The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Shuang'er Sister, what sort of method is this?"

Sun Fenglin stepped forward, curiosity evident in his voice.

"This is a warding coin. It can absorb the malevolent energy lingering on this wandering corpse, allowing us to trace its origin. Once we discover where this corpse came from, we should be able to find the hidden cultists of the Gu God Sect in Mount Chuyun."

Yun Yanshuang replied with a calm demeanor as she deftly retrieved the coin and reattached it to her waist.

Hearing this, Sun Fenglin nodded silently, a flicker of envy crossing his heart. He couldn't help but admire the Yun Cang Yun clan for possessing such a marvelous treasure capable of tracking and tracing.

"Let's move!"

Yun Yanshuang, securing the warding coin, smiled sweetly.

Chang Yuan and Xiao Shan, understanding her intent, quickly went to mobilize the troops, preparing to follow her lead into the mountains. Yun Yanshuang and her elder brother, Yun Yantian, also departed from the tent.

"Fenglin Brother, that little girl's coin..."

Watching Yun Yanshuang leave, Sun Fengli's eyes glimmered with a greedy light.

"Didn't you learn your lesson earlier?"

Hearing his younger brother's words, Sun Fenglin's brow furrowed, and his tone turned icy.

Embarrassed, Sun Fengli fell silent, forced to abandon his impulsive thoughts of snatching the treasure.

"That said, Yantian's strength has grown immensely compared to before," Sun Fenglin muttered, his expression serious.

The memory of Yun Yantian effortlessly suppressing his younger brother earlier still sent a shiver through his heart.

"One day, I will surpass him!"

Nearby, Sun Fengli gritted his teeth, declaring his ambition.

"Enough of that. Pack your things. We'll prepare to enter the mountain shortly."

Outside the camp, Yun Yanshuang puffed her cheeks in irritation as she spoke to her brother.

"Yantian Brother, that Sun Fengli was so annoying!"

"Youthful arrogance often leads to an unrelenting desire to prove oneself," Yun Yantian replied with a gentle smile.

"But you're not like that, Yantian Brother!"

"People are all different, Shuang'er." He chuckled softly.

"Also, when I mentioned the warding coin and explained its use, I saw greed in Sun Fengli's eyes. He suppressed it, but Shuang'er saw it clearly."

"I noticed that as well."

"Once we're in the mountains, we must avoid charging ahead recklessly. If we sustain injuries and lose our combat strength, others may take advantage."

"Mm-hmm! I understand," Yun Yanshuang nodded obediently.

In the sprawling camp, Chang Yuan and Xiao Shan had organized two thousand elite soldiers. After confirming everyone was equipped with shields, crossbows, sabers, and halberds, they gave the order to proceed into the depths of Mount Chuyun as per Yun Yanshuang's guidance.

Mount Chuyun lay on the border between Yunzhang County and Lan Lin County. Its vast expanse and winding peaks stretched endlessly, resembling a colossal dragon lying dormant.

The mountain was shrouded in thick mist and toxic miasma, teeming with venomous insects and ferocious beasts.

Legends spoke of demons and spirits lurking in its depths, preying on woodcutters and hunters who dared venture too far.

Among the tales most often recounted by the elders of Yun Cang and Lan Lin Counties was the legend of an ancient battlefield hidden deep within Mount Chuyun.

It was said that a hundred years ago, two tribes waged war for control of the mountain's resources. The battle raged for five years, leaving both tribes decimated and their warriors' bones buried within that accursed land.

Over time, the site became a place of intense malevolence, its air thick with poison miasma. Few dared to approach, for the miasma would seep into their bodies, causing severe illness, draining vitality, or even leading to death as organs failed.

"An ancient battlefield?"

Yun Yantian's expression flickered with surprise as he listened to Chang Yuan's account. It was his first time hearing of such a tale.

"Indeed, it's a story passed down through generations in Yun Cang. But whether the ancient battlefield truly exists remains a mystery—it could just be an old wives' tale," Chang Yuan replied, a faint smile softening his rugged features.

"If such a battlefield does exist, it would mean countless corpses lie buried there. Considering that the Gu God Sect cultivates corpse gu, such a yin-infused land would be an ideal place for their sinister practices," Yun Yantian reasoned inwardly.

"Your analysis is reasonable, Little Immortal Master, but it's still uncertain if the battlefield actually exists," Chang Yuan said ingratiatingly.

Yun Yantian said no more. Everything would become clear once Shuang'er's warding coin located the wandering corpse's origin.

"After two days of trekking through the mountains, how much further must we go? Little girl, are you sure that magical coin of yours even works?"

Sun Fengli, marching in the column behind Yun Yanshuang, voiced his impatience with a tone dripping with skepticism.

"Silence!"

Sun Fenglin immediately hissed at his younger cousin, his voice low but sharp. He couldn't afford to let Sun Fengli's antics sour their tenuous relationship with Yun Yantian and Yun Yanshuang.

Chastised, Sun Fengli reluctantly bit his tongue, his earlier impatience giving way to silent obedience.

"Brother, the miasma!"

At that moment, Sun Fengxuan, typically reserved and taciturn, pointed ahead toward the thick forest. His sharp gaze lingered on the swirling, dense fog that veiled the path ahead, issuing a soft warning.

Both Yun Yanshuang and Yun Yantian had already stopped in their tracks, their sharp senses alerting them to the presence of the miasma well before Sun Fengxuan's observation.

Though they were cultivators and the toxic mist posed little immediate danger to them, prolonged exposure could subtly disrupt the flow of their spiritual energy.

In a life-or-death battle, even the slightest disruption in power could tip the scales fatally. A cultivator needed to remain in peak condition at all times to survive such encounters.

"Lord Chang, distribute the herbs to everyone. Let them hold it in their mouths to ward off the miasma ahead," Yun Yantian commanded with a calm but firm tone.

"Yes, Little Immortal Master, I understand!"

Chang Yuan bowed slightly before relaying the order to his thousand elite soldiers. The men quickly retrieved sprigs of the Three-Leaf Herb and placed them in their mouths.

The Three-Leaf Herb was a special plant known for its invigorating and cleansing properties. When held in the mouth, its refreshing essence shielded the body from the toxic miasma that permeated deep mountain forests.

"Lord Xiao, let's ensure our troops are prepared as well."

Sun Fenglin swiftly issued his own commands.

Xiao Shan, his subordinate, nodded and directed the soldiers under his command to take the herb. Only then did the group resume their cautious advance into the mist-laden forest.

"Yantian Brother, can you feel it?"

Yun Yanshuang whispered softly as they stepped into the dense fog.

"Mm. Malevolent energy... heavy, chilling yin energy. It's not far ahead," Yun Yantian murmured, his divine sense sweeping outward as he remained vigilant of their surroundings.

His spiritual perception detected faint traces of yin energy drifting from the depths of the fog. The oppressive aura grew more pronounced with each step.

Yun Yanshuang, too, felt the bone-chilling presence. The warding coin at her waist began to quiver violently, confirming her suspicions.

It was clear now—the source of the wandering corpse that had slaughtered over a dozen members of the Sun clan of Lan Lin lay just ahead.

"Fengxuan, Fengli, be ready. We're approaching the location," Sun Fenglin warned his brothers, his tone resolute.

He, too, had detected the sinister energy emanating from the heart of the mist.

Chang Yuan and Xiao Shan exchanged grim looks as they tightened their grip on their weapons. The elite soldiers behind them followed suit, some clutching sabers, others shields, and a few preparing arrows on taut bowstrings, ready to unleash them at a moment's notice.

As they pressed forward, the dense veil of miasma gradually thinned, and the scene before them came into focus.

Emerging onto a sloped clearing, they gazed down into a vast and desolate expanse.

What lay before them was a colossal pit, stretching endlessly in every direction. The pit was filled with broken and scattered skeletons, piled haphazardly in grotesque heaps.

Among the bones were rusted and decayed weapons—blades, spears, swords, and halberds—along with shields shattered into fragments.

At the far end of the pit rose two towering mountain ridges, framing a wide gorge between them. The gorge was vast enough to allow six carriages to travel side by side.

Within the gorge, a harrowing sight awaited. Countless corpses lay in chaotic disarray. Some had long since decayed into bare white bones, while others remained covered in shriveled, bark-like flesh.

The endless sea of corpses and the remnants of ancient, broken weapons spoke volumes. They painted a silent, haunting picture of a battlefield lost to time—an ancient war whose echoes lingered in every decayed fragment.

The air seemed heavy with the cries of a forgotten era, as if the battlefield itself mourned the merciless brutality and cold-bloodedness of the conflict that had taken place here.

"Brother Yantian, we've arrived!" Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

Feeling the talisman at her waist fall still, Yun Yanshuang turned to her brother, Yun Yantian, her expression calm but alert.

"Who would've thought there really was an ancient battlefield deep in the Chuyun Mountains?"

Chang Yuan's voice carried a mix of awe and unease as he surveyed the vast expanse of skeletal remains, broken weapons, shattered armor, and discarded shields that stretched as far as the eye could see.

He had always dismissed the stories of an ancient battlefield in the Chuyun Mountains as mere folklore passed down by the people of Yunzhang County. But now, standing amidst the grim evidence, he realized the tales were true.

The sight before him was both shocking and sobering, a stark reminder of the brutal tribal wars that had unfolded here centuries ago.