559: Lu Xueqi (36)

After Su Han landed a successful strike, he immediately retreated by leveraging the force, but the immense power generated by the Fuhai Python's frantic head-shaking still flung him violently away.

His Qi and blood surged.

"Su Han!"

Lu Xueqi, controlling the tianya divine sword, broke through the water arrows and managed to catch the falling Su Han in time.

Bi Yao also quickly maneuvered the spirit boat closer.

"Are you alright?" Bi Yao asked with concern.

"No harm done, just superficial injuries." Su Han suppressed the churning Qi and blood and looked toward the Fuhai Python that was rampaging wildly.

Although the strike hadn't been fatal, severely injuring its eyes had clearly caused it unbearable pain. Its attacks were more ferocious, but they lacked some of their previous structure.

"Now is the time, let's rush in!"

Su Han pointed toward the entrance of the bay, which had been exposed because the Fuhai Python had left the surface of the water.

The three no longer hesitated. They steered the spirit boat, pushing its speed to the absolute limit, shooting toward the bay like lightning.

Although the Fuhai Python was enraged, the intense pain affected its judgment and speed. By the time it reacted, the spirit boat had already rushed into the bay's perimeter.

As soon as they entered the bay, a strange thing happened.

The previously furious Fuhai Python actually stopped. It swam anxiously at the entrance of the bay, letting out unwilling hisses, yet it dared not cross the line.

It was as if this small bay contained something that even it feared.

"It doesn't dare to come in?" Bi Yao asked, surprised.

Su Han and Lu Xueqi also breathed a sigh of relief, but their vigilance did not decrease.

If even a Nascent Soul Stage Fuhai Python dared not enter, this bay was likely even more dangerous than the outside.

The spirit boat slowly came to a stop inside the bay.

The bay was unusually calm. The seawater was crystal clear, revealing colorful corals and schools of swimming fish, forming a stark contrast to the terrifying waves outside.

The shore was soft white sand, followed by dense jungle that stretched deep into the island.

The air was filled with rich Spiritual Qi, even more abundant than in some Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands.

However, all three felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The netherworld token was no longer hot, but that faint, almost imperceptible sense of calling seemed clearer.

The astrolabe's pointer steadily aimed toward the center of the island—the main peak soaring into the clouds.

"There must be a powerful Restriction here limiting flight. We can only proceed on foot," Su Han said solemnly, sensing the invisible pressure in the air.

The three carefully stepped onto the land of Liubo Mountain.

Their feet made soft crunching sounds on the sand.

The jungle was terrifyingly silent; no birds, beasts, or insects could be heard, only the faint sound of the wind rustling the leaves.

This silence, conversely, made people uneasy.

"Stay close to me, and don't touch anything unfamiliar lightly," Su Han instructed, taking the lead. He spread his Divine Sense to its maximum range, surveying the surroundings.

Most of the plants in the jungle were strange and grotesque. Some emitted a faint glow, while others were excessively vibrant in color, clearly not ordinary things.

After walking for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, ruins appeared ahead.

Broken walls and crumbling foundations were covered in green vines. One could vaguely discern that this was once the base of a structure, with an ancient style vastly different from the architecture of the current Cultivation world.

"Someone used to live here?" Bi Yao looked around the ruins curiously.

"Perhaps it was an outpost established by some ancient Sect, or... it could be the ruins of the Netherworld Dao."

Su Han approached a relatively intact wall, upon which some faint murals and runes were carved.

He examined them closely. The murals seemed to depict sacrificial scenes, and the runes bore some resemblance to those on the netherworld token, but they were more complex and profound.

Lu Xueqi squatted before a broken stone tablet, brushing away the moss to reveal a few ancient characters.

"Town... Demon... Abyss?" she murmured, her tone laced with uncertainty.

"Town Demon Abyss?" Su Han walked over, looking at the three ancient characters filled with the passage of time, his brow furrowed.

Liubo Mountain was said to be an Immortal Mountain in legends; how could there be a place called the 'Town Demon Abyss'?

Could the ancient records be wrong? Or did this Immortal Mountain suppress some kind of demonic creature underneath?

Just then, the netherworld token on Su Han's chest warmed slightly again, and this time, the source of the heat pointed toward the depths of the ruins.

"Something inside is summoning it."

Su Han looked toward the deep part of the ruins, which was sealed off by even denser vegetation and collapsed boulders, appearing deep and mysterious.

"Should we go in and take a look?" Bi Yao asked.

Su Han pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Since we're here, we can't leave empty-handed. This netherworld token is the key; perhaps it can guide us to clues about the Netherworld Dao. However, we must be extremely careful. The words 'Town Demon Abyss' make one uneasy."

The three cautiously advanced toward the depths of the ruins.

The deeper they went, the cooler the surrounding air became, and the dimmer the light grew, as if sunlight itself was being blocked by some force.

The remaining architectural components became larger, and the runes carved on them became more numerous, faintly forming some kind of Formation.

Finally, they reached the center of the ruins.

This was a relatively open square, paved with huge bluestone slabs that, despite being covered in cracks, remained solid.

In the center of the square was a circular altar about ten zhang in diameter.

The altar was constructed from pitch-black stone, its surface smooth as a mirror, carved with countless intricate and bizarre runes. These runes seemed to be slowly flowing, emitting a dim, dark light.