Ch. 713 - Scouring Heavens Above & Yellow Springs Below

They wanted someone else to go first, to see if there was danger, but also feared missing out on an opportunity.

The group exchanged glances. The green-robed man said, “Why don’t we all go down together? If danger arises, we can support each other. If there’s a fortune to be found, we rely on our own skills.”

“Fine,” the burly man nodded.

“I agree,” the others responded as well.

“Then let’s go take a look,” Xu Zimo said.

“Young master, you must protect this poor lady down there,” the seductive woman stepped in front of Xu Zimo, her red lips exhaling fragrant breath as she gazed at him seductively.

“Then stick close to me,” Xu Zimo replied.

“What if you eat me up down there, young master?” the woman giggled, her silk ribbons fluttering in the wind as she passed Xu Zimo, leaving a fragrant scent in her wake.

The group approached the naturally formed pit, where within the thick demonic energy, countless faces formed of that energy roared and howled.

Without saying much more, Xu Zimo was the first to jump in.

The others’ eyes flashed with subtle emotions but followed soon after.

As Xu Zimo descended in midair, he realized that the space at the bottom of the pit held a unique gravitational force.

He could not step on air; the pressure forced his body downward.

Resisting only made the gravitational force stronger.

The others looked somewhat panicked.

Once Xu Zimo was fully submerged in the demonic energy, it surged toward him ferociously.

But upon sensing the demonic aura within his body, the energy around him gradually calmed.

Xu Zimo felt perfectly at ease, as if he were a fish in water, his body and mind relaxed in the demonic energy.

But the others weren’t so lucky. They quickly erected protective barriers around themselves.

The demonic energy clashed continuously with their shields.

“What now?” the white-haired elder frowned.

“In here, my spiritforce is draining fast and can’t be replenished. We must move quickly.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Xu Zimo looked ahead. Amidst the thick demonic fog, a small bridge lay before them.

On either side of the bridge rolled rivers as black as ink, the surface bubbling constantly.

At the beginning of the bridge, a corpse rested against the stone marker.

As for what lay at the end of the bridge, the fog was too dense to see.

“This place isn’t simple,” the green-robed man whispered.

They approached the bridge marker and saw a massive stone stele standing upright.

It was covered in cracks, clearly ancient.

Etched in large, pitch-black characters on the stele was a phrase:

“Scouring the heavens above and the yellow springs below, Bone Demon atop Bone Mountain.”

“Isn’t that Elder Han?” one of them exclaimed in shock.

The corpse at the bridgehead wore tattered robes, its blood and flesh seemingly drained dry.

The gaunt face was still somewhat recognizable.

“It’s Elder Han,” the white-haired man confirmed with a deep breath. “He was as strong as us. I can’t believe he died silently down here. No wonder he never came back.”

“Can anyone interpret that line?” the burly man scratched his head.

“Bone Demon atop Bone Mountain…” the scholarly man squinted. “Could that be referring to the owner of this tomb?”

“Are we still going forward?” the seductive woman asked.

“We’re already here, what else can we do?” the green-robed man replied. “I tried just now, this pit’s gravitational field is too strong. We can’t climb back up with our strength.”

“So we’re all trapped here?” the burly man asked.

“That’s one way to look at it. Before we run out of spiritforce, we can only keep moving. This demonic energy is too fierce,” said the green-robed man.

With no other choice, the group began walking onto the bridge.

The corpse of Elder Han served as a grim reminder, putting everyone on high alert as they carefully watched their surroundings.

As they reached the middle of the bridge, a sudden boom echoed.

Waves exploded across the lake, and the dark depths of the water began to stir.

Ripples spread layer by layer, as if something terrifying was about to emerge.

“Pfff!” Before anyone could react, a scream rang out.

“Ah!”

Everyone turned to see a black tendril piercing the burly man’s chest.

In just a few breaths, the tendril sucked all the flesh and blood from his body.

His corpse looked identical to Elder Han’s.

That tendril also visibly thickened.

Then several more explosions rang out as dozens of black tendrils emerged from the lake.

“Run to the other side of the bridge!” the scholarly man shouted. His aura surged as he sprinted ahead.

Several tendrils targeted Xu Zimo.

His eyes surged with demonic power, and he glared sharply at the rippling center of the lake.

The creature below seemed to feel something and quickly pulled its tendrils back, allowing Xu Zimo to cross safely.

The tendrils lashed in the air like long whips, twisting together.

Aside from the tendrils, enormous demon fish occasionally leapt from the lake.

The scholarly man was caught off guard and had half his arm bitten off by one.

…

Fortunately, everyone present was battle-hardened and dodged swiftly.

Even when struck, no one dared to pause, they simply sprinted toward the far side of the bridge.

The bridge wasn’t very long, less than a hundred meters.

The scholarly man was first to reach the far side, followed closely by the green-robed man and the seductive woman.

Seeing their prey escape, the creatures in the lake grew enraged.

The white-haired elder was last.

Countless tendrils tangled around him, forming a dense web that blocked his way.

The elder’s expression turned grim, and his half-saint aura surged like a tidal wave.

“Misty Phantom Steps!” he shouted.

His blood flowed in reverse, his eyes turning blood-red.

His figure split into dozens of afterimages in midair and charged the net of tendrils.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions echoed all around.

One by one, the afterimages were destroyed by the web, but the blasts tore open a gap in the tendril net.

The elder burst through, drenched in blood.

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