Center of the Abyss

Entering the Heavenly Abyss, Zhong Qing stepped onto the ancient Dao.

Although the mist had dissipated, the world was still a hazy gray.

A strange Aura pressed down on him, giving him a sense of oppression.

What surprised Zhong Qing was that he had originally thought the countless withered vines and branches would stir, or even attack, upon his entry.

But they didn't!

As a gentle breeze swept through, the withered branches trembled, and the vines rustled.

Zhong Qing could feel an emotion growing within them.

That was fear!

But what were they afraid of?

Zhong Qing was puzzled!

He considered his strength to be impressive; looking across the entire Eastern and even Northern Regions, he was considered a rare and formidable expert.

However, within this jungle, he could feel that the entities within could pose a fatal threat to him.

This sixth sense never lied.

The reason Zhong Qing ventured deep into this place, besides possessing a Small World that allowed him to advance and retreat freely, was also because, like his Disciple Bai Ling, he possessed an Immortal Body.

Deep down, Zhong Qing even harbored a faint hope that whatever was in the jungle would attack him.

After all, dying once would significantly increase his strength, and he was eager to experience that.

However, to his surprise, they did not make a move.

After a careful observation, Zhong Qing discovered something unusual.

It was that the creatures in the forest seemed to fear the path beneath his feet.

The path beneath his feet, whose origin was unknown, was entirely gray, exuding an Aura of ancient vicissitude.

It seemed to have existed for an extremely long time.

And as Zhong Qing advanced an inch, the path beneath his feet disappeared by an inch.

This path seemed to exist solely to guide him.

As the ancient path vanished, the fear of the ancient trees and vines that had been bowing beneath the ancient Dao earlier diminished.

Even the white mist, which had previously dissipated, re-gathered behind the ancient path.

This surprised Zhong Qing.

Could it be that the disappearance of the Heavenly Abyss mist was not due to the wind, but related to this ancient path?

Where did this path lead?

They say the unknown inspires fear, yet Zhong Qing felt only curiosity at this moment.

His numerous trump cards made him fearless of any situation.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhong Qing continued along the ancient path.

He wanted to see what lay at the end of the path.

Meanwhile, at the center of the Heavenly Abyss!

Within the endless abyss!

Two figures moved through the darkness, eventually arriving at a lava vent.

Magma surged, and flames soared, filled with an Aura of corruption and death.

If any powerful cultivators from the outside world were to witness this, they would undoubtedly be greatly shaken.

This was Hell Lava, rumored to exist only in Hell; even a slight touch could incinerate one's Physical Body, burn their Divine Soul, and prevent them from ever reincarnating.

Even a Saint would retreat three paces upon seeing this.

However, Hell Lava now flowed rampantly, like a vast river, overflowing.

It filled the entire abyssal rift.

Under the illumination of the flames, two faces were revealed.

One had a green face with fangs and three eyes, resembling a fierce ghost, while the other was entirely crimson, covered in scales, with two horns on its head.

These two were Green Ghost and Fire Drought.

Both knelt before the lava vent, and Green Ghost respectfully spoke in a clear voice, “Reporting to Master, someone has trespassed into the Heavenly Abyss. Based on his bone age, he is around twenty years old.”

“His cultivation, however, is quite impressive. He seems to carry some kind of powerful treasure on him; even we cannot discern his true background.”

“We have now opened a trial path for him.”

“Perhaps he can go quite far, and there’s a certain probability he might pass the test you’ve set, becoming your representative in the human world.”

Upon these words,

The magma surged!

A terrifying Aura ascended from within the magma, pervading the sky.

This Aura was domineering, majestic, ancient, and mysterious.

Within the Hell Lava, it was as if an ancient demon was awakening.

A single wisp of its Aura seemed capable of crushing the sky and shaking the heavens.

Under this Aura, Green Ghost and Fire Drought’s calves trembled, and their bodies nearly prostrated themselves on the ground.

“Report to me again after he passes!”

A vast and ancient voice emanated from within the lava, shaking the entire abyss.

“Yes, Master!”

Green Ghost and Fire Drought’s hearts tightened. After all movement within the abyss completely ceased, they respectfully withdrew.

...

At this moment, Zhong Qing was unaware of the scene unfolding within the abyss.

He was diligently moving forward along the ancient Dao.

This ancient Dao, leading to an unknown destination, seemed to have no end.

There was even a moment when he doubted if this was the Dao leading to the Nine Heavens.

In this manner, Zhong Qing walked for an unknown duration.

Two days, or three days…

Here, he couldn’t feel the passage of time, nor distinguish between day and night.

Eventually, Zhong Qing finally reached the end of the ancient path.

Just one glance caused his heart to tremble greatly.

Before him, a magnificent hall stood at the end.

The entire hall was resplendent and ancient, shimmering with divine light.

Around the hall, it was a vast expanse of white.

It floated in the air like that.

Exuding an ancient Aura and a simple, profound charm.

The entire grand hall gave off a sacred and extraordinary feeling, like a celestial palace or a divine temple.

Zhong Qing could be certain that this was by no means an illusion.

However, in the Heavenly Abyss, which was widely rumored to be fraught with danger and known as the Land of Death, the appearance of such a palace seemed utterly incongruous.

If it were an ordinary person, upon seeing this incongruous scene, they would undoubtedly be extremely cautious and prudent.

However, Zhong Qing, confident in his numerous trump cards, strode directly into the grand hall without the slightest hesitation.

At the same time!

In the Void Realm, two pairs of eyes had been watching Zhong Qing’s actions.

Seeing Zhong Qing enter, one voice said, “This first test examines greed.”

“This grand hall was snatched by Master from the Ancient Divine Mountain back then, and it contains countless treasures.”

“There’s Three-Light Sacred Water, Profound Yin Qi, and even Dao Integration Flower, Immortality Peach Tree…”

“Each of these items has an immense origin; if any of them were to circulate, even those old fellows in the Central Continent would probably go mad for them.”

“However, once any of these items is taken, it will trigger the power of the Life-and-Death Restriction, crushing the taker.”

“The most ingenious part is that each supreme treasure is marked with a warning: ‘Take this and you shall die’.”

“For ten thousand years, half of those who embarked on the trial path failed to suppress the greed in their hearts and thus fell at the first test. Do you think he can pass?”

The speaker was none other than Green Ghost.

Fire Drought replied,

“Whether he can pass or not, we’ll know by watching!”

“Why make baseless guesses here!”

“How boring!”

Zhong Qing was unaware that two pairs of eyes were constantly observing him.

As he entered the grand hall,

The sight before him nearly blinded him!

What did he see?

Inside the grand hall, light shimmered, divine radiance sparkled, and various precious lights filled the edifice.

...