After leaving Qingyang City, Xie Zhaolin headed west at a swift pace.
Barely a hundred li outside the city, a sudden whoosh split the sky. Three streaks of blue sword light cut through the horizon, and in an instant, they were right in front of her—it was none other than patrolling disciples of the Hehuan Sect!
The lead was a female Foundation Establishment cultivator in blue robes, golden lotus embroidery glinting on her sleeves in the sunlight. She crossed her long sword in front of her, and a sharp line of sword energy carved a deep furrow in the earth.
"Stop right there!"
Her voice was icy, and her gaze swept over Xie Zhaolin like a blade. "Alone, acting suspiciously… state your name!"
Xie Zhaolin's expression didn't change. She took the outer sect steward token from her waist and said calmly, "By the order of Steward Xu Changming, I'm investigating traces of evil cultivators in the Blackwater Abyss."
The female cultivator frowned, taking the token to examine it carefully. Once confirmed, her eyes still held a trace of suspicion. "Steward Mingyue? I've never heard of you."
"Outer sect stewards are numerous. Not knowing me is normal," Xie Zhaolin replied, her tone indifferent, eyes subtly scanning the communication jade on the woman's waist. If the woman sent a message for confirmation, Xie Zhaolin would have to act immediately!
Fortunately, the woman didn't probe further. She just said coldly, "The Blackwater Abyss is saturated with baleful qi. Going in is asking for death."
"Thanks for your concern," Xie Zhaolin said, bowing slightly. "Steward Xu gave me a protective artifact, more than enough to keep myself safe."
The female cultivator snorted in disbelief but waved her off. "Fine, but don't blame me if you die."
Xie Zhaolin nodded and continued forward.
But this was just the beginning.
Over the next half-month, she encountered Hehuan Sect patrols roughly every hundred li—sometimes led by Foundation Establishment cultivators, sometimes by Qi Refining disciples patrolling in pairs.
Every time, she had to rely on her token to bluff her way through.
Some were cautious and interrogated her at length, even demanding to see Xu Changming's personal seal. She had to stay composed and pass it off as a "confidential mission." Had she not known the Hehuan Sect's rules so well, she'd have been exposed long ago.
Finally, seven days later, she reached the border of the Blackwater Abyss.
This notorious area, considered forbidden by most cultivators, was shrouded in gray-black baleful qi year-round. Ordinary cultivators avoided it at all costs, but for someone practicing the Xuanyin Foundation Technique, it was a perfect place to train.
From the start, she had followed Chu Huaizhou to Qingyang City to take this shortcut to the Blackwater Abyss. More importantly, deep within the abyss lay an ancient cultivator's cave she had stumbled upon in her previous life.
Inside was a Yinsha spring, its bed lined with a century-old Yinsha crystallization. If she could refine it, she could break through Foundation Establishment in one stroke.
Yet, just as she approached the entrance, her steps froze.
Ahead, there was a Hehuan Sect encampment.
A team of Foundation Establishment cultivators guarded the entrance. The lead was a middle-aged early Golden Core male cultivator, meditating with eyes closed, his aura exuding subtle pressure.
Xie Zhaolin took a deep breath, confirming her aura was completely masked before stepping forward.
"Stop!" a Foundation Establishment disciple barked. "Blackwater Abyss is forbidden! No trespassers!"
Xie Zhaolin pulled out her token again, voice firm: "Outer sect steward Mingyue, by Steward Xu Changming's order, entering the abyss to investigate."
The Golden Core cultivator opened his eyes, sharp as lightning, scanning her from head to toe. "A Foundation Establishment cultivator dares take this task? Xu Changming sent you to die, didn't he?"
Xie Zhaolin's expression remained calm. "Steward Xu provided me a protective artifact. I'm only surveying the perimeter, not venturing deep."
The cultivator snorted, unconvinced, but since the token was authentic, he waved her through. "Fine, but don't blame me if you die."
—the exact same words the female cultivator had said earlier.
Xie Zhaolin bowed and entered the Blackwater Abyss.
Immediately, a bone-chilling cold wrapped around her. The baleful qi was far denser than she'd imagined!
She instinctively recoiled, only to hear mocking laughter from behind.
"Hahaha, look at her! She doesn't even dare take a step inside!" one early Foundation Establishment disciple jeered, pointing at her back.
"A Foundation Establishment cultivator? Must hate living too much!" another sneered, arms crossed. "Sent by Xu Changming to die, right?"
"Tsk tsk, probably offended Steward Xu and got assigned here to feed the spirits," someone added sarcastically.
Even the Golden Core cultivator didn't speak, but a smirk tugged at his lips, tacitly approving the ridicule.
Xie Zhaolin tightened her fingers, nails almost digging into her palms. She had never endured such humiliation before. In her previous life, she'd been the Hehuan Sect's chief disciple, a Nascent Soul powerhouse, a prodigy of the Cultivation Realm. Even after death, her three-century-old reputation struck fear into countless cultivators.
And now…
A few Foundation Establishment disciples dared mock her from behind?
The murderous intent in her chest surged, almost breaking her reason. She gritted her teeth, every breath tinged with blood.
"Hu—"
She exhaled slowly, stepping forward with deliberate calm.
"Hey! If you're scared, you can still turn back!" someone shouted mockingly.
"Yeah, don't come crying when you die in there with no one to collect your corpse!"
"Hahaha…"
The laughter echoed, sharp and grating.
Xie Zhaolin didn't look back or stop. She moved forward in silence, letting the jeers fade into the thickening black fog. One day, they'd learn just how laughable their ridicule today really was.
The fog thickened. Soon, she vanished entirely from the Hehuan Sect disciples' sight. And they remained at the entrance, laughing, oblivious to the true existence they'd just let inside.
The deeper she went, the more the baleful winds sliced at her skin, attempting to invade her meridians.
"Shh—"
She grunted, instantly activating the Xuanyin Foundation Technique. Black qi swirled around her, barely shielding her from the corrosive energy.
Yet this was only the beginning.
The deeper she ventured, the thicker the baleful qi became, forming tangible black mist that blocked her vision and suppressed her Primordial Soul to its limit. She had to slow her pace, every step cautious.
Suddenly, a rustling came from the fog ahead.
Xie Zhaolin's pupils contracted. She stopped abruptly.
A Yinsha serpent, as thick as a bowl, slithered out of the mist. Its crimson eyes locked on her, venomous gas puffing from its flickering tongue.
"Damn it!"
She formed hand seals, condensing black qi into a blade that struck the serpent's head with a sharp slash.
"Pffsh!"
The head was severed, but the body writhed wildly, venom spraying out!
Xie Zhaolin retreated, but the gas still grazed her arm. Pain shot through her as the skin visibly corroded!
"Yinsha poison!"
She gritted her teeth, swallowing a detox pill while covering the wound with black qi, forcibly expelling the toxin.
And this was only a low-level beast from the outskirts!
What else awaited deeper inside?
She finally realized she had seriously underestimated the Blackwater Abyss.
Once, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, she could cross cursed lands with ease. Now, she was merely a Qi Refining, barely escaping the grasp of a single Yinsha serpent.