The spatial vortex inside the ancient stone gate swirled with dense, violent currents of space-time energy. The sensation was not unlike being thrown into a giant, churning grindstone. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators entering the threshold would need to mobilize their full spiritual qi to form a protective barrier around their meridians, lest the shear forces of the unstable spatial rift tear their skin and muscles to shreds.
Railin, however, did not even bother to form an outer shield.
His dark navy robes fluttered frantically as the violent spatial blades scraped against his body, emitting sharp, metallic clang-clang sounds upon hitting his pale skin. His physical body, reinforced by dark-jade void essence and forged through continuous devouring, swallowed the kinetic friction effortlessly.
SWISH—!
The blinding purple light dissolved, replaced instantly by an overwhelming, ancient weight that slammed down onto Railin's shoulders.
His boots touched down upon barren, dark red soil that felt as hard as cold iron.
Railin did not move immediately. His pitch-black pupils swept across the horizon, taking in his new surroundings with cold, calculating precision.
The sky above the Secret Realm of the Ancient Sun-Moon Abyss was not blue or starry—it was a perpetual, desolate twilight choked with swirling ash, indigo clouds, and thick, blood-scented fog. High above, two broken, ancient celestial bodies hung motionless, casting an eerie, pale light over a jagged, prehistoric landscape of spiky mountain ranges, dry riverbeds filled with skeletal remains, and floating islands suspended in mid-air by decaying magnetic fields.
The ambient spiritual energy here was exceptionally dense—at least five times richer than the core peaks of the Sun-Moon Academy—but it was far from pure. It was infused with violent, primordial void chaos, ancient blood-scent, and murderous resentment left behind by powerhouses who had perished during the ancient eras.
To a normal cultivator, absorbing this corrupted, chaotic energy without weeks of careful filtration would contaminate their dantian and induce severe qi deviation.
Railin took a deep breath, inhaling the thick, blood-scented air deep into his lungs.
SZZZZZ!
The moment the chaotic, corrupted qi entered his respiratory system, the Peak Late-Stage Three Void Core in his lower dantian hummed with deep, dark satisfaction. The violent impurities were instantly crushed and digested, converted into pure, unblemished void essence within a single pulse!
"A paradise..." Railin whispered softly, his pale lips curving into a faint, predatory arc. "This entire realm is an unrefined medicine cauldron."
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out the crystalline azure jade slip given to him by Senior Sister Mu Xuan. Injecting a thread of his spiritual sense into the slip, an intricate, three-dimensional light map expanded in his mind, marking his current coordinates.
He had been randomized into the Shattered Bone Valley, an outer perimeter region of the Abyss known for ancient battle remnants and high concentrations of spatial fissures.
Suddenly, Railin's ears twitched slightly.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Three distinct spatial ripples flared less than two hundred yards behind him. The air cracked open, and three figures clad in dark crimson robes stepped out onto the jagged, red soil.
Their dark crimson robes bore the silver-embroidered crescent mark of Shadow Moon Peak.
The leader of the trio was a tall, lean young man with a hawk-like nose and cold, triangular eyes—Senior Brother Feng, a direct disciple under Grand Elder Shu-Lin's lineage, sitting comfortably at the Mid-Stage Four Foundation Establishment. Behind him were two outer direct disciples, both at the Early-Stage Four Foundation.
When they entered the portal, Shadow Moon Peak had utilized expensive, linked spatial tracking talismans to ensure their strike team landed in close proximity to one another.
Feng swept his spiritual probe across the immediate vicinity. When his cold eyes landed on the solitary figure in dark navy robes standing two hundred yards away, a cruel, mocking grin spread across his face.
"Look what we have here," Feng sneered, gesturing to his two companions. "The famous Assembly Champion... the arrogant little brat of Ice Mystic Peak."
The two disciples beside him laughed softly, their hands casually dropping to the hilts of their weapons, surrounding Railin in a wide triangular formation to seal off all escape routes.
"Junior Brother Feng, check his aura," one of the disciples remarked with a dark chuckle. "He spent a month in the Sun-Moon Spirit Spring and only managed to push his realm to Late-Stage Three? What a waste of top-grade resources! Grand Elder Shu-Lin made it sound as if he were a primordial monster."
Feng stepped forward, his leather boots crunching against the dry, red soil. His Mid-Stage Four pressure erupted, sending a wave of dark crimson shadow-qi sweeping across the ground, cracking the iron-hard rocks beneath his feet.
"Mo Ji was a fool who relied too much on his Earth-tier blade," Feng said coldly, raising his hand as a curved, jagged shadow dagger slid into his grip. "He lost because he let this brat get close. But here, in the Shattered Bone Valley, there are no Peak Masters, no referees, and no audience. Junior Brother Railin... Grand Elder Shu-Lin has promised fifty thousand high-tier Spirit Stones and an Earth-grade core technique to whoever brings back your head."
Railin slowly turned around to face the three Shadow Moon disciples. His navy robes hung still against the rising mountain wind, his pale hands remaining tucked loosely into his wide sleeves.
His face was an unreadable mask of absolute, icy calm.
"Fifty thousand Spirit Stones for my head..." Railin murmured, his tone light and conversational, as if discussing the weather. "Grand Elder Shu-Lin is quite stingy. However... your three Stage Four foundations are worth far more to me."
Feng's eyes narrowed, a flash of irritation surging through his chest at Railin's utter lack of fear.
"Arrogant worm!" Feng barked, his voice filled with lethal intent. "Kill him! Cut his limbs off first—I want to tear his dantian out with my bare hands!"
BOOM!
The two Early-Stage Four disciples exploded into action simultaneously!
They moved like two dark streaks of blood-red lightning across the red soil! Their bodies blurred as they executed Shadow Moon Peak's signature movement art—Phantom Blood Steps!
In less than a heartbeat, one disciple appeared directly above Railin's head, swinging a heavy, blood-infused iron mace downward with crushing momentum, while the second disciple lunged from Railin's left flank, thrusting a poisoned rapier straight toward his ribs!
"BLOOD MOON SPLITTING STRIKE!"
"VIPER'S SHADOW THRUST!"
The combined momentum of two Stage Four powerhouses unleashed a roaring wave of crimson qi that tore thirty-foot trenches into the iron soil, completely locking down Railin's movement space!
High in the air, Feng stood back with his arms crossed, a cruel smile on his face, waiting to see Railin's limbs severed.
Railin did not flash backward. He did not attempt to dodge.
In the fraction of a millisecond before the weapons made contact with his skin, Railin took a single, small step forward with his left foot.
Phantom-Void Step!
His navy silhouette dissolved into a dark, intangible afterimage!
SWISH—BANG!
The heavy iron mace and the poisoned rapier struck empty air, smashing violently into the red soil where Railin had stood a millisecond prior, causing a explosion of shattered rock and dust!
"WHAT?!" The disciple holding the mace gasped, his eyes widening in absolute shock as his weapon hit nothing but air! "Where did he—"
"Behind you," a cold, smooth whisper echoed directly against the back of his neck.
Before the mace-wielding disciple could even begin to mobilize his defensive qi or turn his head, a pale, slender hand came out of a navy sleeve like an ancient serpent!
THUD!
Railin's palm struck the disciple directly in the center of his upper spine!
"ASHEN DEVOURING ART—DEVOURING TOUCH!" Railin commanded cold-bloodedly in his mind.
SZZZZZZZZZZZZ—!
A pitch-black void hole, no larger than a coin, opened in the center of Railin's palm!
An absolute, horrifying suction force erupted!
The Early-Stage Four disciple's eyes bulged out of his sockets as he let out a strangled, blood-curdling shriek of pure agony!
"AAAAARGH—!"
The entire audience back at the academy would have been horrified to witness what happened next. The disciple's rich Stage Four spiritual energy, his blood essence, his meridian structure, and even his nascent soul force were violently pulled through his back into Railin's palm!
In less than three seconds, the tall, muscular Stage Four cultivator shriveled up like a dried plum! His skin turned grey, his muscles collapsed, and his eyes turned to dust!
CRACK-CRACK!
Railin casually withdrew his hand, and the withered, bloodless husk of the disciple collapsed onto the red soil, shattering into brittle grey dust upon impact!
Silence—absolute, terrifying silence—fell over the Shattered Bone Valley.
The second disciple, who had missed his rapier thrust, stood frozen five paces away. His face was ghostly pale, his legs shaking uncontrollably as he stared at the pile of grey dust that had been his senior brother three seconds ago!
"He... he swallowed him..." the disciple stammered, his voice trembling so violently he could barely hold his rapier. "He absorbed his entire foundation in three seconds... DEMON! HE IS A DEMON!"
High above, Senior Brother Feng's face turned from arrogance to profound, soul-chilling horror!
As a Mid-Stage Four cultivator, Feng had seen ruthless killings, blood sacrifices, and lethal demonic arts. But he had never seen a technique that completely erased a cultivator's existence, turning a Stage Four powerhouse into a pile of dry dust in a literal heartbeat!
"DIE!" Feng shrieked, losing his composure completely as a wave of instinctual terror drove him to unleash his ultimate attack!
Feng slammed his palms together in mid-air, burning a drop of his essence blood!
"SHADOW MOON TABOO—BLOOD CURSE SPEAR!"
WOOOOO—!
A fifteen-foot-long spear made of dark, corrosive blood-qi materialized in front of Feng! The spear radiated a sickening, rotten stench that dissolved the surrounding air, carrying a lethal curse that targeted both the physical body and the soul!
Feng threw his arms forward, hurling the massive blood spear straight down toward Railin's head with supersonic speed!
"DIE FOR ME! DIE!" Feng screamed frantically!
Railin slowly raised his head, his pitch-black pupils reflecting the descending crimson spear.
The energy he had just absorbed from the first disciple was already flowing smoothly through his dark-jade meridians, perfectly digested by his Late-Stage Three core. His body felt lighter, stronger, and even more refined.
"A crude use of shadow energy," Railin said softly.
He did not even bother to use his palm this time.
In his upper dantian, his three microscopic Soul-Piercing Needles flared with dark, abyssal light!
SWISH!
One of the black needles shot out from his forehead like an invisible thread of death!
CRACK—BANG!
The fifteen-foot blood spear, which Feng had sacrificed his essence blood to create, was pierced clean through the tip by the hair-thin black needle! The dark soul-slicing intent embedded in the needle exploded, shattering the blood spear into harmless, unrefined mist before it could even get within twenty feet of Railin!
"WHAT?!" Feng spat a mouthful of blood in mid-air, his soul sea trembling violently from the backlash!
Before Feng could recover or turn to flee, Railin's figure flickered like a phantom once again!
Phantom-Void Step—Triple Flash!
Railin appeared directly in front of the second, terrified rapier-wielding disciple!
"No—please! Mercy—!" the disciple begged, throwing his rapier to the ground and falling to his knees!
Railin's face remained completely indifferent. He did not pause for a fraction of a second. His pale hand reached out, grabbing the kneeling disciple by the top of his skull!
SZZZZZZZZZZ!
"AAAGHH!"
Another horrific, strangled shriek echoed across the valley!
The second Early-Stage Four disciple's body withered at a visible rate! His skin shriveled, his veins dried up, and his cultivation foundation was violently dragged through his skull into Railin's palm!
In two seconds, a second pile of grey dust fell onto the dry red soil!
Above the blood-stained valley, Feng was completely paralyzed with terror. His mind went entirely blank.
Two Stage Four direct disciples—men who could dominate entire regions outside the academy—had been turned into piles of dust in less than twenty seconds!
"Monster... you are a monster..." Feng whimpered, his face pale as chalk.
He didn't care about Grand Elder Shu-Lin's rewards anymore. He didn't care about Mo Ji's revenge or the honor of Shadow Moon Peak! The only thought remaining in his mind was to run!
Feng bit his tongue violently, unleashing a desperate burst of blood-qi to activate his highest-tier escape talisman!
SWISH!
A crimson light wrapped around Feng's body, propelling him backward into the sky toward the distant mountain mist at three times his normal speed!
"I have to report this to Senior Brother Gu Yan... I have to tell the elders..." Feng panicked in his heart, flying at breakneck speed!
However, as he reached a distance of three hundred yards...
A cold, smooth voice echoed directly inside his ears, as if the speaker were flying right beside him:
"Where are you going, Senior Brother Feng? You haven't paid for your audience fee yet."
Feng's eyes nearly burst from his sockets!
He turned his head frantically—only to see Railin walking casually through the empty air beside him, his hands tucked into his sleeves, stepping on space as if it were a solid granite staircase!
Late-Stage Three Void Domain—Spatial Glancing!
Before Feng could scream, Railin's pale right hand reached out, locking around Feng's neck like an immovable iron vise!
THUD!
Railin dragged Feng down from the sky, slamming his body violently onto the hard red soil of the Shattered Bone Valley!
CRACK!
Feng's ribs shattered upon impact, and he coughed up a massive spray of crimson blood. He tried to mobilize his Mid-Stage Four dantian to detonate himself in a desperate final bid, but the moment Railin's palm pressed onto his chest, a terrifying, dark vortex sealed his meridians completely!
"Don't... don't kill me..." Feng wheezed, blood flowing from his mouth, his eyes filled with absolute, pathetic begging. "I... I have thirty thousand Spirit Stones in my ring... I have high-tier herbs... I can be your spy in Shadow Moon Peak... please..."
Railin looked down at Feng from above. His pitch-black pupils were cold, calm, and utterly devoid of emotion, like an ancient deity inspecting an ant under his boot.
"Your Spirit Stones and herbs are already mine," Railin said softly. "And as for your information... I do not need a spy. I only need your energy."
"NO—! RAILIN, YOU WILL DIE IN THIS ABYSS! SENIOR BROTHER GU YAN WILL—"
SZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ—!
Railin's palm pressed deep into Feng's chest!
The Ashen Devouring Art erupted at full capacity!
Because Feng was a Mid-Stage Four cultivator with a far richer foundation than the previous two, the devouring process produced a roaring, pitch-black energy pillar that enveloped both of them!
Feng's agonizing screams echoed across the desolate valley for five long seconds before abruptly cutting off.
His muscles collapsed, his skin turned to brittle grey parchment, his Stage Four void core was completely dismantled, and his soul force was thoroughly swallowed!
CRACK.
Railin lifted his hand, and the withered husk of Senior Brother Feng crumbled into a pile of fine grey dust, scattered away by the cold, blood-scented wind of the Abyss.
The valley fell silent once again.
Railin stood alone amidst the three piles of grey dust. He reached out his hand, summoning the three spatial rings floating in the air, smoothly tucking them into his sleeve.
BOOM—!
Inside Railin's lower dantian, a massive shockwave of pure energy erupted!
Having swallowed two Early-Stage Four cultivators and one Mid-Stage Four direct disciple in quick succession, the vast volume of raw, high-density energy surged through his meridians like a raging river!
His dark-jade meridians expanded once again, glowing with a dense, translucent black sheen!
The dark void core at the center of his dantian expanded significantly, its pitch-black color becoming so dense that it seemed to bend the internal light of his body!
His cultivation base, which had just reached Late-Stage Three four days ago, solidified instantly, pushing directly toward the Absolute Peak of Late-Stage Three Foundation Establishment!
He was now only a single step away from the bottleneck of Stage Four Foundation Establishment!
Railin slowly closed his eyes, taking a deep, steady breath as the violent energy settled into absolute harmony within his body.
He opened his eyes, looking toward the deep, dark central region of the abyss where the ancient ruins and high-tier battlegrounds lay hidden beneath the blood-red clouds.
"Three down..." Railin murmured softly, his cold, melodic voice vanishing into the mountain breeze. "Gu Yan... the rest of Shadow Moon Peak... do not keep me waiting too long."
He took a step forward, his silhouette blurring into a streak of dark navy light, disappearing deeper into the uncharted depths of the Ancient Sun-Moon Abyss.
See you in next chapter...