Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 762 Blood Trial

The border region of Yue.

On the edge of a desolate mountain range that has been shrouded in gray-black miasma for years, there was now a bustling scene with people and intertwined spiritual pressure.

The Yellow Maple Valley team landed on a large, temporarily cleared open space.

All around, cultivators from the other six sects, dressed in various styles, had already gathered.

The massive group of 175 people transformed the usually desolate outskirts of the wasteland into a bustling and noisy spectacle, reminiscent of a grand gathering.

Disciples from different factions gathered in distinct groups, the air thick with tension, excitement, vigilance, and an unmistakable stench of blood.

Most of the cultivators in the Qi Refining stage had solemn expressions, either gripping their magical artifacts tightly or silently reciting incantations, making their final preparations.

Even the deacons leading the group exchanged glances, their expressions carrying a sense of scrutiny and warning.

Although Li Huayuan's expression still carried a lingering complexity, he had regained the dignity of a Core Formation Elder.

His gaze swept over the disciples of Huangfeng Valley he had brought, lingering briefly on their tense and expectant faces, before finally settling on the person who looked out of place in the brand-new blue robe of an inner disciple of Huangfeng Valley.

Fang Yu was looking down, playing with a golden object in his hand, about the thickness of a finger and shaped like a small fish.

This little fish is a warm yellow color, neither gold nor jade, and it feels smooth to the touch. It exudes a strange, calming yet subtly restraining aura.

This was precisely what Li Huayuan had solemnly entrusted to him before his departure.

This is a magical artifact that can suppress one's cultivation level to the Qi Refining stage under the rules of the Crimson Forbidden Land.

Seeing Fang Yu's still relaxed expression, Li Huayuan couldn't help but remind him, "This is the 'key' to entering the Crimson Forbidden Land, but also a 'shackle' imposed by the rules. After swallowing it, the restrictive power it contains will forcibly suppress your cultivation level back to the Qi Refining stage within a week, matching the restrictions within the forbidden land. Remember, although this item can help you enter, it will also temporarily seal your Core Formation power. At that time, even a Qi Refining stage cultivator can kill you!"

Fang Yu ran his fingertips along the smooth surface of the small yellow croaker, feeling an immense sense of wonder.

Suppress cultivation level?

This thing is so interesting.

All the magical treasures and elixirs he had ever seen were aimed at breaking through limits and improving cultivation. This was the first time he had ever seen something that actively pushed people to a "lower" position.

"Don't worry, don't worry." Fang Yu's lips curled into a playful smile.

Suppress cultivation level?

So what?
He wished that humanity would progress for five trillion years, until spiritual energy became scarce and everyone became ordinary.

At that time, with his Rinnegan and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, wouldn't he have become a god directly?
But things aren't bad now.

During the Qi Refining stage, no one can withstand the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

if so.

Then let's strike with lightning again.

Fang Yu's gaze inadvertently swept over the Yellow Maple Valley team, passing over the Qi Refining stage disciples who were sweating nervously, and finally, it precisely settled on a corner.

There squatted an old man dressed in a tattered gray cloth shirt similar to that of the servants of the Chen family. He was hunched over with deep wrinkles on his face, and was looking down as if he was studying the stones on the ground. He was inconspicuous among a group of young disciples.

A gesture of respect!
Fang Yu's eyes instantly turned extremely strange, filled with disbelief.

This is a genuine Nascent Soul stage cultivator, capable of crushing Linghu Laozu with a single finger!

At this moment, Xiang Zhili was trying his best to shrink his neck, disguising himself as an ordinary old man at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, blending into the pile of cannon fodder who were about to enter the Blood Forbidden Land and fight desperately.

"Playing dumb to fool the enemy." Fang Yu rolled his eyes inwardly, but then he thought, if Xiang Zhili had to suppress his cultivation to come to the Crimson Forbidden Land, there must be many treasures inside. Just then, the gray-black miasma in front of them began to churn violently, accompanied by muffled thunder, and the chilling entrance to the Crimson Forbidden Land was slowly taking shape.

An ancient and ferocious aura, like a giant beast awakening, swept over us, instantly silencing all the noise in the arena.

A plump man in a butler's uniform cleared his throat, his loud voice drowning out the surrounding whispers, and began to perform his duty: "Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen, quiet down! Listen carefully!"

The fat deacon wiped the sweat from his brow, his small eyes scanning everyone. "That area ahead, filled with howling ghosts and wolves, is our destination—the Crimson Forbidden Land! There are plenty of good things inside: spiritual herbs, ores, and if you're lucky, you might even find a senior's treasure! But remember this!"

He suddenly raised his voice, his fat face jiggling, "You have to be alive to get good stuff! Those ferocious monsters, deadly poisonous miasma, and... hehe."

He gave a meaningful yet somewhat cruel smile. "Fellow Daoists of the other six sects! In there, trust no one but your own weapon! Remember my advice: coming out alive is the real skill! All of you, be on your best behavior! Don't go in and become easy prey for the monsters! You must come back alive!"

Before he finished speaking, the gray-black miasma that shrouded the mountains in front of him suddenly began to churn violently!

"It's open! The forbidden area has been opened!"

Someone shouted, instantly igniting the extremely oppressive atmosphere!
In an instant, the 175 disciples from the seven sects were like prisoners finally released from jail, or like the moment the cafeteria bell rang to signal the start of lunch—

"Buzz!"

The crowd erupted!

Various colored lights and magical artifacts shone brightly as figures, filled with greed, fear, and determination, rushed headlong toward the newly formed entrance, which was filled with swirling gray-black mist!

Pushing and shoving, shouting and cursing, the scene was chaotic and vividly depicted a situation of "too many monks and too little porridge".

The disciples of Huangfeng Valley also joined this torrent under Li Huayuan's complex gaze.

Fang Yu leisurely lagged behind, wearing a brand-new blue robe from the inner sect of Huangfeng Valley, yet he somehow managed to exude a sense of relaxed ease, as if he were strolling through a vegetable market.

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he idly kicked at the pebbles at his feet, showing no awe or tension whatsoever towards the bloodthirsty carnage ahead.

Just as he was dawdling and about to reach the edge of the entrance, an old man wearing a gray cloth shirt and with a hunched back followed him at the same unhurried pace. It was Xiang Zhili, who was disguised as an old cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refining.

The two walked almost side by side into the thick, gray-black miasma.

The moment you step inside, most of the outside noise is shut out, leaving only the wailing sound of the swirling miasma.

Fang Yu didn't stop walking, but slightly turned his head, raised his eyelids, and glanced at the "ordinary" fellow disciple beside him. A playful smile appeared on his lips. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Xiang Zhili's ears:

"Oh? Isn't this Xiang Shen? What, you're into this kind of thing too, coming to this run-down place to play house?"

Xiang Zhili paused almost imperceptibly, his wrinkled face still bearing that same muddled and bewildered expression. He shook his head, his voice hoarse and low, filled with age and doubt: "Young friend, you jest. I'm just an old man with a few bones, a mere handyman trying to make a living. How could I be some kind of god?"

Fang Yu scoffed and bluntly exposed, "A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator isn't a god? What are you pretending for? Old Man Li and the others are blind, but I'm not."

A glint of light flashed in Xiang Zhili's cloudy eyes, quickly replaced by a deeper bewilderment. He forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and said in a tone that was both amazed and cautionary, "This old man truly doesn't know why you are so certain, young friend. When you first entered Huangfeng Valley, you were only at the Qi Refining stage, yet in such a short time you have leaped to the Foundation Establishment stage and directly reached the Core Formation stage! Such astonishing progress is impossible to fake, even with the sect's spirit-testing stones. Such talent can be described as 'unprecedented,' but..."

He changed the subject, his tone tinged with the worry of an elder, "This Crimson Forbidden Land is extremely dangerous. Even those with Core Formation cultivation are suppressed upon entering. Although you have a strong foundation, are you afraid that venturing into this dangerous place might lead to your untimely death due to the wrath of heaven?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yu shrugged indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the swirling, unknown fog ahead. His tone carried an air of self-righteous arrogance: "Heh, as long as you don't make a move, who among these chickens, dogs, flowers, and grass can touch me? Want me to die? No way."

Upon hearing this almost arrogant declaration of confidence, Xiang Zhili chuckled softly. His laughter was hoarse yet carried an indescribable air of magnanimity. He shook his head, his gaze fixed on the deep, forbidden area ahead, his tone calm yet unwavering in its conviction:
“Young friend, you are overthinking it. Although I am not very talented, I know the importance of loyalty among fellow disciples. I would never do such a thing as stabbing a fellow disciple in the back.” He paused for a moment, then said firmly, “I would never do such a thing.”

"Then," Xiang Zhili tentatively cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, "shall I go to the left?"

Fang Yu tactfully replied, "I'll go to the right."

As soon as they finished speaking, their figures were completely swallowed up by the surging gray-black miasma and disappeared into the depths of the mist leading to the core of the Crimson Forbidden Land.

(End of this chapter)