Abyssal Rift
The Wanghai Villa was completely surrounded by the Imperial Guards. Soldiers in gleaming armor, wielding long halberds, formed a tight formation, exuding a chilling aura. The commander, a lieutenant general, immediately stepped forward to salute Di Renjie, his face grave: "My lord, after the pillar of light appeared, there were several unusual movements within the villa, as if dark figures were trying to break out, but we repelled them all. However, the tremors and humming from underground are becoming increasingly intense, suggesting a major upheaval is imminent."
Di Renjie nodded, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated and eerie manor shrouded in a ghostly blue light. "Guard this place strictly, not a single fly is allowed to escape!" he ordered in a deep voice, then looked at the squad members gathering behind him.
Ming Shiyin, Pei Qinhu, Di Renjie, Li Yuanfang, and Kong Kong'er, who was squatting on a rock to the side, curiously examining the standard armor of the Jinwu Guard, seemingly wondering if he could steal it.
“Yi Xing will maintain contact with us from the outside through special magical artifacts and guide our way.” Ming Shiyin opened his palm and distributed several jade talismans that shimmered with light to everyone. “Keep them close to your body. They can resist some of the erosion of evil energy and are also used for communication.”
Kongkong'er took the jade talisman, weighed it in his hand, and chuckled, "Good stuff, but it's a pity the energy structure is too stable. It'll be useless once it's disassembled." He then casually stuffed it into his pocket.
Pei Qinhu glared at him, his inner energy subtly circulating, like a tiger poised to pounce. Li Yuanfang, meanwhile, examined his flying wheel, his eyes alert.
“Based on the information Bai Ya risked his life to bring back and Yi Xing’s deductions, there may be a third underground entrance to ‘Ink of the Dark Night’ besides the known stone pavilion and dry well—a collapsed secret passage located beneath the main hall ruins.” Ming Shiyin pointed to the depths of the manor, “The energy fluctuations there are the most chaotic, the defenses may be relatively weak, and it is also the closest path to the core area.”
"Then let's go this way!" Di Renjie decided immediately.
Without further hesitation, the group, led by Ming Shiyin and Di Renjie, with Pei Qinhu bringing up the rear and Li Yuanfang and Kongkong'er providing support from the left and right, quickly infiltrated the depths of the deserted garden.
The closer one gets to the ruins of the main hall, the stronger the nauseating stench of engine oil, decaying earth, and "soul-separating grass" grows in the air. A ghostly blue light shines from the ground, illuminating the crumbling walls as if they were in a ghostly realm. The ground tremors become more pronounced, a deep hum seemingly originating from the earth's core, striking at the hearts of everyone present.
The main hall had long since collapsed, with only a few massive stone pillars remaining, standing askew. In a corner half-hidden by rubble and vines, a dark, downward-pointing opening, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, was indeed discovered, emanating a chilling aura.
"I'll go first!" Pei Qinhu roared, about to be the first to enter.
"Wait." Kongkong'er swayed and rushed forward, a thin metal probe appearing in his hand. He gently poked at the edge of the cave entrance, then sniffed the air. "Hmm... down there's 'Bone-Corroding Yin Wind,' mixed with 'Phantom Sand.' If you go straight down, your bones will rot and you won't even know how you died." As he spoke, he pulled several medicine bottles from his seemingly empty pouch, poured out some powder and sprinkled it in, then took out a uniquely shaped glass dome and placed it over the cave entrance. A layer of white frost quickly condensed inside the glass dome, with colorful specks of light flickering erratically.
"Alright, the illusion is broken, and the poisonous wind has dissipated. We can go now." He clapped his hands and glanced at Pei Qinhu triumphantly.
Pei Qinhu snorted, said no more, and followed him into the cave. The others followed in turn.
Below the cave entrance was a narrow, sloping stone staircase, damp and slippery, its walls covered with moss that emitted a ghostly green phosphorescence, providing a faint light. The air was murky, filled with a musty, indescribable odor, a mixture of metallic corrosion and a slightly fishy, sweet smell.
They had only gone a few dozen steps when Pei Qinhu's hushed voice came from ahead: "There's movement!"
Everyone immediately held their breath. They could faintly hear footsteps and voices coming from the end of the passage, accompanied by the sound of metal scraping together.
"...The offerings are not enough; the 'Core of the Cardinals' needs more essence to stabilize..."
"...'Lord Mo' has ordered us to speed things up! The ants outside have already noticed..."
"...I heard that Lord 'Bone-Eating' just returned from the 'Blood Pool' and brought back another batch of 'materials'..."
"...Hmph, those so-called prestigious sects, when faced with life and death, their spines are softer than anyone else's..."
The sound grew closer. It was two people dressed similarly to the black-clad men who had been killed earlier, but with silver embroidered patterns on their cuffs. They were pushing a small cart covered in black cloth, which reeked of blood.
A cold glint flashed in Di Renjie's eyes as he exchanged a glance with Ming Shiyin. The next moment, Li Yuanfang's flying wheel silently spun out, tracing two eerie arcs, aiming straight for one person's throat! At the same time, a purple light flashed from Ming Shiyin's sleeve, and another person's body stiffened, their eyes instantly glazed over, and they collapsed limply to the ground.
Pei Qinhu quickly stepped forward to inspect the cart. Lifting a corner of the black cloth, everyone gasped – piled on the cart were several emaciated corpses, seemingly drained of life! Judging from their clothing, some were ordinary people, others were martial arts practitioners!
"These beasts!" Pei Qinhu gritted his teeth.
Kongkong'er squatted to the side, carefully examining the silver-trimmed black-clad man's mask and clothing: "Oh, a small leader. The material of this mask... is interesting, it's mixed with 'Soul-Isolating Gold,' no wonder that kid Baiya fell for it." He quickly looted the tokens and odds and ends from the two men.
"Continue forward, but be on guard," Di Renjie said in a deep voice, barely suppressing his anger.
The deeper they went, the wider the passage became, and shimmering, eerie blue crystals began to appear embedded in the walls, their energy fluctuations growing increasingly intense. Along the way, they encountered several patrols of guards, all of whom were silently dealt with. Kongkong'er displayed astonishing stealth and lock-picking skills, easily breaking through several seemingly secure mechanisms and gates.
Finally, after rounding a bend filled with sharp stalagmites, the view suddenly opened up before us.
A vast, unimaginably large underground space appeared before everyone.
A dome hangs high, inlaid with countless eerie crystals, like an inverted starry sky. At the center of the space stands a massive circular altar, inscribed with twisted runes. Around the altar are several thick energy pipes forged from some dark metal, flowing with a viscous, foul-smelling, eerie blue liquid that continuously pours into the enormous, slowly rotating crystal sphere at the altar's center—the core of the "Gate to the Void"!
Hundreds of men in black stood densely packed around the altar, positioned in specific directions, chanting obscure incantations and channeling their energy into the altar. Even more chilling was the presence of a twisted stone pillar at each of the eight corners of the altar, each pillar bound to a living person! Their appearances were gruesome, their life force being forcibly drained, transforming into strands of blood-red energy that merged into the core crystal sphere!
Above the altar, on a suspended stone platform, stood three people.
The figure in the center was tall and imposing, his face covered by a hideous, metallic mask resembling a demon's face; he was none other than "Mo Zun." He opened his arms as if embracing the destructive energy.
On the left is an old man with a hunched back, wearing a white robe stained with dirt, holding a twisted wooden staff with a black gemstone resembling a heart that beats continuously at the top, exuding a strong aura of death—he is "Bone Eroder," who is in charge of processing the "materials."
On the right stood Mo Heng! He had changed into a black robe embroidered with gold-edged swirling patterns, and his face was devoid of its previous humility and focus, replaced only by a cold fervor and indifference. In his hand, he held a compass-like object, its surface shimmering with light, clearly controlling the energy flow of the entire "Hun Tian Core"!
Upon seeing Mo Heng, an uncontrollable rage burned within Pei Qinhu. He almost rushed out, but Ming Shiyin held him down firmly.
"Calm down!" Ming Shiyin hissed, his gaze fixed on the core of the altar. "The energy is gathering, but it hasn't 'stabilized' yet. We must find the node; now is not the time for a direct confrontation!"
Yi Xing's voice rang out in everyone's minds through the jade talisman at the opportune moment, with a hint of urgency: "The energy flow is highly concentrated at the altar! I have recalculated the nodes, and there are three main nodes, located at the Kun, Li, and Dui positions of the altar! Destroying them will at least interrupt the 'Meridian Shaping'!"
Almost as soon as Yi Xing finished speaking, Mo Zun on the floating stone platform seemed to sense something. He turned his head sharply, and his gaze under the ghost mask was as solid as a physical object, piercing through the barrier of space and shooting straight at the place where everyone was hiding!
“A rat has infiltrated.” His voice was hoarse and booming, echoing throughout the underground space. “‘Bone-Eating’, ‘Thousand Machines’, get rid of them.”
At his command, the hunchbacked old man let out a strange laugh like an owl, slamming his wooden staff on the ground. Dozens of grotesque monsters made of energy and metal suddenly crawled out from the pipes around the altar that flowed with a ghostly blue liquid! Meanwhile, Mo Heng (Qianji) expressionlessly turned the compass in his hand, and a heavy metal gate crashed down at the entrance to the passage behind them!
Our escape route is cut off!
Battle is imminent!
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