Even with the aid of the Divine Map, Yu Ci had never ventured below the depth of forty li. The environment there was simply too harsh. Apart from the more dangerous Birds of Prey, the dim light, treacherous terrain, and the occasional Shadowy Wind Cold Wave rolling up from the depths, all marked that area and below as a deadly place, one that required utmost caution.
"Perhaps, it's a storm?"
Secured on the cliffside, Yu Ci felt a strong updraft, carrying with it the unique chill of the valley. But within this cold air, there was a pungent odor, that of living creatures, or to be more precise, the stench of carnivorous beasts.
Moreover, the scents were mixed, indicating from this alone that countless Birds of Prey were gathering below.
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Ci pulled out the Divine Bronze Mirror from his sleeve. Caressing the cool body of the mirror, he made a decision.
First, he closed the Divine Map. Then, taking a deep breath until his abdomen slightly swelled, he channeled his Acquired Qi through the Manipulation of Divine Consciousness, mobilized his vital essence, and Traversed Through Key Points. Gathering it briefly at his mouth and nose, he then spurted it out.
"Humph, hey, ha," three consecutive sounds, by the time he made the "ha" sound, the "Flying Essence" flowed out, shimmering with a blazing white and faintly red light, striking the mirror. Instantly, the Divine Bronze Mirror glowed with a bright green light, casting a verdant hue on his face and hair.
When Yu Ci initiated the "Three Calls in One Breath", in conjunction with the structural properties of the Divine Bronze Mirror, this refined qi was sprayed directly onto the "meridian point" in the center of the Treasure Mirror. Reacting with the Essence Pearl infused earlier, it spun rapidly, like a hand swiftly turning a wheel.
Despite holding the mirror firmly, Yu Ci felt the mirror spinning at a high speed, making his palm hot. A visible wave of light radiated from the center of the mirror, spreading outward. It was at this moment that he activated the Divine Map.
The spreading light wave abruptly stirred up a huge upheaval, like a sea of surging waves, and the Divine Map was like a Fairy Mountain rising from the sea. Beneath this "Fairy Mountain" was a vast dark area, forming the base of the mountain. The fluctuating green light flowed in like a tide, illuminating this area.
It worked!
The foggy Sky Rift Valley was displayed before his eyes without any distortion, revealing the vast space fifty li deep. It did not change at all as the day turned dark.
Yu Ci's thoughts shifted, and he ventured in with the green light. He had never observed the area below forty li so clearly. In the dark realm, it was relatively open, with a few creatures that looked dangerous and ferocious, all hurrying to and fro. However, as the light wave followed the darkness all the way down, nearing the lower part of the Divine Map, the sight that met his eyes made his skin crawl.
The gathering below was not the Birds of Prey beasts he had speculated, of course not!
In that instant, he seemed to see a massive school of fish. However, what was huddled and squeezed in the darkness were not harmless fish, but a cluster of grotesque and ugly monsters, densely packed within an area of about a mile, leaving no room to breathe.
Under the dim, greenish light, Yu Ci found it hard to describe exactly what these monsters looked like. At a glance, there were hardly any two alike. He only got an overall impression - these monsters twisted their bodies, squeezed together, like a pile of water-injected meat forcibly kneaded together, with some strange parts inserted here and there.
Even if the Divine Map could not display sound, the scene of thousands of these bizarre creatures struggling and howling in unison formed a shock wave that was intimidating to the soul, transmitted through the clear image. Even someone as courageous as Yu Ci felt suffocated after watching for a while. He had never imagined that such a ghostly place existed deep in the Sky Rift Valley.
"That must be the entrance to the Blood Purgatory Ghost Mansion!"
This was the most plausible answer Yu Ci could think of.
The "entrance" was suspended in the void about twenty miles away from the Cliff wall, completely opened in nothingness, without any supporting foundation in all directions. If forced to say there was one, it would only be the spreading dark fog around it, like a trembling curtain, constantly swirling and rotating, forming a clear vortex.
However, Yu Ci was more inclined to believe that it was the breath of tens of thousands of monster Demons at the "entrance".
Tens of thousands of Demons blocked at the "entrance", clearly wanting to rush out, but an invisible force on the outside blocked their way. The force was so strong that some Demons were even squeezed into meat paste by the force coming from behind, helpless to resist.
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At the one-mile-wide "entrance", such ugly "blood blossoms" were constantly blooming, but with so many "blood blossoms", there were always some exceptions. Some particularly strong Demons really did rush out, but what awaited them was the vast void with no foothold.
Therefore, the vast majority of the lucky ones who managed to escape fell directly into the bottomless abyss below. Only a very few who were born with meat wings and had the ability to fly could escape. And these Demons seemed to have a very strong sense of purpose, as soon as they gained freedom, they would fly north against the wind and cold wave.
These guys... Most of them are Golden Elixir Cultivators, right?
He vaguely remembered that during the Still Heart Temple period, Old Daoist Yu Zhou once mentioned the cultivation of Demons, which seemed to be somewhat different from the clear cultivation realm of human Cultivators, and there was a conversion issue involved, which could not be simply analogized. Moreover, at this time, stimulated by the "Three Calls in One Breath" technique, the potential of the Divine Bronze Mirror was temporarily developed. In addition to forcibly restoring the reflection range to fifty miles, it also made all the scenes within the range clear to the smallest detail. The previously "difficult" "Golden Elixir Haze" did not appear this time.
However, Yu Ci did have a method of discernment.
In fact, it was quite simple. Because as long as one possessed a cultivation level equal to or above that of the Golden Elixir, a conspicuous and murky black aura would emanate from their bodies, consciously or unconsciously resisting the cyan light emitted by the Divine Bronze Mirror. The two forces clashed within the Divine Map, appearing like the formation mechanism of the "Golden Elixir Haze". This was the primary basis for Yu Ci to identify them as Golden Elixir Cultivators.
The so-called black fog was likely a unique ability possessed by powerful Demons, constantly radiating. Although the cyan light was temporarily prevailing, Yu Ci could sense the power unleashed by the "Flying Essence" was gradually being depleted.
"How many have flown out in total?"
Yu Ci did not know how long this terrifying situation had lasted, but from what he had observed, just this wave of ascending Demons numbered three to five, scattered here and there. And what about the situation in the north?
His thoughts shifted again, only to find that the area had likely exceeded the range of the Divine Map. Without a second thought, Yu Ci immediately set off, chasing after the group of Demons.
His speed was far inferior to those flying creatures. Moving on the cliff wall, he encountered many obstructing Birds of Prey. Even with the assistance of the Divine Map, he found it somewhat strenuous. Thus, his path shifted downward because the lower he went, the fewer creatures in the valley and the fewer obstacles compared to the upper regions.
Unconsciously, Yu Ci traversed a downward diagonal line, crossing the boundary of forty miles, and entered into a dark region.
From here on, the valley's temperature plummeted, and the density of the fog increased. Gradually, daylight was obscured, with only some peculiar moss emitting a dim blue light, illuminating the dark cliff wall.
In this eerie place, Birds of Prey were extinct, and the surroundings were eerily silent, necessitating even greater caution. This was because the area was rife with all kinds of venomous insects and snakes. Their presence was faint, making them hard to detect, but their lethality was no less than those larger creatures above, even more insidious in some ways.
Yu Ci applied a talisman to himself to ward off poison and evil, which could block at least half of the poisonous insect attacks. Meanwhile, he held the Pure Yang Talisman Sword in his hand. Its light was restrained, but it radiated high-temperature heat waves, driving away those creatures that preferred cold, damp environments!
At this moment, the Demons flying within the Divine Map began to slow down, as their comrades appeared ahead.
Yu Ci stopped, using the Divine Map to calculate the distance. He found that he had traveled approximately thirty miles. His current position was slightly north of the midpoint between the "entrance" and the gathering place of the Demons ahead, allowing him to capture the situations on both sides within the Divine Map.
Indeed, it was an advantageous position. Yu Ci no longer moved forward, but sought a crevice in the nearby rocks that could provide shelter. After clearing the poisonous insects within, he settled down.
The gathering of Demons ahead was already quite substantial, looking like a crowd of five to six hundred. The sight was enough to make one's eyes twitch. However, there seemed to be few Golden Elixir Cultivators. Yu Ci estimated that including those who came later, there were only about thirteen or fourteen. Of course, this number was already the largest Yu Ci had ever seen in his life. The total number of Golden Elixir Cultivators he had seen in his lifetime was probably less than what he saw in this moment.
What should have surprised him more was the scene of the void cracking and the Demons swarming out. But compared to that, this situation seemed a bit underwhelming.
At this moment, another six or seven Demons broke out from the "entrance" and flew in this direction just like their predecessors... Ah, more Golden Elixir!
Yu Ci was beginning to understand. Perhaps the "entrance" had not been open for long. The Demons that flew out early varied greatly in strength, merely catching the wave and easily breaking through the barrier. However, each of the ones that came out later seemed to have some skills, and their strength was quite high.
"If this news gets out, I'm afraid the Lichen Sect and Sunset Valley will be busy for a while!"
Such an event was not a matter of whether to tell or not, but how to describe it. Not to mention anything else, just the hundreds of Demons gathered here, if they really went up to the valley, it would probably take only a day to flatten the sheer cliff city! At that time, millions of lives would be lost. As a witness, he had the responsibility to inform in a timely manner.
But why did this happen?
Yu Ci stared at the "entrance", somewhat distracted, but soon, the turbulent scene on the other side forcefully pulled his attention back.
At that moment, a layer of distorted ripples spread along the edge of the Divine Map. The green light filling the scene could not withstand such an impact, retreating step by step, making the view at the edge somewhat blurred again. However, Yu Ci still saw two shadows rushing wildly under the darkness.
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Seeing old friends again, by the way, does anyone have a disposable Demons extra for me to use? I'm even considering a guest appearance. While complaining, I kindly ask for clicks, favorites, and votes.
I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e