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Within the Abyss of Evil, there was a spot of bright light within the endless expanse of darkness.
A fire burned brightly as everyone sat in a circle around it.
“Are you sure this is edible?” Xu Xiaolan stared at the flesh of the giant tortoise, her expression conflicted.
“Don’t worry, I’ve eaten more than ten Demonic Abyss Tortoises during my time here, but I’m still fine, aren’t I?” Ji Yanling dismissed her worries lightly.
“Oh… delicious! The flesh of the red tortoise has a richer aroma!” An Lin took the lead and began to eat with no inhibitions.
Having eaten all sorts of mutant beasts in the Myriad Mountain Realm, he naturally had no qualms about eating the Demonic Abyss Tortoise.
“Cultivator Yanling, the Abyss of Evil is fraught with peril, why have you decided to stay here for over a year?” Xu Xiaolan asked curiously.
It was completely unimaginable to her just what it would be like to live in such an environment for over a year. Even if you ignore the fact that this place was fraught with life-threatening peril, just the endless expanse of darkness and the dank, oppressive atmosphere alone was unbearable to her.
An Lin also turned his gaze upon Ji Yanling with curiosity. Even if she was a cultivator of the Spirit Nurturing Final Stage, it would still be quite difficult for her to live in such an environment. Just what could the reason be for her to make such a decision?
Ji Yanling eked out a small smile and cast her eyes downwards, appearing a little crestfallen. “I’m looking for someone here. If I can’t find him, then I won’t go back.”
Xu Xiaolan was still puzzled. “How do you know that the person you’re looking for is here?”
Ji Yanling took off the necklace she was wearing, on it was imbued a precious stone that gave off a light blue glow. “He and I split up here, as long as this stone still glows, it tells me that he’s still alive.
“I’ve looked in the sect, as well as his family clan… I’ve looked everywhere possible but still couldn’t find him.
“After returning here, I sensed a hint of familiarity. I know that he’s definitely still here, perhaps trapped in some place, waiting for me to rescue him!”
An Lin and the others could tell from her determined expression that she definitely wouldn’t leave until she found the person she was looking for.
An Lin stuck his hand into his pocket and patted Xiao Hong’s head.
“Master, she isn’t lying.” Xiao Hong transmitted her voice to him.
An Lin nodded and made a suggestion. “We’re all in the Abyss of Evil anyway, why don’t we travel as a group? This way, we will at least have strength in numbers if we encounter any hazards.”
Ji Yanling stared at him blankly before replying with a conflicted look. “Is that really OK? It won’t be any trouble to you guys, will it?”
She was already used to traveling alone in the darkness and was at a loss for what to do upon suddenly being invited to join a group. Having more people would perhaps help her in achieving her objective, but on the other hand, she was afraid that she would drag them down.
“It’s OK, join us, we’ll go somewhere you haven’t been before! After all, we can confirm that the places you’ve been have no sinister devils so we can avoid a lot of unnecessary searching.” Xu Xiaolan extended an invitation with a smile.
It had to be said, Xu Xiaolan’s words were very effective.
Ji Yanling looked around at everyone thankfully before finally nodding in agreement.
She was the eldest disciple of the Wen Valley Immortal Sect in the Heavenly River State and was also a cultivator of the Spirit Nurturing Final Stage. The person she was looking for was a man named Wang Lu, who was her Dao partner. They were forced to separate due to a mass outbreak of Abyssal Demons.
On one hand, they were seeking out a sinister devil, and on the other hand, they were looking for Wang Lu. None of them knew which direction they had to go anyway, so traveling as a party was actually a pretty good choice.
Xiao Chou had already switched off his searchlight eyes and Ji Yanling brought out a white orb of light instead.
This was a High Tier Magic Tool she had purchased, the Phosphorescent Orb, it had no function other than to emit light.
High brightness, high capacity, long battery life… these were all its characteristic attributes.
“Wang Lu…
“Wang Lu, are you there?”
Ji Yanling called out in a clear, crisp voice whilst holding the Phosphorescent Orb.
Her voice was like the light emitted by the Phosphorescent Orb, swallowed up by the infinite expanse of darkness with no reply.
An Lin and the others trailed behind her in silence as she continuously repeated the same name, as if she did not know fatigue.
Perhaps it was a reward for her persistence, but her cries finally received a response.
“Roar…” a deep rumbling roar erupted from distance.
Two huge golden eyes subsequently lit up the darkness like two huge lanterns as an extremely powerful aura swept toward everyone.
Ji Yanling’s expression shifted and she habitually raised her sword in preparation for escape.
She then saw that no one else had moved and also halted her escape. “Aren’t you going to run?”
“I’ve heard that sinister devils are also bodies of energy and require a lot of biological energy to sustain themselves. The creature in front of us looks a lot stronger than even the Demonic Abyss Tortoise, we should see if we can attract a sinister devil with its corpse.” An Lin replied.
“Xiao Chou, switch on your searchlights!”
Clang!
Two bright beams of light immediately shot forwards, setting their surroundings alight.
A huge mutant beast of around a hundred feet in size appeared in everyone’s field of vision.
It lay on the ground, narrowing its eyes at the strong light, but showing no fear.
This was a dragon! Not the wyrms of the Dragon Court of the Eastern Seas, but a black lizard dragon with massive bat wings and a huge body radiating a chaotic and aggressive aura.
Countless sharp black spikes floated around the black dragon like a dense forest, exuding an aura of death.
“Is… is this a domain!?” Xu Xiaolan’s whole body tightened as she yelled in fear.
Xiao Chou shook his head. “It’s not of the Soul Formation Stage yet. It has most likely just attained its domain but has not completed its transformation.”
“Half-Step Soul Formation Stage, eh? Looks like it’s going to be a tough fight.” An Lin drew his Evil-Slaying Sword with a solemn expression.
Ji Yanling sighed lightly before also drawing her sword. It appeared as if a battle could not be avoided.
“Finished with your chit-chat?” the black dragon opened his mouth slowly as a deep, rumbling voice sounded from within its cavernous mouth.
Everyone was completely taken aback by this. It was clear that the mutant beast in front of them had considerable intelligence.
“The mother of my child, come eat!” the black dragon continued.
Everyone: “???”
“Quit yelling, you’re a big strong male dragon, do you really need me to take care of preparing your meals?” a loud voice resonated in the distance.
Immediately afterward, another huge black dragon flew in from afar.
Each time it flapped its wings, it triggered a freezing storm of ice. Looking from afar, it gave everyone a deep sense of fear.
“F*ck! Another Half-Step Soul Formation Stage dragon?” An Lin stared at the huge dragon, clearly at a loss for what to do.
“No, this is a Soul Formation Stage female dragon!” Xiao Chou corrected.
An Lin: “…”
Xu Xiaolan: “…”
Ji Yanling: “Are we still gonna fight?”
An Lin winced. “Fight? F*ck that! Run!”
He roared before mounting Da Bai and making a hurried escape.
An Lin’s roar immediately made Xu Xiaolan, Xiao Chou and Ji Yanling spring into action as they began to run into the distance as fast as they could!
“What are you still lying there for, can’t you see our dinner is about to escape!?” the female dragon roared angrily as it materialized a pitch black spear of ice before stabbing it toward the male dragon’s arse.
“Howl!”
The spear of ice stabbed into his butt cheek, sending out a spray of black blood.
The male dragon roared in anguish as its fat body began to rise extremely reluctantly into the air in pursuit of An Lin and the others.
“How could you engage in domestic abuse like this in front of other people!”
“There’s food on the line, so what if I abuse you? If the food manages to escape, I’ll eat you instead!”
The two dragons flew very quickly, gradually closing the gap even as An Lin and the others flew with all their might.
Right at this moment, the male dragon drew in an intake of breath, before spitting out a stream of flames toward its prey.
Purple flames with terrifyingly high temperatures rushed toward An Lin and the others.