https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-478-Taking-the-Lead-Reaping-the-Greatest-Benefits/12550459/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-488-Creating-a-Divine-Ability-The-Primordial-Fire-Lotus/12550478/
Chapter 479: Treasures of the Abyss
Chapter 479: Treasures of the Abyss
"Do my fellow daoists sense anything amiss?" asked Situ Yuanlian cautiously, his gaze shifting towards Qin Changkong and Chu Ning.
"Aside from some lingering demonic energy, I don't perceive anything unusual," Chu Ning shook his head.
Qin Changkong nodded in agreement. "Indeed, and it seems our spiritual senses are no longer as restricted as before. Only a handful of areas remain obscured from our perception."
Hearing that their perceptions aligned, Situ Yuanlian suggested, "Then, fellow daoists, shall we take a closer look? However, to err on the side of caution, perhaps just the four of us—myself, Daoist Qin, Daoist Chu, and Daoist Yuan—should descend first. The rest can wait briefly above. What do you all think?"
"That sounds reasonable," concurred Qin Changkong.
The other cultivators had no objections. After all, this place had once been used to seal away an extra-dimensional demon, so caution was warranted.
Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian, as late Nascent Soul stage cultivators, were naturally suited for the task. Chu Ning's abilities had also been well-established among the group.
As for Yuan Hua, this was, after all, the territory of the Changming Sect.
The four of them activated their protective spiritual lights and flew downwards into the abyss. Chu Ning activated the Five Elements Chaos Technique for external protection, but internally, he relied on the Undying Golden Body shield. After all, when it came to defending against demonic energy, the Undying Golden Body was more effective than the Five Elements Chaos Technique.
As they descended, the four scanned their surroundings with their spiritual senses. All they could see were ordinary stones, with nothing particularly unusual.
When they had descended several dozen meters, the abyss suddenly narrowed, creating a drop-off that resulted in the appearance of a circle of stone platforms surrounding them.
On these platforms were piles of large stones and some obvious array-setting apparatuses, all inscribed with various talismanic symbols and daoist patterns.
Clearly, these were the components that made up the formation restrictions in this place.
The group immediately stopped to inspect the area carefully. They could vaguely see that while most of the talismanic symbols on the large stones were intact, some had sustained damage.
At that moment, Yuan Hua sighed softly, "It seems that the problem originated from the arrays below, and our attempts to fix them from above were futile."
As Yuan Hua sighed, Chu Ning carefully examined the talismanic arrays on the stones.
"Indeed, these are various formation restrictions composed of those eighteen talismanic symbols. They are even largely similar to many of the arrays on the altar. It appears that when resisting the extra-dimensional demon, quite a few cultivators mastered this sealing method."
Having previously spent a significant amount of time studying those talismanic arrays, Chu Ning could recognize their patterns at a glance.
Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian, on the other hand, seemed unfamiliar with these arrays and curiously inspected them. Given their knowledge, they could tell that the arrays were profoundly mysterious.
However, after a while, Qin Changkong sighed again. "These talismanic arrays appear extremely profound, but it's a pity that many of them are already damaged."
He turned to Yuan Hua and asked, "Daoist Yuan, does your sect have any records of the methods used to set up these arrays?"
Yuan Hua shook her head. "Our sect does have some records of the methods for setting up and repairing formation restrictions, but only for the outer ones. We don't have any records of the methods used for the formation restrictions in this abyss. I heard from a senior sect member that these formation restrictions in the abyss might not have been set up by our sect."
Hearing this, both Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian looked slightly disappointed.
Chu Ning smiled and said, "Daoist Yuan, even though these talismanic arrays are occasionally incomplete, they are still extremely profound. Why don't you copy them and take them back for research?"
Yuan Hua nodded and then addressed the three of them. "These talismanic arrays don't solely belong to our sect. If you're interested, fellow daoists, feel free to make your own copies. If we can unravel their mysteries, we'll have an additional means of self-protection should the extra-dimensional demon attempt to return."
Hearing Yuan Hua's suggestion, the three of them didn't hesitate to copy the intact talismanic symbols from the large stones. They also recorded some of the array setups on jade slips.
This process took a considerable amount of time, after which the four of them continued their descent.
As they ventured deeper, the demonic energy became noticeably denser. However, since most of the demonic energy had already been absorbed by the demon, the group could withstand it.
Yuan Hua, however, wore a slightly worried expression. "Sigh, even though the demon has left, there's still so much demonic energy here. What should we do about it?"
Upon hearing Yuan Hua's words, an idea occurred to Chu Ning.
Taking advantage of the fact that the other three were still carefully descending, he quietly retrieved a black pearl from his storage bag—the same one that had been formed from the demon's body when he had sealed it away at the altar in Yunqi Mountain.
"Since they both belong to the same demon, this demonic pearl might be able to absorb the demonic energy here," he thought.
As Chu Ning considered this, he noticed strands of demonic energy being drawn into the black pearl. Although the process was slow, it was unmistakable.
The group continued their descent, plunging another thousand feet before reaching the bottom of the abyss.
The bottom of the abyss was nearly five hundred feet in size, and while there was nothing unusual about its surroundings, right at its center was a deep pit about ten feet wide.
The pit was thick with demonic energy, obscuring their spiritual senses.
Everyone naturally understood that this was where the extradimensional demon was truly sealed, and they cautiously approached.
As they neared the pit, the demonic energy grew more and more intense.
When they were about one zhang away from the pit, the two Nascent Soul stage cultivators and Chu Ning didn't seem to react much.
However, Yuan Hua clearly felt the pressure, her protective spiritual light flickering unsteadily.
She immediately began performing hand seals, channeling her spiritual power to maintain the light.
But she dared not go any further and instead wore an embarrassed expression.
"Fellow Daoists, my cultivation is insufficient, and I dare not go any closer. I'll have to trouble you all."
The three men didn't force her, and they continued forward until they reached the edge of the deep pit.
No sooner had the three of them reached the edge than several strands of dense purple-black demonic energy swept toward them.
Even though Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian were late Nascent Soul stage cultivators, this demonic energy overwhelmed their protective spiritual lights in an instant.
The two of them were forced to retreat, simultaneously unleashing their spiritual treasures for protection.
Even so, they felt a strand of demonic energy drilling into their bodies, and they hurriedly circulated their spiritual power to expel it.
When they looked up again, their eyes were filled with shock.
In front of them, at the edge of the deep pit, stood Chu Ning, unmoving.
The five-colored protective spiritual light around his body had already disappeared, but he was enveloped in a faint golden glow.
Under the onslaught of the purple-black demonic energy, the faint golden shield rippled slightly but proved resilient, holding firm.
Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian exchanged a glance, their eyes wide with astonishment.
Sensing their gaze, Chu Ning turned to look at them and then turned back.
He had the Undying Golden Body protective shield, which was far more effective against demonic energy than ordinary cultivators' defenses.
The previous attack of demonic energy had been stronger than Chu Ning expected, so he had subconsciously used the Undying Golden Body shield to resist it with full force.
That was why he hadn't been affected much.
Now, seeing that the two late Nascent Soul stage cultivators had been forced back, he knew that retreating further would seem too deliberate.
So, he relied on the Undying Golden Body's defense to withstand the demonic energy while looking down into the pit.
The place was shrouded in demonic energy, making it impossible to directly perceive with spiritual senses. However, Chu Ning, with his exceptional eyesight as a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, was able to make out the general layout of the pit.
Inside the pit stood stone pillars inscribed with flashing talismanic symbols, resembling the ones on the altar in Yunqi Mountain.
It was clearly a formation restriction.
The difference was that on the altar, the stone pillars had been connected by black iron metal, which had been used to bind the demon's body. But here, there was none.
"Could this be the reason why the two demon bodies ended up differently?"
The thought flashed through Chu Ning's mind, but he quickly shook his head.
"No, ultimately, it should still be because of the demonic energy mentioned by the two-horned, long-armed demon that escaped.
After all, back at the altar, there wasn't any demonic energy, only the energy resulting from the fusion of spiritual energy and the power of origin.
That's right, could it be because of this reason...?"
Chu Ning had a vague guess, but he still couldn't be sure.
As he looked more carefully, his eyes lit up.
His gaze fell on an engraved Bagua pattern in the center of the pit.
This Bagua symbol was about one zhang in size, and at each of its eight corners was embedded a different colored material.
"That's Black Gold, and the others seem to be... Blue Crystal Steel, Heaven Origin Crystal..."
All eight of these are well-known ancient refining materials.
And Blue Crystal Steel and Heaven Origin Crystal are the refining materials for the Thunderfire Rod and the Xuan Turtle Shield, respectively."
To find two types of refining materials that would be so useful to him in one place delighted Chu Ning.
However, he didn't immediately go into the pit to retrieve them but continued his observation.
Sure enough, he noticed something else amiss.
Not far from the Bagua pattern, a clump of purple-black demonic energy floated, resembling a giant eye.
And it was from this eye that the demonic energy assaulting them was emanating.
"It seems that this is the backup plan left by the extradimensional demon," Chu Ning thought. "If someone were to rashly approach without caution, they would indeed fall into his trap."
Chu Ning shook his head and looked more carefully but didn't find anything else unusual or any other source of demonic energy.
His heart finally settled a little.
These obstacles wouldn't stop him from obtaining the treasures below.
At that moment, Qin Changkong and Situ Yuanlian cautiously stepped forward again.
"Chu Daoist, have you discovered anything?"
The two men stopped about a foot behind Chu Ning, not daring to go any closer, but they peered cautiously into the pit.
(End of Chapter)
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