Chapter 324

Black Abyss Mist?

Abyssal Clan!

Nowadays, the greatest crisis in the Eastern Border cultivation world is the war that could erupt at any moment between humanity and the other races.

For cultivators of the Yuan, Wu, Li, Zhao and other kingdoms located near the Endless Sea, what they most need to heed is the Sea Clan hiding in the deepest depths of the Endless Sea.

But for those within the Demon Realm, or for the cultivation sects near it, what they still need to fear is the Abyssal Clan!

Within the Demon Realm lies a gigantic abyss known as the 'Black Abyss'.

This abyss is bottomless; it is said that a late Yuan Ying demonic cultivator whose cultivation base had reached penetration of the mysteries once ventured deep inside, flying for several months without ever reaching its bottom.

Instead, he suffered grave injuries due to the Abyssal Clan living within, and after barely escaping, he soon passed away in meditation.

No one knows whether this late Yuan Ying cultivator truly failed to reach the bottom of the Black Abyss, or whether he lost his direction due to the Black Abyss Mist that constantly shrouds it.

But one thing is certain: the Black Abyss is extremely dangerous, and even a late Yuan Ying cultivator who enters it cannot escape unharmed.

As for the so-called 'Black Abyss Mist,' it is the black mist that drifts out from within the Black Abyss.

It may appear at any time, and it may also appear anywhere near the Black Abyss.

Where the Black Abyss Mist passes, things may remain unharmed, as if a tranquil night had fallen early; even mortals enveloped by the mist suffer no harm.

But sometimes, even if a Yuan Ying cultivator is inadvertently caught up in the Black Abyss Mist, they may face mortal danger!

Within the Black Abyss Mist, not only are there Abyssal Clan members, but also Abyssal Beasts that possess little intelligence yet considerable strength.

Without exaggeration, at times the Abyssal Beasts are the most fearsome and undesirable entities in the Black Abyss and its mist.

Why, then, do the demon sects of the Demon Realm launch a massive invasion of the former orthodox sects' cultivation lands?

It is because the Black Abyss has gradually become active over the past century, growing increasingly restless, which forces those demon sect cultivators to attack the orthodox sects' sacred grounds for resources and living space.

No wonder the appearance of the Black Abyss Mist causes Xue Wuchen, White Eyebrow Daoist, and the Red Ling Fairy couple to change expression.

At this moment, Guang Chengzi's skill in divination and deduction reveals its great usefulness.

He detected the emergence of the Black Abyss Mist early, buying Yunhe and his companions more time to avoid it.

Just as the three spoke simultaneously, a dense mass of black mist surged forth at the distant horizon where heaven and earth meet.

And it spread toward the direction where Yunhe and his six companions were located at an extremely rapid speed.

"Looks like we'll have to go around it."

Guang Chengzi put away the compass in his hand and spoke in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces grew even graver.

This indicated that the Black Abyss Mist now appearing posed considerable danger.

Even the six of them, Yuan Ying cultivators gathered together, could not avoid having to yield.

"Everyone, please follow closely behind this humble Daoist."

As Guang Chengzi's words fell, he transformed into a stream of light and swiftly fled in another direction.

Compared to his previous escape speed, it was clearly faster by more than a notch.

Seeing this, the others dared not hesitate in the slightest, all rushing to follow.

Their escape speed was also considerably faster than before.

During this period.

Several of them attempted to sweep their divine sense over the ever-approaching Black Abyss Mist.

However, while the others were exploring the mist's spreading direction and sensing its changes, Yunhe focused more on actually trying to understand the situation inside the Black Abyss Mist.

To Yunhe's disappointment, the thick black mist not only hid its interior from their external view, but even his divine sense found it extremely difficult to penetrate.

Of course, this was also because he was restraining his divine sense, not displaying too much strength lest he attract the attention of Xue Wuchen and the others.

But Yunhe estimated that even if he unleashed his divine sense without reservation, it would still be extremely difficult to penetrate a hundred zhang into the Black Abyss Mist.

"Truly, it is thick with murderous aura."

Yunhe was secretly startled, and he withdrew his divine sense.

"Fellow Daoist, the Black Abyss Mist is filled with an extremely thick murderous aura, and this aura belongs to the Abyssal Clan and Abyssal Beasts; it cannot be used by humans, and it strongly restrains cultivators' divine sense."

Seeming to notice his action, Xue Wuchen, as a temporary 'ally,' sent a mental transmission.

Upon hearing this, Yunhe nodded.

"Thank you."

"No wonder that among the myriad ancient races numbering in the tens of thousands, only the Sea Clan and the Abyssal Clan managed to survive and even develop."

This thought arose unbidden in his mind.

The Sea Clan relies on the nearly boundless, formidable expanse of the Endless Sea to hide, while the Abyssal Clan has retreated to the bottomless Black Abyss, preserving its strength by relying on the Black Abyss Mist and the Abyssal Beasts within.

Huh?

Suddenly.

Yunhe's heart stirred, and he showed a hint of astonishment.

He glanced at his palm without changing his expression.

On it, a few grayish-white lines flickered faintly in and out of view.

Corpse Soul Gu!

In recent years, Yunhe has never ceased cultivating the Corpse Soul Gu, though he has devoted more energy to breaking through to the Yuan Ying realm; this gu has remained calm for a long time.

But today, it unexpectedly became somewhat active.

Feeling the mother worm of the Corpse Soul Gu's near-instinctive activity, Yunhe unconsciously looked again at the Black Abyss Mist spreading at extreme speed, revealing a thoughtful expression.

"Not good!"

Suddenly, White Eyebrow Daoist's voice, tinged with astonishment, sounded.

"A Fourth Level Abyssal Beast is on the move?!"

Xue Wuhén also widened his eyes, showing a hint of surprise.

Fourth Level abyssal beast, that is an existence capable of rivaling a human Yuan Ying Cultivator, extremely dangerous.

But only when a Fourth Level abyssal beast goes out can it explain why the Black Abyss Mist spreads so swiftly!

Upon reaching this conclusion, all the cultivators felt their hearts tighten.

"Everyone, now is no time to hide; with our current escape speed we likely cannot fully evade the Black Abyss Mist. So, everyone, rely on your own abilities—let us regroup in Falling Wind Valley!"

After saying that, Guang Chengzi flicked his horsetail whisk.

His escape speed actually increased again alongside Ji Liuyun's, and in the blink of an eye he vanished from Yunhe and the others' sight.

It is foreseeable that performing this escape technique will exact a heavy toll on them.

"Damn it!"

The White Eyebrow Daoist cursed under his breath.

When danger strikes, each relying on their own abilities—this was foreseeable long ago.

If they were in the Floating Cloud Senior's cave dwelling in Falling Wind Valley, the cultivators might still be able to join forces to deal with trouble, but when facing the Black Abyss Mist it's not really possible, after all—there's no advantage.

And after the White Eyebrow Daoist shouted in anger, he and the Red Gauze Fairy simultaneously formed hand seals.

Instantly, a white and a red strand of mutually responsive mana surged over their bodies, and their escape speed actually increased, allowing them to skim past the edge of the Black Abyss Mist.

"Daoist Yunhe, Xue will be waiting for you in Falling Wind Valley."

After saying that to Yunhe, Xue Wuhén's body also surged with a red mist reeking of strong bloodiness, instantly enveloping him in a bloody escape light as he departed.

Blood Sect's secret art, the Blood Escape Technique!

However.

Perhaps because the smell of blood was too obvious, his flight actually provoked a reaction from the Black Abyss Mist, which gave chase.

Watching several people depart in just a few breaths, Yunhe felt somewhat speechless.

Hard to say whether to speak or not.

When facing danger, each Yuan Ying Cultivator runs faster than the last, and their methods grow ever more clever.

But Yunhe's expression also quickly turned solemn.

The fact that even those Yuan Ying Cultivators, including mid-stage Yuan Ying Cultivators, are so wary shows how perilous the Black Abyss Mist is.

"Forget it."

Yunhe muttered softly to himself.

With a "pfft," a pair of snow-white wings sprouted from his back; a light flap and his speed surged, quickly putting distance between him and the Black Abyss Mist.

But after flying for a while, Yunhe's speed slowed again.

"Looking at it this way, with the Ice Phoenix Wings, the Black Abyss Mist could never hope to catch me."

This is merely him infusing mana into the Ice Phoenix Wings, not his essence blood; otherwise his speed could increase far more than just a notch.

With the danger gone, Yunhe developed some interest in the Black Abyss Mist.

After all, it is something that can cause the Corpse Soul Gu to stir.

Since the Corpse Soul Gu devoured a wisp of the Yinming Old Ancestor's divine soul in the Heavenly Net Secret Realm of the Cloud Upper Realm, hardly anything can stir it anymore.

One must admit, the Corpse Soul Gu has been raised by Yunhe to be top-notch.

This also indicates, from another angle, that the entity within the Black Abyss Mist might bring considerable benefit to the Corpse Soul Gu.

If the Corpse Soul Gu could advance further, Yunhe's Nascent Soul Corpse would have a chance to completely refine that Nascent Soul Corpse.

This would definitely be a great boon for him.

Yunhe, hanging in the air, gazed at the ever-closer rolling black mist, like a blood-red maw baring ferocious fangs, which made him secretly marvel while the distance to him also drew nearer.

Meanwhile, the presence within the Black Abyss Mist seemed to sense the Corpse Soul Gu's aura, becoming increasingly agitated.

The Ice Phoenix Wings on Yunhe's back vibrated, his body and divine sense highly tense, maintaining a distance of several meters from the Black Abyss Mist.

He raised a hand.

An Early Golden Core Corpse appeared before him.

Next, under Yunhe's command, that corpse was quickly swallowed by the Black Abyss Mist.

"Non-toxic, no signs of corrosion, no signs of invasion; aside from obstructing divine sense, the pure Black Abyss Mist poses little danger."

While he carefully sensed the changes in the corpse after entering the Black Abyss Mist, he also judged the danger.

"Here it comes!"

Yunhe's heart stirred, and he raised his hand to grasp fiercely at the Black Abyss Mist.

The Golden Core Corpse that had sunk into the Black Abyss Mist was forcibly retrieved by him using mana.

"The Black Abyss Mist also cannot block entry or exit."

Upon learning this, Yunhe's wariness of the Black Abyss Mist instantly lessened somewhat.

However.

When the Golden Core Corpse was about to fully break free from the Black Abyss Mist, Yunhe's heart suddenly jumped.

Then he heard.

"Roar!!"

A tremendously terrifying roar burst forth, accompanied by a "crack" sound, and the Golden Core Corpse that Yunhe had drawn back was left with only half a level!

Moreover, the broken upper half of its body bore unmistakable bite marks.

Know that this is a corpse, its flesh as tough as a magical artifact, yet it was so cleanly bitten through?

Fortunately, his reaction speed was still decent.

Holding the Golden Core Corpse in one hand, he saw a writhing of grayish-white silk threads on it, slowly burrowing into his palm.

"Indeed, not only is the Corpse Soul Gu interested in that entity, but the entity is equally interested in the Corpse Soul Gu."

Yunhe casually waved his hand, and that half-step Golden Core Refining Corpse turned into flying ash and scattered.

Feeling the black abyss mist before him surge and grow ever more urgent and tumultuous, Yunhe gave a light laugh.

His wings behind him gave a sudden shake, and instantly he put a great distance between himself and that black abyss mist.

But at the same time, the corpse soul insects in his palm grew even more restless and active, their aura expanding without restraint.

"If you want it, then come out from that black mist."

Yunhe's eyes flashed with a faint light as he stared fixedly at the black abyss mist, and the distance between them grew ever greater.

Finally.

When he was about to open a distance of a hundred zhang from it, the thing in the black mist finally could no longer restrain itself.

Amidst a roar filled with a ferocious aura, a strange ferocious creature with a pitch-black, rugged body as if covered in scales, four sturdy legs, four pincer-like arms at the tips, six eyes, and a black face with fangs leapt out from the black abyss mist.

Abyss Beast!

Moreover, as Blood Wuhen and his companions said, it is a fourth-level Abyss Beast!

Upon seeing this Abyss Beast, Yunhe secretly felt astonished, yet a smile appeared on his face.

"I would like to see just why you, a creature of low spiritual intellect, can make the corpse soul insects become restless."

(End of chapter)