The Abyssal Monstrosity roared out of the chasm, unleashing an infinite wave of terror. Inside the abyss, stretching millions of miles deep, demonic beasts erupted from earth fissures like a geyser, led by their overlords, surging across the Southern Demon Continent in every direction, desperately fleeing the perilous territory.
Hundreds of thousands of Nascent Soul cultivators frantically tried to escape on their swords, but a significant number were too slow, unable to match the speed of the panicked demonic horde. Under the tide of beasts, these cultivators were swallowed almost instantly.
The higher the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul experts, the further they had ventured underground searching for Spirit Paste, leaving them further behind in the retreat.
And the elite group—a few hundred of the most powerful Nascent Soul cultivators—were currently trapped within the depths of the Abyssal Monstrosity itself, their fate utterly unknown.
The Abyssal Monstrosity ascended from the fissure, showing no intention of returning; instead, it hovered and prowled the skies, seemingly searching for something.
On the peak of a distant colossal mountain, the assembled Soul Transformation cultivators all watched with faces draining of color.
"What shall we do?"
"This Rank Fifteen Abyssal Monstrosity yields several portions of Spirit Paste every decade. It is crucial for our Southern Demon cultivators to break through to the Soul Transformation stage; we absolutely cannot afford to lose it!"
"Kill it? Who among us can slay such a formidable Great Demonic Overlord? Simply surviving its wrath would be fortunate."
"My greatest fear is alarming the other Abyssal Demonic Overlords. If billions of miles of demonic beasts pour out, they will crash against the territories of the Southern Demon Continent—we'll be doomed! The situation is grave; we must unite and force this Great Demonic Overlord back into the Demonic Abyss!"
The middle-aged man in the dark green shirt shouted, summoning a massive wind-element greatsword. He strode forward, instantly covering ten thousand zhang, heading straight for the Abyssal Monstrosity.
"Brother Xu speaks wisely! Let us all move together!"
The other several dozen Soul Transformation cultivators exchanged glances, each piloting their great divine artifacts toward the flying beast in the distant sky.
The distance of several thousand li between the towering peaks was crossed in the blink of an eye for Soul Transformation experts.
"Blade of Spatial Rift!"
As the middle-aged man in the dark green shirt closed within ten li of the Monstrosity, he roared. His greatsword unleashed a wind blade that instantly tore open a spatial fissure several hundred zhang long, striking squarely against the behemoth’s massive body.
Boom!
This terrifying spatial rift carved through thick layers of stone, revealing the deep blue hide beneath, ripping open a bloody gash hundreds of zhang in length.
Had this spatial rift struck a slightly weaker Soul Transformation cultivator, it would likely have cleaved them in two, devouring the flesh and blood into chaotic space.
Yet, this devastating strike fell upon the colossal form of the Abyssal Monstrosity. For a Rank Fifteen beast nearly a thousand li long, a wound hundreds of zhang wide was likely no worse than a mere scratch.
This scene was witnessed by the assembled Soul Transformation cultivators arriving behind, causing their expressions to darken further.
The man in the dark green shirt was the strongest among them, having reached the late stage of Soul Transformation. His sword strike was far more potent than the full-power attack of most Soul Transformation cultivators, yet it failed to inflict substantial damage on the thickly skinned beast.
Dozens of Soul Transformation experts attacked in concert. Various magical blades, flying swords, and artifacts imbued with grand divine powers assaulted the Abyssal Monstrosity, warping the very fabric of heaven and earth.
The focused assault by dozens of late-stage Soul Transformation cultivators enraged the Abyssal Monstrosity. An attack from such a large contingent of powerful cultivators posed a genuine threat; while one wound wouldn't kill it, hundreds or thousands might prove fatal.
The Abyssal Monstrosity violently thrashed its body, its eyes continuously emitting shafts of golden light, sweeping across the surrounding Soul Transformation experts.
It was still searching for the source of that mysterious aura; before finding it, it was suddenly besieged by these cultivators, fueling its fury!
...
In the heartland of the Southern Demon Continent, the desolate wilderness stretched boundlessly, permeated by an ancient, desolate aura, concealing the bones of countless savage, primeval beasts.
This was the domain of the Ancient Savage Demonic Beasts, and only Soul Transformation cultivators of immense strength dared to hunt here.
One particular mountain range, named Mount Beiyue, spanned millions of miles, bisecting the wasteland.
Within these ranges, a golden Demonic Overlord charged violently. Crash! An ancient, Rank Fifteen Thornwood Tree, having stood for millennia, was obliterated beneath its hooves. It shook its massive head, discarding the splintered timber, and continued its relentless pursuit.
This Demonic Overlord resembled an ox, bearing four golden horns upon its head and enormous, gong-like eyes that resembled human organs, emitting blinding golden light. Anyone who dared meet its gaze would have their spirit instantly ensnared, leaving them dazed and lost.
This was its innate demonic art, under which countless demonic beasts and overlords had perished.
It was intensely frustrated, fiercely chasing a young cultivator ahead. If only the youth would stop looking away, the pursuit would not have been so arduous.
That cultivator, clad in a simple white robe, gripped an ancient sword utterly devoid of aura, inscribed with the characters "Er Yu." His attire appeared humble, perhaps less striking than that of an ordinary practitioner. Yet, he flew swiftly, always maintaining a slight lead over the ox-like Demonic Overlord behind him.
His expression was utterly serene, a still pool undisturbed.
Even while being maniacally pursued by a Demonic Overlord, not a flicker of emotion crossed his face.
He kept his eyes closed, holding his sword, moving backward against the wind while facing the Overlord directly. Perhaps he was deep in contemplation, or perhaps he was close to falling asleep amidst this tedious chase.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, he sensed something, and finally opened his closed eyes. Within them lay a profound indifference that defied easy description. His gaze pierced through the Demonic Overlord, settling on some distant, empty point—or perhaps, a point of utter transcendence.
The young cultivator instantly halted his movement.
The Demonic Overlord was overjoyed; the man had finally succumbed to its demonic art and stopped.
But then, the ancient sword in the youth's hand moved silently, meeting the savage ox head-on in a single sweep.
Bang!
The golden savage ox slammed into the ancient sword.
Yet, the sword did not recoil; rather, the beast did. The ox immediately felt terror, sensing a vast, terrifying shockwave that shattered its golden horns, cleaved its skull, and tore its entire body apart.
"Rumble!" The corpse crashed onto the mountain slopes, destined to become dry bones many years hence.
The young cultivator casually waved a hand, extracting a fist-sized Rank Fifteen Core Crystal from the remains. He gave the corpse no second glance, standing still with detached indifference, his gaze fixed toward the central region of the Southern Demon Continent—the location of the vast Demonic Abyss.
It was a moment ago that a certain aura had startled him.
"What kind of spirit treasure has appeared to provoke the Abyssal Monstrosity!?"
The young cultivator stood motionless for a long moment, sword in hand, his eyes distant. He vanished from the spot in an instant, covering ten thousand li in a single stride, heading toward the Demonic Abyss at an incomprehensible speed.
...
Inside the Abyssal Monstrosity.
"Damn it all!"
"We can't get out!"
During the violent tremors just now, the pathways leading from the Spirit Paste nest to the outside world had sealed shut, blocked by walls of what was essentially the Monstrosity's own flesh and blood.
This flesh was formidable; as the Abyssal Monstrosity battled the Soul Transformation cultivators, the interconnected passages sealed shut as a defense mechanism against invaders entering its interior.
The flesh of a Rank Fifteen creature was harder than the low-grade minor divine artifacts wielded by the Soul Transformation cultivators; these Nascent Soul experts couldn't even scratch it, let alone cut their way out.
Numerous top-tier Nascent Soul cultivators remained alive within the Monstrosity’s belly. After fighting amongst themselves for the Spirit Paste, suffering massive casualties, the remaining strongest cultivators had triumphantly seized portions of the paste only to find their escape routes vanished.
The Nascent Soul experts were thrown into panic; they were trapped.
That might have been manageable; perhaps after a year or two, when the Monstrosity slept and the pathways reopened, they could leave.
However, something far more terrifying had occurred.
A Blood-Devouring Ancient Vine, originally a Rank Ten Nascent Soul level entity, had managed to break through to Rank Thirteen, becoming a Soul Transformation level Vine, after consuming the flesh and spirits of over a dozen mid-to-late stage Nascent Soul cultivators.
Moreover, it continued to grow wildly, feasting on the corpses scattered on the ground. Its already blood-red body was beginning to turn purple as it incessantly grew stronger.
Having reached the Soul Transformation tier, the Vine now began piercing the inner flesh of the Abyssal Monstrosity, desperately consuming its massive reserves. This was incredibly rich nourishment; swallowing even a small piece provided several times the benefit of consuming a Nascent Soul cultivator!
Fortunately, the Monstrosity's flesh was extremely tough, making penetration difficult for the Vine, thus limiting the amount it could consume. Otherwise, its growth rate would be unbelievably rapid.
A Soul Transformation level Ancient Vine was on an entirely different tier from a Nascent Soul cultivator—how could they contend?
At least within the confines of the Abyssal Monstrosity, no one present could match this Rank Thirteen Blood-Devouring Ancient Vine. Even a group of Nascent Soul cultivators combined stood no chance. Sustained by the Monstrosity's flesh, it was essentially unkillable.
Ye Qin had not anticipated that the Blood-Devouring Ancient Vine could actually achieve the Soul Transformation breakthrough. Such an unbelievable event was unfolding right before his eyes.
The Vine had secured the center of the nest battlefield, threatening all the surviving Nascent Soul cultivators nearby.
They had ceased fighting each other.
The Nascent Soul cultivators inside the cavern were gripped by utter despair, having nowhere left to flee. They began hurling curses at Ye Qin, blaming him for releasing the terrifying Vine, leaving them only awaiting death.
Ye Qin paid no mind to the abuse. If these cultivators hadn't ganged up on him initially to seize the Spirit Paste, why would he have unleashed the Vine as a counterattack? Furthermore, he hadn't foreseen this current situation either.
"Husband, what do we do?" Huangfu Bing'er asked, alarmed.
"Now that it has broken through to the Soul Transformation stage, I can no longer command it. We can only try to stay as far away from this Vine as possible! Let’s go deeper inside, and before it consumes the entire Abyssal Monstrosity, we must find a way to escape!"
Ye Qin shook his head calmly.
Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er retreated toward the deeper recesses of the passageway.
The Abyssal Monstrosity’s body was vast, spanning hundreds or perhaps thousands of li. Though the route outside was blocked, the interior remained connected.
While the Blood-Devouring Ancient Vine was growing, it was rooted in one spot, so its speed of expansion, though terrifying, was not instantaneous.