At the bottom of the Buried Demon Abyss, darkness lay thick as ink, and all was deathly silent. Following the fragmentary map, Han Li threaded his way through a maze of underground fissures and abandoned mine tunnels. He kept his aura concealed and pushed Shadowstream Glimmer to its limit, moving like a true ghost as he avoided naturally formed vortices of fiendish energy, spatial rifts, and the few savage Fiend Beasts lurking in the depths.
After several days of tense but uneventful travel, a faint glimmer finally appeared ahead, and the suffocating fiendish energy in the air gradually thinned. Han Li's spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace. Another half day later, he emerged from a narrow opening concealed by vines, and the world suddenly opened before him!
Sunlight he had not seen in so long spilled through the sparse foliage, and air fragrant with grass and trees filled his lungs. He stood on the outskirts of an unfamiliar mountain range. In the distance, the familiar peaks of the Seven Mysteries Sect were faintly visible.
"I finally made it out..." Han Li let out a long breath, his taut nerves easing slightly. He swiftly checked himself over. His wounds had healed, his cultivation was firmly at the peak of Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, and his condition was even better than before he entered the Forbidden Land. Yet the repeated battles for his life had left an indelible coldness and weathered air upon his face.
He did not immediately return to the sect. Instead, he found a secluded cave, set up restrictions, and carefully inventoried his gains. The fragmentary Profound Yin Sect map he had obtained at the bottom of the Buried Demon Abyss, the insights gained from refining that wisp of Nascent Soul fiendish energy, and the spoils taken from