Chapter 699: Familiar Abyss

In the deepest part of Haoran Academy, in front of a thatched cottage, a man in a green shirt held a book scroll in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, wearing a leisurely expression.

Huangtian Sect had Li Sa, Vajra Temple had Fahua, and Haoran Academy had Liu Tianyi.

These three were arguably the longest-lived individuals in the entire Dragon Ascension Realm. However, unlike Li Sa and Fahua, who were clearly very old, Liu Tianyi, at first glance, appeared to be only around forty, undoubtedly much younger than his two peers.

This was not due to any secret beauty regimen he possessed, but rather a difference in their cultivation paths.

The cultivation path of Haoran Academy emphasized a boundless spirit and freedom like the wind. This allowed its practitioners to live with more freedom and maintain a youthful mindset than the other two, which in turn made it difficult for signs of aging to appear on their physical bodies.

Of course, this was also why Liu Tianyi possessed a deep mastery of the Haoran Path. This mastery was unrelated to his cultivation realm, but rather an accomplishment in his state of mind.

The fishing float suspended on the water suddenly sank, and a pulling force came from the fishing rod in his hand. Liu Tianyi, however, made no move, simply raising his head to look north.

His former leisure had vanished at some point, replaced by solemnity and bewilderment.

A gentle breeze swept by, and Liu Tianyi's figure had already vanished, with the fishing rod dragged into the water.

At the edge of the sky, a streak of light shot directly northward.

Almost at the same moment, Liu Tianyi and Fahua of Vajra Temple felt something, three days later than Li Sa, who had already passed away in meditation.

This was not because Li Sa's cultivation was higher, but because those close to death can perceive things others cannot.

All three were the longest-living powerful cultivators in the Dragon Ascension Realm, each carrying a portion of the realm's destiny. While they might not have been able to advance their own cultivation further, changes in the Dragon Ascension Realm could grant them vague premonitions.

Huangliang of Huangtian Sect, Fahua of Vajra Temple, Liu Tianyi of Haoran Academy, and Lu Ye and Ye Liuli—all these figures were heading north. For a time, it was a momentous gathering.

The territory of the Dragon Ascension Realm was not actually large, being much smaller than that of Kyushu.

In one day, Lu Ye, with Ye Liuli and Yiyi, traveled from Feng Province to Jia Province. Another day later, they had already passed through Gan Province, and further north lay Xue Province.

Although Xue Province was named after snow, it did not snow all year round. It was simply located in the north, so temperatures were generally lower.

However, these temperature changes did not significantly affect cultivators.

What reassured Lu Ye was that in the past few days, Ye Liuli's recurring condition showed no signs of acting up. However, on second thought, her condition didn't actually flare up frequently; sometimes it occurred only once every few months, and sometimes once every few years, so they should have plenty of time.

They rested outdoors for the night and continued their journey at dawn, finally arriving in Xue Province.

The Medicine Valley of the Little Medicine Immortal was located in Xue Province. It was no longer far; at Lu Ye's current pace, they would arrive in at most a day.

Upon reaching Xue Province, the Heavenly Chasm was already visible in the distance.

When Lu Ye entered this realm, he already had some information about the Heavenly Chasm in his mind, so he was somewhat interested in its sudden appearance eight hundred years ago.

According to the cultivators of the Dragon Ascension Realm, the current difficult situation in the cultivation world began when the Heavenly Chasm appeared. The Heavenly Chasm spanned across the land, seemingly without any direct impact on the Dragon Ascension Realm, yet it seemed to possess a subtle, pervasive power, causing the cultivation limit for cultivators across the world to continuously decrease, with each generation weaker than the last.

Lu Ye couldn't figure out the exact reason behind this, but he vaguely sensed that his trip to the Dragon Ascension Realm secret realm would likely not be able to avoid this strange Heavenly Chasm.

He looked up and indeed saw a massive mark stretching across the horizon, as if the sky itself had been torn apart.

It also resembled a dark centipede crawling on the celestial curtain, with the cracks around the Heavenly Chasm appearing like the centipede's legs.

"Lu Ye," Yiyi suddenly spoke, "Don't you think this Heavenly Chasm looks a bit familiar?"

Lu Ye had, of course, already noticed it. He turned his head to glance at Ye Liuli, who was sleeping in Yiyi's arms, and a contemplative look flashed in his eyes.

The Heavenly Chasm stretching across the horizon was indeed familiar, because its shape was identical to the birthmark on Ye Liuli's back; even the number and positions of the centipede-like limbs were exactly the same.

The only difference was that one was enormous, while the other was merely a birthmark.

Could such a coincidence exist in this world?

If it were truly a coincidence, that would be one thing. But the key was that in the past few days, as they traveled north, Ye Liuli's condition had worsened. Despite being a Cloud River Realm cultivator, she had gradually become lethargic, spending most of the day in slumber.

This was clearly abnormal.

Lu Ye had only seen the birthmark on Ye Liuli's back once, but with his exceptional eyesight and memory, it was naturally impossible for him to forget it.

Was it really a coincidence?

But if it wasn't a coincidence, what connection did the birthmark on Ye Liuli's back have with this Heavenly Chasm?

Lu Ye couldn't quite figure it out.

Although he hadn't been in the Dragon Ascension Realm for long, he always felt that the entire realm was full of secrets, and he had a vague sense of impending disaster.

This sense of crisis continuously grew stronger as he proceeded.

Suddenly, spiritual energy fluctuations came from the side. Lu Ye turned his head to look, only to see a streak of light flickering and moving around a large spirit ship, periodically activating artifacts to strike the vessel, but these were all blocked by the cultivators on board.

The streak of light clearly belonged to a Cloud River Ninth-Stage cultivator, but this person appeared to be heavily injured, their aura fluctuating erratically.

So even though the cultivators on the spirit ship were not as strong as him, he was temporarily helpless.

Yet, he did not retreat, feigning attacks while shouting, "You beasts of the Heavenly Chasm Sect, how dare you commit such evil deeds? Just wait to be annihilated! Cough, cough, cough..."

As he shouted, the man spat out a mouthful of blood, looking as if he was on the verge of death.

The Heavenly Chasm Sect...

Lu Ye recalled for a moment; he had a vague impression of this force. They seemed to be a group of rather fanatical cultivators whose aim was to comprehend the mysteries of the Heavenly Chasm, always believing that the secrets contained within it were the only way out for cultivators of the Dragon Ascension Realm.

The general perception of the Heavenly Chasm Sect in the Dragon Ascension Realm was not very good. However, because powerful cultivators gathered within the Heavenly Chasm Sect and they only operated within Xue Province, rarely leaving it, ordinary cultivators found it difficult to encounter them.

Unexpectedly, he encountered them here.

Lu Ye was generally reluctant to intervene in conflicts between cultivators, as he didn't know who was right or wrong between the warring parties, and rash intervention would only bring him trouble.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly looked towards the cabin of the large ship. There was a window at that location, which, judging by its position, should be the lower hold. Through that window, he saw many figures huddled together.

What astonished him was that those people were all uncultivated mortals, each with desperate and terrified expressions, and many appeared to be injured.

Conflicts between cultivators rarely affected mortals. This was true in both the Dragon Ascension Realm and Kyushu.

After all, cultivators also started as mortals and progressed step by step. Without the mortal population, where would cultivators come from?

In Kyushu, large numbers of mortals lived in the territories of the major sects. Each sect had a responsibility to protect the mortals within its territory, because the continuation of the sect's lineage depended on selecting talented disciples from these mortals.

The large number of mortals in the ship's cabin looked like they had been abducted, otherwise their expressions would not be so terrified.

Connecting this with what the coughing Ninth-Stage cultivator had shouted, Lu Ye vaguely understood what was happening.

What did this Heavenly Chasm Sect intend to do?

Even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows; their foundation was in Xue Province, yet now, for some unknown reason, they had abducted so many mortals. Were they not afraid that news would spread and the three dominant sects would join forces to encircle and annihilate them?

Such things had not been unheard of in the Dragon Ascension Realm. There was once an evil sect that disregarded mortal lives and committed widespread slaughter. As a result, the three dominant sects took action, and overnight, that vast evil sect was utterly destroyed.

However, whatever they were doing, it was clearly nothing good. The coughing Ninth-Stage cultivator must have stumbled upon this and wanted to intervene, but was powerless due to his severe injuries.

"Stay here, don't move," Lu Ye instructed Yiyi, then directly shot out from the spirit boat and streaked towards that direction.

If it were just a conflict between cultivators, he would be too lazy to intervene. But since it involved mortals, he couldn't stand idly by.

Thinking back, he himself had been rescued from the Evil Moon Valley by cultivators of the Vast Sky Alliance and had progressed step by step to where he was today.

His speed was extremely fast; in the blink of an eye, he was within three li of the battlefield.

The coughing cultivator vaguely sensed something and turned his head to look in this direction, a wary expression immediately appearing in his eyes. His current condition was poor; otherwise, he would have long since breached the large ship's defenses.

At this moment, someone suddenly appeared. Who knew if the newcomer belonged to the Heavenly Chasm Sect, after all, this was their territory.

Upon seeing Lu Ye's cultivation level, Cloud River Sixth-Stage, he didn't need to be too afraid.

While he remained wary, Lu Ye had already arrived nearby. What reassured him was that Lu Ye showed no hostility, merely blocking the large ship's path and gazing at the vessel ahead.

A friend, not an enemy!

The man immediately made a judgment and shouted, "Little brother, for some unknown reason, this Heavenly Chasm Sect has abducted a large number of mortals, seemingly intending to send them north. Let's work together to break through their defenses and rescue the people first."

"Good!" Lu Ye responded, having already drawn the Mountain-Shattering Blade from his waist and fiercely brought it down forward.

Seeing this scene, the Ninth-Stage cultivator said, "This spirit ship has a protective formation. Little brother, don't waste your strength yet. Let's work together..."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Ye had already brought his blade down. With this strike, the protective light barrier covering the entire spirit ship violently trembled, as if a stone had been dropped into a calm lake, and layers of ripples rapidly spread outwards.

This sight startled the man. He was a Ninth-Stage cultivator, and even if he couldn't unleash his full power, it was impossible for him to be inferior to a Sixth-Stage cultivator. Yet, his previous few attacks hadn't caused such a massive disturbance.

Furthermore, in his opinion, Lu Ye's strike didn't seem particularly powerful, so there was no reason for it to have such a significant effect.