Chapter 489: Great Sword Immortal Mo Yuan

Amid screams of terror, practitioner after practitioner hiding beneath giant boulders were snatched up.

Shen Daoxing watched as a man was seized by three squabbling Ancient Fierce Beasts and torn into three pieces right before his eyes.

Shen Daoxing froze. Beside him, Liu Ying couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Qing Luan, Xuan Ye, and the others merely glanced outside, seemingly accustomed to such sights.

As if sensing his gaze, the nearest Void suddenly turned its head and looked toward the hollow tree where Shen Daoxing was hiding.

Qing Luan paused, then said, "Second, never look a Void in the eye. They are monsters that feed on human souls, and the eyes are the lock to that soul. Once you meet their gaze, the lock is forced open, and your soul will be torn away."

Shen Daoxing jumped in fright and quickly averted his gaze.

"Third, within the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss, you must never answer any call. You can never know what manner of terrifying existence lies behind it."

Qing Luan continued.

"Fourth, while in the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss, you must always maintain a clear consciousness. Always remember your name, because the moment you forget it is the moment you lose yourself. You will become just like those Fierce Beasts, those walking corpses, outside."

Shen Daoxing raised his hands and bowed respectfully to Qing Luan. "I will take your reminders to heart, Senior Sister!"

Qing Luan smiled faintly. "The Ancient Ruins of the Abyss may seem fraught with peril, but don’t worry, Junior Brother. As long as you follow these rules and stick with us, you won’t be in too much danger."

Qing Luan saw Shen Daoxing and Liu Ying as her junior martial siblings, and naturally felt it was her duty to protect them.

"Alright, you two get some rest. We have important matters to attend to tomorrow."

Qing Luan reminded them.

Shen Daoxing could sense Qing Luan’s sincerity. He nodded with a warm smile, then found an empty spot with Liu Ying and sat down to meditate.

The hollow tree was quite large. Even with five people inside, there was still plenty of room.

The night was still. In the sky above the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss, there were no stars—only a single red moon, hanging high and casting an eerie glow.

After the recent commotion, the Ancient Fierce Beasts finished divvying up the practitioners. Their eyes turned dull once more, and they began to wander the mountain forest again like walking corpses.

「The next day.」

As dawn broke, while Shen Daoxing was still resting in a meditative state,

Qing Luan’s voice rang out. "Fu Ren, Fu Yi, Xuan Ye!"

The moment she opened her eyes, she looked at everyone. "Daoxing, Liu Ying!"

Only when everyone had responded did she nod, relieved, and stand up.

Then, with a wave of her hand, she recalled the paper talisman she had placed at the entrance. Dazzling sunlight immediately shot into the hollow.

The group stepped out of the hollow tree. The sky was clear, and the green wilderness around them was quiet, showing no sign of danger.

As the sky brightened, it wasn’t just Shen Daoxing’s group; practitioners from all over the mountain forest began to emerge from their hiding places, some alone, others in groups of two or three.

Shen Daoxing looked around and was surprised to find that their cultivation levels were quite high. The weakest among them were at the Fourth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm, while most were masters of the Refining Dust Realm.

"These are all practitioners from Cangzhou who have entered the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss over the past several millennia. Some hail from Ancient Dynasties a thousand years old, others from the Famous Sects of bygone eras, and some even from Demon Sects that were annihilated long ago."

Qing Luan came to Shen Daoxing’s side and explained, "This place is very strange. Every time a few people die, new ones appear the next day to fill their places."

Shen Daoxing glanced to the side. He saw these practitioners, who had been here for millennia, leaping through the mountain forest and rummaging about, as if searching for something.

Shen Daoxing turned to Qing Luan. "What are they looking for?"

Qing Luan paused, her expression turning serious. "The Immortal Mansion of that Great Sword Immortal. Legend has it that Great Sword Immortal Li Yuan carved out this Tianze with a single sword strike. He guarded this place for a thousand years and never left, right up until he ascended to the Upper Realm. His Immortal Mansion, where he lived, is somewhere in this very forest.

"And it is said that when Great Sword Immortal Li Yuan ascended, he deliberately left behind his legacy—his ultimate techniques, his Forbidden Divine Techniques!"

"Forbidden Divine Techniques?"

Shen Daoxing was curious.

Qing Luan nodded.

"Divine Techniques are powerful arts that practitioners of the Refining Dust Realm can use. They are cast by sensing a supreme existence between heaven and earth, opening a connection to it, and borrowing its power. However, these supreme existences vary, and so Divine Techniques differ in strength. They can be mastered to the level of Minor Achievement or Great Success. Forbidden Divine Techniques are a level beyond Great Success—they are even more powerful."

As she spoke, Qing Luan pointed a finger at the ground.

"The world-shocking strike Great Sword Immortal Li Yuan used to cleave this Tianze was the power of a Forbidden Divine Technique! And it’s not just the technique; he also left the Immortal Soldier Magical Artifacts he used in his Immortal Mansion, along with the secrets to his enlightenment and ascension. If anyone could obtain these things, their path on the Great Dao would be clear and unimpeded. How could they not be tempted?

"However, Great Sword Immortal Li Yuan’s Immortal Mansion isn’t so simple. It can only be opened by someone of his own bloodline or lineage. That’s why no one has found it yet."

’The secret to becoming an immortal!’

Shen Daoxing nodded slowly. That was certainly a powerful lure. No wonder so many experts had come here.

Qing Luan paused before adding, "Of course, the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss is also an ancient battlefield. Countless experts have fallen here over the ages, including innumerable masters of the Celestial Balance Realm and even some who were stronger still. The items they left behind are all peerless treasures."

As Shen Daoxing and Qing Luan were speaking—

BANG!

A tremendous crash rang out.

A towering ancient tree not far from them suddenly lit up as a flash of sword-light shot forth. Then, with a loud CRACK, the tree split down the middle into two halves.

In the next moment, two figures shot through the sundered tree, one after the other, soaring high into the air. They then descended slowly, landing atop two towering ancient trees. It was two men, one tall and one short, their ages impossible to discern.

The shorter man’s face was dark, his expression hostile. "Sikong Ao, hand over that pearl! I found it first, it’s mine!"

Across from him, the tall man looked unconcerned. He raised a hand, revealing a shimmering, iridescent blue Treasure Pearl. A disdainful smirk played on his lips. "Heh. Your property? Here in the Ancient Ruins of the Abyss, treasures belong to the strong. Since I have it, it’s mine. If you think you’re good enough, come and take it!"