I am destroying the protagonist in the fantasy world!

Thick fog filled the air, obscuring the sun and making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Lei Yi took a deep breath and stepped into the valley without hesitation. A chill wind instantly enveloped him, bringing with it the stench of rotting leaves and mud. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and, using the dim light, cautiously groped forward.

"Roar--"

A deafening roar echoed through the valley. Lei Yi's heart trembled, and he immediately looked in the direction of the sound. In the thick fog, a pair of dark green eyes flashed with a fierce light. Then, a massive black bear rushed out of the mist, its bloody mouth wide open, and pounced on Lei Yi.

"You beast, you're courting death!" Lei Yi growled, dodging the bear's attack with a flash of his own. He quickly gathered his spiritual energy, his sword radiating a brilliant light. With a single strike of "Blue Dragon Claw," he pierced the bear's vitals. The bear roared in pain, lashing out with its claws like crazy. For a moment, the ground shook, and leaves swarmed everywhere.

Lei Yi didn't dare to be careless, nimbly dodging the black bear's attacks while searching for its weaknesses. He knew that a head-on confrontation with such a brute force beast would only waste his energy. Finally, Lei Yi seized a gap in the bear's attack, leaped into the air, and stabbed the bear's other eye with his sword.

The black bear howled and collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless. Lei Yi, exhausted, knelt on one knee, panting heavily. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought to himself, "This Fallen Soul Valley is truly worthy of its reputation. We've just entered and already encountered such a ferocious beast. It seems the journey ahead will be even more difficult."

He took a pill, rested briefly, and continued on his way. In the valley, strange sounds rang out, sometimes like the growling of a beast, sometimes like the sobbing of a woman, terrifying. Lei Yi suppressed his fear and walked forward step by step.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they suddenly saw an open field before them, and the thick fog gradually dissipated. In the center of the field stood an ancient stone tablet, engraved with strange runes and emitting a faint golden glow.

Lei Yi approached the stone tablet curiously and carefully examined the runes on it, only to discover that they were something he had never seen before. They seemed to be an ancient script. He tried to probe with his spiritual sense, but felt a powerful force blocking him, preventing him from getting any closer.

"What is this?" Lei Yi wondered, but his intuition told him that this stone tablet was definitely not simple. He reached out to touch the stone tablet, and at that moment, something strange happened.

The runes on the stone tablet suddenly glowed brightly, and a golden light shot up into the sky, enveloping Lei Yi. Lei Yi felt his vision go black, and then he lost consciousness...

"Oh no! This is an ancient formation!" An old voice sounded beside Lei Yi's ears, "Young man, quickly retreat!"

The old voice echoed in the empty valley, but it could not stop the changes that had already occurred. Lei Yi only felt the scene before his eyes distorted. The originally empty open space disappeared, replaced by a hazy space.

He was startled, realizing he was trapped in a formation. Before he could react, the surrounding scene changed again. Countless sharp sword energies appeared out of thin air, carrying a murderous aura, and attacked him overwhelmingly.

Lei Yi didn't dare to be careless. He quickly swung his sword, and spiritual energy surged out like a tide, forming a solid barrier in front of him. The sword energy collided with the barrier, making a sharp metallic sound and sending sparks flying.

"Damn, this formation is so powerful!" Lei Yi gritted his teeth. This formation was unpredictable and the attacks were hard to defend against. If one was not careful, he would be seriously injured.

While resisting the sword energy attack, he tried to observe the surrounding environment, trying to find the flaws in the formation. However, this formation seemed to be composed of ancient runes and was extremely complex. Lei Yi was at a loss for a moment.

"Roar!"

At this moment, a deafening roar of a beast was heard, and a huge stone lion condensed out of the void, opening its bloody mouth and pouncing towards Lei Yi.

"Break it for me!" Lei Yi roared, the long sword in his hand shone brightly, and with a move of "Green Dragon Emerging from Water", he pierced the stone lion's head directly.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the stone lion was defeated by Lei Yi's sword, turning into tiny points of light and dissipating in the air. However, before Lei Yi could breathe a sigh of relief, more stone lions came from all directions and surrounded him.

Lei Yi was locked in a bitter battle, his sword energy surging and his spiritual power surging, shaking the entire space. His clothes were ripped by the sword energy, blood flowing from the wounds, but he remained unfazed, his eyes gleaming with determination.

After an unknown amount of time, Lei Yi finally found the flaw in the formation. He took a deep breath, poured all the remaining spiritual energy into the sword in his hand, and swung it out suddenly.

"Breaking Formation Style!"

A dazzling sword beam pierced the void, pouring down like the Milky Way in the sky, destroying all the surrounding formations. Lei Yi's figure also disappeared from the formation and returned to the real world.

"puff!"

Upon returning to the real world, Lei Yi couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his face pale as paper. He stumbled a few steps before finally steadying himself. Although he had successfully broken the formation, he had inevitably suffered some internal injuries.

He looked up and saw that the stone tablet that originally stood in the center of the open space had disappeared. In its place was a deep cave. A strange fragrance emanated from the entrance of the cave, which was refreshing.

"Could this be..." Lei Yi's eyes flashed. Despite his injuries, he walked towards the cave. At the entrance, a strange plant swayed in the wind, emitting a faint fluorescent light. Lei Yi dragged his exhausted body deeper into the cave. The light inside was dim, but the strange fragrance grew stronger, guiding him in the right direction. Finally, in a narrow cave, he saw the plant.

It was crystal clear, emitting a soft white light, like a piece of warm jade, suspended in mid-air, swaying gently with the air currents. A powerful vitality emanated from the plant, making Lei Yi's originally heavy breathing become lighter.

"Is this the 'Snow Soul Grass' that Yao Lao mentioned?" Lei Yi muttered to himself, his eyes filled with surprise and desire. In search of this legendary herb, he had traveled almost the entire continent, and now he had finally found it.

However, as he tried to approach the Snow Soul Grass, an invisible barrier blocked his path. This barrier seemed to be made of air, invisible to the naked eye, yet indestructible. Lei Yi tried to touch it, but it felt like solid steel. A powerful recoil force sent his blood surging.

"Damn, there is a restriction!" Lei Yi's face darkened. He knew that if he wanted to get the Snow Soul Grass, he had to break this restriction first.

He took a deep breath, mobilized the little spiritual energy left in his body, and slapped the barrier with his palm. However, his attack landed on the barrier, like a drop in the ocean, without causing a ripple.

"It's useless," a cold voice suddenly came from behind Lei Yi, "This restriction is set by ancient secrets. With your current strength, it's impossible to break it."

Lei Yi was startled and turned around suddenly, only to see a woman in white appear behind him. This woman had a beautiful face and an extraordinary temperament, like a fairy from the ninth heaven, making people dare not look at her directly.

"Who are you?" Lei Yi asked warily. He had never seen this woman before.

"My name is Murong Yan," the woman in white said calmly, "I am the master of this valley."

Lei Yi's heart trembled. He had heard that there was a reclusive master living in this valley, but he didn't expect that it was such a young woman.

"What do you want?" Lei Yi asked. He knew that Murong Yan's sudden appearance was definitely not just to tell him that the restriction could not be broken.

"I can see that you really need this Snow Soul Grass," Murong Yan's eyes fell on Lei Yi, with a hint of insightful sharpness, "I can help you get it, but you must agree to one condition of mine."

Lei Yi's heart moved. He knew that the opportunity had come, but he also understood that there is no such thing as a free lunch. The conditions proposed by Murong Yan would definitely not be simple.

"What are the conditions?" Lei Yi asked, staring at Murong Yan, waiting for her answer.

Murong Yan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a mysterious smile: "I want you..."

The cave was completely silent. Lei Yi held his breath, awaiting Murong Yan's next words. He had no idea what this mysterious woman was up to, but his intuition told him her terms were anything but simple.

Murong Yan looked at Lei Yi, a subtle flash of complex emotion in her eyes. She spoke slowly, her voice as clear and cool as a mountain spring, yet with an undeniable authority: "You want the Snow Soul Grass. I can see that you want to save someone."

Lei Yi was startled, but he didn't deny it. Murong Yan's insight made him feel a little uneasy.

"You care about her very much," Murong Yan continued, her eyes seeming to see through Lei Yi's heart, "For her, you can even sacrifice your own life."

Lei Yi clenched his fists and remained silent. He knew that Murong Yan was telling the truth. For Dongfang Liuli, he would sacrifice everything, even his own life.

"I won't let you trade your life for it," Murong Yan's voice softened a little, but her next words made Lei Yi's heart instantly rise to his throat, "But I need you to trade something for it."

"What is it?" Lei Yi almost blurted out.

Murong Yan was silent for a moment, as if considering something. She walked over to the Snow Soul Grass that was emitting a brilliant white light, stretched out her delicate hand, and gently stroked its leaves.

"I need you..." She paused, then turned her gaze to Lei Yi, an indescribable light flashing in her eyes. "Give me some of the clues to the truth you got earlier and keep them for a while."

Lei Yi was stunned. Clues to the truth? Was that referring to the secrets he'd been investigating, concerning his journey to this world and Dongfang Liuli's true identity? Why would Murong Yan be interested in these things?

He looked at Murong Yan warily, his heart filled with doubt and uneasiness. He didn't know whether he should trust this woman who suddenly appeared, nor did he know what the consequences would be if he told her those secrets.

"Don't worry," Murong Yan smiled faintly, as if she saw Lei Yi's hesitation. "I won't hurt you, nor will I reveal your secrets. I just need some time to verify some things."

She paused and continued, "I know you've been searching for the truth and want to solve the mystery surrounding you. I can help you, but only if you trust me first."

Murong Yan stretched out her right hand, palm facing up, and a crystal clear jade pendant lay quietly there, emitting a soft light.

"This jade pendant can be used as a token of trust," she said, looking at Lei Yi with a sincere and determined gaze. "If you are willing to trust me, then accept it. When you have figured it out, bring the jade pendant to me. I welcome you anytime."

Lei Yi looked at the jade pendant, then at Murong Yan, and fell into deep thought. How should he choose?