Thump, thump, thump. The sound of footsteps echoing on the ground became very distinct.
The thin youth beside him wanted to say something, but Fan Ren immediately pressed his head down.
“Shh!”
“Listen carefully.”
The thin youth felt slightly annoyed by being forced down, but he had no choice but to quiet down and listen intently to the sounds above the cave entrance.
“First Senior Brother… I… am sorry…”
Separated by a layer of earth, the two didn’t immediately recognize who was speaking, but they soon identified it as the voice of Yu Shengyan.
“First Senior Brother?”
“What is he doing?”
The thin youth turned his head, frowned, and asked in a low voice. Fan Ren was smiling excitedly, unable to hide his expression, and shook his head at the question. He had not made this trip in vain; it was indeed related to the First Senior Brother. He wanted to see exactly what Yu Shengyan had done!
They stayed in the tunnel for several minutes, listening to the sounds from above. Yu Shengyan said nothing else, and after a long silence, Fan Ren assumed he had left. Only when they heard footsteps again did the two suppress the urge to break through the opening and go up.
“First Senior Brother, I’ll come to see you again next time…”
Fan Ren pricked up his ears, holding his breath. Wasn’t the First Senior Brother missing? Is he actually inside the Bottomless Cave?
Thump, thump, thump-thump. Another set of footsteps followed, but this time they were moving toward the exit.
Fan Ren slowly released his hand from the thin youth’s head. “Yu Shengyan must be gone. Quick, let’s go up.”
Fan Ren instructed him to break through the final layer of earth. The thin youth rubbed his head, procrastinating as he mumbled, “This doesn’t feel right…”
“Are you still telling me that now?” Fan Ren glared, raising his fist to strike him.
“Alright, alright.” The thin youth agreed immediately, secretly regretting helping this little troublemaker break into the cave…
He recited an incantation toward the soil at the top, and the earth quickly softened and scattered, revealing a round hole.
Meanwhile, Min Yue, who was resting and meditating in his dormitory, opened his eyes. The barrier had been broken… Wait, not demons or ghosts… it’s people… Ah, it’s people from the academy…
Is this part of the mission? They don’t seem to pose any real threat; I might as well wait and see.
Right, I should remind Lan Tian.
After thinking this, Min Yue returned to his meditation on the bed.
Fan Ren leaped up to the opening, bracing his hands on the ground to climb out. When he saw the interior of the Bottomless Cave, he was stunned, as this was his first time here. The ceiling of the Bottomless Cave seemed infinite, and the walls were lined with thick, black iron chains. The thin youth climbed out right behind him.
Wow…
The thin youth didn’t stay surprised for long; he immediately saw a very familiar face.
“Wait, that person… is that the First Senior Brother?!”
Fan Ren asked, “What? Where?”
The thin youth grabbed his sleeve and pointed in a certain direction. A person emanating wisps of demonic aura was suspended in mid-air. Fan Ren hadn’t seen him earlier because he had instinctively assumed he would be on the ground.
“I-is that the First Senior Brother?” Fan Ren also posed it as a question.
The scene was incredibly shocking. They had thought the First Senior Brother might have encountered some trouble and gone into seclusion, but they never expected… he had turned into a demon! And was being locked up here!
The thin youth felt the severity of the situation was beyond their capabilities; he was so scared he nearly collapsed to the ground. Trembling, he said to Fan Ren, “Fan Ren, let’s get out of here!”
“Wait!”
Fan Ren felt fear as well, but his heart was filled with more excitement and thrill. The First Senior Brother has turned into a demon! A demon!
How did it happen? Fan Ren recalled seeing Yu Shengyan looking at the First Senior Brother with eyes full of hatred and murderous intent. Combining that with his “I’m sorry” earlier… Fan Ren felt he had discovered a truth… yet, questions remained: Why did the Master keep him in the inner courtyard?
“Wait. I want to watch a little longer.”
Fan Ren saw the First Senior Brother’s tattered clothing and felt a strange sense of satisfaction. The First Senior Brother had always been so high and mighty… seeing him in such a fallen, pathetic state was not just rare—it was unheard of!
Furthermore, this First Senior Brother used to find excuses to harass him, forcing him into sparring only to beat him viciously, or assigning him the most difficult tasks… He used to be the one who bullied others, never the one being bullied. At the time, he couldn’t talk back or fight back, or else he wouldn’t be able to survive in the Immortal Gate Academy…
But now… Fan Ren slowly curled the corner of his lips into a smile and narrowed his eyes.
First Senior Brother… now I have a chance to wipe away the shame of the past!
The thin youth beside him gradually noticed that something was wrong with Fan Ren.
Lan Tian had just received Min Yue’s reminder. He felt speechless, squinting his eyes as he looked down at the two people below.
Lan Tian: “Little Mengmeng, are those two cannon fodder?” Little Mengmeng: “No, they aren’t! O(∩∩)O” Lan Tian: “Why do I feel like one of them is looking at me with killing intent…” Little Mengmeng: “That’s a normal phenomenon! O(∩∩)O” Lan Tian: “Who did I offend? Was the previous Lan Tian this troublesome?” Little Mengmeng: “The previous Lan Tian was the version most loved by the public, derived from mass data!” Lan Tian: “So you’re blaming me now? Wait, that’s true, I haven’t done anything yet…” Little Mengmeng: “Aggrieved! That’s right, My Lord, you’re always working passively.” Lan Tian: “…………”
Everyone seems to be trying so hard… although I do have a fear of killing, it’s not my fault… Lan Tian thought and felt he was indeed too passive.
“Fan Ren! Why did you take that out?” the thin youth’s startled voice reached Lan Tian’s ears.
Lan Tian peered down secretly. Below, a purple light was radiating; upon squinting closer, he realized the light was coming from an object in that person’s hand. It was a coiled whip.
“What’s wrong with the Nether Whip?” Fan Ren said impatiently.
He held one end of the whip and flicked the other onto the ground. The full appearance of the whip was revealed—its tail radiated a bizarre, mysterious purple spiritual energy, as if it were a mix of immortal power and demonic power.
Relying on his experience, Lan Tian could already feel that it was no good.
That’s right, Fan Ren is about to cause trouble!
Fan Ren smiled, raised the handle of the whip high, and swung it fiercely in Lan Tian’s direction. The Nether Whip instantly hissed like a poisonous snake, attacking him.
Crack! The whip struck Lan Tian’s body heavily. The tip of the whip even lashed across Lan Tian’s face, instantly leaving a bloody red mark on his delicate white skin.
Lan Tian trembled immediately—not from the pain, but from the shock. Are kids this open these days? O_o
Seeing the body of the person in the air shudder, Fan Ren grew even more excited. However, the thin youth beside him was terrified. He grabbed Fan Ren’s arm: “Fan Ren, what are you doing!”
“Get lost! I’m obviously taking revenge!” Fan Ren pushed the thin youth away dismissively and raised the whip again.
Lan Tian was confused. What should I do now? ⊙⊙ He had been hit… but it didn’t hurt at all… Should I keep playing dead?
Fan Ren laughed like a madman, wildly swinging the Nether Whip at Lan Tian. Lan Tian’s head was whipped from side to side. Several long, bleeding wounds appeared on his face. His already ruined clothing was torn into shreds, and more bloody wounds appeared across his body.
Lan Tian couldn’t help but furrow his brows beneath his closed eyes. Is this person ever going to stop? I’m tied up here and can’t move is it really necessary to hit me so many times?
“Hmm? Has the potency of the Nether Whip decreased?”
Fan Ren had lashed Lan Tian several times, but Lan Tian remained unconscious with no further reaction. Yet, the Nether Whip was the bane of the demonic race… a single strike was supposed to cause unimaginable suffering. This was a protective treasure his father had given him to defend against demons; now, it was perfect for this occasion.
Hearing this, Lan Tian’s eyebrows jumped. Being hit several times with no reaction is indeed a bit unreasonable… With that thought, he hissed softly and slowly opened his eyes.
His blood-red, hell-like eyes stared directly at Fan Ren below. The hand Fan Ren was using to swing the whip faltered for a moment…
At the same time, far away on the other side, inside a cave where he had been recuperating, the puppet Jialuo felt a strong summons. He immediately dropped the wooden stick he had been whittling for fishing and stood up. On his shoulder, a tiny patterned squirrel was sleeping; sensing his movement, the squirrel lifted its head and looked at him with big, well-behaved eyes. He comforted the squirrel, placed it in his palm, and without saying a word, ran rapidly toward a certain direction.
In a mountain range filled with blooming flowers, many fairies and immortals had gathered to congratulate the Flower Fairy Yulu on breaking through her bottleneck and obtaining the Book of Heavenly Dao. Amidst the laughter and joy, a thundercloud suddenly gathered in the sky and struck a dark bolt of lightning toward the center of the crowd.
The laughter instantly turned into screams of surprise. The lightning struck the Book of Heavenly Dao, and smoke immediately erupted from the book. Yulu rushed to check it, only to find the book undamaged; however, on the final page, a few characters had appeared:
“The World-Destroyer has been reborn.”
The others were shocked, and the gathered immortals began to clamor in terror, describing the disasters caused by the previous World-Destroyer. Only one person remained silent. Yulu stood with her back to the immortals, a smile creeping across her face Damn it, my mission has finally started!