Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 914: Bottomless Abyss

Boooooooooom!

Daoist Cangqiu unleashed a mighty strike, sending crackling yin lightning racing across the Azure Dragon. In response, the Azure Dragon raised a single claw and caught the tip of Daoist Cangqiu’s weapon. A surge of jade-azure spiritual energy burst forth from his claw, flooding forward like an overwhelming tide.

The Azure Dragon bellowed, "HAAH!"

In one swift, thunderous motion, he crushed Daoist Cangqiu’s weapon. With a sharp twist of his claw, he swatted Daoist Cangqiu into the air, sending him hurtling like a broken kite.

Chu Liang clicked his tongue quietly. No wonder this dragon had managed to endure the onslaught of a legendary artifact without dying. When the Azure Dragon was part of the Penglai Supreme Sect, he had proven to be a formidable opponent. Now that he stood on Chu Liang’s side, Chu Liang finally felt at ease.

Though the strike had been fierce, Daoist Cangqiu didn’t fly far. He twisted midair, regained his balance, and shot back like a streak of violet lightning. In the next instant, he brought his palm crashing down with unstoppable force.

Bang!

The Azure Dragon raised his claw once more to block. Blinding violet lightning surged across his body, but the jade-green radiance deflected it all with ease. Then, in a sudden motion, he flipped over and lashed out with his tail like a strike from the shadows. The blow landed squarely at Daoist Cangqiu’s waist, slamming him downward.

Just the sight of it looked painful.

Had it been any other Eminent One, their spine would have snapped from that blow.

However, after crashing down, Daoist Cangqiu simply flipped over and surged forward again, acting as if nothing had happened.

Things weren’t looking any better on the other side. Daoist Cangyun was in an even worse position against Caiyi and Daoist Yan. Wind blades howled around him as he forced his way forward, but Daoist Yan’s sword qi kept slamming into him without pause.

Swish, swish, swish!

But even after being struck by the sword, the devilish qi around him only scattered briefly, while his body remained completely unharmed. No matter how fierce Daoist Yan’s sword qi became, it failed to leave so much as a scratch.

Sensing that something was wrong, Daoist Yan shouted, "These two are being controlled by a devilish being!"

"Exactly." Caiyi lifted her gaze to the sky. "It must be the one that was sealed beneath the tower. It’s using its powerful spiritual energy to control them."

"The devilish being is up there?" Daoist Yan narrowed her eyes. "Why doesn’t it dare come down?"

"If I’m not mistaken…" Caiyi paused in thought. "It’s probably because evil entities like that can’t reach the bottom of this cave. Even if it tried, it would be meaningless."

Daoist Yan turned to look at her. "What?"

"Haven’t you realized?" Caiyi asked. "The reason we’ve been unable to reach the bottom is that some unseen spiritual energy is subtly affecting the space around us. That energy surrounds all of us, with the exception of Chu Liang." She quickly explained, "The devilish being likely wants to retrieve the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. But the pagoda repels demons, devils, and all evil entities, so those with demon blood like us can never approach it."

At her words, the others finally understood.

The three eighth-realm Eminent Ones had all sensed the presence of that spiritual energy. However, only Caiyi had entered the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda before. Because she was familiar with its power, she was the first to recognize it and understand its true nature.

As long as someone with the bloodline of demons and monsters approached, they would never reach the bottom.

Among their group, only one and a half people qualified. Chu Liang counted as one, while Daoist Yan counted as half. Originally, Chu Liang should not have been affected. However, it was possible that riding on the Azure Dragon had caused him to be rejected by the same spiritual force that blocked the others.

That was exactly why the powerful devilish being had to rely on a human vessel to descend in its place.

"That works out nicely. You two hold off these puppets for now. I’ll go meet this devil embryo and see what it’s capable of. Chu Liang, head down to the bottom on your own," Daoist Yan said, shooting upward with a twisting motion.

With just a few words, she disappeared into the light above. This sinkhole had seemed bottomless when they were descending, but now, as Caiyi had suspected, one could reach the top in just moments.

In terms of raw power, Daoist Cangyun and Daoist Cangqiu, who had been twisted into devil-like beings, were certainly no match for Caiyi and the Azure Dragon. However, it would be impossible for Caiyi and the Azure Dragon to kill them. Empowered by diabolical qi, their resilience now seemed nearly equal to that of the azure dragon himself.

Boom, boom, boooooooom!

Another series of explosions erupted as the Azure Dragon and Caiyi launched wave after wave of fierce attacks at Daoist Cangyun and Daoist Cangqiu.

Only Chu Liang, following Daoist Yan’s instructions, turned and descended alone. Before long, he had left the battlefield far behind. Then, he saw a faint glimmer of morning light.

Thud.

Just as he had expected, now that he was alone, he landed firmly on solid ground.

…

Sensing the aura in his surroundings, he felt a faint stirring from the White Pagoda within his body.

Could it really be the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda? he wondered.

The terrain ahead was dark and jagged, with only a narrow beam of dawn-like light pointing the way forward. Chu Liang moved toward it and soon discovered the light was seeping through a crack in the mountainside. He transformed into wind and barely slipped through the narrow gap. When his form reassembled on the other side, the scene before him left him stunned.

It was a damp, gloomy cave, filled with a heavy stillness. At its center stood a glowing golden apparition in the shape of a massive monkey demon. Most people might not have recognized it, but Chu Liang knew exactly what it was.

Isn’t this just like the golden imprints the White Pagoda absorbed every time I kill a demon? Then this place…

Chu Liang glanced around and thought, Could this cave also be some kind of prison?

The moment he saw the golden apparition, his first instinct was to check for the refining character.

With something this large and radiant, it has to produce something valuable, he thought.

"At last... someone has come…"

The golden apparition before him suddenly spoke, as though it had just awakened from a deep slumber or had been waiting for this day all along. Though it used human speech, its voice came out rough and broken, as if a blade were lodged in its throat. It was clear this being had not spoken in a very long time.

"You…" Chu Liang asked in surprise, "You are alive?"

In the past, golden apparitions like this only appeared after a demon had died. He hadn’t expected the one before him to still retain consciousness, let alone be a living presence.

But the moment the words left his mouth, he realized they sounded rather rude. He quickly forced an awkward smile and said, "What I meant was, I didn’t expect to find a living being down here…"

"It’s all right," the golden apparition said. Its voice sounded deep and heavy. "Whether I am alive or dead, even I can no longer tell..."

"Esteemed senior…" Chu Liang wanted to ask more, but didn’t know where to begin. After a brief pause, he asked, "Have you been down here for a long time?"

"I do not know how long it has been," the apparition replied. Its voice was slow and unsteady, like that of someone lingering on the edge of death. "First, tell me this. Is the world above still ruled by the Yu Dynasty? If so, how many years has it been since the dynasty was founded?"

"Yes," Chu Liang answered. "It has been over six hundred and eighty years since the founding of the Yu Dynasty."

"Ah…" The golden apparition let out a long sigh. "Then I’ve been down here for over five hundred years."

Over five hundred years?

Hearing that, Chu Liang immediately asked, "Esteemed senior, did you fall down here along with the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda?"

The first thought that crossed Chu Liang’s mind was that the demon had fallen along with the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. If that were the case, then this place was likely one of its shattered cells. The creature before him must have been a prisoner who had somehow survived.

"Yes," the golden apparition replied. Then it asked, "You came from the outside. Which immortal sect do you belong to?"

Chu Liang paused to consider. Judging by the demon’s current state, he didn’t feel the slightest sense of danger. The fact that it could still maintain divine intelligence in such a condition was already extraordinary. There was no way it retained any real combat strength. Even if it had once been suppressed by the Mount Shu Sect with the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, what could it possibly do to retaliate now?

He even found himself wondering whether, if a fight did break out, he could simply seal the being into the White Pagoda. After all, aside from the golden apparition, it didn’t seem to have an actual body left.

With that in mind, Chu Liang answered truthfully, "I am a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect."

"Mount Shu?" The golden apparition stirred at the name, and its voice lifted slightly. "I… I too was a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect…"

"What?" Chu Liang’s expression shifted. "Are you…"

"I… I was of the same generation as Lu Wuqi. You’ve heard of him, haven’t you?" the golden apparition asked eagerly. "My name is Yan Renjie!"