Wen Yan led the group out of the temporary passage, behind them a desolate tomb that no longer looked like a grave mound, slowly closed.

He took out his phone to check the location, they were still nearly ten miles from Wangjia Valley, this was probably the nearest spot to the edge of those powers.

Wen Yan looked through the database of the Scorching Sun Department, and indeed, there were no records of anomalies here from the start of the Spiritual Qi Resurgence until now, decades passed without even a single zombie incident.

At least, there were no records.

Clearly, this was not normal. Either these events occurred at a time when everything depended on paper records.

Or, the anomalies here also resurged with the progress of Spiritual Qi Resurgence.

It’s possible that there wasn’t anything like this in the Nether Path back then.

And come to think of it, perhaps there was no one who could venture to the Nether Path before, the Big Intersection didn’t even exist.

Once Wen Yan confirmed the desolate tomb was completely closed, he allowed Feng Wei and Tong Si to return.

Feng Wei came back from his lost state, Tong Si stood in place, his eyes trembling and still in a daze.

Feng Wei being lost wasn’t too bad, not much influence on him, but Tong Si saw too much, affected more than Wen Yan.

Wen Yan gave him a touch of Yang Energy, after a while, Tong Si returned to normal.

"How do you feel?"

"Not good at all, what kind of ghostly place is that, such a bloody barbaric aura, far more intense than the Great Wilderness..." Tong Si smiled bitterly, eyes closed, he’d never felt such pure death over there.

It even lured him to willingly meet death, with imagery too captivating, his eyes seeing would lead to inevitable immersion.

"That’s power from long ago, probably now revived, not fitting with the current state.

Rest here, if anything happens, go back further.

If there’s nothing, keep waiting."

Tong Si, still dizzy, ultimately Wen Yan put both into the Jade Talisman for rest.

Wen Yan checked the location again, luckily he arrived early, even villagers likely weren’t up yet.

Walking through the nocturnal mountains, surrounded by silence except for occasional noises from small animals.

Perhaps due to late autumn, the mountains seemed bleak, a desolate landscape, every corner emanating a sense of despair as creatures neared their final breath.

Wen Yan quickened his pace, intending to recommend to the General Director that the commandery should conduct regular inspections.

With Spiritual Qi Resurgence accelerating, increasingly strange occurrences appeared.

Years may have passed with little change previously, now within a year, notable changes, some entities dormant for decades resurfacing within a year.

Heading onward, nearing the village in Wangjia Valley, crossing a mountain only to see another ahead.

After two consecutive times, Wen Yan sensed something amiss.

It couldn’t be ghost walls or such, ineffective against him.

The Scorching Sun Department’s earliest studies involved ghost walls, most thoroughly researched and simplest ability.

Commonly interferes with a person’s five senses, a simplified version of lost states, advanced ghost walls akin to Nether Path lost states.

Wen Yan surveyed the mountains ahead, closely observing, ensuring he wasn’t climbing the same mountain, he hadn’t lost direction.

After some thought, he took out his phone, snapped over a dozen photos of the scene, activated precise location with navigation, recording his current exact position.

Then, eyes closed, he listened to the phone’s directions, continued his journey over mountains.

Upon reaching another peak, eyes open, still greeted by mountains ahead.

Inspecting around, entirely mountainous, even seeing the previously climbed mountain, verified with a photo, confirmed no discrepancies.

Yet phone position checked showed his efforts spanned merely fifty meters.

According to the Scorching Sun Department’s precise location feature shows, he was only thirty meters from the previously recorded spot.

But in view, straight distance between peaks easily over five hundred meters.

Wen Yan retrieved the Jade Talisman, released Feng Wei and Tong Si from within.

"How’re you feeling now?"

"Much better, although still a bit light-headed." Tong Si swayed slightly, dizzy on his feet.

"Can you help see what’s going on here, I can’t discern it, just feel something’s wrong."

Tong Si opened his eyes, scanned the surroundings, nothing apparent.

His eyes shifted subtly, adopting the Grim-eyed, perceiving again, he noticed a singular mountain, seamlessly integrated, all around, peaks stretching endlessly.

With a touch of shock, Tong Si raised his head, gazing toward the heavens.

Below mountain, above in the sky, separated entirely, sky tinged ominous blood red, fragmented, breakage seemed within reach.