563: Lu Xueqi (40)

The three held their breath, gazing at the massive deep pit in the center of the plaza, from which pure Devilish Qi continuously emanated.

That dark red light slowly pulsed in the depths of the Devilish Qi, as if some ancient and evil life was slumbering.

The edges of the deep pit were smooth as a mirror, clearly not naturally formed, but rather seemed to have been instantly cut or eroded by an immense Divine Power.

The air was filled with suffocating pressure, mixed with the scent of ancient dust and pure Devilish Qi, causing a tightness in their chests.

The netherworld token on Su Han's chest was scorching hot like a branding iron, even leaving a burning mark on his skin through his clothes.

He endured the discomfort, his gaze fixed on that dark red light, and his Divine Sense cautiously probed forward.

However, as soon as his Divine Sense touched the Devilish Qi emanating from the edge of the deep pit, it was as if it had struck an invisible, spike-filled wall.

A cold, violent, and destructive Mental Energy suddenly backlashed along his Divine Sense!

Su Han grunted, his face paled, and he hastily cut off that wisp of Divine Sense, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"What terrifying Demonic Will!"

He felt lingering fear; in that instant, he seemed to have seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and heard the wailing of myriad devils.

The terrifying nature of what was suppressed beneath this deep pit far exceeded imagination.

Lu Xueqi noticed Su Han's abnormality, stepped forward, and the tianya divine sword shone brightly with blue light, its pure and clear Sword Intent forcing back the surrounding Devilish Qi by several feet.

"Are you alright?"

Her cold voice carried a hint of imperceptible concern.

Su Han shook his head, indicating he was fine, but the solemnity in his eyes deepened.

"This Devilish Qi is incredibly pure, and it contains an extremely ancient aura; it's certainly not something modern Demonic Path Cultivators could possess."

Bi Yao's delicate brows furrowed; born into the Demonic Sect, her perception of Devilish Qi was more acute.

"I even feel that the essence of this Devilish Qi is older and purer than the Demonic Essence recorded in our Ghost King Sect's 'Heavenly Tome'."

Her words made Su Han and Lu Xueqi's hearts sink further.

The Ghost King Sect's Heavenly Tome was a classic of the Demonic Path, with a long history; if this Devilish Qi was older than what was recorded in the Heavenly Tome, then its origin was simply immeasurable.

"The astrolabe points here, and the netherworld token has such a violent reaction..."

Su Han looked at the astrolabe in his hand, which spun wildly before pointing directly at the deep pit, and the netherworld token still burning on his chest, his thoughts racing.

"The secret of Liubo Mountain and the disappearance of the Netherworld Dao are probably inextricably linked to this place."

He recalled the scattered records about Liubo Mountain, all of which described its immortal aura, abundant Spirit Medicine, and its status as an ancient immortal blessed land.

But the overwhelming Devilish Qi before them made those records seem like a joke.

Were the records wrong?

Or was this immortal mountain blessed land essentially a huge Seal, to suppress the existence within this deep pit?

"What should we do?"

Bi Yao looked at Su Han, awaiting his decision.

The current situation clearly exceeded expectations; should they risk exploring, or retreat now?

Su Han pondered for a moment, his eyes gradually becoming resolute.

"Since we've already come this far, there's no reason to return empty-handed."

"Although this Devilish Qi is terrifying, it seems to be confined to the vicinity of the deep pit by some force and has not spread indefinitely."

"We'll be careful, approach to observe, but absolutely not easily step into the deep pit's range."

He knew the risks were great, but the path of Cultivation was inherently Heaven-Defying, and Opportunity often coexisted with danger.

The secret of Liubo Mountain's core was right before him; he couldn't retreat because of potential danger.

Lu Xueqi nodded, the tianya divine sword held before her, indicating her stance.

Bi Yao also smiled sweetly, the sorrowful strange flower spinning between her fingertips, ready to act at any moment.

Having reached a consensus, the three activated their Cultivation Techniques to protect their bodies, cautiously approaching the deep pit in the center of the plaza.

The closer they got to the deep pit, the stronger the Soul-shaking pressure became.

The Devilish Qi flowed and churned slowly in the deep pit like viscous liquid.

The dark red light also became clearer, vaguely revealing a fuzzy outline, seemingly the core of something.

When they reached about ten zhang from the edge of the deep pit, Su Han raised his hand again, signaling them to stop.

At this distance, they could clearly feel the terrifying power contained within the Devilish Qi, as well as the subtle spatial ripples caused by the pulsing dark red light.

He dared not rashly probe with his Divine Sense again, but instead focused his eyesight to look into the deep pit.

The deep pit's depth was unknown; as far as the eye could see, it was filled with dense Devilish Qi.

Only that dark red light was the sole source of light in the darkness, and the origin of all danger and strangeness.

"Look at the pit wall."

Lu Xueqi, sharp-eyed, pointed to the inner wall of the deep pit.

Su Han and Bi Yao followed her gaze, only to see countless intricate and complex patterns faintly visible on the smooth pit wall.

These patterns were extremely ancient, vastly different from any runic system currently in circulation, yet they contained a Dao of ultimate simplicity and unfathomable profoundness.

Within the patterns, extremely faint golden light occasionally flashed, like a flickering candle in the wind, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

"It's a Seal!"

Su Han's pupils constricted, recognizing the essence of those patterns.

"The patterns on this pit wall are an immense Sealing Formation!"

"This Devilish Qi, and the thing in the deep pit, are suppressed here by this Sealing Formation!"

"Those occasional flashes of golden light are manifestations of the remaining Sealing power!"

This discovery shocked the three of them.

What kind of terrifying existence required such a massive Seal?

And judging by the faintness of the golden light, this Seal had endured countless years, and its power seemed to be waning.

The emanating Devilish Qi might be a sign of the Seal loosening.

"Could the sinking of Liubo Mountain and the depletion of Spiritual Qi also be related to this Seal?"

Bi Yao proposed a bold conjecture.

"To maintain the operation of this Seal, it exhausted Liubo Mountain's Spiritual Veins?"

This conjecture sent shivers down their spines.

If this were true, then the value, or rather the danger, of the sealed object would likely far exceed that of an ancient immortal mountain.

Just as the three were fully focused on observing the deep pit and the Sealing patterns, a sudden change occurred!

"Buzz—"

The netherworld token on Su Han's chest suddenly vibrated violently out of control, emitting a dim light.

At the same time, the pulsing frequency of the dark red light in the deep pit suddenly accelerated!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Like war drums beating, or the heartbeat of a giant beast awakening, each beat struck their hearts.

The emanating Devilish Qi seemed to have been summoned, beginning to churn violently, like boiling water!

"Be careful!"

Su Han roared, the qingming sword instantly drawn, its tip pointing directly at the deep pit.

Lu Xueqi and Bi Yao also immediately went on full alert, the blue light of heavenly abyss and the shadow of the heartbreak flower intertwining.

Amidst the violent churning, a surge of Devilish Qi in the deep pit suddenly separated, as if alive, transforming into a ferocious black python that, with a piercing shriek, lunged towards the three!

(End of chapter)