Heavenly Punishment Abyss First Layer.

    At its center lies a perilous place known as the Dark Dead Land, which no life spirit should approach, not even the Abyss Demons dare enter. In the Dark Dead Land, countless Dead Spirit Beings exist. Stepping onto its ground, a ghastly white Skull can emerge from anywhere.

    Endless Dead Spirit Beings are only one aspect.

    Most importantly, within the Dark Dead Land, there is a supreme King, known as the Skull King. It is said that in his early years, the Skull King was also one of the ninety-nine Dukes of the First Layer. Eleven thousand one hundred years ago, when the previous Abyss Master left for the thirty-seventh layer of the Abyss, the Skull King overwhelmed all contenders and became the new Abyss Master, seizing the Abyss Authority.

    Taking the Dark Dead Land as his stronghold, from then on, no one could challenge the Skull King''s supreme status.

    On this day.

    Inside the Dark Dead Land.

    A Skull radiating Xuan Light was seated in the depths underground.

    Surrounding it, the dark death qi accumulated, with countless ghostly flames flickering all around. The Skull''s body gleamed with Xuan Light, resembling jade stone. Waves of mysterious energy emanated, vastly different from the countless skull undead in the Dark Dead Land.

    Within the eye sockets.

    The ghostly flames flickered.

    Continuously cultivating, its body''s Death Qi was being refined, imperceptibly contained.

    Suddenly——

    The ghostly flames in the Skull''s eyes leapt fiercely, as it looked up. Showing a human-like puzzled expression, it vanished from the depths without a gesture. When it reappeared, it was already above ground in the Dark Dead Land, where the darkness was thick and Death Qi dense.

    "Who might you be?"

    The Skull asked, its voice echoing as it looked at the cloaked youth in a Profound Green Daoist Robe, surveying his attire and sensing his energy, it did not rashly attack.

    "To think that the mighty Skull King, the Abyss First Layer''s Master, would hide in the Dark Dead Land, practicing my Immortal Dao Method."

    Luo Gu tucked his hands behind his back, a trace of amusement on his lips.

    "You actually know my identity."

    The Skull King''s puzzlement deepened, yet before him stood a cultivator of the Immortal Dao, and he was hesitant to strike, continuing to ask, "What is your relationship with Master Guangyuan of Zhenyuan Mountain?"

    "Zhenyuan Mountain?"

    Luo Gu replied with a smirk, "Once I have taken the Abyss Authority from you, I shall certainly pay a visit to Fellow Daoist Guangyuan. For now——"

    "Strangers we are," Luo Gu declared cheerfully.

    "You wish to take my place as the Abyss Master?"

    The Skull King shook its head, "I cannot give this to you."

    Upon hearing this, Luo Gu shook his head, "Seeing that you have some Dao ability and have not cultivated in vain, why not willingly offer the Authority? My sect could use someone like you. If you prove yourself, I might allow you to join my Peach Blossom Sect."

    "The Abyss Authority, I shall eventually present to Zhenyuan Mountain."

    "You had better leave. Since you practice the Immortal Dao, I shall not engage you," said the Skull King, shaking its head.

    "Zhenyuan Mountain?"

    Hearing the name again, Luo Gu''s smile faded, "So be it. I shall send you on your way to liberate you from this undead state."

    During this exchange.

    He waved his sleeve, and a Gale stirred up, causing the dead qi to transform into a mysterious energy.

    Wuuu wuuu!

    The Yin Winds howled as if numerous souls were muddling the mind.

    "You''ve gone too far!"

    Seeing this, the Skull King spat out a ray of Xuan Light to block the Yin Winds, but the ghostly flames in its eye sockets trembled erratically under immense pressure.

    "Very good."

    "You''ve cultivated this Demon Technique to some degree of Fire Control."

    Luo Gu smiled lightly, and with another wave of his sleeve, Divine Light emerged, driving back the death qi in all ten directions of the Dark Dead Land, dissipating Yin Souls and reducing skeletons to ash.

    "This is bad!"

    The Skull King felt a surge of alarm. Extending a hand into the Void, a scepter materialized in its grip. With a swift motion, the Skull King vanished from sight.

    At the instant he disappeared, the Divine Light struck down.

    In an instant.

    "Ah, ah, ah!"

    "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

    Throughout the heaven and earth, countless Dead Souls screamed in agony before vanishing in a moment.

    The next instant, a three hundred li radius of land became transparent, as death qi surged and vanished, leaving countless bones turned to dust and causing the land to sink several meters.

    "The Abyss Scepter?"

    Luo Gu caught a glimpse of the scepter the Skull King conjured before vanishing, his smile widening. His robes billowing, he stepped forward and likewise disappeared.

    ...

    Zhenyuan Mountain.

    Ferdinand stumbled as he hurried towards the Cloud Platform.

    "Roar!"

    Beside the Cloud Platform, Nehem, the Eclipse Duke, roared at Ferdinand like an Evil Demon.

    Ferdinand ignored him, landing on the Cloud Platform and cried out to Lu Qingfeng, "Sect Leader, save me!"

    On the Lotus Platform.

    Lu Qingfeng was surrounded by a flow of Evil Qi and Gang Qi, unraveling endless mysteries.

    His power had clearly entered the Gathering Law Realm.

    Condensing Evil and Refining Gang.

    Advancing towards the Golden Core Realm.

    Just a regular Gathering Law Realm cultivator needs only to condense a single layer of Gang Sha, but Lu Qingfeng, with his Nine Revolutions True Body, must refine all nine layers of Gang Sha.

    The difficulty is greater and it takes even more time.

    In the 311 years since entering the Barbarian God Realm, in the first two years, with the help of 30 million Experience Value, Lu Qingfeng''s cultivation level directly soared to the middle phase of the Solid Pill.

    And after forging his True Body, he took 200 years to ascend to the Gathering Law Realm.

    Over the next hundred years, he searched all over the Abyss for places rich in Gang Sha, condensing and refining it. The land of the Abyss, filled with danger at every turn, has veins of Yin Sha everywhere, even surpassing those of the Galaxy Realm''s Blue Star.

    In just a hundred years,

    Lu Qingfeng has already condensed three layers of Gang Sha, making progress at Divine Speed. He has long since refined three layers of mana, far beyond what ordinary Gathering Law Realm True Men could compare to.

    "The Sect Leader has grown stronger again."

    Ferdinand, seeing this, felt the surge in power first-hand, his heart both shocked and further settled.

    The stronger the Sect Leader''s power, the more likely he is to rescue him from that person''s clutches.

    Lu Qingfeng saw the panic in Ferdinand and his gaze paused on his left shoulder, where the Xuan Jade Unmelting Bone was charred black, likely to turn to dust at the slightest touch.

    "What happened?"

    With Ferdinand''s strength, only a powerful individual could inflict such damage. Moreover, from the char on his shoulder, Lu Qingfeng could sense the mana and the hint of Divine Skills.

    In the Barbarian God Realm outside of his Zhenyuan Mountain lineage, it seemed only the Reincarnated True Immortals of the two Great Powers from the heavens were capable of this.

    "Six hundred years."

    "Looking at it this way, yes, they would have such capability."

    Lu Qingfeng examined Ferdinand''s shoulder injury, his thoughts heavy.

    Ferdinand''s eyes flickered madly as he spoke rapidly, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, Ferdinand''s true form is the Skull King of the Dark Dead Land. Currently, an Immortal Dao cultivator from outside the Heavenly Punishment Abyss is pursuing me. It was not my intention to deceive; I beg for the Sect Leader to save me!"

    "So it''s the Abyss Master of the First Layer."

    Lu Qingfeng gave a slight nod.

    Three hundred years ago, when he first met Ferdinand, he noticed his extraordinariness, but due to the chaotic Heavenly Mechanism, he could draw no conclusions. Adding to that, Ferdinand had been diligent and meritorious over the three hundred years, Lu Qingfeng did not pursue the matter.

    Today, in the face of danger, Ferdinand finally revealed himself.

    "The Abyss Master holds Abyss Authority, blessed by the Abyss Will, no wonder I could not calculate it."

    Lu Qingfeng thought to himself and stood up from the stone lotus seat.

    With one step, he disappeared from sight.

    "Thank you, Sect Leader!"

    Seeing this, Ferdinand rejoiced greatly, thanked him, and hastily followed Lu Qingfeng toward the Dark Dead Land.

    "Roar!"

    Nehem, who was tied on the Cloud Platform, saw Lu Qingfeng and Ferdinand departing together, his eyes turning, and suddenly, he jerked his head to ram against the Cloud Platform.

    But this turn of his head only led him to discover a figure sitting on the stone lotus seat, eyes bright, watching him with a smile that was not quite a smile.

    "Ancestor Master, spare my life!"

    Startled, Nehem didn''t dare to ram again and quickly knelt down, pleading non-stop.

    "Incorrigible."

    "Punishing you to carry mountains for sixty years to grind away the demonic nature in your heart."

    As the voice fell,

    the Cloud Platform cracked open, revealing a bottomless Abyss.

    "Ancestor Master, spare me, I will not dare again!" Upon seeing the Abyss, fear showed in Nehem''s eyes, and he kept begging for mercy. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Lu Qingfeng paid no heed.

    With a sweep of his sleeve, Nehem fell straight into the Abyss. With another thought, the Abyss closed, leaving only Nehem''s head exposed among the suppressed mountains, his fierce face filled with anguish wailing and roaring incessantly.

    In the Thorny Rift Valley, within the relentless magma, three hideous heads emerged, six eyes showing contempt, "Three hundred years and still not giving up, such a dimwit!"

    His voice boomed, echoing beneath the magma, and the three heads retreated back into the roiling magma and disappeared.

    …

    Dark Dead Land.

    A white light fled ahead, pursued incessantly by a shadowy light.

    The white light ahead was none other than the Skull King, wielding the Abyss Authority Rod, creating barriers upon barriers and employing the might of heaven and earth to resist. Meanwhile, Luo Guyue, dressed in white, fluttering with the wind, wielded her sleeves with each wave, shooting streaks of shadowy light across the sky, confronting the might of heaven and earth, causing the Skull King to continually be driven back, his body''s Xuan Jade Light flickering.

    "You Daoist, stop pushing me too far."

    "I am a Dharma Protector Venerable, personally sealed by Master Guangyuan of Zhenyuan Mountain lineage. We are both of the Immortal Dao, so why so aggressive!?"

    Ferdinand felt aggrieved.

    In these three hundred years, he listened to the Dao and converted to the Immortal Dao, his strength multiplied many times from three hundred years before. Especially his skeletal frame, now as tough as a Magic Artifact. With the Abyss Authority Rod in hand, the power of heaven and earth he could marshal was also far greater than before.

    However, even so.

    Under the shadowy light of the Daoist, he dared not make a stand.

    "This shadowy light causes the Soul Losing and is a bane to all Dead Spirits!" Seeing how many Dead Souls in the Dark Dead Land turned into a pile of bones and Qing Yan under this shadowy light, Ferdinand felt a surge of anger and helplessness.

    Firstly, his strength was not comparable, and secondly, he was countered badly in terms of magic and skills. He could only barely maintain his life with the Abyss Authority Rod, without the strength to counterattack.

    "Oh?"

    "So there is such a connection with that Daoist, no wonder you could obtain a decent Immortal Dao Method."

    Hearing this, Luo Guyue did not stop her hands, but her face showed an interested look, "Since that''s the case, it seems that Guangyuan Daoist friend must be on his way here, saving me the trouble of going to Zhenyuan Mountain."

    The battle for Dao is a fight to the death, it''s either us or them.

    Regardless of which Great Power the Guangyuan belonged to, unless it was of the Nine Immortals Mountain Peach Blossom Cave lineage, they were an enemy, and a battle was inevitable eventually.

    This Skull King before her eyes was not weak, and once fully integrated with Immortal Dao, though not a threat to her, was always a troublesome matter.