Chapter 288

Chapter 288: The Terrifying Abyss of the Buried Immortals

The Abyss of the Buried Immortals, the most terrifying place in the Falling Star Mountain Range was said to have fallen from the heavens along with the mountain range itself.

According to legend, during the beginning of Eternal Night, a saint attempted to attain immortality here but ultimately failed, leaving behind a trace of the immortal path’s power. Since then, the Abyss of the Buried Immortals had become a place of great terror.

Inside the Abyss, a horrifying force of death lingered, a thick, suffocating aura of decay, so terrifying that even saints had once fallen before it.

It was only after over a hundred saints from the Southern Region and Western Desert combined their power, invoking the forbidden laws of holy power, that this place was sealed.

But after an unknown number of years, the seal broke, and the Abyss of the Buried Immortals re-emerged. Though it no longer held the unimaginable horrors of the past, it remained an undeniably terrifying forbidden zone.

Seeing Zhang Yang beginning to manipulate his own Saintly Fire in an attempt to control the Inheritance Stone Furnace, Yaoruoxian’s ferocity ignited.

All her life, she had pursued the goal of becoming an immortal.

This tribulation, this opportunity, she would not let slip away.

And so, she acted even more ruthlessly.

Inside the Inheritance Stone Furnace, Zhang Yang sensed the disturbance and immediately realized that Yaoruoxian was preparing another killer move.

But he wasn’t idle either.

He fully activated his Baxiang Saintly Power, allowing the vast Baxiang Saintly Fire to merge with the flames inside the Inheritance Stone Furnace.

His flames began to blend into the furnace’s fire.

After all, Zhang Yang’s Baxiang Saintly Power had been derived from comprehending these very flames. A wondrous connection formed naturally.

As a result, his Baxiang Saintly Fire spread rapidly, far faster than expected.

The inner walls of the Inheritance Stone Furnace began to glow, displaying patterns of fiery meteors falling from the sky.

A martial arts technique rooted in the path of a saint, Star Summon.

This technique, left behind by the Star Flame Saint, one of the three strongest saints of the Western Desert, was renowned for its unparalleled intricacy and absolute power.

Even as Zhang Yang glanced at it, he could feel its profound mystery.

Unfortunately, he had no interest in it.

His focus was on power, once divine power, now holy power, far beyond mere martial arts techniques.

Bang!

The Inheritance Stone Furnace shook violently.

Yaoruoxian leaped into the air, shifting from pushing to stomping on the Inheritance Stone Furnace.

With that single step, she unleashed the newly gained inheritance of the Star Flame Saint, triggering an explosive shockwave inside the furnace that rebounded toward Zhang Yang.

A direct attempt to stop him.

Zhang Yang snorted coldly and threw another punch.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Yaoruoxian reacted instantly, her voice ringing out in a rapid series of commands.

The flames inside the Inheritance Stone Furnace erupted.

They condensed forming burning stars that, like fiery meteors, shot toward Zhang Yang.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise.

He marveled at her comprehension.

That she had digested the inheritance to such a degree in such a short time was truly astonishing.

Yet, Zhang Yang had no choice but to summon his energy to break free.

He, too, was undergoing a process of self-adjustment after their ferocious battle.

Unlike Yaoruoxian, who relied on the power of the Inheritance Stone Furnace, her recovery speed was shockingly rapid.

As the two battled, one inside, the other outside, the Abyss of the Buried Immortals loomed ahead.

In the vast forest, an enormous stretch of land lay barren, devoid of flowers and trees. Only desolation, deep cracks, and a heavy atmosphere of death remained.

At the heart of this devastation yawned a massive abyss, rolling with intense death energy. This dreadful power was held in check by the lingering force of over a hundred saints’ forbidden laws, preventing its corruption from spreading beyond.

Even from over a hundred meters away, Yaoruoxian flipped backward, her white hands glowing with radiant holy light. With a single strike, she slammed her palms down onto the Inheritance Stone Furnace.

Bang!

The Inheritance Stone Furnace was sent hurtling into the Abyss of the Buried Immortals by her hand.

Her audacious act instantly provoked astonished cries from those gathered near the chasm.

"That’s the sacred relic left by the Star Flame Saint of the Crimson Flame Dynasty!"

"Who dares cast it into the abyss?"

"By the Saintly Fire surrounding her, she’s clearly claimed the inheritance, yet she destroys the vessel! Even a holy weapon won’t survive the Abyss’s corruption!"

As shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd, golden light suddenly erupted across the sky. A colossal golden hand materialized, reaching out in an attempt to snatch back the falling furnace.

Yaoruoxian snorted coldly and raised a single finger.

"Nullification of Saints’ Laws."

The golden manifestation disintegrated instantly, accelerating the furnace’s descent and sealing Zhang Yang’s fate within the abyss.

"A saints’ laws technique!"

"You’re the prodigy from the Demon Sword Forbidden Area… Yaoruoxian!"

The voice came from the golden hand’s summoner, who had instantly recognized her by that signature technique.

Yaoruoxian descended gracefully before the chasm, holy light rippling around her form. Her obsidian eyes tracked the plummeting furnace, and only after confirming that its sealed lid remained intact did she turn her attention to the speaker, her tone laced with detached amusement.

"Jin Zhihong. Brother-emperor of the Taixu Dynasty’s new ruler. Founder of the Butian Pavilion. Self-proclaimed collector of Southern Region’s talents."

"Correct."

The imperial scion strode forward with a leonine grace, flanked by two extraordinary figures—a towering swordsman radiating overwhelming pressure and a slender youth sporting a venomous scorpion’s tail.

Yaoruoxian’s gaze barely lingered on them before she dismissed them entirely. Her pride permitted no trivial distractions.

"Even as Eternal Night’s first law-forging mortal," Jin Zhihong growled, "must you discard this sacred relic? The Star Flame Saint’s power within could prove crucial!"

"Because I wish to."

Her porcelain features remained impassive as she gazed into the abyss.

"This interferes with my designs!"

"Not my concern."

She settled upon a weathered rock, the very image of indifference.

Jin Zhihong’s fury burned cold.

"Nie Bahuang!"

The giant knelt instantly. "Command me!"

"Summon Yuan Chimu. Determine if Yue Guilong still breathes within that pit."

Turning to the scorpion-tailed youth, he commanded, "Qing Xie! Mobilize eight hundred Butian Guards to seal this abyss!"

As his lieutenants departed, Jin Zhihong’s gaze remained fixed on the death-choked depths, where visibility vanished beyond a hundred meters. His jaw tightened at the sight of Yaoruoxian, who now murmured softly into the void:

"The Holy Body holds no temptation. Your death will pave the way for my immortal rise.”

True to her words, she had spurned the Saint’s legacy, fixated solely on transcending mortality.

All awaited Zhang Yang’s destruction below.

Inside the plummeting furnace, Zhang Yang cursed his miscalculation.

Although Yaoruoxian’s skills paled before his, she had exploited the sacred artifact flawlessly. Now, primal terror gripped him as the furnace shuddered violently. Some unfathomable force striking from the depths of the darkness.

CRACK!

The holy furnace split apart, colliding against the Mountain Wall, shattered by a nightmarish appendage. A blackened limb, bristling with spear-like hairs, unlike any creature of this world.

The Saint’s legacy vessel had yielded to the Abyss’s hunger.