At the wave of the green-armored man’s hand, several guards immediately stepped forward from the ranks. With a flash of spiritual light in their hands, each produced a pale purple wooden plaque.
The plaques emitted a brilliant glow, and two purple beams shot out, vanishing in a few flickers before plunging into the center of the formation.
Instantly, the silver formation buzzed and, after a swirl of strange radiance, abruptly disappeared, revealing a massive silver gate beneath the towering wall.
The gate, dozens of feet tall, exuded a chilling metallic gleam, as if entirely forged from cold metal.
The green-armored man muttered an incantation and flicked his sleeve toward the gate.
With a resounding *boom*, a surge of azure mist swept forward, and the gate slowly creaked open.
“Many thanks, fellow Daoist!” Jin Yue smiled slightly and expressed her gratitude.
She then took Han Li and the other two, transforming into three streaks of light that pierced through the massive gate.
Within moments, they vanished into the world beyond.
Standing before the silver gate, the green-armored man watched their departing figures with a pensive expression, as if something still weighed on his mind.
“Never mind, perhaps I’m overthinking it. Though there was a strange feeling, that guard shouldn’t be an issue. Besides, Jin Yue is the Grand Elder of the Tian Peng Race—she would never act against the Feiling Clan.” He murmured to himself before ordering the gate to be resealed. He then resumed his seated position and closed his eyes once more.
Meanwhile, Han Li and the two women had already descended beneath a vast sea of mist, braving gusts of sinister wind as they sped toward the entrance of the Abyss.
Had Han Li still been at the Deity Transformation stage, traversing these winds might have been difficult. But now, at the mid-stage of the Body Integration realm, he regarded the malevolent gales as nothing more than a mild breeze.
Even when encountering the black icy winds later, a mere flicker of cyan light around his body effortlessly repelled them, preventing them from getting anywhere near him.
As for Lei Lan, under Jin Yue’s deliberate protection, she naturally faced no difficulties either.
Before long, they caught sight of the enormous funnel-shaped entrance to the Abyss.
Gazing at the dark, wind-whipped chasm below, Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly before plunging downward without hesitation.
This time, it was Jin Yue and Lei Lan who exchanged a glance before following closely behind.
Upon entering the Abyss, violent cyclones raged around them, the sensations nearly identical to Han Li’s previous experience.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, his descent abruptly halted as he entered the first layer of the Abyss.
However, after surveying his surroundings, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.
He found himself hovering above a murky swamp, veiled in a thin layer of greenish mist, the faint stench of decaying vegetation filling the air.
This was clearly not the same location he had entered before.
“Fellow Daoist Jin, do you recognize this place? Is it far from the entrance to the second layer?” Han Li turned to Jin Yue and asked.
“According to the map, this appears to be the Poison Orchid Swamp. The distance to one of the second layer’s entrances is neither too far nor too close—about half a day’s journey. Be cautious, Fellow Daoist. While the toxic fumes here pose no threat to us, the swarms of venomous bees that accompany the deadly orchids are quite troublesome,” Jin Yue replied after a brief examination of the swamp.
Now that the entire Abyss had been occupied by the Feiling Clan, the maps were far more detailed than the vague sketches of the past. Thus, the Tian Peng Grand Elder recognized the area at a glance.
“Venomous bees?”
Han Li chuckled dismissively, showing no concern.
After exchanging a few more words and confirming their route, the three immediately shot forward.
Half a day later, their streaks of light appeared above a mountain range. After flying for another hour or so, they arrived near a peculiar peak at the center of the range.
What made this mountain peculiar was that it split into two from its midsection, resembling a giant “人” (human) character. The entire peak was desolate, its surface uniformly pale gray.
This was the entrance to the second layer, as marked on Jin Yue’s map.
Their journey thus far had been remarkably smooth. Aside from encountering a swarm of venomous bees in the swamp—which Han Li effortlessly eradicated with a few sword strikes—they had met no other creatures, allowing them to proceed without delay.
It seemed most of the low-level demons in the first layer had already been cleared out.
This was hardly surprising, as the lower-tier creatures held little value, and the Feiling Clan had no reason to leave them be.
Just as they descended toward the base of the mountain and were about to enter, Han Li’s expression flickered briefly before returning to normal.
However, Jin Yue, who was at the forefront, suddenly halted her flight at the “人”-shaped entrance, her face darkening as she barked, “Who’s hiding there? Show yourselves!”
“Ah, it’s the Grand Elder and Saintess Lei! Ming Zhen pays his respects to the Grand Elder!”
From a distorted patch of space near the entrance, a winged figure abruptly materialized, bowing deeply to Jin Yue.
Judging by his aura, this was another Tian Peng man, clad in light-blue armor and possessing late-stage Void Refinement cultivation.
Similar distortions appeared in nearby spaces, revealing five more figures. These individuals merely bowed slightly to Jin Yue without speaking, their expressions varied.
All of them were at least at the Void Refinement stage.
“So it’s Nephew Ming Zhen. Then these must be members of the Enforcement Squad—are you lying in wait for the thief who raided the mine?” Jin Yue swept her gaze over them, sensing their formidable killing intent, and asked calmly.
“The Grand Elder already knows of this matter! Indeed, we’ve been ordered to secure all exits. But may I ask why the Grand Elder and Saintess Lei have come here?” The rather homely Tian Peng man replied promptly but then hesitated.
“I learned of the mine incident from Commander Jin. As for why we’re here, Saintess Lei and I have other business in the Abyss, though we won’t linger long,” Jin Yue replied vaguely.
“I see. Then I shan’t delay the Grand Elder and Saintess. However, if you encounter the thief in the lower layers, we hope you’ll apprehend him. The entire second layer has been sealed off, so he must still be hiding below,” the Tian Peng man said respectfully.
“If I encounter any suspicious individuals, I will handle them appropriately. Keep guarding this spot—we’ll move ahead.” Jin Yue nodded and, without another word, led Han Li and Lei Lan through the Y-shaped passage. In an instant, they disappeared from view.
“Brother Ming Zhen, so that’s your Grand Elder? Truly as rumored—her cultivation is unfathomable! With her around, your Tian Peng Race can rest easy for tens of thousands of years. But who was that other person? His cultivation seems similar to ours, but his face was unfamiliar—I don’t recall seeing him before,” remarked another Feiling man with gray wings after Jin Yue’s group had disappeared.
“While the Grand Elder’s advancement is indeed a boon for our race, the true relief is having two Saintesses again, depriving the other clans of excuses to target us. As for that man, I’ve never seen him either. But is that so strange? Even if our Tian Peng Race is small, we still number in the hundreds of millions. A few unfamiliar faces shouldn’t raise suspicions,” Ming Zhen replied coldly, clearly displeased.
“Ah, Brother Ming Zhen misunderstands! I merely asked out of curiosity—I have full faith in the Grand Elder and your Saintesses,” the gray-winged man laughed awkwardly, hastily changing the subject.
“Enough chatter. We’re still on duty. Conceal yourselves again and remain vigilant,” interjected a woman with a short white horn and purple wings.
Ming Zhen swallowed his retort, and the others quickly nodded in agreement, clearly wary of her.
With that, the six figures performed hand seals and vanished once more into the void.
Meanwhile, Han Li and the two women, enveloped in dark mist, continued their descent.
“It seems the mine raider is no ordinary foe. Even this exit is guarded by six Spirit Commander-level experts. He must be at least near the Saint stage in power,” Jin Yue remarked, a hint of mockery in her tone.
“Oh? From your tone, Fellow Daoist Jin doesn’t seem overly concerned about the mine,” Han Li observed.
“Why should I be? Though the mine is supposedly shared among the Feiling races, the top clans take the lion’s share. What trickles down to the Tian Peng is negligible,” Jin Yue scoffed.
“I see. So even after averting extinction, your race still struggles within the Feiling Clan,” Han Li mused.
“Precisely why I agreed to your terms so readily. With your cultivation method, given tens of thousands of years, the Tian Peng can rise again. But you’d best ensure the latter half of the technique is flawless,” Jin Yue said coolly.
“Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Jin. Upon reaching our destination, I’ll deliver the remaining portion for your immediate verification. Otherwise, I’ll submit to your judgment,” Han Li replied with a faint smile.
“Good that you understand.” With that, Jin Yue fell silent.
By then, the black mist had begun to thin, and the group finally emerged into the second layer of the Abyss.
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