Even with the reliance of the Divine Map, Yu Ci had never descended below a depth of forty miles. The environment down there was simply too harsh. In addition to more dangerous predatory beasts, there were the dim lighting, treacherous terrain, and the occasional icy windstorms that surged up from even deeper. It was destined to be a deadly area, where extreme caution was necessary.
"Maybe it's a storm?"
Clinging to the mountain wall, Yu Ci felt a strong upward current, carrying with it the valley's unique chill. But amidst the cold, there was also a pungent smell, belonging to living creatures—or more precisely, to carnivorous beasts.
Moreover, the scent was mixed. Judging from this alone, it was impossible to tell how many fierce birds and beasts were gathering below.
After pondering for a moment, Yu Ci took out the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror from his sleeve, feeling its cool surface, and made a decision.
First, he deactivated the Divine Map, then took a deep breath until his lower abdomen swelled slightly. The acquired Qi circulated through his consciousness, stirring his blood and essence. After passing through various points in his body, he accumulated it briefly at his mouth and nose, then released it in a controlled exhale.
"Humph, hey, ha!" Three successive sounds echoed, and with the final "ha," his "Fei Essence (飞精)" shot forth like a stream, glimmering with bright white and faint red light, striking the mirror's surface. In an instant, the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror radiated a burst of green light, illuminating everything around him. (Q: Fei Essence (飞精) "Fei Jing" translates as fly or flying essence. So I chose something that sounds better.)
When Yu Ci performed the "One Breath, Three Calls" technique, he combined it with the structure of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror. The essence sprayed onto the mirror’s central "aperture," reacting with the essence pearl he had previously infused. It was as if a hand had rapidly turned a dial, causing the essence pearl to spin swiftly.
Though his hand remained steady, Yu Ci felt the mirror spinning rapidly, making his palm heat up. A visible wave of light spread out from the mirror's surface, and at that moment, he reactivated the Divine Map.
The mist-filled Sky Rift Valley now revealed its entire fifty-mile depth before him, without any obstruction, despite the dimming skies.
Yu Ci's thoughts followed the flow of green light. He had never before observed the region below forty miles so clearly. In this dark domain, it was relatively spacious, with only a few fleeting glimpses of dangerous and fierce creatures. However, as the light continued to descend deeper, reaching the lower part of the Divine Map, the scene before his eyes became terrifying.
What was gathered below was not the fierce predatory beasts he had anticipated. Of course not!
In that moment, it was as though he had seen a massive school of fish. However, the creatures crammed together in the darkness were not harmless fish, but a cluster of grotesque, monstrous beings, packed tightly within an area about a mile wide, with not a gap between them.
Under the eerie green light, Yu Ci found it impossible to describe the appearance of these monsters. At a glance, there seemed to be no two alike. He only formed an overall impression—they twisted their limbs, crushed together like bloated lumps of flesh, forcibly mashed into one mass, with strange and bizarre parts inserted here and there.
Although the Divine Map could not display sound, the sight of these thousands of demonic creatures writhing and howling in unison created a soul-shattering shockwave. The vivid image transmitted this impact directly into his mind. Even someone as fearless as Yu Ci felt suffocated after watching for a while. He had never imagined that such a hellish place existed deep within Sky Rift Valley.
"Could that be the entrance to the Blood Demon Restricted Realm?"
This was the most logical conclusion Yu Ci could come up with.
The "entrance" was suspended in the void, approximately twenty li from the cliff face, completely opened within the emptiness, with no support in any direction. If one insisted there was any support, it could only be the spreading dark gray mist around it, like a trembling curtain constantly rippling and spinning, forming a distinct vortex.
However, Yu Ci was more inclined to believe that it was the breaths of tens of thousands of monstrous demons near the "entrance."
With countless demons blocking the "entrance," it was clear they were attempting to rush out, but an invisible force seemed to prevent their advance. This force was so immense that some demons, crushed by the sheer pressure of those behind them, were reduced to pulp, but still could do nothing against the barrier.
Within the one-li radius of the "entrance," grotesque "blood flowers" blossomed constantly, yet with enough of these gruesome bursts, exceptions emerged. Some especially powerful demons managed to break free, only to face the vast void without a foothold.
As a result, most of the fortunate ones that made it out fell directly into the bottomless abyss below. Only a few, born with wings and capable of flight, managed to escape. These demons appeared to have a strong sense of purpose; the moment they gained their freedom, they flapped their wings against the fierce wind and icy gales, flying north.
These beings… most of them should be at the Core Refinement level, right?
He vaguely remembered that when he was at the Heart Prohibition Monastery, the elder daoist Yu Zhou once spoke about the cultivation of demons, which seemed to differ from the clearly defined realms of human cultivators. There was some kind of conversion issue, making it difficult to compare directly. Additionally, under the stimulation of the "One Breath, Three Calls" technique, the potential of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror had been temporarily unlocked. Not only was the mirror's range restored to fifty li, but every detail within the scope became clear. Even the previously problematic "Core Refinement mist" was now absent.
Nevertheless, Yu Ci still had his ways of making a judgment.
In fact, it was quite simple. As long as a demon had reached the Core Refinement level or higher, a conspicuous and murky black aura would surround its body, instinctively or deliberately resisting the green light emitted by the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror. In the Divine Map, the two forces clashed, resembling the formation process of the "Core Refinement mist," which was the primary basis for Yu Ci to confirm their cultivation level.
The so-called black mist seemed to be an ability unique to powerful demons, constantly emitting. Although the green light currently held the upper hand, Yu Ci could feel the energy from the "Fei Essence (飞精)" was gradually depleting.
"How many have flown out in total?"
Yu Ci had no idea how long this horrifying scene had been unfolding, but based on what he had seen, this wave alone had three to five demons sporadically breaking through. And what was happening further north?
His thoughts shifted again, only to find that the situation in that direction was likely beyond the range of the Divine Map. Without further hesitation, Yu Ci set off, chasing after the group of demons.
His speed was far inferior to that of the flying monsters, and navigating the cliffs was hindered by the presence of ferocious birds and beasts. Even with the help of the Divine Map, it was still a struggle. As a result, his path began to slant downward, since the lower he went, the sparser the creatures in the valley, and the fewer the obstacles.
Unknowingly, Yu Ci followed a downward sloping path, crossing the forty-li boundary and entering the dark region below.
From this point on, the temperature in the valley dropped sharply, and the fog thickened, gradually obscuring the daylight. Only some strange moss emitted a faint green glow, illuminating the dark cliffs.
In this eerie place, fierce predators had vanished, and the surrounding silence was terrifying. One had to be especially cautious while traversing here because it was home to all kinds of highly venomous snakes and insects. Their presence was subtle and hard to detect, yet their lethality was not inferior to the large creatures above, and they were even more insidious.
Yu Ci activated a detoxification talisman for himself, which could block at least half of the poisonous creatures' attacks. At the same time, he held the Pure Yang Talisman Sword, its light repressed yet radiating waves of intense heat, driving those small, cold-loving creatures further away!
At this moment, the demons flying within the Divine Map began to slow down as their companions appeared ahead.
Yu Ci halted, using the Divine Map to gauge the distance. He discovered he had covered about thirty miles, positioning himself perfectly in the central northern area between the "entrance" and the gathering spot of the demons ahead. This allowed him to observe the situations on both sides through the Divine Map.
It was indeed a good position. Yu Ci decided not to proceed further but searched for a rock crevice nearby to take shelter in. He cleared out the poisonous insects inside and settled down.
The gathering of demons ahead was already quite substantial, seemingly numbering around five to six hundred, bustling and crowding, which made one’s eyes twitch. However, it seemed that there weren't many at the Core Refinement stage. Estimating, including those that might emerge later, there were only about thirteen or fourteen—though this number was the highest Yu Ci had ever seen. In his entire life, he might not have encountered as many Core Refinement cultivators as he had just now.
He should have been more surprised, but compared to the scene of the void cracking open and demons surging forth, this situation seemed rather underwhelming.
At this moment, another six or seven demons broke through the encirclement at the "entrance." Like their predecessors, they flew toward this side… Ah, another Core Refinement stage!
Yu Ci began to understand. Perhaps the "entrance" had not been open for long; the initial demons that emerged had mixed strengths, simply having lucked into breaking through the barrier easily. The later ones, however, were all quite formidable, each possessing significant power.
"If this news gets out, both the Rifting Earth Sect and the Sun Light Sect will likely have their hands full!"
Such events were not merely a matter of whether to speak of them, but rather how to describe them. Leaving aside everything else, the hundreds of demons gathered here, if they truly attacked the valley, would probably level Cliff City in just a day! At that point, millions of lives would be in peril. As a witness, regardless of the circumstances, he bore the responsibility to inform others promptly.
But why did this happen?
Yu Ci stared at the "entrance," lost in thought, 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, wavering and dimming at the edges, causing the surrounding images to blur slightly. However, Yu Ci still caught sight of two shadows surging forward against the dark backdrop.
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