CHAPTER 355: CHAPTER 230: ABYSSAL DEMON, HOW CAN YOU HARM ME_2

After a few more brief words, Lu Qingling regained her usual icy demeanor, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Thank you, Senior Sister Lu."

Jiang Shu nodded his thanks, not bothering to explain further.

The group quickly followed Lu Qingling, soaring through the air and landing atop an Outer Disciple peak.

On the peak, several Outer Disciples waited.

The Underground Abyss was like another world—throughout the entire Cang Mang Domain, there existed different abyssal entrances. Yet those entrances were all perilous beyond compare; anyone daring to step into them was unparalleled in Divine Skills.

But within the True Martial Sect, every Underground Abyss accessible by Formation teleportation had been cleared repeatedly by the stewards and elders, reducing the danger to its lowest, making it available for Outer and some servant disciples to train.

After a few breaths, Yuan Xuan and his group also arrived at once. Under the stimulation of the great Formation, the two teams teleported together.

The Underground Abyss knew neither day nor night, with only some strange plants on the ground emitting eerie light.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was extremely scarce.

"This place was nothing like the Cang Mang Domain, especially for you servant disciples who hadn’t yet reached Furnace Fire Realm— you must stay extremely vigilant. In the Underground Abyss, what filled the air most wasn’t Yuan Qi, but Demonic Qi."

"This Demonic Qi nourished the Demon, and when my junior sisters and I suppress and kill the Demons, you’ll need to help us handle any stray Souls that show up."

"These Souls were born from Fierce Beast deaths here. They weren’t that strong, but since they lingered in the abyss for so long, their spiritual power and Magic Power mingled, so if they assaulted us mid-fight, it’d cause serious trouble."

Watching Yuan Xuan’s team depart, Lu Qingling strode ahead and said, "Everything has its gains and losses, and for all of you, the Underground Abyss might be horribly dangerous, but if you manage to stay here with us for ten days and nights, you can temper your spiritual power. And if you’re lucky enough to kill a Demon, you might even glimpse the gate to Furnace Fire Realm."

"Here in the True Martial Sect, quite a few servant disciples broke through in the Underground Abyss. Between life and death lies tremendous terror. Survive it, and that’ll be the day you start forging your way as a Martial Artist."

Demons were a unique product of the Underground Abyss, birthed from pure Demonic Qi and spiritual power, and what they loved most was powerful flesh and blood.

Therefore, whenever cultivators from the Human Clan stepped into the Underground Abyss, a Demon attack would not be far behind.

As she explained, stray Souls already began to assail them, and the ten servant disciples all produced their Treasures to attack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Souls of Fierce Beasts roared in fury, but these attacks, faced by servant disciples already at the peak of Detachment Realm and just a step away from Furnace Fire Realm, hardly meant anything at all.

One Treasure after another radiated boundless might, annihilating every last Soul.

"Senior Sister Lu, didn’t expect to see you here?"

Out of the distant mist stepped several figures. Yuan Xuan greeted with a smile, "This Underground Abyss is too dangerous—how about we join forces..."

"Quit your posturing!"

Lu Qingling gave a low shout, rousing the few servant disciples lulled by the Illusion Realm out of their guard, her longsword flaring to its brightest, and struck with a single thrust!

"Splat!"

Yuan Xuan’s figure dissolved in the sword light, scattering into a flickering shadow, rolling out chilling Yin, the magic power in the air surging forth like a tide.

This was not Yuan Xuan, but a Demon!

The Demon was newly formed, lacking much intelligence, but once it killed a few Human Clan cultivators, it could extract wisdom directly from a human’s brain, making it ever-shifting, wily and unpredictable, impossible to guard against.

Clearly, this Demon must have slaughtered plenty.

If it could mimic Yuan Xuan’s appearance, it likely had its sights set on both teams from the very start.

"Everyone, be careful. Each trip into the Underground Abyss, Outer Disciples fall. Don’t let your guard down!"

To the three junior sisters, Lu Qingling charged directly into the mist and engaged the Demon in close battle. Her spiritual power was utterly focused, her Sword Intent slicing through every nearby Soul, her attack stabbing straight through the Demon’s skull.

Normally, a Demon might have died on the spot.

But this one only turned into seething gusts of cold wind, and as those dark winds whipped about, the mist grew denser and thicker, cloaking everyone at once.

"Senior Sister Lu, I offered my good will, and this is how you treat me?"

"Senior Sister Lu, your body is exquisite, such immense blood and flesh energy."

"Senior Sister Lu... Senior Sister Lu..."

Within the mist, the Demon’s voice varied from pitiful to lewd, launching waves of aural assault straight into every disciple’s ears.

*In just a few short breaths, among the ten servant disciples, three had dropped to the ground clutching their ears. One stared vacantly, drooling, already invaded and swallowed by the Demon—a spiritual power devoured, a mind lost.*

"There’s more than one Demon!"

Lu Qingling frowned, *How could things go so wrong right out of the gate? She had expected that some servant disciples would die in the Underground Abyss, but still—* *To have someone so seriously injured before the first day was even done, that’d only make the road ahead even harder.*

"Kill!"

True Fire surged; with Lu Qingling’s swordplay, the whole world turned frigid, as if snow drifted down—a clear sign of Divine Skills!

Under the weight of Divine Skills, the mist’s concealment faded by over half, revealing several Demons in succession.

"Senior Sister, let us help!"

The three Outer female disciples shouted, each unleashing her own Divine Skills, their Primordial Power raging within, forming unstoppable blasts to strike straight at the Demons.

The fight inside the mist only grew fiercer.

Finally, Lu Qingling slew one Demon. She summoned a Spirit Rank Treasure gourd, collecting all the Demon’s Demonic Qi and spiritual power within.

"This is my Spirit Rank Treasure, the Evil-Nurturing Gourd—it can draw the Demon’s dying energy and forge it into Evil Qi. That Evil Qi is spectacular for Alchemy and Artifact Refining. You servant disciples, if you fight bravely and help suppress the Souls, I’ll reward you with a strand of Evil Qi in future."

Her sword flashed like snowflakes; Lu Qingling charged at a second Demon to kill.

*All her Spirit had to be poured into suppressing and killing the Demons—there was no time to deal with the Souls swarming in. Her offer of reward was meant to incite the servant disciples to go all out, no holding back.*

She even glanced over at Jiang Shu as she spoke.

*"Heavenly Intent True Self Fist" at Perfection, and able to stand against Ye Huang... Hopefully this servant disciple would bring her a surprise.*

As long as they could hold the Souls off for a quarter hour, she’d be confident—she and her sisters would wipe out the remaining five Demons!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Under the Demons’ command, the Souls charged in recklessly, Treasures and their Treasure Patterns blazing, but even so, with the Souls attacking like a beast tide, some servant disciples were still overwhelmed and devoured.

"Delicious! Delicious! Too bad, not Furnace Fire Realm! Peak Detachment Realm’s just an appetizer..."

Out of the Souls suddenly burst another Demon. It devoured a young woman from Chores Peak mid-laughter, its wisdom surging, its laughter wild. Its gaze now brimmed with even more cunning, at once taunting Lu Qingling and scanning the surrounding servant disciples.

"Now it’s your turn! Haha! Huh, never thought there’d be a man hiding among you girls—and still Pure Yang, how wonderful, absolutely wonderful!"

After surveying the group, this Demon fixed its gaze right on Jiang Shu, the air rippling with Yin winds, its eyes glinting in greed. In an instant, it morphed into Lu Qingling’s form and lunged at Jiang Shu.

"Come on, give me your body. I’m your beloved Senior Sister Lu, aren’t I? I need your flesh—don’t you want to give me everything?"

"Give you shit! Get lost!"

*While the Demon’s shape-shifting technique was crude, its spiritual power was easily enough to bewilder a Martial Artist at Detachment Realm.*

But this time, it found Jiang Shu standing before it—not some random weakling.

This was a peak Detachment Realm Martial Artist.

This was someone who had forged his Holy Embryo.

This was Jiang Shu, who had trained "Heavenly Intent True Self Fist" to Perfection!

The thirty-six-move fist art flew from Jiang Shu’s hands, instantly becoming one cohesive punch.

All his essence, spirit, and vitality exploded as one, directed outward.

That single punch embodied the intent of Heaven itself—evil could not touch him, his true self proven with every strike!