Chapter 29: It’s All Just a Chaotic Mess!

Below the Tidal Abyss.

Releasing the rope and glancing up at the faintly illuminated exit above, the black-haired girl made a quick mental calculation and arrived at her conclusion.

“Hmm, we’re over thirty meters below the surface of the basin. Although there are quite a few protrusions on the rock wall, it’s too damp and slippery. An ordinary person probably wouldn’t be able to climb back up.”

Taking advantage of the low tide, Vilyric’s exploration team of nine had all arrived at the internal space below the Tidal Abyss, ready to start their investigations.

By the way, they had used a rope provided by the authorities, tied to the giant rocks outside, to slide down bit by bit. Apparently, this was a common method among most who actively entered the Tidal Abyss, including Murong Yun.

If they wanted to return, they could use the rope hanging down to climb up, and it would be even easier with some help from outside.

After all, while there are practitioners in this world, the vast majority of people in the Jianghu haven’t reached the level of flying through the air. It’s said that at the very least, one must achieve the lower realm of 【Xunxian】 and obtain flying tools like flying swords from higher-ranked predecessors to have any ability to fly.

According to Ling Feng, to actually soar through the void and roam the heavens with one’s physical body requires surpassing 【Tongshou】 and reaching the higher realm of 【Youxia】, which is nearly unattainable for most practitioners.

Naturally, flying isn’t much of a challenge for Vilyric. Ling Feng had previously demonstrated her ability to soar using a treasure, but there was no need to show off at such a time, so they all obediently slid down the rope.

It was quite a novel experience.

Pulling on the sturdy rope hanging by the wall, Murong Yun skillfully affixed a talisman to it and distributed similar white talismans to each member of the team.

Vilyric received hers and examined it in her hand.

She hadn’t seen this kind of spirit talisman before, but judging by the aura it emitted, it should be some higher alternative to an exorcism talisman; at least, the principle should be the same.

“Please keep this talisman on you. Let me emphasize once more, the Tidal Abyss is filled with evil and sinister beings, particularly fond of attacking the living who are full of yang energy. You must never let go of the exorcism talisman, or the consequences would be dire.”

“Thank you for the warning, Mr. Murong.”

“Tsk… Can such a talisman even do anything?”

The reactions of the others to the nominal team leader’s warning varied widely.

Vilyric and her companions nodded sincerely to indicate they understood, while the leading figure in the green attire from the same sect appeared somewhat disdainful, perhaps relying on some sort of confidence.

However, the two young lovers whose backgrounds were currently unknown, especially the girl, seemed curious about their surroundings as if they had never seen such a world before, completely ignoring Murong Yun’s words. Instead, another slightly simple-looking young man with a long stick took the talisman and handed it to her.

Observing everyone’s reactions, Murong Yun chose not to say much more and nodded again before turning to lead the way ahead.

The rest naturally followed.

The ground and walls within the Tidal Abyss were exceptionally damp, giving a chilling sensation as if soaking into one’s heart. The air was filled with an unsettling sinister energy, making one feel a faint chill run down their spine just by walking through.

This was inevitable, as the underground river had just receded with the low tide. The place where they stood had recently been submerged in water.

And the underground river was known to be a gathering place for dark energy, often referred to in the Ancient Spirit Realm as 【Underground Rivers Connect Three Paths】. According to past scholars’ research, the abundant evil within the Tidal Abyss is mainly related to the water here.

However, the usual underground river’s dark energy would not be this intense. Thus, the deeper reasons behind the sinister atmosphere in the Tidal Abyss remain unclear to this day.

Comparing his hand-drawn map, Murong Yun carefully advanced at the front, occasionally glancing back to count heads and ask if anyone felt unwell. His overly professional demeanor had even made Vilyric, who had come to watch the show, feel a bit bored.

Although they had been in this underground abyss for over an hour, thanks to Murong Yun’s careful navigation, they had yet to encounter any peculiar events or noteworthy enemies.

Of course, to be precise, there were numerous demons lurking nearby, but they were so weak that they weren’t even as strong as the dog demon encountered by Vilyric upon her arrival at Zeng Family Village, let alone the later 融焰鬼王.

Yet this was the usual state of most demons in the Ancient Spirit Realm, lingering aimlessly like wandering characters, lacking any organized system. Forget about the special products provided by Murong Yun; even the most ordinary exorcism talisman would suffice to drive them away.

As a result, one of the cultivators in green clothing started to look increasingly scornful.

“Is the legendary Tidal Abyss only of this caliber? Hmph, I find it utterly lacking compared to training sessions where we fend off regular demons in the deep mountains and forests.”

“What a frightening rumor, that it turned into one of the so-called ten most dangerous places.”

Murong Yun paused his steps and turned to look at one of the trio in green who had spoken. Though he frowned slightly, he still explained it earnestly.

“This is only just the beginning. The depths of the abyss are intricate and complex, with caves everywhere. We’ve managed to avoid the stronger demons because we have a map to guide us.”

“Even so, we cannot afford to be careless. Many demons change their shapes and abilities unpredictably and move around. We must remain vigilant of the surroundings at all times.”

The previously speaking green-clad cultivator immediately expressed his dissatisfaction.

“What a joke! Our 【Guanyuan Pavilion】 excels in subduing demons, and our spirit disk can detect movements within a radius of hundreds of meters. If there were any strong demons nearby, how could we possibly be unaware?”

With that, he took out a copper compass from his sleeve and displayed it to the crowd. Just as he said, the spoon-shaped pointer on the compass remained stationary at the center, showing no signs of movement.

“Do you see? You can just travel without worry.”

Watching the other closely, the black-haired girl understood.

Though she didn’t quite grasp the structure of this specialty item from the Ancient Spirit Realm, after spending time here, Vilyric had seen enough to connect some dots. Based on what the guy had said, she could somewhat guess the principle behind it.

It was merely a tool that detected dark and demon-like energies within a certain range and indicated their location when a certain threshold was exceeded. Though it wasn’t particularly sophisticated, it was sufficient for preventive measures.

Indeed, anyone brave enough to come down here had some abilities and must possess experience against demons and monsters.

However…

“Don’t blow your own horn too much, or you might get a slap in the face.”

Someone priestess mumbled, almost to herself.

It’s a simple truth; just because his tool didn’t detect anything, doesn’t mean there’s truly nothing there. Besides demons being extremely weak, far below its detection threshold, there could also be another… deadlier possibility.

Surely, this expert from Guanyuan Pavilion hadn’t considered that layer of danger.

“What do you mean?!”

“Uh, I think Vilyric-senpai is just kindly reminding you that some demons are good at…”

The leader of the three in green was still arguing with Murong Yun, who was trying to help explain things. Meanwhile, Vilyric had lost interest in engaging with these narrow-minded little fish and instead turned to the dimness at the end of the valley passage, her silver-blue eyes flickering with an inner glow.

Facts always outweigh grandiose claims.

She exchanged a knowing glance with her companion Ling Feng.

“What do you say, should we step in and deal with those things?”

“…No, let’s see how they handle it first.”

“Fair enough ~”

   

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