"By the way, how are you planning to deal with Qiu Yimeng and Luo Xiaoman?" Yang Kai asked with a frown. "Luo Xiaoman doesn't really matter — Purple Rose Valley, while not insignificant, is still beneath you. But Qiu Yimeng is from the Qiu Family."
"I'm well aware of the stakes," Shan Qingluo said with a light laugh. "But I can't let them go just yet. I'm taking them to the battlefield tomorrow."
"The battlefield?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow.
"Mm. The great powers across the land have been besieging the Cangyun Evil Lands for quite some time now." Shan Qingluo gazed at Yang Kai with a smile.
"What are you taking them there for?"
"I have my own reasons. Want to come along?"
"Pass." Yang Kai stretched his body and chuckled. "Now that I'm finally free, I'm not going to tag along with you and let you pull my strings some more."
"So heartless — a cold, ungrateful man. And here I poured my whole heart into you." Shan Qingluo looked at him with reproachful eyes.
"Give me a break!"
Frowning, Yang Kai recalled something and asked, "Oh, let me ask you something. What kind of place is the Evil Spirit Abyss?"
Shan Qingluo looked at him in surprise. "Where did you hear about that?"
"The other day, when I was fighting with Le Yu, I heard people talking about it. They said the martial technique Le Yu used was comprehended from the Evil Spirit Abyss."
Shan Qingluo nodded slightly. She didn't press further about the grudge between Yang Kai and Le Yu — shrewd as she was, she could easily guess that Biluo had been pulling strings behind the scenes.
She simply said, "The Evil Spirit Abyss is a rather peculiar place. It's saturated with evil and sinister energy — quite a dangerous location. Le Yu's Violet Evil Body is actually a decent technique, but since he can't fully unleash it, its power is significantly diminished. Why? You thinking of checking it out?"
"Something like that," Yang Kai admitted without denying it. That day, when he was refining the purple spiritual evil energy, his Proud Bone Golden Body had subtly resonated, which left him quite curious about what secrets of evil and sinister energy the Evil Spirit Abyss might hold.
If possible, he might be able to glimpse the secret of the Proud Bone Golden Body there.
With the world in turmoil and conflict everywhere, Yang Kai felt his strength was far too low to make a difference. He'd be better off finding a place to train himself properly and grow stronger before making any moves.
"Going there..." Shan Qingluo furrowed her beautiful brows, a hint of worry showing, though it quickly smoothed away. "Fine. Your cultivation seems to involve dark arts too, so it might actually be worthwhile for you to take a look. But the Evil Spirit Abyss lies within the territory of the Nether Ghost King. It's nothing like Fragrant City — it's not safe at all. Enemies could be everywhere. How about this... I'll have Biluo take you there tomorrow. She knows the way, so you won't have to find it yourself."
"Great!"
The next day, just as dawn broke, Biluo showed up.
Ever since that passionate night, this bewitching young woman hadn't appeared before Yang Kai even once. Seeing him now, she couldn't help but blush slightly and quicken her breathing, though she shot him a fierce glare and pouted, "The Mistress wants me to take you to the Evil Spirit Abyss. You bastard — if you're looking to die, there are better ways than going to that place. Just say the word and I could've put you out of your misery. But no, I have to make a whole trip out of it. What a nuisance."
Yang Kai chuckled and nodded. "Much appreciated."
"Whatever, whatever. Do you have anything to pack? If not, let's head out now. It's not exactly close to Fragrant City — the round trip will take several days."
"Nothing. Let's go."
The two of them left the palace, and by chance ran into Shan Qingluo, Qiu Yimeng, and Luo Xiaoman outside. It looked like they'd been waiting for Yang Kai to come out.
The group exchanged glances. Qiu Yimeng and Luo Xiaoman wore miserable expressions, apparently hoping Yang Kai would put in a good word for them and ease their predicament.
Frowning, Yang Kai pretended not to notice.
Since Shan Qingluo had no intention of killing them, she obviously had other plans. There was no point in him saying anything more.
"I'll escort you both part of the way. We'll split up after half a day — that'll save you some energy," Shan Qingluo said with a light smile. With a casual wave of her slender hand, a gentle surge of energy enveloped them all, and she launched straight out of Fragrant City.
That effortless display alone made Yang Kai's brow twitch. Qiu Yimeng and Luo Xiaoman felt their hearts sink, realizing that escaping from the Enchantress Queen was nothing but a fool's dream.
The group moved at tremendous speed, covering hundreds of zhang in the blink of an eye.
As they flew through the air, Shan Qingluo spoke softly to Yang Kai, "The Evil Spirit Abyss is in the Nether Ghost King's territory. With my Evil King's Token, no one should trouble you. But when you and Biluo get there, don't go stirring things up. The people there aren't as easy to deal with as those in Fragrant City. Biluo will drop you off and then head back."
"Mm," Yang Kai nodded slightly.
"The Evil Spirit Abyss is crawling with evil spirits. Every year some people manage to gain benefits from it, but far more die within its depths. Don't venture too deep — the deeper you go, the stronger the evil spirits become. You won't be able to handle them!"
"What are evil spirits?" Yang Kai asked with a frown.
"Evil spirits... They're semi-corporeal beings formed from the condensation of evil and sinister energy. Very hard to deal with. They have no intelligence, but they're extremely aggressive. Anything alive, they'll attack."
"What else can you gain there besides comprehending martial techniques?" Yang Kai pressed. It was rare for Shan Qingluo to know so much about the Evil Spirit Abyss, so he naturally wanted to gather as much intelligence as possible.
"Besides martial techniques, there's also the boost to your strength. When evil spirits are destroyed, they leave behind what's called an evil spirit essence — a sphere of energy. If you can absorb and refine it, your power will increase. That's why people are always training inside the Evil Spirit Abyss at all hours, hoping to grow stronger. It's not just cultivators from the Cangyun Evil Lands who go in — people from the outside world disguise themselves and sneak in too. You'll find all kinds of people there."
"I see!" Yang Kai nodded to himself.
"However, some evil spirit essences contain special things hidden within — like all sorts of bizarre martial techniques. That's how Le Yu comprehended his Violet Evil Body, though those techniques tend to be rather sinister. Then there are essences that can enhance the power of your Divine Sense. Someone once found one in there, and their spiritual perception increased dramatically."