Chapter 38: The Abyss
The next day, it was drizzling.
Before dawn, Zuo Lingquan got up from Wanwan's bed, took her belongings, and walked out of the house with Tang Jingyun, heading towards Luohun Abyss.
Luohun Abyss is very large, and it is no less than the barren mountain range at the southernmost end of Yuyaozhou. It runs across the east and west, and it lasts tens of thousands of miles. From the sky, it looks like a twisted scar lying on the earth. It is filled with miasma, with ancient trees and vines growing, and many cracks extending underground.
No one knows where these cracks lead, and how deep they are, no monk has yet to find out how deep they are. He only knows that a monk once lost his way in a maze-like cave underground. He went in near Linyuan Harbor and stayed in the ground for several years. When he walked out, he had already run to the depths of the barren mountain.
Although the experience was rather miserable, when the man came out, he was covered with treasures of heaven and earth, and his cultivation also improved by leaps and bounds. He went from a down-and-out scattered cultivator to a "Duobao Immortal Master". His experience has still made the cultivators who are mingling in the nine sects in the south enjoy relish.
However, the rumors that the great opportunity has soared into the sky are just rumors after all, and such a favorite with the will of heaven may not appear in hundreds of years. The reason why the Soul Abyss is called the Soul Abyss rather than the Soul Abyss is that most monks who rashly go to the ground, have gone back to the soul.
The Rift Valley near Linyuan Port is just a small section of the entire Soul Abyss. Because it is close to the Iron Mansion, there are many monks coming and going, and predecessors have already explored by. It is a relatively safe area. Cultivators in the low-level realm like to hang out here, but to enter it, they still need the guidance of veteran guides.
At noon, a manned white crane landed on the stone cliff at the edge of the Great Rift Valley. Three figures jumped down from the white crane, followed the stone stairs dug out by their predecessors, and slowly walked towards the depths of the rift valley filled with miasma.
The middle-aged man walking in front was Lao Qian, the guide Zuo Lingquan found from the market yesterday. He was a casual cultivator with a tenth level of Qi refining. He had been staying in Linyuan Port for more than ten years and was very familiar with the nearby areas. He was introducing carefully:
"... From here, it's Sancha Forest. There were many colorful snakes and singing spring birds in the past. Unfortunately, they were caught and extinct. Not to mention spiritual herbs, the roots were dug out..."
Zuo Lingquan wore a hat and a straw raincoat, and an ordinary iron sword hung around his waist. Mo Yuan sword was wrapped in black cloth and carried on his back. In addition, a shield was hung on his back.
Tang Jingyan was also wearing a straw raincoat, and the skirt inside was replaced by loose military uniforms commonly found in the world, holding a compass in his hand; the dumpling was shrouded in front of Tang Jingyan's neck, looking at the canyon below curiously.
The Soul Lost Abyss is very long, and there are no ends on the left and right. There is a twisted canopy at the bottom. There is a slight fog below, and you can see some tree canopy and firelight. The surrounding area is not empty. On the nearby stone cliff, you can see several teams of casual cultivators going down or returning.
The roads on the mountain walls were all taken by our predecessors, and they were not steep and rugged. Tang Jingwen was not a pampered daughter. It was not difficult to walk on the stone wall. However, it was inevitable that she would be a little nervous when she followed Zuo Lingquan into the old forest to search for treasures in the mountains for the first time. She asked:
"Is there a ferocious beast below?"
Lao Qian was holding a hiking stick, walking in front of him with a familiar path, and laughed at the sound:
"What kind of ferocious beast is called 'opportunity'; the more powerful the beast is, the more valuable the bones and flesh on the body are. For example, Mo Biao, a complete tiger skin, twenty white jade zhu, tiger bones can refine body-tempering pills, and the price is calculated on both sides. The most expensive one is the tiger whip, which uses the fairy brew from Taohuatan to make wine. Eighty-year-old mortals can become a twenty-year-old strong man. As long as they can get it, the price they can pay, the price they can pay..."
Tang Jingyan was quite a fan of money. After calculating the conversion ratio of Bai Yuzhu and silver, he spoke:
"If you count this way, wouldn't a Mo Biao be worth more than 10,000 taels of silver? Where can I meet it?"
"If I knew where I could meet you, would I still lead you the way? I would go there myself. Digging medicine and treasure hunting in the mountains is all about my own blessings. If you are lucky, you will naturally encounter it. If you are not lucky, you will be safe all the way. What will happen when you come and what will happen when you go back..."
Zuo Lingquan heard this very interesting, and he didn't interrupt him. He just walked behind Tang Jingyun and paid attention to the surrounding environment.
The rugged forests under the rift valley are not flat ground. There are cracks of rocks with long-lasting years on the ground. Rain water pours into it, as if it will never be filled, and it will never seep into the depths of the ground.
As the height dropped, the three of them entered the miasma. The mist made of water mist, and Lao Qian covered his face with a black cloth, which was a magic weapon to filter the toxins in the air. Zuo Lingquan and Tang Jingyan could hold their breath for a long time, but they could not hold it in a snoring force, and they also covered their mouths and noses with black cloth.
The fog in the canyon was very rich, and it was drizzling in the sky. Only the scenery around was more than ten feet long, and most of it was blocked by dense forests. The atmosphere was suppressed and there was a bit of horror.
Zuo Lingquan walked a bit and found that there were quite a lot of people in the canyon. Not far away, he could see several temporary tents. Little monks gathered in groups of three or three. Some made fires and cooked, while others sat cross-legged to refine their energy. Some would look at them when someone passed by.
Tang Jing was actually quite brave, so she came to Zuo Lingquan and was close to him.
The three of them walked forward and gradually came to a wide crack. The crack was more than ten feet wide and was not bottom-out below, which also cut off the way forward. The monks who also came to hunt for treasures all went to the left and right sides and along the canyon to the distance.
Lao Qian stopped in front of the wide crack and said:
"Sancha Forest means Sanchakou; if you want to dig for treasures in heaven and earth, you can walk east and west along the Luohun Abyss, or you can enter the underground from here to see where you want to go."
Zuo Lingquan walked to the edge of the crack, looked down and asked:
"Qian is always a guide, where do you think it is better to go?"
Lao Qian was holding a hiking stick and thought about it for a while:
"There are too many people walking together in the dense forests on both sides of the left and right, and you usually can't find good things. You are all in the cultivation level of the half-step spirit valley, so it shouldn't be a big problem to go underground. I have been in many times before, and I walked four or five miles deep, and I know the way back, but no matter how far I am, I won't leave, and it's easy to be unable to come back."
"What's underneath?"
"Five-colored earth, black water jade, etc. are all materials for refining weapons, which are of great value. If you go deeper, it is said that you can even find the essence of the Five Elements, but the ancestor Youhuang may not be able to reach that place, so we should not think about it."
Zuo Lingquan's Mo Yuan Sword has black water jade in its material. He knew the value of these materials and spoke softly:
"Then go down there."
Lao Qian's eyes moved slightly, and he chuckled slightly, without saying anything more, climbing deep into the bottomless rift along the slight groove on the cracked stone wall.
Tang Jingyan had a high cultivation level, but he had never experienced these jobs of climbing up and down before. Zuo Lingquan was afraid that she would accidentally fall into the rift, so he hugged her waist and fell from the stone wall with one hand.
Tang Jingyan's face turned red and she wanted to refuse, but looking at the dark abyss below, she still didn't dare to care about the defense between men and women. She let Zuo Lingquan hug her soft waist and hooked Zuo Lingquan's shoulder with her hand.
The canyon was full of fog, and the light was already dim. After entering the cracks below the ground, it became darker. When it touched the rock wall where it was settled, the sound of rain and wind disappeared. Only a few beasts cries came from below the abyss, and the environment was a bit gloomy.
Lao Qian took out a light stick to illuminate the surrounding environment. The raised rock walls were covered with rocks, and there were also many corpses of birds and beasts. There was a crack in the cave in front of him, and I don’t know where it led.
Lao Qian walked in front, entered the cave through the gap in the stone cliff, and walked along the nine-curved cave to the depths of the ground. There were many forks along the way, and occasionally he could encounter a wide underground space. The stone walls were carved with various traces. I think it was used by monks to record the route.
Zuo Lingquan took Tang Jingyan and walked about two miles down the cave. He also found a few glowing mushrooms, but he didn't encounter any valuable objects. It was not until he came to the vicinity of an underground river that Lao Qian's eyes lit up and pointed to a black stone next to the river:
"Oh~ I'm really lucky. It seems to be cold iron ore. It's supposed to be washed out by the underworld. You've made a profit this time."
Tang Jingyan followed Zuo Lingquan without hesitation, holding the treasure-sighting compass in his hand to explore the surroundings. At this time, the pointer on the compass also pointed to the black stone by the underground river.
Zuo Lingquan came over to make gold. He was naturally happy to see the good things. He quickly walked towards the underground river more than ten feet away, preparing to pick up the stones.
But Zuo Lingquan had just taken two steps and his ears moved slightly, and he heard extremely subtle footsteps coming from behind.
Step... Step...
The footsteps were Lao Qian, who was slowly retreating, and the direction was the underground cracks they had just entered.?!
Zuo Lingquan thought something was wrong, and the expression of joy on his face had not changed. The iron sword on his waist had been unsheathed. A black sword energy slashed at Lao Qian with a thunderous momentum. At the same time, he turned around and hugged Tang Jingqing and ran towards the way he came.
Lao Qian retreated without moving his hands. Before he could see clearly what was going on, his head soared into the sky.
Before his consciousness had dissipated, his head was spinning around in the air. When his vision was facing the dark river again, Zuo Lingquan had already run past the headless corpse. In the dark river beside the iron ore, four figures rushed out, shouting loudly and heard:
"What a clever boy!"
"Chasing..."
…—
Chapter completed!