My Sister, She's Invincible

White bone fragments rained down. At the residual cross-section of the Saint Corpse Bone Demon, dense death qi surged madly, attempting to recondense, but was continuously annihilated by the lingering Chaos Qi.

The roars emanating from the abyss rift grew increasingly furious, the entire edge of the rift shaking violently.

"Che'er, the aura from beneath the abyss... is extremely mixed. Besides more powerful undead, there's also... the aura of living beings. They're using the death qi to mask their tracks and are descending rapidly!" Yun Mengyao said.

"Most likely," Xuanyuan Che nodded. "They've got guts, trying to sneak around under my nose. It seems there really is something good hidden at the bottom of this abyss that makes them risk it."

His punch that shattered the Saint Corpse Bone Demon's arm earlier had a bit of showing off, but more importantly, he had infused a wisp of Chaos imprint into its core. Through the connection of its death qi energy, he could sense the situation beneath the abyss in reverse. At this moment, his spiritual sense "saw" the scene far more clearly than anyone else.

Several figures shrouded in distorted shadows clung to the rock face, avoiding the main battlefield and silently descending towards the deepest part of the abyss. They carried some kind of peculiar magical artifact that could, to some extent, resist the erosion of the dense death qi here, and even draw the death qi to conceal their own aura.

The one leading them had a hidden aura, but had definitely reached the Saint Realm, and was by no means a novice! The others were all skilled cultivators in the Tai Xu Realm.

These shadowy figures had a clear target, heading straight for the bottom of the abyss. The fluctuations there seemed to originate from the same source as the Sacred Heart Crystal discovered on the altar earlier, but were a hundred times stronger in energy. Furthermore, there was a trace of extremely faint... life force mixed within? Life force nurtured in this place of absolute death?

"Extremity of annihilation gives birth to the extreme of life..." Xuanyuan Che recalled the divine script at the base of the altar and understood.

"Brother Xuanyuan, it's not advisable to linger here!" Zhou Qiankun approached with people from the True Martial Academy, his expression grave. "Although the Saint Corpse Bone Demon is injured, as long as the abyss's aura persists, it can regenerate continuously, and might even attract more terrifying existences! We are not in good condition, perhaps we should..."

Before he could finish, Xuanyuan Che interrupted him.

"Brother Zhou, you all should retreat first." Xuanyuan Che's tone was undeniable. "Take this with you and return the way you came. It will help you avoid most of the danger." He flicked his finger, and a talisman fell into Zhou Qiankun's hand. "Crush this, and it will temporarily block the perception of death qi, enough for you to leave this area."

Zhou Qiankun held the exquisitely crafted talisman, his heart filled with even greater shock. Its effect surpassed all the magical artifacts he carried. He gave Xuanyuan Che a deep look.

"Great kindness needs no thanks! Brother Xuanyuan, everyone, take care! If you ever have the chance to come to the Central Continent, the True Martial Academy will welcome you with open arms!" Zhou Qiankun no longer hesitated, cupped his fists in a solemn bow, and decisively led his fellow disciples in a swift retreat.

"Second Senior Sister, can you sense the specific location of those people?" Xuanyuan Che asked.

Yun Mengyao nodded slightly, a hazy white light emanating from her body as she communed with heaven and earth. After a moment, she opened her eyes and said, "They have descended three thousand feet. The concentration of death qi below the abyss increases exponentially, and there are naturally formed death qi whirlpools and spatial rifts, making it extremely dangerous. Their target... is in the extreme depths. My spiritual sense cannot fully reach it, but the feeling I get from there... is very contradictory. It's a place of absolute death, yet there's a sliver of life hidden within."

That makes sense. Xuanyuan Che thought.

Yun Mengyao paused and added, "If we pursue them directly now, we will immediately alert the existence in the deeper parts. It seems the Netherworld Clan has found a secret path."

"A secret path?" Xuanyuan Che raised an eyebrow. "Can you deduce their route?"

"We can try, but it will take time, and I cannot guarantee complete accuracy." Yun Mengyao pondered. "The abyss environment is constantly changing, and their route is not fixed."

"It doesn't matter." Xuanyuan Che smiled. "We have a simpler method."

Under the confused gazes of the three, Xuanyuan Che took out a seemingly plain compass from his storage ring. The compass was made of a material that was neither gold nor wood, but it had a substantial feel.

"This is...?"

"Heaven and Earth Searching Disk, my sister gave it to me." Xuanyuan Che casually explained, then forced a drop of pale golden blood from his fingertip onto the center of the compass. The blood was instantly absorbed, and the needle spun wildly before finally pointing steadily to a direction slightly to the left and below the abyss.

"Junior Brother, you have a sister?"

"Of course, I also have a brother. Is that important, Senior Brother?"

"Junior Brother, your sister was willing to give you such a precious item. She must love you very much. Don't worry, we will protect you!" Lei Mingjian had already imagined a poignant scene of sibling affection, separated by insurmountable forces.

Yun Mengyao and Mu Qingxue also looked moved. Although their Junior Brother hadn't mentioned his family situation, a child with such talent fleeing to the Eastern Wilderness from afar... wasn't it the typical trope of a great clan suffering a disaster, forcing their proud scion to carry the hopes of everyone, with fortunes changing over time?

Their gazes towards Xuanyuan Che became even more doting, gentle... and sympathetic?

What are you sympathizing with, I ask you?

Xuanyuan Che's expression was strange, a look of utter confusion on his face. Third Senior Brother was as sentimental as ever, prone to wild imaginings.

"My sister, she's invincible."

Without further explanation, Xuanyuan Che coughed twice and continued, "When I was beating that skeleton just now, I casually took some material from its core. It shares the same origin as those lifeless things below, and this needle is now leaning towards tracking... life force. Those Netherworld Clan fellows practice sinister techniques, but they are alive, and thus possess some life force. Following the deflection of this needle is their chosen relatively safe route."

Yun Mengyao, Mu Qingxue, Lei Mingjian: "..."

While fighting the Saint Corpse Bone Demon, he could precisely extract a wisp of its origin death qi to use as a tracking medium, and he had prepared such an unbelievable tracking compass beforehand... This kind of operation felt like cheating.

"Let's go, or we'll miss the soup if we're any later." Xuanyuan Che took the lead, leaping lightly into the rift in the direction indicated by the compass needle.

Yun Mengyao and the other two exchanged glances, seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes, and then unhesitatingly followed suit.

The four figures moved like phantoms, using the steep and rugged rock walls for leverage as they flew.

Xuanyuan Che held the compass, constantly adjusting the direction. His Chaos Body was like a fish in water here, his pores slightly opening and closing. Not only did he ignore the erosion of death qi, but he was also slowly absorbing and refining the pure yin energy within it.

The further down they went, the dimmer the light became, until it was almost completely dark. The concentration of death qi was so dense it was almost tangible. Ordinary Tai Xu Realm cultivators here would likely not last fifteen minutes before being completely eroded.

If not for the fact that all four of them were extraordinary, and Xuanyuan Che was there with his cheat, they would have likely been unable to hold on long ago.

Finally, Xuanyuan Che stopped, and the four halted, suppressing all their auras.