The soldiers of the Qingxuan Army had guarded the Chizha Abyss for far too long.
Some had lived here since birth, never once leaving until the day they died.
Family, friends.
Everything they knew blossomed and withered away within the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
As for the wonders of the true Xuanhuang Realm they guarded, the vast majority of the Qingxuan Army had only heard of them through the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
They had never witnessed them with their own eyes.
And the terror of the Chizha Abyss made it impossible for them to even entertain the illusion of ever leaving one day.
Yet now...
Li Fan's appearance brought a glimmer of dawn to their endlessly bleak lives.
"If both lords join forces, perhaps they truly can put an end to the demonic sounds once and for all..."
Cheers like rolling thunder erupted from the Qingxuan Army as they gazed with fervent hope upon Li Fan and Young Lord Shang standing outside the abyss.
"The cruelest thing in the world is to grant hope, only to brutally shatter it." Young Lord Shang glanced back at the expressions on his commanders' faces and sighed softly.
"Just now, forced by circumstances, I had no choice but to agree to your request. But in truth, I am not optimistic," he sent via voice transmission.
"What truly causes headaches about the Chizha Abyss is not merely the demonic sounds. Otherwise, any Dharma Transmitter from the Alliance could have easily suppressed it with a single strike. What makes the Alliance's upper echelons harbor deep apprehension is the twisted Dao of world ruin rising from the abyss's bottom.
"It is like an open wound. If it is pierced, the pus will flow forth and fester into the Xuanhuang Realm..."
Pressed into a corner, Young Lord Shang had no choice but to divulge the reason why the Alliance chose only to garrison the site rather than eradicate the peril once and for all.
"The demonic sounds are merely a symptom. If one truly wishes to end them for good, one must not only suppress them, but also properly tend to this wound."
Young Lord Shang had originally hoped that these words would dissuade Li Fan from dragging him down to the abyss floor.
Yet he never expected that after listening to the explanation, the other man did not show the slightest surprise, as though he had known the truth of the Chizha Abyss all along.
Instead, he even smiled faintly and asked in return, "The demonic sounds are a symptom, and the wound...
"...is also a symptom.
"The Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao circulates in endless cycles of birth and destruction. If this were an ordinary cosmic wound, it would heal in a century at most. Yet the Chizha Abyss has raged for over several centuries, showing no sign of stopping; if anything, it grows fiercer by the day. Does the Young Lord not feel curious about this?"
Young Lord Shang froze upon hearing this.
"You..."
The gaze he turned on Li Fan was filled with startled uncertainty.
He had originally thought Li Fan was merely an immensely powerful, hot-blooded cultivator, but now it seemed...
"My identity is of no importance. What matters is you, Young Lord.
"Regarding everything within the White Mist Lost Domain, and the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals' bizarre attitude back then toward this matter—are you truly not curious?"
Young Lord Shang's expression shifted drastically. "Are you from the Five Elders Association?"
Li Fan shook his head. "I am merely a sincere soul unwilling to see the truth remain buried."
Then Li Fan sat down again with his sword across his knees. "I shall wait here for three days.
"After three days, I will take my sword and charge into the abyss.
"As for whether you are willing to come along, Young Lord... I shall not force you."
Young Lord Shang remained silent.
His figure rippled like water and vanished.
***
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Throughout this time, Li Fan kept watch over the mouth of the abyss.
Whenever demonic sounds resurfaced, he eradicated them effortlessly with flashes of sword light.
The soldiers of the Qingxuan Army inside the Eternal Immortal Bastion gazed upon Li Fan's back in adoration.
Many of the sharper soldiers even recorded projections of Li Fan's sword light slaying the demonic sounds.
They studied and pondered them repeatedly.
Indeed, several gained insights and made great leaps in their strength.
When the agreed-upon time arrived, Sacred Embryo Li Fan did not hesitate in the slightest.
Beneath the gaze of thousands, he rose and walked at an unhurried pace toward the interior of the Chizha Abyss.
He showed no intention of waiting for Young Lord Shang at all.
Seeing Li Fan about to set out alone, hushed murmurs inevitably broke out within the Eternal Immortal Bastion.
After all, no matter how immense Young Lord Shang's prestige had been before, if he failed to respond to this, his image would collapse beyond repair.
These Qingxuan soldiers were trusted retainers he had cultivated over a century; losing their heartfelt devotion would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to Young Lord Shang.
Furthermore, with Young Lord Shang's strength, even if he ventured deep into the Chizha Abyss and failed to quell the demonic sounds, he would suffer at most a few injuries. Preserving his life would not be an issue.
Therefore, Li Fan was certain that Young Lord Shang would appear.
Even if it was just trailing behind him to keep up appearances.
Sure enough, just as Li Fan stepped resolutely into the Chizha Abyss, Young Lord Shang's figure appeared right on time.
"Respectful send-off to the Army Commander!"
The Qingxuan soldiers' thunderous chorus of well-wishes abruptly vanished the moment Li Fan entered the abyss completely.
"The last time I set foot here was nearly three hundred years ago," Young Lord Shang's voice rang out from behind.
Li Fan did not answer, merely observing his surroundings.
It was somewhat similar to the circumstances of the Nether Realm.
The endless pitch-black was unnerving. The difference was that within the darkness stretched continuous ribbons of dark crimson light, resembling the flowing blood of some ancient strange beast.
From these blood-red ribbons, ash-like substance drifted off from time to time.
Li Fan reached out and drew a speck to himself; instantly, a putrid stench spread from the point of contact, eroding toward his entire body.
In merely a few breaths, Sacred Embryo Li Fan's body was reduced to the same ash-like matter.
A flash of sword light pierced the darkness, and Li Fan was reborn from his internal world.
"These cinders are the result of contamination by the twisted Dao of world ruin. And this is merely the outermost perimeter of the abyss. The deeper we go, the greater the degree of distortion. It can even taint and destroy the very foundations of our cultivation," Young Lord Shang warned via voice transmission.
By cultivation foundation, he meant things like Foundation Establishment wonders and Nascent Soul grotto-heavens.
As long as these foundations of the new method remained undamaged, a cultivator could continually be reborn. But if even they were destroyed, the cultivator would naturally perish along with them.
"Apart from that, we must also beware of sudden eruptions of the demonic sound tide. The demonic sounds outside the abyss and inside it are two entirely different concepts. Back then, I prided myself on an iron will, yet in fewer than a few breaths, I was nearly driven mad by those hideous whispers."
...
Young Lord Shang rambled on, but Li Fan turned a deaf ear, flying toward the bottom of the abyss with unswerving resolve.
Wherever he passed, beams of sword light flashed, completely annihilating those drifting ribbons of dark red blood-shadow.
Young Lord Shang stared for a while and was inwardly astonished to find that those strange entities showed no signs of reviving.
"This is the Sword of Annihilation. Wherever the sword light reaches, all turns to nothingness."
Li Fan's voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"A festering wound need only be excised cleanly," he said calmly.
"As for those demonic sounds...
"I have a supreme secret art to pass on to you, which will ensure you remain unharmed."
Chapter 1149