Chapter 374 - 356: Return to the Great Abyss, Meeting Old Acquaintances Again

Chapter 374: Chapter 356: Return to the Great Abyss, Meeting Old Acquaintances Again

’I really can ignore the constraints of the Spirit Contract!’

Zhang Chi stood suspended in the sky, discovering that despite having left the Demon Abyss, he hadn’t been harmed in the slightest.

Only the Jade Pendant in his sea of consciousness had changed color slightly.

He immediately flew higher. Then, circulating his Spiritual Power to enhance his vision, he peered through the dense demonic fog toward Yuan Bei.

He then discovered that all of Yuan Bei was shrouded in Demonic Qi, with no exceptions.

Slightly nervous, he then looked toward Yuan South, only to find it wasn’t much better.

Demonic Qi surged to the heavens across almost ninety percent of Yuan South; it had clearly fallen as well.

Fortunately, the former Golden Sun Sect region, closest to the Black Desert, still had a bright sky, which made it stand out sharply.

’Good. Since it hasn’t fallen completely, Susu and the others are most likely okay.’

Zhang Chi breathed a small sigh of relief.

Zhang Chi had Spirit Contract bonds with both Qin Susu and Lan Xuan, so he could confirm they were still alive.

But he wouldn’t know their exact situation until he saw them in person.

CRACKLE...

With a jolt, Zhang Chi’s body shifted, and his appearance and physique immediately returned to their true state.

Next, he waved his hand to put away the Top Grade Treasure Cauldron, then stroked his Spirit Beast Bracelet and released Flying Dragon No.1.

ROAR!

After a moment of confusion, Flying Dragon No.1 let out a massive roar, then beat its wings and flew south.

At the same time, Zhang Chi summoned a Crimson Upper Grade Flying Boat, which transformed into a dazzling streak of fire and also flew toward the Golden Sun Sect.

To better understand the current situation in the Great Abyss, he did not fly within the Nine Heavens Gang Wind Layer.

After all, he was in the Great Abyss now; he didn’t need to fear anyone, including the likes of the True Demon Sect.

And that was indeed the case. Although the path was littered with Demons and Demonized Beasts, as well as some True Demon Sect Cultivators, none of them dared to approach Zhang Chi.

Instead, it was Zhang Chi who would occasionally attack and kill them.

Eventually, there were so many of them that he couldn’t be bothered to deal with them anymore.

Just like that, Zhang Chi soon arrived near the Cangwu Sect, only to find that it had long since become True Demon Sect territory.

Zhang Chi continued to fly, and before long, he approached Golden Crow City on the edge of the former Golden Sun Sect’s territory.

BOOM BOOM...

At that moment, however, he suddenly slowed down, as a group of Cultivators was battling Demons and other creatures a hundred li away.

There were over twenty Cultivators in total. The three leaders—two women and one man—all had Golden Core Cultivation, while the rest were at Foundation Establishment.

These Cultivators occupied a hillside, where they had also set up a simple Array.

Surrounding the hillside and in the sky was a large swarm of ferocious-looking Demons and some Demonized Beasts shrouded in black qi.

"Martial Seniors, we can’t hold on much longer! Let’s retreat!" a Foundation Establishment Cultivator cried out at that moment.

The Cultivator’s face was pale, and his body was trembling slightly, clearly from expending too much Spiritual Power.

Hearing this, the other Cultivators all looked toward the three Golden Core Masters.

"No! Hold on a little longer! It’ll be over soon," one of the Golden Core Female Cultivators immediately rejected the request.

"That’s right. It’s almost time. Just a moment longer," the other Golden Core Female Cultivator chimed in.

As they spoke, the two of them urged on their two silver Magical Treasure Flying Swords, which erupted with dazzling beams of Sword Light, circling and dancing as they violently reaped the lives of the Demons and Demonized Beasts.

Unfortunately, every time they killed a Demon or a Demonized Beast, more would swarm in to take its place.

"Junior Sister Wen, Junior Sister Tian, you’re right. Our mission this time is to hold back these Demon Beasts and Demons. As long as we hold on long enough, Senior Brother Chen and Senior Sister Chen will be able to successfully escort those supplies and survivors to Golden Crow City."

The Golden Core Male Cultivator also agreed.

He wasn’t controlling a Magical Treasure, but three black Tier Three Low Grade Human-shaped Puppets. Each stood thirty feet tall, glowed with a golden luster, and wielded a giant blade, charging madly through the hordes of Demons and Demonized Beasts.

Hearing this, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators could only grit their teeth and continue to fight. Some channeled their Magical Artifacts to cast Magic attacks, while others were responsible for maintaining the Array.

BANG!

Unfortunately, there were too many Demon Beasts and Demons, and they were all fearless in the face of death. Soon, the Array shattered.

At the same time, many Cultivators were hit by the backlash and collapsed weakly to the ground.

Even the three Golden Core Masters had consumed too much power. The Sword Light dimmed, and the movements of the three puppets slowed.

But the Demons and Demon Beasts surged forward like a tide.

"This is bad!"

All the Cultivators were filled with despair.

It would be difficult for them to escape now, even if they wanted to.

The three Golden Core cultivators immediately gritted their teeth and summoned their three glittering, round Golden Cores, preparing to risk everything for a sliver of a chance at survival.

ROAR!

But at that moment, a massive roar suddenly echoed from the sky, and a powerful pressure then enveloped the entire battlefield.

Under this pressure, the Cultivators immediately collapsed to the ground, and even the three Golden Core Masters were no exception.

Then, the Cultivators felt the sky suddenly grow darker, as if night had fallen.

They looked up and immediately saw a behemoth, beating a pair of hundred-zhang wings as it swooped down toward them.

"Oh no, it’s a Tier Four Demon Beast!"

"Why would they send such a powerful Demon Beast against us? We’re finished this time! Senior Brother Chen and the others are surely doomed!"

In an instant, all the Cultivators fell into complete despair.

They couldn’t even hold off the numerous Tier Two Demon Beasts and Demons before, their Spiritual Power completely drained as they were surrounded. How could they possibly face a Tier Four Demon Beast, an existence comparable to a Nascent Soul True Monarch?

FWOOSH!

The next moment, the behemoth opened its mouth and spat out a great sheet of black Demon Fire.

The scene was instantly transformed into a sea of fire, the air scorching hot. The Demon Beasts and Demons shrieked as they were turned to ash on the spot.

But the Cultivators on the hillside were unharmed, because the Demon Fire seemed to have a life of its own, actually flowing around them.

ROAR!

After that, the behemoth let out another roar, beat its wings again, and soared back into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"This..."

"We’re... actually all right?"

The Cultivators were immediately stunned by this scene.

"Could it be that wasn’t a Demonized Beast, but a Spirit Pet raised by some senior?"

"Which senior could it be? I’ve never heard of one like that."

Many Cultivators couldn’t help but speculate.

But in the end, they came to no conclusion. The three Golden Core Masters, in particular, looked completely baffled.

They knew more than the Foundation Establishment Cultivators and were therefore certain that no such Spirit Beast existed on their side in the Great Abyss, or even on the True Demon Sect’s side.

"I remember now! That looked like the Spirit Beast of Master Qin Susu, or maybe Master Lan Xuan!"

"Yeah, it did look like it, but their Spirit Beasts aren’t that powerful, are they? Besides, wasn’t Junior Martial Aunt Qin’s Spirit Beast already seriously injured, even on the verge of death?"

Some of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators quickly made a new connection, but unfortunately, they just as quickly refuted the possibility themselves.

’Could it be... that he has returned?’

Hearing this, Junior Sister Wen couldn’t help but recall certain things.

"Who are you talking about?"

Junior Sister Tian and the other Golden Core Master were both confused.

"Junior Sister, don’t tell me you’re talking about Master Zhang Chi, who left the Great Abyss over three hundred years ago?"

But soon, they both understood what she meant and couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

"That’s right. You’ve all probably heard that our senior sisters, Qin Susu and Lan Xuan, are both Master Zhang Chi’s confidantes. It’s even said that their two Spirit Beasts were left to them by Master Zhang Chi."

"There were actually three such Spirit Beasts, and Master Zhang Chi took the third one with him when he left. So, if Master Zhang has really returned, perhaps that Spirit Beast has truly reached Tier Four!" Junior Sister Wen concluded, nodding as she laid out her theory.

"It’s really possible. He was that powerful so many years ago. If he’s still alive now, he must be a Nascent Soul Powerhouse. It’s natural that his Spirit Beast could reach Tier Four."

"But could he really have come back?"

Hearing this, Junior Sister Tian nodded, but soon felt the speculation was too bold.

"Let’s not worry about it so much. Whoever it was, they’re our savior. And we’ll definitely be able to meet them later, then we’ll know everything!"

"For now, let’s pull ourselves together and go rendezvous with Senior Brother Chen and the others!" the other Golden Core cultivator said after a moment of silence.

"Alright."

"Exactly! What matters is that we’re safe!"

Junior Sister Tian and Junior Sister Wen immediately agreed, their faces breaking into smiles. They led the other Cultivators, who were also jubilant after surviving the ordeal, and continued on their way.

***

’I didn’t expect all three of them to have reached Golden Core, and for me to run into them just like that!’

Meanwhile, Zhang Chi continued on his way.

Clearly, the one who had spat fire and saved those Cultivators was Flying Dragon No.1, acting on his command.

Moreover, the three Golden Core Masters among those Cultivators could all be considered his old acquaintances.

The two Golden Core Female Cultivators were both from the Divine Sword Sect. Back in the day, that Junior Sister Wen had participated in the Exploration of the Celestial Repair Sect’s Medicinal Garden and had been ambushed by Cultivators from the Cyan Cloud Sect over some Core Formation Spiritual Objects.

As it happened, he ran into the ambush and saved her.

The other one, Junior Sister Tian, was Junior Sister Wen’s close friend from the same sect and had also participated in the Exploration at that time.

Even the Golden Core Male Cultivator had crossed paths with him before.

That male cultivator was none other than the Senior Brother Wen from back then who loved to use Puppets for sneak attacks but ended up being tricked by him with a piece of Beast Hide.

But thinking about it carefully, Zhang Chi felt it was quite normal that these three had managed to reach Golden Core.

After all, back then they were all already at Foundation Establishment Cultivation, and their Realms were even higher than his was at the time.

Senior Brother Wen, in particular, was already at Foundation Establishment Peak back then.

It was just that the quality of their Golden Cores wasn’t high, so even though they reached Core Formation, it didn’t cause a big stir, which was why he hadn’t heard about it.

However, even though he recognized the three of them, he didn’t show himself to meet and reminisce with them. After all, they weren’t very familiar with each other.

That Cultivator Wen, in particular, even had a bit of a grudge against him.

More importantly, he had already used his powerful Divine Thought to discover two other old acquaintances who were truly worth seeing.

These two old acquaintances were none other than Chen Bufan and Chen Ling’er.

They were currently several hundred li away, leading another group of Cultivators and piloting a Floating Airship to escort a large number of mortal survivors.

Behind the Flying Boat, a massive number of Demons, Demonized Beasts, and a large group of True Demon Sect Cultivators were in hot pursuit.