The white-clad cultivators standing on the white clouds stared intently at the blue-robed man on the shark sea beast not far ahead, their eyes full of vigilance, not daring to relax at all.

The higher the bloodline level of the demon beast, the more difficult it is to transform into a human. The enormous demon energy emanating from this blue-robed man has already reached level six, yet he hasn't fully transformed, which speaks volumes.

"I've long heard that the leader of Azure Dragon Pond is a descendant of the ancient whale clan. It seems that this is likely true." The cultivators on the white cloud whispered through Divine Sense.

"Haha, Zhu Yu's Mysterious Water Escape skills have become even more refined. Impressive, impressive." The middle-aged scholar flew out, chuckling.

"Ah, it's merely the Mysterious Water Escape. Compared to the Bodhi Mystical Arts of Luo Jia Mountain, it doesn't count for much. We know each other well, so there's no need for flattery. What actions is Luo Jia Mountain planning next?" The blue-robed man waved his hand and said.

"Since Brother Zhu Yu is direct, then I shall speak frankly. Luo Jia Mountain is very interested in Emperor Yan's Mausoleum and will certainly explore the Abyss. Presumably, the people of Azure Dragon Pond have the same intentions. Seeing how Dongji Palace and Black Evil Sect appear to have joined forces, perhaps our two sides should act together as well?" The middle-aged scholar said bluntly.

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the blue-robed man, who had come here with the same intention. To his surprise, Bai Yuan mentioned it first, rendering his prepared words useless.

"Since Brother Bai Yuan has invited me, how could I refuse?" The blue-robed man thought quickly and laughed heartily.

The two groups quickly reached an agreement, abandoning their hesitations and confrontations, and set off together, following the route of Dongji Palace and Black Evil Sect into the Abyss Dead Land.

On the other side, the forces of Dongji Palace and Black Evil Sect, who entered the Abyss Dead Land first, soon arrived at the region of the Demon Song.

Just as Yuan Ming experienced back then, the mermaids swimming in the sea immediately began singing heavenly songs upon sensing someone approaching their territory.

Mao Yi had prepared for this, forming a spell with his right hand, causing thick black smoke to pour out from his sleeves, surrounding those on the turtle's back.

"Do not attempt to block your hearing. Steady your mind, and attack your Nascent Soul if necessary to break the illusion!" He instructed loudly.

Under the protection of the black smoke, the sound of the Demon Song in everyone's Sea of Consciousness became much fainter. Nevertheless, unprepared, they were almost instantly affected, with some even wandering out, trying to leave the protective black smoke to hear more of the song.

Seeing this, Mao Yi swiftly wielded the black smoke to completely envelop these individuals, constantly corroding their physical bodies and Nascent Souls.

Most of the Black Evil Sect cultivators, with Mao Yi's reminder, managed to break free from the Demon Song's control despite immense pain, emerging from the black smoke, although severely weakened but at least alive.

However, one or two never managed to shake off the influence, perishing in the black smoke, becoming nourishment for it, which made the smoke even denser and more effective at blocking the Demon Song.

Among the crowd, Yuan Ming, with his prior experience, was faring much better than the others.

Due to the obstruction of the black smoke, the influence on him this time was much weaker than that encountered upon leaving Yunhuang. Not only could he withstand it with his Divine Soul Power, but he also had the capacity to quietly observe others.

At this moment, everyone on the turtle's back, except for Mao Yi, appeared in pain. Due to the black smoke's obstruction, Yuan Ming couldn't see the external situation or know the state of Dongji Palace, though he assumed it wasn't faring much better. This chapter first appeared on *.

Suddenly, while Yuan Ming was quietly observing, he noticed that not far away, Yun Luo Fairy, seemingly pained, was actually, like him, discreetly observing the surroundings, on guard for potential attacks.

Startled, Yuan Ming quickly withdrew his gaze as Yun Luo Fairy seemed to be looking his way, pretending to be tormented by the Demon Song.

Yun Luo Fairy's gaze swept past, diving into Yuan Ming's body for a while before moving on.

Just at this moment, the Demon Song ceased, and the recently tormented crowd instantly became lucid, each showing a dazed expression.

Meanwhile, Mao Yi's face changed abruptly. He quickly formed a spell, absorbing all the black smoke back into his body, while the giant turtle swiftly dove into the sea, hiding in the depths under the concealment of Mao Yi's spell.

Yuan Ming, least affected, clearly saw, just before the giant turtle entered the water, far on the horizon was a massive fin, like a mountain, rising from the sea, its shadow even dyed the sea black, as if facing a vast black sea that extended beyond sight.

Around them, the mermaids also fled in panic into the waters, hurriedly swimming away from the fin, not daring to sing anymore.

As the giant turtle submerged, Yuan Ming saw in the distance a white "high wall" suddenly erecting in the sea, with an enormous black part in the middle, raising more questions.

It wasn't until the "high wall" gradually moved away, enveloped by another azure "high wall," that Yuan Ming suddenly realized it was an eye.

After some time, when the giant beast was no longer visible, Mao Yi cautiously maneuvered the giant turtle back to the surface, reconvening with the hiding Dongji Palace group, before continuing their journey.

Everyone on the turtle's back breathed a sigh of relief, as did Yuan Ming.

Among the crowd, Yun Luo Fairy gazed in the direction the beast departed, her expression calm, but Yuan Ming could sense her intense emotions, a mix of excitement and fear.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Luo, you who have long resided in Dongji Sea and come from a prestigious family, surely have more knowledge than I in these matters. Do you know why such a terrifying giant beast resides in the Abyss?" Yuan Ming approached Yun Luo Fairy, asking softly.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan overestimates me. I am but a woman and do not know the secrets of the Abyss," Yun Luo Fairy shook her head and replied.

"Is that so... Does Senior Mao Yi know the reason?" Yuan Ming turned to Mao Yi.

"Your curiosity is indeed not small, but I don't know the exact reason. I've only heard that there exists some special substance in the Abyss that can enlarge the body size of demon beasts by a thousandfold. However, whether such a thing really exists, no one can confirm." Mao Yi looked at Yuan Ming unexpectedly and said faintly.

"A substance that can enlarge the size of demon beasts..." Yuan Ming murmured to himself.

Recalling the giant beast he had just encountered, he couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.

Compared to it, the Golden Dragon Demon he encountered years ago could even be considered medium-sized.

If they had been swallowed by this giant beast back then, it would probably have been difficult to see the light of day again.

As Yuan Ming was contemplating this, he suddenly heard the Demon Song resounding again.

A new wave of danger descended, and everyone hurriedly focused to deal with it.

…

Both sides from Dongji Palace and Black Evil Sect maintained a distance not too close nor too far from each other, trudging forward in the perilous Abyss. But one day, after a month, they had no choice but to stop.

Perhaps they were already close to Wind Sea, as the wind raged furiously over the sea, creating towering angry waves. It was difficult for ordinary Returning Void cultivators to even find footing.

Fortunately, both Dongji Palace and Black Evil Sect had Dharma manifestation stage cultivators, so they could persist. But forcing their way forward wasn't possible.

The two parties halted near a crimson island, where raging flames engulfed everything — the ground and plants — yet everything on the island retained its form, not turning to ash.

From afar, one might mistake the island's flames for having no temperature, merely an illusion, but upon approaching, the hot, dry waves made even the Returning Void cultivators feel parched and seared.

Mao Yi commanded the giant turtle to stop in the sky not far from the island, then looked at the Dongji Palace flying boat closely following behind.

The previously majestic and grand flying boat was damaged in various places, with the stern completely gone.

The Dongji Palace cultivators aboard were significantly reduced in number, having been lost along the way, but Black Evil Sect was also equally affected.

"We have arrived, would Palace Master Ouyang kindly take out the Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter," Mao Yi said loudly.

Ouyang Qiang emerged from the flying boat, looking towards the nearby Flame Island, with a suspicious expression.

"Is this the location of Emperor Yan's Tomb?" Her Divine Sense scanned the island without any discovery, prompting her to ask Mao Yi.

"Naturally, it can't be seen now. Emperor Yan's Tomb is hidden beneath the island; first, we must find a way to summon it out." Mao Yi raised his hand, taking out Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter, pinched a spell with his hand, and simultaneously uttered eight syllables.

Countless crimson fire patterns lit up on the Flame Yellow Ruyi Scepter before him. Simultaneously, the island's flames seemed to be pulled by force, converging toward the island's center.

The surrounding nature's spiritual energy was also stirred, countless red light spots appearing, converging toward Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter. The fierce winds over the sea were affected by the spiritual energy's movement, weakening considerably.

However, these flames ultimately did not converge at one spot, but stopped midway, inexplicably swirling for a while before flying back to their original positions.

"It's already the limit to achieve this with just one Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter," Mao Yi shook his head regretfully, then looked at Ouyang Qiang.

Seeing this situation, Ouyang Qiang snorted lightly, waved her hand, and grasped another Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter in her palm.

"Summoning the tomb requires using both scepters simultaneously. Would Palace Master kindly lend your item to me for a while?" Mao Yi extended his hand and said.

"The activation technique you just used doesn't seem complex, why not teach me this technique, and then you and I can cast together and open the tomb together, wouldn't it be better?" Ouyang Qiang said.

"Palace Master Ouyang, we agreed before that you'd exchange Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter for Huangfu Jue, are you trying to go back on your word now?" Mao Yi frowned and said coldly.

"I never said I would use this treasure for an exchange. Besides, cultivators like you, what integrity can you have? If I give you the Spiritual Treasure, you will have no more concerns," Ouyang Qiang sneered and asked.

Mao Yi's eyes darkened, intending to use Huangfu Jue as leverage again, but upon seeing Ouyang Qiang's resolute expression, he realized that even if he killed Huangfu Jue now, it likely wouldn't result in compromise.

After all, compared to the benefits from Emperor Yan's Tomb, Huangfu Jue was naturally far less important.

For Ouyang Qiang, this was the case, and even more so for Mao Yi.

After weighing things, Mao Yi chose to hand over the spell for activating Emperor Yan's Ruyi Scepter.