Chapter 506

Hua Changxi tried several times, but the faint spark at her fingertip was mercilessly extinguished by the all-pervasive yin wind the moment it appeared.

After all, ghost fire burns by relying on ghostly qi; she was not a true ghost clan member and had no endless supply of ghostly qi.

"It seems I can only proceed in the dark."

After confirming she could not light the ghost fire, Hua Changxi quickly adjusted her state, heightening her five senses to the utmost.

She had the black broken blade; even with impaired vision, she could find the way forward, so she wasn't reduced to a headless fly.

Hua Changxi began to carefully grope her way through the darkness.

However, the dangers of the fourth-layer Abyssal Depths were far more insidious and lethal than she had imagined.

The pitch-black darkness was not the most terrifying thing; the most terrifying was the air here—not only did the yin wind cut to the bone, but it also emitted a foul odor.

With each breath, that cold airflow mixed with rust and rotting bone drilled into her nostrils and swiftly spread through her meridians to every limb and joint.

Hua Changxi felt as if her blood was gradually turning cold and coagulating, while her skin surface experienced a tingling numbness and stabbing pain like being gnawed by thousands of ants.

The Nine Abysses' turbid qi was frantically corroding her physical body!

In the first three layers of the Nine Abysses, the turbid qi also corroded the body, but not as severely as in the fourth-layer Abyssal Depths; here the erosion reached directly into the soul body.

After being eroded, the soul body's soul power circulation became viscous and sluggish, as if trapped in a bottomless quagmire.

Hua Changxi only felt that each time she circulated soul power, it cost several times more energy than outside, and the effect was greatly diminished.

The corrosion of the physical body and the sluggish circulation of soul power, though oppressive, were not what worried Hua Changxi the most.

What worried Hua Changxi the most was that, deep within the fourth-layer Abyssal Depths of the Nine Abysses, the negative emotions in her heart were being rapidly stirred and infinitely amplified.

Here, loneliness would be amplified into despair, fear into collapse, and the urge to kill would be infinitely amplified into a madness that wanted to drag the entire world into death.

Only the howling of the yin wind remained in her ears; the sound drilled into her eardrums as if someone were pressing against her ear and sneering provocatively.

In a daze, an extreme voice surged from Hua Changxi's heart: This place is filled with malice; to survive, you must first destroy all threats.

Thoughts of violence and destruction swept through her heart like a tidal wave; if not for the sharp pain from the black fish pattern on the back of her right hand constantly warning her, she would have almost lost control, drawn the black broken blade, and swept through the Nine Abysses.

Hua Changxi's lips moved rapidly; on one hand, she silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra to suppress the various negative emotions surging in her heart; on the other hand, she followed the vibrations of the black broken blade and continued forward in the darkness.

'The negative energy of the fourth-layer Abyssal Depths is too powerful; should I continue to the fifth-layer? Maybe call it quits?'

'But the Soul Nightmare Valley has many precious and rare soul plants; if I miss this chance, there won't be another.'

Along the way, these two voices constantly fought in Hua Changxi's mind.

The negative emotions not only amplified fear but also drove the greed in her heart to its extreme.

Because of the confidence brought by the black broken blade and the gambler's mentality of taking a chance, greed ultimately triumphed over fear, prompting her to continue forward.

On the way to the deep abyss mouth connecting the fourth-layer and fifth-layer Abyssal Depths, Hua Changxi encountered few people.

To avoid fueling the killing urge in her heart, whenever she sensed an unfamiliar aura approaching, she unhesitatingly took a detour, preferring to walk extra distance rather than confront anyone head-on.

Guided by the black broken blade, she finally arrived near the fourth-layer abyss mouth.

However, gazing at the bottomless deep abyss mouth, she halted and dared not approach rashly.

For no other reason, around the deep abyss mouth, many factions had already gathered—some in groups of three or five, others standing in parties of dozens, with mixed auras and hidden killing intent.

Hua Changxi actually spotted among them the White Bone Lady she had encountered earlier, as well as those five human cultivators carrying the sedan chair.

What made her gaze darken further was that among those factions were disciples of the Shura Sect, whom she had been seeking all along.

The various forces were in a standoff, tense and ready to strike, as if none would allow anyone to easily step into the deep abyss mouth.

Hua Changxi had thought that in the Nine Abysses, humans were naturally at a disadvantage. But the next scene made her pupils constrict, filling her with shock.

The ones who first sparked the battle were actually disciples of the Shura Sect!

Without any warning, a Shura Sect disciple raised his hand, and a cluster of dark black flames suddenly rose from his palm.

He flicked his finger lightly, and the black flame shot out like a living thing, instantly vanishing into the brow of a ghost clan member opposite him.

That ghost clan member's whole body stiffened; his originally fierce gaze aimed at other factions suddenly changed, and without any warning, he turned and unhesitatingly struck at his companion beside him!

It wasn't just one person!

All disciples of the Asura Sect struck at once; the Black Flame, like threads of silk, burrowed into the bodies of cultivators from various races.

The great battle had fully erupted!

The races controlled by the Black Flame, aside from the Asura Sect disciples, attacked everyone else with ruthless ferocity, each strike claiming a life.

Hua Changxi held her breath and hid in the distance, her heart filled with terror.

The Asura Sect's method of controlling others through Black Flame was far more sinister and terrifying than she had ever imagined!

"Hm?"

The disciples of the Asura Sect cultivated the art of Nether Flame, making them especially sensitive to its aura.

The Nether Flame stirred people's negative desires. Though such desires were colorless, tasteless, and formless, those who cultivated this path could sense each other's desires within a certain range.

Amid the chaotic battle, a disciple of the Asura Sect seemed to sense something and abruptly cast his gaze toward Hua Changxi's hiding place.

The next moment, he began chanting the incantation to control the Black Flame.

In the distance, Hua Changxi, who had thought the melee at the Chóngyuān Pass had nothing to do with her, suddenly felt her heart clench, as if a invisible hand had seized it tightly.

Then, a seductive whisper echoed in her mind—Kill all the factions of the Netherworld!

"Not good!"

Hua Changxi's mind shook violently, as a will of coldness forced its way into her thoughts, trying to control her.

If this had been the mortal world, she might not have fallen for it.

But here, in the fourth layer of the Netherworld, the Earth Abyss.

The negative emotions in her heart had already been provoked and magnified. Now, with the temptation, even though the back of her right hand throbbed with numbing pain, it could not pull her reason back.

Hua Changxi slowly rose, Black Flame surging in her eyes, and the black broken blade answered her summons. The next moment, she shot into the battlefield like a ghost!

The blade's edge sliced through the air; wherever it passed, the Netherworld races controlled by Black Flame fell to the ground, their souls dissipating and bodies shattering.

Hua Changxi blazed with murderous intent, descending like the God of Death, cutting down all—friend or foe—with a single stroke of her blade!

The disciples of the Asura Sect were greatly alarmed, especially the one controlling the Black Flame.

Hua Changxi's Black Flame was clearly more vigorous. He suffered backlash, spat blood from his mouth, and his qi flow reversed. With no strength to resist, he was soon cut down by Hua Changxi, who had charged over in a single slash.

"Quick, leave!"

The White Bone Lady had locked her gaze on the black broken blade in Hua Changxi's hand the moment she appeared.

Watching Hua Changxi mow down the Netherworld races like chopping vegetables, the horror on her face could no longer be concealed. She urged Chu Junyi and the other four to flee in a shrill voice.

Even if the White Bone Lady hadn't spoken, Chu Junyi and his group wanted nothing more than to escape as far as possible.

"Whoosh~"

The White Bone Palanquin turned into a blur and instantly flew into the Chóngyuān Pass.

A quarter-hour later, the melee before the Chóngyuān Pass came to an abrupt halt.

Corpses littered the ground, and the air was thick with heavy turbidity and the foul aura of dissipated soul force.

Hua Changxi stood holding her blade.

With the fall of the Asura Sect disciples, the will forcing control over her dissipated. Coupled with the stinging reminder from the black fish tattoo, her killing urge finally ceased its mad growth.

Noticing the black broken blade in her hand trembling violently, Hua Changxi, now with a bit more reason, quickly withdrew it into the Divine Farmer's Cauldron, preventing the broken blade from devouring the corpses strewn everywhere.

Afterward, she walked through the carnage toward the Chóngyuān Pass. Though her eyes were cold and indifferent, her brows remained tightly furrowed.

Amid the slaughter, she had actually felt a thrill!

Reason warned her that this feeling was extremely dangerous and that she should leave the Netherworld immediately, not go deeper. But in the end, reason could not overcome desire. Hua Changxi still walked to the edge of the Chóngyuān Pass and leaped inside.