Chapter 350: The Earth Abyss

Chapter 350: The Earth Abyss

Frost Prefecture.

Frosty Mountain Range.

This was a moderately-sized mountain range, stretching for about a hundred li.

The barren mountains resembled a wasteland, with sparse vegetation covering its slopes. There were hardly any settlements in the vicinity, except for a slightly denser patch of forest on the southern side, where a few scattered households resided.

Among these scattered wooden houses, wisps of smoke rose from cooking fires. In one such home, a man chopped wood in the courtyard while his wife tended to the fire, preparing a meal. Their two children, around six or seven years old, watched eagerly from the side.

"Anan, let's not go into the mountains these days. When I was little, my mother told me that two suns in the sky are a bad omen. These past few days, we haven't even been able to sleep peacefully..." The woman spoke as she cooked, her voice laced with concern.

Wu Nan, with great effort, split a wooden stake and then straightened up, wiping the sweat from his brow. "These past few days have been strange. Even the Earth Dragon has been restless at night... I think we have enough food for a couple of days."

"We do, we do," the woman assured him.

"Then let's not go into the mountains today. I'll take a day to rest," Wu Nan decided, setting down his axe and gazing at the nearby Frosty Mountains. He walked over to a nearby tree, grabbed a dirty cloth, and wiped his face before heading towards the stove. "This Earth Wolf meat needs to be boiled for a while; otherwise, it'll be tough and not very tasty."

The woman smiled at his words and added more fuel to the stove.

The two children, a boy and a girl, stared longingly at the pot, their little noses twitching as they caught the aroma of cooking meat. They drooled, leaning against the stove.

However, just then, a sudden change occurred.

The woman noticed that the water in the pot began to ripple, forming small waves that started to vibrate. This vibration wasn't from the water boiling but was a subtle tremor.

Looking at the millet flour in the ladle, she saw that it, too, was trembling.

"What's happening?" she asked, startled. But as the tremors intensified, she realized they were getting stronger, causing her to feel unsteady on her feet. Panic spread across her face as she looked around, but she couldn't see anything amiss.

Wu Nan, standing nearby, reacted swiftly. "Earthquake!" he shouted, grabbing his two children and running towards a tree in the courtyard.

The woman hurried after them, and the family huddled under the tree, clinging to its branches.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The tremors intensified, and the entire earth seemed to go mad, swaying from side to side. Their wooden house, fence, and even the large tree in the courtyard shook violently.

From the distant Frosty Mountains, a series of thunderous roars echoed.

Suddenly, as Wu Nan and his family watched in horror, the Frosty Mountains seemed to erupt with a terrifying, surging power from deep within the earth. It spread upwards, causing the entire mountain range to crack and split from its center! The black fissures were shocking, and the sight of the massive mountains splitting apart made it seem like the heavens and earth were tearing apart. Meanwhile, scattered cries of alarm came from the few nearby households, but these voices were drowned out by the booming tremors, like cries for help in a tsunami, barely audible.

"Oh no, the Mountain God is angry..." The woman clung to the tree branch, her eyes filled with panic.

Wu Nan struggled to protect his children, but as the distant mountains continued to crumble, the tremors intensified, shaking the ground like a drum. Despite his efforts, he couldn't hold on, and his children, crying out in fear, were flung into the air by the violent tremors, soaring several zhang away and crashing into the shattered earth.

The man's eyes widened in horror, but he was powerless to stop it. Even he struggled to keep his balance, barely holding onto the tree branch, about to be thrown off as well. The children were only six or seven years old, and as they fell over ten zhang, the impact alone could be devastating, not to mention the cracked earth they were about to land on.

Just as the children were about to fall into the shattered earth, several emerald green leaves suddenly flew from the distance, fluttering lightly around the children's waists.

The leaves crumbled with a patter, but these delicate leaves managed to keep the children from falling. Instead, they bounced in the air a couple of times before a shadow appeared, tearing through the air and lifting the children up.

"Hmm?"

Wu Nan was momentarily stunned by this sight, but the woman beside him let out a sharp scream as the branch she was holding onto snapped, and she, too, was flung into the air.

Before she could hit the ground, the figure that had appeared out of thin air reached out and grabbed her with an invisible force.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The figure, dressed in a blue robe, held the two children in one hand and the woman in the other. Without hesitation, he extended his other hand, grabbing Wu Nan by the branch he was holding and lifting him into the air as well.

The figure was none other than Chen Mu, the Peak Master of Spirit Profound Peak.

Chen Mu's expression remained calm as he rescued Wu Nan's family. Without delay, he turned his attention to the other scattered households in the distance. With one hand, he grasped the four of them and began to stride through the air towards the other homes.

The invisible force emanating from his hand was like a sturdy fishing line, securing Wu Nan's family. Then, with a series of swift gestures, he reached into the ruins and pulled out more people.

At the same time, in the distance...

From above, looking down, the entire Frosty Mountain Range had been shattered beyond recognition. Mountains collapsed, and deep, black fissures crisscrossed the landscape, resembling bottomless abysses. These cracks didn't lead directly to the Earth Abyss, but the destruction of the mountain range indicated that the earth's meridians below had completely collapsed, reaching a depth of a thousand zhang. Any Grandmaster could now enter the Earth Abyss, and even some experts in the Six Viscera Realm, if they dared to take the risk, could attempt to explore the depths.

In the sky, figures appeared, drawing long arcs as they approached.

Some gazed at the shattered mountains and the deep, black cracks, while others descended into the broken mountains to investigate the earth's meridians up close.

Grandmasters from various sects had gathered, each congregating in different directions. Their powerful auras intertwined, further disrupting the already chaotic energy of the sky above.

"Can we go down now?"

"No, it's still unstable. It's too risky to descend at the moment."

The various Grandmasters gazed at the mountain range, exchanging glances and communicating silently.

The ground tremors remained intense, with the shattered mountains continuing to crumble. However, these surface tremors were insignificant to the Grandmasters, only posing a terrifying disaster to ordinary people.

Some turned their attention to the outskirts of the Frosty Mountain Range, squinting slightly.

"Who is that person?"

"He's fast, reaching the front in an instant to save a few ordinary villagers."

A Grandmaster from Riverside Pavilion whispered.

Chen Mu was a renowned figure in the Cold Northern Region, and soon someone recognized him. The news spread quickly, and many eyes turned towards Chen Mu, revealing surprise. After all, he was a once-in-a-century genius in the Cold North, ranking third on the Wind and Cloud Rankings at just over thirty years old, a status that allowed him to sit alongside these veteran Grandmasters.

To the east, a radiant light shone in the sky, with over ten people standing atop it. Each wore a dark robe, signifying the Grandmasters of Mystic Mechanism Pavilion. Among them were Fu Jingyuan and other notable figures.

The leader exuded a thick and refined aura, deeper than Fu Jingyuan's, with a more intricate golden pattern on his robe. It was the Deputy Pavilion Master of Mystic Mechanism Pavilion, ranked 98th on the Grandmaster Rankings, and one of the top Grandmasters in the Cold North—Ji Yuanshan!

Ji Yuanshan squinted at Chen Mu, but said nothing.

He then turned his gaze to the other side, where the Grandmasters of Qiuan Sect stood, led by Liu Tong, the Peak Master of Lesser Mystic Peak. Feng Hongsheng and other Grandmasters stood alongside him.

As if sensing Ji Yuanshan's gaze, Liu Tong glanced over, meeting Ji Yuanshan's eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment, both expressionless.

"Liu Tong..." Ji Yuanshan muttered to himself.

Liu Tong, having comprehended the Heavenly Domain, had nearly perfected his martial body. He was indeed among the top Grandmasters, though still slightly behind Jiang Changsheng and others. However, the gap between them was minimal.

Thinking about it made one frown. After Qin Mengjun achieved the Blood Replacement Realm, Liu Tong quickly filled the void. In the past, Qiuan Sect had always been a thorn in Mystic Mechanism Pavilion's side, and their divination about this seemed accurate.

Chen Mu, Liu Tong, and Qin Mengjun—each more challenging to deal with than the last.

However, Liu Tong cultivated the Heavenly Firmament Path. Although the environment in the Earth Abyss was unique, with even the Heavenly Power flowing there, it was indeed limited. Once in the Earth Abyss, Ji Yuanshan was confident that Liu Tong was no match for him.

Chen Mu's talent was terrifying. Despite being corrupted by demonic energy, he had reached the top three on the Wind and Cloud Rankings in a short time. Even Ji Yuanshan was impressed. Once Chen Mu mastered the Heaven-Earth Domain, even without becoming a Grandmaster, he would be a formidable opponent. Ji Yuanshan might not even be able to guarantee victory, so it was best to eliminate him early if the opportunity arose in the Earth Abyss.

On the other side, the Grandmasters of Qiuan Sect, led by Liu Tong, also noticed Chen Mu rescuing villagers on the outskirts of the Frosty Mountain Range. Some, like Feng Hongsheng, admired Chen Mu's rise from the bottom, valuing every life.

Others, like Fang Yuan, shook their heads, frowning at the attention drawn by saving a few villagers. They thought it was too reckless, especially with the Earth Abyss opening in two days. In such a disaster, hundreds of thousands of deaths were common. A few dozen villagers were insignificant.

In this situation, with over a hundred Grandmasters gathered in the Cold North, attracting attention was not a good thing, especially for someone as talented as Chen Mu, who cultivated the Heaven-Earth Path.

In the distance, Chen Mu had already saved over twenty villagers, almost all of them. However, he couldn't save two or three who had fallen into the shattered crevices, their bodies crushed by the unstable earth veins.

Holding the villagers with invisible energy, Chen Mu felt the weight. Flying through the air was different from being on the ground, but he remained calm, carrying them away from the mountain range. After putting some distance between them and the mountains, he set them down.

The ground continued to shake.

Chen Mu landed first, and as soon as he did, the ground within a radius of ten meters stopped trembling, like an isolated island in a sea of tremors. Looking further, they could see the ground still shaking in other directions.

Only then did Wu Nan and the other villagers regain their senses, shocked and grateful. They bowed repeatedly to Chen Mu.

"Thank you, Immortal..."

"Thank you, Immortal..."

The villagers from the remote mountains might know about martial artists, but a Grandmaster like Chen Mu, who could fly, was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. Mistaking him for a divine figure was understandable.

"Chen Peak Master, come quickly."

At that moment, Liu Tong's voice condensed into a line, spanning over ten li, and directly sounded in Chen Mu's ear.

The Earth Abyss was vast, and after descending, most Grandmasters would split up and act individually. But at this moment, as the Earth Abyss had just opened, and before entering to prevent any accidents, the various sects naturally gathered and acted together.

However, Chen Mu glanced around and saw that the ground tremors had not yet subsided. He then looked at Wu Nan and the other mountain villagers, as well as several children around six or seven years old who were mixed among them. He opened his mouth slightly and sent a message back:

"Liu Peak Master, please go ahead, I'll follow later."

...

At the edge of the Frosty Mountain Range.

Upon hearing Chen Mu's message, Liu Tong couldn't help but frown slightly and looked in the direction of Chen Mu.

In this chaotic situation with various factions, acting alone was unsafe. It wasn't necessary to take such a risk for two or three dozen ordinary villagers, but since Chen Mu had already said so, he couldn't say much more. Seeing that the others from the various sects had already started, he couldn't afford to fall behind. He turned to Feng Hongsheng and the others and said solemnly:

"Let's go, everyone."

Feng Hongsheng also looked in Chen Mu's direction after hearing this, and his brows furrowed slightly. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he sighed and, without further message, followed Liu Tong and the others, entering a collapsing mountain fissure together.

This scene also happened to catch the attention of Fu Jingyuan from a distance, who had entered the earth fissure from another direction. His movements paused slightly as he watched Liu Tong and the others disappear into the earth meridian. A faint light flashed in his eyes, and he quickly followed them.

...

Chen Mu stood about seven or eight li away from the Frosty Mountain Range.

He gazed at the mountain range, sensing the numerous auras entering the earth meridian, including the sword aura of 'Immortal Sword Jiang Changsheng' and the domineering blade energy of 'Absolute Blade Tuoba Xi'. However, his expression remained calm.

For him, acting early or late made no difference. Aside from Blood Replacement Realm experts, no Grandmaster could match his speed and efficiency in exploring the Earth Abyss.

And so,

Nearly a quarter of an hour later, the intense ground tremors gradually subsided.

"It's fine now, no more danger."

After sensing the movement in the earth meridian, Chen Mu turned his gaze to Wu Nan and the many villagers, saying, "All of you head west, travel about seventy or eighty li, and you'll find a village. You can temporarily stay there. This place is perilous, so don't linger."

The Frosty Mountain Range was the epicenter of the recent ground tremors, and it was also the most dangerous area for ordinary villagers. Although the tremors had subsided, and many Grandmasters had already gone ahead to explore, it was still not suitable for Wu Nan and the other villagers to stay for too long.

However.

It wouldn't be long before the news and information spread, and the guardians and officers of the Seven Xuan Sect, as well as some Ice State Guards from Frost Province, would also come here to guard this broken, dangerous area of the Frosty Mountain Range.

As the tremors gradually subsided, Wu Nan and the other villagers finally calmed their minds. The young children blinked and looked at Chen Mu with reverence in their eyes, bowing repeatedly before following Chen Mu's instructions and heading west.

After watching Wu Nan and the others leave, Chen Mu quickly retracted his gaze, turned back to the Frosty Mountain Range, and took a step forward. In an instant, his entire person vanished from the spot, leaving behind a silent, fleeting shadow.

After several leaps along the ground,

He quickly returned to the edge of the Frosty Mountain Range, taking a step onto a collapsed high point and looking down.

The entire Frosty Mountain Range was in disarray, with a radius of about ten li covered in collapsed fissures, crisscrossing and forming deep, pitch-black chasms that evoked a sense of unease.

No figures were visible in the surrounding area, as if the various Grandmasters from the Cold North had all entered the abyss. Only a few lingering auras of top-tier Grandmasters remained in the air, such as the faint sword intent of Jiang Changsheng.

However, Chen Mu only glanced at it before looking away, then took a step towards the nearest fissure and descended straight down.

This fissure was extremely deep.

He continued his descent along the crack for nearly three hundred zhang before it gradually narrowed.

Chen Mu didn't hesitate; his expression remained unchanged as he slightly moved his mind, causing the nearby earth layer to transform into flowing mud. He sank into it, continuing his exploration deeper underground.

Normally,

A depth of three hundred zhang was the limit for Grandmasters. The earth meridian power was extremely dense and difficult to move, even for top-tier Grandmasters. But at this moment, the earth meridian was completely shattered, allowing even Six Viscera Realm or Quintessence Realm practitioners to reach this depth.

Chen Mu continued along the fissure, and although the earth meridian power remained shattered and fragmented, the pressure gradually intensified as he went deeper. After all, the deeper layers were denser, and even though they were broken apart, the scattered remnants still exerted significant pressure.

But for Chen Mu, this was not a concern.

Five hundred zhang,

Six hundred zhang,

Seven hundred zhang,

...

He continued downward until he passed through about one thousand two hundred zhang of earth layers and finally felt a sudden change in the structure below. The shattered earth meridian power seemed to disappear, and further down was an expansive void.

He continued downward until he reached the very bottom, then penetrated the last bit of the earth layer, and his entire person finally landed in midair. He felt himself sinking, and he began to fall straight down.

Boom!

After falling about twenty or thirty zhang, Chen Mu landed on a thick, solid surface. Looking forward, he saw only darkness and a vast underground space!

"This is... the Earth Abyss."

Chen Mu looked up, about twenty or thirty zhang above. Looking around, he saw only emptiness and desolation.

It was as if a layer of space had formed between two layers of the earth, and its extent was unknown.

Chen Mu could feel the heavy pressure surrounding him, much stronger than on the surface, about ten times heavier. This wasn't about bearing ten times his own weight but rather being in an environment with intensified pressure.

Indeed, even with Sinew and Bone Forging, it was impossible to step foot here. Quintessence Realm practitioners would struggle to move, and even Six Viscera Realm practitioners would face significant limitations. Additionally, the various dangers within the Earth Abyss made it unsuitable for exploration by Six Viscera Realm practitioners.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end