Chapter 56

Qihuang's gaze did not focus on Bai Shi at this moment, but rather on a point not far ahead of Bai Shi. In the darkness, the space seemed to be twisting, like a deep abyss, with gray mist seeping out. It was as if, at the bottom of this deep night, there were still unextinguished flames, emitting dense smoke!

His steps suddenly stopped, and the rumbling sound of his footsteps abruptly ceased. Looking at the seemingly illusory existence, Qihuang felt an intangible pressure, which shook his mind, causing the soul around his body to withdraw into his body, turning into nothingness under the mental shock.

"Fortunately..." Qihuang muttered to himself, knowing well that the Devouring Abyss possessed a strong destructive force. If his power struck the Devouring Abyss, the moment the aura sensed it, his body would be pulled into the Devouring Abyss by a powerful, invisible force, and then be torn to pieces, both body and soul!

In this relief, Qihuang descended from the sky, landing in the Dawn Mountain Range, and looked at Bai Shi, who was still fleeing, and shouted, "Bai Shi, you can't run anymore... ahead is the Devouring Abyss. Even if you continue to flee, there will be no way out!"

The deep voice echoed in Bai Shi's ears, making his steps suddenly pause. As sweat dripped from his forehead, he looked ahead, sensing the intangible pressure in the air!

"Devouring Abyss..."

During his previous escape, Bai Shi had not noticed the danger ahead. Now, hearing Qihuang's words, his mind trembled just as Qihuang's had. In this tremor, his lips moved slightly, realizing the terror of the Devouring Abyss.

Stopping his steps, Bai Shi suddenly turned around, looking in the direction of the voice. Even though he could not see Qihuang, he still felt a pressure that was not from the Devouring Abyss, rapidly approaching! This aura belonged to Qihuang.

"I see no point in your futile struggle!"

As the aura approached, Qihuang's voice sounded again. The voice, piercing through the air, was like a force that, when it reached Bai Shi, made him take two steps back as if hit by a shock.

Qihuang's lips curled into a smile as he moved swiftly through the Dawn Mountain Range, rapidly approaching Bai Shi. The smile was one of satisfaction and intense malice.

He was a cunning person and knew that Bai Shi was also cunning. Therefore, Qihuang had no intention of sparing Bai Shi. Even if Bai Shi agreed to join the 'Northern Stick Manor' at this moment, Qihuang would not agree. The strength Bai Shi had shown earlier had left him with lingering fear. Such a talented cultivator was a future threat to Qihuang! If one day Bai Shi became powerful, Qihuang knew he would not let him off.

Thus, as Qihuang's body rapidly approached, a series of black elements swirled around him. These elements, like sharp blades, cut through the surrounding trees, breaking them into several pieces!

Bai Shi had no intention of begging for mercy. Feeling the rapidly approaching aura, he suddenly turned around, and a smile appeared on his lips. This smile seemed bitter, or perhaps it was a decision.

The decision he had to make was between two paths, and both paths led to death for him!

It was just that the way of death was different.

This smile seemed to contain all of Bai Shi's concerns. When he suddenly turned around, he looked at the Devouring Abyss, as if seeing the traces of death within it, a sense of calm from his heart.

His heart no longer trembled. People naturally fear death, and Bai Shi was no exception. But when he knew that death was inevitable, fear was meaningless, and the only thing he could do was to accept death calmly.

Thus, he shifted his gaze from the Devouring Abyss and turned to look at Qihuang, who was rapidly approaching.

"Even if I die... I won't die at your hands, Qihuang!"

With these words, Bai Shi suddenly took a step forward, and a powerful force surged from his body, cutting through the surrounding trees and increasing his speed as he rushed toward the Devouring Abyss.

Qihuang stood in place, watching Bai Shi's rapid approach without chasing after him, a cunning smile on his lips.

Until he saw Bai Shi leap into the seemingly illusory Devouring Abyss, and from within the abyss, a piercing scream echoed, like a wail that pierced through everything, reverberating in the air.

As the sound reverberated, Qihuang's body suddenly transformed into a long rainbow, leaping into the sky, heading toward the location of Xingcheng.

This wail seemed to resonate, causing a woman in a room lit by candlelight in another realm to tremble. The pen in her hand fell onto the white paper on the wooden table.

She wore a white robe, embroidered with colorless flowers. Her black hair was neatly coiled, and a golden hairpin with a vivid green butterfly hung from it.

Her eyes, however, were somewhat dim, as if they contained a story or the shadow of a person.

"Bai... Shi..."

Murmuring softly, the woman stood up from the wooden chair, her eyes regaining some vitality. She walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked at the pale moonlight and the full moon that only appeared during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

After a moment of silence, as her gaze lingered on the moon, she seemed to be searching for the shadow of someone. She then returned to the wooden chair, looked at the white paper on the table, and picked up the brush, beginning to write her thoughts on the paper:

"The sunset is broken, the clouds scatter. At the old house door, the stream flows, like sorrow. A cup of wine, bitter within. In the small tower, the lords discuss. In the depths of the lotus, can one cross? The moon, round like the Xijiang.

The dream passes, the cold wind continues, the geese dance, standing alone by the pond, the flute plays softly. The person is thin. Flowers fill the stream, like a beautiful woman. The night is divine, and the withered vines are seen. Where are the crows to rest? The leaves remain, lonely, without a trace.

In the shadow of the bamboo, a thousand years of sorrow are tied. Remembering the past, returning to the present, can it compare to Chu? In the insect's cry, it seems like a wail. Helpless, the brush is lifted by the candle."

At the same time, in the Dawn Mountain Range, within the Devouring Abyss, Bai Shi's body was rapidly falling. This fall was not natural but was caused by an invisible force that seemed to be pulling his body into the abyss.

In this pulling, Bai Shi could feel a tearing pain, as if his body was being torn into pieces!

Despite the intense pain, Bai Shi's consciousness gradually became blurred, and bloodshot eyes appeared. As the bloodshot eyes appeared, he roared again, using the soul of his true self, which, the moment it appeared, added a thick resistance to his body.

However, this force could not resist the powerful pulling force, and the pain in his body continued. In this pain, his vision gradually became blurred, and in this blur, he seemed to see illusions. In these illusions, he did not see Ou Yang Jingjing or the butterfly woman from his previous dream.

Instead, he saw... the figure of the white fox!

"White... Fox..."

In the intense pain, even though Bai Shi's face was distorted by the powerful pulling force, he still managed to utter these two words. An unconscious awareness instantly returned to the storage bag on his body.

As this awareness was released, a strong white light suddenly burst from his storage bag, illuminating the surrounding darkness. The light was blinding, and as Bai Shi's eyes squinted, he saw the vastness of the abyss, with traces of intangible forces, like rapidly moving threads.

At the same moment, the white fox's body suddenly flashed out of the storage bag. In the instant it appeared, Bai Shi vaguely saw a huge white phantom suddenly burst out around the white fox, identical to the white fox.

"Soul..."

Seeing the phantom appear, Bai Shi muttered again. His mind was still buzzing, but it seemed as if he had an idea. However, the intense pain did not allow him to think further. As he spoke, Bai Shi's eyes slowly closed, and he fell into unconsciousness...