Wandering Swordsman |

Darkness surged like ink, swallowing all light. The wind howled up from the bottom of the pit, carrying a strong, nauseating stench—the damp smell of blood, mixed with the stench of rotting earth and rust, as if countless souls were wailing in the abyss.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The smell penetrated his nostrils and reached his heart and lungs. He seemed to see Murong Qing's despair as she fell.

"Qing'er..." he murmured softly, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

At that moment, he was no longer the cold, decisive, and ruthless demon god, but simply a man with a broken heart.

He recalled the night they first met in Jinzhou. She lay naked on the bed, her eyes filled with helplessness and fear. He closed his eyes and released her pressure points, his fingertips lightly touching her skin. His heart pounded like a drum, but he dared not open his eyes.

He remembered her stubborn words: "Don't forget you're my man. Wherever you go, I'll naturally follow."

He remembered the last time she looked at him, that defiant yet undeniably affectionate gaze.

She believed him.

But now she has fallen into such a desperate situation.

"I'm late..." Shen Mo clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers and falling into the abyss silently.

But the next moment, he raised his head.

The bloodshot in his eyes faded, replaced by a clear and resolute look.

He no longer hesitated, no longer feared, and no longer considered life and death.

All he knew was that she was down there.

Whether it's purgatory, the underworld, or an abyss of no return, he will go down there.

The wind grew stronger, whipping his robes and making his hair dance wildly. He stood on the edge of the abyss, his figure slender yet as unshakeable as a mountain.

He glanced at the sky one last time, as if declaring to the heavens and earth:

"If Heaven tries to stop me, I will slay Heaven."

"If the earth wants to swallow me, I will split it apart."

"If this abyss wishes to keep her..."

A smile that was almost tragic appeared on his lips.

"—Then I'll tread it into a thoroughfare."

Then, he jumped!

His clothes were like leaves, his hair like flags, and in the howling wind, he was like a falling star, resolutely plunging into the bottomless darkness.

There was no turning back.

Without hesitation.

The only way is to find Murong Qing as soon as possible.

As he plummeted downwards, the wind howled in his ears, and darkness surged in like a tide, yet his heart shone brighter than ever before.

because--

Murong Qing is there.

......

come down.

An endless fall.

The wind howled like a knife, tearing at his clothes and skin. Darkness filled his eyes like ink, and all around him was nothingness, like the chaos before the creation of the world. As Shen Mo plummeted, he closed his eyes and focused his mind, circulating his internal energy like a surging river, quietly protecting his heart and bones. He knew that without a buffer, even a martial artist's body would be doomed to be shattered to pieces.

Just as the downward momentum was about to reach its limit—

He suddenly opened his eyes!

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and a wisp of black energy rose from his dantian, flowing through his meridians and condensing into a ball of eerie light in his palm. With a thought, Shen Mo used the "Transformation of Qi" technique he had comprehended from the *Heaven-Defying Divine Art: Heavenly Scroll* to forcibly alter the color of his demonic energy—

In an instant, the black flames transformed into a pale blue halo, like the rising moon in the cold moonlight or the flowing of a cold spring, faintly illuminating the surrounding ten-zhang space.

The light struck Shen Mo, causing him to shudder.

This isn't a sinkhole at all! It's clearly a forgotten underground abyss!

Above, the pit walls had vanished, replaced by a dome-shaped rock formation, its height immeasurable. Stalactites hung like inverted swords, dripping with cold, metallic water droplets. The surrounding space was vast, like an underground plain, crisscrossed by ravines and winding underground rivers, with rising mist, as if one were in an ancient world deep within the earth's core.

And the most chilling thing is—

Giant python.

Countless giant pythons coiled among the cliffs, pillars, and underground rivers, their scales as hard as iron and gleaming with a ghostly green luster. Each one was as thick as a water vat and over ten zhang long. They lay dormant with their eyes closed, their scarlet tongues flicking out, and a faint black aura swirled around them, as if they lived on blood and fed on resentment.

Shen Mo's gaze sharpened, and the azure light formed from the Heavenly Demon Qi swept across the ground—

Remains.

Piles of bones were scattered everywhere, white bones piled up in layers. But what terrified him most were the remains of children.

They huddled in corners, crevices in rocks, and under withered tree roots. Their bones were slender, their skulls sunken, and their flesh had long since decayed, leaving only skeletons. Strangely, each skeleton had two tiny blood holes on the side of its neck, as if pierced by some kind of sharp teeth, from which all the blood had been sucked out, leaving even the bone marrow dry and black.

The scene before him suddenly made him realize that the remains of these children were probably related to the "divine skill" practiced by the chieftain!

The sight of these dead children's corpses ignited a raging fire within Shen Mo, and he no longer hesitated.

He flashed out like a ghost, drew his Tai'a sword, and the sword light was as fast as lightning, aiming straight for the seven-inch mark of the nearest giant python!

"laugh--!"

The sword pierced flesh, black blood spurting out. The giant python suddenly awoke, its massive jaws opening wide, its fangs bared, its roar like thunder! The other giant pythons stirred restlessly, their tails sweeping across, cracking the rock walls, and the entire abyss seemed to tremble.

But Shen Mo was already blinded by rage.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped into the air. The Tai'a sword in his hand transformed into hundreds of sword shadows, and the aura of the Heavenly Demon wrapped around the sword, causing the blue light to surge! With a move called "Sunset Severing the River," the sword energy slashed out horizontally, cutting a giant python in half at the waist! Black blood rained down, and the stench was overwhelming.

Another creature leaped out from the shadows. Shen Mo struck back with his palm, transforming demonic energy into needles that instantly pierced its vital acupoints. Black flames erupted, and the giant python wailed as it coiled and burned, turning into charcoal.

He descended like a demon god, weaving and slaying through the swarm of snakes. Wherever his sword flashed, snake heads flew off, and blood mist filled the air. Each fallen giant python seemed to be paying the price for the blood debt owed to those innocent children.

After an unknown amount of time, the last giant python was pierced through the head by the sword energy and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The abyss returned to deathly silence, with only Shen Mo's breathing echoing, his blood-stained black clothes trembling slightly in the breeze blowing through the abyss.

He was about to continue forward when his gaze suddenly sharpened—

Ahead, beneath a protruding rock, lay a piece of pale purple cloth, half-hidden.

He strode forward and, with trembling hands, picked it up.

It was a hem of a garment, its edge embroidered with delicate plum blossom patterns, the stitches exquisite—it was the purple plum blossom skirt that Murong Qing often wore. And on the edge of the fabric, there was a striking dark red stain—dried blood.

"Qing'er..." Shen Mo's throat tightened, as if he were being gripped by an invisible hand.

He gripped the hem of his garment tightly, his knuckles white, his hand trembling slightly. The composure and killing intent he had displayed when slaying the giant python crumbled instantly, like ice meeting fire. In its place came excruciating fear and self-reproach.

Is she still alive?

"No...no, it won't..." he murmured, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping, "I won't let anything happen to you..."

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed his surging emotions. But that blood-stained corner of his clothing was like a red-hot knife, deeply branded into his heart.

He gently pressed the fabric against his chest, as if he could feel her lingering body heat.

"Wait for me..." he whispered, as if speaking to an abyss, or perhaps to her.

Having said that, he withdrew the azure light of the Heavenly Demon Qi and walked forward again.

Darkness closed in again, but his steps were more resolute than before.

because--

Even if this abyss has buried thousands of souls,

He must find her.