Chapter 008: The Bottomless Abyss

The ring was precisely the "Ice and Fire Double Ring" of Luo Mingyu, one of his competitors for the position of city lord back in the day. The strange notches on it were exactly where his toes had made contact. The Bone Saint and his companion hurriedly began searching the area and soon found Luo Mingyu's corpse, beneath which was the head of another person, their body twisted. It appeared that during the fall, their body had gone out of control.

He walked among the corpses without needing to be cautious, for no matter what, he would inevitably step on them—there were corpses everywhere, leaving no bare ground visible. He looked at the people on the ground and could instantly discern the level of their magical artifacts; judging by their artifacts, these individuals were not of low cultivation. Although they could not compare to him, they were likely not far behind.

This is a strange place, within a valley that seems endless, where the ground is strewn with corpses. It is unclear when these bodies met their demise, as they show no signs of decay. Their weapons and magical artifacts are scattered around, all covered in a layer of grayish-black dust. Gu Sheng's hand is resting on the chest of one corpse, which feels as hard as granite.

Gu Sheng could no longer pay attention to the pain in his body. He stood up and looked closely, discovering that these corpses were all from the demonic path. Gu Sheng was greatly puzzled: if it were a battle between good and evil that resulted in so many deaths, it could be possible, but where are the bodies of the righteous? He had lived for so long, and Bone Saint had indeed never heard of any major conflict among the demonic path.

The Bone Saint propped up Luo Mingyu's corpse, sat down on the ground with a thud, and self-deprecatingly said to the body: "Brother Mingyu, I never expected that we would meet again one day, haha..." He let out a low laugh, the sound was mournful, yet it was unclear whether he was laughing or crying.

Upon entering the cave, I discovered that it was not as dark as it appeared from the outside. The cave was filled with demonic energy, and the Bone Saint, having cultivated for many years, felt a long-lost sense of home here. The stones throughout the cave emitted a faint gray light; although it was still quite dark, everything inside could be seen clearly.

Where is this? Gu Sheng looked around in confusion. When he lowered his head, he realized that he was not lying on the ground, but rather on someone else's body—more precisely, on someone else's corpse

He walked along the valley and finally found a righteous path—there was a person whose body was adorned with a treasure, clearly indicating that he was a member of the righteous sect. Gu Sheng was very eager to observe this righteous person's corpse up close, wanting to see what had actually happened here. However, he was unable to do so, as the man's body was gripping a sword that was embedded in the cliff, hanging several dozen zhang high. With Gu Sheng's current strength, it was utterly impossible for him to climb this slippery cliff.

The sky gradually darkened, and Gu Sheng silently lamented in his heart, realizing that he would have to spend a night in this unknown valley. It was not that he was afraid, but rather concerned that the people from his sect would be unable to find him, especially Zhu Wu and the brothers Tushu Zhao and Weiming, who would surely be anxious. However, he was unaware that at this moment, the entire Wuwei Sword Sect was in an uproar over a comical incident, and no one noticed that Gu Sheng was missing

With faltering steps, Gu Sheng finally found a cave before the sky turned completely dark. Upon reaching the entrance of the cave, Gu Sheng furrowed his brow, as a familiar force faintly emanated from within: demonic energy! As the sky grew darker, Gu Sheng hesitated at the cave entrance, contemplating whether to enter. Given his current condition, it was uncertain what would happen if he were to encounter someone from the demonic path.

He groped around for a long time at the end, finding nothing. Just as he was feeling somewhat disappointed, a sudden powerful force swept in. Gu Sheng was caught off guard, and with a startled cry, he was pulled away by that immense power. The force created a vortex within the cave, and at the moment Gu Sheng was drawn in, the vortex rapidly shrank and disappeared.

Having finished discussing his own matters, Bone Saint felt much more at ease. He stood up, trying to find a piece of open ground: "Old Luo, as friends, we must ensure you rest in peace. Forget it, I will bury you myself." He searched high and low, but there was not a single spot that was not occupied by corpses. Bone Saint pushed aside several bodies, cleared a patch of ground, and then casually found a long sword nearby, not knowing whose magical weapon it was, but it would suffice for his purpose.

That dark cloud evoked a sense of familiarity in Bone Saint, perhaps due to the powerful and terrifying demonic aura emanating from it. Bone Saint sighed inwardly: how wonderful it would have been if he had discovered this place before entering Yunhua Cave. With such dense dark clouds providing protection, even if multiple heavenly tribulations were to descend, he could likely pass through them unscathed. Unfortunately, everything is of no use now. With such dense dark clouds providing protection, even if multiple heavenly tribulations were to descend, he could likely pass through them unscathed. Unfortunately, everything is of no use now.

This mass of dark clouds severed all connections between the entire valley and the outside world, resulting in an utter silence that had persisted for countless years. The footsteps of the Bone Saint, treading upon the corpses, could not produce even the slightest sound, and the surrounding stillness was terrifying

The once-great master of sharpening blades now finds himself in such a dire state. The Bone Saint shakes his head in lamentation. Not long ago, he was contemplating how to face the tribulation, yet now he must worry about whether he can truly become a disciple of cultivation, a stark contrast in circumstances.

Gu Sheng continued to walk forward when suddenly two objects caught his eye. One was a ring, which had an oddly shaped notch. Gu Sheng approached and soon discovered another ring not far away, also featuring a strange notch. A great shock surged through Bone Saint's heart—he had already realized where he was!

As the sky grew darker, the demonic energy within the cave intensified. At that moment, a commotion arose behind Gu Sheng. When he turned around, he saw that countless green lanterns behind him had suddenly extinguished. Gu Sheng understood that this cave appeared to be a treasure trove for unconventional cultivators, releasing demonic energy every night. These unconventional cultivators would return each night to absorb the demonic energy, but today, his arrival had disrupted everything here.

Gu Sheng wanted to see what was peculiar about this cave and why it emitted a magical aura every night. The magical aura was not strong and had not even spread beyond the valley; otherwise, the Wuwei Sword Sect would have known about it. Gu Sheng walked into the cave, thinking it would be deep, but to his surprise, after turning a corner, he found the end. This was greatly beyond his expectations. Gu Sheng continued to the bottom of the cave, wanting to see if there were any mechanisms here.

He dug a large pit, placed Luomingyu inside, and then pushed the soil back to cover him. Once everything was done, he spoke to the mound of earth: "Old Luo, you came in a hurry and left in a hurry. We are merely passing through this world. You have no tombstone; you came without a name and should leave without burdens. Farewell. If I can get out, I will definitely come to see you. If I cannot get out, then I will keep you company here!"

Gu Sheng found it strange: this place could be considered adjacent to the Wuwei Sword Sect, yet there exists such a peculiar cave. He then thought to himself, his own Leigu City could also be deemed 'adjacent' to the Wuwei Sword Sect, and has it not existed for over a thousand years?

Gu Sheng was in excruciating pain, and with a cry of anguish, he fell from mid-air, landing heavily on the ground. Poor Gu Sheng had experienced such treatment twice within half a day, and his already unhealed injuries were further aggravated. He lay on the ground, eyes closed, for a full incense stick's time, unable to recover. After a long while, he finally uttered a sound: "Ao—" He reached out to support himself on the ground, attempting to get up, but as soon as he opened his eyes, he was instantly stunned.

With such a judgment, Gu Sheng also understood that there would definitely be no practitioners of the demonic path in this cave. He walked in with confidence—after all, this demonic energy would not pose any threat to him.

After Bone Saint finished this eulogy, he raised his hand and tossed away the treasured sword, then turned and strode deeper into the canyon. He wanted to see if there was any possibility for him to escape.

Gu Sheng raised his head to look at the sky, where a layer of unpredictable black clouds floated above. The thickness of the black clouds was unknown, blocking the entire sky of the valley, and those clouds seemed to emit a kind of grayish-black light, casting the entire valley in shades of gray and black

Although he was a rival of Luo Mingyu, and one could even say that he personally killed Luo Mingyu, neither of them ever regarded the other as an enemy. Both were honorable individuals who understood that a confrontation on the battlefield was an inevitable outcome, and neither harbored any resentment as a result. At this moment, after experiencing numerous unimaginable events, Bone Saint found himself beneath this bottomless abyss, where he encountered the corpse of Luo Mingyu, and he felt an inexplicable sense of reunion with an old friend. He spoke with a hint of nostalgia, recounting his experiences over this period to Luo Mingyu, who listened quietly. For the first time in a long while, Bone Saint finally had someone to confide in. This outpouring of feelings was like a torrential flood, as he poured out the bitterness he had carried in his heart over the past two years, and he felt an immediate sense of relief and exhilaration.

He is now in the bottomless abyss beneath the city of Leigugu