Su Changyu had left something unsaid.
Heading out to seek opportunities was not without risk. If they all went together and were completely wiped out, wouldn't the legacy of the Immortal Avengers be severed from that point on?
This was the greatest concern in Xiao Heng's heart.
However, Su Changyu could also see that, apart from Xiao Heng, the others did not currently place too much importance on the Immortal Avengers.
At the very least, compared to their own cultivation, the so-called legacy of the Immortal Avengers wasn’t worth mentioning.
Xiao Heng was likely aware of this in his heart as well. Yet he held to his own principles and did not wish to force them upon others. So it was difficult for him to state it plainly.
Though Su Changyu's eyes remained closed, he understood the thoughts of everyone present.
Thus, he took the initiative to resolve the impasse. "How about this: Xiao Heng, Xiaomei, and Zhang Haobo, the three of you travel together to the Cangwu Abyss.
"As for me, I will remain here."
Before Su Xiaomei could object, he continued explaining, "The technique I cultivate is special. The so-called opportunities there would actually be of little use to me. So you need not feel troubled on my account."
Hearing this, Xiao Heng cast a grateful look toward Su Changyu.
Su Xiaomei, however, turned her head away in a huff, refusing to look at Su Changyu.
Still, Xiaomei held great trust in Su Changyu's words. Now that he had made the decision, the matter was practically settled.
"Then we'll have an extra Mini Medicine King Cauldron, won't we? Should we really sell it, as Senior Skull suggested?" Zhang Haobo asked, frowning.
"No," Su Changyu shook his head.
"Just possessing Mini Medicine King Cauldrons alone is enough to make us targets. To risk exposing our knowledge of the true Medicine King Cauldron for some petty gain would be most unwise.
"It would be better to keep it. At a critical moment, we can throw it out as bait to divert an enemy's attention.”
Xiao Heng also agreed with Su Changyu's opinion.
"Though it's a bit of a pity, this is indeed the most prudent method."
"Fine, whatever! You all decide!" Su Xiaomei snorted, offering no further opposition.
She grabbed Han Wuyou and went outside to play.
"The journey to the Cangwu Abyss is long. We are not cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance and cannot utilize their teleportation arrays."
"Flying over with our own power would take far too much time, and who knows what mishaps might occur along the way.
"We still need to think of a good method..." Xiao Heng stroked his chin, speaking with a furrowed brow.
"About that..." Zhang Haobo hesitated.
"What is it?" Xiao Heng looked at Zhang Haobo, somewhat surprised.
"We might be able to use the teleportation arrays after all," Zhang Haobo explained.
"As you know, during our explorations in Jiushan Province, we became acquainted with Senior Shuo Feng.
"During our journey to the Chaoyuan Sect, we fought our way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood together.
"One could say our friendship is quite deep.
"Upon parting, Senior Shuo Feng invited us to join the Myriad Immortals Alliance. Though we politely declined, he still expressed understanding and left a jade token with Xiaomei.
"With that token, using teleportation arrays shouldn't be a problem."
Hearing this, Xiao Heng nodded. "That would be for the best."
He had thought Zhang Haobo's earlier hesitation was because Shuo Feng was a Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivator.
Xiao Heng said solemnly, "I am not an inflexible person. Our enemy is the Myriad Immortals Alliance, not every single individual within it.
"If we can befriend Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators and work to dismantle it from within, the benefits are plentiful, and there is no harm. Why would I oppose it?
"I'll go speak with Xiaomei now."
With that, Xiao Heng left to find Su Xiaomei.
Zhang Haobo watched Xiao Heng's retreating back and shook his head helplessly.
"What? Is there something between Xiaomei and that Shuo Feng?" Su Changyu, however, had caught Zhang Haobo's meaning and asked with interest.
"Who knows? All I see is the two of them getting along like a house on fire. Even though Shuo Feng has now regained his Spirit Transformation cultivation, he doesn't seem to mind Xiaomei's lower cultivation level.
"Ah, that Xiao Heng is as oblivious as a rock."
Su Changyu gave a light laugh. "You worry too much. In my opinion, matters of love and romance might not even be on Xiaomei's mind."
Zhang Haobo could only shake his head in silence.
***
After so many years, the little kids from back then seemed to have all grown up.
Yet, some things didn’t seem to have changed at all.
Li Fan couldn't help but feel a sudden pang of emotion, his mind drifting momentarily to the children he'd had in his earliest lifetimes.
I really am getting old. He thought to himself.
Soon after, Li Fan suppressed that wisp of sentimentality.
***
It took Xiao Heng a great deal of effort to coax Su Xiaomei into a happy mood and get her to agree to hand over Shuo Feng's jade token.
After a few days of preparation, Xiao Heng, Su Xiaomei, and Zhang Haobo set off on the long journey to Cangwu Province.
Han Wuyou's large eyes were full of envy as he waved goodbye.
Su Changyu's eyelids twitched violently, as if he wanted to open his eyes.
But his expression remained utterly calm.
In the end, he did not open his dual-pupiled eyes.
Shuo Feng's jade token proved indeed useful. Even though they weren't part of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, Xiao Heng and the others were able to enter Shilin Immortal City unhindered.
Xiao Heng kept a firm grip on Su Xiaomei, who kept trying to wander off and explore her surroundings.
With some trepidation in his heart, he activated the teleportation array.
After teleporting to the border of Shilin Province, they crossed the White Mist Barrier and arrived in Yuandao Province.
Then, taking one teleportation array after another, they hurried towards the Cangwu Abyss in the southwestern corner of the Xuanhuang World.
Thus, over half a month later, just as Li Fan began inspecting the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array in Lanlin Province, Xiao Heng's group finally reached their destination.
It seems Lanlin Province really isn't far from the Cangwu Abyss. I can perceive the scene with Formless Killing Mechanism alone, without having to rely on a perception array.
Through the eyes of the group, Li Fan was finally able to see this famous Cangwu Abyss with his own eyes.
Unlike the Congyun Abyss, which was a region of absolute nothingness, the Cangwu Abyss more closely resembled the Abyssal Chasm of Great Xuan.
Beneath towering cliffs yawned a bottomless chasm. Within the chasm, crimson clouds and mist churned endlessly, obscuring the view of its depths. Birds and exotic beasts wheeled through the scarlet haze, their silhouettes flickering in and out of sight.
Along the cliff faces, however, structures had been carved directly into the mountainside at regular intervals, descending layer by layer and burrowing deep into the rock.
“The Cangwu Abyss is a unique landform,” Su Xiaomei read aloud from the jade slip freely distributed by cultivators stationed outside the abyss. “It was formed many years ago, when all the mountains and rivers of Cangwu Province vanished in a single day.
“Because of this, the abyss has a clear boundary, and its overall shape resembles a gigantic footprint.
“To this day, exploration has reached depths of nearly three hundred thousand zhang, yet the bottom remains unseen.
“The Cangwu Abyss is not empty. Each layer possesses its own distinct appearance.”
“The first layer extends from the surface down to thirty thousand zhang. Countless exotic beasts dwell within the mist and along the cliff faces at the abyss’s edge. These creatures devour metal and spew lightning. Their strength is extraordinary. They are savage, fearless of death, and travel in packs. Extreme caution is advised.”
“The second layer refers to a depth of thirty thousand to eighty thousand zhang...”
She read on, eyes growing wider with every line.
“So vast... so deep,” Su Xiaomei murmured, then sent her thoughts through mental transmission.
“Even if the Medicine King Cauldron really is somewhere inside the Cangwu Abyss, how could we ever hope to find it?”
Xiao Heng did not respond immediately.
Instead, his heart stirred.
He focused his will, manipulating the Mini Medicine King Cauldron within his storage ring and perceiving it carefully.
In the next instant, his expression changed.
From somewhere far, far below, deep within the abyssal depths, something faintly yet unmistakably resonated.