High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

As he walked and explored...

"Whoosh—!"

Suddenly, a white streak of light hurtled toward the distant crimson horizon at a terrifying speed that broke the sound barrier!

Before Shen Chang'an could even see what it was, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky and enveloped him!

"Hmm!"

He groaned and nearly knelt on the ground.

This pressure was terrifying! Faced with it, he was like an ant in the face of a raging storm, unable to even muster the slightest thought of resistance.

"Seventh Realm? Eighth Realm?!"

He gritted his teeth and slammed his spear heavily on the ground, struggling to keep himself from kneeling.

The difference is too big!

Before he could even catch his breath, the white streak of light had already hovered in mid-air above his head.

It was an old man wearing a black and white Taoist robe.

He appeared to be in his seventies, with a meticulously groomed three-strand beard, a lean face, and his hair tied in a topknot. He exuded an air of otherworldly elegance and otherworldly grace.

The Taoist priest hovered in mid-air, seemingly just passing by, but when he looked down at Shen Chang'an, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Huh? How come there's a child in this kind of dangerous place?"

The next second, he casually raised his hand.

Shen Chang'an was pulled up from the ground by an irresistible, enormous suction force and was sucked to the front of the Taoist priest with a "whoosh"!

He was stiff all over, unable to move even a finger, and could only watch helplessly as the Taoist stretched out two slender fingers and casually pinched his shoulders and wrists.

"His innate talent is exceptional, his aura is pure, he is a true human, and his aptitude seems quite good..."

The Taoist nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.

"Judging from your bone age, you're only eighteen or nineteen, yet you've already reached the peak of the fifth realm. Such talent makes you quite a promising prospect."

Shen Chang'an felt as if his entire body was being seen through by those two fingers. He wanted to speak, but the overwhelming pressure pressed down on his chest, making it difficult to even breathe, let alone speak.

The other party seemed to have noticed Shen Chang'an's predicament, smiled slightly, and casually withdrew that terrifying pressure.

"call--!"

He felt a sudden lightness in his body and slumped down on a spiritual energy barrier in mid-air, greedily inhaling the air. His clothes on his back were instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"Little one, what's your name? Where are you from?"

The Taoist stroked his long white beard and looked at him with great interest.

"This deep abyss is not a place where someone of your cultivation level can wander around recklessly."

He took a breath. Facing an old monster of this level, he couldn't bring himself to hide anything and honestly replied, "This junior is Shen Chang'an. I came in through the entrance of the abyss rift outside the Magic City. I encountered some trouble and was being chased. I accidentally ended up here and got lost."

"Shanghai?"

Upon hearing this word, the Taoist frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, as if he had never heard of this place name before.

However, he didn't delve into it further, simply stating his name: "My Daoist name is 'Lingshan.' Our meeting is fate. This area isn't very safe; occasionally, a few foolish demons will pass by. You should come back with me first."

Shen Chang'an hadn't had a chance to agree or refuse.

"Whoosh!"

The Taoist priest of Lingshan casually waved the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe. Shen Chang'an felt a sudden dizziness.

In the blink of an eye.

When he opened his eyes again, his feet were firmly planted on the solid bluestone ground.

"Where...where is this?"

Shen Chang'an looked around at the scene and was completely dumbfounded.

The architectural style here is nothing like that of a modern city; rather, it resembles a grand ancient city. The streets are lined with antique buildings, with blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and even the pavement is spotless.

However, the place was eerily quiet.

On this wide and flat avenue, there wasn't a single person in sight; the deathly silence was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Just as he was looking around.

"Buzz!"

The space above the street suddenly rippled violently like water.

Immediately afterwards, several enormous eyes appeared out of thin air in that empty space! They stared down at Shen Chang'an, who had suddenly appeared.

The moment he was stared at by these giant eyes, an immense pressure instantly enveloped him! Each of the newcomers seemed to be no weaker than the old Taoist priest before him.

Ling Shan Daoist raised his head, and casually waved his hand in response to the terrifying gazes directed at him.

"Don't look anymore. I just picked it up while I was wandering around outside. It seems to be lost," Ling Shan Dao Ren explained with a smile.

"He's a purebred human child, not even twenty years old, yet he already possesses the cultivation of the fifth realm. His talent is quite good. I had nothing better to do, so I brought him back to play with."

A clear, ethereal female voice echoed throughout the city.

"Lingshan, since you picked him up, you are responsible for all the consequences. You know the rules of this city now. Don't cause any uncontrollable trouble while the city lord is away."

"I know, I know, I understand. Stop nagging." Lingshan Daoist flicked his wide Taoist robe sleeves impatiently.

As his words fell, the enormous eyes in mid-air slowly closed. The suffocating, terrifying pressure dissipated as well.

Shen Chang'an then felt as if he had come back to life, cold sweat dripping from his forehead onto the bluestone slab.

"Let's go, little one."

Lingshan Daoist patted Shen Chang'an on the shoulder, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked forward along the street.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow behind.

The two walked through several streets and finally stopped in front of a detached courtyard.

Pushing open the wooden door, the scene in the courtyard is quite simple.

The courtyard was made of ordinary blue bricks and was extremely clean, but like the streets outside, it lacked any vibrant life. The ancient, unnamed tree in the center of the courtyard, though its branches and leaves were lush, exuded a sense of deathly stillness.

Under the tree, a stone table and several round stone stools were casually placed.

"Please sit down."

Lingshan Daoist pointed to one of the stone benches and sat down in the main seat.

He carefully sat down on the stone bench as instructed, his body still tense.

The Taoist Master Lingshan looked at him and asked with a smile, "Little one, tell me, how long have you been in this abyss rift? How is it going?"

Shen Chang'an answered truthfully, "About ten days. I encountered many demons along the way and was chased by people. I was injured, but I have almost recovered."

"Oh, ten days..."

The Taoist priest of Lingshan paused suddenly as he stroked his beard, and his smiling eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had noticed something.

"Something's not right." The old Taoist priest looked Shen Chang'an up and down, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"You're only at the fifth realm of cultivation, yet you've been struggling in this abyss for ten whole days, and not only are you still alive, your spiritual energy is still so abundant? Little brat, how wide is your spiritual sea?"

Shen Chang'an honestly gestured: "About... two hundred li."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

Ling Shan Daoist shook his head repeatedly, "Two hundred miles of spiritual sea in this abyss, let alone ten days, just maintaining your protective spiritual light every day would be enough to drain you dry in three or four days!"

Before he could even react, the Taoist of Lingshan suddenly stretched out his right hand and lightly slapped his abdomen, specifically his dantian!