Chapter 148: Again Encountering Jìnlíng

The Netherworld's Abyss, though perpetually dark, is densely vegetated. It features many gigantic trees, hundreds of meters tall, with dark gray trunks, branches, and leaves. These trees grow by absorbing the unique nether energy of the abyss.

The mountain ranges are towering and the terrain steep. Even near the foothills, there are many cliffs and deep valleys, where a single misstep could lead to a fatal fall.

Along the way, Li Weiyi discovered numerous signs of combat.

Trees had been leveled by blades and axes, and mountain walls split by battle swords.

Many places bore remnants of bloodstains and fragments of robes and magical artifacts.

The battles had occurred at different times, which could be inferred from the varying dryness of the bloodstains. The earliest combat took place a month ago, while the most recent was twenty days prior.

Li Weiyi said, "It seems our judgment was correct. The young martial cultivators from various major factions in Burial Immortal Town did indeed take this path to leave Lizhou. But why were there continuous battles along the way? Was it infighting among the factions, or did they encounter unknown dangers within the abyss?"

Li Ling meditated on the back of Mawu, with the bronze nether-lantern placed on its tiger head. Its blue light enveloped both person and beast.

She reminded him, "Have you noticed anything strange?"

Li Weiyi nodded. "In these dozens of miles, we've found traces of over ten battles, yet we haven't seen a single corpse. It's impossible for all the bodies to have been carried away by their companions; there should be some left behind."

Li Ling, in the uniquely serene tone of Zen Sea Mist-Gazer, said, "Many martial cultivators who die in the Netherworld's Abyss transform into confused and dazed departed spirits. The dark energy of the abyss corrupts their bodies and pollutes their souls."

"This dark energy is all around us, omnipresent."

"Do you mean that all the martial cultivators who died here have turned into departed spirits?" Li Weiyi was horrified. He quickly circulated his magical power and extended his five senses outward, fearing a sudden onslaught of terrifying humanoid creatures from the darkness.

Li Ling said, "Something still seems off! Logically, when corpses transform into departed spirits, they initially have very low intelligence and weak consciousness, and would remain in place. But we haven't seen a single one along our entire journey. It's too clean!"

Li Weiyi felt deeply uneasy after her words, as if a cold wind was blowing down his back. Upon returning to Mawu's back, he took out a high-grade magical artifact, a blue nether banner, and activated a protective blue formation of light.

Dozens of armored departed spirits flew out from the nether banner, guarding their surroundings.

He was using departed spirits to counter departed spirits.

The Longshan mountain range stretches far. To exit the abyss via this path and reach Zhizhou would require a journey of over a thousand miles.

While traveling, Li Weiyi continuously circulated his spiritual energy to nourish his lungs and drank from the golden spring to temper his bones. He dared not waste any time, actively preparing to break through to the second stage of the Five Seas Realm.

Only by entering the second stage of the Five Seas Realm, cultivating third-tier Qi, and achieving the materialized form of battle intent, could one truly be considered a top expert among the younger generation.

Only then would he have sufficient confidence to contend with other young generation experts.

Next to him, Zen Sea Mist-Gazer was absorbing a bottle of fresh blood she had just received from him.

Her physical body had already solidified.

She didn't need much blood to bypass the order of the Yang World, allowing her to arrive in this world in a living state during the Yin realm's night.

The two traveled for another ten miles.

From a distance, Zen Sea Mist-Gazer heard sounds in the darkness. She looked towards the dense forest ahead and, several miles away, saw five figures walking through the trees, appearing and disappearing.

With a flick of her finger, the nether-lantern's light dimmed, plunging the surrounding several yards into darkness.

Li Weiyi opened his eyes and looked in the direction of her gaze. "What is it?"

The darkness of the abyss severely affected a martial cultivator's vision.

Li Weiyi had to activate his Celestial Eye in his forehead just to barely discern figures several miles away. It was normal for him to be inferior to Zen Sea Mist-Gazer; with her imperial bone, even immortals couldn't compare.

Quietly approaching within a mile of the five individuals, Li Weiyi could finally see clearly: "Three elders are wearing iron-cloth battle armor and wielding simple blades. They should be Five Seas Realm experts from the Three Chen Palace's Iron-Clad Army. The young woman in the white martial robe, judging by its style, likely belongs to the Sui Sect."

Li Ling's voice chimed in: "That's Sheng Tianyin, a young expert from the Sheng clan, the second most prominent family in the Huai Sect. She ranks among the top twenty of the entire sect's younger generation."

"The fifth one is quite formidable: Chi Yongsheng, the second most powerful young expert of the Scarlet Li Tribe, with a cultivation level in the fourth stage of the Five Seas Realm."

Li Weiyi glanced at her, focusing on her eyes. "Strange, how did these five end up together? Logically, the young martial cultivators from the major factions should have already passed through and left twenty days ago. Why are some still lingering?"

"Instead of asking me, why don't you go meet them yourself?" Li Ling's tone was faint, making it hard to tell who was speaking.

"Alright, I will."

Li Weiyi was naturally a person of intense curiosity and investigative drive. He activated the invisibility power of his high-grade night-traveling robe, hid two magical artifact weapons within its folds, and stealthily approached.

He stopped within a dozen yards and observed again.

The five individuals in the forest walked back and forth, holding their magical artifact weapons, completely silent and without interacting.

This was too bizarre. Normal people wouldn't be in such a state within the dark abyss.

"Could it be that they have already turned into departed spirits?"

Li Weiyi's curiosity grew stronger. He picked up a pebble from the ground, enveloped it in spiritual energy, and flicked it out.

"Bang!"

The pebble struck the chest of one of the Three Chen Palace elders, shattering upon his iron-cloth battle armor. However, the powerful impact force contained within the pebble, like a cannonball, sent the Five Seas Realm elder flying backward along with his simple blade.

The other four simultaneously let out cold shouts, their gaze fixed on the spot where Li Weiyi stood invisible, searching for the attacker.

Their eyes were sharp, and their vitality was vigorous, unlike the dazed state of departed spirits.

At the signal of Chi Yongsheng, the highest-cultivated among them, two Three Chen Palace elders radiating Five Seas Realm aura quickly advanced, brandishing their blades. They couldn't see Li Weiyi but knew from where the pebble had flown.

The two elders wildly swung their blades in all directions, their blade energy extending several yards, and their blade glow illuminated by spiritual energy, like flashes of lightning in the darkness.

Li Weiyi observed for a moment, then stopped dodging. He took out an iron book from his robe and flung it out.

"Swish! Swish!"

Thirty-five book pages, enveloped in spiritual energy, acted like thirty-five glowing spheres, blasting the two Three Chen Palace elders away.

Their physical bodies were severely damaged, and from their wounds, extremely conspicuous sparks flew out in the darkness. This made Li Weiyi's eyes widen in surprise.

Chi Yongsheng and Sheng Tianyin arrived quickly, one after the other.

One was robust and well-built, the other delicate and graceful, but both exuded powerful auras and chilling murderous intent in their eyes.

Before they even reached him, a spiritual energy storm had already swept over Li Weiyi.

Both currents of spiritual energy were overwhelming, almost enough to send Li Weiyi flying. He had to exert all his strength to stabilize his stance and root himself to the ground.

"Roar!"

Chi Yongsheng let out a long howl, a sound indistinguishable from thunder, nearly shattering Li Weiyi's eardrums.

Facing an individual at the fourth stage of the Five Seas Realm, Li Weiyi dared not be careless in the slightest. He immediately drew his high-grade magical artifact, the Sky Flame Blade, and furiously channeled a vast amount of spiritual energy into it.

The blade transformed into a scorching cloud of fire, slashing directly towards Chi Yongsheng's waist and abdomen.

Chi Yongsheng did not meet the blade head-on; instead, he leaped into the air to dodge, then struck with a palm print that bore down on Li Weiyi's head.

He wore armor, and his palm, covered by gauntlets, resembled a five-fingered metallic iron seal.

"Oh no! He possesses combat intelligence. Could he not be a departed spirit?"

At this point, it was too late to change his move and block. His opponent was an individual at the fourth stage of the Five Seas Realm, far superior to ordinary cultivators of the same tier. Li Weiyi immediately executed the Pure Void Cicada-Chasing Steps, his feet moving like a phantom, dashing out of the spiritual energy shroud of Chi Yongsheng's palm strike, narrowly evading it.

If he had taken that palm strike head-on, even an iron man would have been shattered.

Sheng Tianyin and Chi Yongsheng cooperated with exceptional synergy.

She followed closely, having already prepared a torrent of sword energy, a rain of blades designed to slice his body into pieces or mince it into pulp.

Li Weiyi activated all his numerous protective treasures, then courageously charged into the sword energy torrent, unleashing an incredibly dominant slash, executing the Grand Unity Sea-Splitter.

"Boom!"

The blade light briefly tore through the darkness, like a full moon standing on the ground.

Sheng Tianyin resisted with all her might, but her strength was no match for Li Weiyi's. Her battle sword broke, and her delicate body was sent flying. The arm that held the sword was severed at the shoulder.

She was a top-twenty expert among the Sui Sect's younger generation, with combat power far exceeding that of ordinary third-stage Five Seas Realm martial cultivators.

Severely wounding such an expert with a single slash, Li Weiyi felt no joy whatsoever.

This was because Sheng Tianyin hadn't even used the strongest combat state of a third-stage Five Seas Realm martial cultivator: "Materialized Battle Intent."

It was as if she didn't know how.

From her severed arm, what spilled out wasn't blood, but countless bright sparks.

After falling to the ground, she let out strange cries, completely oblivious to pain, and abruptly sprang back up. Her severed arm on the ground transformed into a long snake of sparks, flying back to reattach, growing into a new arm.

In an instant, her severed arm reconnected.

"This..."

Li Weiyi stared at the flames in Sheng Tianyin's pupils, a familiar feeling rising in his heart.

"Thud, thud."

Footsteps grew rapid as they swiftly ran to encircle him.

Sheng Tianyin and the three Three Chen Palace elders attacked together, their spiritual energy surging, simple blades continuously descending. Li Weiyi fought one against four, growing more astonished with each clash; it was as if they couldn't be harmed. When the Sky Flame Blade struck them, their wounds quickly healed.

Chi Yongsheng, the most highly cultivated, prowled the edge of the battlefield, his eyes like a venomous snake, seeking an opportunity for a fatal strike.

At this moment, the exotic beast Mawu approached.

Zen Sea Mist-Gazer, sitting on its back, had already figured out what was happening. Spiritual light flowed at her slender, delicate fingertips as she drew a rune and flicked it out.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."

Each rune unleashed could suppress one person, forcing them to fall to the ground.

Chi Yongsheng's pupils flashed with alarm as he sensed trouble. He glanced at the girl on Mawu's back, and two flames appeared beneath his feet, sending him rushing deep into the abyss at high speed.

"Is it too late to flee now?"

Li Weiyi, wearing his Wind-Riding Boots, moved sideways with ghost-like speed, intercepting his path.

"Get lost!"

Chi Yongsheng roared, spitting out numerous sparks from his mouth, and unleashed a full-power punch.

The radiance bursting from his fist illuminated the surrounding miles, energy seething, and the force shattering mountains and rivers—a display of combat power only achievable by a fourth-stage Five Seas Realm expert.

Li Weiyi, having long desired a good fight, was utterly fearless. He gripped his blade with both hands and slashed out.

"Rumble!"

The blade clashed with the iron fist, the clanging sound like two iron mountains colliding.

Li Weiyi reeled back six or seven yards, his fingers numb with pain, making it difficult to firmly grip his battle blade.

"Good, again."

Li Weiyi's physical recovery speed was incredibly fast. As spiritual energy and immortal glow flowed through his meridians and circled his arms once, most of the numbness disappeared. After the second circuit, he had fully recovered.

This recovery speed was the confidence that allowed him to fight against opponents three realms higher.

Before he could have another chance, Chi Yongsheng was struck by a rune unleashed by Zen Sea Mist-Gazer. He stood there motionless, as if frozen.

Zen Sea Mist-Gazer flew down in front of him and struck his chest at the Danzhong acupoint with a punch.

"Thud!"

As the force of the punch, imbued with spiritual energy, surged in, countless cracks appeared on Chi Yongsheng's body.

A monster, covered in sparks, flew out from within him and landed heavily on the ground behind.

The monster still couldn't move, as the rune was targeting it, not Chi Yongsheng. It finally cried out in terror, "Who exactly are you? What kind of rune is this?"

"A Cinder Spirit can actually talk?"

Li Weiyi had seen Cinder Spirits in the Ash Region beneath the Hidden Gate, which allowed him to recognize it at a glance.