Realm of the Night God

Shilin Town is separated by a distance from the Shilin Forest Scenic Area. When Yang Haoran was in Shilin Town before, he didn't sense the presence of malevolent spirits or barriers. He wondered if it was because of the distance. The barrier beneath the stone forest didn't seem as formidable as he imagined.

Upon arriving at the Shilin Forest Scenic Area, he still didn't sense the barrier or malevolent spirits, confirming that his previous speculation in Shilin Town might have been wrong. The barrier here was indeed powerful.

However, he didn't give up. Holding onto a glimmer of hope, he closed his eyes, intending to carefully sense the stone forest to see if he could make any discoveries.

He could have asked the serpent demon beside him since the serpent demon had witnessed the entire process of the great battle years ago. But Yang Haoran was never someone who placed complete trust in others. Besides, he didn't trust the serpent demon much in the first place.

If he could discover something here through his senses, that would be best. If he couldn't find anything, he could always ask the serpent demon later.

Seeing Yang Haoran suddenly stop and close his eyes, the serpent demon guessed what he was doing.

She didn't disturb him but stood by with a smile, patiently waiting.

After a moment, Yang Haoran opened his eyes, disappointment fleeting across his face.

"So, any discoveries?" the serpent demon asked with a smile.

Yang Haoran smiled faintly, then shook his head with a hint of helplessness. Though he didn't speak, his reaction said it all.

The serpent demon seemed to have expected the outcome long ago, so she didn't show any surprise.

"It seems we'll still need your help to find a way through the barrier," Yang Haoran said with a smile.

"Don't worry, since I've promised you, I won't go back on my word. You can make your move whenever you want," the serpent demon said with a smile.

"Let's wait until nightfall then. There are too many tourists during the day, which isn't convenient," Yang Haoran suggested.

"Sure thing, it's all up to you. I'll follow your lead," the serpent demon said with a coquettish smile.

Yang Haoran paid no attention to the serpent demon's flirtatiousness. He wandered around the Shilin Forest Scenic Area like an ordinary tourist, and the serpent demon followed suit.

Meanwhile, a peculiar man appeared in Shilin Town.

He looked peculiar because he appeared unkempt, with dirty, long hair, stubble covering his face, the scent of alcohol wafting around him. He held a can of beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Standing there, he seemed out of place both with the environment and the people around him.

This man was none other than the individual who had come to Shilin Town after watching the video about the serpent demon.

Standing in place, the man closed his eyes to sense his surroundings, then opened them, looking somewhat puzzled.

"No sense of Demonic Qi? Could I be mistaken?"

He thought so, but then he denied this speculation.

"From the video, I shouldn't be mistaken. The inability to sense Demonic Qi should be due to the other party temporarily sealing all of their Demonic Qi."

Indeed, the man's speculation was correct. Before coming here, Yang Haoran had completely sealed his Yin Qi to avoid trouble. Not only did he do so, but he also requested the same from the serpent demon. Although the serpent demon thought Yang Haoran was overreacting a bit, she ultimately agreed to comply.

So, throughout their journey, not only did Yang Haoran leave no residual Yin Qi, but the serpent demon also left no Demonic Qi.

It was because of this that they blended in with the crowd, including the tourists and even the streamer, without anyone sensing the chilling Yin Qi emanating from Yang Haoran.

The man stood in place, taking a drag from his cigarette. Before exhaling the smoke, he gulped down a large swig of beer.

He chose not to leave Shilin Town. Since he had come this far, he didn't want to return empty-handed. Unable to sense Demonic Qi, but remembering the serpent demon's appearance from the video, he guessed that the serpent demon might still be around here. Searching Shilin Town and the Shilin Forest Scenic Area might yield results.

He decided to start with Shilin Town and then move on to the Shilin Forest Scenic Area.

To increase efficiency, he even took screenshots of the serpent demon from the video and asked nearby shopkeepers and tourists.

At this moment, Yang Haoran was unaware of the mysterious figure that had arrived in Shilin Town. Naturally, the serpent demon had no idea that she had been targeted by someone. The two of them continued to wander around the stone forest, feeling rather bored. After all, neither of them had much interest in the Shilin Forest Scenic Area.

"Underworld Envoy Big Brother, are we going to keep wandering around until it gets dark? It's not even noon yet, and it'll be a long wait until nightfall," the serpent demon spoke up.

"Do you have any better suggestions?" Yang Haoran asked with a smile.

"How about we go somewhere else for fun and come back here at night?" the serpent demon suggested with a twinkle in her eye, wearing a coquettish smile.

"Somewhere else? Where do you have in mind?" Yang Haoran continued to inquire.

"How about... how about we go shopping? I think shopping is fun. Last time, we didn't have enough time, so we didn't get to indulge fully," the serpent demon chuckled.

Yang Haoran raised an eyebrow slightly, then chuckled, "Shopping? Do you have money?"

"I don't have money, but you do!" the serpent demon replied with a laugh.

Yang Haoran's smile stiffened, then he looked incredulous, replying, "What do you take me for? A wealthy handsome guy?"

"No... isn't that right?" the serpent demon responded somewhat embarrassedly.

"Of course not. I'm just short, poor, and plain," Yang Haoran replied firmly.

The serpent demon rolled her eyes, looking disdainful, murmuring under her breath, "Stingy."

Yang Haoran didn't respond to her, acting as if he hadn't heard the serpent demon's muttering.

While Yang Haoran remained silent, the serpent demon had no intention of shutting up. After thinking for a moment, she spoke up, "How about this, I'll take you down now. The space sealed beneath the stone forest is quite large, as long as we don't disturb the restriction barrier, there won't be any commotion."

"Really?" Yang Haoran was somewhat skeptical and asked for confirmation.

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?" the serpent demon replied confidently.

Yang Haoran thought for a moment, then nodded, saying, "That sounds good."

Seeing Yang Haoran nod in agreement, the serpent demon was delighted because she felt that she would soon be free.

"Follow me, I'll take you down."

Yang Haoran didn't refuse, letting the serpent demon lead the way while he followed closely behind.

Yang Haoran's initial plan was to act later at night, but now, hearing the serpent demon's suggestion, he thought it might be a good idea to check the situation earlier than planned. After all, he was only going down to assess the situation and wasn't planning to act immediately, so it wouldn't affect the tourists above.

Of course, this was all assuming everything went smoothly and no accidents occurred.

Following the serpent demon, Yang Haoran arrived at a relatively secluded area of the stone forest. The rocks here weren't as tall as elsewhere, and their shapes weren't as peculiar, so there were very few tourists who stopped here.

The serpent demon carefully surveyed the surroundings, and Yang Haoran didn't disturb her, waiting quietly.

After a moment, the serpent demon smiled and said to Yang Haoran, "If I remember correctly, this is the entrance to the seal of the malevolent spirit."

Despite the serpent demon's words, Yang Haoran noticed that there was nothing around except rocks. However, he didn't think the serpent demon was joking with him just because he couldn't see an entrance.

"In the great battle back then, this place was sealed off, so if you want to see the entrance, we'll have to break through here," the serpent demon explained.

Yang Haoran nodded in understanding. He then looked around again. Seeing that no one was approaching, he waved his hand and set up a barrier that could confuse people's vision.

With this barrier in place, people outside couldn't see the true situation inside the barrier with their naked eyes for a short period. They would still see only rocks, just like before, but it was merely an illusion, not the reality.

Moreover, they couldn't approach this area. Once they touched the barrier, they would be blocked and unable to go further.

This kind of barrier was of the same nature as the one Deng Feng set up in the ghost building back then, but the barrier Deng Feng set up using formations was much more advanced than the one Yang Haoran set up now.