The Heiming Abyss was located towards the south of the Northern Spiritual Realm, in a relatively remote region. Due to its extreme danger, human footsteps rarely reached it, and it was sparsely populated.
The Mu Territory was also quite far from the Heiming Abyss, so by the time Mu Feng's contingent arrived, three days had already passed.
Mu Chen stood on a mountainside, his gaze sweeping into the distance. What met his eyes was a vast, gloomy primeval forest. Above the boundless jungle, a dense, gray poisonous mist hung heavy, permeating everywhere. This highly toxic fog was so potent that even Spirit Wheel Realm experts would not easily allow it to penetrate their bodies.
There was still some distance to cover before entering the Heiming Abyss, yet Mu Chen could already clearly feel the death qi and a putrid stench wafting from the jungle. Compared to the Northern Spiritual Plains, this place truly lived up to its reputation as a perilous land. No wonder it was widely rumored among the people of the Northern Spiritual Realm to be a forbidden zone for humans.
"The Liu Territory forces must have also arrived at the Heiming Abyss. They entered from the west, so we will likely encounter them not long after we go in."
Zhou Ye observed the terrain of the Heiming Abyss and said in a deep voice.
Mu Feng nodded slightly, then took out a jade flask. Several dark red pills rolled around inside.
"Distribute these antidote pills. Everyone must take one before we enter. While they cannot entirely counteract the most potent toxins, they will partially shield us from the effects of the poisonous mist."
Mu Chen also received one, immediately putting it in his mouth and swallowing it. A wave of cool, refreshing energy flowed through him as he felt the effects of the antidote pill.
"The Heiming Abyss is treacherous, as you all know. So watch your steps carefully. Let's go!"
Seeing that everyone was well-prepared, Mu Feng quickly led them forward, heading into the distant Heiming Abyss. Immediately after him, Zhou Ye, Mu Chen, and the others followed close behind.
The contingent numbered nearly a hundred people, no small amount. However, most of those who followed Mu Feng were seasoned veterans, quite rich in experience dealing with dangerous situations. They moved silently, without making a sound, not even stirring up dust, quietly and swiftly advancing into the pervasive poisonous mist of the Heiming Abyss.
Upon entering the Heiming Abyss, Mu Chen distinctly felt a bone-chilling coldness assault him from all directions, as if his blood was congealing in his veins.
Mu Chen cautiously scanned the dim and gloomy surroundings. Compared to the Northern Spiritual Plains, this place was utterly silent, making one feel profoundly uneasy.
The contingent carefully advanced step by step. Mu Chen clearly noticed that everyone in the group was in a state of intense focus, their hands gripping their sharp, gleaming blades tightly, their spiritual energy subtly fluctuating.
But no matter how careful they were, the Heiming Abyss was clearly not named a place of peril without cause; it was permeated with killing intent.
"Argh!"
Not long after entering, a terrifying shriek erupted from within the contingent. From beneath the ground covered in decaying branches and leaves, a ferocious, pitch-black giant serpent emerged. Its massive tail whipped around, immediately seizing two experts from the Mu Territory contingent, dragging them back and swallowing them whole. Black saliva dripped from its enormous mouth onto the ground, rapidly corroding the dry leaves—undoubtedly highly toxic.
"It's a Hei Ming Serpent!"
The sudden attack caused the contingent to panic slightly, but they quickly regained their composure. Everyone who saw the ferocious giant serpent cried out in alarm. This was a mid-tier spiritual beast, its strength comparable to a mid-stage Spirit Wheel Realm expert. It was unexpected that they would encounter such a powerful spiritual beast so soon after entering the Hei Ming Abyss.
"Hah."
Zhou Ye saw it, raised an eyebrow, let out a loud shout, and charged forward valiantly. His spiritual energy erupted powerfully, his body appearing like a flash of lightning above the Hei Ming Serpent. He brought his two legs together and stomped down, crushing the middle section of the serpent's massive body.
"Greeee!"
As Zhou Ye stomped his feet onto the serpent's body, a colossal phantom image of a spiritual beast briefly formed behind him, coalescing from his spiritual energy. It was a massive, dark yellow rhinoceros, its back covered in thick, heavy scales, making it look like a small miniature mountain.
"Boom!"
With the appearance of the rhinoceros, Zhou Ye's body became as heavy as a mountain, an unparalleled weight erupting forth, directly and forcefully pressing the Hei Ming Serpent into the ground. The ground trembled, and the Hei Ming Serpent thrashed and roared on the earth, its segmented body crushed and mixed into the mud.
A spiritual beast of mid-stage Spirit Wheel Realm strength was thus instantly crushed to death by Zhou Ye.
Mu Chen, witnessing that scene, involuntarily trembled with fear and swallowed hard.
"Your Uncle Zhou has now advanced to the early-stage Divine Soul Realm. The spiritual beast essence he refined is the Mountain Spirit Rhinoceros, ranked 180th on the Earth Ranking. When its immense pressure descends, like Mount Tai pressing down, it will instantly crush opponents into minced meat."
Mu Feng gently explained, addressing Mu Chen's fearful expression.
Mu Chen nodded, filled with extreme admiration, wondering when he would possess enough strength to refine a spiritual beast essence for himself.
Zhou Ye quickly severed the Hei Ming Serpent's head and retrieved its spiritual beast essence. He returned to the group and reminded them,
"The Hei Ming Abyss is fraught with danger on all sides. If you don't want to lose your lives, then pull yourselves together!"
Everyone quickly responded, acknowledging that while they were already very cautious of the Hei Ming Abyss, it seemed their vigilance was still insufficient.
Leaving the Hei Ming Serpent's corpse behind, the team continued forward, moving with even greater caution. Sharp eyes scrutinized every nook and cranny, sweeping even the most hidden spots. Some individuals at the front even used their swords and blades to probe the path for a while before daring to step forward.
Such extreme caution, though it slowed their pace, proved highly effective. Over the course of several subsequent ambushes, the group suffered no major casualties, with only a few individuals sustaining minor scratches.
Continuing their cautious advance, the party from the Mu Territory entered the deeper regions of the Black Underworld Abyss about half an hour later. The surroundings grew increasingly desolate, sending a chilling shiver down everyone's spine.
Mu Feng, who was leading the way, suddenly came to a halt. His hawk-like eyes locked onto a spot ahead in the dark jungle. With a cold sneer, he spoke:
"Liu Qingtian, since when did you become so cowardly, hiding your head but leaving your tail exposed?"
At his words, everyone tensed, quickly turning their gazes in that direction as they gripped their weapons tightly. Had they finally run into the people of the Liu Territory?
Mu Chen also stared intently in that direction. Meeting them so early was truly beyond his expectations.
Shortly after Mu Feng spoke, a faint chuckle echoed from the dark jungle. Then, the sound of heavy footsteps resounded as a large group of people slowly emerged from the shadows.
There were over a hundred people in the group, and their martial lineup was no weaker than that of the Mu Territory. Mu Chen's gaze immediately locked onto the man leading them: a middle-aged man in a green robe. A smile sharper than a blade played at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were as keen, shrewd, and dangerous as a predator's, sending a chill down the spines of all who looked at him.
Liu Qingtian, the Territory Lord of the Liu Territory.
Mu Chen's lips twitched slightly. Naturally, he recognized the face of Liu Qingtian, the ruler of the number one territory in the Northern Spiritual Realm.
Beside Liu Qingtian stood a middle-aged man as thin as a rail. His eyes gleamed with an eerie green light, and his face was expressionless, yet a powerful fluctuation of spiritual energy vaguely emanated from him. He, too, was a Spirit Stage expert.
The Second Master of the Liu Territory, Liu Zong.
Mu Chen quickly scanned the rest of the crowd and spotted the Third Master, Liu Ming, standing behind him. Beside Liu Ming was an extremely familiar face: Liu Mubai. To his surprise, Liu Mubai had also joined this expedition.
The two factions stood facing each other. There was not a shred of friendliness in their eyes, and their spiritual energy circulated silently, ready to erupt at a moment's notice. The atmosphere was fraught with tension, like drawn bows and bared blades.
"You brat, so it really was you who took that item!"
The moment Liu Ming and Liu Mubai spotted him, their eyes turned icy cold, and they ground their teeth in rage. Although Liu Ming had suspected it long ago, having it confirmed now still made his blood boil. As the esteemed Third Master of the Liu Territory, to be played for a fool by a mere greenhorn—how could he not be consumed by humiliation and fury?
Facing Liu Ming's venomous glare, Mu Chen merely offered a soft chuckle. His eyes, cold as ice, locked onto Liu Mubai as he spoke:
"I really must thank you for such a generous gift."
Liu Mubai narrowed his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm:
"You certainly have a tenacious life..."
Mu Chen's smile only made Liu Ming grind his teeth harder, nearly shattering them in his fury.
"Hahaha! Mu Feng, you certainly have an extraordinary son."
Liu Qingtian cast a casual glance at Mu Chen. Shrewd as he was, he knew that nine times out of ten, the Mu Territory's massive mobilization today was entirely because of this boy.
Mu Feng looked at Liu Qingtian and replied indifferently:
"Your Liu Territory is indeed insatiably greedy. Good things should naturally be shared for all to enjoy. To monopolize them all for yourself... that is truly a bit unseemly."
"Wanting a piece of everything—aren't you people of the Mu Territory afraid of biting off more than you can chew and dying an early death?"
Standing beside him, Liu Zong retorted sharply, refusing to back down in the slightest before Mu Feng.
"Keeping it all to yourself makes it even harder to live a long life."
Zhou Ye sneered.
Liu Zong glanced at him, let out a cold chuckle, and replied:
"It seems to me that the Mu Territory has deployed all of its elites. If you all happen to perish in here, our Liu Territory wouldn't mind taking over and managing your domain for you!"
"I only wonder if a ragtag band like yours actually has the ability to do so..."
Zhou Ye replied slowly.
With that, the verbal sparring between the two sides came to a halt. Hundreds of gazes, thick with killing intent, clashed in the air. The chilling aura grew increasingly heavy as surges of spiritual energy silently swelled like raging waves, poised to erupt at any moment and swallow the opposition whole.
Watching the tense standoff, Mu Chen silently circulated the spiritual energy within his body. But at that exact moment, his ears twitched. He turned his head to peer into the pitch-black depths of the Black Underworld Abyss, as if a strange sound was echoing from within.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Hearing the sharp, tearing sound of the rushing wind, Mu Chen shuddered instinctively, his expression shifting dramatically.