Li Sheng spoke to himself, then opened the panel to check the task section.

**[Special Task: Survival Battle (Task Difficulty: Nightmare Level)]**

**Note: Special tasks are divided into three levels: Hell Level, Nightmare Level, and World Level.**

**Completion of a special task grants a random reward of a cultivation treasure location. Failure results in a punishment of no special tasks for ten years.**

**Task Completion Conditions: 1. The sect must be established (Time limit: two months; Remaining time: twenty-one days).**

**2. More than half of the disciples must survive.**

"With twenty-one days left for the task and all disciples needing fifteen days to advance... the time is tight..." Li Sheng pondered for a moment, deciding to clear out all the monsters around the sect to reduce potential hazards.

He then visited the alchemy room and the Secret Skill Pavilion to exhaust today's refresh times, handing the pills to his junior sister before heading outside the sect.

Two hours later, a streak of lightning flashed, and Li Sheng's figure appeared above Qingling Sect, his expression grave. He had surveyed an area of eight hundred miles in those two hours, but to his surprise, he hadn't encountered a single monster.

The disappearance of these monsters weighed heavily on his heart; the Nightmare Level task remained, indicating that the crisis he faced had not vanished. The danger had shifted from clear to hidden, brewing into a more terrifying disaster.

This invisible threat, in his view, was the most terrifying of all.

Li Sheng took out the reverse demon alliance stone and probed it with a strand of spiritual power.

In the dim room, Li Sheng looked at the wall.

The first piece of information was about the disappearance of the monsters. He noted the date of publication; this situation had begun over ten days ago. Three days prior, numerous talents and forces scattered throughout Lingchuan Prefecture had also reported not finding a single monster.

The second piece of information was a speculation from Ling Zun.

According to his calculations, there were only two possible scenarios:

1. The monster disaster had disappeared, with all monsters retreating back to the abyss.

2. The monsters had gathered, potentially giving rise to even more terrifying creatures, posing a risk of becoming a forbidden zone.

Just a short line of text made a layer of cold sweat suddenly form on Li Sheng's back.

After leaving the reverse demon alliance stone space, Li Sheng took out the white alliance token.

Inside the hall, the information displayed on the central light screen was largely the same, conveying a single message.

The third piece of information stated that the world's number one master, Yu Jinsheng, was heading west and would soon arrive in Lingchuan Prefecture.

The fourth piece of information indicated that the master brother of the Divine Power Sect had exited his closed-door training and openly declared his intent to kill Li Sheng to avenge his brother.

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Li Sheng paid little mind to this; with his two heavenly-level supernatural abilities, he could turn the tables on anyone who attempted to kill him.

"The world's number one..." Li Sheng chuckled bitterly; if this person came, the other great masters would probably not sit idle either.

If so many great masters gathered in Lingchuan Prefecture, it would not be long before they discovered the unusual aspects of Qingling Sect.

"What if I directly advance the sect and enhance the protective array?" Li Sheng mused, suppressing his urgency to wait and see. If all the other great masters were coming, he would reconsider; promoting now would be too costly; delaying even a day was preferable.

Suddenly, Li Sheng's expression tightened.

Previously, when escorting Miss Qingyi away, he had encountered a massive rift canyon on the way back.

"Could the disappearance of the monsters be related to this?" Li Sheng wondered aloud. "No, I have to check it out; otherwise, I won't find peace of mind. Knowing oneself and one's enemy ensures victory in every battle."

A streak of lightning cut through the sky as he headed southwest.

An hour later, Li Sheng stopped, looking at the somewhat familiar scenery around him, a sense of confusion arising.

"That rift was five or six miles wide, stretching endlessly, with monstrous energy surging; it should have been very conspicuous. How could it be so calm now?"

Li Sheng circled the dense forest a few times, and suddenly a sensation like hitting a spider web hit him. Before he could ponder, the scene before him startled him instantly.

The previously calm plain now brimmed with monstrous energy. The width of the original rift had expanded several times, as if something had emerged from within, forcefully tearing the rift open, creating a distinctly visible rift-like tear.

"To think it could deceive one's perception; only by getting close can one discover its true nature. No wonder the news hasn't been announced."

He cautiously gazed at the rift; he had seen those monsters enter it with his own eyes.

Now, countless monsters had disappeared, and one could guess with their heel that whatever lay inside was definitely not benign.

Li Sheng abandoned the idea of approaching to investigate, planning to relay the information about this location so others could help him scout it out, to see what kind of danger was brewing inside.

He moved back and forth a few steps, understanding the area that had been concealed.

Glancing around, he approached a massive rock and took out a miraculous spear to carve some markings on it.

Then he pulled out two dark stones and stepped forward, preparing to take a picture.

As he entered the concealed area, two hundred-foot-tall vertical pupils emerged, flickering with deep yellow light, appearing indistinct amidst the surging monstrous energy, staring fixedly at Li Sheng.

A strong sense of danger suddenly surged forth, causing tiny goosebumps to rise on his skin and his heart to race violently.

Li Sheng's raised hand froze in mid-air, staring blankly at the two giant pupil-like entities.

His heart sank abruptly, as if being targeted by a natural enemy, and he instinctively wanted to turn and flee.

But the rising sense of danger made him freeze in place. He had a strong premonition that if he turned to run now, he would likely meet instant doom!

"Pupils the size of hundreds of feet; this monster must be no less than ten thousand feet tall. This is dangerous..."

Li Sheng inwardly lamented, wishing he could slap himself. Why did he have to come here to investigate?

He could have just sent out the information about the anomaly in this area. He didn't have to make this trip. What "knowing oneself and one's enemy" not knowing would have been better.

At that moment, the two massive vertical pupils blinked, and an invisible wave radiated out, enveloping him instantly.

A strong sense of dizziness washed over him; realizing something was wrong, Li Sheng hurriedly focused to resist.

But the wave felt like a giant wave from the deep sea, instantly capsizing the small boat formed by his consciousness.

"I'm finished!"

Li Sheng's mind faltered and fell into darkness.

After a breath, the two giant pupils slowly faded away.

At this moment, Li Sheng appeared dazed, as if he had lost his soul, taking slow steps toward the canyon rift, gradually being swallowed by the overwhelming black mist.

His state was identical to those monsters he had seen before.

...

In a grayish space, Yan Shengjing and his companions wore grave expressions. Among them, two were visibly disoriented, their arms hanging limply, clearly suffering from severe injuries.

"Yan brother, what was that finger-sized thing? It was so difficult to deal with. Just four or five dozen of them forced us to retreat and even injured Yu Wen and Yan Xiong!"

An elderly man with gray-white hair asked. This person was the lord of Wugencheng, exceedingly powerful, even stronger than Yan Shengjing and Zhou Tianyi, ranking twentieth on the Divine Martial Ranking.

However, at this moment, his clothes were tattered, and the giant hammer in his hand appeared pitted, as if corroded.