Chapter 19

"Thud! Thud!" Amidst the calm waves, Mei Xue could clearly hear her own heartbeat.

"Drip! Drip!" This was the sound of sweat hitting the ground.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" This was the ominous sea breeze, carrying a suffocating, fishy smell.

Due to extreme tension, Mei Xue's back was already drenched in sweat.

She stood motionless, staring at the seemingly calm sea, watching the deep blue waves that seemed ready to swallow a person, waiting for the appearance of some terrifying entity.

In the face of this desperate situation, perhaps those who had been knocked unconscious by the sound waves were more fortunate. If they knew they were about to face the legendary Nine Abyss Species, nine out of ten would likely suffer a mental breakdown.

For mortals, the Nine Abyss Species are synonymous with death. Despite being sealed for a thousand years, the terrifying legends and remnants left by the Nine Abyss Species in the seas and mountains constantly remind them of the monstrous beings that descended from the Nine Abyss Sea.

Even for Immortal Artisans, the Nine Abyss Species are a terrifying species, almost like monsters created to destroy the world. No one can explain why these monsters appeared in the seas and mountains, or why the Nine Abyss Sea, sealed beneath the Third Immortal Platform, came into existence.

If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the "Heavenly Sword," the seas and mountains would still be locked in a bitter struggle with the Nine Abyss Species. Even though the Nine Abyss Sea has been sealed, the seas and mountains have not been able to completely eliminate the Nine Abyss Species, only managing to seal these terrifying monsters in the ancient Moonlight Sea.

When the Nine Abyss Species slowly emerged from the sea, Mei Xue finally understood why the major forces in the seas and mountains were so hostile towards the Nine Abyss Species and why these monsters were called abominations that the heavens and earth could not tolerate.

Because these creatures were so twisted, they were a living nightmare.

The Nine Abyss Species that emerged from the sea in front of the floating mountain was the perfect embodiment of terror.

Slippery and cold giant tentacles, soft and swollen pale skin, huge suction cups that could easily swallow a human body, and six pairs of bubble-like eyes with varying brightness, as well as exposed jellyfish-like tentacles—this was the first Nine Abyss Species Mei Xue saw.

It was not an octopus, nor a squid; it did not belong to any species in the seas and mountains. Its alien appearance defied all natural laws, embodying only distortion and malice. Just one glance made Mei Xue feel something cold eroding his consciousness, trying to sift through his memories.

Oh no! Mei Xue remembered that almost all Nine Abyss Species were a natural disaster for mortals, as they all possessed a terrifying mental power.

This mental power, known as the Nine Abyss Power, existed around them like an instinct. Mortals without Immortal Art power would be eroded by the Nine Abyss Power upon entering this domain, with 99% dying within a short time, and the remaining 1% suffering a fate worse than death.

Because of this terrifying mental power, almost all Nine Abyss Species were immune to mental attacks, and they could only be killed by destroying their physical bodies and cores.

According to legend, the mental source of each Nine Abyss Species was connected to the Nine Abyss Sea, so mental attacks on them were like casting a stone into the sea. If it weren't for the fact that most Nine Abyss Species could not concentrate and use this mental power, the seas and mountains would have long been dominated by the Nine Abyss Species.

However, there was a type of Nine Abyss Species that could use this Nine Abyss Power, the "Heavenly Soaring Species," which was at the pinnacle of the Nine Abyss Species. When the "Heavenly Soaring Species" first appeared in the world of the seas and mountains, it completely shocked the entire world. It was the only recorded species in the seas and mountains that could soar through the sky.

Many even believed that the "Heavenly Soaring Species" should not be classified as a Nine Abyss Species, but was likely a higher-level fantasy species, a legendary creature that surpassed all other races.

He must stop it! Watching the huge Nine Abyss Species slowly approach the floating mountain, with the mountain's defense system completely broken, Mei Xue gripped the wooden sword in his hand.

There must be something he can do... No, he must do it!

After obtaining the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, his life goal was to traverse the seas and mountains, recording all the scenery in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and filling the new *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.

But this did not mean he would ignore everything happening around him.

He had severed his emotional ties with the Great Wisdom Sword, but he had not severed his humanity.

He was the master of the new *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, but he was also a part of the world of the seas and mountains. He could no longer fall in love with any girl, but he would not stand idly by and watch his friends be slaughtered by this monster.

Qing Qiu Jiuyue, Huang Fei, and his classmates who graduated from Mount TianTai—he could not watch them die in the mouth of this Nine Abyss Species, becoming its food.

If he used the "Cloud Mist Technique," he might have a chance to survive, but everyone else on the floating mountain would definitely be eaten by the Nine Abyss Species. The Nine Abyss Species were the natural enemies of the seas and mountains precisely because of their nature to hunt intelligent beings.

He did not want to die, absolutely not in this place, and he wanted to live more than anyone else!

So, there was only one last path.

In the moment he realized he had no way to retreat, Mei Xue's eyes became incredibly focused, and the entire world seemed to shrink in his eyes.

No one knew, perhaps not even he himself, what he saw or understood in that instant. Only the "Mount TianTai" quietly emerging behind him revealed the patterns of the Great Dao.

That was part of the "Match Three" he had completed, the power he had gained from "Mount TianTai."

"Cloud Rise!"

White clouds appeared under Mei Xue's feet, freeing him from the earth's constraints, allowing him to face the Nine Abyss Species that had already climbed onto the floating mountain platform on equal terms.

"Mist Disperse!" In the mist, the figures of Mei Xue, Qing Qiu Jiuyue, and Huang Fei disappeared together.

"Golden-Haired Jade-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox Transformation!" When Mei Xue stepped out of the mist, the legendary fox boy who had appeared on Mount TianTai returned.

This time, Mei Xue finally understood why he was like this.

This was the innate supernatural power he possessed as the master of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, because the Golden-Haired Jade-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox was one of the powerful demons recorded in the ancient *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.

When he met Qing Qiu Jiuyue and absorbed her demonic aura, the page of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* dedicated to the Golden-Haired Jade-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox quietly opened, granting him the innate power of the Golden-Haired Jade-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox.