“I won’t follow you any further from here. Be mindful of your actions,” Xu Zimo instructed.
Chaos gave a slight nod.
After parting ways with Chaos, Xu Zimo returned to the Nine Heavens.
Behind him, the Shadow Tyrant surged with black and violet blade aura. Xu Zimo carried it across his back.
At the moment, much of the Shadow Tyrant’s willpower was still incomplete, something Chaos would have to help him restore.
“Let’s go. We’ll find that Old Man of the Abyss again,” Xu Zimo said to Xie Changliu.
The two of them leapt downward, diving into the depths of the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss.
Ever since the sealing formation had been activated, the diagram above had become more and more vibrant with the energy of Yin and Yang.
The connection between this place and the outside world was growing weaker, as though it were transforming into an independent realm.
Their figures landed once again before the nameless tombstone from before.
The Old Man of the Abyss appeared immediately, the ancient head gazed upon them, his countless arms crawling with black crows and vultures.
It seemed those creatures were his pets.
“So? Have you two thought it through?” the old man asked with a smile.
“Send us out,” Xu Zimo said flatly.
“As for payment, is sparing your life enough?”
“What the hell are you saying?” The old man’s eyes narrowed, his tone turning cold. “My patience is limited. Don’t waste my time.”
“Send us out, and I’ll consider sparing your life. Such a simple thing, do you not understand?” Xu Zimo asked.
“To threaten me within the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss is... unwise,” the Old Man of the Abyss replied calmly.
As his voice fell, the ground trembled violently. Countless cracks spread out beneath their feet.
The old man’s countless arms whipped around like monstrous tentacles, lashing through the air from every direction.
A sinister aura spread outward, thick with the stench of death.
“Well? Have you two decided yet?”
Xu Zimo smiled faintly and snapped his fingers.
In that instant, three overwhelming auras of Primal Dao burst from the void, the pressure of Saint Sovereigns that could crush all beneath it.
All the tentacles were immediately forced still under that oppressive might.
Paimon, Seven-Face, and Red-Blade Bull Demon all tore through the void, stepping forth from the God World.
Darkness fell across the land. The demonic energy rose high, suppressing the evil aura of the abyss itself.
The three stood in four directions, surrounding the Old Man of the Abyss like predators.
“Now then... Could you repeat what you just said?” Xu Zimo asked with an easy smile.
The old man froze, speechless.
He stared at the three figures before him, the vast power of Saint Sovereigns radiating from their bodies.
They did nothing, merely stood there, yet their presence alone filled him with unbearable pressure.
It was said that the Mortal Ascension Heaven had only one Saint Sovereign, Brahma, a being unseen for countless ages.
But now, with three Saint Sovereigns standing before him, he truly understood what it meant to be overwhelmed.
“Who… who are you people?!” the Old Man of the Abyss asked, his voice trembling.
“That’s none of your concern,” Xu Zimo said. “Sending us out is your only choice.”
“You can’t kill me! If I die, you’ll never have a way out,” the old man quickly said.
“This seal was created by a Saint Sovereign as well. If we pooled our strength, we could break it. We’ve just been too lazy to bother,” Xu Zimo replied calmly. “Now, I’ll give you a chance to live. Send us out, and you’ll keep your life.”
“How can I trust you? What if you go back on your word?” the old man asked.
“As you said yourself, believe, and there’s a chance to live. Don’t believe, and death is certain,” Xu Zimo replied evenly.
Hearing that, the Old Man of the Abyss fell silent.
With such power before him, fighting was impossible.
All he could do was find a way to survive.
“Well? Have you decided? Don’t waste our time,” Xu Zimo said quietly.
“…Fine. I’ll send you out,” the old man finally said. “But in return, I’ll tell you a secret.”
“What is it?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Do you know why Ghost God Kui sealed away his Evil Spirit here instead of destroying them?” the old man said.
Xu Zimo frowned slightly and shook his head.
In truth, he didn’t particularly care.
“The evil soul is part of Kui himself. If it dies, he dies as well,” the old man explained. “So he trapped it rather than kill it. You understand now?”
“Yeah, whatever. This has nothing to do with me. Just send us all out,” Xu Zimo said.
The Old Man of the Abyss looked upward. Around him, waves of evil energy surged forth.
As more and more of it poured out, the entire Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss began to spin.
All around, the landscape distorted, demonic mist rose to the heavens, and flocks of ravens screeched as they circled in madness.
“Open!” the old man bellowed.
Countless tentacles stretched toward the sky. The great Yin-Yang diagram radiated with power, rippling violently.
The wind howled; the black fog thickened.
The heavens took on the aspect of doomsday.
With a thunderous rumbling, a crack tore open in the Yin-Yang Diagram, a thin rift glowing faintly within the darkness.
“Go! I can’t hold it much longer!” the old man shouted.
Paimon, Seven-Face, and Red-Blade Bull Demon all stepped through, returning to the God World.
Xu Zimo and Xie Changliu rose into the air. Before leaving, Xie Changliu grabbed Jiang Mozhi with one hand and followed behind Xu Zimo.
The Yin-Yang Diagram was surging with endless storms and sealing energy.
Xu Zimo’s Shadow Tyrant cleaved through the raging winds, his body cutting forward like a ship against the tide, charging straight through the rift in the diagram.
The void before them shattered, as if a barrier had been split apart.
Once they broke through the formation, Xu Zimo felt a rush of freedom.
Even the air itself seemed fresher.
Down below, the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss had been an eternal darkness, choked with evil mist.
Now, with sunlight pouring down, Xu Zimo found himself almost dazed.
Xie Changliu’s figure appeared behind him soon after.
He looked around, they had emerged at the same spot where Qingfeng had led them in before.
Looking down, the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss below was in complete upheaval, more violent than ever.
…
“Chancellor, what will you do now?” Xie Changliu asked Jiang Mozhi.
“Though I’ve escaped, I’ve lost all my cultivation. Facing that Evil Spirit directly, I have no chance of victory,” Jiang Mozhi replied.
“For now, I must find a way to contact the Ghost God Collegium.”
Xu Zimo glanced at him and said after a pause,
“I’ve no interest in the affairs of your Celestial Sage Academy. Saving you was already a mercy.”
“Didn’t we plan to go to the Ghost God Heaven?” Xie Changliu said beside him.
“That Evil Spirit’s promise clearly can’t be trusted. We might as well help him contact the Ghost God Collegium, and as payment, he can use the Celestial Sage Academy’s teleportation array to send us to the Ghost God Heaven.”
“You just want to help your alma mater,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.
“It’s a win-win. I’m only making a suggestion, the choice is yours,” Xie Changliu replied.