"Trouble? This is my honor. If it weren't for you saving me, I'd be a dead man by now!"

Li Zong said with genuine sincerity on his face.

Upon hearing Li Zong's words, everyone immediately had a better impression of him, obviously affirming that good deeds indeed have rewards.

After a short while, Ding Fan and the others noticed that the Yuan Beast outside had disappeared, suggesting it was relatively safe outside. With Li Zong leading the way, there was no need for everyone to blindly search for Thunder Abyss. Ding Fan felt somewhat grateful to Li Zong for this but was more intrigued to understand what Li Zong's real intentions were.

However, Ding Fan didn't say anything more, merely following Li Zong towards Thunder Abyss. Along the way, He Qianyao and the two divine warrior girls got along with Li Zong very well. Clearly, Li Zong's personality seemed more endearing to the girls compared to Ding Fan's colder demeanor.

Ye Ningbing gazed at Ding Fan, appearing thoughtful for a moment. She evidently knew Ding Fan well and seemed to have discerned some of his thoughts, but couldn't be certain. Still, Ye Ningbing sensed that Ding Fan wasn't particularly fond of Li Zong, so she simply followed Ding Fan, occasionally engaging in small talk with him.

Ye Ningbing only smiled politely at Li Zong without saying much.

With Li Zong leading the way, their pace clearly quickened, and soon Ding Fan and the group saw a gorge with incessant thunder. Numerous thunderclouds hovered over the gorge, deeply overcast, with hints of purple, obviously holding a lot of thunderbolts that could strike at any moment.

Seeing this scene, everyone knew they were close to Thunder Abyss.

On the way, they encountered some small Yuan Beasts, but Li Zong managed to eliminate all of them without Ding Fan needing to intervene. What interested Ding Fan was that while Li Zong was ruthless when killing the Yuan Beasts, he turned gentler upon noticing the divine warrior girls frown, sparing some of the beasts.

The contrast was quite stark, making Ding Fan find it amusing how Li Zong used every tactic to win the girls' favor, and it worked. The two girls looked at Li Zong with newfound respect and admiration.

The girls' admiration even seemed to surpass their regard for Ding Fan, which didn't bother him. He was just pondering what exactly Li Zong's motives were.

It appeared normal, but Ding Fan was convinced Li Zong harbored impure intentions.

Beyond the two divine warrior girls, even He Qianyao was showing some goodwill towards Li Zong.

Ding Fan didn't mind much, certain that the fox would eventually reveal its tail.

Soon, the group arrived at the entrance of Thunder Abyss, standing near it; everyone could feel the ominous atmosphere inside.

Thunder clapped all around, and even inside the abyss, the sky was ominously dark, indicating how dangerous it was. Ding Fan was keenly aware of this since his extraordinary perception made him acutely sensitive to the danger.

Even though Ding Fan knew this wasn't a safe place and expected danger inside, arriving near Thunder Abyss made him furrow his brow. He sensed something was unusual here — it wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Ding Fan could feel that Thunder Abyss felt different than usual. Though he'd never been there, he sensed a hint of bloodthirst in the air. Clearly, things inside hadn't been calm lately. Ding Fan knew the two divine warrior girls had a mission, but he also understood that staying alive was more critical than completing the mission. Besides, if they couldn't finish the mission today, they could always return another day.

"There's something eerie here. I suggest we come back another day."

At this moment, Ding Fan looked at everyone with a solemn expression.

Hearing Ding Fan's words, He Qianyao was taken aback. Though she knew Thunder Abyss was dangerous, everyone was aware of that. Why would Ding Fan suddenly want to back out? That wasn't like him. Could there really be something wrong here?

He Qianyao looked at Ding Fan, noting his serious expression, indicating he had perceived an issue. But what exactly was the problem?

For a moment, He Qianyao was unsure and turned to ask Ding Fan:

"Why, Ding Fan? We finally got here."

"The aura here is unusual."

Ding Fan responded with a grave face upon hearing her question. Though he wasn't entirely sure of the problem, his intuition, which was usually very accurate given his exceptional perception ability, warned him.

Hearing Ding Fan and He Qianyao's conversation, the two divine warrior girls looked serious. Although it was disappointing to turn back after coming so far, if there was great danger inside, risking their lives would be even less worthwhile.

For a moment, the two girls hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Oh, come on, we're already here. Let's go in. Thunder Abyss is always like this. If it weren't, it wouldn't be called Thunder Abyss, right? Plus, I am here to guide you — I've been here many times and can ensure nothing will go wrong. Trust me!"

At this moment, Li Zong spoke eagerly, giving the impression that he genuinely hoped everyone would enter. Clearly, Ding Fan was the most sensitive to this feeling, as he was now certain that this guy had ill intentions.

Moreover, everyone had already arrived near the Thunder Abyss. It was obvious that Li Zong's words were somewhat too definitive now—what did "absolutely safe" mean? Even though the opponent's cultivation was decent, in the Late Nascent Soul Stage, it wasn't invincible in the Cultivation World, let alone in the perilous Thunder Abyss.

Li Zong's current words were certainly very different from what he said initially. This time, his statements seemed too absolute, as if he were afraid others might leave, and his nervousness was akin to having a meal-snared morsel about to escape.

For a moment, Ding Fan appeared to be deep in thought. He even had the illusion that the unusualness of the Thunder Abyss was directly related to Li Zong.

However, not everyone thought this way; it was just Ding Fan himself. At this time, apart from Ye Ningbing, who remained silent and chose to trust Ding Fan, the others couldn't help but nod in agreement after hearing Li Zong's words:

"Big Brother Li is right; since we've come, there's no reason not to enter. And with Big Brother Li here and so many of us, there won't be any problems."

At this moment, He Qianyao smiled at Li Zong and then agreed wholeheartedly.

Two young divine warrior girls also heard Li Zong's words and couldn't help but say with assurance:

"Yes, with Big Brother Li protecting us, we won't have any issues."

"Yes, I agree too."

The two young divine warrior girls agreed wholeheartedly. Obviously, they trusted Li Zong greatly, even more than Ding Fan.

When Ding Fan heard everyone's words, he couldn't help but frown slightly, then secretly sighed, and with a calm expression, he said:

"In that case, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Ye Ningbing heard Ding Fan's words and then clung to his arm, saying:

"I believe you."

Ye Ningbing's voice was soft, only Ding Fan could hear it. Ding Fan smiled gratefully at Ye Ningbing, knowing that Ye Ningbing understood him best. Despite Ding Fan not expressing much throughout the journey, the perceptive Ye Ningbing had still noticed some of his worries.

When everyone heard Ding Fan say this, they proceeded directly into the Thunder Abyss.

Li Zong, seeing this scene, felt inwardly delighted, and couldn't help but cast a cunning glance at the two young divine warrior girls.

It was clear that his focus was on these two little girls.

When everyone entered the Thunder Abyss, they quickly found there were few plants, only scattered rocks everywhere. The dense thunderclouds in the sky were so gloomy that it seemed like they could thunder at any moment, and the air was filled with a terrifying aura, creating an extremely suppressive atmosphere.

Feeling all this, everyone couldn't help but feel tense. Then Li Zong asked the two young divine warrior girls:

"Are you looking for some treasure? If I know what it is, I can guide you to it."

The two young divine warrior girls heard his words, and their expressions became solemn as they said:

"We're looking for the 'Gathering Spirit Herb', a spiritual material that's very useful for our Spiritual Cultivation and is extremely rare."

Upon hearing the words of one young divine warrior girl, everyone was stunned. They didn't expect the target to be the 'Gathering Spirit Herb'. This spiritual material is extremely precious, clearly not something ordinary cultivators can obtain; even Spirit Severing Period cultivators would fight desperately for it due to its immense value to cultivators.

It's said that cultivators below the Emergence Stage who take a Gathering Spirit Herb would immediately die because of its powerful medicinal effects. Only those in the Emergence Stage and above dare to consume it, and even then, it could be fatal. Cultivators in the Emergence Stage or above can directly advance two ranks by consuming the Gathering Spirit Herb.

Whether at the middle or late Spirit Severing Stage, just consuming a Gathering Spirit Herb can immediately help a cultivator break through to the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, akin to ascending to the heavens. Such a spiritual material is absolutely unavailable in the market and can only be obtained by chance for cultivators.

However, if obtained by a weaker cultivator, it could instead become a disaster for them, inevitably eliciting attacks from stronger cultivators.

Such a rare spiritual material is so precious that not only do ordinary cultivators seldom see it, but a large number of cultivators have never even heard of it, as it typically circulates only among high-level cultivators.

Upon hearing the young girl's words, Ding Fan couldn't help but be shocked. He was aware of this type of spiritual material, and seeking to obtain it here would definitely not be an easy task.