Meng Qi flew slowly above several canyons, carefully observing their conditions in an attempt to spot creatures like rat bats. Unfortunately, apart from thick red mist, blood-like seeping rocks, and either gloomy or twisted vegetation, there wasn’t a trace of moving life. The silence was absolute, like death itself.
“I can’t transform into a rat here; it would be too easy to be seen…” Meng Qi passed over an unfathomable deep fissure and finally approached the fifth canyon to the east—the former capital of the Kingdom of Bomi!
After diving into the increasingly damp and gloomy red mist, Meng Qi slid down along the rocky walls. Occasionally, he spotted dome-shaped buildings entwined with pitch-black vines; they had weathered the ages and were filled with a sense of desolation.
Observing this, Meng Qi suspected that this canyon had collapsed downward to form the former capital rather than splitting directly in two, otherwise there wouldn’t be houses still clinging to the canyon walls.
The deeper he flew, the more profound the silence became. Meng Qi almost felt as if he had been forsaken by the heavens and the earth. Were it not for the occasional glimpses of young Yin Mingzhu grass and Blood Soul Ginseng tenaciously clinging to the walls, he might have doubted whether any life could exist here at all—it was as though a fragment of the Nine Netherworlds had materialized in the mortal realm.
Because of the thick red mist, this canyon gave Meng Qi the feeling of being bottomless. In reality, it was just like that. After flying downward for a long time, he still couldn’t sense the bottom, but the buildings on the canyon walls became increasingly numerous and grand, seemingly a royal palace!
Suddenly, a chill coursed through Meng Qi. Below, the red mist churned, and a group of yin soldiers emerged, some clad in black armor, others in white robes. They marched straight up the canyon walls without glancing sideways, moving swiftly.
Everything was eerily silent, without wind or sound, as Meng Qi watched them pass.
“One day has passed…” Meng Qi mused silently.
Just then, he shuddered involuntarily, a deep chill running through him. His hairs stood on end, and a strong sense of danger surged within.
Without hesitation, Meng Qi immediately drew his long sword!
The Ba Jiu Xuan Gong excelled at avoiding calamities, and its sensitivity to danger surpassed that of most supreme martial arts techniques!
As soon as the firelight emerged, a red glow flashed, and Meng Qi felt the surroundings twisting with countless dark shadows—some hideous, some filled with resentment, all exuding chilling yin energy, making one shudder involuntarily.
The red mist impaired his senses, countless shadows rushing toward him, but Meng Qi’s sword did not meet them head-on. Instead, it stabbed straight downward, the firelight receding, carrying a faintly purifying Chan aura, devoid of any scorching heat.
As the shadows enveloped him, a pale golden glow emerged, accompanied by continuous sizzling sounds, emitting white smoke.
Meng Qi’s sword, however, struck something solid—an inky-black demonic hand!
Silently emerging from below, the hand’s palm churned with black qi, instantly corroding the surrounding rock walls, which began to melt and fall away in pieces.
The clash between sword and palm unleashed a sudden eruption of flaming fire, like detonating a miniature sun at close range, radiating brilliant light and intense heat, melting rocks and evaporating medicinal herbs!
Boom!
Explosions thundered one after another, rays of sunlight bursting forth, piercing through the demonic aura, illuminating the surroundings like a sudden appearance of a blazing sun, instantly dispelling the momentum of the dark shadows!
The attackers instinctively narrowed their eyes, seemingly unable to endure such close-range brightness.
“Poisonous Hand Demon Lord?” Meng Qi used the force to retreat backward, his sword slashing behind him.
Bright sunlight bathed the area, its rays reaching every corner, shifting and reflecting unpredictably, making it difficult to grasp.
Clang!
His sword struck a silently thrusting steel fork.
It shifted endlessly, as if transforming into an infinite swamp—once entangled, one would sink deeper with every struggle until completely submerged.
But Meng Qi’s sword precisely struck the tip of the fork, instantly halting its follow-up transformations and the spreading swamp-like force!
During the clash, Meng Qi felt a chilling coldness throughout his body, his soul dizzying, as if being drawn toward the fork, about to be devoured.
If he hadn’t been alert beforehand and sensed this attack, he might not have escaped unscathed!
The fork and sword collided, sunlight shining, Meng Qi suddenly dropped downward, unexpectedly evading the follow-up attacks from the two assailants and disappearing into the red mist.
The two pursued downward, but with the red mist obstructing their senses, they eventually lost Meng Qi’s trail.
The canyon wall was not vertical but had a certain slope. The two landed on it, searching through the dilapidated, gloomy buildings entangled with weeds and vines.
“There’s nothing,” came a dry, moistureless voice—it was indeed the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord.
“He ran pretty fast,” said the figure beside him, clad in a black robe, holding a steel fork resembling black jade. His voice was deep and ominous, as if containing countless whirlpools within. Anyone with slightly inferior cultivation would lose their soul just from hearing it—clearly the infamous Soul-Stealing Yecha.
The Poisonous Hand Demon Lord snorted coldly: “All because of this damned blood mist. Otherwise, how could he escape our tracking so quickly?”
“Soul-Stealing Yecha” nodded slightly: “If I hadn’t seen him acting recklessly, clearly a newcomer to Bomi with exploitable opportunities, I wouldn’t have targeted him. Yet, even with both of us working together, he still managed to escape.”
“He didn’t seem to be holding back completely; his power might rival either of us,” Soul-Stealing Yecha noted, sensing that the opponent hadn’t been fighting for his life, merely retreating quickly due to uncertainty and fear of an ambush.
“Enough. Now that he’s on guard, and we can’t use the yin soldiers to track him anymore, we should focus on our main mission,” the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord said, unaffected by emotions.
Nearby, beside a dome-shaped building partially hidden by vines, a fist-sized blackened stone was “eagerly” listening to their conversation.
“They indeed know more about the yin soldiers than other outsiders… What main mission?” Meng Qi, transformed into a stone through the “Rock Transformation” technique, pondered their conversation.
This place was perilous and sinister. The Poisonous Hand Demon Lord and Soul-Stealing Yecha were both seasoned experts of the Outer Scenery, cunning and resourceful, each possessing numerous life-saving techniques. Together, they could genuinely threaten him. Therefore, he should wait until they separated before seeking an opportunity to ambush one of them, thereby uncovering the secrets of their organization and tracking down Yang Zhen Chan.
The Poisonous Hand Demon Lord approached a temple-like building on the slope. With a wave of his hand, vines fell away, revealing an entrance without a door.
These vines had long been severed, yet for some unknown reason, they retained a faint trace of life, concealing any signs of previous passage.
The Poisonous Hand Demon Lord took out the Wang Clan Divination Plate and said to Soul-Stealing Yecha: “You go over there to start the ritual. I’ll go down and explore. If it’s dangerous, we’ll inform the ‘King of the Nether,’ and if it goes smoothly, we’ll split the rewards!”
He felt confident that even in danger, his caution would allow him to escape in time.
“King of the Nether…” Meng Qi heard an unfamiliar title.
At the very least, among the records concerning the hidden Outer Scenery experts in Bomi, no one had ever claimed the title “King of the Nether.”
Of course, the Hidden Paradise probably only knew about less than half of the Outer Scenery experts in Bomi.
Without further words, Soul-Stealing Yecha walked toward another building.
It was identical to the current temple, like twins—one yin and yang, two sides of the same entity.
After Soul-Stealing Yecha entered, the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord also proceeded with the divination plate in hand. Meng Qi thought for a moment, waited briefly, then dispelled his transformation, prepared himself, concealed his aura, and silently entered the temple the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord had intended to explore.
He discovered that this place was not far from the entrance of the Worry-Free Valley!
If the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord found anything, it could aid Meng Qi in completing his chain of missions. If he found nothing, Meng Qi could seize the chance when he was alone.
The temple floor was made of white jade, covered with cracks but devoid of even a single weed or speck of dust, appearing eerily clean, as if shrouded in some strange power.
Meng Qi searched around and noticed a downward entrance behind the statue’s wall, seemingly opened by some terrain shift. It faintly emitted a glow and carried traces of the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord’s aura.
Apparently not expecting anyone to follow him, and fully focused on guarding against danger, the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord planned to erase his tracks upon exiting, allowing Meng Qi to tail him effortlessly without fear of being discovered.
Nonetheless, Meng Qi remained cautious, concealing his aura and hiding in the shadows as he moved forward slowly.
It was a long passage full of branching paths. Without the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord leading the way, Meng Qi might have spent a long time finding the correct route.
Embedded on both sides were night-pearls, emitting a ghostly glow, making the atmosphere particularly sinister.
The deeper he went, the thinner the red mist became, and Meng Qi’s perception range gradually returned.
After walking a while, Meng Qi heard a creaking sound and paused briefly.
“The Wang Clan Divination Plate is actually useful…” the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord’s pleased murmur faintly reached him.
The creaking grew louder, but suddenly everything fell silent!
The sound disappeared, and so did the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord’s faint presence!
A chill ran through Meng Qi’s scalp, his muscles tensed, every pore on his body closed involuntarily, and an indescribable sense of coldness and danger surged up.
Without thinking, Meng Qi immediately flew backward, no longer caring about hiding his form, as if a terrifying monster were chasing him from behind.
Lightning flashed, Meng Qi transformed into a streak of azure thunder, fleeing rapidly. The exit was already in sight.
Suddenly, the vision darkened, and all the night-pearls lost their glow. Meng Qi felt a heavy, water-like substance surge from all directions—it was formless and intangible, chilling and damp, seemingly trying to seep into every crevice of his body.
A pale golden glow flickered, and Meng Qi felt as if he were drowning, submerged underwater, struggling to move forward against immense resistance.
And this chilling dampness continued to intensify!
No room for luck!
Meng Qi opened all his acupoints. Although he hadn’t truly cultivated them, stars shone brilliantly, golden crows danced, the sun blazed, and chaos deepened, all manifesting around him like a dream.
In an instant, they re-entered his acupoints, and Meng Qi became shadowy and indistinct, as if no longer existing in this world.
The nine apertures were sealed, making it even harder. The chilling, terrifying sensation relentlessly penetrated Meng Qi.
At that moment, a blade of light flashed, cutting through the darkness, slicing through the chaos, cleaving open the heavy “damp water curtain” in one stroke!
Before they could close again, Meng Qi seized the opportunity, his body crackling with azure thunder, and dashed out of the entrance.
Outside, the crimson mist swirled, and the formless water appeared to recoil in terror.
Looking at the clean temple and the faint red glow, Meng Qi felt as if he had been reborn.
He concealed his figure and darted out of the temple, transforming once more into the black stone, waiting for Soul-Stealing Yecha to emerge. After his recent experience, he had no desire to enter the other temple.
Soon, Soul-Stealing Yecha emerged and stood before this temple, waiting for Poisonous Hand Demon Lord.
You won’t be waiting long… Meng Qi prepared to strike.
At that moment, he heard faint footsteps from inside the temple, and the Poisonous Hand Demon Lord appeared within his perception!
How was that possible? A storm of shock surged within Meng Qi.
The Poisonous Hand Demon Lord still wore the black robe, exuding thick demonic energy, his frost-white hair loose, his eyelids lowered.
For some unknown reason, Meng Qi felt a chill run through him once again!
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