The waves churned, vast and turbulent.

The endless expanse of the sea held a small island, appearing like a single skiff adrift on the surging tide.

Upon the island, a towering mountain stood proud, piercing the clouds like a drawn sword.

Despite the relentless crash of the surf and the roaring, terrifying waves against the shore, it remained utterly unshaken, a veritable needle stabilizing the ocean.

This was the "Sword King..." realm, deep within the eastern seas of the Tianling Continent, tens of thousands of miles from the nearest coast.

Ten days later, in the early morning hours.

Facing the billions of magnificent rays of dawn breaking across the horizon, two tiny black specks advanced through the air, riding the wind.

Moments ticked by, and the two specks grew larger, resolving into the figures of a man and a woman, who in the blink of an eye, landed upon Sword King Island.

The man was none other than Nie Kong, and the woman was Mu Jinzhu, the one escorting him to the "Abyss of Fall..." "Grandmother, this is it..." Nie Kong surveyed the surroundings briefly, then turned to Mu Jinzhu beside him, smiling with delight.

After successfully condensing the "Second Incarnation...", the Wood Ancestor had directly imprinted the location of the "Abyss of Fall..." and the route there onto Nie Kong's soul.

Along the way, a simple cross-reference with his memory was all it took for Nie Kong to know exactly where they were. "Let's go down..." Mu Jinzhu grasped Nie Kong’s arm and leaped into the sea.

The instant they touched the ocean, Mu Jinzhu's "Jade Snow Emperor Flame" Heart Aspect and Nie Kong's "Purple Luo Mama Spirit Incense" Heart Aspect simultaneously surged from their brows, completely enveloping their bodies.

Then, one white and one purple, the two figures shot off like arrows loosed from a bow, speeding toward the ocean depths.

According to the Wood Ancestor, the "Abyss of Fall..." lay to the left of Sword King Island.

In this ocean, the number of Spirit Beasts was far greater than on land, and the temperaments of high-grade Spirit Beasts were fiercer.

However, within the boundaries of the "Abyss of Fall...", Spirit Beasts were completely absent.

As long as one possessed the capability to approach the entrance to the abyss, there was no need to worry about becoming beast fodder along the way.

Advancing forward, Nie Kong indeed failed to spot any trace of Spirit Beasts, but the pressure exerted upon his body grew increasingly immense, as if a mountain weighing ten thousand jun was strapped to his back, threatening to crush him entirely.

The suffocating feeling intensified with every passing moment.

Beyond the tremendous pressure, the cold Nie Kong felt grew ever more biting, causing his body to gradually stiffen.

It was reminiscent of the chill he felt upon returning to Lingyu City and accompanying Gu Changong to visit Meng Feiyang, who was frozen behind the inner city walls.

The cold there had become increasingly unbearable, forcing him to rely on Gu Changong's spiritual power shield to venture into the ice cave.

Yet, these two types of cold possessed a significant difference: the chill in the Lingyu City inner city ice cave acted directly upon the flesh, whereas the cold here, in addition to affecting the body, permeated deep into the soul.

Having experienced the conditions firsthand, Nie Kong finally understood why the Wood Ancestor, back in the Tree Heart Space, had stated he couldn't approach the entrance to the "Abyss of Fall...", even with the escort of a Tianling expert! The reality was precisely that: Mu Jinzhu could ward off the physical cold afflicting Nie Kong’s body, but she could not stop its invasion of his soul.

Without other means to protect his spirit, Nie Kong would be frozen solid in this deep-sea trench in a short time. "Hush! Hush..." The leaves of the "Purple Luo Illusory Spirit..." coating his body swayed constantly, attempting to dissolve the pressure and cold squeezing in from all directions.

But after diving for about fifteen minutes, Nie Kong could no longer resist and wisely stopped pushing his limits. "Whoosh..." With a clear sound of displacement, the "Infernal Prison Ghost..." emerged from Nie Kong’s chest, spreading along the stems and leaves of the "Purple Luo Illusory Spirit..." covering his body.

In an instant, his form seemed to be encased in a blood-red membrane.

While it mitigated the surrounding pressure, a scorching aura also radiated outwards, completely melting away the cold that was invading his soul. "Hoo..." A warm sensation spread from the depths of his soul.

Nie Kong let out a long breath, murmuring with feeling, "...The Infernal Prison Spring is truly miraculous.

Without it, before my cultivation reaches the Tianling realm, it would indeed be impossible for me to reach the entrance of the 'Abyss of Fall...'" Mu Jinzhu smiled faintly. "Don't belittle yourself.

You are only a Spirit Commander Third Grade; managing to swim this far purely on your own strength is already quite remarkable.

For any other Spirit Master, maintaining composure beyond a thousand meters would likely have been unsustainable." Nie Kong nodded slightly; Mu Jinzhu was not wrong.

His ability to hold out this long was largely due to his soul power far surpassing his current cultivation level.

Continuing their descent for a while longer, Mu Jinzhu suddenly spoke again, "Nie Kong, the Abyss of Fall has been isolated from the Tianling Continent for ten thousand years.

Judging by the spiritual sense of that 'Great Evolution Spirit Venerable,' the humans inside must be vastly different from us.

If you step inside and your identity as an outsider is exposed, danger will surely follow immediately.

Have you considered this point clearly?" "Grandmother, do you remember how the spiritual sense of that 'Great Evolution Spirit Venerable' vanished?" Nie Kong asked somewhat mysteriously. "You absorbed it..." Mu Jinzhu replied, momentarily stunned. "Exactly..." Nie Kong smiled.

Nie Kong had learned from Mu Lengxing and others about the absorption of the residual spiritual sense of the 'Great Evolution Spirit Venerable.' At that time, to Nie Kong, that spiritual sense was merely a mixture of vitality and death energy, perhaps capable of boosting his cultivation slightly.

But it was only ten-odd days ago, listening to the Wood Ancestor mention it in the Tree Heart Space, that he suddenly realized that fragment of the 'Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's' residual spiritual sense had become the key to his survival within the "Abyss of Fall..." in the future.

Otherwise, even with the "Infernal Prison Ghost..." and the condensation of his second incarnation, the Wood Ancestor likely would not have allowed him to venture to the "Abyss of Fall..." Indeed, Mu Jinzhu quickly understood. "I see! By absorbing the spiritual sense of the 'Great Evolution Spirit Venerable,' your body effectively carries the aura of the humans from the 'Abyss of Fall...'.

That faint aura has no effect on you on the Tianling Continent, but once you enter the 'Abyss of Fall...', it allows the inhabitants there to regard you as one of their own...

Wait?" As she spoke, Mu Jinzhu suddenly turned back to look, as if sensing something. "What is it..." Nie Kong was slightly surprised and turned to look as well.

The blood-red glow emanating from the "Infernal Prison Ghost..." covering his body only illuminated a range of about ten meters.

Beyond that boundary was utter blackness—nothing but endless seawater, not a single foreign object.

Mu Jinzhu chuckled. "Nothing.

Just a couple of little fish." "Little fish?" Nie Kong frowned.

In this "Abyss of Fall...", even Spirit Beasts couldn't survive.

Where could little fish come from? Could it be...? In a flash of thought, Nie Kong understood.

What she called "two little fish" likely referred to members of the Fish Spirit Clan! Within the illusory space of the "Infernal Prison Ghost...", Nie Kong had heard Hua Tang and others mention that a Water Spirit Master named Ting Lei, Second Grade Spirit Commander, was a member of the Fish Spirit Clan, whose real name was probably Yu Ting Lei, potentially the next Fish King of the clan.

Although the Fish Spirit Clan cultivated Heart Aspects, their mastery over water spirit energy manipulation was exceptional, so their appearance in the sea trench was not entirely unexpected.

Since Mu Jinzhu didn't seem concerned about the two Fish Spirit Clan members following them, Nie Kong paid them no mind and continued his descent...

In the darkness a thousand meters away, a faint gasping sound suddenly echoed, followed by the appearance of two pale blue bubbles.

Inside the bubbles, two small fish were clearly visible, swimming upright.

The bubbles expanded rapidly, and the two small fish grew larger.

Moments later, they had transformed into two lovely young women, completely unclothed, except for two strips of neon-like pale blue radiance wrapping around