That night, Yang Tian and the others stayed in this village located behind Changbai Mountain.

This village seemed very strange.

It didn't appear on the map, and amidst the vast white snow, the village had no roads leading to it.

If it weren't for Yang Tian running his Divine Sense to detect it, they would have had difficulty finding the village.

The people in the village didn't seem human.

Their faces were as pale as corpses, their eyes lifeless, and they didn't speak all day.

"Big brother, I'm so scared..."

Wang Yue felt a chill as she saw villagers standing wherever she passed, staring straight at her.

Those gazes seemed like dead people watching her.

There was no electricity in the village, only the most primitive wood fires, and the huts were close together. The light emitted from the dilapidated wooden tables outlined the villagers' eerie faces.

Villagers stood at the wooden windows and wooden doors.

Without careful observation, it was hard to notice them.

But when Wang Yue noticed, she was startled by these ghost-like villagers.

"Yueyue, don't be afraid, big brother is here!"

Yang Tian picked up Wang Yue.

He was also very surprised: What are these villagers?

Could it be that because they are nestled in the deepest part of Changbai Mountain, isolated from the world, they are primitive wild people?

Yang Tian thought of the Dark Land, could it be that these villagers are here because of the Dark Land?

"Village chief, I want to ask, are there any scenic spots in the most Abyss of Changbai Mountain?"

Yang Tian cautiously asked.

"What did you say? The most Abyss of Changbai Mountain? Do you want to go in there?" The village chief, who was originally walking forward with dull eyes, turned his head abruptly, his face angry and full of killing intent: "You're courting death!"

The villagers came to life in an instant, surrounding them.

Each holding a large knife and axe.

"Just as expected!"

Yang Tian nodded internally and raised his voice: "I heard there are many scenic spots in Changbai Mountain, so we wander around. We've seen the sights in front, just curious about what's behind Changbai Mountain. If it's very dangerous inside, we won't explore it. Tomorrow morning, we'll head back to the hotel, ending this trip."

The village chief's expression softened a lot, and he stiffly said: "That place is not for you to go, going there means death. Leave here first thing in the morning!"

"Thank you, village chief and villagers, for sheltering us for a night."

Yang Tian said loudly.

With that, the villagers' alertness diminished considerably.

"Come this way, I'll leave you a hut."

The village chief said expressionlessly, leading Yang Tian and the others into a hut.

Throughout the journey, Wang Yue clung tightly to Yang Tian, her little face that was red from the cold now turned pale, probably from being scared.

However, Ling Ying asked in a low voice: "Yang, this place is not safe. Aren't these villagers related to the Dark Land?"

Yang Tian nodded, agreeing with Ling Ying's statement.

"Then staying here is dangerous."

Wang Ying also said in a low voice.

"It's fine, these villagers are just ordinary people. Even if they are related to the Dark Land, they can't harm us."

Yang Tian gestured to Wang Ying not to be alarmed.

"Stay here for the night, remember, don't come out if there's nothing!"

The village chief said without expression, then left.

Slam!

Wang Yue quickly shut the door, her face pale with fear, closing both the door and the window.

"Big brother, I'm so scared..."

Wang Yue finally came to Yang Tian's side again.

"We've flown all day and are tired. Let's rest here tonight. Don't worry, I'll set up a Talisman Array now."

Yang Tian waved his hand.

Spirit Talismans flew out and stuck to the windows and wooden door.

Instantly, the wind outside ceased.

"Big brother, I feel a little better now..."

As Wang Yue's nerves relaxed, she kept yawning and fell asleep leaning on Yang Tian's leg.

"Yingying, President Wang, you should rest too."

Yang Tian said.

"It's not safe here, I can't rest."

Wang Ying's nervous tension couldn't relax.

"It's okay, I'm here." Yang Tian said softly, inspecting the hut, his brows furrowed: "Someone has died here."

"What?"

Wang Ying stood up subconsciously.

Wang Yue was also awakened by Wang Ying: "Big brother..."

"Yueyue, it's okay, big brother is here." Yang Tian held Wang Yue, operated a Spirit Talisman, calming her down. After she fell asleep, he said: "The owner here should be deceased, look above."

Wang Ying and Ling Ying looked up, their faces turning pale.

On the wall above hung a black-and-white memorial photo.

"Why didn't we check before coming in here?"

Wang Ying couldn't help but complain about herself, took the portrait off the wall, snapped it with a crack, and put it in the hearth to burn it.

Yang Tian couldn't help but be surprised by Wang Ying's boldness: "President Wang, aren't you afraid at all?"

"I am afraid, that's why I burned it."

Wang Ying rolled her almond-shaped eyes.

Yang Tian gave a knowing smile: "You can rest now, I'll go check the situation outside."

Saying this, Yang Tian activated his Divine Sense and probed outside. With this probe, he took in the entire situation within the village.

Yet he found it even more eerie.

At this moment, the village appeared deathly still on the surface, but inside each cold hut was an unsleeping villager.

These villagers gathered inside their cold huts, extending their left hands, holding wooden fishes in their right hands, and continuously tapping their left hands.

Yet no sound was detected.

They repeated one action endlessly, without fatigue, without stopping.

Yang Tian was even more puzzled: "This village is so strange; could it be related to the Dark Land?"

Suddenly, a chime sounded.

Yang Tian's brow furrowed and saw a weathered wooden bell ringing three times from the old lodge at the center of the village.

Immediately, all the villagers in the cold huts lay flat on the ground, crawling outward on their knees, gathering on the grassy hall behind the village.

The village chief stood in the center and lit a pile of wood with fire.

The villagers, without a sound, prostrated and crawled along the fire pile.

Who knows how long it took, when a villager emerged from the crawling crowd, saying to the chief: "Village chief, these four outsiders probably know about the Dark Land; we cannot let them leave here."

The village chief stood expressionless.

Another villager crawled out: "They have a positioning system on them. If we kill them, people outside will discover us."

Hearing this, Yang Tian was even more bewildered.

These villagers should know about the outside world; they should have been to the outside, so why are they willing to stay here?

What are these rituals they perform?

"If we don't kill them, we will die."

The first villager said firmly.

The second villager hesitated, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes, and fell silent obediently.

"They must die! They must die! We will kill them tonight, and by dawn, we will send them to the valley in Changbai Mountain and forge their deaths as a cliff accident." The village chief paused, then knelt on the ground personally: "The Divine Spirit in the Dark Land cannot be offended, so they must die!"

"The Divine Spirit in the Dark Land?"

Yang Tian was even more puzzled.

He wanted to know more, but the villagers ceased their discussion and continued to prostrate along the fire pile.

This prostration continued until the third watch.

When the chime from the old pavilion sounded again, the villagers crawled back into their cold huts, lying on their beds like corpses, with spiritless eyes, appearing asleep but awake.

"Yang Tian, what's wrong?"

Ling Ying couldn't help but ask when she saw Yang Tian open his eyes.

Yang Tian looked at Ling Ying and noticed Wang Ying had already fallen asleep beside her, unable to stay awake.

Ling Ying, being an assassin, maintained high vigilance in this dangerous place.

"It's nothing; they just performed a ritual and are now asleep." Yang Tian relayed what he had heard to Ling Ying, preparing her: "They plan to act against us tonight, Yingying, stay alert."

"Hmm, we've already set up a Talisman Array here; it'll be hard for them to get in. Even if they do, I won't let them succeed!"

Ling Ying appeared very calm, a mark of an assassin's skill.

Yang Tian gently picked up Wang Yue, laid her next to Wang Ying, and stood to check the Talisman Array. Finding no flaws, he instructed Ling Ying to prepare the Spirit Talisman.

Just then, he suddenly felt an aura rushing in from outside.

He was puzzled: Why is there an aura here?

Activating his Divine Sense to probe, he was shocked.

In the grassy hall behind the village, within the fire pile from the villagers' ritual, a tombstone appeared.

This tombstone had been burning in the fire pile all along.

After all the firewood was consumed, this tombstone was exposed.

The tombstone appeared entirely fiery red, and the aura was emanating from it.

"Yingying, guard here, I'm going out! Don't worry, the Talisman Array is secure, and the villagers can't breach it."

Yang Tian said, and with a flash, he dashed out.

Soon, he arrived at the tombstone.

"What is this?"

Yang Tian was filled with confusion as he saw patterns on the tombstone.

These patterns didn't resemble human writing; rather, they seemed like imprints made with a creature's limbs.

All around was deathly silent.

Yang Tian activated Divine Sense, clearly sensing waves of aura covering the village emanating from the tombstone.

He probed into the cold huts and saw that those villagers finally closed their eyes and began to sleep.

However, the villagers seemed like they were dead, with no breathing, no pulse, only motionless stiffness.

"This tombstone is very strange!"

Yang Tian wanted to probe further, but at this moment, a door-bursting sound came from afar.

A flicker of surprise crossed Yang Tian's eyes. He activated Divine Sense, probing towards Ling Ying's side, only to find that the village chief had already led some villagers to break the door of the cold hut.

"They actually broke through my Talisman Array? They're not ordinary people!"

Yang Tian felt surprised, his figure flickered, and he quickly returned...