Chapter 8

Regardless of Ye Jing, Sikong Qing, or anyone else's thoughts, Yan Zhaoge did not pay much attention to them. Although the matter of Zhenlong Abyss was urgent, since they were passing through the Eastern Tang Kingdom, it was a given that Yan Zhaoge would have to meet with the current ruler of the Eastern Tang Kingdom. The other party was not only the ruler of the Eastern Tang Kingdom and a hero of the Tian Dong Prefecture, but also an old acquaintance of Yan's father from his younger days, who had always been supportive and caring towards Yan Zhaoge. When there was a disturbance at Zhenlong Abyss, the martial arts experts closest to the area, along with the warriors guarding it from Guangcheng Mountain, naturally arrived first to suppress and explore the situation. Yan Zhaoge and his companions needed to enter such a dangerous place, so they first had to understand the latest developments there. After meeting with the ruler of the Eastern Tang Kingdom, Yan Zhaoge then visited the chief elder of Guangcheng Mountain in the Eastern Tang Kingdom. This meeting was not as relaxed and harmonious as the previous one, because the head of Guangcheng Mountain in the Eastern Tang Kingdom belonged to the faction of Yan Zhaoge's second senior uncle. The chief elder of the Eastern Tang Kingdom looked like a stern old man. He looked at Yan Zhaoge without much small talk, briefly explaining the situation they had already grasped. Yan Zhaoge listened and pondered. "Chao Yuanlong of the Great Sun Holy Sect has also appeared at Zhenlong Abyss. You should be on your guard," the old man said calmly at the end of his explanation. Yan Zhaoge smiled and said, "Isn't it precisely because of him that the sect has sent me to lead this time?" Among the few major holy lands of the world, the Great Sun Holy Sect was a colossal entity on par with Guangcheng Mountain, and its influence even surpassed Guangcheng Mountain, making it the top holy land of the current era. Chao Yuanlong was a prodigy of the younger generation of the Great Sun Holy Sect, a young grandmaster, roughly the same age as Yan Zhaoge, and his cultivation had reached the late-stage Inner Gang Grandmaster realm. He was also a rising star of great renown in the Eight Extreme World. The original owner of Yan Zhaoge's body had fought Chao Yuanlong three times, all ending in a draw, making them old rivals among the young martial artists of the Eight Extreme World. The chief elder of the Eastern Tang Kingdom said, "This young man is indeed rare, having cultivated the Sun Golden Needle Qi Skill to the eighth level. He is exceptionally talented and resilient. If he makes further progress this time, you can imagine the outcome without me telling you, right?" The Sun Golden Needle Qi Skill was a relatively obscure martial art of the Great Sun Holy Sect. If cultivated to a high level, its power was extremely formidable, making it one of the top martial arts at the same level. However, its power was limited in the early and middle stages, and it was not until the sixth or seventh level that it showed its extraordinary nature. Moreover, the cultivation of this skill was extremely difficult, requiring the practitioner to endure the pain of being burned by fire and pierced by countless steel needles, akin to self-torture. As the cultivation realm advanced, the Great Sun Holy Sect had more profound and powerful martial arts and techniques for its disciples to choose from, so few people cultivated this martial art. Yan Zhaoge said nonchalantly, "If Chao Yuanlong can cultivate the Sun Golden Needle Qi Skill to the ninth level at his current age, there have been no more than five such cases in the entire history of the Great Sun Holy Sect. Indeed, he is rare." "To stand out among his peers in the Great Sun Holy Sect, he must have exceptional qualities." Yan Zhaoge smiled. "Thank you for the reminder, Elder. I understand." The chief elder of the Eastern Tang Kingdom glanced at him and said calmly, "Since that's the case, you may go. Report any discoveries in Zhenlong Abyss promptly, and take good care of the disciples on this training journey. Don't let anything go wrong." Yan Zhaoge stood up. "I will take my leave, Elder. Please stay." Watching Yan Zhaoge's departing figure, the old man's gaze was calm as he slowly closed his eyes. "Young and arrogant." ... Zhenlong Abyss was a massive rift that spanned the land, flanked by towering mountains. The rift was bottomless and shrouded in black mist year-round. The black mist was harmful, becoming more concentrated the deeper one went, and even martial arts experts dared not easily take the risk. The mist also gave rise to various fierce and vicious monsters. Deeper into Zhenlong Abyss, the black mist caused bizarre spatial distortions, making it difficult to determine direction, and rescue from outside was also challenging. However, Zhenlong Abyss also produced some rare treasures that were scarce or nonexistent in other parts of the continent, so martial artists often entered it to seek treasure. Of course, most who entered never came out alive. Thus, Zhenlong Abyss had a notorious reputation since ancient times. Yan Zhaoge and his companions left the capital of the Eastern Tang Kingdom and arrived at the outskirts of this dangerous place. "You should all know the origin of Zhenlong Abyss," Yan Zhaoge said, standing on a hill beside the rift. "The Eight Extreme World is conventionally divided into eight vast regions, represented by Heaven, Earth, Wind, Thunder, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Marsh." "One of these regions, due to a strange event many years ago, became a dead land, the most extensive dangerous area in the world, and has since been known as 'Hell' due to its phonetic similarity." "From Hell, many large rifts extend outwards, and Zhenlong Abyss is one of the largest, with a significant portion passing through the Heavenly Region where our Guangcheng Mountain is located." Yan Zhaoge continued, "The sudden disturbance at Zhenlong Abyss has an unknown cause, so you all need to be cautious." The Guangcheng Mountain disciples all nodded in agreement. Led by Yan Zhaoge, the group slowly descended into the rift. Although it was a dangerous place, the outermost area had been artificially developed into a simple path. Along the path, lights were lit at regular intervals, emitting wisps of blue smoke that repelled the black mist in a small area, allowing people to walk. This path was created by the martial arts experts of the Eastern Tang Kingdom and Guangcheng Mountain when they first arrived to suppress the disturbance. They then guarded the area and notified the main mountain of Guangcheng Mountain to send people to bring special instruments for investigation. If not for the timely suppression, the black mist might have spread beyond the canyon. After meeting with the local warriors responsible for guarding the area, Yan Zhaoge and his group began to delve deeper into Zhenlong Abyss. Yan Zhaoge walked at the front, paying attention to the surroundings while thinking, "This black mist is indeed chaotic evil qi. Although it can produce something beneficial for the internal crystal furnace, it is otherwise harmful." "Wait... Let me think, perhaps it's not entirely useless?" "The difference in strength between late-stage Inner Gang and early-stage Outer Gang is far greater than that between mid-stage and late-stage Inner Gang. It's not just a minor difference, but a complete transformation," Yan Zhaoge thought. "When Outer Gang qi is released externally, one's defense becomes extremely powerful." "A full-force attack from an Inner Gang Grandmaster on an Outer Gang Grandmaster's unprotected vital points might be effective, but otherwise, it would mostly be in vain." "Conversely, the external release of Outer Gang qi by an Outer Gang Grandmaster is highly destructive and can more easily break through the Inner Gang Grandmaster's qi defense." "Unfortunately, the step from Inner Gang to Outer Gang is a chasm. To break through, one needs to spend a lot of time refining the qi and strengthening the body." Walking through the extremely dangerous Zhenlong Abyss, Yan Zhaoge's face showed a smile. "However, if the vortex reverse flow method of the Heaven-Defying Reverse Flow Technique is modified and used to guide the chaotic evil qi into the body, it can turn waste into treasure, becoming an excellent whetstone to hone one's qi, helping me break through the barrier from Inner Gang to Outer Gang."