From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

At the entrance to the Silent Soul Abyss, the usual deathly silence and chill were largely dispelled by a soaring, murderous sword aura.

Hundreds of figures stood in neat rows, all dressed in the moon-white Daoist robes of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Each of them had a deep and focused aura, sharp eyes, and cultivation levels that were all at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm.

They stood before the dark abyss, which resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast, like refined steel about to be thrown into a furnace.

At the very front of the group, Lin Shouzheng, the Sword Master of the Bright Heart, stood with his hands behind his back. His green robe fluttered in the cold wind blowing from the mouth of the abyss. He did not exude any imposing aura, but his invisible sword intent was like an invisible wall, keeping out the corrosive power that naturally emanated from the Silent Soul Abyss.

His gaze was sharp as he swept over the young, spirited, yet tense faces before him.

"The Abyss of Silent Souls, though a perilous place, is also a land of opportunity."

Lin Shouzhen's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every disciple, carrying a resolute determination that cut off any hesitation.

"Within lies a 'sacred relic,' and even more so, traces of the 'personality' of the Great Dao. Obtaining either one will forge an unparalleled foundation for the Dao, and the prospect of becoming a saint in the future will be within reach!"

The disciples' breathing became heavier, and the fervor in their eyes overcame their fear of the unknown perilous place.

"However, great danger accompanies great opportunity."

Lin Shouzhen abruptly changed the subject, his tone turning sinister.

"The aura of the silent souls within the abyss is all-pervasive. While hunting soul beasts can temper one's soul and absorb soul power, it will also accelerate the erosion by the will of the silent souls! Those with weak wills will inevitably sink into it, turning into withered bones at the bottom of the abyss, or becoming walking corpses who only know how to kill!"

The chilling warning sent a shiver down everyone's spine, extinguishing much of the nascent fervor.

"Furthermore, the rules within the abyss are unique; the stronger one is, the more intense the oppression and erosion they experience."

As Lin Shouzhen spoke, his gaze swept almost imperceptibly across the unfathomable darkness, carrying a hint of apprehension that he himself was unwilling to admit.

"If I were to enter, it would instantly trigger a backlash from the rules, not only to be of no use but to bring about your annihilation."

He was unable to enter in person.

These rules are like an insurmountable barrier.

It was at this moment that the image of the Lord of the Underworld, Li Hanshan, inexplicably flashed through his mind... That guy probably has ways to move around more freely in this Silent Soul Abyss, right?

This thought made his heart sink slightly, but it was immediately extinguished by an even stronger sword intent.

"Therefore, this search depends entirely on yourselves."

Lin Shouzhen composed himself, his voice resolute.

"Five people per team, rely on each other, and search separately! Remember, returning alive is more important than any opportunity! Now, enter the abyss!"

"As the Sword Master commands!"

Hundreds of disciples responded in unison, their voices dispersing some of the gray mist.

Then, led by their respective team captains, they transformed into streaks of light, cautiously yet resolutely plunging into the all-consuming dark entrance.

Lin Shouzhen stood still, like an ancient stone statue, only the glint of sword light in his eyes showed that he was not truly calm.

He could only wait.

---

Deep within the Silent Soul Abyss lies a core of gray energy, viscous as liquid.

As if sensing something, the humanoid soul beast looked towards the direction outside the abyss with its pure black eyes. Although separated by endless space and layers of barriers, it could still clearly sense that undisguised aura, sharp and powerful like a drawn divine sword.

"Hmph, Black-Clad Dao Ruler," it smirked with a human-like disdain.

It really doesn't care much.

Although the Heavenly Dao Sect is powerful and the Mingxin Sword Master has a fearsome reputation, they cannot do anything to it as long as they do not enter the depths of the Silent Soul Abyss.

The rules within this abyss are its greatest protection.

However, just as this disdain arose, it recalled the instructions given two days ago by the man in black robes, which were calm yet carried an air of supreme authority.

Before leaving, Li Hanshan gave a seemingly casual suggestion:

"That kid in the forbidden area is just idling around anyway. Since Lin Shouzhen is going to send people in with great fanfare, if you have nothing better to do, then every now and then, send ten or eight disciples at the Spirit Sea Realm over there and see his reaction."

At the time, it secretly thought to itself, "That kid is only at the Spirit Sea Realm. Although his foundation is incredibly solid, throwing a bunch of peak Spirit Sea Realm cultivators over there is just sending him to his doom."

But it dared not question or disobey Li Hanshan's words.

The thought of that person's methods sent chills down its spine.

"Very well, let us do as that person says."

The humanoid soul beast calmed its mind, its pure black eyes swirling with soul power as it began to sense the groups of Heavenly Dao Sect disciples who had just entered the outer area of ​​the Silent Soul Abyss, searching for suitable "prey".

"You guys are unlucky to have been targeted by that guy. You'll have to go and be his sparring partners."

It locked onto a five-person squad that had just adapted to the surrounding environment, was forming battle formations, and was cautiously exploring forward.

---

On the outskirts of Silent Soul Abyss, in an area filled with strangely shaped rocks.

Five disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect stood back to back, forming a small circular formation, and moved slowly.

The leader was a resolute-looking young man named Zhao Qian, who was the captain of this squad.

A thick gray fog enveloped the surroundings, obstructing vision and greatly suppressing divine sense, allowing one to only extend a few feet around oneself.

The lingering aura of ethereal silence in the air was like a cold, venomous snake, constantly trying to burrow into their consciousness, bringing waves of slight dizziness and restlessness.

They had to constantly practice their mental techniques and concentrate their minds to resist.

"Everyone, stay alert! This place is really creepy!"

Zhao Yu shouted in a low voice, his hand tightly gripping a long sword that gleamed with cold light.

The other four dared not be negligent, each gripping their weapons tightly and vigilantly observing their surroundings.

In the deathly silence, only their faint footsteps and breathing added to the oppressive atmosphere.

Sudden--

Without warning, a complex gray rune flashed across the ground beneath the five people's feet.

"not good!"

Zhao Yu's expression changed drastically. He only had time to exclaim in surprise before he felt an irresistible force of spatial distortion envelop his entire body.

The world spun around them, and the strange rocks and gray fog in their field of vision instantly became blurry and fragmented.

The intense feeling of weightlessness and the tearing force of space caused the blood and qi in the five people's bodies to surge and their spiritual seas to tremble.

This turn of events happened too quickly and too strangely!

They didn't even see what happened!

The distortion disappeared in just one or two breaths.

The five people crashed heavily onto the hard ground, their formation instantly falling apart.

They felt dizzy and scrambled to their feet, looking around in horror.

The environment has changed drastically!

No longer the outer area filled with strange rocks, but a relatively open flat area. The gray energy around them was extremely dense, and the sense of death that penetrated to the bone stung their skin.

Moreover, this place... seems too "clean," so clean that not even a single low-level soul beast can be seen.

"Where...where is this?"

"We've been teleported?"

"What was that just now? A formation?"

A brief moment of panic spread among the five.

The unknown is the most terrifying thing.

Just as they were filled with doubt and uncertainty, quickly regrouping and becoming tense and on high alert—

"Huh? There's a noise!"

A voice filled with obvious surprise, even excitement, suddenly came from the side front.

The five people were startled and turned to look at each other.

A somewhat tattered but tall young man rushed out of a gray fog, his face bearing a radiant smile that seemed to indicate he had been stranded on a deserted island for decades and was finally seeing a ship.

It was Yao Mengkang!

He had just been hunting a low-level soul beast nearby when he keenly sensed the brief but clear spatial teleportation fluctuation.

At that moment, his heart almost jumped out of his chest!

He thought that some kind of exit had appeared in the Silent Soul Abyss, or that some other change had occurred that would allow him to escape this hellish place!

He rushed over with all his might, full of anticipation!

As a result, the source of the disturbance saw no exit, no spatial rift, only five living people dressed in uniform, in neat formation, with panic and vigilance on their faces!

Disciple of Tiandao Sect.

Yao Mengkang's smile froze for a moment. When he recognized the familiar moon-white Taoist robe, he did feel a little disgusted.

He didn't have a good impression of the Heavenly Dao Sect.

but!

This sweet feeling lasted only a moment before it was overwhelmed by immense joy!

Live!

They are living, breathing people who can talk and communicate!

God knows how long he stayed in this desolate place where there were only spirit beasts!

I've almost forgotten how to have a normal conversation with people!

It doesn't matter if he's from the Heavenly Dao Sect or not, as long as he's alive!

So, Yao Mengkang suppressed his displeasure, tried to make his smile look more amiable, and rushed towards the five disciples who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy. He stopped three zhang away from them, waved his hand, and grinned, revealing a set of white teeth:

"Hey! Hello everyone! Finally, I see real people!"

His tone was full of genuine joy, his eyes were clear, and his enthusiasm was unpretentious.

However, this enthusiasm appeared extremely strange to Zhao Qian and his group of five, who had just experienced a bizarre teleportation and were still unsettled.

In the depths of the infamous Silent Abyss, a ragged yet spirited young man suddenly appeared, smiling so happily at them, who were clearly "intruders".

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

Zhao Yu held his longsword horizontally, unleashing the full power of his peak Spirit Sea Realm cultivation, and shouted sharply:

"Stop right there! Who are you?!"

The other four disciples also instantly surged with spiritual energy, aimed their weapons at Yao Mengkang, formed a battle formation, and exuded murderous intent.

The atmosphere instantly shifted from Yao Mengkang's one-sided "meeting an old friend in a foreign land" to a tense standoff.

The smile on Yao Mengkang's face gradually faded.

Looking at the five pairs of eyes filled with wariness, suspicion, and even hostility, and then at the gleaming weapons pointed at him, the warmth he felt from meeting an old friend in a foreign land quickly cooled down.

Well, all that excitement for nothing.

It seems that in this godforsaken place, even getting a proper greeting from a "living person" is a luxury.