Chapter 372. The Bottom of the Abyss, Another World
"That guy. He just jumped straight down. Is he not least worried about being in danger?" Concern crept into Jiang Ningxian's eyes as she watched Lu Yuan vanish into the abyssal rift. She knew perfectly well how powerful he was. At the very least, no living being could pose a genuine threat to him in the current world.
However, she still couldn't help but feel worried. Shennongjia was just far too bizarre. Her divine perception and soul-based abilities were being restrained here and could not be manifested. The closer one drew to that rift, the stronger the restraints became. How could she not be concerned at all?
Of course, if it were anyone else, she wouldn't bat an eyelid. However, Lu Yuan was different. The two of them had been through a lot together, and their relationship had changed drastically since the first time they met.
"Fairy Jiang, you're overthinking it," the Spirit Monkey said, noticing her concerns. "King Lu's power is under restraints here, but his physical body has been tempered to an extreme degree. Even if he can't draw on his power, his physical body remains unparalleled."
The Spirit Monkey knew Lu Yuan well and knew that the man would never do anything without being confident in the outcome of it. Shennongjia was dangerous, but for a true powerhouse, it was hardly worth fretting over.
There was no worry in the Spirit Monkey's heart, only unwavering faith in Lu Yuan.
"Fairy Jiang, you're being too worried," the Nine-tailed Fox King said, walking over with a smile. "You must've forgotten that we're talking about King Lu here. The unparalleled and invincible beneath the stars. Shennongjia is nothing to him."
The Nine-tailed Fox King emanated a haughty air, making it seem as if she were competing with Jiang Ningxian. As for what they were competing for? Only the two of them knew the answer to that question.
Jiang Ningxian's gaze changed when she heard that, and she smiled. As soon as she did, she cast her gaze on the Nine-tailed Fox King, and streams of radiant light seeped out of her, accompanied by a denser aura than before. Her entire being emanated a majestic, overwhelmingly powerful presence.
As the Saintess of the Jiang Clan, her strength placed her among the very top of the younger generation across the universe. For reasons unknown, she went all-out in releasing her aura.
The resulting wave of pressure was nothing short of terrifying. The Spirit Monkey's expression changed. It retreated a step, wondering what on earth was happening.
As the target of the aura, the Nine-tailed Fox King's face drained of color, and she trembled like an aspen tree.
Realizing that she had done something wrong, regret flooded her. She had known full well that she couldn't win, yet she had run her mouth, anyway.
The Nine-tailed Fox King lowered her head at once, and every trace of her earlier flirtatiousness and haughtiness vanished without a trace. She wilted like a plant, too terrified to utter another word.
Jiang Ningxian then withdrew her gaze, satisfied. She could act that way toward Lu Yuan, and no one else could do it except herself.
A moment later, Jiang Haokong walked over and looked straight at his sister. "Sis, what was that just now? Lu Yuan's going to be fine—"
Boom!
The words had barely left his mouth before a crushing wave of pressure slammed into him from his sister. Jiang Haokong instantly understood what was going on. For some reason, Jiang Ningxian was angry. As a Holy Son, he was fearless everywhere he went and was willing to challenge anyone. However, he dared not say anything before his sister.
Following the Nine-tailed Fox King's example, he hung his head low and shuffled off to the side. The Spirit Monkey watched this unfold with utter bewilderment, unable to figure out what was going on.
No one said anything more after that. They all stood in place, eyes transfixed on the abyssal rift.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan found himself in a free fall immediately upon jumping into the abyss. The abyss seemed bottomless, and it had to be at least thirty thousand meters deep. It was hard to believe that such a place could exist within a mountain range.
A fall from this height would reduce even a formidable Awakened to nothing but a meat paste.
However, Lu Yuan was different. As a Great Sage with a physical body tempered to a terrifying degree, a mere thirty thousand meters was nothing to him. What he cared about was what lay at the bottom.
Boom!
At last, after what felt like an eternity, Lu Yuan struck the ground. The height of the fall, combined with the sheer mass of his body, turned his landing into something like a meteor striking the earth. The impact triggered a violent earthquake.
"So I'm finally here?" Lu Yuan ignored the chaos and looked around.
He saw nothing but darkness. He could see almost nothing. Everything around him seemed to have been devoured by the darkness. He tried to activate his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes, but it remained unresponsive.
Down here, aside from his physical body, every ability he possessed, and every ounce of power inside him, was completely inaccessible. He was effectively no different from an ordinary person here.
It was indeed a bizarre place. Any Awakened here would be stripped of their power, and the darkness was also bizarre. For some reason, Lu Yuan couldn't adjust to it right away.
However, there was one thing he could still feel. The aura of the Nine Cauldrons. As long as he followed that aura, he believed that he wouldn't go astray. He emptied his mind and focused on the aura.
As time went on, his eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, and his surroundings came into focus. He looked around and realized that he was being sandwiched by terrifyingly high cliffs on both sides.
The gap between both cliffs was no more than ten meters, and he could also see unknown wisps of energy drifting through the rift.
Lu Yuan realized that the unknown wisps of energy were the reason he couldn't muster any of his strength. It was acting as a restraint on the world itself. As for how it was doing that, Lu Yuan had no idea.
Hence, with no answer to his burning questions, he simply kept moving forward.
An hour later, he finally came to a stop. The cliff walls ahead had given way to an enormous open plains that seemed to stretch infinitely. The flat plain seemed man-made, and Lu Yuan saw unknown structures across it.
Of course, the sight of them did nothing to stop Lu Yuan. However, his steps ultimately came to a halt when he clapped his eyes on what was above the massive plains.
He saw the sky. There was a sky down here, and he saw drifting across it. Purple lightning flashed across them as well, and he even saw a blood-red moon just beyond the dark skies.
"There's an entire world... beneath the abyss?" Lu Yuan murmured to himself. He had never imagined that he would stumble upon an entire world at the bottom of the abyssal rift. He had heard that one could eventually create an independent world upon becoming strong enough, but the magnitude of what he was staring at told him that this and that belonged not in the same league. They could not be compared to each other at all.
What exactly was hidden beneath Shennongjia?
