Ink stained the vast sky, silent and dark.
The entire horizon pressed down like an overturned black cauldron, gloomy over thousands of miles in every direction.
Looking out, the sky was filled with countless ghostly souls—some as large as whale sharks, others as tiny as mosquitoes.
They seemed poised to devour all living beings, yet not a single one dared approach the two standing there.
Above Tao He’er’s head hovered a beam of light.
She carried a red lantern, moving briskly and confidently through a narrow mountain valley barely two zhang wide.
Lin Ji glanced around.
On either side of the valley stood two giant statues — one with the head of a bull and the other with the head of a dog.
But these statues were different from regular sacred figures.
They were cracked and broken all over, looking like they could collapse or shatter at any moment.
Inside the valley, the night was just as dim and mysterious, but when compared to the outside it felt much more normal.
There were no evil spirits or ghosts, and even faint starlight slipped down in spots.