TL note on term changes: Abyss Ruins > Ruins Abyss, Immortal Miasma > Immortal-Mortal Miasma
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The Ruins Abyss, located in the easternmost part of the Grand Xuan Country, were so deep that one could not see the bottom, and there was a thick fog shrouding it all year round. If one were to accidentally lose their footing and fall, they would certainly end up completely annihilated.
No one knew what lies beneath the Ruins Abyss. Even the birds were absent, and it had been a forbidden area to humans for many years.
Li Fan, on the other hand, through his last simulation experience, knew that the dense fog above the Ruins Abyss would disperse once every fifteen years. Today, he had come to the Ruins Abyss to witness it with his own eyes.
After all, if his guess was correct, the two cultivators, Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong, likely arrived to this Land of Immortal Extinction through the Abyss Ruins.
Li Fan stood silently, watching the endless abyss, patiently waiting.
After an unknown period of time, the thick white mist that emitted an ancient aura finally changed.
"Whooosh..."
What seemed to be an ancient beast's roarcame faintly from below. Only as the sound gradually became louder did the crowd realize that it was the sound of the wind!The dense white mist was stirred, creating ripples upon ripples.
Then, the wind became stronger and stronger, and a large amount of white mist was forcefully expelled from the Ruins Abyss like a reverse waterfall rushing straight into the sky.
Such a gale lasted for half an hour before the heavy fog dispersed.
Li Fan's face was grave as he took out his telescope and looked towards the bottom of the Ruins Abyss.
At first, the bottom of the Ruins Abyss was pitch black, and nothing could be seen clearly.
Gradually, a little bit of light appeared.
After a long time, the bottom of the Ruins Abyss shone brightly, and a mirage-like, upside-down scene was reflected in Li Fan's eyes.
According to the information, the scene that appeared at the bottom of the Ruins Abyss were different for each person.
However, the scene in front of Li Fan's eyes shook him to his core.
There was a dilapidated mountain gate with collapsed buildings everywhere. The ground and walls, full of cracks, were filled with marks left by sword strikes and magical attacks.
There were even a few areas that seemed to be drenched in blood, taking on a sinister dark red color.
The corpses and weapons scattered all over the place spoke of a catastrophe that had happened many years ago.
Filled with shock, Li Fan shifted his gaze and saw five large words engraved on the smooth wall of a cliff.
"The Immortal Dao is dead!"
The four words were dark red, seemingly written in blood.
Even from a distance, Li Fan could feel the unspeakable fear and despair contained in these five words.
"The Immortal Dao is dead... what on earth happened here? And what has happened in the entire cultivation world?" Li Fan was immersed in it for a long time.
...
The fog only dispersed for half a day and began to coalesce again. Li Fan re-returned to Xuanjing.
After that, time flowed, and soon it reached the fifty year mark.
On this day, Li Fan celebrated his seventieth birthday while thousands of soldiers in Xuanjing City stood awaiting orders.
"Dao Xuanzi! Don't you overstep your bounds!"
Kou Hong turned around and shouted angrily, flying and stopping over Xuanjing City.
However, before Dao Xuanzi could respond, a voice came from below first, resounding through Xuanjing.
"Kou Hong, we have been waiting here for a long time by order of Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi!"
Following the announcement came bullets that covered the sky.
Caught off guard, Kou Hong was struck with a barrage of gunfire.
"How is this possible? Did Dao Xuanzi already know that I was going to escape here? When did he become so scheming?!" Kou Hong was shocked and furious.
And immediately after, Kou Hong was aghast to realize that his spiritual energy was being consumed at a rapid pace as he resisted against the barrage, and with a sweep of his divine sense, Kou Hong instantly understood.
"Immortal-Mortal Miasma! Dao Xuanzi, you are so despicable!" Kou Hong looked at Dao Xuanzi, who had subsequently arrived, with eyes filled with disbelief, as if it was the first time he had truly seen his dear friend of a hundred years.
At the moment, Dao Xuanzi was dumbfounded.
"What's with these mortals, why did they attack Kou Hong under my banner? And they would use the Immortal-Mortal Miasma?" Caught off guard, Dao Xuanzi froze for a moment.
However, looking at furious Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi suddenly became alert.
"There is something wrong here! Kou Hong, these mortals were not instructed by me!" Dao Xuanzi hurriedly explained.
"What? You dare to do it but don't dare to admit it?" Kou Hong laughed mockingly. "Or are you afraid that if word of your use of the Immortal-Mortal Miasma gets out, you'll be hunted down and killed by all the cultivators in unison? Or, are you more worried about tarnishing the good reputation you've built for over a century?
Dao Xuanzi was familiar with his brother's temper and knew that Kou Hong had lost his mind and wouldn't to listen to anything he had to say.
Dao Xuanzi vaguely felt that he was caught in some kind of trap.
The bizarre aura of this place even made him feel a sense of crisis.
It was not wise to fight with Kou Hong at this moment.
Thus, he still patiently explained to Kou Hong, "You've known me for a hundred years; when have you ever seen me lie? This is indeed not..."
However, before he could finish his sentence, an old voice suddenly came from all directions, cutting his words short.
"Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi, how can you go back on your word? Wasn't it agreed that as long as we assisted you in killing Kou Hong here and seizing his Golden Core technique, you would lead my clan out of this Land of Immortal Extinction?" The voice was aggrieved and also carried a touch of indignation.
"Golden Core Technique?!" Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi's faces changed at the same time when they heard this.
"Still saying it's not you? Other than you and I, who else in this world knows about this matter?!" Kou Hong's hair stood on end, furious to the extreme.
"This person actually knows about the matter of the Golden Core technique..." Dao Xuanzi's heart completely sank.
The voice continued to speak from below: "Consider that by using the Immortal-Mortal Miasma for you, we have incurred widespread resentment. Now that the world is seething with public discontent, if Immortal Master doesn't his word and fails to lead us out, I'm afraid that it won't be long before my clan will die without a burial place!"
Being falsely accused, Dao Xuanzi only felt increasingly frustrated, and shouted, "Shameless villain, shut up!"
He flew towards the source of the voice, trying to find the mastermind, but he only saw a strange rectangular object. It was the object from which that sound was emanating. And countless more of these objects were spread throughout the entire Xuanjing City!
"To actually be so cautious..." Dao Xuanzi was helpless to the extreme.
"Could it be that Immortal Master wishes to kill and silence us now?"
Listening to the somewhat mocking words continue to come out from within, Dao Xuanzi clenched his teeth, crushing the object instantly.
In Kou Hong's eyes, it looked as if Dao Xuanzi was infuriated after being exposed and wanted to kill to cover up his secrets.
Kou Hong raised his voice and roared to the sky, ''Dao Xuanzi! You and I have known each other for a hundred years, but I seem to have completely misjudged you! Even if you wanted to get the Golden Core technique, why do you need to use so many underhanded tactics? I'm not going to run any longer, so come and get it if you have the ability!"
"Dao Technique: Fire Dragon's Roar!"
A furious fiery dragon surrounded Kou Hong and let out a heaven-shaking roar.
The fire dragon then looked angrily ahead and spat out a crimson blaze from its mouth which headed straight for Dao Xuanzi.
Dao Xuanzi sighed helplessly, and with a soft chant, a flying sword appeared out of thin air from behind him, transforming into a white light that met the red flames head-on.