The events in East Mushroom Valley naturally have to start from East Mushroom Valley.
Although the na of East Mushroom Valley includes mushrooms, there are actually no mushrooms growing in the valley.
According to the promotional brochure, the valley spans the Changjing Icefield, with two parallel sub-valleys that converge at the other end. From the sky, they create a mushroom-shaped pattern through a masterpiece of nature.
The smaller ravines crisscross like the fissures of an overripe mushroom.
This is how East Mushroom Valley got its na.
But according to the intelligence collection of the Demon Race's old lady at the village entrance, this explanation is purely an afterthought addition to fit the na.
The real truth is that when the Demon Venerable nad it, he hiccuped and accidentally said Winter Valley as Winter Valley Valley.
Disliking the redundancy of the echoed na and not wanting to admit his hiccup, he followed through with the mistake by crafting a story, turning Winter Valley into East Mushroom Valley.
However, what made East Mushroom Valley a famous attraction in the Northern Territory wasn't the charming tale of its na but the mysterious bone shadow lurking in the valley.
The origin of this legend is unknown, it has just been propagated that every winter after the days of cold, but before sumr, travelers or cultivators claim to have seen a gigantic bone shadow within the glaciers of the valley.
Witnesses' testimonies vary greatly, dismissing those claiming abduction by the shadow, or the far-fetched claims of pregnancy. The more reliable ones mostly describe seeing a giant wolf or a six-legged, two-tailed bone dragon.
Though every witness swears they're not making it up, over the years, no one has captured a clear image or suffered harm from the bone shadow.
Similarly, no one has found a secret realm in the Changjing Icefield and East Mushroom Valley.
The Demon Venerable responsible for the area has sent people to investigate many tis, even visiting personally, but the truth couldn't be found.
The official explanation is even more vague.
One says it's due to changes in feng shui, with rising earth energy affecting people's perceptions and causing hallucinations among witnesses.
Another says sunlight cast the shadow of pigeons standing on the icefield above the gorge onto the ice, creating the illusion of a large shadow.
Though uncertain, a tale told a hundred or a thousand tis becos reality whether true or false.
Nowadays, finding the bone shadow in East Mushroom Valley has beco a must-do activity for tourists visiting the Northern Territory.
Whether you believe it or not, having a look costs nothing, and it's good fodder for bragging with friends later.
At least, that's what the young monk thought.
So when he heard that Hand would take him through East Mushroom Valley, he tucked a travel brochure picked up from Dragon Beard City between his Buddhist Scriptures and glanced at it all the way.
Once entering the valley, the young monk's eyes were busy looking around, searching for the legendary bone shadow.
And then, he really found it.
Of course, he now wishes he hadn't seen it.
After entering the valley, Hand kept to the smaller paths for stealth, stopping midway at a fork in the road.
Hand was using his Emperor's Spell to orient himself, while the bored young monk took a few steps down one of the forks.
On the third step, suddenly a shadow bled like ink across the glacier walls.
The shadow quickly ford the vague image of a giant beast; the young monk wanted Hand to see, but as he turned, the shadow erged from the glacier.
At the sa ti, the surrounding glaciers fractured and fell silently; the bone shadow lunged towards the young monk with swirling snow.
The young monk couldn't sense any energy from the bone shadow, so he casually blocked it, but in an instant, half his body went numb.
What happened next is unremarkable. The young monk, adhering to a principle of shared fate, didn't flee alone; instead, like a true brother, he guided the bone shadow to Hand's side.
Hand, seeing the bone shadow, didn't feel anything, just laughed at the young monk's inexperience and casually blocked as well.
Then, there was nothing else.
He found that this entity's abilities were vague, becoming stronger in response to strength.
On contact, half of Hand's abilities were sealed, and even his thoughts started to slow.
To infiltrate White Emperor City, Hand used a special technique to suppress his cultivation without revealing himself. He wasn't confident to handle this thing.
He decided to flee; if they couldn't go this way, they'd find another path.
Retreating back into the snow leopard's body, Hand didn't leave the young monk behind but took him along while occasionally using a spell seal to order the young monk to stay back and cover him.
But the young monk's will to survive was strong and he often impolitely ran ahead of Hand.
The two attempted to use escape techniques, but whether flying or tunneling, they couldn't escape danger; their attempts failed, nearly causing the spells to backfire.
Yet the bone shadow was peculiar; though having the power to suppress them in a single strike, unless they retaliated, it just followed, maintaining a subtle distance like a true shadow.
The young monk had a feeling that the eerie bone shadow was guarding sothing, and this thing likely lacked any consciousness, intending only to drive them out of East Mushroom Valley.
The young monk pondered for a mont, his lotus platform appeared underfoot and he rose into the air, only to cancel the spell before crashing into an ice wall, surpassing Hand again with his unique secret technique of running on walls.
"Your Majesty, I..."
Before the young monk could finish, Hand interrupted.
Hand said, "Shut up, don't ask unnecessary questions!"
The young monk wasn't upset; he continued, "Your Majesty, please let finish. I believe this bone shadow bears no malice; it only wants to drive us out of the valley.
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