Chapter 1463: Crisis

Hearing this, Leilan and Bai Bi's expressions changed, and they quickly flew back into the vehicle. Immediately, the spirit vehicle transformed into a milky white aura and vanished into the sky in a flash. Almost simultaneously, a surprised gasp echoed from a pitch-black, lightless area on the third level of the Abyssal Depths. An unnaturally pale arm emerged from the darkness, holding a hazy yellow demon-head wooden token.

"What happened? The soul fire of the Eight-Faced Beast has been extinguished. Hmph, that useless Eight-Faced Beast couldn't even handle such a minor task! It seems the one who ruined Qian's plans possesses some extraordinary abilities. No matter, I'll deal with this trivial matter later. As long as they haven't left the Abyssal Depths, I'll find them no matter what." The woman let out a cold snort, whispered with extreme confidence, and then silence descended upon the darkness.

Two days later, on the first level of the Abyssal Depths.

A faint white silhouette passed over a black grassland. Suddenly, more than a dozen black figures burst forth from the man-high grass, shooting towards the low sky. They were more than a dozen gigantic mantises with ferocious appearances and emerald green eyes, standing about three feet tall and black as iron. A "rumbling" sound emanated from the vehicle, and a dozen silver bolts shot out from the white silhouette, striking these insect beasts with perfect accuracy. The gigantic mantises, without a sound, turned into dust and vanished into thin air.

Four days later, in an area dense with stone pillars. A spirit vehicle flew swiftly and boldly through the air. Below it, several stone demons, appearing as if composed of shattered rocks, jumped across the tops of the stone pillars, following closely without letting up. "Swish swish" sounds cut through the air as countless golden threads shot out from the vehicle in a flash, instantly piercing the stone demons all over, then tightening with force. After a burst of golden light, the stone demons all disintegrated into countless fragments, perishing completely.

Seven days later, above a massive valley where grayish-white mist swirled, Han Li and the other two hovered with wings spread, meticulously examining the valley entrance. Both Leilan and Bai Bi could not hide the joy in their eyes. The flying vehicle they had used was nowhere to be seen. It was unclear whether it had been destroyed by demons encountered along the way or if Han Li had put it away.

"It seems there are no issues here. Let's go in! If we proceed downwards from here for a day, we should reach the second level. This place is so remote; I imagine the exit will be relatively safe, and there shouldn't be anyone specifically lying in ambush," Han Li said. With a flap of his wings, he took the lead and flew into the mist. By this point, the two Holy Sons of the Sky-Peng Race naturally had no intention of backing down and followed closely behind him with solemn expressions.

The gray mist was not very dense; even deep within it, they could vaguely see their surroundings for over ten meters. While in the mist, strange winged flying snakes about a foot long would occasionally emerge, attempting to attack the three. But they were, of course, easily dispatched by the trio. An hour later, they finally emerged from the mist, appearing at the end of the valley. At this point, a massive fissure had appeared on the huge mountain wall at one end of the valley, seemingly splitting open out of nowhere. It wound its way downwards, appearing to lead deep into the ground.

Seeing the fissure, Han Li smiled. Without a moment's hesitation, he led the two behind him into it. Three bursts of spiritual light flew deeper and deeper into the fissure. Finally, after several turns, they vanished from sight. A day and a night later, a strange roaring sound suddenly came from near a massive downward-sloping crevice.

A strong black wind surged out from the crevice, turning the surrounding stone walls into pale black ice walls. It was clearly extremely cold. Taking advantage of this opportunity, however, three glowing orbs of different colors shot out from the wind. After a few flashes, they appeared dozens of meters away, revealing three clear human figures. It was precisely Han Li and the other two.

"The Abyssal Wind in this passage is too powerful; I almost couldn't endure it. How come the intelligence didn't mention this at all?" Bai Bi said, looking back at their exit point, his face a ghostly white.

"Since the intelligence didn't mention it, this wind must have appeared only recently. Otherwise, our clan elders wouldn't have failed to mention it." Leilan's beautiful face also showed signs of considerable cultivation loss, and she couldn't help but glance at Han Li.

Han Li stood with his arms crossed, surveying his surroundings, his face showing no unusual expression, nor any sign of cultivation loss.

"Could the difference between an early-stage Spirit General and a high-stage Spirit General's cultivation be so vast?" Thinking of how she had almost failed to endure until they flew out of the fissure, and that she had relied on his assistance to overcome the difficulty, Leilan felt a profound sense of helplessness.

"We've already wasted a lot of time on the first level. There's no need to waste more time searching for Netherflame Fruit on the second level; let's just head straight for the third." Han Li withdrew his gaze and spoke in an unequivocal tone.

The air was somewhat humid, and the surroundings were filled with a damp, earthy scent of vegetation. They were, surprisingly, hovering above a marsh-like area. The two Holy Sons of the Sky-Peng Race, already aware that Han Li's abilities far surpassed their own, naturally had no further complaints. However, Leilan hesitated before asking with concern:

"Little sister naturally has no objection to going to the third level. But Brother Han, there are only three entrances from the second to the third level. No matter which one we take, we might encounter people from the other branches. What if we run into those ill-intentioned branches..." Although the woman didn't finish her sentence, anyone could understand her meaning.

"It's not 'what if'; those branches will definitely station people at all three entrances. Their targets might not just be us; the other weakest branches are probably also their objectives," Bai Bi sighed.

"Heh heh, if we encounter them, we'll fight our way through. This obstacle must be overcome. However, I speculate that even if a major clan like the Scarletflame Race wants to annex our clan, they absolutely won't station all their forces at the third level entrances. The Abyssal Depths trial, which occurs once every three hundred years, is equally important to them. They'll likely only leave half, or even fewer, of their forces. If that's the case, defeating them won't be easy, but breaking through their blockade isn't impossible either," Han Li said with a cold laugh, offering a brief analysis.

"If it's as Brother Han says, then we aren't without a chance," Bai Bi and the other's spirits lifted upon hearing Han Li's words.

"No one can guarantee how things will turn out. We'll only know once we go there," Han Li replied calmly.

"But out of the three entrances, which one should we take? Two are easy to traverse, one is dangerous," Leilan asked again, her delicate brows furrowed.

"Since we might encounter blockades no matter which path we take this time, we should naturally choose the one closest to our current location," Han Li said without hesitation.

"In that case, we only have the Myriad Vines Path," Bai Bi replied after a brief ponder.

"The Myriad Vines Path? Is that the entrance where many ancient vines connect the second and third levels?" Han Li seemed to have some recollection, asking with a flicker in his eyes.

"Yes, that's the one. Aside from the occasional appearance of demonic insects, this passage is basically without any significant danger. If all goes smoothly, we should reach this place in half a month," Bai Bi replied with certainty.

"That sounds good. Let's take this entrance!" Han Li said, his expression shifting before making a definite decision. Seeing Han Li set the target, Leilan and the other had no objections and nodded in agreement.

Han Li flipped his hand, and a vibrant blue magic compass suddenly appeared. After a quick glance at it, he immediately determined the direction and led the two forward. Not long after the three had left the area, from the muddy ground, where murky bubbles occasionally rose, a pitch-black shadow silently emerged, fixated on the receding light of Han Li and the others. A hint of red light gleamed in its eyes. With a "bang," the shadow burst apart like a bubble, vanishing without a trace over the marsh.

As Han Li led the two behind him forward, an inexplicable chill suddenly rose up his spine. He stopped his light-form travel and looked back. "Brother Han, what's wrong?" Bai Bi, who now held considerable trust in Han Li, couldn't help but stop and ask when he saw Han Li's actions.

"Nothing, it might just be a momentary illusion," Han Li replied slowly after a few flashes of blue light in his eyes, meticulously scanning the ground behind him for a while. The inexplicable chill behind him had long vanished without a trace, as if it had never appeared. For someone with spiritual senses as keen as Han Li's, errors in spiritual perception were not uncommon. However, in such a perilous environment, such an occurrence left a lingering shadow in his heart that he couldn't shake off.

Nevertheless, unless it was a demon beast with cultivation far superior to his own, it would be impossible for it to escape his spiritual eye's scrutiny. Perhaps it truly was just a faulty perception! Han Li pondered for a moment longer but could only conclude his thoughts this way. He waved at Bai Bi and the other, then spread his wings and resumed their journey. However, his expression had become much graver!

Han Li naturally didn't know that deep within the Abyssal Depths, inside the belly of a small mountain, a mysterious figure completely shrouded in a crimson robe lay on a dark wooden chair. On a stone table beside them, a large bronze mirror was displayed. The mirror showed a slightly blurry image: the retreating glow of Han Li and Leilan in the marsh.

"Quite interesting! He could even sense a little bit of my mud puppet. It seems his spiritual sense is far stronger than his cultivation. Too bad I'm not a Six-legged from the first level; I have no interest in refining Yin spirits." The crimson-robed figure let out a low chuckle, then waved his sleeve towards the mirror, seemingly intending to cast a spell. But he paused, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"I almost forgot, that old hag seems to be collecting beings with powerful divine souls. This person seems like a good gift. I should be able to exchange him for one of her blood fish!" The crimson-robed figure mumbled to himself, a new idea having occurred to him.

The crimson-robed figure sat up, a glint of excitement in his eyes, seemingly quite pleased with his sudden brilliant idea. He shook his sleeve, and a crystalline orb shot out. After circling once, it stopped before him. With a single-hand incantation, a red light flashed and disappeared into the orb. The orb then spun rapidly, radiating a brilliant bloody glow.