Chapter 884: Deep Abyss Girl (Part 1)

Why is there devilish aura here? Anyone else would have mistaken this aura for the profound Yin energy naturally accumulating beneath the abyss. But Yun Che had fought against Fen Juechen and Xuanyuan Wentian, and had also encountered a true devil in the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest. He immediately recognized that this aura was of the same type as the devilish aura emanating from the Moon Slaughter Devil Monarch!

However, this devilish aura was extremely faint... at least to Yun Che's perception. If one wasn't careful, they might not even notice it.

Though briefly puzzled, Yun Che, burning with anxiety, didn't dwell on it and continued to descend at top speed.

Ordinarily, he was an exceptionally cautious person, always on guard when searching a highly dangerous place. But today, facing the most terrifying "Graveyard of the God of Death" on the Azure Cloud Continent, he seemed to be rushing headlong into death with reckless abandon.

Amidst the increasingly eerie wind, he had been falling for a long time. By his estimation, he had descended at least ten thousand zhang, yet there was still no sign of the end. His heart tightened further. Su Ling'er's profound energy was only at the Spirit Profound Realm; not to mention flying, her ability to stay airborne was quite weak. Even falling from a thousand zhang, let alone ten thousand, would surely be fatal.

However, the Soul Crystal he held firmly in his hand remained intact and warm.

Yun Che slightly clenched his hands, banishing all unwanted thoughts from his mind. For him now, knowing that Su Ling'er was still alive was enough... No matter what lay below, no matter what had happened to Su Ling'er, this time, in this life, he would never let go again!

Forget an unknown dark abyss; even if he knew it was the Nine Nether Hell, he would jump in without hesitation.

The first time he jumped off the Cloud's End Cliff, he lost consciousness during the descent, unaware of how long he fell or where he landed. This time, he realized just how terrifyingly deep the abyss beneath Cloud's End Cliff truly was.

He continued to fall for several thousand more zhang, still not reaching the end of the abyss. But at that moment, Yun Che's body imperceptibly passed through a "boundary point," entering another world.

Instantly, Yun Che's entire body turned ice-cold. A dense, extremely powerful chilling aura abruptly assailed him from all directions, invading his entire body and profound veins. At the same time, he felt a powerful suction force surge from below, as if countless invisible dark hands were fiercely pulling at him.

He immediately gathered his strength to resist, but that pulling force was overwhelmingly powerful. His profound energy was as minuscule as dust before this force; he couldn't even mount the slightest resistance before being violently flung downwards.

"Ugh!!"

Thud!!

Yun Che groaned in pain, like a pebble hurled down by immense force. He fell headfirst, descending another thousand zhang, then slammed heavily onto an incredibly hard object. The impact left him completely numb and sprawled on the ground. It took him a while to struggle into a sitting position.

Yun Che pressed one hand to his head and the other to the ground, then finally realized that solid ground was beneath him—this was the bottom of the abyss!!

The ground his palm touched was cold and hard... feeling even more solid than the toughest Profound Steel he had ever encountered on the Sky Profound Continent.

Yun Che tried to stand, but as soon as his arms pushed up, he collapsed back down heavily. His mouth hung wide open; he barely managed a single breath, his chest felt as if an immensely heavy steel plate was crushing it, and his mind was hazy, his spirit almost drifting away.

The clarity remaining in his mind told him this was the devouring effect of dark devilish aura!

Devouring life and soul!!

He had experienced this sensation when he first entered the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest. Now, his profound energy far surpassed what it was back then, yet he was dozens of times more affected, losing what felt like half his life in just a few breaths.

This was because the dark devilish aura here was far denser than even the terrifying Moon Slaughter Devil Nest... denser by an immeasurable amount!

Moreover, this dark devilish aura not only devoured vital energy and soul power but also suppressed profound energy. If not for his Evil God Profound Veins, which made him immune to suppression, he wouldn't even have a chance to resist.

"Devilish aura... Why... is there... such terrifying... devilish aura..."

Yun Che mumbled, barely hearing his own voice. He shook his head vigorously, struggling to remain conscious, then slowly shifted his body upright. He quickly focused his mind and calmed himself. The Great Way of the Buddha began to circulate, slowly at first, then picking up speed. All fifty-four profound entrances and every pore on his body opened, and wisps of pure, pristine heaven and earth energy surged into his body like cool streams, transforming into his strength and vital energy.

Above Yun Che's head, a faint golden miniature pagoda indistinctly appeared, slowly rotating.

In this terrifying, unimaginable dark world, his vitality and soul power were rapidly being stripped away. Yet, at the same time, the Great Way of the Buddha was drawing far denser heaven and earth energy from the extremely concentrated dark world than usual, quickly restoring his vitality and soul power... Gradually, with the silent rotation of the golden pagoda, the process of devouring and recovery finally reached a delicate balance.

It was similar to his experience in the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, only this time it lasted much longer.

"Huu..."

Yun Che opened his eyes, exhaling a long breath. His gaze and spirit had completely regained their clarity, but there was no joy in his heart; instead, it felt much heavier.

Dark devilish aura at least dozens of times denser than that in the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest... This was a world so terrifying that ordinary people couldn't even imagine it. Not to mention ordinary people, even powerful figures like the Little Demon Empress or Feng Xue'er would surely perish within a quarter of an hour if they fell into this world.

He possessed the Evil God Profound Veins and the strength of the Desolate God. The former resisted profound energy suppression, while the latter maintained his vital energy and soul power. Only with these could he remain in this world for an extended period... and only he could achieve this level of resilience in this world.

If Su Ling'er had fallen into this world, even if she weren't killed by the impact, it would be absolutely impossible for her to survive here.

The power of the Spirit Profound Realm would be devoured and extinguished in an instant in a world like this!

But why...

Yun Che opened his palm; the Soul Crystal, which he had held firmly, still shimmered with a faint purple glow.

The unbroken Soul Crystal proved that its owner was not dead.

But Su Ling'er had jumped off Cloud's End Cliff before him and would also have landed in this world. With her physique and profound energy, it was utterly impossible for her to still be alive...

What exactly was going on?

Could it be... this wasn't Su Ling'er's Soul Crystal?

No! It couldn't be... Yun Che vigorously shook his head, denying the thought... Su Hengshan himself had given this to me. He had clutched it tightly for over ten days while imprisoned in the dungeon; how could it be mistaken!

Absolutely not!

Ling'er must be safe; I just haven't found her yet.

Yun Che stood up, the Golden Crow Flame blazing around him, barely illuminating the space of less than five zhang in the dense darkness.

The ground beneath his feet was flat, with occasional protrusions, completely black and devoid of any other color. Not far away, he could faintly discern the cliff face he had followed during his descent. He looked up, then down, recalling the pulling force that had left him utterly helpless. His heart jolted, and he leaped with all his might, soaring upwards.

He flew up several hundred zhang without encountering anything unusual.

But just as he reached nearly a thousand zhang, a terrifying suction force suddenly struck down from the void. Yun Che was prepared: he activated 'Hades,' and his rampaging profound energy propelled his body upwards with full force...

Yet, his full burst of power was like a withered leaf in a colossal wave before this suction force. In an instant... just an instant, he was violently flung back down to the ground a thousand zhang below, just as before.

Thud!!

With a heavy thud, Yun Che was thrown, tumbling several times. His body felt almost completely dislocated, and the flames around him were entirely extinguished. However, the ground was perfectly intact, without the slightest scratch.

"Hiss..."

Yun Che winced in pain. He looked up at the dark sky, his heart growing immensely heavy.

By this point, Yun Che fully understood why falling into Cloud's End Cliff meant there was no return, a certainty of death. The incredibly terrifying dark devilish aura here was simply beyond the resistance of any profound practitioner in this world. Even if one were powerful enough to briefly resist, it would be utterly impossible to escape under that horrifying suction force.

This meant that anyone who touched this dark world at the bottom of the abyss would be instantly sucked in. Forget escaping, they wouldn't even have a chance to struggle before quickly being devoured by the dark devilish aura, turning into dark dust.

This was also why... Jasmine had warned him never to attempt to explore the world beneath Cloud's End Cliff.

Yun Che no longer attempted to challenge the terrifying suction force, for a withered leaf, no matter how it struggled, could not overturn a towering wave. He raised his hand, staring blankly at the shimmering purple Soul Crystal... In a world like this, how could Ling'er still be alive...? The moment she touched this world, she would be devoured into dark ashes in less than a breath, leaving no trace...

How could she still be alive...?

Could it be that Su Hengshan really gave him the wrong Soul Crystal?

No... I can't think like that... How could I think like that... Yun Che shook his head in distress, closing his hand and clutching the Soul Crystal tightly... I must believe this Soul Crystal, I must believe Ling'er... and even more, I must believe in miracles! The Ling'er I had already lost could reappear in my life again... What reason do I have not to believe she is still alive and safe!

Desperately filling his mind with the conviction that Su Ling'er must still be alive, Yun Che stood up again. With the Golden Crow Flame burning around him, he slowly moved his steps, searching this strange world in the darkness. He walked for a long time, consistently seeing the same scene... eerie, dark, empty, and silent.

This place was like a barren world of death, with nothing but darkness and an abnormally dense devilish aura.

"Ling'er! Ling... 'er!!!"

Yun Che began to shout loudly, desperately hoping for a miracle. His shouts couldn't travel very far in the excessively dense darkness. As he cautiously moved forward, hoping to discover something, he poured more and more profound energy into his calls.

"Ling—'er—!!"

"Ling——'er——!!"

"It's Yun Che! Where are you... I know you're here!!"

"Ling——'er——!!!"

He moved forward step by step, shouting repeatedly. In the profoundly dark world, the flames around him appeared exceptionally dazzling.

In the darkness, he didn't know how far he had walked. After over a thousand shouts, the only reply he received was always darkness and dead silence.

Finally, Yun Che's steps halted... In his subconscious, he had long known that Su Ling'er couldn't possibly survive in this world. In this entire plane, no one, no living being other than himself, could survive here.

Yet, he dared not, would not accept this too-cruel reality. He desperately clung to the belief that it was indeed Su Ling'er's Soul Crystal, desperately wishing to chase a miracle so faint it could barely be called one...

He looked up, and all he could see was darkness. His chest felt so constricted it was about to explode, and his whole body trembled. He gasped for air, then, with all his might, let out a roaring yell of frustration:

"Ling——'er——!!!!!"

The air vibrated as this great roar pierced through the darkness, traveling very, very far.

"Roar!!"

And at that very moment, from far ahead, a muffled roar suddenly resounded.

The roar was extremely distant, seemingly from a thousand li away. Yun Che's entire body abruptly shuddered, his ears instantly deafened, and his chest felt as if struck by a massive hammer. His internal organs violently jolted, and a mouthful of blood surged up his throat.

This... this is!?

Yun Che stumbled back a few steps before barely steadying himself, his heart filled with terror... That sound was clearly a beast's roar!

Here... profound beasts actually live here?

Profound beasts surviving in a world like this!?

The mere fact that creatures existed here was enough to startle Yun Che, but what shocked him most was that this profound beast's roar, even from such a distant range, directly inflicted internal injury upon him.

It was like being unexpectedly struck in the chest with a palm.

What terrifying power, what terrifying creature could that be!?