Chapter 791: Within the Abyss

"What, Honored Master Chen Yan..."

Qinzhou, inside an office installed within a Heaven-Reaching Mecha.

Chen Youqing heard this news in shock.

The Chen Master did not speak too clearly, but he did tell Chen Youqing two pieces of bombshell news.

One was that she had actually been unable to cultivate the True Martial Dao from the very beginning; to be precise, no one in the human world except Chen Yan could cultivate it.

The other was that Chen Yan had, in some way, embarked on a path to certain death.

"You don't need to come back." Inside the communication array disk, the Chen Master's calm voice rang out.

Chen Youqing parted her red lips slightly, wanting to say something, but she hung up the communication anyway.

To the side, Chen Qi calmly listened to the entire content of the communication between the Chen Master and Chen Youqing.

"Chen Yan..."

Chen Qi murmured with a complex expression, also unable to let it go.

But soon, Chen Qi calmed his mind; he could guess what kind of path to certain death the Chen Master was referring to regarding Chen Yan.

After all, even if others did not know, Chen Qi was the Great Elder of Chen Prefecture and the number two figure in Chen Prefecture.

It was just that for this path, the Chen Master could not force Chen Yan at all; only if Chen Yan embarked on it voluntarily would it work.

For the Chen Master, there were many ways to kill Chen Yan, so why bother wasting a wisp of his own true meaning of the realm?

It must be because Chen Yan was acting willfully.

"The Master is complex," Chen Qi sighed:

"On one hand, he wants to see if Chen Yan can hold on; on the other hand, it is also an open conspiracy, letting Chen Yan go seek his own death, removing a major threat."

Chen Youqing looked at Chen Qi, wanting to ask, but Chen Qi only slowly shook his head.

Chen Youqing pursed her lips and lowered her head:

"Father and the Heavenly God General both have ideals."

Chen Qi looked at Chen Youqing in surprise, not expecting Chen Youqing to give such an evaluation.

Chen Youqing shook her head slightly, the complexity in her eyes vanishing, and she looked at Chen Qi and said:

"Great Elder possesses the Blood-Branded Scabbard; can you tell me how much more killing intent is needed for the Blood-Branded to be born into the world?"

The Blood-Branded Scabbard and the Blood-Branded were originally one, interconnected; since Chen Qi had the scabbard, he could naturally perceive how much killing intent was contained within the Blood-Branded blade.

"Four tenths remain," Chen Qi said.

"Four tenths?" Chen Youqing's eyes narrowed slightly, and she smiled:

"Great Elder can give the scabbard to me. Now that Great Elder is focused on the great matter of conquering Xiaoyang, I can decide on the matter of the Blood-Branded."

"Hmm." Chen Qi nodded; after all, the Blood-Branded was ultimately for Chen Youqing to use.

…………

At the same time.

Green Mountain.

Inside the abyss, it was dark and sunless.

The rock walls seeped with dark green slime, and a foul wind, carrying a stench of rot, scraped across the armor of tens of thousands of soldiers.

They were either leaning against the damp stone walls or curled up beside temporarily erected tents, every one of them with a complexion as gray as death and deep-sunken eye sockets.

Their once-straight spines were now all hunched over.

Their weapons were discarded casually at their feet, no longer possessing their former splendor.

"Here..."

A young soldier looked at his surroundings, as if yesterday were repeating itself, and spoke with a face full of complexity:

"Chen Yan once killed a Green-Eyed Ancient God Beast here."

The soldier speaking was named Li Qingyuan, a classmate of Chen Yan's from the Martial Suppression Class, who later entered the New Dragon Guard under Shen Yiwu together with Chen Yan.

Once, Chen Yan and Li Qingyuan had come here on a mission and wiped out a large number of Ancient God Beasts within the abyss, as well as the fleeing Green-Eyed Ancient God Beast.

Li Qingyuan had not expected that he would come here again in this lifetime.

It was just that this time seemed even more desperate than the last.

The Five Clans launched a surprise attack on Xiaoyang City, the last stronghold of the Great Xia in Qinzhou, and the Min Battalion led by Chen Min and the Tiger-Dragon Battalion led by Jidao Wu were directly caught in a pincer attack.

It was Li Qingyuan who suggested that the army flee to this place.

At the very least, relying on the natural barrier, they could block the Five Clans' army for a time.

But everyone knew that a time was only a time.

As long as the narrow entrance was guarded, it would be difficult for the Five Clans' army to force their way in.

As for the Creation-realm combat power of the Five Clans, most of it was used to break through Xiaoyang and march into Yunzhou.

Once Xiaoyang fell, Li Qingyuan and these nearly twenty thousand Great Xia soldiers would have no chance of survival at all.

This was also the viciousness of the Five Clans.

Now, the soldiers of the Tiger-Dragon Battalion and the Min Battalion were already panicked and had no will to fight.

Subduing the enemy without fighting is the highest war wisdom at any time.

Everyone knew that these twenty thousand people could not hold on for long.

When the time came, the Five Clans wouldn't even need to expend a single soldier to take these twenty thousand people.

"It's all that Li Zhiyi's fault!!!"

A soldier lying on the ground suddenly roared with rage in his eyes:

"If he had handed the Blood-Branded to Chen Min, none of this would have happened!!!"

"Damn it!"

Someone was infected by the emotion and suddenly began to verbally attack Li Zhiyi.

Li Qingyuan shook his head and said:

"Do not blame Li Zhiyi; our retreat being cut off was a scheme of the Five Clans from the start.

When to be surrounded was something the Five Clans could decide; even if Li Zhiyi had handed the Blood Brand to Chen Min, the Five Clans would have advanced into Xiaoyang ahead of time."

The crowd was speechless; what Li Qingyuan said was correct.

Blaming Li Zhiyi was, more often than not, the only outlet these people could find to vent.

It was also at this moment.

"Brother Zhiyi!"

A kind and gentle man's voice resounded throughout the entire abyss, echoing out.

In an instant.

*Swish! *

Li Qingyuan and the other military guards stood up and looked in all directions.

"Brother Zhiyi, I am Chen Yuanxin of Chen Prefecture!"

The laughter was still resounding, heard by all the Great Xia military guards within the abyss.

"Everything before was a misunderstanding; Chen Zhixian was in the wrong, and Brother Zhiyi was right to kill her!"

"My Chen Prefecture will not blame Brother Zhiyi for this matter; that Brother Zhiyi could be chosen by the Blood Brand shows that you are inherently of our Five Clans' bloodline!"

Outside the abyss, a person stood high in the sky with a cold sneer on his face, using his Qi and blood to guide his voice into the abyss.

He was the one speaking, Chen Yuanxin.

Killing intent permeated Chen Yuanxin's eyes, but his voice was very gentle, coaxing and persuasive:

"Brother Zhiyi, you are one of our own from the Five Clans!"

"Everything before was a misunderstanding; hurry back, the Allied Army has already prepared a welcoming ceremony!"

As Chen Yuanxin spoke, the smile at the corners of his mouth could barely be concealed.

However, the Great Xia military guards in the abyss could not see his expression at all.

Chen Yuanxin coming here was Chen Youyi's strategy.

Attack the heart.

Create a rift between Great Xia and Li Zhiyi.

His words might not be able to persuade Li Zhiyi, but they could make it impossible for Li Zhiyi to move an inch among the Great Xia military guards.

That Li Zhiyi was a member of the Five Clans was all nonsense.

But the Blood Brand's masters had always been of the Five Clans' bloodline, and even the Blood Parasite chosen, Chen Min, was of a collateral branch of the Chen Clan.

What he said was false, but the Great Xia military guards within the abyss had no way to investigate.

Nowadays, the Five Clans and Great Xia are mortal enemies.

It is conceivable that after he said this, the Great Xia military guards within this abyss would, to some extent, resent Li Zhiyi.

"Brother Zhiyi, it is all a misunderstanding; family does not kill family!"

Chen Yuanxin continued to speak:

"Trigger the Blood Brand, cut through the mountain range, and return to the Five Clans; if Great Xia dares to stop you, our Five Clans will spare nothing to save you!"

After a speech that was extremely sincere, Chen Yuanxin raised his left hand.

Several Five Clans military guards wearing Allied Army uniforms walked through the forest to the entrance of the abyss.

They carefully took out five boxes made of pitch-black metal.

After opening the boxes, five pitch-black crystals of malice were displayed within them.

Seventh-rank crystals of malice!

And they were crystals of malice stripped from five seventh-rank peak Ancient God Beasts.

Chen Yuanxin revealed a cruel smile.

For these twenty thousand Great Xia military guards defending the abyss to the death, the Five Clans side always wanted to take them down with the minimum cost.

On the battlefield, having one less person die is a victory.

What's more, everyone participating in the war now is a martial artist.

Martial artists are already rare.

Take Ji Prefecture, for example: the Allied Army has a total of 750,000 military guards, and the Divine Phoenix Army, which serves as the trump card for protecting the nation, has 500,000.

That is only 1,350,000 in total.

Excluding Yu Prefecture, the four clans combined have just over 4,000,000 Allied Army troops.

These are all martial artists.

Don't look at the fact that there are only 20,000 Great Xia military guards in the abyss; for Great Xia, it is already a piece of flesh that hurts to cut.

But now, these military guards have reached a dead end.

Is it not simple to wipe them out?

Guarding the abyss alone, with their own retreat cut off, at this time the malice overflowing from the five seventh-rank crystals of malice is a murderous beast more terrifying than a surging river!

Attacking the heart and attacking the body.

Chen Youqing intended to directly bury these twenty thousand military guards!

The next instant.

Chen Yuanxin waved one hand, and the five crystals of malice were directly shattered by him, turning into surging black mist, which was driven by his terrifying palm power to pour into the abyss.

And, surrounding the abyss, five thousand Five Clans Allied Army troops were already poised for action.

Once the Great Xia military guards within the abyss fled, they would be directly wiped out.

At the same time.

At the bottom of the abyss.

The military guards of the Tiger Dragon Battalion and the Min Character Battalion were still digesting Chen Yuanxin's words, their expressions changing one by one.

Even if they had thoughts of blaming Li Zhiyi in their hearts.

But just as Li Qingyuan said, Li Zhiyi not allowing the blood brand actually had no direct connection to them being trapped now.

But Chen Yuanxin's words had directly attacked their hearts.

Some military guards whose families had been destroyed by the Five Clans Alliance Army had their eyes turn red.

"Calm down!" Li Qingyuan shouted in a low voice:

"Whatever others say, you believe? If he tells you to die, you will go die?"

As Li Qingyuan's voice fell, many angry people chose not to speak.

"Don't let your hearts be swayed!"

Jidao Wu came out; the current Jidao Wu was as tall and mighty as ever, but now his brows were full of exhaustion:

"So what if it's the Five Clans? The Heavenly God General is of the Five Clans bloodline, and the Patrol Sun God General is also of the Five Clans bloodline. Everyone, ask yourselves.

If the Five Clans Creation Realm invited you, would you refuse?"

Jidao Wu scanned the crowd, and soon the anger of the crowd gradually disappeared.

But someone whispered:

"In this world, who can compare to the Heavenly God General."

Jidao Wu glanced at that person and fell silent.

Chen Yan...

No one in the military did not revere Chen Yan, but Chen Yan was no longer here.

Jidao Wu turned around, only to see a person leaning against the rock wall, looking at him coldly.

Chen Min.

Jidao Wu narrowed his eyes; he really did not like Chen Min.

Sometimes Chen Min did things too extremely.

Soon, Jidao Wu and Chen Min walked into a cave, and there were two other people inside the cave.

One was the Deputy Battalion Commander of the Tiger Dragon Battalion, Xi Congyun, and the other was Mu Zigui.

Mu Zigui and Xi Congyun had always been a couple; in the past, Mu Zigui and the Mu family behind her had bet everything on Xi Congyun, letting Xi Congyun compete for a First-Rank General Star.

Who would have thought that a First-Rank General Star would not appear, but a God General would appear in the Great Xia.

"As long as you give me the blood brand, I have the confidence to carve out a bloody path." Chen Min spoke bluntly.

Jidao Wu frowned and looked at Xi Congyun and Mu Zigui.

However, he saw that neither of them spoke, but their gazes had already told Jidao Wu their choice.

On the first day of entering the abyss, the two had not gotten involved in the matter of the blood brand.

But now, with the army holding on desperately and all paths cut off, Xi Congyun and Mu Zigui were gradually moving toward Chen Min.

"I understand." Jidao Wu said:

"If you want to take the blood brand, then go take it."

A trace of anger appeared in Chen Min's eyes.