Chapter 334: First Person in the Tai Xu Abyss

Chapter 334: First Person in the Tai Xu Abyss

"What's going on? An earthquake?" Chu Ning exclaimed, raising his head in astonishment.

The next moment, he and Bai Ling took off, scanning their surroundings from the air.

It wasn't just the area near the island they were currently on; as far as the eye could see, the waves were constantly rolling and surging.

Torrential waves hundreds of feet high formed in an instant, completely submerging the small island where he had just been standing.

And at this moment, the waves continued to grow.

Each wave higher than the last.

Chu Ning and Bai Ling exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment and curiosity.

However, they weren't overly fearful. While such waves would be extremely dangerous to ordinary people, for Chu Ning, it merely meant flying a bit higher.

"Could there be an earthquake in the deep sea, causing these monstrous waves?" Chu Ning mused aloud as he gazed at the churning waters.

At the same time, he instinctively extended his spiritual sense toward the depths of the sea.

But to his surprise, he found nothing unusual beneath the islands.

However, he could sense vague waves of invisible force approaching from the distance.

Chu Ning followed this invisible shockwave and saw, about two hundred miles away, waves of invisible force radiating outward in all directions.

He probed further with his spiritual sense and noticed a faint, gigantic crack nearly a thousand feet below the sea.

Something seemed to be emerging from within.

Chu Ning shared his discovery with Bai Ling.

She blinked and asked curiously, "What could be emerging that's causing such a ruckus? Could it be some ancient treasure?"

"Ancient treasure?" Chu Ning echoed, taken aback for a moment.

Then, his expression shifted as he spoke his thoughts, "Could it be the opening of the Tai Xu Abyss?"

"Tai Xu Abyss?" Bai Ling blinked in confusion.

"That's possible, Master," she said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Isn't that where you found the giant turtle?"

"I wonder if the turtle came from the Tai Xu Abyss," she added.

Chu Ning nodded slightly, his gaze flickering as he looked toward the distant location.

In fact, as soon as Bai Ling had mentioned it, he had thought of the same question. He had found the giant turtle on that very spot, and now there was sudden activity there.

If it really was the Tai Xu Abyss, could the turtle have come from within it?

"Let's wait and see. It might not necessarily be the Tai Xu Abyss," Chu Ning said, his eyebrows furrowed.

"According to Wu Lingwei of Frost Pavilion, the Snow Mist Valley should close before the appearance of the Tai Xu Abyss. But the Snow Mist Valley is deep in the Snow Peak Mountains, quite far from here. Nonetheless, whether it's the Tai Xu Abyss or not, I believe this turtle is somehow connected to that place."

With that, Chu Ning flew toward the direction of the disturbance.

However, he didn't get too close, stopping about a hundred miles away.

From this distance, he could clearly sense what was happening while maintaining a safe distance in case of any unforeseen dangers.

At the same time, Chu Ning once again took out the spirit beast bag from his waist and tried to release the giant turtle inside.

But there was still no response.

Chu Ning could only shake his head helplessly and put the bag away again.

To conserve her spiritual power, Bai Ling also reverted to her true form—a small, white fox—and curled up in Chu Ning's sleeve.

Less than half an hour passed before Chu Ning's expression changed slightly.

His gaze involuntarily shifted backward.

He could clearly sense a formidable figure rapidly approaching from behind, their spiritual sense already locked onto him.

"The fact that I didn't notice this person earlier means their spiritual sense is stronger than mine. That leaves only one possibility—a Nascent Soul cultivator, and not an ordinary early-stage one at that." Chu Ning's heart sank as he regretted not using the Spirit Concealment Art earlier.

It was too late to use it now; in just a short while, the person had closed the distance to less than a hundred miles.

Their speed was so astonishing that Chu Ning's Phantom Escape Art probably wouldn't even be half as fast.

Such a speed was truly awe-inspiring.

If he made any rash movements now, he would undoubtedly draw this person's attention.

And escaping with escape techniques was out of the question.

His best option was to remain still and wait to see who it was before deciding on his next move.

In the short time it took Chu Ning to consider his options, the figure had already arrived, landing a hundred zhang away from him.

It was an amiable-looking elderly man standing on an eight-trigram flying wheel.

There was even a high possibility that he was a late-Nascent Soul stage grand cultivator.

However, Chu Ning's knowledge of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Northern Cold Region was limited, so he couldn't pinpoint the man's identity.

After the elderly man stopped, the eight-trigram flying wheel beneath his feet vanished.

He gazed into the distance at a spot about a hundred miles away, then turned his attention to Chu Ning.

"I never expected the first person to arrive here to be a young friend like yourself. That was quite a surprise," the elderly man said, his voice gentle and without any hint of malice.

Chu Ning's heart eased slightly upon hearing this. Seeing the other party's demeanor, he at least didn't seem like the type of old monster who would attack at the slightest provocation.

However, Chu Ning did not let down his guard in the slightest.

He was well aware that in the cultivation world, appearances could be deceiving.

Chu Ning politely cupped his hands and said to the elderly man, "Senior, I just happened to be passing by this area and was drawn here by the strange phenomenon."

The elderly man nodded slightly but didn't continue the conversation.

After witnessing such a high-level Nascent Soul cultivator, Chu Ning guessed that the appearance of the crack in the seabed was most likely due to the emergence of the Tai Xu Abyss.

The thought of retreating sprang to mind.

After all, more Nascent Soul cultivators would undoubtedly arrive soon.

Staying here was far too dangerous for him.

With these thoughts in mind, after a slight hesitation, he cupped his hands towards the elderly man and said, "Junior didn't know that Senior would also be coming here. I shall take my leave now."

The elderly man heard these words and looked at him again, his expression still amiable, but his tone carried a hint of unquestionability.

"Since you happened to be here, young friend, why the rush to leave?

If word gets out later, wouldn't it make me seem too unwelcoming?"

Chu Ning's heart sank as he listened to these words.

It was his own suggestion to leave, what did it have to do with the elderly man?

But since the elderly man had said so, Chu Ning didn't dare to act rashly.

Chu Ning was certain that he was no match for this Nascent Soul cultivator.

Since the elderly man didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards him and was only asking him to stay, there was no need to provoke him further.

Seeing the elderly man sitting cross-legged in mid-air, his eyes closed as if he was meditating, Chu Ning decided to follow suit. He sat cross-legged in the air and began to circulate his cultivation technique to restore his spiritual power.

After the intense battle with the eighth-rank demon wolf earlier, Chu Ning had not used the ancient treasure, the Black Blade, so his spiritual power consumption was far less than when he had killed the Purple-Crowned Azure Flood Dragon.

However, he had still used the Five Elements Sword Array and the God-Slaying Art to kill the eighth-rank demon beast, which had consumed a significant amount of his spiritual and mental power.

At this moment, he took the opportunity to recover.

After all, he wasn't sure what kind of situation he would face next, and maintaining ample spiritual power was the bare minimum precaution.

As he circulated the Five Elements Chaos Technique, his spiritual power began to recover rapidly.

At this moment, Chu Ning couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

"Although cultivating the three-attribute and four-attribute versions of the Five Elements Chaos Technique felt powerful, it's nothing compared to the complete Five Elements Chaos Technique.

The complete technique emphasizes the generation of the five elements, and both the thickness of spiritual power and the recovery speed are more than double what they were before."

At this moment, Chu Ning didn't use any recovery pills or elixirs, yet he had fully recovered in a relatively short time.

Subsequently, Chu Ning began to cultivate the Art of Refining God to restore his mental power.

After two hours or so, Chu Ning's spiritual power and mental power were fully restored.

Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he sensed another person rapidly approaching from the northwest direction.

However, with a Nascent Soul cultivator nearby, Chu Ning didn't dare to release his mental power indiscriminately.

He pretended to be unaware until the person drew closer, then turned his head curiously.

Although this person's speed wasn't as fast as the elderly man's, it was still impressive.

In a short while, he had already reached the vicinity.

He glanced at Chu Ning and the other elderly man from a distance, then flew over directly.

At this moment, Chu Ning could see clearly that this person was also an elderly man.

However, compared to the previous elderly man, this one had a sinister look on his face, as if he cultivated some kind of demonic art.

As he drew closer, Chu Ning could sense the astonishing demonic aura emanating from him.

Compared to the demonic aura of the Black Demon Elder he had encountered before, whose lifespan was insufficient, this person's demonic aura was truly remarkable.

"Another mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator or above," Chu Ning sighed inwardly.

At this moment, the elderly man with the sinister face swept his gaze over Chu Ning and the other elderly man, then let out a sneering laugh.

"Qiu Qi, as expected, you're the first one here.

I don't admire you for anything else, but your skill in escaping is truly admirable.

"Old Demon Gu, you guessed wrong this time. It wasn't me who arrived first, but this young friend here."

After Qiu Qijun finished speaking, Old Demon Gu's eyes shifted, and he looked at Chu Ning with a puzzled expression.

"Which sect's junior are you? Is what this old fellow saying true?" Old Demon Gu asked, his eyes narrowing.

Chu Ning met Old Demon Gu's unfriendly gaze, his mind racing. Clearly, this Old Demon was not as easy to deal with as the previous Elder Qiu Qijun. Perhaps one wrong word would be all it took for him to make a move.

And Chu Ning didn't believe that the amicable-looking elder beside him would intervene to save him, a complete stranger.

Maintaining a calm expression, Chu Ning turned his gaze toward Old Demon Gu and rose to his feet, bowing slightly.

"Elder Qiu is correct. I was indeed the first to arrive. However, it was purely coincidental that I was nearby," Chu Ning replied, his tone respectful yet firm.

Old Demon Gu gave Chu Ning a measuring look, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he didn't say anything further. Instead, he took a seat not far from them.

Seeing this, Elder Qiu Qijun smiled faintly but remained silent, closing his eyes as if to meditate.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators had effectively sandwiched Chu Ning between them.

As time passed, more cultivators arrived one after the other. Each of them was a Nascent Soul cultivator.

In just one day, six Nascent Soul cultivators had gathered at this spot.

Some of the newcomers exchanged a few words with either Elder Qiu Qijun or Old Demon Gu, while others remained silent and found a spot to meditate.

Then, a Golden Core cultivator finally arrived. He was a middle-aged cultivator at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.

After scanning the group, his eyes lingered on Chu Ning, who sat amidst the Nascent Soul cultivators, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face. He then chose a spot farther away and sat down.

Chu Ning sensed the man's surprised gaze and sighed inwardly.

Interestingly, none of the Nascent Soul cultivators who arrived later inquired about who had come first. However, their eyes invariably drifted toward Chu Ning.

Among a group of Nascent Soul cultivators, Chu Ning, at the late Golden Core stage, stood out like a sore thumb.

Chu Ning considered moving to a more distant spot but soon abandoned the idea. With Nascent Soul cultivators in front, behind, and on both sides of him, he would inevitably have to pass by one of them if he changed his position.

Deciding it was best to leave things as they were, he remained where he was.

Just then, two groups of people flew toward them from the east and west.

On one side was a spirit boat carrying seven people: two Nascent Soul cultivators and five Golden Core cultivators.

Chu Ning recognized one of them as Dantaisong, the young sect master of the Illusion Spirit Sect. One of the Nascent Soul cultivators, a middle-aged man, bore a resemblance to Dantaisong, likely indicating that he was the sect master of the Illusion Spirit Sect.

Chu Ning's gaze shifted to the other side, where nine people had arrived. Six were Golden Core cultivators, and three were Nascent Soul cultivators, two of whom were familiar to Chu Ning: Shang Song and Shen Yu from the Hall of Endless Skies.

They were following a man in a golden-embroidered robe and a golden crown, apparently their leader.

"Could this man be one of the three palace masters of the Hall of Endless Skies? It's said that they are all late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators," Chu Ning thought, a chill running down his spine.

At the same time, he noticed the subtle changes in the expressions of the other cultivators when they saw the golden-robed elder, even Old Demon Gu, who had previously looked down on everyone, now wore a more serious expression.

Chu Ning's heart sank as he realized his guess was correct.

As Chu Ning observed the two groups, they, too, were taking stock of those already present, their gazes inevitably falling on him.

Dantaisong's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion when he saw Chu Ning, while Shang Song wore a smile that seemed to hold a deeper meaning.

Seeing the smile on Shang Song's face, Chu Ning sighed inwardly.

Even though Shang Song hadn't said anything, Chu Ning knew that he had misunderstood his reason for refusing the Hall of Endless Skies' offer.

Chu Ning had suspected that the Hall of Endless Skies' interest in him was related to the Tai Xu Abyss, so he had strongly declined their invitation.

But now, in Shang Song's eyes, it might seem that Chu Ning had chosen not to join because he wanted to come to this so-called Tai Xu Abyss on his own.

"This misunderstanding has really blown out of proportion," Chu Ning sighed inwardly. However, he soon put the matter aside. Once the Tai Xu Abyss truly appeared, he could simply choose not to enter, and the misunderstanding would become irrelevant.

At that moment, the golden-crowned, purple-robed elder looked at the assembled cultivators and slowly spoke:

"After three hundred years, the Tai Xu Abyss reopens, and many old friends have gathered.

"Pavilion Lord Lu, your Long Kong Hall deserves much of the credit in this regard. If it weren't for you establishing Ice Island Immortal City and allowing so many loose cultivators to obtain resources and cultivate in peace from the very beginning, our Northern Cold Region wouldn't be as prosperous as it is today."

The one who responded was the middle-aged sect master from the Illusion Spirit Sect.

His tone was neutral, but one couldn't tell if his words were a compliment or an insult.

Having spent a long time in the Northern Cold Region, Chu Ning knew that in the eyes of many cultivators, Ice Island Immortal City was not the sanctuary for loose cultivators that it was rumored to be outside.

On the contrary, many cultivators believed that the three lords of Long Kong Hall were monopolizing cultivation resources and taking a large share of the resources that should have gone to loose cultivators.

How one interpreted it depended on their perspective.

At this moment, Chu Ning finally understood the identity of the man in the golden crown and purple robe.

He was Lu Daoxue, one of the three lords of Long Kong Hall and a famous late Nascent Soul cultivator in the Northern Cold Region.

Among the cultivators present, only the sect master of the Illusion Spirit Sect responded to Lu Daoxue.

Apparently, he was also a late Nascent Soul cultivator or very close to that realm.

Hearing the Illusion Spirit Sect Master's words, Lu Daoxue turned his gaze towards him.

"Sect Master Dantai, it's a pity that your Illusion Spirit Sect hasn't been very fortunate lately, losing three fellow cultivators with their physical bodies destroyed. Two of them even perished within the boundaries of Ice Island Immortal City. I must say, Lu is truly remiss in my duties as host."

Lu Daoxue's words clearly carried a veiled accusation, blaming the Illusion Spirit Sect for sending Nascent Soul cultivators into Snow Mist Valley without informing Long Kong Hall.

But the Illusion Spirit Sect Master's face remained calm, as if he hadn't caught the hidden meaning at all.

Apparently, he was a master of hiding his emotions.

Lu Daoxue then proceeded to greet the other cultivators, and through his introductions, Chu Ning learned the identities of many of the cultivators present.

For example, the first person to arrive, Qiu Qijun, was the master of Night Shining Island.

Chu Ning had heard of this island, which was a small sect, not too big and not too small.

There was only one Nascent Soul cultivator in the sect.

The island was located in a strait between Ice Island Immortal City, the Cloud Basin, and the Cold Rock Continent.

Indeed, it was the closest power to this place.

As for the sinister-looking old man, he was Gu Laomo, a famous demonic cultivator in the Northern Cold Region.

Although he hadn't established a sect, he had quite a few disciples and was a significant force in the waters near the Cloud Basin.

Another day passed, and cultivators from the Cold Rock Continent, the farthest location, finally arrived.

There were cultivators from the Sonic Valley and the Beast Tamer Sect, both of which Chu Ning had interacted with before.

However, none of the cultivators from Sonic Valley were familiar to Chu Ning, even though he had spent over half a month there.

On the other hand, he recognized one of the cultivators from the Beast Tamer Sect—none other than the young sect master, Li Bailin.

With Li Bailin's presence, the identity of the arrogant, beast-like cultivator beside him was also clear.

He must be Li Xiao, the grand elder of the Beast Tamer Sect.

After that, a few more scattered cultivators arrived, most of whom Chu Ning didn't know.

In total, there were now nearly fifty Nascent Soul cultivators gathered here, along with seventy or eighty Golden Core cultivators.

However, most of the Golden Core cultivators had come with the Nascent Soul cultivators.

Besides Chu Ning, there were only about five or six solitary Golden Core cultivators.

And apart from Chu Ning, almost all of them were at the late Golden Core stage, just a step away from the Nascent Soul realm.

Apparently, they were here seeking an opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

At this moment, seven days had passed since the tsunami began.

The tallest waves in the sea were now nearly a thousand feet high.

With so many Nascent Soul cultivators present, Chu Ning naturally didn't dare to use his spiritual sense to probe the depths of the sea.

In fact, there was no need for him to do so anymore.

At this moment, a massive abyss, visible to the naked eye, had emerged from the depths of the sea and risen above the surface.

This abyss was nearly two hundred miles long and shrouded in a layer of white mist.

The end of the abyss seemed to connect to somewhere else, but even with Chu Ning's eyesight, he couldn't see through it.

As the abyss fully revealed itself, the tremors in the sea ceased, and the towering waves calmed.

The eyes of the cultivators present flickered with anticipation.

Finally, the man in the golden crown and purple robe, one of the three lords of Long Kong Hall, Lu Daoxue, stepped forward.

His gaze swept across the distant abyss before turning to the crowd.

"The Tai Xu Abyss has appeared and is about to open. Unexpectedly, this time it has emerged in this sea area. However, the previous rules still stand. Since the appearance of the Tai Xu Abyss is completely random, the first cultivator to discover it will have the opportunity to enter it first. May I ask which fellow cultivator arrived here first?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end