Dragon Burial Abyss Perilous Journey and Bewildering Demonic Beasts

The Dragon Burial Abyss is located deep within the Black Mire Mountain Range, stretching for a thousand miles. From afar, the entire valley is shrouded in a thick layer of black mist, from which faint roars can be heard, exuding a heart-palpitating danger. Chen Fan and his party stood at the entrance of the abyss, feeling the stench of blood and decay in the air, and instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.

"Mr. Chen, this black mire is highly toxic. Inhaling too much will erode the meridians. We need to take the Miasma-Averting Pills first," said Li Mo, the leader of the accompanying Seven Stars Sect disciples, handing over a porcelain bottle with a solemn expression. "Furthermore, the magnetic field within the abyss is chaotic, and Communication Talismans cannot be used. Once we get separated, it will be difficult to regroup."

Chen Fan took the porcelain bottle, took one pill himself and gave one to Lin Xiaohu. The pill was cool upon entering the mouth, instantly forming a barrier within their bodies that isolated them from the external miasma. He nodded, "Let's split into two teams, supporting each other. Xiaohu, stay close to me. If we encounter danger, prioritize your own safety and don't engage in a direct fight."

The group responded and split into two teams, descending along the stone steps at the edge of the abyss. The steps were covered in moss and were slippery and difficult to navigate, requiring extreme caution with every step. The black mire grew thicker, reducing visibility to less than five meters, forcing them to rely on their hearing and senses to perceive their surroundings.

After about half an hour of walking, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from ahead, and the ground trembled slightly. Chen Fan's heart tightened. He raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop, and whispered, "Something's coming. Prepare for battle."

As soon as he finished speaking, a massive figure burst out of the black mire. It was a giant bear, entirely black, standing threezhang tall. Its claws were as sharp as knives, and its eyes glowed with a scarlet light. It was a Black Mire Bear, a common fierce beast in the Dragon Burial Abyss! The Black Mire Bear possessed an incredibly resilient body; attacks from ordinary Golden Core realm cultivators could barely scratch it. Moreover, it could control the black mire and was skilled at stealthy ambushes.

"It's a Black Mire Bear! Everyone, form a formation and attack its eyes with fire spells!" Li Mo shouted, brandishing his long sword. Spiritual energy condensed into a flame on the sword's body as he thrust it towards the Black Mire Bear. The other disciples also cast spells, sending fireballs and flaming arrows like raindrops towards the bear.

The Black Mire Bear roared, swinging its massive claws and shattering all the incoming spells. It opened its mouth and spewed out a mass of black miasma. Upon hitting the ground, the miasma instantly transformed into countless poisonous needles, shooting towards the group.

"Careful!" Chen Fan flashed forward, blocking Lin Xiaohu. True Qi circulated around him, forming a golden barrier. The poisonous needles hit the barrier and instantly vanished. At the same time, he stomped his feet, lunging towards the Black Mire Bear like an arrow released from a bow. He clenched his fists, and True Qi condensed on his knuckles, forming a pair of golden gauntlets.

"Sky Shattering Fist? Mountain Breaker!"

Chen Fan roared and punched the Black Mire Bear's chest. With a loud "bang," the bear's enormous body was sent staggering back three steps. Its chest fur was shaken loose, revealing a faint fist print.

The Black Mire Bear cried out in pain, its eyes glinting with ferocity as it swiped its claws at Chen Fan. The claws whistled through the air, carrying enough power to tear through rock. Chen Fan didn't dare to be careless, dodging the attack sideways while simultaneously punching the Black Mire Bear's knee.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound echoed as the Black Mire Bear's kneecap shattered. Its massive body collapsed to its knees. It let out a piercing roar and spewed a torrent of black flames at Chen Fan. The flames were highly poisonous, and the air warped wherever they passed.

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Fan's eyes. True Energy surged within him, and he unleashed both fists simultaneously. Pale golden fist energy formed a massive barrier, blocking the black flames. He seized the opportunity, leaping onto the Black Mire Bear's back and raining punches down on its head.

"Bang bang bang!"

Each punch carried the full force of a Martial Venerable realm expert. The Black Mire Bear's head shook violently, and blood flowed from its ears and nose. Finally, with Chen Fan's last punch, the bear's head exploded like a shattered watermelon. Its massive body crashed to the ground, its life extinguished.

Having dealt with the Black Mire Bear, Chen Fan slowly landed, wiping the sweat from his brow. The Black Mire Bear's physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary Golden Core realm cultivators. If he hadn't broken through to the Martial Venerable realm and condensed his True Qi further, it would have taken him considerably more effort to kill it.

"Mr. Chen is so powerful!" The accompanying disciples exclaimed, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at Chen Fan. Lin Xiaohu also ran over excitedly, his eyes shining with adoration. "Brother Fan, that punch you just threw was so cool!"

Chen Fan smiled and patted Lin Xiaohu's head. "Don't let your guard down. There are many more fierce beasts in the Dragon Burial Abyss that are more powerful than the Black Mire Bear. We need to keep moving and find the Dragon Bone Flower as soon as possible."

The group continued onward, encountering several waves of fierce beasts along the way, including Thunder Patterned Leopards that could control lightning, Shadow Snakes skilled at stealth, and incredibly strong Rock Armor Beasts. However, under Chen Fan's leadership, they managed to kill the beasts without incident, thanks to their tacit cooperation and Chen Fan's formidable strength. Lin Xiaohu also grew during the battles. Although he still couldn't fight fierce beasts alone, he could now use basic fist techniques to assist the disciples in defense, no longer needing to hide behind them.

After another hour of walking, the black mire ahead suddenly thinned, and a massive stone gate could be vaguely seen. The gate was carved with intricate patterns that pulsed with faint golden light, clearly an ancient restriction.

"That should be the entrance to the ancient ruins!" Li Mo exclaimed excitedly. "But this restriction looks very complex; we'll need time to decipher it."

Chen Fan walked up to the stone gate and carefully observed the patterns. The patterns, though seemingly chaotic, subtly contained a certain regularity, bearing some resemblance to the ancient martial art runes recorded in the Martial Path Elixir Scripture. He reached out and gently touched the patterns on the stone gate. An ancient and heavy aura entered his body through his fingertips, as if recounting a forgotten history.

Just then, the stone gate suddenly vibrated, and the golden light within the patterns became even more dazzling. Chen Fan's heart tightened. He quickly withdrew his hand, looking at the stone gate warily. "Something's wrong, this restriction seems to have been activated!"

Before he could finish speaking, the ground on both sides of the stone gate suddenly cracked, and two massive stone spikes shot out from beneath the ground, lunging towards them. Simultaneously, countless golden light arrows shot out from the patterns on the stone gate, densely packed, blocking all their escape routes.

"Quick, dodge!" Chen Fan roared, pushing Lin Xiaohu to the ground. True Qi circulated around him, forming a golden barrier. The other disciples also cast defensive spells, warding off the attacks from the stone spikes and light arrows.

"Bang bang bang!"

The stone spikes hit the barrier with dull thuds, and the light arrows created ripples as they struck. Although the attacks were temporarily blocked, everyone could feel the restriction's power growing stronger. If they continued to resist for too long, it would eventually be broken.

Chen Fan looked at the flickering patterns on the stone gate, contemplating a solution. He recalled that the Martial Path Elixir Scripture mentioned that ancient martial art restrictions were often unlocked with Blood Essence and True Energy as keys. Perhaps he could use martial power to break this restriction.

"Li Mo, you guys continue to resist the attacks. I'll try to break the restriction!" Chen Fan called out to Li Mo, then stood up. True Energy surged within him, and Blood Essence surged around his body, forming a pale red halo.

He walked up to the stone gate, clenched his fists, and merged his True Energy with his Blood Essence, striking the patterns on the gate. The pale golden fist energy, mixed with pale red Blood Essence, shot out like a meteor, hitting the patterns on the stone gate.

"Crack!"

A crisp sound echoed. The patterns on the stone gate stopped flickering, and the golden light gradually dimmed. The stone spikes and light arrows also ceased their attacks, slowly retracting back into the ground.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Li Mo stepped forward, saying with admiration, "Mr. Chen, you are truly amazing! You managed to break the ancient restriction using martial power!"

Chen Fan smiled and wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. Forcing the fusion of True Energy and Blood Essence had caused some damage to his meridians. He looked at the stone gate, which slowly opened, revealing a deep passage. A hint of purple light could be seen in the distance at the end of the passage.

"The Dragon Bone Flower should be inside!" Excitement flashed in Chen Fan's eyes. "Everyone, be careful. There might be even more dangerous things waiting for us in there."

The group nodded and followed Chen Fan into the passage. The passage was filled with an ancient aura. The walls were covered with murals depicting scenes of martial artists cultivating. Some were tempering their bodies, others were condensing True Energy, and some were fighting powerful demonic beasts, as if recounting the glory of ancient martial arts.

Lin Xiaohu looked at the murals with curiosity. "Brother Fan, are these people ancient Martial Immortals? They're so powerful!"

Chen Fan nodded, his eyes filled with longing. "They were all legendary powerhouses who left their mark on the Martial Path. Perhaps we can find clues to breaking through martial realms from these murals."

The group continued along the passage, the purple light at the end growing brighter. Finally, they emerged from the passage into a vast stone chamber. On a stone platform in the center of the chamber grew a flower of pure purple. The flower resembled a dragon's bone, and its petals shimmered with a faint spiritual light. It was the Dragon Bone Flower they had been searching for!

"We finally found the Dragon Bone Flower!" Li Mo exclaimed excitedly, about to step forward and pick it.

"Wait!" Chen Fan suddenly grabbed Li Mo, a look of caution flashing in his eyes. "This stone chamber is too quiet. I'm afraid it's not that simple."

As soon as he finished speaking, the walls of the stone chamber suddenly cracked open, and countless black shadows rushed out from the fissures, lunging towards the group. The shadows were long and slender, moving with extreme speed, and spitting black venom from their mouths. They were none other than the most dangerous fierce beasts in the Dragon Burial Abyss – Soul Devouring Snakes!