Deep within the Black Mire Mountain Range, which stretched for thousands of miles, lay Dragon Burial Abyss. From afar, the entire abyss was shrouded in dense black mist. Faint roars echoed from within the fog, carrying a chilling sense of danger. Chen Fan and his group stood at the entrance to the abyss, breathing in the bloodstained, decaying stench in the air. Unconsciously, they all tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Mr. Chen, this black miasma is highly poisonous. Breathing in too much of it will corrode the meridians, so we must take Miasma-Averting Pills first." Li Mo, the leader of the accompanying Seven Stars Sect disciples, handed over a porcelain bottle with a grave expression. "Also, the magnetic field inside the abyss is chaotic. Communication Talismans cannot be used. If we get separated, it will be very difficult to regroup."
Chen Fan took the bottle and gave one pill each to Lin Xiaohu and himself. The pill was cool upon entering his mouth, instantly forming a barrier within his body that blocked out the miasma outside. He nodded. "Split into two teams and watch each other's backs from front and rear. Xiaohu, stay by my side. If danger arises, protect yourself first. Don't try to fight head-on."
Everyone answered and split into two teams, making their way down the stone steps along the edge of the abyss. The steps were covered in moss, slick and difficult to traverse. Every step had to be taken with utmost care. The black miasma grew thicker and thicker, reducing visibility to less than five meters. They could only rely on their hearing and senses to detect movement around them.
After walking for roughly half an hour, heavy footsteps suddenly sounded ahead, and the ground trembled faintly with them. Chen Fan's heart tightened. He raised a hand to signal everyone to stop and said in a low voice, "Something's coming. Prepare for battle."
The moment his words fell, a gigantic figure charged out of the black miasma. It was an enormous jet-black bear, nearly three zhang tall, with claws as sharp as blades and eyes glowing crimson. It was one of the common vicious beasts within Dragon Burial Abyss—the Black Mire Bear! The Black Mire Bear possessed an incomparably powerful body. Even attacks from ordinary Golden Core cultivators could not harm it in the slightest. It could also manipulate black miasma and excelled at stealthy ambushes.
"It's a Black Mire Bear! Form up! Use fire spells to attack its eyes!" Li Mo shouted, taking the lead as he drew forth his longsword. Spiritual energy gathered on the blade and formed flames as he thrust toward the Black Mire Bear. The other disciples also unleashed their spells, fireballs and flaming arrows raining down upon the beast.
The Black Mire Bear roared furiously and swung its massive claws, smashing every incoming spell to pieces. It opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of black miasma. The instant it touched the ground, it transformed into countless poisonous needles that shot toward the group.
"Watch out!" Chen Fan flashed forward and positioned himself before Lin Xiaohu. True Qi circulated around him, forming a golden barrier. The poisonous needles struck the barrier and instantly vanished into nothingness. At the same time, he pushed off the ground with both feet and shot toward the Black Mire Bear like an arrow loosed from the bowstring. His fists clenched tightly as True Qi condensed around them into a pair of golden gauntlets.
"Sky Shattering Fist—Break the Mountain!"
Chen Fan shouted and drove a punch into the Black Mire Bear's chest. With a deafening bang, the massive beast was actually sent staggering back three steps. The fur on its chest was shaken loose, revealing a faint fist mark beneath.
The Black Mire Bear howled in pain, the savage gleam in its eyes growing fiercer as it swiped at Chen Fan. Its claw carried a shrieking gale and contained enough force to tear apart stone. Chen Fan did not dare be careless. He twisted aside to evade the claw, then struck the Black Mire Bear's knee with a punch.
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the Black Mire Bear's kneecap shattered. Its enormous body crashed to its knees. It let out a miserable howl and sprayed a ball of black flame at Chen Fan. The flames were highly poisonous, scorching and warping the air wherever they passed.
A sharp gleam flashed through Chen Fan's eyes. True Energy surged wildly through his body as he threw both fists forward at once. Pale golden fist force formed a huge barrier, blocking the black flames outside. Seizing the opportunity, he leaped into the air and landed on the Black Mire Bear's back, his fists raining down upon its head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every punch contained the full force of a Martial Venerable. The Black Mire Bear's head rocked again and again, blood streaming from its ears and nose. Finally, when Chen Fan delivered his last blow, the beast's head burst apart like a smashed watermelon. Its huge body crashed to the ground, utterly devoid of life.
After dealing with the Black Mire Bear, Chen Fan slowly landed and wiped the sweat from his brow. This beast's physical strength far surpassed that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators. If he had not broken through to the Martial Venerable realm and refined his True Qi further, killing it would likely have taken far more effort.
"Mr. Chen is incredible!" The accompanying disciples exclaimed in admiration, their gazes toward Chen Fan filled with respect. Lin Xiaohu ran over excitedly as well, his eyes shining with worship. "Brother Fan, that punch just now was so cool!"
Chen Fan smiled and rubbed Lin Xiaohu's head. "Don't let your guard down. There are many vicious beasts in Dragon Burial Abyss stronger than the Black Mire Bear. We need to keep moving and find the Dragon Bone Flower as soon as possible."
The group continued onward and encountered several more waves of vicious beasts along the way: Thunder Patterned Leopards that could control lightning, Shadow Snakes skilled at concealment, and Rock Armor Beasts with boundless strength. Yet under Chen Fan's leadership, through their seamless coordination and his formidable power, they slew the beasts without suffering any real danger. Lin Xiaohu also gradually grew through the battles. Though he still could not fight vicious beasts alone, he could now use basic fist techniques to coordinate with the disciples in defense, no longer only able to hide behind the others as before.
After another hour or so, the black miasma ahead suddenly began to thin, and a huge stone gate could vaguely be seen. Complex patterns were carved across it, faint golden light glimmering within them. It was clearly an ancient restriction.
"That should be the entrance to the ancient ruins!" Li Mo said excitedly. "But this restriction looks quite complicated. We'll need time to break it."
Chen Fan walked up to the stone gate and carefully examined the patterns on it. They appeared chaotic and disordered, yet faintly contained a certain rhythm. They bore some resemblance to the ancient Martial Path runes recorded in the Martial Path Elixir Scripture. He reached out and gently touched the patterns on the gate. An ancient, weighty aura flowed through his fingertips and into his body, as though recounting a history buried beneath the dust of ages.
Just then, the stone gate suddenly began to tremble, and the golden light in its patterns grew even more dazzling. Chen Fan's heart tightened. He quickly withdrew his hand and watched the gate vigilantly. "Something's wrong. This restriction seems to have been activated!"
Before his words had faded, the ground on both sides of the stone gate suddenly split apart. Two massive stone spikes burst from underground and stabbed toward the group. At the same time, countless golden arrows of light shot from the gate's patterns, densely packed and sealing off every possible retreat.
"Get out of the way!" Chen Fan shouted, throwing himself over Lin Xiaohu and knocking him to the ground. At the same time, True Qi circulated around his body, forming a golden barrier. The other disciples also hurriedly cast defensive spells to withstand the stone spikes and arrows of light.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The stone spikes crashed against the barrier with dull booms, while the arrows of light struck it and sent ripples spreading across its surface. Though they had temporarily blocked the attack, everyone could feel that the restriction's power was continuously increasing. If they kept defending for too long, the barrier would inevitably be broken.
Chen Fan watched the constantly flashing patterns on the stone gate, considering a way to break the restriction. He recalled what was recorded in the Martial Path Elixir Scripture: ancient Martial Path restrictions were mostly unlocked using qi, blood, and True Energy as keys. Perhaps the power of the Martial Path could break this restriction.
"Li Mo, keep defending against the attacks. I'll try to break the restriction!" Chen Fan shouted to Li Mo as he rose to his feet. True Energy surged wildly inside him, while his qi and blood rushed through his body, forming a faint reddish glow around him.
He stepped before the stone gate, clenched his fists, fused his True Energy with his qi and blood, and struck the patterns upon the gate. Pale golden fist force mixed with faint red blood-force like a meteor, crashing into the stone gate's markings.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the patterns on the stone gate suddenly stopped flashing, and their golden light gradually dimmed. The stone spikes and arrows of light also ceased their attacks, slowly retracting back into the ground.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Li Mo stepped forward and said admiringly, "Mr. Chen, you're truly amazing. You actually broke an ancient restriction using the power of the Martial Path!"
Chen Fan smiled and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth—forcefully merging True Energy with qi and blood just now had caused some damage to his meridians. He looked toward the stone gate and saw it slowly open, revealing a deep, shadowy passage. At the far end of the passage, a trace of purple light could vaguely be seen.
"The Dragon Bone Flower should be inside!" Excitement flashed through Chen Fan's eyes. "Everyone be careful. Something even more dangerous may be waiting for us within."
Everyone nodded and followed Chen Fan into the passage. An ancient aura filled the corridor, and murals were carved into its walls. They depicted scenes of Martial Path practitioners cultivating: some tempering their bodies, some condensing True Energy, and some fighting powerful demonic beasts. It was as if they were telling of the ancient Martial Path's former glory.
Lin Xiaohu stared at the murals, his eyes full of curiosity. "Brother Fan, were these people all ancient Martial Path immortals? They're so powerful!"
Chen Fan nodded, his eyes full of yearning. "They were all powerhouses who once left behind legends upon the path of the Martial Path. Perhaps these murals can give us clues to breaking through our Martial Path realms."
The group continued down the passage, and the purple glow at its end grew brighter and brighter. At last, they emerged from the passage and entered an enormous stone chamber. Upon a stone platform in the center of the chamber grew a completely purple flower. It was shaped like dragon bones, with faint spiritual light glimmering over its petals. It was precisely the Dragon Bone Flower they had come to find!
"We finally found the Dragon Bone Flower!" Li Mo said excitedly, moving to pick it.
"Wait!" Chen Fan suddenly grabbed Li Mo, a wary gleam flashing through his eyes. "This stone chamber is too quiet. It can't be that simple."
Before his words had even fallen, the walls on all sides of the chamber suddenly cracked open. Countless black shadows rushed out from the fissures and lunged at the group. The shadows were long and slender, incredibly swift, and spat black venom from their mouths. They were one of Dragon Burial Abyss's most dangerous vicious beasts—the Soul Devouring Snake!
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