Chapter 32: The Evil Qi

The Xianyun Sect, Huoyue Gate, Xuanyang Temple, and Yusu School each selected five disciples at the Golden Core stage, along with all their disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage, and entered the Abyss of Ten Thousand Monsters.

As soon as they entered the abyss, everyone noticed a layer of frosty mist floating above, creating a vast expanse of whiteness, while the abyss floor was bare, covered only with rocks.

“Everyone, pay attention. This is just the entrance to the abyss; there’s no danger. Another ten miles ahead is the Dark Evil Wind Zone. There, besides the evil winds, there are also highly poisonous snakes—white-spotted black snakes. So, stay focused, don’t leave the group alone, and stay close to others,” Huai You, leading the way, said to the other nine members of the Xianyun Sect.

In the Xianyun Sect, there were five disciples at the Golden Core stage and five at the Foundation Establishment stage. However, Qu Yi kept his true energy fluctuations suppressed, showing only an advanced level of Qi Guidance. Among these ten people, Huai You was both a senior instructor in the sect and had been to the Abyss of Ten Thousand Monsters before, so everyone naturally followed his instructions.

Immediately, the members of the Xianyun Sect flew forward very cautiously.

The members of the other three sects did the same, flying carefully and staying alert to any schemes from other sects.

After a while, the members of the four sects arrived at a completely dark area where nothing could be seen with the naked eye; they could only rely on their spiritual senses. In this area, a gentle breeze constantly blew—so soft that it sounded like demonic whispers invading souls, causing drowsiness.

“Everyone, listen carefully. This is the Dark Evil Wind Zone. The breeze carries evil qi, which, along with the sound, enters the body and causes people to remain unconscious. Use your true energy to temporarily block your hearing,” Huai Miao had already used a secret communication spell to quietly warn the disciples of the Xianyun Sect.

The members of the Huoyue Gate also seemed familiar with this area; they also used their true energy to block their hearing.

The members of the Xuanyang Temple and Yusu School had previously entered through the eastern entrance of the Abyss of Ten Thousand Monsters, so this was their first time at the western entrance, and they were not familiar with the terrain. Still, they flew forward quickly.

Suddenly, a breeze arose!

“Ah!” “Ah!”

Two agonizing screams came from the groups of the Xuanyang Temple and Yusu School at the same time before quickly fading away.

“Retreat quickly!”

The leaders of the two groups shouted loudly, using their magic to pull their followers back, escaping the Dark Evil Wind Zone.

One disciple from the Xuanyang Temple died at the early Golden Core stage, and one from the Yusu School died at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The leader of the Fire Moon Sect was Yongchuan. Seeing the two factions retreat in disarray, he burst into laughter.
“Yongchuan, why are you laughing? Do you want to fight me now?” Chengxing, the leader of the Xuan Yang Temple, shouted angrily.
“Yongchuan, your Fire Moon Sect knew there was danger here—why didn’t you warn us?” Qiu Ren, the leader of the Yu Su Sect, also demanded angrily.
It was natural for the leaders of both factions to be angry, but in their fury, they forgot one thing: it was a competition among four sects, and the ownership of this Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons was extremely important. Yongchuan had no obligation to help them.
“Chengxing, Qiu Ren, have you gone mad? What time is it? Why should I warn you? If you’re not careful, don’t blame me for your mistakes!” Yongchuan retorted coldly.
As soon as he spoke, silence fell around them. Everyone realized they had to be extra careful at every moment, or they might die next.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, a series of sounds came from the ground in the Dark Evil Wind Area—it was a swarm of spotted black snakes approaching.
The snakes detected the scent of the two dead cultivators’ life force and emerged from the ground, surrounding their corpses and immediately starting to devour them. In just a moment, the two corpses were completely eaten.
“Be careful! It’s a swarm of spotted black snakes! Fly in the air—never land, or if bitten by them, those below the Golden Core stage will die instantly, while those at the Golden Core stage will need to use all their strength to resist the poison,” Huai You warned the disciples of the Xian Yun Sect using secret communication.
Qu Yi and the others gasped in shock. These spotted black snakes were extremely poisonous. After struggling so hard to reach the Foundation Building stage, they could be killed in just one bite.
Liu Qingfeng and the others became even more cautious. They understood that although they could resist the snake venom, with the other three sects present, they might be assassinated if they focused on fighting the venom.
Danger everywhere!
At that moment, Yongchuan of the Fire Moon Sect suddenly took out a bottle, dropped a drop of liquid on himself, and then handed the bottle to his disciples.
The Fire Moon Sect members had brought snake repellent—clearly, they were well-prepared.
Everyone applied the liquid, and Yongchuan led his followers into the Dark Evil Wind Area, heading toward the abyss.
Seeing this, Huai You followed immediately, and the disciples of the Xian Yun Sect closely followed the Fire Moon Sect members into the abyss.

Chengxing of Xuanyang Temple and Qiu Ren of Yusu Sect saw the two groups of people take off first. Gritting their teeth, they immediately led their own people into the Dark Evil Wind Zone.
Hiss! Hiss!
Below, there were probably hundreds of thousands of spotted black snakes, which had detected the scent of the dozens of human cultivators above, especially the intense aura of their vital energy, which excited them greatly.
However, these spotted black snakes, with their constantly flicking tongues, could not fly and could only follow the human cultivators on the ground as they slid into the Abyss of Ten Thousand Monsters.
The speed of these spotted black snakes was quite fast—their sliding speed was even comparable to that of cultivators in the later stages of the Foundation Establishment phase. About a hundred thousand of them closely followed the members of the four sects.
Feeling the madness of these spotted black snakes, the members of the four sects, filled with dread, accelerated their movement by channeling their true energy even more rapidly.
The Dark Evil Wind Zone stretched for hundreds of miles. By now, they had reached its central area.
Suddenly, the previously gentle wind turned into a violent storm, making the clothes of the cultivators in the air flutter violently. What was even more terrifying was that the evil energy mixed in the wind became much denser, as if accumulated over thousands of years and released all at once, attacking the cultivators through the wind.
“Everyone, be careful! The evil energy has become ten times stronger. We must block our senses and fly faster. As long as we leave this Dark Evil Wind Zone, we’ll be safe for now,” Huai You urgently transmitted a message to the people of Xianyun Sect.
The members of Xianyun Sect followed his instructions, channeling their true energy while also using spirit stones to replenish it, thereby speeding up their flight.
“Bad! It seems the center of this Dark Evil Wind Zone is the nest of those spotted black snakes. They’ve somehow mastered a simple formation, drawing in the evil energy of the entire area,” Yong Chuan from Huoyue Gate shouted out. He realized the danger and wanted the members of the four sects to work together to overcome this obstacle.
On the ground, there were countless holes the size of a person, each containing hundreds of thousands of spotted black snakes. Perhaps having developed a rudimentary sense of intelligence after staying in the abyss for a long time, they had mastered a formation. These snakes moved in and out of the holes in an orderly manner, and the wind generated by millions of them caused strong winds throughout the Dark Evil Wind Zone, drawing in various forms of evil energy.
The spotted black snakes became even more excited, as if they could already see all the human cultivators falling from the sky.
The vital energy of human cultivators—what a delicious feast!

As expected by the White-Spotted Black Snakes, among the disciples of the four sects, those at the Foundation Establishment stage with weaker cultivation actually became like birds hit by an arrow—affected by the sinister energy and immediately losing consciousness before falling to the ground.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The hundreds of thousands of White-Spotted Black Snakes immediately pounced on the fallen disciples from the four sects, swallowing them whole in the blink of an eye.
Qu Yi was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet he was the easiest among everyone from these four sects.
The sinister energy tried to invade Qu Yi’s soul, aiming to shock him into unconsciousness. But Qu Yi’s soul was the domain of his Instrument God. The Dimensional Sphere appeared instantly and, with its pulsations, tamed all the sinister energy that had invaded his soul. It then incorporated this subdued energy back into Qu Yi’s soul, actually nourishing it.
What was deadly to others now became nourishment for Qu Yi’s soul.
Noticing this, Qu Yi pretended to struggle hard against the sinister energy while actually actively using his cultivation techniques to allow it to enter his body through his ears, mouth, nose, and other organs.
In no time, the amount of sinister energy gathered around Qu Yi surpassed that of everyone else combined.
Inside Qu Yi’s soul, the voice of his Instrument God laughed heartily: “Qu Yi, you really have incredible luck! Who would have thought that here, the sinister energy harmful to others has become nourishment for your soul. Now, I can announce that by absorbing this energy, a liquid avatar of your true spirit can appear in your soul. With one more step, you’ll be able to form your own true spirit.”
At the early and middle stages of Foundation Establishment, the true spirit has not yet fully formed; it only appears in the later stages. Now that Qu Yi’s soul had liquefied, he could confidently advance to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
Qu Yi continued to act hardworkingly as he flew out of the Dark Sinister Wind Zone with the others, during which time his soul was greatly strengthened.
At the edge of the Dark Sinister Wind Zone, there was a natural fissure that prevented the White-Spotted Black Snakes from slipping in. Everyone immediately flew over the fissure to rest on the other side.
Each sect counted its members, and the leaders all looked displeased.
In the Immortal Cloud Sect, two disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage died, leaving three, including Qu Yi. Among those at the Golden Core stage, none died, with five remaining.
In the Fire Moon Gate, three disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage died, leaving seven. Also, five remained at the Golden Core stage.

Xuanyang Temple: Four died during the Foundation Establishment stage, leaving only one. During the Golden Core stage, one died, leaving four.
Yusu Sect: Five died during the Foundation Establishment stage, with none left. During the Golden Core stage, two died, leaving three.