"Things are going surprisingly smoothly..." Xu Xian couldn't help but remark.
Wind howled past his ears as the demon horses pulled the massive carriage, galloping across the sky. With every beat of the demon falcon's wings beneath him, they crossed miles of mountains and rivers.
The volcanic magma below blurred into a series of afterimages, while the towering plumes of thick smoke ahead grew increasingly dense.
Beyond the Blazing Fortress lay a chain of volcanoes stretching for hundreds of miles.
After passing through the volcanic range, the distant horizon turned dark and gloomy once more.
Beneath the layered clouds, nearly level with the horizon, Xu Xian saw a sea of grey mist. It spread out like an ocean, a sky beneath the sky...
The volcanic range was severed here, and the magma poured down into the grey sea of clouds.
The demon horses pulling the carriage neighed without warning and suddenly veered, plunging headlong into the sea of grey mist.
The falcon beneath Xu Xian tucked its wings after a single beat, diving like an arrow in pursuit.
Xu Xian instinctively leaned forward, pressing his body against the falcon's back.
Whoosh—
They dove from the sky, hurtling through the grey mist. After about a dozen breaths, the mist cleared, and the world beneath the clouds was revealed.
There were clouds beneath the clouds.
There was a world beneath the world.
As far as Xu Xian could see, there were mountains, rivers, valleys, and wilderness... all spread out beneath the grey sea of mist, stretching to the very edge of his vision.
Looking up, the churning grey mist remained. His divine sense extended infinitely; above the grey mist was the open sky, above that were the clouds, and only beyond those clouds lay the vast, boundless star sea.
Unfortunately, with two layers of sky in between, it was impossible to see with the naked eye.
Looking back, the terrain dropped away like a celestial chasm. Countless streams of magma hung from the cliff face like blood-colored waterfalls, a truly spectacular sight.
It was as if a flying stream plunged thirty thousand feet, like red clouds falling from the ninth heaven.
This visual impact sent a jolt through Xu Xian, even though he was someone accustomed to the famous mountains and great rivers of the world.
The Demon Abyss.
It really was inside a profound abyss.
To those in Fanzhou, the sky was endless. But for the Demon Abyss, the sky was behind them; the Blazing Fortress was the end of the sky, and everything beyond it was the world of the Heaven Beyond Heaven.
After setting foot in the Demon Abyss, Xu Xian could clearly sense that the spiritual qi in the surroundings was no longer just 'thin.'
It was practically non-existent, replaced by another kind of gas.
Demon qi.
A deathly energy permeated with the aura of nirvana. It was heavy and somber, yet under the shroud of such an atmosphere, this Demon Abyss was nurturing new life amidst the desolation.
The presence of demon qi nourished the mountains and rivers here. The world below was not a boundless desert, nor was it dead and ravaged by sandstorms.
Instead, countless plants, completely different from those in the Northern Borders, had taken root and sprouted, covering every inch of the land.
They were vivid and brilliant: blood-red grass, white trees, green flowers, black fruits, and even azure moss...
They grew upon the earth, emitting a faint, circular glow. The multicolored lusters wove together, bringing not just color to this world, but light as well.
A dark sky?
A brilliant earth?
It was filled with endless mystery and eeriness, but also with the unknown and the perilous.
As they ventured deeper, the world below became even more vibrant.
It wasn't just plants; they also saw animals. There were multicolored fish in the water, brightly colored beasts in the forests, and radiant birds flying in the sky...
Sitting atop the demon falcon, Xu Xian couldn't help but marvel. "Tsk tsk, every land really does nurture its own kind. No wonder the demons have such colorful hair; it turns out the Demon Abyss is a world of color. It almost feels like a fairy tale kingdom."
The little book spirit stood on his shoulder, tugging at a strand of his white hair. She smiled and said, "The world is vast, and there is no end to its wonders. Master is still young and hasn't been to many places. When you become stronger in the future, you can go wherever you wish. By then, you will see more worlds and more distinct landscapes. You will realize that the world is never stagnant. In some places, black isn't necessarily black, and white isn't necessarily white..."
Xu Xian rested his chin on his hand and squinted at the horizon. "Hearing you say that, I really am looking forward to it. How big is the universe, and does it have an end?"
Wan'er smiled gracefully and said with an air of ancient wisdom, "The Dao is infinite, and the universe is boundless."
Xu Xian: "...."
The Demon Abyss was grey, desolate, and sunless...
That was the outside world's perception of this place.
But what Xu Xian saw was a Demon Abyss that was colorful, beautiful, and full of vitality.
It was simply a matter of different perspectives.
Demon qi could not withstand the light, so under its nourishment, this land gave birth to all things that could grow wildly without relying on sunlight...
The group continued to push deep into the Demon Abyss at high speed.
Chi Ji never showed her face.
The Crimson Demon Guards protected the flanks.
Xu Xian followed closely behind the carriage, and in his boredom, he even struck up a conversation with the driver.
About half a day passed, or perhaps longer; Xu Xian didn't pay much attention to the time.
Until a certain moment, when the colors of the flowers, grass, and trees on the vibrant land of the Demon Abyss suddenly dimmed. The halos of light surrounding them vanished imperceptibly.
The colors grew fainter.
The earth grew darker.
Seeing this, Xu Xian instinctively went on alert.
Just as he was wondering what was happening, the driver's voice rang out beside him, laughing heartily.
"The sky is about to turn dark..."
Turn dark?
After saying that, the driver yanked the reins and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"All life rests, the Great Abyss falls!"
The rest of the Crimson Demon Guards shouted in unison:
"All life rests, the Great Abyss falls!"
"All life rests, the Great Abyss falls!!"
Xu Xian was completely confused, but regardless of what it meant, he joined in and hollered a few times as well.
The warhorses neighed, and the demon falcons cried out.
The cacophony echoed through the sky like a time signal. Along with these chaotic sounds, the entire Demon Abyss gradually sank into darkness.
It was like the moment after sunset when the stars begin to fill the sky.
All life rests.
The Great Abyss falls.
Night had fallen in the Demon Abyss.
Without sun, moon, or stars, there were still day and night. Xu Xian didn't need to ask to guess how they were distinguished.
Night fell over the Demon Abyss. In the darkness, all things lost their light, and both heaven and earth turned dim. Even the multicolored demon beasts in the forests withdrew their glow.
Chi Ji lifted the carriage curtain, her gaze lingering on the Great Abyss before inadvertently drifting toward Xu Xian. With just that one look, she closed the curtain again.
A moment later...
The maidservant A Lian stepped out of the carriage and gave an order to the Marquis, the only one among the Crimson Demon Guards at the lesser demon king stage.
"Her Highness says that traveling during the Abyss Fall is difficult. Find a place nearby to rest for the night."
The young general pressed his hand to his chest and nodded slightly, shouting toward the carriage, "As Her Highness wills!"
Then, he barked a command.
"Change course to Ze Capital!"
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