Zeyan and Yanlong came out of the room together.
Lingxi did not even try to hide herself; she stood right in front of them, deliberately blocking their way.
"I also want to go with you," she snapped before Zeyan could say anything.
"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Zeyan replied immediately, in his tone sharp.
"Yes," she admitted without hesitation. "I came here to see you, but after hearing everything, now I want to go with you to Night Valley."
Zeyan looked at her coldly. "Do you really think you can go with us? You are not even fully well. You don't even remember what happened last night," he added with a smirk. "And you want to come along?"
"I just want to help you in any way I can," Lingxi replied firmly. "I know I don't have powers, but I can still be useful."
"You'll only be a burden," Zeyan said without even pausing.
Lingxi clenched her fists. "How can I be useful sitting here?" she snapped back. "You're going to face something extremely dangerous. This isn't a small matter. As far as I understand, if the evil spirits are freed, it won't just affect the Demon Realm—it will endanger all realms, including my Canglan Realm."
She took a deep breath and continued, her voice steadier now.
"You are doing so much for your people. I also want to contribute to my realm. I want to help you. Please… let me come with you."
Zeyan looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
"Fine," he finally said. "Come."
A short while later, the three of them reached Night Valley.
They stood in the middle, carefully observing their surroundings.
"Only a few leaves on the trees are red," Yanlong muttered. "With such little visible nourishment, how were the spirits able to harm so many people?"
Zeyan's gaze hardened. "With so little blood, they shouldn't be capable of such destruction. Something is wrong—something we cannot see. The one behind this is extremely powerful."
He paused before continuing, his voice lower.
"Last night, when I tried to reach the culprit, a barrier protected him. I attempted to break it, but I couldn't."
As he spoke, Zeyan moved closer to a tree. He touched its trunk lightly, then frowned, his brows knitting together.
Taking a few steps back, he brought his hands together. A yellow light began to form between his palms, slowly shaping itself into a glowing sphere. He waved his hands through the air, and the light spread across Night Valley, touching each and every leaf.
In mere moments, the entire scenery changed.
The black leaves on the trees turned red—every single one—leaving only one or two black leaves behind on each tree.
Their eyes widened as they looked around in shock. Night Valley had completely transformed.
"Is this some kind of illusion?" Lingxi asked softly.
"All the black leaves have turned red, and the few red leaves have become black."
"This is reality," Zeyan snapped. "We were the ones living in an illusion all this time. Someone cast it deliberately so we wouldn't notice. The opponent is extremely intelligent—he continued his work without leaving us even a single clue."
"That's why they were able to lure people out of Night Valley and drain their blood," Yanlong said grimly.
"But how?" Lingxi interrupted. "We're standing here right now, yet the spirits aren't attacking us. Then why those people?"
"They can smell blood," Zeyan replied. "Even a single drop. If someone gets injured near this place—even a minor wound—the spirits sense it and are drawn to it. Once they reach the source, they drain the entire body sucking the blood."
"That means…" Lingxi's voice trembled. "The people who died must have been injured near this place. The spirits smelled their blood and attacked them."
"So this has been happening for a long time, and we were completely unaware," Yanlong said, clenching his fists, with the disappointing voice.
"This is not the time to regret," Zeyan said firmly. "We need to find the one behind all of this."
"But it will take time," Lingxi said. "Until then, we can't let more people die here. What if their power increases even further in the coming days?"
"She's right, Master," Yanlong agreed. "As their strength returns, their power will only keep growing."
Zeyan's eyes darkened as he looked around Night Valley once more.
Don't worry," Zeyan said. "I will temporarily seal this place so that these evil spirits cannot go out. But this seal cannot last for many days, because someone is continuously putting effort into setting them free. We have to find that person and stop him. I doubt he will find another way to nurture them, and that could become the final hit to break the seal completely. If only one person among the victims of the evil spirits had survived, we could have reached the mastermind through them."
"But how?" Lingxi asked. "Can't you do that now? The trees are right in front of you. Moreover, can't we just destroy this forest and finish everything? Why is this so complicated?"
"This is not as simple as you think," Zeyan replied. "It seems you have no idea what these evil spirits truly are."
"Actually, I am very confused," Lingxi said. "I have so many questions. You told me they are tied to the roots of these trees. If they were freed even a little and went outside, then why did they come back?"
A faint smile appeared on Zeyan's face. It was completely out of place in such a situation, but Lingxi noticed it clearly.
"What happened?" Lingxi asked, seeing him smile.
"These spirits are not a physical thing." Zeyan said. "They stayed here and sucked the blood of those people only by sending a small part of their aura. Their power is enough to complete this task without leaving this place fully. From within their sealed area, they can smell blood, suck it, and take a person's life."
He paused briefly before continuing, "If I catch them during the process—when they are drawing blood—I can seal them within the victim's body for a moment and trace them to the person who is controlling them. And the most important part is that the one controlling them must be nearby. He cannot be physically too far away to perform this task."
"But why would someone do this?" Lingxi asked softly. "What will he gain by empowering these spirits? Does he want to use them for cultivation? Or does he want to absorb them?"
"No one can absorb them," Zeyan said firmly. "That person is trying to restore these spirits to their true form and merge them together."
"Together?" Lingxi exclaimed.
"Yes," Zeyan replied. "All these spirits are actually parts of a single existence. They are fragments of an aura so powerful that it could not be destroyed. That entity was known as the Ocean of Blood. The only way to stop it was to split its aura and seal it within these trees. And now, someone is nurturing it with blood, strengthening it once again."
"Aura… but what was it? And how did it appear?" Lingxi asked. "There must be some reason behind it."
"No one knows where it came from," Zeyan replied. "It has always remained a mystery. But if these spirits become one again, they will destroy all the realms. There will be devastation everywhere, and the destruction will begin from the Demon Realm."
Lingxi rolled her eyes, and then widened them suddenly, something stuck her mind.
"I have a solution," Lingxi suddenly said.
"Oh?" Zeyan replied with a hint of irony. "You just learned about these evil spirits, and now you already have a solution?"
"I know how it sounds," Lingxi said, "but I really do have a way by which you can reach that person."