Chapter 943: Falling Demon Shadow

In the ravaged canyon.

Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on a rock. The Genesis Qi between heaven and earth surged in continuously, and after being refined by the Ancestral Dragon Scripture, it transformed into Heavenly Serpent Qi, pouring into his Divine Dwelling and gradually restoring his previous depletion.

After his Genesis Qi was restored, Zhou Yuan did not stop immediately. Instead, he pondered for a moment and then submerged his consciousness into his Divine Dwelling.

Currently, Zhou Yuan's Divine Dwelling, having already connected eight layers, was exceptionally vast. Inside, over thirty million Genesis Qi stars glittered, dazzling brilliantly.

Zhou Yuan's gaze, however, fell upon the barrier leading to the ninth layer.

It looked like a mottled shell, concealing the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling.

With a thought, the thirty-eight million Genesis Qi stars immediately burst forth with light. The light poured down onto the mottled barrier, slowly grinding it down.

This grinding process lasted for an hour.

But Zhou Yuan's brows couldn't help but furrow because the efficiency of this grinding was quite poor. This demonstrated just how difficult it would be to open the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling.

It truly felt like trying to grind an iron rod into a needle.

Furthermore, he wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Zhou Yuan always felt that there was something within the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling, making the difficulty of opening it even greater...

“If only I had known, I would have saved that Boundless Divine Dwelling Fruit to try now...”

This thought flashed through Zhou Yuan's mind, but he immediately shook his head, feeling that even the Boundless Divine Dwelling Fruit probably wouldn't be able to help him immediately break through to the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling.

His ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling was somewhat unexplainably strange.

Zhou Yuan felt a little troubled. It seemed that his Divine Dwelling's excessively high grade also brought some vexing problems.

With these troubled feelings, Zhou Yuan could only withdraw his consciousness from his Divine Dwelling and open his eyes.

Yi Qiushui, who had been watching from nearby, saw this and immediately floated lightly over.

“Are you alright?” she asked with concern.

Zhou Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, “How has the exploration of this small space gone? Any developments?”

Yi Qiushui replied, “After half a day of exploration, I'm afraid our team is the only one in this small space...”

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan was not too surprised. After all, they wouldn't encounter other teams every time they shifted into a new small space, because the number of small spaces derived within the Abyss of Falling Stars was countless and could not be filled by just tens of thousands of people.

“You were recovering earlier,” Yi Qiushui said with a smile, “so I let them continue searching for opportunities.”

Zhou Yuan nodded. Although the Abyss of Falling Stars was fraught with danger, it also contained numerous opportunities. If he wanted to quickly break through to the ninth layer of the Divine Dwelling, he would likely need to find opportunities here.

He stood up. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed. He looked up into the distance and saw several streaks of light rapidly approaching.

The streaks of light quickly entered the canyon and landed. It was Shang Xiaoling and a few others.

“Chief Pavilion Master,” Shang Xiaoling said, “we found a place rich in opportunities, but we also discovered something strange there. It should be a 'Fallen Fiend Shadow'.”

“Fallen Fiend Shadow?” Zhou Yuan was slightly startled. He was familiar with Fallen Fiend Shadows because, due to changes in the heaven-earth rules of the Abyss of Falling Stars, the powerful individuals who died there would transform into unconscious shadows. These were known as Fallen Fiend Shadows, and they possessed some of their strength from when they were alive, along with certain special abilities under the altered rules of the Abyss of Falling Stars.

Speaking of which, Fallen Fiend Shadows were considered one of the most dangerous existences within the Abyss of Falling Stars.

However, the strength of these shadows varied. It was said that the deeper one ventured into the small spaces, the more powerful the Fallen Fiend Shadows found there would be. There were even rumors of Dharma Domain Fiend Shadows.

“Let's go take a look,” Zhou Yuan pondered briefly, then said directly.

Shang Xiaoling nodded. Then, the group quickly led the way, while Zhou Yuan and Yi Qiushui followed.

The group traveled at full speed. Approximately half an hour later, they finally reached their destination.

Zhou Yuan stood on a hill, looking ahead. There was a huge lake, and thick mist permeated its surface, preventing even perception from extending into it. However, at the bottom of the lake, one could vaguely see shimmering lights, which were emerging opportunities.

At this moment, hundreds of people from the Heaven Abyss Territory gathered around the lake. They gazed longingly at the lake bottom, but no one dared to step into it.

“Chief Pavilion Master,” Shang Xiaoling said, “at first, nearly twenty team members ventured in, but none came out. Through our investigation, the thick mist above the lake might be a Genesis Rune barrier.”

“We organized team members skilled in Genesis Runes to try and decipher it,” Shang Xiaoling continued, “but progress is slow. It will take a considerable amount of time, and we are worried that if it takes too long, the trapped team members might be in mortal danger.”

Zhou Yuan's gaze fixed on the thick mist. The mist churned, seemingly without any pattern, but he keenly detected some unusual fluctuations.

“It is indeed a Genesis Rune barrier,” Zhou Yuan said, “and I also vaguely discovered a subtle yet powerful fluctuation deep within the thick mist. If my guess is correct, it should be a Fallen Fiend Shadow.”

“Can it be broken?” Yi Qiushui asked. She knew that Zhou Yuan's Genesis Rune attainments were likely unparalleled among those in the Divine Dwelling stage across the entire Heaven Abyss Territory.

“I'll give it a try.” Zhou Yuan pondered for a moment. With people trapped inside, they couldn't afford to delay, otherwise, casualties would be inevitable.

As his voice fell, he no longer hesitated. His figure moved, soaring out like a great roc, directly plunging into the thick mist.

As he entered the mist, Zhou Yuan immediately felt his body sink, as if he had fallen into a quagmire.

Moreover, the surrounding mist seemed to be continuously surging, like layers of sticky fog. Under that sticky fog, the circulation of Genesis Qi within Zhou Yuan's body actually became somewhat sluggish.

Zhou Yuan's brow slightly twitched. This barrier was indeed a bit troublesome; no wonder it could trap so many people.

However, Zhou Yuan did not panic. A psychic glow flickered between his brows as he began to explore the barrier. To destroy it, he had to find its key nodes.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan somewhat missed the "Barrier-Breaking Saint Rune" he once possessed. If he had it, the nodes of these barriers would be visible at a glance.

But without the "Barrier-Breaking Saint Rune," he could only rely on his psychic perception and his own Genesis Rune attainments.

Zhou Yuan walked forward leisurely, allowing the heavy, sticky mist to envelop him.

In his eyes, deep within the thick mist, there were numerous mysterious Genesis Marks. It was these countless Genesis Marks that formed this thick mist barrier.

And as long as he could discover their patterns, he would naturally be able to find the nodes.

Zhou Yuan carefully probed. A moment later, his eyes flickered slightly; he had indeed found some clues.

However, as time passed, he seemed not to notice that the sticky mist entwining his body was growing denser and denser...

Somewhere behind him, the mist rippled slightly. A shadow, imperceptible to the naked eye, silently darted out and, imbued with an extremely terrifying force, struck heavily directly at Zhou Yuan's back.

But just as that palm strike was about to land on Zhou Yuan's back, the corners of his lips subtly curved upwards. He muttered to himself, "Finally decided to show yourself?"

A psychic glow flickered between his brows. Soul Flame burst forth at this moment, directly enveloping his body.

Sizzle!

And under the burning of the Soul Flame, the sticky mist that had been entwining his body was instantly incinerated completely.

The circulation of Genesis Qi within his body instantly resumed.

The Heavenly Yuan Brush also appeared in his hand at this moment, directly imbued with vast Genesis Qi, and darted backward like lightning.

The two clashed head-on, and violent ripples of energy immediately swept out.

Zhou Yuan's body shook, and he actually took a step back, while the shadow was also forced back. It clearly realized that Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi was not restrained by the mist, and immediately turned and vanished.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan merely smiled. He flicked his fingers repeatedly, and dozens of Soul Flames shot out.

However, these Soul Flames did not pursue the shadow. Instead, they scattered in all directions, directly crashing into the mist.

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly and said, “Since you’ve shown yourself, I’ll burn your lair first.”

When the shadow appeared, Zhou Yuan knew it was a Fallen Fiend Shadow. And when it launched its attack, it also activated the entire barrier. Therefore, in that instant, Zhou Yuan also clearly perceived the nodes of this barrier.

As soon as his voice fell, this mist world began to violently churn. With a muffled sound, a wave of scorching flame swept through, and the thick mist quickly began to dissipate.

The barrier was broken!

The mist rapidly dissipated. Suddenly, a roar filled with apparent rage sounded, and a phantom shadow shot out, frantically attacking Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan finally saw the Fallen Fiend Shadow clearly at this moment. It still had a human form, but its body appeared ethereal, and its face was blurred. Yet, the powerful Genesis Qi emanating from its body was intimidating.

Clang! Clang!

Zhou Yuan swung the Heavenly Yuan Brush, blocking all its attacks.

As the mist dispersed, his eyes suddenly narrowed. He found that in the lake water, there were twenty water whirlpools, each trapping a human figure. Moreover, from these whirlpools, pipes formed from the lake water extended out, connecting to the Fallen Fiend Shadow.

Inside the lake water pipes, a blood-red aura was continuously being drawn out.

That was blood essence.

The Fallen Fiend Shadow was extracting their blood essence.

Zhou Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. Immediately, he waved his sleeve, sweeping away the mist, and shouted, "Concentrate fire!"

At this moment, around the lake, hundreds of Heaven Abyss Territory team members also discovered the manifested Fallen Fiend Shadow. Hearing Zhou Yuan's shout, their Genesis Qi immediately erupted.

Bang! Bang!

Genesis Qi exploded. The Fallen Fiend Shadow also let out a shriek, ripples violently fluctuating on its body. It was repeatedly forced back by the impacts, and its body even began to appear ethereal.

Realizing the situation was dire, the Fallen Fiend Shadow suddenly transformed into a streak of light, attempting to flee into the depths of the lake.

However, as soon as its figure moved, a shadow flashed and arrived as if teleporting.

Zhou Yuan clenched his five fingers tightly, and snow-white bristles entwined his palm.

Genesis Break!

The bristles turned jet black.

Behind Zhou Yuan, thirty-eight million Genesis Qi stars flickered.

Zhou Yuan punched the rippling, unstable body of the Fallen Fiend Shadow. The latter immediately let out a piercing shriek, and then its entire body exploded in that instant.

Zhou Yuan was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He clearly saw that at the moment the Fallen Fiend Shadow exploded, there was a brilliant point of light at its core, and he immediately swiftly grabbed it with his hand.

It was a pearl roughly the size of a fist.

The pearl was crystal clear, and within it, there seemed to be a special energy fluctuation.

But before Zhou Yuan could discern it, the pearl in his hand rapidly melted and then flowed directly from his palm into his body.

Zhou Yuan let out a soft exclamation. However, before he could quickly look inwards, his heart suddenly thumped violently, and divine light burst forth from his eyes.

Because he found that at this very instant, the ninth layer barrier within his Divine Dwelling had actually, silently, been dissolved by a layer...