Chapter 767

Chapter 767: Left Dao Ruins

Hearing Mo Qianxun’s words, the slight resentment Fang Lie had been holding onto disappeared. Without another word, he nodded and left.

After Fang Lie departed, Mo Qianxun turned to Old Bird and said, "Bird Bro, your sudden decision to acknowledge Fang Lie as your master nearly landed me in hot water!"

"Enough! I’m the one who got the short end of the stick here," Old Bird grumbled. "This was all forced on me! Blame that wretched Lan Shan. We need to teach him a lesson—I won’t rest until we do!"

"Heh," Mo Qianxun chuckled. "Wait until you return from the Left Dao ruins. By then, Fang Lie will need to slaughter countless foes to absorb enough Spiritual Energy. Coincidentally, the great demon hole guarded by Kunlun Mountain is due to open soon. Perfect timing for Fang Lie to unleash his fury and give those enemies a proper thrashing."

"The great demon hole?" Old Bird frowned. "The thousand-year Demon Disaster approaches again. How many will perish this time?"

"We’re merely support. The Two Kunlun Sects will bleed the most—they brought this upon themselves!" Mo Qianxun replied with glee.

Long ago, when this realm degraded from the Earth Immortal Realm to the mortal world, Kunlun existed as a single sect. Later, a petty dispute over prioritizing sword cultivation versus magical cultivation split them into warring factions. Their leaders ultimately settled the matter through a decisive battle.

The two strongest Semi-Immortals of Kunlun clashed outside Kunlun Mountain in a cataclysmic battle. Both sides unleashed their full fury, wielding Ninth-Rank Treasures until the heavens trembled, the earth cracked, and space itself shattered.

The demonic sect exploited this chaos, planting agents who detonated a Great Demon Guiding Talisman on the battlefield.

This twelfth-rank Earth-Immortal talisman served as a beacon for the Demonic Realm. Upon activation, a Great Demon King sensed its space coordinates and shattered the weakened dimensional barriers to invade.

Normally, breaching space requires immense effort, leaving invaders depleted—a deterrence against such attempts. But the Semi-Immortals’ battle had already fractured the realm’s Crystalline Barrier, rendering it paper-thin.

The Demonic Realm effortlessly tore open a gap, unleashing hordes of demons. Only Kunlun’s sturdy protective array, ancestral treasures, and countless experts repelled the initial assault.

They begged aid from righteous sects, and after centuries of joint effort, the demons were driven back. Before retreating, the demons stabilized the breach in the Crystalline Barrier. Every millennium, the Space Channel reopens, reigniting war.

Though the Two Kunlun Sects split, their bond deepened. Shared losses in the Demon Wars forged camaraderie, while threats from the Demonic Realm and rival sects forced their alliance. Over millennia, this unity remained unshaken.

The Demonic Realm’s threat has waned, though occasional troubles arise from Demon Tides and the whims of Demon Kings and Lords.

Demon Tides—cyclical surges of the Demonic Realm’s Nascent Soul energy—occur roughly every thousand years. Weak tides spawn small channels, posing minor threats. Powerful tides unleash demonic Tsunamis that strain even Kunlun’s protective arrays.

Demon Kings and Lords are cunning. Sometimes they mock-attack during strong tides, wasting Kunlun’s preparations. Other times, they amplify weak tides with divine skills, catching Kunlun off-guard.

After suffering such schemes, Kunlun now treats every tide as apocalyptic, summoning righteous sects for aid. The Mo Sect remains their most prized ally, unmatched in defensive warfare.

During each Demon Disaster, the Mo Sect dispatches thousands of warships—mostly low-grade training vessels. Yet these large treasure weapons, armed with Divine Lightning Towers and shielded by formations, collectively rival a dozen Semi-Immortals in combat power.

Lately, dwindling Demon Disasters have made defense manageable for the Two Kunlun Sects, diminishing their reliance on the Mo Sect. Yet when disaster strikes, they still invoke righteousness to summon Mo Sect disciples into battle.

Clearly, Mo Qianxun’s plan was simply not to deploy an army, instead sending Fang Lie alone to disrupt things. This might create an opportunity to secretly sabotage the Two Kunlun Sects.

Old Bird voiced no objections, instead enthusiastically discussing deception tactics with Mo Qianxun.

These two stubborn old men, both cunning schemers, tossed endless treacherous ideas back and forth, thoroughly enjoying their brainstorming session.

Over the following months, Fang Lie remained home, devoting himself entirely to guiding his younger siblings’ cultivation rather than his own training.

Uncertain of surviving this journey – the "Deadly Abyss" title wasn’t mere exaggeration – he aimed to resolve all his siblings’ cultivation issues before departing.

He’d hoped to meet his two fiancées, but both were occupied refining immortal-grade treasures: the Immortal Spirit Jellyfish and Five-Poison Golden Toad’s Inner Core couldn’t be fully absorbed within mere years.

Departing with lingering regret, Fang Lie began his journey unseen by them.

A month later, the dust-covered cultivator arrived at a monochrome wasteland – endless gray-black skies above gray-black earth, swirling with ashen winds.

Scattered ruins and dead trees shared the same bleak hue. The putrid air hung thick, making every breath unpleasant.

This marked the periphery of Left Dao ruins, spanning millions of miles of this lifeless grayscale hellscape.

No water, no vegetation – just eternal gray-blackness that could erode sanity over time.

Most terrifyingly, no celestial bodies pierced the ash-choked sky. Flight proved impossible due to malignant curses – any rising thousand feet would crumble to ash, Semi-Immortals included.

With Heavenly Dao laws in chaos and compasses useless, navigation became perilous. Getting lost in this million-mile wasteland without flight often proved fatal.

Legends told of a man escaping after centuries trapped here, only to disintegrate upon exiting – his curse-tainted body unable to survive outside.

Beyond pervasive curses, hidden lethal hexes lurked everywhere. Even Semi-Immortals faced constant mortal danger.

Few ventured here except in dire need, though the ancient sect’s former headquarters promised great rewards.

Besides the fabled Pure Yang Immortal Fire, explorers had uncovered Ninth-Rank Treasures and life-extending elixirs granting Semi-Immortals millennia more longevity.

Desperate lifespan-depleted experts still gambled here, seeking ascension chances.

Fang Lie, despite his bright future, entered this thousand-to-one death trap out of necessity.

Undaunted by threats, he surveyed the hellscape briefly before striding forward.

Soon after, two Black-clad Masked Men appeared at his entry point.

"Someone entered," the first muttered after inspecting footprints.

"Another fool seeking death," the second snorted. "Let’s tail him – maybe scavenge leftovers."

"Agreed. But caution – only powerful experts come here. Stay distant until curses claim him."

Nodding, both shadows slipped into the ruins after Fang Lie.