Chapter 2361: Demonic Howl

## The Mortal World

After observing for ten years, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol had become intimately familiar with how these demonic beasts behaved when devouring the special demonic energy.

When they first began to devour, they were conscious.

Once they started refining the special demonic energy, they would enter a state akin to 'deep slumber'. At this time, they were even more alert than usual, and their spiritual senses were sharper. Any slight disturbance could wake them.

If disturbed at this point, they would inevitably fly into a rage.

Therefore, it was best for the Azure Luan Dharma Idol to sneak in before they entered their slumber, as the chance of exposure would be lower.

The Sky Eye Butterfly fixated on the black lotus.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol, on the other hand, watched the movements of the Black Panther and other beasts. While the Heavenly Awareness Thunder Robe was difficult to detect, the surrounding elemental energy was highly sensitive. If he caused any unusual fluctuations, he would still be exposed.

He slowly but steadily approached the black river. At this moment, the Black Panther and the other beasts showed no reaction.

The special demonic energy permeated the air. The first black lotus was almost fully bloomed, and a second bud had already emerged.

According to Little Five's own judgment, one black lotus contained an extremely abundant amount of special demonic energy. Refining just one would likely be enough to support her transformation. Therefore, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol first set his target on the first black lotus. Of course, if he had the opportunity to take all three, he wouldn't mind.

The lotus petals had just unfurled, making the black lotus appear delicate and enticing.

He was getting closer to the black river. The surrounding black demonic energy was as dense as water. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol could even hear periodic, tide-like sounds.

Seeing that he hadn't alerted the Black Panther and other beasts, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol refocused his attention, calculating the distance. Just as he was about to make a decisive move to seize the black lotus, he suddenly saw the first black lotus tremble.

This had never happened before.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol immediately felt a sense of unease and then sensed a strange fluctuation emanating from the black lotus.

"Something's wrong!"

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol hastily stopped, but it was already too late.

The black lotus's fluctuation immediately triggered a change. Both the Azure Luan Dharma Idol and the Sky Eye Butterfly simultaneously felt as if a shadow had fallen over their vision, and they themselves were enveloped within this shadow.

*Whoosh!*

Before they could react, their surroundings began to fluctuate.

At this very moment, a circle of black mist suddenly appeared around the black lotus. The mist enveloped the lotus, forming a barrier that hadn't been there before, like a protective enchantment.

Completely unaware, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol crashed straight into it.

He hadn't expected to avoid alarming the Black Panther and other beasts, only to be discovered by the black lotus itself.

He and the Sky Eye Butterfly had observed for so long without detecting this enchantment. They had never seen the black mist before; it must be another self-preservation ability of the black lotus.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol's collision with the enchantment triggered a violent reaction from it, and he had no time to stop the fluctuation from spreading. The beasts outside would soon awaken and inevitably swarm him. Anyone daring to approach the black lotus would be torn to shreds.

The situation was critical, but the Azure Luan Dharma Idol, though startled, remained calm.

His expression hardened. Without looking back, he and the Sky Eye Butterfly jointly activated the Sky Eye divine ability, staring intently at the enchantment. A look of determination then flashed in his eyes.

The power forming the enchantment was intricately linked to the surrounding true demonic energy, something he had never seen before. But never seeing it didn't mean it couldn't be broken. The Void Profound Divine Light, which the Sky Eye Butterfly had comprehended after breaking through to its Sixth Transformation, inherently possessed the ability to break restrictions and even escape from void domain lockdowns. The power of this divine ability surpassed ordinary imagination; few powers in the world could entrap her.

For anyone else, the only option would be to forcibly breach the enchantment. But they would likely be surrounded by the beasts before they could even break it open. They, however, could use the Void Profound Divine Light to pass through the enchantment's blockade.

However, the time left for them was too short. There was no leisure to analyze the enchantment in detail; they could only rely on the Sky Eye Butterfly's instincts. The possibility of failure was high, and if they failed, they would have to flee far away.

Time was of the essence. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol had no time to think further. He immediately made up his mind, connecting his consciousness with the Sky Eye Butterfly.

The next moment, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol abandoned the Heavenly Awareness Thunder Robe, fully cooperating with the Sky Eye Butterfly to activate the divine ability. His figure materialized. Simultaneously, a faint divine light bloomed on the Azure Luan Dharma Idol's shoulder, then his entire body was enveloped in a subtle glow. His form appeared both illusory and real. With a slight movement, he generated several afterimages.

At the same time, angry roars from the beasts echoed around them.

Completely ignoring the now-alerted beasts, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol pressed forward, leaving a dreamlike trail within the enchantment.

At this moment, he and the Sky Eye Butterfly were fully focused, not thinking about success or failure, nor analyzing whether the path ahead was clear, but relying entirely on instinct.

Being naturally cautious, he rarely acted this way. Now, together with the Sky Eye Butterfly, immersed in a mysterious state, he saw sights beyond imagination. Perhaps this was the true meaning of the Void Profound Divine Light. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol vaguely realized that he hadn't given the Sky Eye Butterfly's divine ability the wrong name when he called it 'Void Profound'.

The almost perfect enchantment surprisingly revealed a path before them. This path might not truly exist, yet it was genuinely 'seen' by the Sky Eye Butterfly; it was indeed a 'path' through which they could pass through the enchantment.

The ball of light they had transformed into flickered rapidly, sometimes even intermittently, and with the final flash, they were already on the bank of the black river!

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol felt a blur, and he had already passed through the enchantment, appearing above the black river.

The black lotus was right before him, within arm's reach!

The Sky Eye Butterfly brought him another surprise: from now on, ordinary formations and restrictions would no longer be able to block them. It truly was the perfect method for sneaking in and stealing treasures.

However, considering that the Void Butterfly could move freely even in Dengbao Mountain, there was still a significant gap between the Sky Eye Butterfly and it.

At this time, the first black lotus had fully bloomed, the second black lotus had opened a few petals, and the third was still just a small bud.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol didn't hesitate, raising his claw to grab the first black lotus, but unexpectedly, he grasped nothing!

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol was startled. He saw the black lotus suddenly retract, like a frightened small beast, then swiftly sink downwards. The incident happened suddenly. The black lotus retracted extremely fast. The lotus leaves and the third lotus flower instantly submerged into the water. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol's reaction was also swift; his phoenix claw grabbed empty air, and several bolts of azure lightning immediately shot from his fingertips.

*Whoosh!*

The black lotus swayed violently, emitting black light. Simultaneously, a surge of black tide, unusually fierce, rushed out from the black river.

*Sizzle!*

The azure lightning forcibly tore through the black tide and black light, finally transforming into a thunder claw that sliced into the stem of the already bloomed lotus. The slender stem was extremely tough, but fortunately, the thunder claw was sharp enough to successfully sever the lotus.

With the lotus in hand, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol saw that the black lotus had completely submerged into the 'water'.

The calm 'river water' was now turbulent with waves. A terrifying storm, previously hidden deep within the black river, suddenly erupted, causing furious waves and torrents, appearing like a rift in the void!

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol was startled. "Is there a void rift at the bottom of the river?"

If so, the black river might not be a simple void rift, but rather a fissure in the Earth Membrane!

This would explain why so much black demonic energy accumulated here. Only if this place could connect to the Demon Realm would true demonic energy seep in from there.

A strong sense of danger suddenly arose in the Azure Luan Dharma Idol's heart.

The closer he got to the black river, the more he felt its profound depth. He had seen void rifts many times, whether artificially created or caused by the great powers of heaven and earth. The black river was unlike those void rifts. At this moment, the black river felt even deeper than a void rift, like a bottomless black hole leading to some distant place, and the sense of danger he felt originated from there.

Could his judgment be wrong? Was the black lotus not ownerless, and its owner perhaps even a mighty figure from the Demon Realm?!

He could not stay here any longer!

This thought flashed through the Azure Luan Dharma Idol's mind. Not driven by greed, he resolutely gave up the idea of taking another lotus and shot into the sky.

The good news was that this enchantment defended against outsiders but not insiders; the Azure Luan Dharma Idol easily burst out of it. The bad news was that because he had exposed himself prematurely, the surrounding fierce beasts had already surrounded him, glaring menacingly.

All the demonic beasts had fallen into a frenzy.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

Angry roars rose and fell, making it impossible to distinguish which beast was which.

*Whoosh!*

A pungent, bloody smell assaulted him. Out of the corner of his eye, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol caught a glimpse of a blood-red shadow, like a crimson whip, attacking through the air. This crimson whip-like shadow was a thousand zhang long, capable of shattering mountains with a single strike.

It was a snake's tail!

A snake's image appeared in the Azure Luan Dharma Idol's mind. Besides the snake demon suspected to be a descendant of Xiangliu, there was another snake demon here, a red-scaled python.

This red-scaled python was also one of the beasts he most feared. Although they had never fought, judging by the aura it emitted, it was likely the most powerful among the group of beasts.

The red-scaled python's attack at this moment was indeed extraordinary.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol dared not be careless. With a flap of his wings, his upward momentum ceased abruptly. He suddenly lunged forward, while the Daiyu Immortal Mountain, held in his bird claw, rapidly grew into a colossal mountain.

*Boom!*

The immortal mountain toppled, crashing heavily onto the snake's tail.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol immediately heard a sharp shriek, filled with deep pain and rage. The Daiyu Immortal Mountain failing to crush its tail into pulp was enough to prove how strong its physical body was. However, this snake demon was still flesh and blood, so pain was unavoidable.

The snake tail snapped back abruptly.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol seized the opportunity and continued to rush outwards, only to immediately smell a putrid stench.

Suddenly, gray raindrops fell from the sky, intolerably foul-smelling. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol felt his body become unusually heavy, as if he were trapped in a mass of soft mud, with a gentle yet powerful resistance ahead. Within the gray rain, patches of smoke and clouds emerged. On closer inspection, these smoke clouds were like soft yet tough nets, and they were different divine abilities from the gray rain, originating from two separate beasts.

Facing the pincer attack from two beasts simultaneously, the feathers on the Azure Luan Dharma Idol's wings flashed with electricity, and he shot a bolt of lightning skyward. This lightning contained not only his demonic lightning but also true Azure Luan lightning, making its power unmatched. The gray rain evaporated upon contact with the lightning.

*Boom!*

The lightning seemed to pierce a hole in the sky, and the downpour abruptly ceased. At the same time, the Sky Eye Butterfly once again activated the Void Profound Divine Light, enveloping the Azure Luan Dharma Idol and transforming him into an illusory rainbow light that horizontally passed through the smoke and clouds.

After breaking through three dangerous barriers in succession, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol ran straight into a black shadow.

Upon closer inspection, a gigantic black panther face was inches away. The black panther opened its blood-red mouth, its fangs right above his head, ready to bite down and swallow him.

Fortunately, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol had already placed the Daiyu Immortal Mountain horizontally in front of him.

*Crack!*

The black panther bit directly onto the immortal mountain, its fangs snapping instantly. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol shoved forward heavily, and the black panther grunted, stumbling backward.

At this moment, Little Five and the Sky Eye Butterfly also frequently made moves, finally creating an opening for the Azure Luan Dharma Idol.

*Whoosh!*

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol transformed into azure lightning, shooting straight upwards and bursting out of the beasts' encirclement.

Listening to the angry roars rising and falling behind him, he secretly felt fortunate. Luckily, these creatures were not highly intelligent and lacked coordinated teamwork; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to escape at all.

Disregarding the drain on his energy, the Azure Luan Dharma Idol fully activated the true Azure Luan lightning, speeding towards the entrance of the Abyssal Pit at a pace the beasts couldn't hope to match.

The enraged beasts still pursued relentlessly. One beast, skilled in escape techniques, surpassed the others but could only see the Azure Luan Dharma Idol's disappearing back.

At the entrance of the Abyssal Pit.

Qin Sang's main body gazed at the Abyssal Pit, his eyes gleaming with an unusual light. He could sense everything that the Azure Luan Dharma Idol experienced. Seeing that the Azure Luan Dharma Idol had escaped, Qin Sang waved his hand. The mountain peaks on both sides of the Abyssal Pit simultaneously trembled, emitting two towering rays of brilliant light that pierced through the heavens and earth. Array flags on the mountains fluttered noisily.

*Whoosh!*

The two rays of brilliant light successively plunged into the Abyssal Pit, piercing downwards like sharp arrows, brushing past the Azure Luan Dharma Idol. Where the brilliant lights intersected, a colossal, illusory spiritual banner appeared, its surface azure and blue.

*Whoosh!*

The banner surface vibrated, unleashing a tremendous force. The foremost beast was slapped hard, its figure sent flying backward, causing a commotion.

The Azure Luan Dharma Idol reunited with his main body at the entrance of the Abyssal Pit. The Dharma Idol returned to the main body. Qin Sang waved his hand again, and the array flags on both mountains shattered one after another, having exhausted the power of the spiritual formations without reservation. At the same time, Qin Sang lightly tapped his feet, fully activating the true Azure Luan lightning, and sped away through the air.

The Black River.

As the black lotus sank, black tides continuously surged from the black river, making it increasingly restless.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, a giant wave surged out, followed by a terrifying aura. This aura burst out of the enchantment and surged towards the entrance of the Abyssal Pit, but it was a step too late; Qin Sang had already fled.

From deep within the Abyssal Pit came a long roar, like a demonic howl, filled with boundless rage. Hearing this demonic howl, the anger in the beasts' eyes surprisingly turned into fear, and they let out panicked cries.

*Boom!*

However, the owner of the demonic howl seemed to be wary of something. The aura ultimately did not burst out of the Abyssal Pit and was forcefully suppressed.

Qin Sang, flying far away, sensed that aura and was greatly alarmed. Seeing it recede, he remained in doubt and uncertainty. Could it be that the black river truly connected to the Demon Realm, and this Earth Membrane fissure had already been discovered by the Demon Realm, with this black lotus perhaps sent over from there...

The Demon Realm had always coveted the Spirit Realm, harboring ill intentions. According to common sense, once the Demon Realm gained control of an Earth Membrane fissure, they would surely lead a grand army to invade.

However, that entity had given up pursuit midway. It seemed crossing between the two realms wasn't so easy. Even if there were fissures in the Earth Membrane, the demon race might not be able to pass through safely; otherwise, the mighty figures of the Spirit Realm would never stand idly by. By taking one black lotus, he had incurred another powerful enemy. However, cultivators of the Spirit Realm and the Demon Realm were natural mortal enemies, so offending them was simply part of the deal.

"Whether it's an Earth Membrane fissure or not, if I get the chance in the future, it would be best to bring a mighty figure here to level this place."

Qin Sang, still unsettled, thought to himself.