Chapter 1482 - 881: Gui Xu Taoist’s Whereabouts (2)
Chapter 1482: Chapter 881: Gui Xu Taoist’s Whereabouts (2)
He had offended countless people, including some Transformation Realm Immortals.
But relying on the strangeness of the Curse Path, he always managed to escape pursuit."
Ming Feng also spoke up, "I’ve heard of this person. It’s said that his Curse Path is extremely strange, able to invisibly affect a person’s luck, causing them to unknowingly become unlucky.
Those who pursued him often met with all sorts of inexplicable accidents, some even mysteriously died."
Old Cyan Dragon continued, "But later on, he finally met his match.
He unwisely offended an extraordinarily powerful Transformation Realm Immortal. The Immortal’s strength far surpassed the average Transformation Realm, and the Curse Path had little effect on him.
He was relentlessly pursued by the Immortal with no place to run, no place to hide, and ultimately, he had no choice but to flee into the Dark Abyss."
"And then?" Lu Qing asked.
Old Cyan Dragon shook his head, "And then there was nothing else.
Once he entered the Abyss, he vanished completely and was never seen again.
Some say he died in there, while others say he was corroded by the Demonic Qi and turned into a monster.
There are even those who claim he found some opportunity inside, but nobody can say for sure.
In any case, no one has seen him ever since."
Lu Qing was pensive.
He recalled the Demon Fire Monsters he encountered within the Dark Abyss, those beings formed by concentrated Demonic Qi.
If the Curse Elder truly died inside, could he have also turned into such a monster?
But those Demon Fire Monsters were transformed from the Power of Darkness on the Profound Transformation Body, it didn’t quite seem the same.
Old Cyan Dragon continued, "Besides, I haven’t heard of any Unity Realm Stage dare to venture into the Abyss.
That place, for us Unity Realm Stage beings, is a forbidden zone.
Even now, the Power of Darkness in the Abyss has weakened a lot, I wouldn’t venture inside lightly.
Who knows what terrifying things might still be in there?"
Ming Feng also nodded, "Old Cyan Dragon is right. We may have never been in there, but just from the rumors, we know it’s extremely dangerous."
Ah Qing, the fact that you could go in and come out safely is already quite remarkable."
Lu Qing shook his head, "I only used a Divine Thought Avatar to explore, my true form never entered."
Old Cyan Dragon said, "That’s still very impressive, judging from your descriptions of those Demon Fire Monsters, they don’t sound easy to deal with. You were able to fight your way in with others, your strength is, tsk tsk..."
It didn’t continue but the amazement in its eyes was very obvious.
Lu Qing didn’t dwell on this issue further but asked, "What about Gui Xu Taoist elder, did he ever venture into the Abyss in those days?"
Old Cyan Dragon was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"The master did enter the Dark Abyss in those days."
It paused, then continued, "But the master only sent in a clone, not his true form, and he came out shortly after. If I recall, it was only a few days."
"A clone?" Lu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Yes." Old Cyan Dragon nodded, "The master was always cautious, never taking undue risks. Sending in a clone was both to scout the way and to limit potential losses if something went wrong."
It sighed and continued, "But after returning from the Abyss, the master didn’t say a single word about the situation inside.
No matter how much we asked, he wouldn’t tell us.
He only instructed his disciples never to approach the Abyss in the future, warning of its extreme danger."
The Black Bull murmured, "We were puzzled at the time. The master was overly cautious. With his power, even if his true form went in, he should be fine, why be so tense."
Ming Feng gave it a stare, "The master’s decisions naturally have their own reasoning, you should say less."
The Black Bull withdrew its neck and didn’t dare to make another sound.
Old Cyan Dragon continued, "However, although the master didn’t explicitly say it, having followed him for many years, I accidentally heard him mention one thing on one occasion."
Lu Qing perked up and asked, "What was it?"
Old Cyan Dragon’s gaze became distant, as if it spanned endless time.
"That was a long, long time ago. That night, the master was drinking alone on top of the Immortal Palace, and we happened to need to find him for something. From a distance, we heard him talking to himself."
It paused, as if recalling the scene back then.
"The master was saying that the Dark Abyss might become the origin of a catastrophe someday, but unfortunately, with his ability, he could not resolve this disaster."
Old Cyan Dragon looked at Lu Qing, its eyes filled with complex emotions.
"I was immensely shocked to hear that.
You must know, the master was one of the strongest Transformation Realm Immortals of the time amongst the stars.
He dominated the starry skies for hundreds of thousands of years, rarely meeting an opponent.
In the entire starry sky, only a handful could stand on the same level as him.
Even he thought the problem was tricky, how serious could it be?"
Ming Feng also added, "Indeed, we have followed the master for so many years, never have we heard him speak in that tone, that kind of...helplessness, that impotence, leaving a deep impression on us even to this day."
The Black Bull, for once, did not interrupt, and simply listened quietly.
Old Cyan Dragon continued, "Now hearing you say that there’s a corpse in the depths of the Abyss that surpasses the Transformation Realm, I finally somewhat understand why the master issued such a sigh back then."
It looked at Lu Qing, worry deep in its eyes.
"An existence surpassing the Transformation Realm, that is a height we cannot even imagine.
Even such an existence, with only a corpse remaining, contains unfathomable power.
And that power, is being corroded by the darkness, continuously emitting Demonic Qi, creating monsters..."
It did not continue, but its meaning was very clear.
Lu Qing was silent.
He recalled the abnormal sensation he felt in the Dark Abyss previously.
The corpse of Xuanhua seemed to be suppressing something.
This gave him a feeling that what Gui Xu Taoist initially feared, might not have been Xuanhua’s corpse, but something even more terrifying.
After a moment of silence, Lu Qing asked, "Elder Azure Dragon, do you know why the corpse of Mysterious Transformation Great Power appeared there?"
Old Cyan Dragon shook his head, "These, we don’t know. We don’t even know why he died there, let alone anything else."
It paused, and continued, "However, one thing is certain, that Power of Darkness is definitely not ordinary. For it to be able to corrode a being surpassing the Transformation Realm, the source of that power is likely even more terrifying than we imagine."
Lu Qing nodded.
This point, he had thought of too.
He recalled the great battle he saw in the Broken Jade Illusion, the black figure, three blood-red figures, and the besieged Xuanhua.
The power of that black figure was identical to the Power of Darkness within the Dark Abyss.
Could it be that the black figure was the source of this Power of Darkness?
Or was there an even more terrifying existence behind it?
Lu Qing couldn’t find the answer.
He pondered for a while, and finally asked the main question of this visit.
"Elder Azure Dragon, why did Gui Xu Taoist Elder disappear back then?"
As soon as these words came out, Old Cyan Dragon, the Black Bull, and Ming Feng all fell silent.
They exchanged glances, a complex look in their eyes.
Old Cyan Dragon remained quiet for a very long time, so long that Lu Qing thought it wouldn’t answer.
But eventually, it sighed deeply and slowly spoke.
"Ah Qing, this matter... is a long story."
It paused as if organizing its language, then continued, "Before leaving, the master told us that he was going to a very distant place, a place he might never return from."
Lu Qing frowned slightly, "Did he not say where that place was?"
Old Cyan Dragon shook his head, "No. He only said that there was something he had to complete there. As for what specifically, he didn’t tell us."
Lu Qing was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you know if the place Gui Xu Taoist Elder went to is related to the Dark Abyss?"
Old Cyan Dragon shook his head, "That, we don’t know either, the master didn’t say and we didn’t dare ask."
It paused, then said, "However, before leaving, the master repeatedly instructed us to guard the Returning Ruins Secret Realm well, to wait for a destined person to come, he said that this person might be able to solve some mysteries, or even find him."
Lu Qing’s heart stirred.
Gui Xu Taoist’s words were clearly hinting at something.
Could it be that he foresaw that someone would come here someday to uncover those secrets?
He looked at Old Cyan Dragon and asked, "Elder, did Gui Xu Taoist Elder leave any clues about the place he went to, or about the Dark Abyss?"
Old Cyan Dragon thought for a moment, then said, "The master did leave something, but... you’ll need to see it yourself."
It stood up and said to Lu Qing, "Come with me."
Without hesitation, Lu Qing followed it into the depths of the Immortal Palace.
The Black Bull and Ming Feng also followed behind.