Abyss Ruins

Qin Sang carefully stored away the decaying white bones like precious treasures. Still unwilling to leave it at that, he wanted to search for more clues here to discover Tan Hao's whereabouts, preferably finding that mysterious person to resolve the matter once and for all. Inside this cavern, however, there were no traces left aside from the bone array. Qin Sang went through every underwater peak, yet still found nothing. The restrictions in the water seemed to exist solely to seal this one person. His search proved fruitless. Looking upward, Qin Sang murmured, "I might as well check above the water. If I'm not mistaken, this is the Abyss Ruins..." He summoned the ebony sword to shield himself, suppressing its sword qi fluctuations to the faintest whisper. Staying inwardly vigilant, he carefully surfaced. *Rumble...* He was greeted by an apocalyptic storm. Above the water, the void was an expanse of murky gray. Steadying himself, Qin Sang looked around and found that he appeared to be in a lake. The entire surface was blanketed in gloomy, dark clouds that sealed it off completely. The interior of the dark clouds resembled a chaotic realm, utterly blocking both his vision and divine sense. Standing here, however, made Qin Sang feel the tremors far more distinctly. Back at the Heavenly Corpse Sect's headquarters, it had felt as though a barrier stood between them, with only residual ripples leaking through. Now, he could truly feel the shockwaves surging in wave after wave. "It's confirmed. It really is the tremors of the Sin God Palace—this is inside the Abyss Ruins!" Qin Sang looked up at the dark clouds and realized they were formed from powerful ancient restrictions. Though appearing merely dreary and gray, they were exceptionally dangerous and capable of devouring any intruder. He then took flight amidst the storm, reaching the edge of the clouds and flying back and forth along their perimeter as if searching for something. "I see. Every tremor of the Sin God Palace batters the ancient cloud restrictions and the seal, creating flaws long ago, so the power of the restrictions here has been slowly dissipating. In recent centuries, Ziwei Palace has appeared frequently, and the Sin God Palace must have shaken just as often, drastically weakening the seal. Back in the Heavenly Corpse Sect's heyday, the seal was far more stable than it is now. Even as a Nascent Soul expert, the sect master might not have had the ability to break it." Qin Sang roughly understood why the Heavenly Corpse Sect had been unable to rescue the mysterious person. After circling the area in search of flaws in the ancient restrictions, he actually intended to breach the dark clouds and enter the Abyss Ruins! He did not do this to search for Tan Hao. Qin Sang estimated that after rescuing the mysterious person, Tan Hao had likely returned to the Heavenly Corpse Sect's headquarters along the original path. Although the ancient cloud restrictions were losing their power, they were still not easy to cross. He wanted to personally enter the Abyss Ruins. First and most importantly, it was related to the fragments of the Killing Sword. When he formed his Nascent Soul, the sword spirit of the Killing Sword had conveyed a message instructing him to seek the other fragments. As long as he drew close enough, the sword spirit would sense them and guide him. Of the previous two fragments, one had been in Ziwei Palace, and the other in the Hall of Seven Kills. There was an unmistakably deep connection between the Sin God Palace and Ziwei Palace. Qin Sang wondered whether, like the Hall of Seven Kills, the Sin God Palace also hid a fragment. However, the Sin God Palace was controlled by the cultivators of the Sin Abyss, and the three realms were currently at war; infiltrating it under their noses would take considerable effort. Even so, the Killing Sword had shattered into an unknown number of pieces, and they might not all be inside secret realms connected to Ziwei Palace. Across the vast Beichen Realm, of all the forbidden areas and secret realms, only the Ancient Immortal Battlefield surpassed the Abyss Ruins. Unable to enter the Sin God Palace for the moment, he could hardly pass up an opportunity to search the Abyss Ruins. The Sin Abyss had no knowledge of this passage, but the ancient restrictions within the clouds were steadily fading. Once they weakened to a certain degree, this place would inevitably be discovered. Second, Qin Sang sensed that the source of the tremors was far away rather than nearby. The core of the Abyss Ruins was undoubtedly the Sin God Palace. That place was bound to be the most heavily guarded location in the Sin Abyss, whereas other areas would be far less secure. The tremors of the Sin God Palace sent shockwaves sweeping across the entire Abyss Ruins, causing immense chaos. This disturbance provided the perfect cover for his movements, making it the ideal moment to slip inside. As long as he proceeded cautiously, with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly giving timely warnings, the odds of being discovered were minuscule. Reflecting on this, Qin Sang circled the clouds, searching for weak points in the ancient restrictions until he finally selected a spot. He pulled the twelve demonic banners into his sleeve and channeled the ebony sword, preparing to break the restriction with all his strength. Perched on his shoulder, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly fluttered its wings, concentrating intently on uncovering flaws in the ancient restriction. Her Heavenly Eye divine ability could be put to its greatest use here. Her wings shimmered, flashing with the light of the Heavenly Eye and laced with faint arcs of lightning. In fact, after breaking through to the fourth transformation, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had not only comprehended the Heavenly Eye divine light, but also gained the ability to protect herself. The thunder she wielded harbored a sliver of true tribulation lightning, possessing a power that was not to be underestimated. Yet Qin Sang still instinctively protected her, doing his best to keep her from facing opponents directly. This was also to prevent observant individuals from discovering her ability to swallow tribulation lightning. The butterfly's physical body remained fragile; if anything were to happen to her, Qin Sang would be overwhelmed with regret. The sword qi encircling the butterfly was the thickest and most impenetrable. Sensing her master's care, she transmitted emotions of warmth, attachment, and deep filial affection. Together, man and butterfly poured their strength into breaking the restriction. They soon discovered a flaw in the ancient restriction, which opened like a fissure penetrating deep into the dark clouds. However, buffeted by the tremors of the Sin God Palace, the ancient restriction was restless, causing the fissure to flicker in and out of sight. Qin Sang observed it for a long while to grasp its rhythm. Once certain the danger was manageable, his figure flickered as he stepped into the fissure. The ebony sword hung inverted above his head, its sword qi shielding him like tassels. With every sway, it slashed out an arc of sword light that struck the dark clouds in succession. Qin Sang was not striking at random. Every point his sword light struck was a critical juncture of the ancient restriction. As he and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly gained a deeper understanding of it, they traced its flaws and carefully carved out a passage, until his figure vanished deep within the dark clouds. *The clouds are far thicker than I imagined...* Pausing briefly as the thought flashed through his mind, Qin Sang continued to forge ahead. After breaking through an untold number of restrictions, the dark clouds ahead finally grew thin. Quickening his pace, he unleashed dozens of sword lights in an instant with the ebony sword, cleaving the clouds apart at last! *Whoosh!* Qin Sang burst out from the dark clouds just as another tremor struck, immediately feeling immense pressure slam against him. The ebony sword vibrated gently, absorbing the impact for him. Beyond the dark clouds lay an uncharted land. Qin Sang looked around and found the place unimaginably barren. Outside, one patch of dark clouds blended into another, riddled with ancient restrictions, forming a boundless, murky sea of clouds. Amidst the sea of clouds, the silhouettes of mountain peaks faded in and out of view, sharing the same hue as the gloomy mist. The Abyss Ruins resembled an abandoned wasteland—dim and utterly desolate. "So this is the Sin Abyss. The scenery is completely different from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and its danger is second only to the shattered spaces of the battlefield's depths. Even so, this terrain makes it much easier to conceal my presence. The tremors of the Sin God Palace will persist for a long time, so I can take my time searching." Qin Sang carefully attuned himself to his surroundings and slipped into the gap between two banks of dark clouds.