The pretty young girl stared at Zi Shang's Demonic Eye with narrowed eyes and involuntarily answered, “My name is Wu Ya, the youngest daughter of the Five Poison Sect's Religious Leader. My elder sister instructed me to lead people here to observe any movements of the Five Poison Sect.”

“Who's your elder sister? Where did you get this Yin Corpse?” Zi Shang asked.

“My elder sister is Wu Lan. This Yin Corpse belongs to Brother Ye Yu. He is currently seriously injured and under a seal. Before he was sealed, he handed this Yin Corpse to my elder sister for use,” Wu Ya said.

Ye Yu was injured?

Yun Jiuge was alarmed and could not help interjecting to ask, “What kind of injury is Ye Yu suffering from? Is it serious?”

“He's been struck with a curse. Half of his body has turned into a stone statue, and it can only be alleviated with a seal,” Wu Ya continued.

“Why was he cursed? Where did the power of the curse come from?” Yun Jiuge continued to ask with a ferocious look in her eyes.

“I don't know where the power of the curse came from. My sister Wu Lan and I went away to handle some affairs. When we came back, we discovered that my father and the followers had become stone statues. It was Brother Ye Yu who rescued us out. But he himself was also infected with the power of the curse,” Wu Ya spoke in a low voice with a pained expression.

“Take us to Ye Yu,” Zi Shang ordered.

Wu Ya led the way in front while Zi Shang and Yun Jiuge followed her through the swamp on a winding path to a flat valley.

The valley, like Empress Mountain, was surrounded with a fort built from pine wood. Several Defensive Barriers were set up behind it.

The valley was full of stilted buildings with many ordinary Miao folks living in them.

A few dark shadows hovered in the sky. The patrol soldiers that stood above saw Wu Ya coming alone with two strangers from afar. An alarm was sounded right away.

The entire valley burst forth with movements as the ordinary Miao people all retreated into the cave.

The Miao folks who had Cultivation formed small teams to crouch and guard behind various buildings in the valley, ready to attack at any time.

“Call Wu Lan out,” Yun Jiuge's cold and stern voice echoed throughout the valley.

Because of Wu Ya's att.i.tude towards Ye Yunzhi, she also did not have a favorable impression of Wu Lan, whom she had never met before.

Not long after, a huge black eagle rose over the valley, and a valiant and formidable-looking woman with an Early Golden Core Cultivation stood on top.

She had bronzed skin and defiant eyes. Her hair was bundled into a high bun and she was clad in black colored men's clothes. She looked like a woman who killed and attacked decisively.

“Who are you and why have you attacked my sister?” Wu Lan demanded when she saw the Corpse Controlling Bell in Yun Jiuge's hands as well as Ye Yunzhi who now had Wu Ya in her grip. Her expression became very grave.

“I'm Ye Yu's friend and it was your sister who attacked us first,” Yun Jiuge coolly replied.

“What evidence do you have to prove that you're a friend of Ye Yu?” asked Wu Lan with her slender eyebrows raised.

“Is this enough proof?” The corners of Yun Jiuge's mouth curled up and she suddenly shook the Corpse Controlling Bell.

Ye Yunzhi released Wu Lan and vanished like an evil spirit. Next, she appeared in front of Wu Lan and was going to stab her chest with her hand like a knife.

Wu Lan reached out to block but was invaded by Ye Yunzhi's cold Yin Qi.

She hurriedly drove her Spiritual Energy to expel the cold Qi. The black eagle at her feet opened up and spat out several green blades toward Ye Yunzhi.

Yun Jiuge beckoned and Ye Yunzhi returned to her side.

“Is this enough proof for you now?” Yun Jiuge calmly asked.

“Fine. But I didn't know that Ye Yu had a friend who's more skilled than him at ordering this Yin Corpse about,” said Wu Lan who seemed to speak candidly but was covertly probing in various ways.

“You don't know it because you and he are not close enough,” Yun Jiuge replied with a smirk.

“Young lady, do you and I have a misunderstanding of some sort?” asked Wu Lan, frowning as she did not understand how she had offended the other party.

“You think too much. I just want to see Ye Yu. Can you lead the way?” Yun Jiuge asked. She did not want to continue the matter of Ye Yunzhi.

“Certainly, but you'll have to put my sister down first before we can see to that,” said Wu Lan, ordering the black eagle to come toward Yun Jiuge.

“No hurry. We'd better take a look at Ye Yu first before we talk!” Yun Jiuge said stoically.

This Wu Lan did not take Ye Yunzhi seriously. Who knew how she was to Ye Yu?

“It seems that you really care about Ye Yu. In that case, come with me!” Wu Lan did not look at her sister again and ordered the black eagle to fly into the valley.

Yun Jiuge let out the Wicked Blade and stepped on top of it with Zi Shang.

Ye Yunzhi directly carried Wu Ya to the sky and followed by their side.

“Oh, by the way, I've not asked you two Seniors for your last names,” Wu Lan asked with a smile.

“My last name is Yun,” replied Yun Jiuge, with no intention of introducing Zi Shang at all.

“So, it's Miss Yun then,” Wu Lan replied as she also tactfully refrained from asking more.

“I heard that your Five Poison Sect has been struck by a curse?” Yun Jiuge asked in the air.

“Yes, those left in the valley now are the followers who went away with me to settle some matters, as well as their loved ones,” Wu Lan replied without shying away.

“Where did the power of the curse come from?” Yun Jiuge asked again.

“I don't know,” said Wu Lan, shaking her head with a face full of sorrow.

Yun Jiuge wanted to ask whether it was related to the Empress Mountain, but was stopped by Zi Shang who said, “No rush. Wait till we see Ye Yu before we talk again about these things.”

“Well, you're right,” Yun Jiuge let out a breath and decided not to ask anymore.

Wu Lan's black eagle landed in a three-story building which was the tallest building in the valley.

The building was built entirely out of black colored stones. There was an Icy Yin Qi permeating through it inside out.

“This is the Ice Stone I dug out from the land of Icy Yin Qi. It has a special effect of suppressing the power of the curse,” explained Wu Lan while she got down from the black eagle and walked toward the building.

Yun Jiuge followed behind her and only saw numerous black coffins fully engraved with Runes inside, on the walls.

The coffins had no lids, and one could clearly see the semi-calcified Miao people placed inside.

Some of the Miao people's bodies had already turned into stone statues. Only their heads still retained human form. They were lying in the sarcophaguses with their eyes tightly shut.

“These are the people who were cursed in the first place. I sealed them here in the hope that one day I'd find a way to lift the curse,” Wu Lan said, looking pained and sad. These were her most loyal guards, but now they could only be sealed here.

“I've been to your Five Poison Sect and seen the calcified Religious Leader. His Cultivation doesn't seem to have gone away,” Yun Jiuge said to Wu Lan.

“When a person who has been struck by the power of the curse turns into a stone statue, he'll be controlled by a mysterious force to launch attacks on us. If we're wounded by them, we will be infected. My father does not remember us at all now,” said Wu Lan. She was heartbroken at the thought of her father.

She let out a long sigh before pulling herself together again and asked Yun Jiuge, “Can I ask, Miss Yun, why have you come to s.h.i.+wan Grand Mountain?”

“I rushed over here because I received a cry for help from Ye Yu. Where is he now?” Yun Jiuge lied outright.

“He's on the top floor,” Wu Lan answered, obviously not buying it but she did not ask more. She took Yun Jiuge and the others upstairs straight away.

The stone statues of the Miao people on the second floor were less severe in condition and fewer than those on the first floor.

On the third floor, only one black coffin was seen, placed in the middle.

Ye Yu lay inside the coffin with a serene expression.