Chapter 1458: The Abyssal Layer One

Review: Skinny Yellow Horns

**Abyssal Layer One****Flawless**By Faren Shuijun Xiaojiang

**The World Divided into Four**

It seems Ao Qing and Fei Ye are truly notorious, as so many Holy Sons are extremely wary of them. From this, it's also clear that many weaker tribes share the Heavenly Peng Tribe's awkward situation. The difference is that the Heavenly Peng Tribe primarily guards against the Chiyong Tribe, while the Qiyue Tribe and Nanlong Tribe covet other weaker tribes. All three major tribes are actively expanding their power.

Among the Flying Spirit tribes, the three major tribes are the dominant powers, medium-sized tribes can defend themselves, but a few weakened bird tribes are gradually being exploited. In the future, the Flying Spirit tribes are very likely to form a four-way split: the three major tribes each forming a distinct power, and the remaining unannexed medium-sized tribes uniting into one force. Once again, I lament the helplessness of the weak. The Heavenly Peng Tribe was fortunate to encounter Han Li, but who knows what fate awaits the other tribes.

**The Battle Between Han Li and Zhu Yinzi**

Given the differing priorities of the three major tribes, Zhu Yinzi remains Han Li's primary adversary. With Zhu Yinzi's cunning, a fight is unlikely in the first two layers; the third layer is more probable for a confrontation. Since Zhu Yinzi is very familiar with the Abyssal situation (having explored it seven times), he could perfectly utilize the terrain in the third layer to ambush Han Li. Even if Han Li's abilities now surpass Zhu Yinzi's, he wouldn't have the upper hand. In the Abyss, Zhu Yinzi is the familiar "host," while Han Li is the unfamiliar "guest," giving Zhu Yinzi a distinct advantage. This provides the possibility for unexpected events.

I believe it's highly probable that their major battle will either lead them unexpectedly into the fourth layer or attract demon king-level monsters, providing Han Li with unique treasures unobtainable by those of his same cultivation level.

Therefore, the true excitement of the Abyssal trial lies in the third layer or deeper.

**A Few Words About Bai Bi**

Compared to Lei Lan, Bai Bi appears gentle and humble, leaving a very good impression on everyone. However, I always feel that he possesses a strong desire for power, which is a stark contrast to Lei Lan. Looking at his growth, he only awakened his true Peng bloodline after adulthood, having experienced life as a commoner at the bottom.

The Lei family has extremely high expectations of him, practically pinning all their hopes for the family's standing on him. Within the Heavenly Peng Tribe, and before the elders, Bai Bi is always obedient and acts extremely docile. He likely knew about Lei Lan causing trouble, but feigned ignorance, and even pretended to be anxious and scared in front of the elders. In this chapter, he had his own ideas about choosing the second layer's entrance but didn't voice them.

In summary, Bai Bi is quite cunning, patient, adept at seizing opportunities to leverage others against competitors, and capable of refraining from voicing opinions that differ from his superiors. Such a person is well-suited to be the future leader of the Heavenly Peng Tribe; at the very least, he is far superior to the brainless Lei Lan.

**Exploring Baleful Qi: Its Connection to the Ghost Realm and Its Excellent Defensive Capabilities in the Abyss**

**I. Baleful Qi's Connection to Reincarnation and the Ghost Realm**

1. **Baleful Qi Arises Solely from Death.** Baleful Qi is a result of killing. To acquire it, one must kill living beings; there is no other way. Even if someone is extremely heinous and injures countless people without killing them, they will not gain any Baleful Qi. This means Baleful Qi is born during the process of life ending, attaching itself to the perpetrator. It's like the resentment of the deceased, unsettling, and also somewhat like a mark placed on the perpetrator by the underworld!

2. **Baleful Qi Is Tangible.** Baleful Qi can be drawn upon and utilized by the Vajra Art, released externally, and condensed into armor using the Four Malice Armor Transformation Art; it is not formless. Baleful Qi can accumulate. Anyone who has committed killings possesses Baleful Qi, which increases with each kill. Han Li accumulated a large amount of Baleful Qi during his extensive hunting of demon beasts in the Scattered Star Seas.

3. **The Result of Baleful Qi Backlash Is Pure Slaughter.** When Baleful Qi is minimal, it has little to no effect. However, as it accumulates, it will backfire on the host. Han Li experienced this backlash in the Heavenly Orchid Grasslands, thinking, "I don't want to turn into a monster that only knows how to kill before finding a way to dispel the Baleful Qi." The outcome of Baleful Qi backlash is indeed the host becoming a creature solely driven by slaughter. This further proves Baleful Qi's connection to life and death.

4. **Baleful Qi Can Attract Spectral Entities.** The "Five Ghost Soul Locking Great Art" taught to Han Li by Grandmaster Dayan uses Baleful Qi as a catalyst to summon five ghosts for possession.

5. **Buddhist Cultivation Arts Can Mitigate Baleful Qi's Negative Effects.** When discussing the Ming King's Art, Grandmaster Dayan stated: "This art retains Baleful Qi's domineering nature but largely eliminates its negative effects. Tsk, tsk! There are indeed powerful individuals within Buddhism who could create such a cultivation art that transitions from demonic to Buddhist. Their wisdom is likely equal to or even surpasses my own." While demonic cultivation arts can directly manipulate Baleful Qi to attack and harm enemies, they cannot eliminate its negative effects – particularly its killing nature – unlike Buddhist arts. This might be related to Buddhism's emphasis on reincarnation!

6. **Baleful Qi Is Closely Tied to the Host's Spiritual Power.** A trace of Baleful Qi, along with a wisp of Hong Yun's spiritual power, was attached to his relic. Naturally, the Baleful Qi belonged to Hong Yun, but its persistence after his death wasn't due to the relic itself. The text mentions demon beast inner cores as similar to relics; we know that after a demon beast dies, its inner core and parts of its body are used for alchemy, artifact forging, or as spiritual roots, but there's no mention of Baleful Qi on them. Therefore, the only explanation for the Baleful Qi on Hong Yun's relic is that wisp of spiritual power. Baleful Qi is connected to the host's spiritual power; as long as the host's spiritual power persists, one cannot dispel their own Baleful Qi. Of course, if the host's soul is utterly dispersed, the Baleful Qi will also dissipate.

Before his death, Grandmaster Dayan "split his soul," causing a portion of his soul, "carrying emotions, memories, and other elements," to dissipate and return to the cycle of reincarnation. Man Huzi stated, "My soul power was consumed in vain, and after my nascent soul dispersed, my spirit could no longer exist in this world, forever losing the possibility of reincarnation." He added, "Unless I use a secret art to devour the vital essence of another nascent soul, there will be no return."

Regardless of the exact nature of reincarnation, let's temporarily refer to the realm where beings go after death as the "Ghost Realm!" I cannot imagine what would happen if a being heavily laden with Baleful Qi were to arrive in the Ghost Realm! Would a multitude of ghosts scatter in panic? Or would they collectively devour him out of hatred?

**II. Baleful Qi Armor: The Most Effective Barrier in the Abyss**

Han Li's Primordial Magnetic Divine Light, when enveloping his body, provides excellent defense against objects of the Five Elements. However, during his battle with Venerable Weng Huashen, the black wolf formed by a talisman, not being of the Five Elements, disregarded the Divine Light as nothing and passed through it freely.

Both the Ancient Devil Bloodflame and the Six Paths Extremity Saint, when fighting Han Li, used demonic qi to protect their bodies. However, in front of the Devil Marrow Flying Blade, their protective demonic qi completely lost its effectiveness.

This shows that such qi-gathering body-protection methods are limited by the nature of the divine abilities themselves, and Baleful Qi is likewise not omnipotent.

Why did Senior Wang introduce the "Four Malice Armor Transformation Art" before the Abyssal trial? The most logical explanation is that the Baleful Qi armor created by this art, while not an absolute defense, perfectly counters the dark creatures within the Abyss.

The fact that all Abyssal guards use Baleful Qi armor is not merely because they possess abundant Baleful Qi. Even those with lower cultivation levels, like Core Formation cultivators who have less Baleful Qi, condense their meager amounts onto their bodies. This strongly corroborates that Baleful Qi armor is highly effective against the creatures of the Abyss!