The second level was naturally far more perilous than the first, but in the eyes of
After consulting their maps and confirming their location, they headed due west.
They traveled for three full days and nights. Along the way, Han Li's group not only slew several mid-rank demon beasts but also encountered several Enforcement Squads of cultivators.
The weakest among these cultivators possessed Deity Transformation-stage cultivation, and the squad leaders were existences at the Saint-Phase realm.
Given
Yet witnessing this, Jin Yue's expression could not help but darken somewhat.
To hunt a single person, such a massive force had been deployed. There was something peculiar about it.
Could it be that the robbery of the mine vein concealed something more?
Having governed the Sky Peng Clan for so many years, Jin Yue was naturally extraordinary in her cunning. Though suspicion was gradually taking root in her mind, she betrayed no hint of it before the enforcement squads.
And so the three of them found the entrance to the third level with remarkable ease—a concealed underground river.
Following the current, drifting through the darkness for several hours, Han Li and the others arrived at the third level of the Abyss!
…
Three days later, while flying over a desolate plain strewn with rubble, Han Li and the others suddenly felt a strange disturbance in the ambient spiritual energy in the distance. A moment later, a flash of silver light appeared at the far edge of the sky.
A thunderous roar shook the heavens, and the entire earth trembled violently.
Han Li and Jin Yue's faces changed dramatically, and they exchanged a glance.
"Fellow Daoist
"With such a commotion, if there are other Enforcement Squads nearby and we don't go, it would make us look overly guilty. That could be problematic," Jin Yue said, her gaze flickering.
"In that case, let's go investigate." Though Han Li had no desire to get involved, he knew her concern was not unfounded, so he nodded in agreement.
Lei Lan offered no objections either.
The three of them altered course and shot toward the spot where the silver-white lightning had flickered.
After flying over ten thousand li in a single stretch, they finally halted their escape lights atop a high ridge.
The three gazed down at the scene of devastation below, each wearing an unusual expression.
Among a jumble of rocks below, a massive crater several dozen zhang in diameter had been blasted into the ground.
The area around the crater was scorched black, and a faint acrid smell of burning wafted from it, as though lightning had carved it into existence.
Suddenly Han Li raised his hand and made a grasping gesture toward a spot near the crater's edge.
With a sharp whistling sound, an object flew out from beneath the rubble, flashed once, and materialized in Han Li's palm.
It was a blue short blade, nearly half of it shattered. Though cracks covered its surface and a cold light still glinted from it, one could tell at a glance it had once been a powerful magical treasure.
"It seems everyone else was obliterated by that bolt of heavenly lightning—didn't even their life-bound treasures survive. A single strike powerful enough to kill Void Refinement or Deity Transformation cultivators—the sheer destructive force is beyond imagination. Fellow Daoist Han, what do you think?" Jin Yue asked, staring at the scene.
"From the ferocity of that lightning, even we could feel it from such a distance. The person behind it must be a master of lightning-attribute divine abilities. And this treasure carries traces of killing intent that haven't dissipated even after its master's death—so it likely belonged to those enforcement cultivators." Han Li tossed the broken blade aside and spoke with certainty.
"Correct. The aura of three fallen individuals lingers here. And the one capable of such ruthless efficiency is, nine times out of ten, the mysterious person who robbed the mine vein." Jin Yue swept her hand through the air and likewise extracted several damaged treasures from the rubble. After a brief examination, she nodded in agreement.
"That person is so powerful—to have killed three enforcement squad members at once!" Lei Lan drew in a sharp breath.
"It's not all that surprising. If they weren't capable of that, how would they dare do something so audacious? No one else has arrived yet, which means there are no other squads nearby. However, the squads share a secret sensing technique with each other—someone will surely come before long. There's no need for us to linger here. Let's go!" Jin Yue said after a moment's thought.
"Fellow Daoist makes a valid point. The coordinates I need to reach are only a few days from here. We should press on quickly so we can put our minds at ease." Han Li was happy to leave it at that and immediately voiced his agreement.
Lei Lan also nodded pensively.
The three of them surged into the air together, transforming into three streaks of brilliant light that shot off into the distance.
It was more than half a day later before over a dozen streaks of light came flying toward the crater from a different direction.