The mist parted in slow ribbons, thinning to pale gray until the first light of the outside world broke through. The crushing pressure of the Abyss slackened, the whispers dimmed. Stone underfoot gave way to firmer ground, and then at last — they crossed the jagged arch of black rock that marked the Abyss Gate.
The disciples staggered forward into air that no longer stank of poison qi. They paused, some pressing their hands to their knees, others looking up at the faint light filtering from above. The outside world. They had survived.
Su Ming laughed once — raw, disbelieving. "We made it…"Wen Qingyao dropped his saber with a heavy clang, exhaling every breath he had held since they first ran. Lin Yue clutched her crystal tight to her chest, her lips trembling in prayerful thanks.
Together, they turned toward the path that would lead back to the city. Safety. Home.
But Haotian and Lianhua did not move.
They stopped at the threshold, the black arch of the Abyss Gate still behind them. Lianhua stood quietly at his side, her fingers brushing against his. Haotian's grip closed around her hand, firm and steady.
The others slowed, looking back. Confusion flickered across their tired faces.
Haotian met their gazes. His golden eyes gleamed with calm determination. "I will not be leaving with you."
The words struck harder than any beast's roar. The disciples stared, stunned.
"What?" Wen Qingyao's voice cracked. "After all this—after we made it out alive—you're saying you'll go back in?"
Haotian nodded once. His voice carried no hesitation. "Yes. Lianhua and I came here with a purpose. This trip was never only survival. It was cultivation."
Lianhua's expression softened, but she said nothing — she simply squeezed his hand, her presence steady beside him.
Haotian continued. "You've all seen my body resist fire, water, lightning, wind, and more. Lianhua too has grown the same way. We are cultivating the Ten Elemental Body Physique. We've gained nine elemental affinities already. But the final one —" He turned his gaze back toward the black mist. "—is darkness. And darkness can only be found here, in the Abyss."
Shock rippled through the group.
Su Ming's eyes widened. "You mean… you're staying here? Living in this cursed place?"
"Yes." Haotian's tone was iron. "Until we succeed. When we take darkness into our physique, our bodies will no longer be touched by any element. Our strength will increase beyond measure."
Lin Yue's lips parted, her voice trembling. "…To think anyone would willingly choose to live here."
Lianhua finally spoke, her voice gentle but firm. "It is what we must do. Haotian is right — the Abyss holds the last piece. Without it, our cultivation remains incomplete."
The disciples were silent. Their exhaustion warred with the awe they felt, with the weight of what they had just been told. Finally, Wen Qingyao bowed low, his expression solemn. "Then we will report to the sect. They will know you stayed here by choice. We'll tell them not to send a search."
Su Ming's voice was rough. "…May the heavens guard you both."
Lin Yue's eyes shimmered. She bowed her head, voice quiet. "Then… may you return one day whole, with your ten elements complete."
Haotian inclined his head in thanks. "That is enough. Live. Carry word back. We'll meet again when the time is right."
The disciples looked at them one last time. Some bowed, some simply held their gaze. Then, slowly, they turned and walked down the path toward the distant city, their figures fading into the light.
When the last of them disappeared, silence returned.
Haotian looked at Lianhua. Her hand remained in his, her eyes calm despite the endless fog behind them. She smiled faintly. "Shall we return to the formation?"
Haotian smiled back, his fatigue softening in her presence. "Yes."
Together, hand in hand, they turned from the light — and stepped once more into the whispering darkness of the Abyss.
The Abyss swallowed all sound beyond the ledge. Mist rolled like a living veil, carrying whispers that never ceased, voices half-felt at the edge of thought. Yet within the barrier of Haotian's five-layered formation, there was peace.
A simple peace, but theirs.
The ledge had been hollowed into a small cavern, walls etched with protective runes that pulsed faintly in gold. Inside stood only the essentials: a modest wooden bed frame draped with cotton quilts they had scavenged from storage, a rough-hewn table with two chairs carved from Abyss wood, and a single lantern that cast a warm glow against the stone.
Outside, on a flat slab beneath the overcast, Haotian had assembled a makeshift stove from black Abyss rock. A pot rested there, its surface worn from repeated use. A faint scent of dried meat lingered, mingling with the cold, damp air.
They had planned for this. Their rings held enough dried rations, spirit grains, and sealed water to last a year. Longer, if stretched. Haotian's foresight had spared them hunger, allowing focus on what mattered most.
Cultivation.
This day, the two sat opposite each other on the bed, backs straight, palms resting on their knees. The air shimmered faintly with spiritual force, their breaths weaving rhythm with the Abyss itself.
Haotian's body glowed faintly, but not with the warmth of flame or the brilliance of lightning. His aura darkened, bending inward, threads of black mist rising from his skin as he cultivated the Nether Veil Codex. The codex drew upon shadow, silence, and the hidden currents of qi — a method that prepared his body to receive the affinity of darkness.
The whispers of the Abyss pressed against him, testing his will. Some voices spoke temptations, others curses. But Haotian's golden eyes remained steady, lids half-closed. Each breath drew in shadowed qi, purified through his core, then layered upon the nine elements he had already mastered. His body was a crucible now, refining toward the tenth.
Across from him, Lianhua radiated light.
Her cultivation method, the Radiant Dawn Sutra, poured luminous qi from her dantian through her meridians. Her body glowed like a candle in mist, strands of light unfurling around her as if shielding her from the Abyss's corruption. She breathed steadily, her aura anchoring Haotian's. Where his cultivation bent toward darkness, hers flowed toward brilliance.
And yet, they complemented each other. Light and darkness, yin and yang.
Haotian's shadows wove around her glow, their contrast striking but not conflicting. The sutra she cultivated strengthened his resistance to corruption; the codex he cultivated deepened her understanding of balance.
Hours passed this way, the faint glow of their cultivation reflecting off stone. The Abyss outside hissed and whispered, but it could not breach the formation.
Finally, Haotian exhaled. Dark qi streamed from his mouth, twisting like smoke before fading. His chest heaved once, then steadied. He opened his eyes, golden irises gleaming faintly against the encroaching shadows.
Across from him, Lianhua also stirred. Her glow dimmed as she drew her qi inward, her breathing soft but even. She opened her eyes, clear and bright, meeting his gaze.
Haotian smiled faintly. "Your light balances my shadow. Without you, the darkness would consume too quickly."
Lianhua returned the smile, her expression warm. "And without you, I'd be swallowed by brightness, blind to what waits in the dark. We are two halves of the same path."
Haotian nodded. His grip tightened on the Fenglong Spear resting beside him. "Then we will walk it together, until the tenth element answers."
Outside, the Abyss rumbled faintly, as if aware of their intent.
Inside, in their small cotton dwelling carved from the cliffside, two cultivators prepared to bend darkness to their will.
Time lost its meaning in the Abyss. There was no sun, no moon, only the constant, suffocating mist and the endless gray that pressed against the five-layered formation Haotian had raised.
But within their ledge dwelling, life took form.
The simple cotton shelter became their sanctuary: a wooden bed, a carved table with two chairs, and a makeshift stove outside where Haotian cooked dried rations into soups or grilled spirit beast meat over controlled flame. The faint crackle of fire was often the only sound of normalcy in a realm that whispered endlessly with the voices of things long dead.
Haotian added another layer to the protective array. This one was different — delicate and precise, woven through every rune with intent. It regulated the flow of darkness qi, allowing only what he permitted to seep inside. Each morning, he would sit before the array, hands moving through complex seals, adjusting the stream of black energy like a craftsman tuning an instrument.
"Too much will crush the meridians," he explained once to Lianhua, sweat beading his brow as he worked. "Too little, and we'll never adapt."
She had smiled softly, her hand brushing against his shoulder. "Then I'll trust your judgment. You've never faltered."
Each day, they lived simply. They ate. They rested. They cultivated. Slowly, their bodies began to accept the invasive dark qi. At first, their skin prickled as if crawling with insects. Then came the pounding headaches, the burning lungs, the twisting of stomachs. But day by day, the array's regulation allowed them to endure longer. The pain dulled, replaced by tolerance, then by a faint sense of resonance with the Abyss.
But they did not confine themselves to the ledge.
To temper body and spear, they hunted. Together, they stepped into the mist beyond the formation, blades and spear cutting through packs of Abyss beasts and warped monsters that prowled the fog. Some were twisted wolves with too many eyes, others scaled serpents that dripped poison ichor.
Haotian's Ninefold Thrust and Rotating Spears carved through their ranks, each kill feeding his control over elemental infusion. Lianhua's sword arts, sharpened by the Voidpiercer Sutra, lanced through illusions, her strikes piercing the beasts with precision. Their rhythm was flawless — his storm of spear-light forcing enemies into her waiting blade, her sword opening paths for his overwhelming spear arts.
After battle, they stripped spirit cores, stored usable materials, and burned the remains with Haotian's yang fire, leaving no trace.
Inside the cavern, they did not neglect their other practices. Arrays were redrawn, spear drills repeated, sword forms polished. Haotian practiced activating the Eyes of the Universe in combat bursts, while Lianhua refined the balance of light and shadow within her qi.
And when night fell — though night was indistinguishable from day in the Abyss — they dual cultivated.
They sat together on the bed, hands clasped, their breaths synchronizing as qi spiraled between them. The Crystal Vein Pills melted into their cores, fueling the flow. Around them, spirit stones pulsed with stored energy, their glow feeding into the cycle. Together, the medicines and stones magnified the process — spirit cultivation soared like wildfire.
The Abyss outside whispered with voices of malice, but inside their formation, their cultivation was unshaken. Each session left them stronger, their spirits resonating deeper, their bond growing closer.
Days turned to weeks. Weeks bled into months. Their lives were plain, stripped of comfort, but purposeful. Every moment, every breath, bent toward one goal: the tenth element — darkness.
And so, they endured.
Three months beneath the Abyss had hardened their bodies and sharpened their spirits. This night, within the glow of Haotian's five-layered formation, their purpose reached its peak.
Lianhua knelt on the bed, her body trembling from the storm of elemental qi flooding her meridians. Haotian stood behind her, steady as stone. His chest pressed to her back, one hand gripping her waist, the other clasping her hand tight. His breath was calm, guiding her through the chaos.
Her voice trembled, breaking through ragged gasps."Haotian… ahh—don't stop… keep going!"
The ten elements surged through their shared cycle — fire, water, wind, earth, metal, lightning, wood, light, ice, and finally, darkness. The currents swelled to their limit, their cultivation spiraling toward breakthrough.
Then Lianhua arched back, pressing against his chest. Her lips found his, desperate and trembling. Haotian kissed her back, his qi pressing forward to meet hers. His hand slid from her waist to her lower stomach, anchoring her, steadying the storm.
She gasped against his lips, eyes fluttering shut."Haotian… I'm almost—!"
Her body tensed violently, her legs tightening as her qi erupted. Darkness fused into her dantian with the other nine elements, her spirit sea surging outward as her cultivation broke past its barrier. The eruption left her trembling in Haotian's arms, her whole form tightening against him.
Haotian held her firm, his own body shaking as the storm of qi overtook him as well. His dantian roared, the ten elements bursting into balance. He could not hold back as the breakthrough consumed him.
Together, their seas of consciousness expanded, overflowing in perfect resonance.
Late stage Soul Transformation Realm.
Elemental light shimmered faintly around them, the darkness affinity fully integrated at last. Their Ten Elemental Body Physique had reached major success.
At last, their strength spent, they collapsed forward onto the bed, the wooden frame groaning beneath them. Even in exhaustion, their bodies continued circulating elemental qi instinctively, yin and yang bound tighter than ever.
Haotian shifted to her side, pulling her gently against him. Her head rested against his chest, her body still faintly tense before slowly relaxing in his arms.
Her voice came soft, weary but content. "With you… even the Abyss feels bearable."
Haotian's golden eyes softened as he whispered, "And with you… even darkness bends to light."
Their breaths slowed together. Outside, the Abyss whispered unceasingly, but within their haven, they drifted into deep, dreamless sleep — bound by ten elements, unshaken.
The Abyss whispered as it always had, but for Haotian and Lianhua, its voice no longer carried the same weight. The suffocating gloom, the crawling darkness qi, the endless fog — all had become familiar, almost welcoming. Within their ledge dwelling, surrounded by the layers of Haotian's formation, they lived in a steady rhythm.
Their days were simple but purposeful.
Each morning, Haotian adjusted the flow of darkness qi into the formation, fine-tuning the balance so their bodies could continue tempering their newly completed elemental physique. Then they cultivated — seated side by side, their qi spiraling together in perfect harmony.
Sometimes it was the Nether Veil Codex and Radiant Dawn Sutra, darkness and light weaving in balance. Other times, they dual cultivated directly, crystal vein pills dissolving into their blood while spirit stones pulsed around them, driving their spirit cultivation higher with every cycle. Their seas of consciousness expanded in resonance, yin and yang deepening their bond.
Afternoons were for training.
They stepped into the Abyss mist to hunt, striking down warped wolves, serpents, and chimeric beasts. Each kill tested the limits of their new bodies and refined their techniques. Haotian's spear arts — Ninefold Thrust and Spear Dance of Heaven Sundering — grew sharper with every battle. Lianhua's Voidpiercer Sutra cut through even the strongest beast hides, her swordplay swift and radiant against the gloom. The Abyss became their forge, and its monsters their whetstone.
Nights were quiet. They cooked simple meals over the stone stove, shared stories or silence, then returned to cultivation. Sometimes they simply rested in each other's presence, her head on his chest, his hand tracing slow circles across her back, their breaths steady and untroubled.
It was peace — carved from the heart of the Abyss itself.
In time, Haotian turned his focus to the Undying Dragon Sutra.
Lianhua had already begun, her body cultivation deepening beyond the limits of flesh. Now, Haotian followed. His qi spiraled in dragon-shaped patterns, his meridians and bones resonating with draconic force. Normally, the sutra required the most brutal of trials: rebirth from death, a cycle of agony that only few body cultivators survived. But with the corrected version, their path was different.
The completed Ten Elemental Body Physique provided stability, shielding them from collapse. Their bodies adapted naturally to the sutra's demands, each cycle strengthening them without shattering their foundation.
Haotian had feared the trial of death, but now, as he felt his veins burn with dragon's fire and his marrow harden with unyielding strength, he realized: the Abyss had given them more than just darkness. It had given them the chance to walk the path without destruction.
Together, they pressed forward.
Days blurred into weeks. Weeks into months.
They lived comfortably, even in the world's harshest depths. The Abyss had become their crucible — and their home.
Within that crucible, Haotian and Lianhua walked their path side by side, spirits and bodies united, their strength climbing steadily toward realms few dared dream.
Peace lingered — not fragile, but earned.
A year passed in silence and shadow.
When Haotian and Lianhua emerged from their small hut on the cliffside ledge, the Abyss itself seemed to shift around them. The mist no longer pressed as heavily, the whispers no longer clawed at their ears. Their bodies had transformed — no longer tempered, but perfected.
Their Ten Elemental Body Physique had reached completion. Their veins brimmed with elemental essence, their flesh and marrow radiating power. Haotian's aura surged with suppressed force, his every breath resonant with the weight of a dragon's heart. Lianhua's spirit shone like a blazing dawn, her body suffused with purity and destruction both.
One wave of her delicate hand stirred the mist, a flick of her sleeve carrying force enough to level an entire field. Haotian, standing at her side, was the steady axis to her brilliance, his Fenglong Spear an extension of the ten elements coursing through him.
They turned to one another, their eyes soft with warmth. The love in their gaze needed no words.
Haotian broke the silence first. His voice was steady, almost gentle."Should we go?"
Lianhua looked back at the small hut carved into the cliff. Their home, simple and unadorned, where they had laughed, fought, cultivated, and grown together. She smiled faintly, then turned her face back to him, her eyes bright.
"Yes," she said, her voice sure. "Let's go back."
She stepped forward and slipped her arm through his, hugging it close. Together, they strolled through the mist, casual as though walking a garden path.
The Abyss beasts felt them before they saw them. Shapes with too many eyes and bodies of twisted bone and shadow recoiled. The monsters of the deep slithered away, their whispers breaking into silence. Fear radiated through the mist. None dared approach.
When they neared the gorge, Haotian's golden eyes shifted. The Eyes of the Universe opened, peering through the dense fog. Within, the gorge still seethed with countless beasts and monsters, packed like waves crashing endlessly against stone.
He closed his eyes again. "Ignore them."
Lianhua nodded. No detours. No distractions. Their path lay ahead, not in the Abyss.
And so, hand in hand, they walked on.
The Abyss Gate loomed at last. They stepped through the jagged black arch into pale light, emerging from the darkness reborn, completed, perfected.
But the world waited.
Figures appeared on the horizon, cloaks of deep crimson shifting in the breeze. Their aura stung the air, sharp and venomous. Not wandering cultivators, not chance travelers.
The Blood Serpent Sect.
Three elders stood at the forefront, each exuding the crushing force of Dao Comprehension Realm. Behind them stretched a large host of disciples, their killing intent filling the road like a storm.
The Serpent elders turned their gaze. Their eyes fell upon Haotian and Lianhua.
Recognition sparked. Shock flickered. Rage burned.
Haotian and Lianhua stopped where they stood, their hands still linked, their eyes locked forward.
The Abyss was behind them. But the next trial had already begun.
The Blood Serpent Sect's army blocked the road. Three elders, each in the Dao Comprehension Realm, stood at the front, their auras heavy and venomous. Behind them stretched rows upon rows of disciples, blades raised, killing intent thick as a storm.
The elders sneered."Unlucky," one spat. "Two Azure Dragon pups walking straight into their graves."Another laughed coldly. "The heavens themselves deliver prey to our blades."
Weapons rose, venomous qi filling the air.
But Haotian and Lianhua did not flinch. They stood hand in hand, their expressions serene. The Abyss had forged them. These enemies no longer stirred fear.
Lianhua tilted her head, her voice calm."Should we fight… or walk away?"
Haotian's golden eyes never left the elders. His tone was quiet, certain."We'll end this here. They've dirtied this road long enough."
The Blood Serpent elders struck as one. Poisonous qi surged, their combined palm strikes lashing out like venomous storms. The earth shook, the sky darkened with the haze of their power.
Haotian remained unfazed. He stepped forward, raised his hand — and with a single swipe, unleashed a tidal wave of qi.
The force hit all three elders at once, blasting them backward across the earth. Shock flickered across their faces, but rage burned hotter. They surged forward again, hurling three massive Poison Hands together, their venomous palms streaking through the air like clouds of death.
The attacks struck true, exploding in a storm of green miasma. Poisonous gas filled the field, hissing, corroding stone, withering the very earth.
Laughter echoed from within the haze."Let's see you crawl out of that!"
But then the laughter died.
From the smoke, two figures walked out casually. Haotian and Lianhua emerged unscathed, their steps steady, their faces calm. The poisonous fog slid harmlessly off their skin, dissipating without leaving a mark.
Haotian's gaze turned cold. His voice carried like iron."Did you think poison could touch us? With the Wood Affinity, all toxins are nothing."
The elders froze. Shock broke across their features. "Impossible—!"
Haotian's expression darkened further. His eyes flicked to Lianhua's dress, a faint stain marring its hem. His voice dropped to a deadly quiet."You dared to soil her."
He lifted the Fenglong Spear. With a sharp slam, he drove its butt against the ground.
CRACK.
In the next instant, three sharp sounds split the air — pcht! pcht! pcht!
The elders trembled. Blood dripped from their lips as their eyes widened. Slowly, they looked down. Three neat holes punctured each of their chests, their hearts skewered by unseen force.
Their voices faltered into despair."Ho—how… can this be…? By mere… Soul… Trans—"
The words broke. One after another, their bodies collapsed lifeless, eyes wide in disbelief.
Haotian slammed the spear down again.
This time, the disciples screamed — but only for an instant. Every one of them fell in unison, clutching at their chests. Each body bore the same fatal wound: a gaping hole through the heart.
Silence swallowed the battlefield.
Lianhua stepped forward, her expression serene. She slipped her arm around Haotian's once more, leaning close as though nothing extraordinary had happened. His hand fell from the spear to rest over hers.
Haotian raised his left hand, fingers curling. The air rippled.
One by one, treasures, emblems, and spatial rings ripped free from corpses, swirling into the air before flying into his waiting ring. He flicked his wrist, and flames of Ultimate Yang Fire erupted across the field. Bodies turned to ash in moments, leaving no trace behind.
When it was done, only scorched earth and silence remained.
Haotian looked down at Lianhua, a faint smile breaking the cold mask."Shall we go?"
She nodded, smiling softly in return. Still holding his arm, the two of them walked forward together, leaving the ashes of the Blood Serpent Sect behind as they made their way toward the city.
The city faded behind them, its noise and dust swallowed by distance. The familiar mountain peaks of the Azure Dragon Sect rose in the horizon, tall and unyielding, shrouded in clouds. A year had passed since Haotian and Lianhua vanished into the Whispering Abyss. Rumors had long shifted between their deaths and impossible survival.
Yet on this day, two figures walked silently up the stone path toward the sect gates.
Haotian and Lianhua moved casually, their hands linked, their steps unhurried. The oppressive aura of the Abyss no longer clung to them. Instead, their presence radiated quiet power — the kind that needed no display, yet pressed against the air itself.
At the gates, two disciples stood guard. Young, unfamiliar faces — new recruits who had joined in the past year. Their eyes narrowed as the couple approached.
"Halt," one said firmly, raising his hand. "State your names and identity. The sect doesn't allow strangers to enter unverified."
Before Haotian could respond, a senior disciple passed by, carrying scrolls under his arm. He glanced toward the pair, then froze mid-step. His eyes went wide.
"…It can't be."
The scrolls fell from his hands, scattering across the ground. His voice cracked, loud enough to echo across the courtyard."They're back! The couple is back! The Bath Dao Couple has returned!"
The words spread like wildfire. From the gate to the training fields, from the courtyards to the halls, disciples turned their heads. Murmurs rose, swelling into shouts. Doors slid open, windows filled with faces.
"The Bath Dao Couple—?!""They survived the Abyss?!""A year… after a year, they've returned!"
The sect roared with shock and awe.
At the gate, Haotian pressed a palm against his forehead, his expression caught between amusement and defeat. His mouth curved in a wry smile."They still haven't given that up?"
Beside him, Lianhua lifted a hand to cover her mouth, her shoulders trembling with laughter she tried and failed to stifle. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
The guard disciple who had stopped them stared in disbelief, his jaw nearly falling open. He dropped into a bow so quickly he nearly tripped over himself."You—you're the Bath Dao Couple?! Forgive me, seniors! Please, enter!" He gestured forward with both hands, his voice trembling with awe.
Haotian sighed heavily, though his golden eyes betrayed faint amusement."After everything, that's still what they call us…"
"Come now," Lianhua teased, tugging on his arm gently. "Our residence awaits. And…" Her lips curved into a smile that carried more than a hint of playfulness. "…the bath house."
At that, Haotian's expression shifted. His sigh turned into the faintest grin, anticipation breaking through his composure. Without another word, he stepped forward, arm still linked with hers.
Together, the Bath Dao Couple crossed the threshold of the Azure Dragon Sect once more.
And the sect, in uproar, welcomed their return.