Chapter 143

This was the contingency left behind by Tianjian Zi when he sealed Xiahou Yuan in this place years ago.

“I heard that five years ago, the battle between Xiahou Yuan and Tianjian Zi shattered the heavens and split the earth, and in the end, Tianjian Zi used the Tianjian Sect’s ultimate technique to crush the Demonic Tao True Body of Xiahou Yuan…”

Another guard whispered.

In this bitterly cold place, their only pleasure was to discuss the legendary great demon Xiahou Yuan.

After all, he was imprisoned right beneath their feet.

“I’ve heard another version, saying that ‘Qinghou’ by Xiahou Yuan’s side was actually Tianjian Zi’s childhood sweetheart, and it was precisely because of Qinghou’s betrayal that Xiahou Yuan was defeated and sealed…”

The third guard couldn’t help but chime in.

“Impossible,”

“What kind of person is Tianjian Zi? Holding the righteous power of the world, how could he resort to such a tactic?”

“Indeed, I also think it’s impossible. Even if Tianjian Zi defeated Xiahou Yuan back then, he did not kill him but instead sealed him here to live a lingering and miserable life.”

“Facing such a fierce and evil demon like Xiahou Yuan, even the venerable Tianjian Zi harbored a compassionate and reformative heart, so how could he possibly employ such despicable tactics?”

One after another, the guards voiced their opinions, many of them greatly ‘admired’ Tianjian Zi and naturally did not allow others to ‘speculate’ like that.

…..

“Compassionate?”

“Sympathetic to the world?”

“All bullshit!”

On the eighteenth level underground, Lin Yuan’s face revealed a sneer.

Tianjian Zi hadn’t killed him simply because he feared the demonic secret technique Xiahou Yuan mastered—

Soul Out-of-body Parasitism Skill.

This Demonic Tao secret technique is akin to the Seizure Technique.

When the physical body dies, the Primordial Spirit would escape.

Finding a suitable carrier to parasitize.

The Primordial Spirit, being a concentration of mental and spiritual power, is not a physical entity and thus is difficult to restrain and deal with.

If Tianjian Zi had killed Xiahou Yuan during the battle five years ago, it would have been difficult to stop the escaping Primordial Spirit of Xiahou Yuan.

If he had let Xiahou Yuan’s Primordial Spirit escape, it would be tantamount to the battle being fought in vain, as Xiahou Yuan would recover his full strength and return after decades or even a century.

So…

Tianjian Zi thought of a method.

That was to seal Xiahou Yuan’s body, confine his Primordial Spirit within his body, and suppress his body under the Great Abyss.

Seeking to literally torture Xiahou Yuan to death.

This method proved effective. Just five years had passed, and Xiahou Yuan could no longer endure it.

If it weren’t for Lin Yuan’s arrival, he would probably already be dead.

“Qing’er…”

Having observed Xiahou Yuan’s situation, Lin Yuan discovered the primary culprit behind Xiahou Yuan’s current plight.

In fact, even if confronted with Qing’er’s betrayal, with Xiahou Yuan’s capabilities, there was a great chance for him to escape.

At most, the price paid would be greater.

It was just that at that moment, Xiahou Yuan was utterly despaired. Qing’er’s betrayal had somewhat shattered his state of mind, so he did not make any resistance.

…..

“Foolish.”

“Such a strong figure, and yet… yet to be bewildered by such low-level emotions.”

Lin Yuan furrowed his brows.

At his peak, Xiahou Yuan was a Peak Powerhouse of the Ninth Realm.

And the Peak of the Ninth Realm is almost equivalent to a Fourth Rank Evolver of the Main World.

If Xiao Hou Yuan had had a strong will to survive five years ago, it would have been impossible for him to be suppressed here, and Lin Yuan wouldn’t be in his current predicament.

“Forget it.”

Lin Yuan began to ponder.

The Great Abyss… is an incredibly mystical place, not only a forbidden zone for ordinary people but also to those powerful cultivators.

Because the deeper one goes into the Great Abyss, the more the cultivator’s mastered powers will be suppressed. Eighteen layers of the Great Abyss are enough to turn the powerhouses of the Seventh and Eighth Realm into ordinary people.

Of course.

None of this posed a problem for Lin Yuan.

What really troubled Lin Yuan were the six black chains that locked his body.

Of these six black chains, two pierced through his sternum while four secured his limbs.

The chains were made from Deep Sea Millennium Fine Gold, which even Peak Powerhouses of the Ninth Realm could hardly damage.

On the surface of the fine gold, there were even more secret scripts from the heritage of the Tianjian Sect.

Just these six black chains alone completely restrained Lin Yuan.

The slightest movement brought endless pain.

Besides the chains, Lin Yuan’s physical body and Soul and Spirit were also heavily sealed by secret techniques.

The reason Tianjian Zi dared to imprison Xiahou Yuan under the Great Abyss was that he was certain there was no possibility of escape.

“With so many sealing techniques, Xiahou Yuan indeed couldn’t escape.”

Lin Yuan sighed.

But he was not Xiahou Yuan, after pondering for a moment, Lin Yuan immediately thought of several methods.

First was to reduce as much as possible the six black chains’ suppression on his body and soul and spirit.

Only in this way could Lin Yuan have a chance to regain his strength. Once he returned to the Fourth Rank, even if not the twelfth segment, leaving the Great Abyss would be more than possible.

“In the Swallowing Sky Evolution Path, there is a ‘swallowing’ method that can transform the heterogeneous energy of the world into one’s own.”

“I use the method of Taiji to operate this technique, slowly swallowing the essence of the deep-sea fine gold within the black chains.”

“As long as the deep-sea fine gold turns into scrap metal, the secret script engraved on it will naturally become rootless water, unable to suppress me.”

Lin Yuan nodded slightly.

The Swallowing Sky Evolution Path is a beyond Sixth Rank evolution path of the Seven Star Cave World.

It is extremely eerie and can affect the minds of evolvers.

But it must be said, this evolution path is indeed powerful, and even in such a dire situation, Lin Yuan could make use of it.

“Let’s begin.”

Lin Yuan closed his eyes, slowly circulated his internal qi and blood, enduring immense pain while slowly eroding the six black chains.

“Using the most basic method of qi and blood circulation, indeed it did not trigger the backlash of the soul and spirit seal.”

Lin Yuan steadied his mind.

His physical body and soul and spirit were heavily sealed by secret techniques. If he used even a little power, he would encounter backlash.

But now, merely circulating basic qi and blood apparently did not meet the ‘requirements’ for backlash.

After all, the circulation of basic qi and blood is too common. As long as one is alive and breathing, the qi and blood are slowly circulating.

Initially, Tianjian Zi’s idea was to grind Xiahou Yuan to death but naturally left behind a way to live.

…

Outside the Great Abyss.

Two guardians were slowly approaching the entrance.

One guardian was large and the other was small.

The larger one was a middle-aged man with a face full of beard.

The smaller one was only in his early twenties, his face still showing traces of immaturity.

“Is this the Great Abyss? It’s terrifying.”

The smaller guardian, named Zhao Si, was a Second Realm cultivator.

His expression was heavy, as if under immense pressure.

They hadn’t even entered the Great Abyss yet; just approaching it made Zhao Si feel as if his qi and blood were nearly immersing. For ordinary people, every step would involve a great pressure.

One can imagine.

The Xiahou Yuan suppressed at the deepest part of the Great Abyss, at the eighteenth underground layer, what kind of terrifying pressure he must be enduring every moment.

“Keep your voice down.”

The bearded middle-aged man said softly beside him.

For some reason, the closer they got to the entrance of the Great Abyss, they felt a mental pressure in addition to the physical one.

Maybe because the one held inside was that legendary demon.

A person’s reputation mirrors them.

Even though it’s been five years.

Even though they knew this legendary demon was no longer as he was.

Even though they could now trample this legendary demon under their feet.

That fear instilled deep in their souls still lingered.

It was like sheep encountering a tiger; even though the tiger was about to die of old age, they dared not approach.

Moments later.

The two arrived at the entrance of the Great Abyss.

They cautiously observed the area in front of the entrance.

On the pitch-black stone lantern there.

A small flame was burning slowly inside.

“Xiahou Yuan is alive,” said the bearded middle-aged man.

This lantern, left by Tianjian Zi, could always sense Xiahou Yuan’s life status at the eighteenth layer underground.

If Xiahou Yuan completely died, and his soul and spirit perished,

The flame inside the lantern would extinguish.

As the flame was still burning,

It indicated Xiahou Yuan was not dead.

“Not dead…”

Zhao Si shrank his head.

He couldn’t imagine how Xiahou Yuan managed to survive until now at the deepest part of the Great Abyss without any food supply.

“Let’s go.”

After confirming the status of the lantern, the bearded middle-aged man immediately led Zhao Si back.

Just like that.

It was suddenly ten years later.