Chapter 189   Falling down the Abyss

The people above saw this and were shocked. Yun Shimo cried out involuntarily, “Qiyue!”

Before his voice had faded, she had already disappeared from the ground, leaping down into the abyss.

Since that bloody battle, everyone had been extremely shocked. Accidents often happen when people are at their least prepared.

After all, the first Soul Puppet had managed to reach the opposite side. Everyone thought that Hua Qiyue should not face any more problem. Yet this had happened!

“Everybody, take a step back!” Ji Feng’s face was grim. “You people wait here. I’ll go down too.”

“Me too!” Huangfu Xuan quickly stepped out and walked over to the cliff. He saw that it was pitch-black below, but still leaped down fearlessly.

Ouyang Youche quietly stood out. A solemn look was on his handsome face. “Brother Ji, you stay here. If anything happens to Brother Yun, you will be the one in charge of pill-refining... ”

A twinge of pain flashed acorss Ji Feng’s eyes. “Nothing will happen to Brother Yun. Nor to Qiyue... ”

He was naturally unwilling to believe the ever-victorious Hua Qiyue would be devoured by that demon snake!

“You people wait here, or walk across along this path and wait for us on the opposite side!”

Then, Ouyang Youche also leaped into that fathomless abyss...

Ji Jing’s face was ashen. She pulled at Ji Feng’s robe sleeve. “Brother... Nothing will happen to... Sister Qiyue and them!”

Ji Feng kept silent for a while. He finally waved his hand and walked toward that narrow path. After all, since Hua Qiyue was not around, those Soul Puppets would not listen to their bidding.

Zhen Ruyi stared into that deep abyss, a look of regret in her eyes. “The Princess has four men who feel so deeply for her. Her entire life has not been in vain... What a pity... ”

“Hoho, Sect Leader Zhen, that girl’s no ordinary person. She’ll be alright. Let’s be optimistic and move ahead first!” Another old man said. Everyone heard his words and remembered Hua Qiyue’s extraordinary abilities. She was indeed a legendary figure. How could such a legend die so easily in the mouth of a Demon Snake?

So, everyone pulled themselves together and descended the mountain.

—

A fierce wind was at her ears and a horrible stench was madly billowing. Hua Qiyue stared at that two red dots as she approached and knew that they were definitely the Demon Snake’s eyes.

“Soul Puppet, protect your mistress!”

Hua Qiyue ordered. That Soul Puppet began to attack the Demon Snake automatically.

A purple glow of light appeared on the Soul Puppet’s hand. It surged out hastily toward that snake’s eyes.

“Hissss—” The Demon Snake felt the brutal murderous aura and gave an icy hiss. After a muffled boom, the Demon Snake’s eyes trembled a bit but it was not slain!

Hua Qiyue’s heart was in her mouth. It was the first time she was feeling fear. This Demon Snake which could draw her and the Soul Puppet in must be a tenth-level Demon Snake!

A tenth-level Demon Snake was not something which she and the Soul Puppet could tackle! If both of them ended in the snake’s mouth...

Hua Qiyue immediately took out the Drunken Flower Fan from inside her robe. She started to strike the Demon Snake ferociously!

It seemed that she was about to end up in the snake’s mouth when she gave it a fan. A few silver lotuses streaked out with silvery trails, forming a huge vortex, madly surging toward the snake’s mouth.

Suddenly, the Demon Snake gave a plaintive hiss. Hua Qiyue struck out a second fan, accompanied by another wild gale!

The Demon Snake was facing a 100,000-year-old divine weapon of humankind. Of course, it could not fight back. It was instantly fanned away!

Hua Qiyue was almost about to drop to the ground. At this moment, a luminous night pearl fell from the sky, lighting up the area that the Demon Snake had just occupied!

There was just a disgusting pool of goo there...

Hua Qiyue almost threw out. A human figure suddenly streaked to her side, lifting her up by her arm!

“Crash...!”

The Soul Puppet had crumbled into dust. Lifted by someone, Hua Qiyue was soon descending slowly, breaking the force of her fall. The two of them shielded their bodies with vital energy. When she landed, she felt her legs go numb. Hua Qiyue almost collapsed.

Yun Shimo’s voice rang out by her ears. “Be careful!”

Hua Qiyue had stepped on a pool of snake saliva. She felt so nauseated that she nearly threw out. It was so filthy and messy. Were it not for the luminous night pearl, she would have collapsed down in a heap...?

Hua Qiyue had not yet recovered, when another nauseating stench arrived, accompanied by a gale. She had not the time to use Drunken Flower Fan, when the snake’s mouth instantly appeared before her eyes!

She suffered a great fright. Had her Drunken Flower Fan failed to fan the Demon Snake away?

“Fist of Strike Force!” Yun Shimo was the first to react. All his powerful anima energy had surged out to his fist as he aimed it at the Demon Snake!

It carried with it his full physical might. It was too cramped at the bottom of the abyss. The Demon Snake could not dodge the fist.

This was the reason why Hua Qiyue could not fan the Demon Snake away with her two waves.

Another muffled boom. Yun Shimo’s fist had struck the Demon Snake squarely in the eyes. After all, the Demon Snake had been fanned twice and was reacting very slowly. Its head was swimming. After being hit by Yun Shimo’s fist, it was instantly stunned. But they were too close. The Demon Snake opened its mouth and bit down on Yun Shimo’s retracting arm!

“Annihilation—Dissipate the Soul!” Yun Shimo felt a stabbing pain on his wrist, but he still bore with it, unleashing his final spiritual energy!

Plumes of blue light frantically gushed into the Demon Snake’s brain. The focus in its eyes grew weak and scattered, and its entire body shook! The Demon Snake had to open its mouth. Yun Shimo retracted his arm which bore the deep fang marks of the snake.

“Icy Shield!” Hua Qiyue also summoned her lethal ice skill. It was so hot by the cliff and yet the Demon Snake had lived there. It must enjoy hot places very much...

A thick layer of ice instantly encased the Demon Snake’s body. It shivered and struggled, failing to break free from the ice casing.

A tenth-level demon beast ought to be extremely fierce. But it had been hit by Yun Shimo’s soul-attack. Its soul power had weakened. Its physical strength had dissipated as a result!

Now’s the time!

Hua Qiyue started to wave her Drunken Flower Fan madly at the Demon Snake.

Whoosh, whoosh—

The Drunken Flower Fan was accompanied by a ferocious gale and a brutal attacking force. The Demon Snake could not react on time. Its entire body flew up and slumped heavily against the cliff wall.

Yun Shimo’s soul-attack had put the Demon Snake on a backfoot. Now, as the Drunken Flower Fan waved wildly, its silver lotus petals were like sharp blades, sinking swiftly into the Demon Snake’s body.

Pow—

The spiritual energy of the Demon Snake was dispelled by these attacks. Its massive body was sliced up into rings by the silver lotus.

Hua Qiyue tottered unsteadily on her feet, reeled by the wild gales reflected off the cliff wall. Luckily, Yun Shimo grabbed her by her slender waist. They soared backward and landed behind.

The bottom of this chasm was narrow and long. The Demon Snake had occupied a large area. Behind that, it was much cleaner.

Hua Qiyue was thoroughly exhausted. She pushed Yun Shimo away and slumped down on a large black boulder.

Gasp—they had finally killed the Demon Snake. But how could both of them get back up the chasm?

“Boom... ”

Two more muffled thuds. Someone seemed to have fallen. Yun Shimo took out another luminous night pearl, but could see no one.

They did not know that Huangfu Xuan and Ouyang Youche had leaped down after them. They had been swept away by the rebounding gales of the Drunken Flower Fan, to the far side under the cliff...

“Are you alright?” Yun Shimo’s low voice rang out again. Hua Qiyue shut her eyes, too lazy to glance at him.

Yun Shimo gave a gentle sigh. This girl seemed to hate him so much. He had his reasons...

Yun Shimo stretched out his hand and lightly grabbed hold of Hua Qiyue’s hand. She had a great shock and immediately tried to fling it off.

It was the first time Yun Shimo was so near to Hua Qiyue in a month. And yet she left him heartlessly. He felt an unutterable sense of dejection.

“Qiyue... ”

Yun Shimo called out to her helplessly. Only then did Hua Qiyue raise her head and look into his eyes.

The luminous night pearl was very bright. She could easily tell that, in front of her, the sleeves of a man in black were flapping in the wind. His black hair was a little ruffled, his inky eyes dark and shiny, like a deep pool of water.

The only blemish was his red and swollen wrist, turning his entire palm black.

Hua Qiyue frowned. Wasn’t Yun Shimo the medicine saint? Didn’t he know that he had been poisoned by snake venom?

Besides... hadn’t he also taken Long Red and the Ginseng with Nine Souls? They were two exceptional divine herbs. He must be quite immune to poison.

Yet strangely, his arm was black and swollen. He had obviously been poisoned.

Yun Shimo followed the direction of Hua Qiyue’s baffled eyes and glanced at his wrist. He said quietly, “The venom of a tenth-level demonic beast’s too strong. My body can’t take it.”

He accepted the fact lightly and took out a dagger from inside his robe. He gently made a deep gash behind his hand, squeezing out the black blood. Then, he took five antidote pills.

Despite this, Yun Shimo was looking poorly.

Hua Qiyue’s heart felt a slight twinge of pain. Although she had tried to remain cold and distant with him, she could not quite suppress the feelings in her heart.

Yun Shimo tore a fabric and started to dress his wound. Then, he began to survey the surrounding environment.

“This is the bottom of a deep chasm. It’s long and narrow. But if we proceed forward or backward, I’m sure it’ll open up. There’ll be a way out.”

Yun Shimo was right. After all, the abyss was deep. Usually, it would consist of a long and narrow passageway on the bottom. After getting out of this passage, they would set foot on level ground again.

But there were exceptions. A terrain might change at the bottom of the abyss. It might be a whole new world there.

Hua Qiyue took out a Ginseng with Nine Souls from inside her robe and ate it. The medicinal effects began to work. She started to inhale the anima energy from her surroundings and slowly recovered.

Yun Shimo also took two Qi-gathering Pills, replenishing the spiritual energy inside his body. When they had quite recovered physically, the two of them turned and walked out with a tacit understanding.

Yun Shimo was lofting the luminous night pearl high, observing the trees and plants along this long, narrow passageway. They found many strange and rare herbs. But no one had the mood to pick them now.

After all, they had refined enough pills. What they needed to do now was to leave. They must return to the capital, rest and cultivate, so that they could meet the challenge seven days later.

After walking a dozen steps, the two of them discovered a cave on their left. This cave could hold four or five people. It was extremely big. Gusts of wind blew out from the cave.

“Wind from the entrance... in other words, there’s an exit on the other side of the cave,” Yun Shimo said quietly.

He was originally unwilling to enter. But Hua Qiyue first hesitated, then turned her body and stepped into the cave.

Yun Shimo could only follow behind.