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

Early the next morning.

Shen Chang'an changed into a neat black combat suit, put the Calamity Cloud into his spatial ring, checked his equipment and the necessary water and food, and took a taxi directly to the coastal port on the east side of Shanghai.

This port area along the East China Sea coast is astonishingly large. In addition to the normal civilian and commercial docks, there is a harbor area at the outermost edge that is isolated by tall barbed wire and array light curtains.

Shen Chang'an got out of the car and, following the directions given by Zhao Haitang, found an inconspicuous little shop at the port.

Pushing open the door, a faint smell of the sea filled the shop. An old man with only one eye was sitting behind the counter, smoking a pipe.

Shen Chang'an stepped forward and slammed the mutton-fat jade pendant that Zhao Haitang had given him onto the counter.

Upon seeing the ancient seal script character "Zhao" on the jade pendant, the one-eyed old man quickly stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and became extremely respectful: "So you are the distinguished guest arranged by the young lady. May I ask what brings you here?"

"I want to enter the Abyss Rift, but I don't know how to get in?"

"That's easy. I'll arrange for a rescue boat to come and pick you up. It'll be there soon."

While waiting for the boat, the old man took out a price list and began to explain the prices to Shen Chang'an:

"Is this your first time in the Rift? It's dangerous as it is, but it's full of treasures. When monsters die, they drop several extremely valuable core materials. For example, the mutated bones and claws of high-level monsters are excellent materials for crafting weapons."

The old man lowered his voice and tapped on the counter: "As long as you can bring these materials back alive, just hand them over to my little shop. Whether you exchange them for healing pills or directly convert them into contribution points for the Night Guard, the price will absolutely satisfy you."

"no problem."

Shen Chang'an readily agreed.

The one-eyed old man pulled a black tactical watch from a drawer and handed it to him: "Young man, take my advice. The space inside the Abyss Rift is extremely complex. The scenery and monsters you encounter after entering will be completely different for everyone. Remember this: the Abyss affects people, and people also affect the Abyss."

Shen Chang'an took the watch and put it on his wrist, raising an eyebrow slightly: "What does this mean?"

"It means exactly what it says; you'll understand once you go in."

The old man pointed to the watch.

"This device has positioning and ranging functions. Remember, no matter what you encounter, never go deeper into the crevice than ten kilometers! Once you exceed the safe distance, the watch will sound an alarm. Also, if you encounter a 'crack within a crack,' never go in, because no one knows which dead end it leads to. If you encounter something you can't defeat, don't be afraid to run away."

"Okay, thanks."

Shen Chang'an nodded, keeping the old man's instructions in mind.

Soon, a black speedboat docked at the pier.

This was a single-person, single-boat rescue vessel. Shen Chang'an jumped aboard, and the speedboat immediately cut through the waves, heading towards the depths of the East China Sea.

Along the way, the scenery of the sea was no different from that of any other ocean. The sea was blue and the sky was clear, the wind was calm, and occasionally a few seagulls flew overhead.

However, as the speedboat reached the designated coordinates under radar guidance, a semi-transparent array barrier that stretched from the sky to the ground suddenly appeared in the sky above the sea ahead.

The driver quickly entered a series of complex commands on the control panel.

A ripple like water spread across the surface of the barrier, and then slowly a gap appeared, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

"This is it!"

The driver shouted a reminder.

"The opening in the barrier cannot be maintained for long; please enter as soon as possible!"

Shen Chang'an leaped through the gap.

The moment I passed through the barrier, the sound of the sea breeze suddenly disappeared, replaced by a deep, unsettling roar.

He channeled spiritual energy beneath his feet and stood steadily on the sea.

When he looked up and saw the scene before him, his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

The sky has cracked open.

Hundreds of meters above the sea, a massive black rift stretches for over ten kilometers across the sky. The space at the edge of the rift appears distorted and fragmented.

Even more outrageous is that the seawater below seems to have lost its gravity and is turning into countless thick waterfalls flowing backward, swirling and being forcibly sucked into that dark crevice!

Beneath these reversed seawaters, a group of practitioners dressed in uniform were stationed.

They all wore badges of the Night Guard on their chests. Some stood on floating array discs, while others, like Shen Chang'an, stood directly on the water's surface, clearly indicating that they were the troops responsible for guarding this area.

Noticing someone enter, a man who looked to be in his early thirties quickly rode the waves.

"Who goes there? What are you doing here?"

The man stopped a dozen meters away, his eyes warily scanning Shen Chang'an up and down.

"The Night Guard, Shen Chang'an, has Zhao Haitang's identity token."

Shen Chang'an took out the mutton fat jade pendant that Zhao Haitang had given him from his pocket and showed it off.

"I plan to go inside the crack and take a look."

The man's expression hardened. These top-tier clan passes weren't something just anyone could obtain. The wariness in his eyes vanished instantly, and he stepped aside to make way.

"So it turns out they were the ones who got the Zhao family's badge."

The man nodded and pointed to the reverse-flowing seawater above, explaining, "The method to enter is simple. Walk under those water columns, let go of the spiritual energy pull between your feet and the sea surface, and the gravity inside the crack will naturally pull you in. Good luck."

Shen Chang'an thanked him and walked to the bottom of the thickest waterfall where the seawater flowed backward.

With a thought, he dissipated the spiritual energy that had been maintaining his balance on the soles of his feet.

The next second, a massive and eerie pulling force came from the crack above. Shen Chang'an's body instantly became as light as a feather, and he slowly floated up towards the gaping abyss in mid-air along with the surging seawater.

As they got closer to the massive black rift, the surrounding light began to dim visibly.

An intense, chilling aura and a pungent stench of blood assaulted his senses. The malevolent intent and murderous aura of the demons, like an icy tide, completely engulfed him.

......

Inside a high-end seaside café on the outskirts of the Zhao family's exclusive port along the East China Sea coast.

Zhao Ye, the second young master of the Zhao family, was dressed in a pure white suit. He picked up a cup of hand-drip coffee and took a small sip.

"Second Young Master."

An assistant in a black suit walked quickly to the table, bowed slightly, and reported in a low voice.

"Did that person go inside?"

Zhao put down his coffee cup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"Reporting to the Second Young Master, Shen Chang'an has already entered the barrier on the pick-up ship and passed the entrance checkpoint of the Zhenye Division. He has now completely entered the interior of the Abyss Rift."

"Now that we're inside, let's get things done. Be thorough; this kind of place, where you can't even find a skeleton after someone's death, is perfect for collecting the bodies of those arrogant geniuses who don't know their own limitations."

The assistant asked, "Should we inform the young master? Will his displeasure be displeased if we act rashly like this?"

"No need. He was just a country bumpkin. He's dead, so be it. He was one of Zhao Haitang's men. My brother already wanted to get rid of him. I just took care of him beforehand."

"Yes."

The assistant nodded respectfully and withdrew.