I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 226 The Abyss World
After exchanging pleasantries and getting to know each other, Wu Ming set off with Chu Chen and the others towards the location of the desolate stone vein.

The abyss of the earth.

Unlike the earth vein fissures formed by the upheavals of heaven and earth in the Jingye City region, the so-called Earth Abyss of the cultivation holy land is a vast world truly located deep underground.

It is located three thousand feet underground, basically isolated from the surface world. Apart from some special passages that allow travel, it is impossible to forcibly dig through three thousand feet of earth veins to reach the surface by one's own power. Even a Nine Refinement Dao Saint cannot do it.

One of the entrances to this abyss happens to be located within the sacred ground.

Or rather, the sacred cultivation ground itself suppresses this entrance, guarding against possible enemies from the Abyss World.

The abyss itself has more than one layer. The deeper you go, the richer the resources become, but the more dangerous it is. No one knows how many layers there are in total, but the top few layers have been occupied by humans over the long years and are considered low-danger areas.

The barren stone vein is located somewhere in the second layer of the abyss.

This is a special secret place that produces special resources every once in a while, but because of this, it is often invaded by scattered demons.

In terms of importance, the Barren Stone Vein can only be ranked third-rate, not enough to warrant a grandmaster-level figure to be stationed there year-round. However, less than a hundred miles away from the Barren Stone Vein, there is a secret place called the Earth Spirit Spring, which is much more important than the Barren Stone Vein and is guarded by grandmaster-level figures year-round.

If the barren stone vein encounters a formidable enemy, it can seek help from the several grandmasters stationed at the direction of the Earth Spirit Spring.

The first layer of the abyss.

Through a dark yet open passage, a group of ten descended into the abyss, with Wu Ming carrying a long spear among them.

"Is this the real Abyss?"

Stepping into the abyss, Wu Ming gazed into the distance and saw that this underground world was incredibly vast, with an endless wasteland as far as the eye could see.

The earth's veins here surge with immense power, yet remain remarkably stable. The air is filled with a rich primordial energy, making it comparable to any sacred land.

Actually,
The air and environment here are not suitable for ordinary people to live in. Even martial arts masters who have coagulated blood three or four times will have difficulty breathing and cannot move an inch when they come here.

To venture deep into the abyss, one's body must undergo at least five cycles of blood coagulation, and the five internal organs must be tempered and transformed by the blood and qi before one can initially adapt to the environment of the abyss and move freely here.

"Junior Brother Wu, is this your first time in the Abyss?"

Fang Zhe followed behind Wu Ming, looked at Wu Ming's appearance, smiled at Wu Ming and said: "When I first stepped into the Abyss, I was just like Junior Brother Wu, shocked by the wonder of the structure of this world."

"Look, that's Dingyuan City over there. It's the only city our Holy Land has built in this Abyss. It's both a place to rest on weekdays and the last line of defense for the Abyss passage."

As Fang Zhe spoke, he pointed in a direction far away.

Wu Ming glanced to the side and saw a city situated on the wasteland. This city was not large; in fact, it could be described as very small, less than one percent the size of Jingye City.

Even though it was such a small town, Wu Ming felt a sense of awe and reverence for it at first glance. He could sense a vast and powerful pressure emanating from it simply by using his spiritual sense to peer into it.

The environment of the Abyss is not suitable for ordinary people to survive, so those who come here are basically experts with at least five levels of blood and five levels of refinement. The size of the city is not the key. The key is that it is the core of a huge array structure. The strength of this array far exceeds the limit that Wu Ming can detect.

The array formations I encountered in the Hidden Dragon Academy of Yong Kingdom were not even one ten-thousandth as profound as those in Dingyuan City.

If we compare Dingyuan City with the Demon Subduing Diagram, although the Demon Subduing Diagram is more vast and profound, and at a higher level, Wu Ming can hardly perceive the difference between the two anymore, because for him, both are at a level where it is difficult to see the whole picture.

no doubt,

The formation in Dingyuan City must have reached the 'immortal' level!
"Who is coming?"

As Wu Ming and his group approached Dingyuan City, a figure appeared on the city gate, making no attempt to conceal his aura. He was a martial arts grandmaster who had achieved the seventh level of blood condensation, and he directly greeted Wu Ming and the others.

Chu Chen stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and informed them of the mission he was on.

After listening to the report, the martial arts master examined the group and then let them pass without stopping them.

As Wu Ming passed through Dingyuan City, he vaguely felt a gaze fall on him, but it didn't linger. He just glanced at it and quickly looked away.

As the only major city guarding the Abyss Passage, Dingyuan City's last line of defense naturally cannot be guarded by only one martial arts master.

As far as Wu Ming knew, there were more than one Dao Saint and Martial Saint with nine refinements and nine bloodstains who were stationed in Dingyuan City year-round.

quickly,

The group passed through Dingyuan City and arrived at the wasteland.

"The barren stone vein is in the second layer of the abyss. The nearest passage to the second layer is 600 miles away. Let's hurry up a bit."

Chu Chen addressed the crowd, said something in a deep voice, and then took the lead, striding into the wasteland to guide them.

Wu Ming and the others had no objections and quickly followed.

Six hundred miles is a long distance for ordinary people, but for disciples of a holy land who are at least at the sixth level of blood and sixth level of refinement, it is not far at all. In less than half an hour, the group arrived at the passage leading to the second level of the abyss.

This is a huge, dark cave. The path leads downwards into the unknown depths. About ten miles away from the cave, there is a camp.

The Abyss is not suitable for ordinary people to live in, and therefore not suitable for occupation. In addition, demons roam freely in the Abyss, so many important areas in the first three layers of the Abyss have been set up with camps and strongholds.

Although these camps are not as imposing as Dingyuan City, they are still equipped with extraordinary earth vein formations and are staffed by Grandmasters of the Eight Refinements and Eight Bloods year-round. This serves both as a defense against unforeseen circumstances and as a supply base.

quickly,

After their identities were verified, everyone passed through the camp and entered the dark cave that led deeper underground.

The cave was like a chaotic mess. Even with Wu Ming spreading his soul power to the fullest, he could only sense a chaotic and disordered aura. He only knew that he was going downhill, but he had no idea how many feet he had gone down.

After an unknown amount of time, my vision suddenly brightened.

The world of the second layer of the Abyss appeared before Wu Ming's eyes. It was also a desolate land with rugged terrain. Although it was located deep underground and sunlight could not reach this place, due to the vigorous power of the earth veins, a deep yellow light illuminated everything around it.

Next to the passage on the second floor, there was also a camp. Wu Ming followed the crowd and passed through the camp with ease.

The desolate stone vein was located about 2,700 li north of the camp, neither too far nor too near. Wu Ming and his group did not stop at the camp and continued on their way. After about half a day, they finally arrived at the front of a magnificent and strange stone vein.

It was a rugged hilly area, inside which seemed to be a huge mine, with a faint light shimmering inside.

At the edge of the stone vein.

Several figures, some standing and some sitting, stood up as Wu Ming and his group approached.

"Oh, it's Senior Brother Chu. You're here to relieve us from our shift, right?"

The people guarding the stone vein were all disciples from various peaks of the Holy Land, and most of them knew Chu Chen and the others. When they met, they greeted each other.

"Well, finally it's time for the shift change."

"The desolate aura in this barren stone vein is really unbearable. Staying here for a long time would probably cause one's blood and energy to decline." "It's just that the corrosive aura of this desolation is too troublesome, so we have to rotate a group of people to guard it every three months."

The previous group of people stationed at the desolate stone vein gradually gathered from several directions, totaling ten people.

Most of them breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Chu Chen and the others arrive.

The desolate stone vein is located on the second layer of the abyss, and it is generally difficult to encounter any major troubles. The only troublesome thing is the desolate aura that spreads outward from the inside of the stone vein, which can invisibly erode a person's body.

A short period of two or three months is fine, but if the damage lasts for more than half a year, not only will the blood and energy decline, but lifespan may also be shortened.

They had been stationed there for three months and were eagerly awaiting the 'shift change'. When Chu Chen and Wu Ming finally arrived, they were all very happy and greeted them cheerfully.

"Alright, Junior Brother Chu, now that you're here, we won't stay any longer. We'll leave the rest to you."

After exchanging greetings, the previous group of holy land disciples who were stationed there left one after another, their figures quickly disappearing into the wasteland.

Only Wu Ming and others remained at the original location.

Wu Ming arrived at the entrance of a cave in the desolate stone vein and frowned slightly as he sensed the aura emanating from it.

"An aura of desolation..."

This aura gave him a vague sense of unease, and even mobilizing his soul power could not completely isolate him. Or rather, this aura could not only penetrate his body, but also his soul, like some kind of slow-acting toxin.

However, this erosion will not have a significant impact in the short term.

"Gentlemen, this desolate stone vein has two entrances. We need to split into two teams and each guard one of them."

"Junior Brother Wu, Junior Brother Li, Junior Brother Fang... you all stay here with me and guard this side, the rest of you go and guard the other side, how about that?"

Chu Chen glanced at the desolate stone vein not far away and said.

After hearing Chu Chen's words, everyone exchanged glances and had no objections. They quickly split into two groups.

Wu Ming stayed behind with Li Ling, Fang Zhe, and others to guard the eastern cave with Chu Chen, while the rest went to the west.

Clang!
Chu Chen casually walked to a raised rock, pulled out the long sword he was carrying, stuck it into the rock, and then sat down on the rock with an air of nonchalance.

Seeing this, Li Ling and the others surveyed their surroundings and then each found a place to settle down.

Wu Ming stood in place, gazing at the entrance of the desolate stone vein.

"Junior Brother Wu, would you like to go in and take a look?"

Fang Zhe looked at Wu Ming and whispered a reminder: "Junior Brother Wu, it's best not to go in. The deeper you go into this desolate stone vein, the more severe the erosion becomes. Even a primordial spirit cannot avoid it."

"Although people often go into this barren stone vein to mine, those who can step into the core area are all grandmasters who have undergone seven blood and seven refinements."

Upon hearing Fang Zhe's words, Wu Ming immediately replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother Fang, but... since only Grandmaster-level figures can penetrate into the core area, why are there people stationed there year-round?"

Fang Zhe laughed and said, "Junior Brother Wu, you may not know this, but this desolate aura is quite harmful to us. It can erode our primordial spirit and physical body. However, it is a great tonic for some demons. If no one is stationed here, this place will soon be occupied by demons. Those demons who absorb the desolate aura can not only increase their strength, but also gain the troublesome means of manipulating the desolate aura. In addition, it will also damage the interior of the mine. Naturally, we must try our best to avoid this situation."

"I see."

Wu Ming understood immediately, and stopped talking. He walked to the side, found a place, put down the spear on his back, sat cross-legged, and quietly closed his eyes to rest.

He will be stationed here for the next three months. This place is not suitable for cultivating Taoist magic and supernatural powers, but it will not affect his tempering of his primordial spirit.

……

The Demon-Subduing Realm.

A dim sky, a blood-red earth.

Wu Ming's primordial spirit quietly appeared here. His gaze swept around and he saw weapons of war standing horizontally and vertically.

The weapons of war in this position all exude a subtle sense of oppression. Each blade is adorned with a dazzling blood-red light, and the intense killing aura has even solidified into a tangible form, as if possessing a spirit.

Compared to the magical artifacts that covered the outermost layer of the mountains and plains, the number of weapons of war here was much smaller. Looking around, there was only one weapon of war at a distance across the vast land.

Many of these weapons of war were not even planted upside down on the ground, but were suspended in mid-air, which was quite extraordinary.

no doubt,

They are all magical artifacts of the spirit treasure level.

These spiritual treasures, which are extremely valuable in the outside world, still number in the hundreds or thousands that can be seen here at a glance.

Looking further into the distance, towards the core of the Demon Subduing Realm, one can vaguely see the phantoms of four weapons of slaughter, which are the core divine weapons of the Demon Subduing Realm.

Demon-suppressing plate, demon-subduing pestle, demon-slaying staff, demon-slaying sword!
Even just gazing at its phantom image from afar, one can feel an impact on the spiritual level, and a strong sense of oppression.

"I wonder when I will be able to wield these four core divine weapons with my own power."

After muttering to himself, Wu Ming quickly averted his gaze and pointed his finger toward the earth.

hum! !

In an instant, a dense aura of killing intent rose from the blood-red earth, instantly enveloping his primordial spirit.

"Humph."

Wu Ming groaned, feeling as if his primordial spirit had been struck by a tremendous impact, as if it had been pierced by countless swords.

This directly damaged his primordial spirit.

However, his expression did not change at all. He silently practiced the "Zhe" mantra, healing and repairing his primordial spirit while continuing to temper it with killing intent.

"Slaughter, carnage, murderous aura..."

Wu Ming was immersed in the tempering process. The pain in his primordial spirit was extremely clear, but each time he was impacted by the killing aura, he was able to more clearly understand the essence of the killing power.

Whether one is a Taoist cultivator or a martial artist, upon reaching the Grandmaster level, one will encounter the realm of 'entering the Dao'. Wu Ming has been searching for his own path, and now it is gradually taking shape.

Kill!
This is one of the fundamental principles he will need to understand in the future.

Having spent years surrounded by killing and tempering his primordial spirit with murderous aura, his understanding of murderous aura has gradually deepened. Now, even his martial arts are influenced by it, and he has comprehended the rudimentary form of martial intent that leans towards the killing lineage.

After he reached the sixth level of blood coagulation in his martial arts, as he moved closer to the path of slaughter, even though he didn't devote much energy to martial arts, his martial arts conception was still gradually taking shape.

(End of this chapter)