her expression solemn, and said, "The front is Cursed Valley. The information left by the tribe's ancestors said that this mist will make people irritable, and magical beasts will also be affected. So the monsters here are very ferocious. The deeper we go, the more dangerous it becomes."

"Yeah."

Suren looked at the mist in front of him and identified it.

【Necromantic Mist】

Details: A mist mixed with the negative emotions of the dead, containing trace amounts of toxins and a rich aura of necromancy; prolonged breathing can lead to mental confusion, causing manic, hallucinatory, comatose... and other negative states;

"Necromantic aura?"

Suren looked at the mist and guessed that the ruins might be in a certain plane of death?

The mist was thin, and with a little caution, it wasn't too dangerous. He gave Yuta a gas mask and put on his own beaked mask.

Thinking of safety, Suren also summoned the Doom Crow.

The black crow liked this valley with a strong aura of necromancy very much, and cawed as it flew down.

After waiting for a while, the black crow didn't find any danger in its field of vision.

Suren and Yuta then climbed down along the cliff.

As soon as he went down, he immediately understood why this place was called "Cursed Valley."

The wind howled in the valley, making a whirring sound that echoed in their ears. The sound made it seem like someone was cursing in their ears, making people feel inexplicably irritable. But when they tried to listen carefully, they couldn't hear what was being said.

Yuta cultivated the power of nature, and she was obviously uncomfortable in this environment filled with necromantic aura.

"Is this the 'Whisper of the Dead'?"

Suren frowned slightly as he listened.

His mental strength was very sensitive, and he immediately realized that this was not a simple wind sound, but the whisper of the dead.

The sound was not actually heard by the ears, but was an influence on the mental level.

Could it be that a large number of powerful people died in that great battle, and the souls of the dead were unwilling to disperse?

Or was it because of the ruins?

Suren speculated on two possibilities in his mind, but he had not gone deep yet, and there was no way to verify them.

Thinking about it, he opened the black umbrella and shielded himself and Yuta beside him.

The human skin black umbrella could absorb necromantic substances. Holding up the umbrella was like opening a barrier, immediately isolating the two from the sound.

Yuta's complexion instantly improved a lot.

.......

The canyon was formed by an earthquake hundreds of years ago, so a dense forest had long grown at the bottom of the canyon.

However, the trees here were generally gray-black, and both the leaves and the trunks gave people a feeling of lifelessness.

The mist would limit the perception of most normal people, but Suren's soul perception was not limited at all. Even with necromantic monsters, there were some sparse "soul bodies." Moreover, there was also the black crow opening up the field of vision ahead. As long as they were careful, it would not be difficult for them to avoid the monsters in the valley.

The two gradually went deeper into the canyon, and the fog was sometimes thick and sometimes thin.

They walked a long way without encountering any danger.

However, this Cursed Valley had caused heavy losses to the Daru tribe's exploration team in the past, so it must not be that simple.

No matter how careful Suren was, they still strayed into the territory of a 【Human-faced Rot Flower】 monster.

To be exact, the monster's tentacles were buried underground and spread for several miles, like a fishing net blocking the canyon to capture prey. To pass through, there was no way to avoid it.

Those roots had no soul, and Suren didn't sense them.

The two stepped into its hunting range, but it immediately came to life, wrapping them tightly.

Fortunately, Suren noticed that there were no normal creatures around, and he had prepared in advance. Moreover, the monster's main body was not high, and its strength was only at the third-tier Silver "Weird" level.

The 【Phosphorus Fire Doll】 gave a large-scale burst of fire, and the tentacles could not avoid it. It was not difficult to kill.

It could be considered a thrilling but safe experience.

Suren also discovered that the environment here was very similar to that of old Lingdun.

That 【Human-faced Rot Flower】 had flesh and blood, and had the characteristics of both animals and plants.

This was not a normal creature, nor was it an alien plane creature.

Using the monster system description of old Lingdun, this was a "mutant."

That was because it could not withstand the pollution of the necromantic aura and was a mutated native species.

After encountering a small accident, Suren and Yuta became more careful.

Later, they encountered several monsters with very strong auras and bypassed them.

Because they were not walking fast, the progress of the trip was very slow. It got dark very early in the canyon, and the two did not choose to risk traveling at night, and found a cave to spend the night.

The next day, after the sunlight shone into the canyon, they continued on their way.

At noon, they finally discovered traces of the ruins.

.......

The last time the Daru tribe came to Cursed Valley was decades ago. There was no road in the jungle at all, and there was no such thing as a route.

The only thing that could be identified were a few major landmarks, such as "Winter Spring," "Dog Head Rock," and "Red Pine Forest"...

Although Suren's perception was very strong, Yuta's observation skills in the jungle far exceeded his.

When the two walked to an area of scorched trees that looked like they had been struck by lightning, Yuta suddenly exclaimed, "Mr. Suren, look there!"

Suren went over to take a closer look and found that the inconspicuous stone was a man-made stone pillar.

Because the time was too long, the stone pillar was covered with green moss.

Suren's heart was also filled with joy. Seeing the stone pillar meant that they were very close to the ruins.

He identified the patterns on the stone pillar and said in an uncertain tone, "This seems to be a giant race's worship totem. In myths and legends, the giant race worships the earth, so there are often mountain patterns on the totem."

Yuta also nodded in agreement, "Yes! The elders in the tribe also said the same."

Suren identified it himself, and also found some other man-made buildings in the soil layer.

The scale was very large, and it looked like a collapsed temple.

The two didn't stay long and continued to move forward.

Before long, they were blocked from their path.

They originally thought it was a mountain, but the mist dissipated, and Suren realized that it was a high wall.

Even if it had collapsed, it was still a miraculous building that was enough to make people gape.

The city wall alone, exposed outside the soil, was as high as a hundred meters, constructed of white stone strips as large as trucks. There were traces of earthquake fractures on the wall, and rubble was scattered everywhere in the jungle.

The weather was very good today, and the sunlight suddenly shone into the canyon, making the visibility very high.

Yuta's eyes were slightly excited, and she pointed to the city wall and whispered, "Mr. Suren, we found it!"

Behind that city wall was the turning point in the decline of the Daru tribe.

To this day, they still don't know what happened inside.

"Yeah."

Suren nodded and didn't rashly climb over the wall.

In the memories he had harvested, the Holy Judgment Legion of the Oglu Empire should have already arrived in the ruins.

He released the black crow, which flew over the city wall.

Just then, the wind blew, the fog dissipated, and the crow's field of vision was very wide, just enough to get a full view of the scenery behind the wall.

But with just this one look, he was immediately shocked by the shared vision!

"That is...!!!"

Suren thought that the ancient ruins were just a pile of urban architectural ruins, but he never thought that he would actually see a super giant tree behind the wall.

A tree as large as a mountain that blotted out the sky!

It was a giant gray elm that was beyond Suren's comprehension, and it was the same species as the one in the Daru tribe's holy land.

However, the volume of the two was vastly different.

There was indeed a huge ruin behind the wall.

Tall stone pillars, the ruins of palaces, and uniquely styled giant stone statues could be seen everywhere...

But all these architectural traces were on the giant tree with intertwined roots!

"How could it be like this?"

Suren's mind raced.

He immediately judged that this giant tree had grown out after the ruins. Therefore, those buildings were guessed to be growing on the tree trunk, and they were scattered and broken.

Yuta, who was beside him, saw that Suren's expression was different and asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Suren?"

Suren's expression was slightly complicated, and he said, "I saw a giant tree..."

When Yuta heard the description, she was immediately shocked.

When the Daru tribe's ancestors came here before, there was nothing but fog. They only discovered some traces of ruins and monsters, and then retreated. They had never seen the full picture of the ruins.

She never thought that the ruins they thought were on the mountain were actually on a tree?

Suddenly, Yuta thought of something and said excitedly, "I think I might know what that is!"

"Oh?"

Suren listened and also looked sideways.

Yuta's eyes were shaking, and her eyes were full of complexity as she said, "That... that might be a lost divine technique of our Daru tribe - 【Tree Realm Seal - Burial of the Divine】!"

"Divine technique?"

Suren keenly captured this word and said in surprise, "Are you saying... this giant tree was transformed by magic?"

"No, not magic."

Yuta shook her head and corrected, "【Burial of the Divine】 is a sealing divine technique that can only be performed by great druids of at least the eighth order. But the power of the divine technique cannot be controlled by mortals. After performing it beyond their level, the body will irreversibly turn into a tree. So... that tree may be the术化body of a great druid!"

After a pause, she seemed to have guessed a corner of some of the secrets of the past and said in a trembling tone, "Such a huge seal, I am afraid that it could only be performed by a joint effort of many top great druids."

When Suren heard this, various clues in his mind appeared and were connected together. He seemed to understand why the top powerhouses of the Daru tribe were wiped out in that battle.

So it was because they performed this divine technique and turned into trees?

But at the same time, the problem also came.

What kind of terrifying thing is in these ruins that requires the entire Daru tribe's experts to use a divine technique to jointly cast a seal?

What exactly is the "source of disaster" in the legend of the God of Nature's oracle?

.......

The situation of the ruins in Cursed Valley was obviously more complicated than expected.

When he encountered something he couldn't figure out, Suren decided to seek help from outside.

He picked up the communication ring and contacted Mr. Mirror.

Before coming to the Daru tribe, after knowing about the ruins in Cursed Valley, Mr. Mirror seemed to have some guesses. He specifically asked him to help her confirm some information if he wanted to come.

Now that he saw this situation, Suren directly contacted him.

"Senior Sister, I have a question I want to ask you."

He concisely explained all his discoveries.

Mr. Mirror was in seclusion, and Suren originally thought that he would not be able to get a timely response.

Unexpectedly, not long after, a slightly solemn response from Mr. Mirror came from the other end of the communicator, "You said that the necromantic aura in the valley is very strong, and there are also high-level mutant monsters?"

"Yeah."

Suren said, and also told about the situation of the giant tree and their guesses.

Listening to the other end of the communicator not responding for a long time, Mr. Mirror seemed to have fallen into deep thought.

Thinking about it, he asked again, "Senior Sister, is there a plane passage under these ruins?"

After pondering for a long time, a complicated tone came from the communicator, "It's not that simple."

After a pause, Mr. Mirror continued, "My father has always wanted to pursue the real reason that led to the collapse of the Dawn Era civilization. Later, he traveled around and found sporadic clues from some ancient ruins. He speculated that there should be a 'Burial Ground of the Gods' on the ice sheet of the Northern Continent, which is now near the Silent Forest."

"Burial Ground of the Gods?"

Suren became interested when he heard this.

His senior sister had seen the God-level powerhouse and even delivered the final blow.

For her to say that, it definitely wasn't as simple as an ordinary god.

"Yeah."

Mr. Mirror responded, "According to legend, the collapse of the Dawn civilization was due to a war. Top powerhouses from many planes besieged the Alchemy civilization, and a 'War of the Gods' took place. Later generations could not know the details. My father also did not find exact clues. However, he reversed the cause and effect from the laws of fate and determined that the earth-shattering war must have happened. And the battle of God-level powerhouses is very terrifying, and can even lead to plane fractures. The reason why our plane laws are missing now is likely to be the reason for the collapse of the initial war."

"..."

Suren finally understood why his senior sister was so concerned about this ruin when he heard this.

Ancient treasures are everywhere in this world. Mr. Mirror came from the ruins of Dawn City, so it is naturally impossible for her to be after any ruin treasures.

At this time, Mr. Mirror said again, "The fall of God-level powerhouses will lead to the collapse of material and law levels, which is very terrifying. Those chaotic high-level laws, necromantic aura, dark energy... will overflow uncontrollably. For powerhouses who transcend the mortal realm, that may be an opportunity. But for mortals, it is simply a disaster like a plague. The best way is to seal those things up. Once they are leaked out, it will be like the source of disaster, which will be devastating to human civilization."

Is this how the necromantic aura in Cursed Valley came about?

With this explanation, everything seems to make sense.

Was the deep-sea giant who came to the ruins in the past to seize the legacy opportunities of the ancient gods who fell in the Dawn Era?

Suren suddenly understood why the ancestors of the Daru tribe had to seal these ruins at the cost of their lives.

So that's how it was.

.......

However, the problem also came.

The Daru tribe may not covet the treasures in those ruins, but now it is the people of the Oglu royal family who are developing the ruins!

Greedy nobles can even treat humans as slaves, so can they give up the ruin treasures?

If Mr. Mirror really guessed it right, it is that "Burial Ground of the Gods." Isn't their behavior playing with nuclear bombs, and everyone will be finished together?

Obviously, Mr. Mirror also thought of this.

In the communicator, her solemn tone came, "I will come over as soon as possible."

"Senior Sister, are you coming over?"

Suren knew that his senior sister was now in a critical moment of seclusion to recover, and she said that it would take about half a year before she could leave seclusion.

Now she actually said she was coming?

"Yeah."

On the other side of the communicator, Mr. Mirror's decisive words came.

After a pause, she said seriously, "Suren, to the best of your ability, try to prevent the Oglu military from destroying the seal. I will arrive in three days at most."

"..."

Suren listened and felt his eyelids twitch.

The other party is a royal elite legion led by a sixth-order legion commander.

Do you think so highly of your junior brother?

In the instant of being stunned, a concerned and full of exhortation came from the communicator, "Well... be careful."