A group of people in black robes walked in the dark underground palace. The leader held a lamp in his hand, which emitted a light yellow light that illuminated his hands waxy yellow. The surroundings were pitch black and nothing could be seen. These people didn't say anything and just walked like this. After an unknown amount of time, the leader suddenly stopped and only heard him whisper: "This is it!"
A tall man behind him stepped forward, his ring flashed, and a bronze square tripod as tall as a person appeared in front of him. He took out a small emerald green bottle from his sleeve, pulled off the cap, and muttered something. Suddenly, a purple-brown flame flew out of the small bottle and went straight to the bronze square tripod, and a raging flame ignited in the square tripod. The flames kept beating, and the color gradually changed from purple-brown to orange-red. The firelight shone on the faces of several people, including Duan Changsheng, Duan Jingfeng and Duan Shaotian. It's just that the leading lamp holder wears a white mask on his face, and his real face cannot be seen.
Duan Changsheng put away the jade bottle and said, "Shaotian, put it up."
The burly Duan Shaotian pulled off the black cloak on his body, revealing the dark broadsword at his waist. This broadsword was the same one that was snatched from Su Jiu's hand. He placed the knife horizontally on the tripod and let it burn in the blazing flames. Within a moment, the blade began to become hot, turning from black to red, like a red-hot iron. Suddenly, a burst of black smoke came out of the knife. The black smoke floated above the knife as if it were alive, twisting and circling, and finally turned into a man's face, making a harsh noise.
Duan Shaotian and Duan Jingfeng's expressions changed, but Duan Changsheng remained calm, which was obviously what he expected.
"Has it finally appeared?" Duan Changsheng asked softly.
"Ahhh!"
The man's face-shaped black smoke let out a mournful scream and suddenly rushed towards Duan Changsheng. Duan Changsheng was already prepared to repel him with a wave of his sleeves. The black smoke kept changing on the ground, eventually forming a mud-like object that looked neither human nor ghost.
"Broken...Grown...Eternal Life..." This group of objects seemed to be babbling. After several attempts, the speech finally became fluent.
"Chang... Changsheng, you... succeeded, very good." The voice of a middle-aged man came from the pile of objects. The voice was quite majestic and did not sound like it was coming from a puddle of mud.
Duan Changsheng sneered and said, "Okay? Is it as you wish?"
"Of course, Chang... Changsheng, you are indeed my most outstanding disciple. Come back, come back to... me, I guarantee that you will become my heir! The unique... heir!" The mud continued to squirm, The sound is full of temptation.
Duan Changsheng chuckled and continued to sarcastically say: "Old man, you know, you know how much I hated you after she left. Isn't that why you sent me to the Mortal Continent? You knew I would do that You just want me to do this, but the outcome may be a little different than you expected."
Lanni was silent for a moment and then said: "Chang Sheng, I admit that I was wrong. You are the best in the entire Jiuyou. Her death is just a small price to pay on the road. Do you really have to follow this for a woman?" The whole sect is against you? And you, if you people want to come back, I will definitely ignore the past grudges. You can get everything you want, whether it is fame, resources, or women, I can give it to you!"
"Old guy, this is the sad thing about you. It turns out that you don't understand anything at all! Just watch, I will fulfill your wish, and I will restore this 'Tiger Soul' with my own hands! Then, you will watch Your disciples and disciples died in front of you one by one. Oh, no, no, no, maybe you don’t care about this at all. Then, just wipe out Jiuyou. Don’t you care most about the continuation of the sect? In the end, I will slowly Roast your soul and make you torture!"
"Chang Sheng, this is not my original intention. How can we still..."
"boom!"
Duan Jingfeng smashed the mud into pieces with a palm of his hand, and said: "After sensing the fluctuations in spiritual power, this old guy actually wants to send a message to the outside world."
"It doesn't matter, no one will find out about this place!" The man wearing a white mask spoke. He bent slightly towards Duan Changsheng and said, "Are you satisfied with this place?"
Duan Changsheng nodded and said: "Very satisfied. You are qualified to join us, and I will fulfill my promise. This is the seed of the 'Heaven-Devouring Demon Art', please keep it."
An emerald green seed floated in front of the masked man, and the man did not hesitate to let it blend into his eyebrows.
"Thank you, Master! I will serve you loyally and give my best!"
"Remember, there is a limit to the number of 'spores' that this seed can split off. If it exceeds a certain limit, there is a risk of being eaten back. Don't have any objections to me, otherwise you will die as long as I have a thought. Burial place!”
"My subordinate understands!"
The figure of the masked man slowly disappeared into the darkness. Duan Changsheng took out the black jade vial containing the Demon God's soul and murmured to himself: "Let's start destroying this world!"
…
Ling Ning and his party sailed on the sea for three days. At the beginning, he felt very novel, but as time went by, he began to get tired of the boring sea. Although there were occasionally some large ferocious beasts swimming around, these ferocious beasts did not seem to have the intention of attacking the ship, and he gradually relaxed his vigilance.
He has become more familiar with several other people in the past few days. Zhao Yifan still pesters Xia Shiqing every day to ask questions. The little junior sister named Qin'er always has an unnatural expression on her face when she sees it, and she is obviously jealous. Yu Chen, who was wearing a purple robe, seemed to be interested in Qin'er again, and the expression on his face became unnatural. Jiang Yuan was originally interested in Qin'er, but when he saw that she was very interested in Zhao Yifan, he was not angry. He turned around and showed his courtesy to Wan Yun.
Xia Shiqing still ignored the others, playing chess with Ling Ning in her spare time, or pointing out the scenery on the sea together. If no one else was there, it would definitely be a very enjoyable journey.
On the fourth day of the trip, Ling Ning and Xia Shiqing were playing chess in the room. The sky was covered with dark clouds and it started to rain lightly. Ling Ning suddenly noticed that the rainwater on the porthole had turned black, as if drops of ink had left scratches, and she couldn't help but feel surprised.
Before he could check, the door suddenly opened, and Zhao Yifan, whose expression changed drastically, rushed in, followed by his junior brothers and sisters. They were all soaked by black rainwater, and the rainwater flowed down their foreheads and covered their faces. , like dark blood.
Zhao Yifan started by saying: "Where is your compass pointing?"
Xia Shiqing said calmly: "Don't you already know?"
Compared with Ling Ning and others who were confused, Zhao Yifan looked excited and the muscles on his face kept twitching. He said tremblingly: "The Black Territory? You...you are going to the Black Territory? Is that right?"
As soon as the words "Black Domain" came out, the expressions of the junior brothers and sisters behind him changed. Only Ling Ning was still confused.
"That's right." Xia Shiqing put down the chess piece in her hand and looked at him steadily, "If you are afraid, you can leave in a small boat."
"I'm not afraid, I'm just... you know, you know that place is a restricted area! Why go there?" Faced with Zhao Yifan's questioning, Xia Shiqing still said calmly: "I told you, if you are afraid, you can take a small boat Let’s go. Alternatively, you can contact the sect and ask the sect to send another ship to pick you up.”
"I said it's not a matter of fear or not. This is a restricted area! It's a cursed place! Do you...do you understand or not?" Zhao Yifan said excitedly.
"I'm sorry, can anyone explain to me what the Black Domain is? What's cursed?" Ling Ning asked confused.
"You don't even know about the Black Domain? I really don't know how you have been able to practice for so many years. Your elders didn't teach you?" Jiang Yuan said with a look of disbelief.
"I really doubt whether you are from Shuiyuetian?" Qin'er said with disdain.
"Isn't it weird?" Ling Ning said helplessly, "Why are you so scared?"
"I'll tell you..." Before Zhao Yifan could finish his sentence, Yu Chen suddenly screamed and fell on his back in the cabin. He strangled his neck with both hands, and a large amount of black blood gushed out of his mouth. He could only take a few breaths. After a while, his eyes widened and he became motionless!
Everyone was shocked. Zhao Yifan patted Jiang Yuan beside him and said, "Look what happened to him."
Jiang Yuan finally came to his senses, stepped forward to check his pulse, and said in shock: "He... is dead."
"Ah!" Qin'er exclaimed, her face turned pale, and she subconsciously looked at Zhao Yifan.
Zhao Yifan's face turned pale, and he said after a while: "Junior brother, move him out first."
Although Jiang Yuan was unwilling, he could only nod. Wanyun quickly took out the poncho from the ring, helped him put it on his body, and warned: "This rain is very evil, be careful not to get wet again."
Jiang Yuan sighed and carefully carried the body out of the cabin.
Zhao Yifan said: "Shiqing, you saw that one of us died before we even got there. It's still too late to turn back now!"
Qin'er said: "I want to leave here! I must! Senior brother, let's go together! Don't go any further!"
"Please, can you tell me what the Black Domain is first?" Ling Ning interjected.
"Thousands of years ago..." Xia Shiqing's eyes swept over everyone's faces, and finally stopped on Ling Ning's face. "Suddenly a big hole opened in the sky, and then a giant beast fell out of it. This giant beast looked like a whale. Its vastness of thousands of miles attracted monks from all over the world to explore. Unexpectedly, the giant beast suddenly raised its head to the sky and roared, emitting a thick black smoke. Countless monks fell that day, just like..." Xia Shiqing paused and said: "It's like It was like raindrops outside... A month later, a few thousand miles around the giant beast became a cursed place. There used to be dozens of islands in that sea area, and the creatures on the islands died one after another within a month. In the blink of an eye, it became a deserted island without a sound, and no one dared to set foot on it. Look at the sea in front of you, the water has turned dark, doesn't it mean that we have entered the dark zone. "
Ling Ning nodded and said, "Then why do you want to go there? Is Daiyu Fairy Mountain in the Black Territory?"
Xia Shiqing said: "I don't know if it is in the Black Territory, but the person I am looking for lives on an island in the Black Territory." She turned her gaze to Zhao Yifan and said, "That person lives in the Black Territory There should be no danger at the edge. If you are really scared, you can stop here, put down the boat and let us go on our own."
Zhao Yifan muttered: "How can I rest assured if I let you go on your own..."
Qin'er couldn't help but said: "Let them go on their own! Senior Brother Yu... he is dead! This is a cursed place, we shouldn't come, we should leave as soon as possible!"
Ling Ning said: "The cause of Yu Chen's death is unknown. I don't think he may have been cursed."
Qin'er said: "What else can it be if it's not a curse? You! Don't talk nonsense. If you want to die, then just do it yourself!"
Although Ling Ning wanted to refute, she thought after thinking that she was not from Xiangzhu Mansion after all, and she shouldn't have to intervene whether she was going or staying.
Xia Shiqing said: "Okay, I understand your attitude. Zhao Yifan, put down the boat right now. We will leave immediately. I will tell Zongli to send another boat to pick us up."
This commanding tone made Qin'er and others frown, but Zhao Yifan didn't look angry. He thought for a moment and said with a smile: "Brother Ling is right, Junior Brother Yuchen did not necessarily die from any curse. Let's Isn’t it okay that we’re all soaked in the rain? Since you’re looking for someone, junior sister, your senior brother can only stay with you until the end! As for the three of you, if you’re afraid, just take a small boat and leave first.”
Qin'er refused: "Senior brother! You... why do you care so much about that woman? Do you want to accompany her even if she wants to die? You... tell me, can you leave?"
Jiang Yuan and Wanyun looked at each other, and the former said: "Since senior brother has said it, I have to accompany you no matter what. Two junior sisters, why don't you leave first."
A few people struggled for a while, but finally decided to keep going. As for Yuchen's body, it was temporarily parked at the bottom of the cabin. The cause of death would be found out in detail after returning to Xiangzhu Mansion.
After Zhao Yifan left, Ling Ning took the lead and said, "Why did Yu Chen suddenly die when he was fine? Shi Qing, what do you think?"
Xia Shiqing said: "It looks like it should be some kind of chronic toxin. The poison is so violent when it occurs. It should be a nerve extract."
Ling Ning nodded and said: "I used my pupil technique to observe his heart twitching. It seems to be the neurotoxin you mentioned. But look at the rain, although it has an ominous feeling, it should not contain toxins." He thought for a moment and then said: "I don't know why, but my heart didn't fluctuate much when he died in front of me. Could it be that I have become cold-blooded?"
Xia Shiqing said: "How could it be? It's just because we have experienced so much that we have long been indifferent to life and death. As long as the important people around us don't die, it's not a big deal for other people."
Ling Ning nodded and said: "Maybe you are right, but I don't know if this change is good or bad..."
The rain outside the porthole window was still falling continuously. Ling Ning and Xia Shiqing were speechless and closed their eyes to rest. After an unknown amount of time, the candles on the table burned out and suddenly went out, and the entire cabin became pitch black.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the darkness, and someone was shouting, "No, the boat is leaking!", "Quickly block it! Ah!", "When did it leak? It can't be stopped! Hurry! Put down the boat!", " The boat is also leaking!", "What? How could this happen?"
Ling Ning opened her eyes and said, "Shi Qing, something's wrong!"
Xia Shiqing opened her eyes and said, "Get out."
The crewmen coming and going on the deck were in a mess. Zhao Yifan stood in front of the railing and pointed at the boat in the distance, saying in horror: "You... you bastard... how... how is it possible..."
Ling Ning's sharp eyes saw a small boat rising and falling in the vast sea. There was a man standing on the small boat, showing a strange smile to them. The man was none other than the dead Yu Chen!
"He... isn't he already dead?" Faced with such a strange scene, Ling Ning became confused for a moment.
"Ah! Brother Yu...Senior Brother Yu..." Qin'er and others also stepped onto the deck, and they were all shocked and speechless by the sight in front of them.
"Jiang Yuan, when you dragged him into the cabin just now, was he already dead?" Zhao Yifan asked.
"I...I...is...yes! He is indeed dead, but why..." Jiang Yuan was in shock and couldn't even speak at the moment.
At this time, a large number of sailors rushed onto the deck. These people shouted loudly that the ship was sinking, and then they went to dismantle the deck to make a raft. For a while, the entire deck became a mess.
"Ship! Senior brother, the boat is sinking! Senior brother, what should I do? I don't want to die yet!" Qin'er exclaimed.
"Shi... Shiqing, do you have any idea?" Faced with this scene, Zhao Yifan panicked a little. After all, he was used to being pampered and lacked flexibility.
Although Ling Ning and Xia Shiqing also frowned, they were not panicked yet. At this time, water suddenly erupted from the sea. A giant tentacle stretched out of the water and hit the ship hard. There was a loud "click" and a shocking crack opened in the hull!
Countless sailors fell into the crevices and were drowned by the raging waves. Before everyone could stand still, another giant tentacle came towards them. Xia Shiqing took Ling Ning's hand and shouted: "Jump!"
The two of them jumped into the dark sea water with a "pop", and the turbulent waves crashed on Ling Ning. Although he had superb cultivation, he was not familiar with water, and he was poured several mouthfuls of sea water in succession. Ling Ning and Xia Shiqing clasped their fingers tightly, and did not let go even though their bodies were about to fall apart from the waves. Just when Ling Ning was panicking, Xia Shiqing's voice sounded in her ears: "Keep your breath and don't use any strength with your body! Let's sink." Get down!"
Although Ling Ning had unreserved trust in Xia Shiqing, he was not good at water and was no different from a drowning person in these waves. Even if a drowning person knows that he will float without resisting or struggling, he will be unable to do so due to panic.
At the critical moment, Xia Shiqing used all her strength to throw herself into Ling Ning's arms and tightly hugged his waist with her other hand.
Xia Shiqing's voice came again in Ling Ning's mind: "Believe me, don't struggle!"
At this moment, Ling Ning suddenly felt relieved. He couldn't help but hugged the other party's waist tightly, then closed his eyes and gradually relaxed the muscles in his body. His heartbeat gradually slowed down and he fell into a state of "suspended death". Their bodies fell into the deep sea together and continued to sink.
Compared to the violent storms and rough waves on the sea surface, the bottom of the sea is very calm. They just sank...sinked...until they fell into the bottomless trench and were swallowed by endless darkness.
