Chapter 532: Stubbornly Acting Alone

"Naturally, we set the formation in advance," Yuan Yao said, her lips slightly upturned.

The moment she finished speaking, the expression beneath Yuan Yao's mask changed abruptly; she keenly sensed a powerful aura drawing near!

"Something's coming!"

With those words, their gazes shifted slightly.

"It must be the Abyssal Beast the master mentioned! Let's leave first!" Ying Wuji shouted immediately.

The eleven present exchanged glances and swiftly headed deeper into the Abyssal Rift.

The powerful aura pursued them closely.

Yuan Yao halted, then suddenly turned and told them, "You go ahead; I'll set a formation first!"

Song Yan felt uneasy, about to call Yuan Yao's name, but suddenly remembered he couldn't call her "Yao Yao" now; as he hesitated, Cang Li tugged his arm.

"Number One, hurry and take me out!"

Song Yan snapped back to attention, gave Yuan Yao a deep look, and chose to trust her.

He immediately darted forward with Cang Li.

The others, though worried, now believed Yuan Yao could handle the situation.

Unwittingly, Yuan Yao had become not the little junior sister needing protection, but the junior sister others could rely on.

Yuan Yao swiftly formed seals with both hands, spiritual energy coursing from her fingertips, tracing intricate, profound patterns.

"Earth formation, arise—"

Before the words finished, the ground roared, and a visible golden array spread rapidly from Yuan Yao's center, weaving into a massive, complex formation totem that rose from the earth before her, radiating dazzling gold light like an impenetrable wall!

Almost the instant the formation solidified—

Boom!!!

A deafening blast rang out as a massive beast, shrouded in foul wind and malevolent aura, slammed violently onto the newly formed totem!

The savage impact made the ground tremble, the formation's light curtain shook violently, the golden light flickered, yet it steadfastly blocked the Abyssal Beast's thunderous onslaught.

Yuan Yao fixed her gaze, a chill rising in her heart.

The Abyssal Beast was jet‑black, as if forged from the purest darkness of the abyss, its body massive as a mountain, each breath exuding a suffocating pressure.

Beneath its neck, at the jaw, three thick, octopus‑like limbs sprouted, constantly writhing. Its limbs bore black claws that gleamed with icy light, sharp enough to rend stone with ease.

Most bizarrely, its huge head bore no features at all, not even eyes!

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.

She snapped her eyes upward, gaze sharp as an eagle, locking onto the three writhing tentacles—

At the tip of each tentacle was a blood‑veined eyeball, glaringly embedded!

Those eyes lacked whites, only murky black pupils, moving slightly at the tentacle tips as if alive, scanning the surroundings with an indescribable dread!

Yuan Yao was startled.

So these were its eyes!

The Abyssal Beast stared at her, swinging its claws, intent on breaking the barrier formation!

Yuan Yao was not worried it could breach the barrier.

Yuan Yao recalled what Youngest Senior Brother had told them: "The Abyssal Rift harbors countless Abyssal Beasts, each different in form, but their weaknesses lie almost always in their eyes. When dealing with an Abyssal Beast, first consider how to strike that weak point in a single blow."

Yuan Yao fixed her stare on the nearby Abyssal Beast that kept assaulting the barrier, a thought stirring within her.

Yet before she could act, she sensed several more auras closing in, her expression hardening as she decided to leave at once.

Otherwise, she might be forced out of the group by those beasts.

She turned, her form flickering, vanishing like a gust of wind.

In fewer than twenty breaths, Yuan Yao caught up with them and described the Abyssal Beast's appearance.

"That Abyssal Beast just now should be at the fifth cultivation tier!"

Ling Huya's face grew solemn as she said, "We're only in the outer zone, and already there are fifth‑tier Abyssal Beasts. If we entered the inner zone, wouldn't there be even higher‑tier ones?"

Ying Wuji replied, "The master told us the inner zone hosts sixth‑ and seventh‑tier Abyssal Beasts, even eighth and ninth tiers!"

Cang Li said, "If we can leave the Abyssal Rift alive, that's already impressive."

Qian Yunzhou raised an eyebrow slightly, "No wonder so many Tianjiao fell in the previous generation."

"My parents told me that the reason so many Tianjiao fell in the last generation was because of one person," Dong Jiao lowered her voice, her tone heavy with solemnity and regret, "His name was Yu Qingxue. Supposedly, he braved the Formless Immortal Patriarch's strict orders and earnest pleas to rescue his own sister from the Demon Clan's Tianjiao, stubbornly charging alone into the most perilous core of the Abyssal Rift, and inadvertently roused and awakened the legendary Abyssal Beast Lord!"

She paused, as if still feeling the horror, "When the Abyssal Beast Lord emerged, it was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, slaughtering the Tianjiao of the Three Clans almost entirely—seven or eight out of ten perished! Fortunately, the Formless Immortal Patriarch and the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord joined forces to pull the surviving Tianjiao out of the Abyssal Rift, preventing total annihilation."

"Yu Qingxue, though he luckily survived, was upon returning to Tian Jiaocheng sentenced to death by a joint decree of thirteen venerable Elders," Dong Jiao said, her voice dropping further, tinged with sigh, "In the end, he not only failed to rescue his sister, but also caused so many of his contemporaries to meet their doom in the Abyssal Rift; truly…"

Qian Yunzhou listened silently; his gaze subtly swept over the six silent Yuan Yao companions, then a faint, knowing smile curled his lips as he turned to Dong Jiao and asked leisurely, "Number Eleven, do you know what relation Yu Qingxue has with the Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord of your Thousand Mountain Sect?"

Dong Jiao visibly froze, her round eyes full of confusion, "Do they have a connection? I've never heard of it."

Qian Yunzhou chuckled lightly, revealing the answer, "More than a connection. The Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord is Yu Qingxue's senior brother; the two are fellow sect brothers."

Dong Jiao was shocked, then quickly looked at Yuan Yao, "Really?"

Yuan Yao nodded.

"Then, by that logic, isn't Yu Qingxue your Uncle‑Master?"

"He is," Yuan Yao said, her lips forming the two words firmly.

Just recently, the master finally began to slowly reveal that sealed past, detailing the turbulent history of Yu, the junior Uncle‑Master, in Tian Jiaocheng, and the various deeds he experienced within the Abyssal Rift.

Half a month ago, Yu, the junior Uncle‑Master, learned of their covert infiltration of the Abyssal Rift, and asked Ao Su to deliver a letter to them.

In the letter, Yu, the junior Uncle‑Master, recounted, without reservation, the countless perils he faced, the lurking murderous threats, and the priceless experience and insights he gained with blood and tears during his near‑death ordeal deep within the Abyssal Rift.