Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 721 - 705: Venturing into the Demon Abyss

Demon Realm.

The operation to explore deep into the Demon Realm was unexpectedly smooth.

Zhouyang and his group initially thought that even if the Demon Realm was currently empty, they would have to endure intense battles to reach the area above the Ice Sea Demon Abyss.

However, along the way, aside from occasional demonic beasts crashing into the flying ship to their deaths, they encountered no resistance.

This was undoubtedly abnormal!

"Ahead, less than a thousand miles is the location of the Ice Sea Demon Abyss. We haven't seen a single demon come out to block us on this journey. I suspect they want to concentrate their forces at the Demon Abyss to fight us, where they have a significant geographical advantage. Fellow Daoists, be extremely careful, and don't let your guard down!"

Aboard the flying ship, Xu Tianlin slowed its speed slightly and solemnly instructed Zhouyang and fourteen other cultivators.

As the leader of this expedition, it was his responsibility to express this, regardless of whether others were already aware.

The cultivators remained silent, but each tightened their grip on their prized magical artifacts, showing their concern through action.

Soon, the flying ship arrived above the Ice Sea Demon Abyss.

The so-called Ice Sea Demon Abyss, despite having "Ice Sea" in its name, had nothing to do with an actual ocean.

The term "Ice Sea" actually describes an ice lake vast as an ocean.

This ice lake formed in ancient times. It became such a massive ice lake because, during ancient times, great divine power cultivators fought a true demon guarding the Demon Realm Passage, causing the land to sink.

And the Demon Abyss is a colossal rift tens of miles wide and hundreds of miles long above the ice lake.

This rift did not exist in ancient times.

After destroying the Demon Realm Passage, those great divine power cultivators purified the pervasive demonic qi with great divine techniques. Later, a divine power cultivator skilled in ice element divine techniques set up a sealing array, using the ice on the lake, thousands of feet thick, as a lid to cover the demonic qi rising from the lake's bottom.

However, blocking is not as effective as diversion; such a seal could last for centuries or millennia, but eventually, problems arose as more demonic qi accumulated beneath the ice lake over time.

The colossal crack that formed the Demon Abyss is what sprang up with the initial eruption of demonic qi.

At the time, although the demonic qi erupted broke through the seal, it was quickly suppressed and purified by a Tribulation Crossing True Immortal from another cultivation realm.

However, despite his prowess, the True Immortal was unable to repair the seal due to his lack of proficiency in ice element divine techniques.

Thus, he could only set up a grand array near the Demon Abyss to purify the leaking demonic qi, while directing major forces from the Beiting Continent cultivation realm to establish outposts by the Demon Abyss to monitor and guard against any demon cultivators attempting to enter the abyss for cultivation.

For thousands of years, demon cultivators have indeed sought to exploit the Ice Sea Demon Abyss.

Even if some demon cultivators managed to bypass the wardens and enter the abyss, they can barely use the abundant demonic qi to make a minor breakthrough in cultivation, with no possibility of causing another massive qi eruption.

So when "Celestial Corpse Ascendant" guided the eruption of demonic qi from within the Ice Sea Demon Abyss this time, it led Zhouyang to suspect the involvement of a great power from the Upper Realm.

Furthermore, after this eruption, the Demon Abyss expanded several times in size.

The Demon Abyss before Zhouyang and his group is a massive ice abyss, nearly two thousand miles long and a hundred miles wide, with ink-black demonic qi pouring out continuously like viscous mist, sustaining the entire Demon Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, what are those demons planning? We've reached this point, yet they haven't shown themselves. Could it be they are confident we can't harm this Demon Realm?"

After examining the Demon Abyss, Cultivator You from the Nine Yang Sect frowned and turned to Xu Tianlin, voicing his doubts in a low voice.

Given the current situation, it seems Xu Tianlin's earlier assessment wasn't entirely correct.

The demon cultivators guarding the Demon Realm do not seem intent on engaging in battle, nor are they concerned with the potential destruction of the Demon Realm.

In fact, they really can't deal significant damage to this Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm was formed through demonic qi infestation. Unless they can reseal this Ice Sea Demon Abyss or set up a grand array like the Tribulation Crossing True Immortal did to purify the demonic qi from within the abyss, they cannot sever the source of demonic qi feeding the Demon Realm.

"Fellow Daoists Guo and Zhou, have you sensed anything?"

Xu Tianlin turned to Guo Huaiyang, with Seventh-Layer Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, and Zhouyang, whose divine sense was similarly at Late-Stage Nascent Soul strength.

"Demonic qi can warp the divine sense results. I can only vaguely feel people hidden in the abyss but cannot determine how many or where they are hiding," Guo Huaiyang said gravely, addressing Xu Tianlin's query towards Cultivator You.

"I found more or less the same as Fellow Daoist Guo," Zhouyang simply agreed with Guo Huaiyang's statement.

Hearing their words, the others understood Xu Tianlin's implication and grew more vigilant towards the Demon Abyss with fierce resolve in their gazes.

Seeing this, Xu Tianlin continued, "According to Fellow Daoist Zhou's intelligence, there should only be three to four Nascent Soul Stage demon cultivators in the Demon Realm, with the highest being [Venerable Thousand Souls] from Ghost Demon Dao, who has reached Late-Stage Nascent Soul Stage with the help of demonic qi."

"Despite their few numbers and geographical advantages, they're no match for our absolute numerical superiority!"

"Therefore, dear fellow Daoists, since we are here, let us bravely forge ahead and uncover the truth!"

As he finished speaking, Master Cyan Yang immediately responded, "Master Cyan Yang is willing to follow Fellow Daoist Xu into the demon nest!"

"Willing to follow Fellow Daoist Xu into the demon nest!"

The cultivators shouted in unison, their voices like thunder resonating through the sky, audible for miles.

"Good! With all of you life-and-death companions, I, Xu, have no regrets!"

Xu Tianlin exclaimed spiritedly and activated the [Purifying Spirit Profound Light] divine technique to shield himself before leading the charge into the Demon Abyss.

Zhouyang and the others followed suit, each protecting themselves with their techniques, diving into the Demon Abyss like fish into water.

The concentration of demonic qi inside the abyss is many times greater than outside, posing a challenge for Zhouyang and the others. Unable to absorb any Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to replenish their magical power, they must constantly maintain protective divine techniques to prevent demonic qi from seeping into their bodies.

This alone consumes a significant amount of their magical power.

Thus, as soon as they enter the abyss, each holds onto [Spirit Marrow Stone] to recharge their expended magical power.

At such times, no one would lament over this small cost.

After descending over a thousand feet, a long-anticipated ambush occurred as expected.

Led by the gray-robed elder [Venerable Thousand Souls], four Nascent Soul Stage demon cultivators, along with their controlled demon corpses and ghosts, attacked from all directions, immediately engulfing the cultivators in battle.

In the treacherous grounds of the Demon Abyss, Zhouyang this time did not easily use those highly consuming divine techniques and magical artifacts. Instead, he protected himself with the [Exorcism Treasure Robe] and then used the [Qianyang Golden Tower] and [Qianyang Golden Lamp], his two lifebound spiritual artifacts, to cooperate in slaying enemies.

They had an absolute advantage in numbers, and even though he held back and didn't exert full force, and even though the enemy possessed the geographic advantage, they still easily gained the upper hand in the battle.

Xu Tianlin and Guo Huaiyang, the two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, joined hands and effortlessly suppressed the [Venerable Thousand Souls]. The remaining individuals facing their attack from more than a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't even muster a defense and could only strive to use the geographical advantages of the Demon Abyss to barely delay the crowd's advance.

"These demon cultivators aim to drain our magical power. It seems they have some hidden killing move yet to be used. Fellow Daoists, please be mindful of conserving your magical power and do not waste it on those low-tier demons!"

Xu Tianlin seemed to perceive something and didn't forget to transmit this observation to the others during the battle.

Actually, he didn't need to remind them, Zhouyang had also noticed this point.

But the reason he didn't directly say it like Xu Tianlin was not due to malicious intent but because he knew others would also soon notice, and there was no need for him to be the first to speak.

Hearing Xu Tianlin's reminder, he couldn't help but glance at Master Cyan Yang nearby, secretly transmitting a message: "Elder Qingyang, if we encounter any danger later, remember to join me. With this item in hand, I believe escaping should not be an issue!"

Master Cyan Yang naturally knew what that item was.

He looked at Zhouyang without showing hesitation and nodded silently to indicate his understanding.

Afterwards, with Xu Tianlin's reminder, everyone refrained from killing every enemy they encountered as before, no longer wasting magical power on those demons that were not even Tier Five. Instead, they precisely eliminated above Tier Five demons while grouping together to descend into the depths of the Demon Abyss.

This Ice Sea Demon Abyss is said to be ten thousand fathoms deep, and even someone like Nie Yushuang, a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul "Half-Step True Immortal" cultivator, finds it challenging to probe the bottom.

However, Zhouyang and others had no intention of exploring the depths, which was unrealistic.

Their purpose in descending into the Demon Abyss was merely to investigate the possible arrangements left by demon cultivators, and doing so didn't require reaching the bottom.

Two thousand, three thousand, four thousand fathoms!

After they forcibly descended almost four thousand fathoms, the concentration of demonic qi in the Demon Abyss had reached near-liquid levels.

To isolate themselves from this dense demonic qi, the magical power they consumed every breath was equivalent to the full magical power of a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.

In this environment, any magical technique they unleashed would be weakened to some extent, and the magical power consumed by using artifacts would be greatly increased.

A Nascent Soul stage demon cultivator in such an environment could potentially fight on equal terms with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

In Zhouyang's team, the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators found their divine techniques suppressed by two or three tenths at this depth, and further down, the suppression would be harsher.

"This is enough; we don't need to go further down. Let's deploy that thing here!"

Xu Tianlin halted after annihilating a near Tier Six Evil Ghost with a divine technique and sternly issued new instructions to the others.

Hearing this, the early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators could not help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

"Everyone can now proceed as planned. Fellow Daoist Xu, Guo, Zhou, and others will guard the exterior, while Fellow Daoist Wen and five others will be responsible for deploying that thing to investigate the situation."

Xu Tianlin said, instantly relocating to the periphery, keeping watch in one direction.

Guo Huaiyang, Zhouyang, Master Cyan Yang, and other cultivators who had been designated as guards also chose a direction each as a defense zone, protecting the cultivators responsible for investigating the situation in the center.

At this time, none hesitated in using their magical power, and any demon appearing within their perception was struck with thunderous might immediately.

The Wen-named cultivators assigned by Xu Tianlin to investigate the situation started by casting several protective spells, and then they each pulled out puppet flying eagle artifacts made of ice jade and cold iron, setting them into motion and tossing them into the Demon Abyss.

These puppet artifacts were special artifacts, not meant for combat, but could transmit what their eyes saw to a corresponding mirror spiritual artifact.

These artifacts were refined several years ago by the major sects of the cultivation realm in the Beiting Continent to explore the bottom of the Demon Abyss.

Unfortunately, before Zhouyang and the others arrived, they could not go deep into the Abyss for detailed exploration, leaving those artifacts dormant in the Ice City warehouse.

Now, with Wen-named cultivators tossing each activated puppet flying eagle into the Demon Abyss, guiding them to fly in pre-set directions, images of the pitch-dark depths of the Demon Abyss began to appear on the corresponding mirror spiritual artifacts.

Due to demonic qi's corrosive effects on the artifacts, the transmitted images were not very clear, only showing fuzzy scenes.

Fortunately, the number of puppet flying eagles was sufficient; each cultivator deployed over ten, enough for Wen-named cultivators and others to broadly observe the situation at the depths of the Demon Abyss.

The Venerable Thousand Souls and others hiding among the dense demonic qi naturally noticed those puppet flying eagles, immediately sending demon corpses and ghost creatures under their control to hunt them down, preventing the abyss's situation from leaking out.

But those puppet flying eagles, having sacrificed combat capabilities, retained flight speed no less than Tier Five Demon Birds; not many demon corpses and ghost creatures could catch up with them.

"Reached the bottom, I can already see images of the bottom of the Demon Abyss here!"

A Nascent Soul cultivator exclaimed in surprise, drawing Zhouyang's attention to the dozen or so jade mirrors in front of him.

In one of those jade mirrors, there were already images of the blurry bottom of the Demon Abyss.

At ten thousand fathoms deep, the demonic qi had entirely solidified into liquid, and the puppet flying eagles moved extremely slowly within, their bodies being corroded by demonic contamination at an extremely fast rate, ceasing to function before long.

"I've reached the bottom here too."

The Wen-named cultivator suddenly called out as well, his deployed puppet flying eagles having several reach the bottom of the Demon Abyss, relaying the images back.

In the end, of the nearly one hundred puppet flying eagles sent out, a third succeeded in reaching the bottom of the Demon Abyss. Through the images they relayed, Zhouyang and the others finally gained a rough understanding of the situation below.

The images revealed that the bottom of the Demon Abyss still maintained appearances from ancient times, with collapsed boulders and giant ice fragments, presenting a scene of desolation and ruin.

This was undeniably a good thing, indicating that the demon cultivators hadn't managed to establish a firm foothold, as it certainly wouldn't look so chaotic otherwise.

However, before Zhouyang and the others could feel relieved by this, they were drawn to a startling exclamation.

"Something isn't right, there is something below the Demon Abyss, it seems to be an altar, ah, what is that!"

The Nascent Soul cultivator who exclaimed suddenly gasped, as a jade mirror before him shattered into dust.

This sudden change caught everyone's attention, and Xu Tianlin immediately looked at that cultivator and shouted, "Fellow Daoist Pei, what did you see?"

"An altar, a magnificent and grand altar, and atop it crouched a gigantic demon beast. I couldn't tell if it was a statue or a real demon beast. The puppet flying eagle was instantly destroyed when it got within a thousand fathoms of the altar!"

The Pei-named cultivator came to his senses, speaking with wide eyes about what he had just seen.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tianlin decisively said, "Indeed, that altar must be the fallback plan of these demons. Fellow Daoist Wen, quickly deploy all the remaining puppets to the altar's location and ensure a thorough investigation of the altar!"