Qiu Ruofeng was delighted upon hearing this and repeatedly said, "Thank you, my friend, for your trust! Rest assured, we would not dare to deceive you!"
Lu Qing waved his hand and said faintly, "Let me say this first, I came here with just a Divine Thought Avatar, so even if I fall, itâs no big deal. But if you dare to play tricks..."
He did not finish his sentence, but the meaning was obvious.
Qiu Ruofeng quickly responded, "Rest assured, my friend, we have no ill intentions whatsoever! This matter is of great importance. You being willing to help is something weâre grateful for, why would we have any other thoughts?"
Grateful?
Lu Qingâs heart stirred, noting the word choice.
However, he said nothing and merely nodded slightly.
Only then did Qiu Ruofeng breathe a sigh of relief, turning to the Black Robed Figures, saying, "Everyone, letâs proceed."
The Black Robed Figures nodded in unison and turned to fly toward the massive black rift.
Lu Qing followed behind, also approaching the rift.
The closer he got to the rift, the more intense the strange aura became.
The aura was ancient and vast, as if it had existed for countless ages, yet it seemed not to belong to this world.
Lu Qing could even vaguely sense a powerful force surging within the rift, as if ready to burst out at any moment.
"No wonder itâs called the Forbidden Place..."
Lu Qing thought to himself.
Such a perilous place was one that ordinary cultivators wouldnât dare to approach.
Being adept in Space Dao, he had a far superior sense for spatial fluctuations, granting him this ease.
Nonetheless, he remained cautious.
After all, this was a place even Transformation Immortals feared.
A moment later, the group reached the edge of the rift.
At close range, the rift was even more astonishing.
It spanned the cosmos, its width unknown for thousands of miles, and its length endless.
It was like an unhealable scar in the vast sky.
At the edge of the rift, space twisted unpredictably, occasionally revealing spatial tears that emitted a chilling aura.
Within the rift, there was pure darkness, devoid of light, sound, even the meanings of time and space.
"Mr. Lu, stick close to us," Qiu Ruofeng warned, "Inside the Demon Abyss, space is extremely chaotic; if youâre not careful, you might lose your way. We have custom Guiding Talismans to ensure we donât get lost."
Lu Qing nodded, saying nothing more.
He wasnât worried about getting lost. With his expertise in Space Dao, he could find his way back even if he did get lost.
However, since Qiu Ruofeng had prepared, he was happy to save some effort.
Qiu Ruofeng took out a black talisman, engraved with intricate runes that emitted a faint light.
Muttering under his breath, he activated the talisman, which transformed into a beam of light, entering the rift.
"Letâs go!"
With a low shout, Qiu Ruofeng charged into the rift first.
The Black Robed Men followed closely behind.
Lu Qing did not hesitate and stepped in as well, entering the rift.
Instantly, the world spun around.
As soon as he entered the rift, Lu Qing felt everything change.
Endless darkness surrounded him, devoid of light and sound, stripping away all sense of direction.
He felt as though he had been cast into nothingness, with darkness to his every side.
Without the mana fluctuations from the Black Robed Men, he wouldnât even be able to determine their location.
"Is this the inside of the Demon Abyss?"
Lu Qing felt a chill in his heart.
This environment was a severe test for any cultivator.
Without direction or reference, one could easily lose themselves in this endless darkness, forever unable to find a way out.
No wonder even Unity Realm would risk destruction by entering.
The risk of getting lost was enough to deter countless cultivators.
But Lu Qing remained calm.
He calmed his mind and carefully sensed the spatial fluctuations around him.
A moment later, he understood.
Inside the Demon Abyss, though space was chaotic, it was not without pattern.
The chaotic spatial fluctuations faintly formed a peculiar pattern, as if drawn by some invisible force.
Once you grasped this pattern, finding direction became manageable.
"Mr. Lu, are you alright?" came Qiu Ruofengâs voice from ahead.
Lu Qing replied calmly, "No harm done."
Qiu Ruofeng sighed in relief, saying, "Thatâs good to hear. Stay close; we need to speed up. In this Demon Abyss, spatial storms erupt periodically. If weâre not careful, even weâd be in serious danger."
Lu Qing nodded and followed.
The group moved rapidly through the darkness.
A surrounding silence, broken only by the occasional spatial fluctuation, reminded Lu Qing this was no ordinary place.
It was unclear how long they had flown when suddenly, a faint light appeared ahead.
The light was extremely weak, but in the boundless darkness, it stood out starkly.
"Weâve arrived," Qiu Ruofeng said, "Thatâs our Netherworld Palace stronghold in the Demon Abyss."
The group flew toward the light.
Upon approaching, Lu Qing noticed the light emanated from a giant floating stone.
It was several dozen miles in area, floating in the darkness, and glowing faintly.
A few buildings and cultivators were faintly visible on the floating stone.
"This is..." Lu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.
Qiu Ruofeng explained, "This floating stone was brought in from outside at great expense by our Netherworld Palace. The array on it can withstand spatial storms and serves as our foothold in the Demon Abyss."
Lu Qing nodded, not inquiring further.
The group landed on the floating stone.