Something Has Been Off in the Demonic Abyss Lately

Time flowed on. In just a few short months, undercurrents surged within the Demonic Abyss, and many changes had taken place. Unfortunately, aside from a handful of Yin Gods in Jueyue Abyss, no one was aware of these clandestine shifts. At this moment, Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, smiling as he looked at Mu Lan, who had come to lodge a complaint. "The stars in the heavens are still hanging there. To claim that Heavenly Venerable Motong and Heavenly Venerable Motang have run into trouble—isn't that a bit laughable?" This Mu Lan truly refused to give up. He had already traveled across multiple regions to report Motong. Unfortunately, what he failed to understand was that the Yang God Heavenly Venerables he was reporting to were now all Qi Yuan's alt accounts. Inside the Demonic Abyss, Qi Yuan diligently went about his bait-and-hook ambushes, but it was still rather boring. Every now and then, he would look for a bit of fun. This Mu Lan was precisely that fun. He was very curious about when Mu Lan would manage to take his reports all the way to Heavenly Venerable Moheng. Mu Lan kept his head lowered, his expression exceedingly grim. "Heavenly Venerable, it is better to believe it than to dismiss it! The Yin Gods of Jueyue Abyss have suffered catastrophic casualties; we cannot afford not to be on guard!" The Heavenly Venerable had made a valid point. If a Yang God ran into trouble and perished, first and foremost, their star reflecting across the heavens would fall. Yet Heavenly Venerable Motong's was completely fine. The stars of all the Yang Gods he suspected were still hanging safe and sound in the firmament. "How could a mere Yin God like you comprehend the calculations of a Heavenly Venerable?" Qi Yuan said placidly, projecting an air of profound mystery. "Enough. Let this matter end here!" Qi Yuan flicked his sleeve, and Mu Lan's body was forcefully cast out of the immortal cave. "Heavenly Venerable, I shed blood for the Moluo!" "Heavenly Venerable, I sweated for the Moluo!" "My loyalty can be witnessed by heaven and earth!" Outside the immortal cave, Mu Lan wept bitterly, looking thoroughly despairing. "Entertaining. He puts on an even better act than I do." When dealing with a Yin God like Mu Lan, Qi Yuan put remarkably little effort into his acting. He didn't even bother changing his appearance, showing his original self dressed in a red robe. He barely even concealed his physique. As a result, every time Mu Lan went to a new territory, the Yang God he saw looked exactly the same. The most amusing part was that every time Mu Lan saw him, stormy waves surged in Mu Lan's heart, yet on the surface, he still had to pretend he didn't realize the person had been swapped. And he still persistently kept lodging reports. It was ridiculously entertaining. *Teasing a random Yin God is quite fun.* Qi Yuan let his mind wander. In the present Demonic Abyss, Heavenly Venerable Moheng was the only one left. All the other Yang Gods had been successfully hooked and reeled in by Qi Yuan. One could say he practically owned the place now. Even if Mu Lan grew bold enough to spread rumors, Qi Yuan had nothing to fear. At this moment, Mu Lan was terrified in his heart, even as he wept loudly on the outside. He was beginning to question his very existence as a demon. *Am I just going senile and blind?* *Why do all the Yang God Heavenly Venerables... look exactly the same?!* Just then, a transmission suddenly entered Qi Yuan's communication jade slip. "You brat, how did you end up in the Sixth Heaven? How did you even get there?" Qi Yuan looked at the message, somewhat surprised. It had come from Horned Sis. These communication jade slips were normally incapable of transmitting across Heavens. They couldn't even receive messages in certain specialized locations. Take the Demonic Abyss, for instance: shrouded by the Moluo Well, standard transmission jade slips were rendered virtually useless, their signals sealed off. However, after acquiring substantial authority over the well, Qi Yuan had unsealed his own restrictions. This allowed his jade slip to receive communications from the outside world. "Well, I got bored staying in the Fifth Heaven, so I came up to the Sixth Heaven to take a stroll," Qi Yuan replied after a thought. Horned Sis was a decent person and had helped him out with a few small favors before. "Where are you? Tell me, I'm coming to pick you up right now! It's urgent, an enormous piece of good fortune!" Horned Sis's voice carried an urgent edge. Qi Yuan hesitated for a moment. "I'm currently in the Demonic Abyss." It wasn't a secret anyway. "Why did you go to the Demonic Abyss?! There's an active war going on there, it's very dangerous!" Horned Sis said anxiously. She even suspected in her heart that Qi Yuan had been conscripted, or perhaps he wanted to farm military merits in the Demonic Abyss. After all, cultivators hailing from the Second Heaven lacked resources and were capable of doing anything desperate. "Don't go charging into battle recklessly for now! Invoke the name of the Ziyuan Clan to the stationed Yang God. I'm coming over to pick you up and take you away!" Horned Sis said agitatedly. "Pick me up for what?" Qi Yuan asked, somewhat curious. Horned Sis took a deep breath. "Your bloodline... shares the same origin as our Black Demon Abyss, and it is exceedingly noble." Judging by the ancestor's expression back then, if a Great Ultimate Principle weren't barred from moving about freely at will and hadn't been tied down by other matters, the ancestor would probably have gone straight to the Fifth Heaven to bring Blood Robe up in person. Evidently, Blood Robe's bloodline had to be extraordinarily shocking. "Oh, sorry, I only want to be a guest elder. I don't want to join major factions, nor do I want to become a subordinate god," Qi Yuan declined. "What are you thinking? The Black Demon Abyss is different from other sacred grounds. Without our bloodline, the Black Demon Abyss wouldn't accept you even as a slave! "You won't have to become a subordinate god!" Horned Sis said heatedly. Blood Robe's bloodline was definitely even more exalted than hers. Could it be... an Ultimate Principle bloodline? Otherwise, the ancestor wouldn't have acted like that, Horned Sis speculated. Hearing this, Qi Yuan's gaze deepened. He pondered. Once he finished devouring the Moluo Clan, where should he go next? Originally, his plan had been to go to the Buddha Realm. However, the Buddha Realm was in the Fifth Heaven, and Qi Yuan had formed a grudge with Taihuang Palace. If he drew the attention of that certain person in Taihuang Palace, it wouldn't actually be very safe for him right now. Now, hearing that he could go to the Black Demon Abyss, he was somewhat tempted. After all, he couldn't very well take Jin Li to some "backwater countryside." "As you know, my enemy is that one in Taihuang Palace. Do you people still dare take me in?" "Hmph, the ancestor said it's fine!" Horned Sis said domineeringly. Even if Blood Robe regarded that figure from Taihuang Palace as an enemy, that figure might not even know he existed. Hearing this, Qi Yuan gave it some thought and said, "Can I make a few somewhat unreasonable requests?" "Name them!" Seeing him swaying, Horned Sis was quite pleased. "I used to live in standalone villas. I must have my own standalone villa in the Black Demon Abyss!" Qi Yuan made an exorbitant demand straight away. "Huh? No problem." Horned Sis had no clue what a villa was, but that didn't stop her from agreeing. In any case, the priority was coaxing him over first. "When I eat beef noodles, I must add... two eggs." "A hundred eggs! Dragon eggs!" Horned Sis proclaimed loudly. In the Sixth Heaven, creatures such as dragons actually existed. "Aren't dragon eggs a bit too extravagant?" Qi Yuan hesitated. He looked down at himself. If he ate a hundred dragon eggs in one sitting, what would happen to his physique management? "When will you arrive?" Qi Yuan asked. "I still have some business to handle. How about this: come in a month. When you get here, I'll go with you to the Black Demon Abyss." A month was enough time for him to take the well back. By then, he would head to the Black Demon Abyss. That way, before leaving, he could spread a rumor that the Moluo Clan had dreamt of the Lord of Moluo, and all the Yang Gods had ascended to the Nine Heavens! If so, who would know what had really happened? "Nothing is more important than you coming to the Black Demon Abyss!" Horned Sis said earnestly. The ancestor was very anxious. "I'm planning to wipe out the Moluo Clan. Just give me another month!" "Keep bragging! Wipe out the Moluo in a month?! "If you don't want to tell me, then forget it. Big Sis will arrive in a month. Where do we meet?" Horned Sis naturally didn't believe him. This Blood Robe was fine in every aspect except his mental state. A while back, he claimed that supreme figure in Taihuang Palace was his mortal enemy, and now he was claiming he'd wipe out the Moluo Clan in a single month. He was way too good at posturing. That was the Moluo Clan, a formidable force boasting nearly forty Yang Gods and five Ultimate Principles. Even across the entire Sixth Heaven, their power ranking fell within the top thirty. "Sigh, why is it that in this world, nobody believes the truth?" Qi Yuan lamented, then sent the designated rendezvous location to Horned Sis. When the time came, he'd kill everyone and immediately make a run for it. ... "For some reason, I've been feeling uneasy lately, as if something has locked its gaze onto me." "Could it be... the Moon Goddess Palace is plotting an ambush against me?" Heavenly Venerable Moheng sat upright inside his immortal cave, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. Ever since returning from Heavenly Venerable Motong's place, he had constantly sensed that something was off in the Demonic Abyss. Yet as for what was off specifically, he couldn't put his finger on it. At this moment, he cast his gaze toward the communication jade slip—namely, that group chat. There were quite a few messages inside, and he began reading them carefully. *They actually discovered purple qi? Lucky them.* Speaking of purple qi, even he was somewhat tempted. However, five Yang Gods were splitting it; it would be somewhat impolite for him to barge in and demand a share. There were plenty of messages. Those five Yang Gods had already divided the purple qi. *Such good fortune. Not only did they find purple qi, but they also made other discoveries.* Heavenly Venerable Moheng read the group messages with a calm expression. "Purple qi soaring to the sky! Haha, this Venerable has discovered another precious treasure!" "Let's go together!" "Should we invite Heavenly Venerable Moheng?" "No need for now. If the treasure turns out to be of ordinary value, wouldn't we just be disturbing Lord Moheng?" "Let's move!" These five Heavenly Venerables agreed to go explore the treasure together. After pondering a bit, Heavenly Venerable Moheng sent a message: "Have you noticed that something seems abnormal about the Demonic Abyss lately?" "Have you paid attention to the Yang Gods in the other regions recently? Is everything normal with them?" As he spoke, he looked up toward the Astral Realm. The stars were still hanging there. This indicated that those Yang God Heavenly Venerables hadn't suffered any catastrophic disaster. However, having problems didn't necessarily mean death; it could also mean defection. Motong in particular had been acting strange ever since returning from the Moon Goddess Palace. He had already reported this matter to Moluo Heavenly Venerable. Yet Moluo Heavenly Venerable had merely instructed him to keep an eye on it without saying much else. Evidently, Moluo Heavenly Venerable was currently overwhelmed with headaches regarding the Buddha Realm and did not believe anything was amiss with Heavenly Venerable Motong. "I think everything is quite normal." "Everything is normal." "A few days ago, I even visited Heavenly Venerable Motai for drinks. He showed no anomalies." "Heavenly Venerable Moheng, could it be... something went wrong?" The other five Heavenly Venerables in the group replied one after another, all finding things entirely normal. Receiving these replies, Moheng grew somewhat hesitant. *Could it really just be my imagination?* Heavenly Venerable Moheng pondered. "How goes your exploration of the treasure?" After a thought, he casually asked. "Still underway. We ran into a few difficulties, but they're minor issues that should be resolved shortly," one Yang God replied. "Mm. If you cannot resolve it, you may come find me," Heavenly Venerable Moheng said calmly. He harbored ambitions of becoming patriarch of the Moluo Clan, so doing favors for other Yang Gods was something he did frequently. "Many thanks, Heavenly Venerable!" The group chat went quiet once more. Heavenly Venerable Moheng sat in his cave abode, his mind swirling with thoughts. *All five Yang Gods say there's no problem. Could it be... the problem is with me?* Heavenly Venerable Moheng couldn't help overthinking. *Perhaps... my Root Demon Tribulation is approaching, which is why stray thoughts are arising in my heart.* Heavenly Venerable Moheng could only comfort himself this way. For a Yang God of the Ultimate Principle Realm, advancing their strength required braving the Root Demon Tribulation. There were no heavenly lightning tribulations in the Nine Heavens, but there was the Root Demon Tribulation. Through successive baptisms by the Root Demon Tribulation, one's dharmic powers continually expanded and cultivation progressed. However, surviving the Root Demon Tribulation was no simple feat. During the tribulation, all manner of desires and mental taints flared up. A single misstep, and one would perish within it. Thus, many Yang Gods, lacking confidence in enduring the Root Demon Tribulation after attaining the Ultimate Principle Realm, would deliberately suppress their cultivation to avoid triggering it. Heavenly Venerable Moheng was different. He had ambitions to become the patriarch of the Moluo Clan, so he did not suppress his Root Demon Tribulation. With the Root Demon Tribulation drawing near, spawning desires and inner demons that led to erratic thoughts was only natural. *It must just be stray thoughts. With my Root Demon Tribulation at hand, who would dare plot against me?* Heavenly Venerable Moheng had confidence. The Root Demon Tribulation was a trial for every Yang God of the Ultimate Principle Realm. Even an expert of the Great Ultimate Principle would be reluctant to needlessly provoke an Ultimate Principle Yang God who was not suppressing their tribulation. If he prematurely drew out the Root Demon Tribulation, things would become exceedingly troublesome. It could drag the Great Ultimate Principle cultivator into the Root Demon Tribulation as well. Of course, it was merely troublesome. The difference was like that between a mortal crushing an ant versus crushing a stink bug. One of them left an unpleasant stench after being crushed. While merely a nuisance to a Yang God in the realm of Great Ultimate Reason, to other Ultimate Principle Yang Gods, it was a matter of life and death. In that scenario, both would have to face the tribulation together. It was precisely for this reason that the Moon Goddess Palace Yang God stationed opposite Moheng's region remained strictly on the defensive, not daring to launch an offensive at all. She feared that Heavenly Venerable Moheng would drag her into the Root Demon Tribulation with him. Thinking of this, Heavenly Venerable Moheng felt completely reassured. *It's definitely the approaching Root Demon Tribulation causing me to overthink.* At a time like this, who would dare scheme against him? Were they courting death? Yet right at that moment, Heavenly Venerable Moheng's eyes flickered. Far to the east, a majestic aura swept across the void, as if heaven and earth had shattered and the Mother Qi of All Things had leaked out. "This is... purple qi? So much purple qi?!" Possessing authority over the Moluo Well, Heavenly Venerable Moheng immediately sensed purple qi leaking from nearby Hongyue Abyss. Hongyue Abyss happened to be the territory guarded by one of their group chat members—the very Yang God who had discovered the treasure and suggested exploring it together. Heavenly Venerable Moheng's expression shifted repeatedly. *Did they uncover some wondrous land while exploring for treasures?* *This purple qi... is quite substantial.* At this thought, greed stirred within Heavenly Venerable Moheng. After all, faced with so much purple qi, even he could not remain unmoved. "Fellow Daoists, did that disturbance in Hongyue Abyss just now have something to do with you?" Heavenly Venerable Moheng asked. He still cared about saving face, so he asked before rushing over. However, roughly ten breaths passed, and not a single soul replied to him. Heavenly Venerable Moheng blinked in surprise, his expression shifting slightly. *Could there be... other treasures?* Heavenly Venerable Moheng could no longer sit still. His colossal figure transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the place where the purple qi was leaking.