Chapter 297 - 181: Nether Abyss Peak
Then, led by Lin Qianyin, the three of them started heading towards the jagged peaks of the abyss.
Liou Yuan, who had been trailing the three about a hundred feet behind, heard the conversation among the Yanluo Sect members loud and clear.
Watching the three disappear into the abyss, he said, half-jokingly and half-helplessly: "Are the people from the Yanluo Sect always this brave?"
First, there’s Mr. Wei venturing out of Yanhe City to fight Star Evil, never to return.
Then there’s Lin Qianyin boldly entering the Nether Abyss Peak.
Liou Yuan’s face showed hesitation as he spoke.
He’s not reckless; he understands all too well how dangerous the Nether Abyss Peak is.
Besides being wary of the transforming demon beasts there, the treacherous terrain poses its own threats.
"The green mist within the Nether Abyss Peak is said to be impenetrable by Divine Sense."
"Once engulfed by the green mist, one falls into an endless illusion, unable to distinguish reality from dreams, eventually dying of exhaustion inside."
Liou Yuan weighed the risks of pursuing a bounty, pondering whether to risk entering.
The answer was clearly no; the risks far outweighed the rewards.
"I might as well retreat and return to Five Extremes Mountain to pick another bounty task while there’s still time." Liou Yuan considered going back to Five Extremes Mountain as he squinted thoughtfully.
As he stared at the Nether Abyss Peak, a purple light flickered in his Evil Eyes.
The figures of Lin Qianyin and the others had long disappeared, but their spiritual power fluctuations were still captured by Liou Yuan’s Evil Eyes.
"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t go in."
"But with my Evil Eyes, I can constantly monitor their movements. If anything goes awry, I’ll be out of there faster than they can."
"With these three paving the way, it’s a much safer bet."
Liou Yuan squinted slightly, finally deciding to take a look inside.
"The green mist is only deep within the Nether Abyss Peak and usually won’t spread outside."
"Just need to be careful of the beasts inside."
With that thought, Liou Yuan gritted his teeth and continued, using the Night Concealing Mask ability, to follow the trail left by the three.
Should their spiritual power fluctuate ever so slightly, he’d turn around and flee without hesitation.
The Nether Abyss Peak had sparse vegetation, and the few plants Liou Yuan initially saw were twisted and withered, their branches like dry arms reaching for the sky.
These plants were surrounded by black mist, the peak’s miasma.
Touching it would be fatal for ordinary people; only beasts and cultivators could resist using spiritual power.
The beasts inside had acclimatized to the miasma, but cultivators would still be infiltrated by its poison over time.
The miasma’s scent was pungent; Liou Yuan’s senses, sharpened by the Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill, became numb after the slightest whiff.
"No more than a hundred miles; if I can’t find Zhai Yuzhu, I’ll turn back." Liou Yuan cursed as he carefully avoided those miasma-exuding plants, setting himself a firm limit.
The Nether Abyss Peak stretches tens of thousands of miles.
A hundred miles wouldn’t even be considered the edge; this area would still be safe for someone like Lin Qianyin at Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer.
Likewise, it poses little life-threatening danger to Liou Yuan.
Beyond a hundred miles, the situation could change drastically.
Once past this distance, one might be swallowed by the terrifying green mist of the Nether Abyss Peak or encounter a Foundation Establishment beast; only the first hundred miles are the safest.
Before long, Liou Yuan saw through the Evil Eyes that Lin Qianyin and the others had a pause in their spiritual power fluctuation.
Then came the sound of a beast’s shriek ahead.
The three seemed to have encountered a blocking beast and engaged in a fierce battle.
It’s impossible to encounter a Foundation Establishment beast at this distance, so it couldn’t possibly block Lin Qianyin.
Bang! After the clear sound of sword ringing, Liou Yuan felt his ears clear as the beast’s roar abruptly ceased.
Lin Qianyin and the others continued advancing.
Liou Yuan followed along.
After a hundred feet, he saw the corpse of a black-haired bear demon.
Its body was nearly two zhang tall, comparable to the height of a house a commoner might build.
From the demonic power remaining on its body, Liou Yuan judged that the bear demon had at least Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer power.
Killed with one strike, the sword mark cleaved its head, splitting its body in two.
Its entrails and blood covered the ground, emitting a nauseating smell that made Liou Yuan retch.
Looking at that sword mark, Liou Yuan showed caution in his eyes.
"At my full strength, I could barely manage that."
Indeed, Lin Qianyin is well-deserved as the first sword Dao genius among the Yanluo Sect’s outer sect disciples of this generation.
Liou Yuan didn’t know how much effort she exerted.
If it was seventy percent strength, Liou Yuan felt he could contest her with swordsmanship.
If it was fifty percent strength, solely relying on swordsmanship, Liou Yuan believed he couldn’t defeat her without resorting to other tactics.
"If I really manage to kill Zhai Yuzhu, grabbing the head from her is another problem." Liou Yuan muttered, covering his nose, and continued forward.
With Lin Qianyin and the others opening the path, Liou Yuan’s journey was as smooth as could be.
Lin Qianyin chopped through obstacles along the way with barely any pause.
Finally, after half a day, they advanced eighty miles and stopped at the entrance of a bald valley, surrounded on three sides by perilous peaks.
The location offered a broad view.
Liou Yuan, hidden in the shadows, witnessed the three following the guidance of a talisman into the valley.
Out of caution, Liou Yuan didn’t immediately follow but used his Evil Eyes to glance inside from afar.
Besides Lin Qianyin and the others, he noticed a fourth spiritual power fluctuation.
Its cultivation was at a Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer level. Unlike ordinary cultivators’ spiritual power fluctuations, this one’s color appeared in a sinister dark red.
"That’s a spiritual power cultivated from blood of cultivators; this person must be Zhai Yuzhu."
"Daring to secretly practice Demon Skill within the Yanluo Sect, this person truly dares to venture into the Nether Abyss Peak."
Liou Yuan scrutinized the fluctuation, scanning around the valley entrance to confirm no lurking dangers before following the three into the valley.