Everyone nodded one after another, their eyes burning with the will to fight.

Su Yurou's eyes were especially bright, the smile at the corners of her mouth impossible to suppress.

"Lord, when do we set out?" she asked, a rare moment of her taking the initiative.

"In half an hour." He stood up.

"The gray mist gushes out at ten o'clock; we'll reach the valley entrance around nine. Start preparing now."

His gaze swept over everyone as he gave out instructions one by one:

"Shadow Snake, check your weapons. The terrain in the Rift Valley is complex; your stealth ability will be very important."

Shadow Snake nodded slightly from the corner.

"Zhao Hu, bring enough Small Red Potions. With that shield of yours, there's bound to be some bumps and scrapes while tanking monsters."

Zhao Hu patted his chest. "Don't worry, Lord. I, Old Zhao, am thick-skinned and tough. I can take it!"

"Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, bring enough arrows—at least two hundred each. Monsters are densely packed in the Rift Valley; you two are the main damage output."

Wang Wu and Arrow Eye exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

"Su Yurou." Lin Feng looked at her. "Bring more Small Blue Potions. Your mana is very important. Any mage equipment we find this time will be prioritized for you."

Su Yurou nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into two crescent moons. "Thank you, Lord!"

"Rations, eight days' worth per person."

...

Outside the north gate of Beacon Fire Town, seven figures stood ready to depart.

Lin Feng had the Wildfire Spear slung diagonally across his back. The windchaser boots on his feet glowed with a faint green light, and the rock-solid chestplate fit snugly against his body; his entire being radiated a steady sharpness.

Shadow Snake remained in the shadows at the very edge, the deep blue fang tucked behind her waist, with two spare claw blades crossed at her side.

Her presence was elusive; if one didn't look for her intentionally, it was almost impossible to notice she was there.

Zhao Hu carried the bone-crushing greatsword, his guardian round shield hanging on his back, and over a dozen Small Red Potions clinking together at his waist.

Tie Dun wore a brand-new suit of leather armor with the ironwall greatshield on his back, looking like a mobile iron tower.

Wang Wu carried the Black Iron Longbow, his quiver packed full with two hundred feathered arrows, and a spare quiver slung across his shoulder.

Arrow Eye stood beside him, also fully armed, his wind-chasing hunting bow glinting coldly in the setting sun.

Su Yurou stood in the middle of the group, a pale green short staff in her hand and two rows of Small Blue Potions hanging from her waist.

She gazed at the faint outline of Tianji Mountain to the north, her eyes full of anticipation.

Lin Feng's gaze swept over the group, and he nodded.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Ready!"

"Good." Lin Feng turned around and waved his hand. "Let's go!"

...

A journey of over a hundred miles wasn't too far for an Awakened.

Lin Feng led the group at a rapid pace, pushing northeast through the wilderness and around several low hills.

The sky grew darker and darker as the moon revealed its pale face from behind the clouds.

At 9:30 PM, the team finally arrived at the foot of Tianji Mountain.

Ahead, a massive Rift Valley lay across their path.

Steep cliffs rose on both sides of the rift, casting bottomless shadows under the moonlight. The valley entrance was about five hundred meters wide, narrowing as it extended inward.

The inside of the valley was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything; only the occasional sound of the wind echoed like a sobbing wail.

"So this is the Crying Rift Valley..." Wang Wu murmured in a low voice.

Lin Feng raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"Rest here," he ordered quietly. "Check your equipment and recover your strength. We enter the valley when the time comes."

Everyone sat down one after another, taking out ration pills and water skins to eat in silence.

Su Yurou sat on a rock, staring into the pitch-black abyss of the valley entrance. She gripped her short staff, her heart filled with both nervousness and anticipation.

Mage equipment... robes... staves...

As she thought about it, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled upward.

A hand landed gently on her shoulder.

She turned back to see that Shadow Snake had appeared behind her at some point. There was a rare hint of softness in those cool, clear eyes.

"Don't be afraid," Shadow Snake said softly. "The Lord is here."

Su Yurou was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

Exactly 10:00 PM.

Deep within the valley floor, a wisp of grayish-white mist suddenly surged out.

The mist was faint at first, like a thin morning fog. But in an instant, it began to churn and spread frantically, erupting from the valley floor like a living thing!

Everywhere the mist passed, moonlight was obscured and vision was blocked, as if the entire world were being shrouded by a grayish-white curtain.

The gray mist moved incredibly fast; in just a few breaths, it had already reached the valley entrance!

"Into the valley!" Lin Feng barked, being the first to charge into the mist.

Lin Feng led the charge into the mist, with six figures following closely behind him.

The moment they stepped into the gray mist, the world changed.

Visibility plummeted to less than twenty meters, and everything around them was shrouded in an eerie grayish-white tone.

The moonlight was completely blocked out, leaving only a faint fluorescence emitted by the mist itself to barely outline their surroundings.

"Maintain formation!" Lin Feng barked, holding his Wildfire Spear across his body, the cold glint of the spear tip piercing through the gray mist.

Zhao Hu immediately raised his shield to protect the left flank, while Tie Dun carried his greatshield to guard the right.

Wang Wu and Arrow Eye stood back-to-back in the center of the team, bows drawn and arrows notched, their sharp gazes scanning every shadow in the mist.

Su Yurou gripped her short staff tightly, standing beside them, her breathing slightly hurried.

Shadow Snake—she had disappeared.

No, not disappeared. The moment she stepped into the gray mist, her figure had simply merged into the pervasive shadows and mist like a drop of water into the ocean.

【Shadow Step - Passive】: Like a fish in water within the gray mist environment. She can see everything within fifty meters clearly, while enemies—and even teammates—find it very difficult to detect her presence.

She glided forward ten meters soundlessly, a spectral light flickering in her eyes as she scanned every shadow, rock, and thicket ahead.

Then, her pupils constricted slightly.

Thirty meters ahead, three boulders were stacked in a triangular formation. Behind the boulders, three powerful figures were crouching.

Rough palms pressed against weapons, and grayish-green eyes glinted with a faint, cold light in the mist.

Goblin Warriors.

But they were completely different from the small, wretched Goblins seen in anime.

They were nearly 1.7 meters tall, with muscles knotted like stone, broad shoulders, thick backs, and sturdy limbs.

They wore crude but practical leather breastplates, with bronze short swords at their waists and wooden round shields strapped to their left arms.

Their grayish-green skin was covered in scars, their slit pupils narrowed, and their ears twitched slightly to catch any subtle sound in the mist; their mouths pulled back to reveal jagged fangs.

Level 15, three of them.

And—they were waiting.

Shadow Snake's gaze swept over their positions: two were crouching to the left of the boulders, and one was to the right.

This wasn't a random stakeout; this was a standard ambush formation: two to pin them down from the front, and one to circle around for a backstab.

She retreated soundlessly to the edge of the team, using the mist as cover to get close to Lin Feng, lowering her voice in his ear:

"Three Goblin Warriors, ambush formation. Two on the left, one on the right, one circling behind."

Lin Feng's eyes flashed, and he nodded slightly.

He raised his right hand and signaled to Zhao Hu and Tie Dun: 'I'll take the front. You two guard the flanks and rear.'

Both nodded simultaneously, and the team continued forward, their steps remaining steady as if they hadn't noticed a thing.