Netherworld Abyss

Jiang Ming killed the gaunt, tall man with a single sword strike, then recalled the Soaring Frost Sword and continued toward the Netherworld Abyss. For some reason, only the tall man had come to intercept him; Oldest Nian, Wild Dog, and the others were nowhere to be seen. Whether they thought the tall man alone was enough to deal with Jiang Ming or had some other reason, Jiang Ming did not know, nor did he care.

Jiang Ming continued onward for some distance when a piercing whistle suddenly cut through the air. He used a special footwork technique and flashed backward, narrowly avoiding the ambush. Looking closely, he saw that it was a Gray Tusk. When its wielder saw that the sneak attack had failed, he immediately controlled the fang to pursue Jiang Ming. Yet the darkness was pitch-black; apart from the weapon's flickering gray light, Jiang Ming could not see the person directing the attack from afar. He must be hiding behind it. I need to lure him out first, then kill him in one blow.

After pondering briefly, Jiang Ming came up with a plan. Seeing the Gray Tusk racing after him, he sent a sword beam carrying Destruction Sword Intent whistling through the air and struck the fang. The Gray Tusk collided with the sword beam with a dull thud, and a deep crack immediately appeared on its surface. Jiang Ming's Destruction Sword Intent had also penetrated deep into the fang, steadily widening the crack until the remaining sword energy was exhausted.

Upon hearing that muffled impact, the person controlling the Gray Tusk immediately withdrew his attack and let out a startled cry. He had likely seen the crack in the fang and, distressed over the damage, examined it—only to be injured by Jiang Ming's lingering sword energy.

Jiang Ming immediately followed the trail of gray light. His footwork moved beneath him, several steps seeming like one, as though he could shrink the earth to inches. Any outsider would surely have exclaimed in admiration at such exquisite Daoist arts. At the place where the light vanished, he found a tall man with drooping eyelids, a protruding nose, upturned ears, and a rather long tongue that occasionally slipped from his mouth. He looked just like a dog. The man was gazing distressedly at his Gray Tusk, one hand still bleeding. So he was the one who attacked me. This dog-faced man must be Wild Dog Taoist.

Seeing Jiang Ming approach, Wild Dog Taoist immediately assumed a fighting stance, but he shouted, "Hey! You little brat, you actually damaged this Daoist master's magic treasure! What did you do to Liu Hao?"

"Liu Hao? If you mean that tall man, then by now he was probably having a heart-to-heart talk with Black Heart Old Ghost," Jiang Ming answered truthfully when Wild Dog asked about the tall man.

Wild Dog flew into a rage. "You little brat, you dared kill someone from my Blood Refinement Hall! Oldest Nian won't let you off. Just wait for death!" After speaking, Wild Dog feinted as if he were about to attack, then turned and fled. Jiang Ming's earlier sword beam and Liu Hao's death had evidently frightened him. Knowing he was no match for Jiang Ming, he immediately ran.

When Jiang Ming saw Wild Dog fleeing, he promptly gave chase. To be honest, after seeing Wild Dog again, Jiang Ming had not intended to kill him immediately. This place twisted and turned, with branching paths everywhere. Without knowing the exact route or having someone to lead the way, finding the Netherworld Abyss would take quite some effort.

Thus, Wild Dog fled ahead while Jiang Ming followed closely behind, never allowing him to leave his sight. This chase through the mountain caves lasted nearly half an hour. Wild Dog had hoped to use his familiarity with the terrain to escape, but he had no idea how fast Jiang Ming was. If Jiang Ming had wanted to catch him, it would not have taken much effort at all.

Then, a light suddenly appeared ahead. It drew closer and closer until Jiang Ming burst out into it.

Jiang Ming saw an enormous boulder standing on the ground not far ahead, radiating an intense light that illuminated the entire space. Behind the boulder lay a vast abyss. Strangely, the powerful light could not penetrate it in the slightest. Looking down from above, all he could see was a deathly, eerie darkness.

Jiang Ming looked at the glowing boulder and saw the three words "Netherworld Abyss" carved upon it. Finally, my snake soup is within reach. Shifting his gaze, he noticed two people standing beside the boulder: a bearded burly man and a beautiful young woman. Wild Dog, who had been fleeing, actually stopped when he saw them. Jiang Ming knew the man had to be Oldest Nian. Those eyes were unmistakable—the signature Crimson Demon Eyes, specifically used to defile immortal magic treasures. Against ordinary disciples, it was not a bad technique.

When the burly man saw Wild Dog rushing over with Jiang Ming following behind, his gaze sharpened and his brows furrowed. He said to Wild Dog, "Wild Dog, you're too useless. You couldn't even handle a little kid? By the way, where is Liu Hao? Why isn't he here?" Wild Dog's face reddened. He glanced at Jiang Ming and said, "He died by his hand."

"What?" The burly man and the beautiful young woman both changed expressions as they sized Jiang Ming up. In an instant, they realized he was no ordinary person. He had killed Liu Hao and driven Wild Dog into such a state, yet after pursuing him all this way, his expression had not changed in the slightest and his breathing remained steady, as though he had merely been strolling through the mountains.

Seeing Oldest Nian looking at him, Jiang Ming immediately mocked, "Oh? So you're Little Brother Nian? A remnant of the Blood Refinement Hall, right? You use Crimson Demon Eyes, right? The Blood Refinement Hall was destroyed ages ago, yet you still refuse to change allegiance and keep barely clinging to life here. Why not find yourselves a new master? Are you waiting to be wiped out again?"

"Shut up, boy! Who exactly are you, to dare humiliate me like this?" Seeing that Jiang Ming knew so much about him and still dared mock him, Oldest Nian immediately realized that Jiang Ming was no simple opponent. He assumed a fighting stance, ready to strike at any moment.

Hearing this, Jiang Ming saw that Oldest Nian had been frightened into preparing for battle, and the frustration in his heart finally eased somewhat. He then said, "Jiang Ming, disciple of Tian Buyi of Qingyun Sect's Da Zhu Peak."

"A disciple of that fat Tian from Qingyun? How is that possible? You..." Oldest Nian looked utterly disbelieving. Wild Dog and the beautiful young woman behind him also cried out in surprise. Though Fat Tian himself possessed profound cultivation, it was common knowledge that none of his disciples had amounted to anything.

"Enough chatter. Starting today, the Blood Refinement Hall will vanish completely." Jiang Ming immediately cut off Oldest Nian and the others. He was prepared to exterminate the Blood Refinement Hall at once, so that the name of Qingyun Da Zhu Peak would resound throughout both the righteous and demonic paths. To obtain the final volume of the Heavenly Book, destroying the Blood Refinement Hall was the first step. Who told them to be so weak?

"You Qingyun brat, what outrageous boasts! If Fat Tian himself were here, he might be qualified to say such words. But you alone are simply ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Today, this place will be your burial ground!" Seeing how arrogantly Jiang Ming spoke and how little regard he had for them, Oldest Nian signaled for Wild Dog and the beautiful young woman to prepare to attack and kill Jiang Ming.