âShouting Abyss? What kind of place is that?â The name itself exuded a sinister aura, prompting Li Fan to inquire.
Ji Hongdao turned his head to glance at Li Fan, smiling, âItâs no use telling you now. Youâll know when we get there.â
âAlthough itâs a bit dangerous, you donât need to worry too much.â
âWith us old folks around, nothing major will happen.â
Ji Hongdao evidently had confidence in himself and waved off any concerns.
Since Ji Hongdao spoke this way, Li Fan naturally didnât continue to inquire and retreated with Xue Mu to the side.
Before long, Shangguan Shi, the thin man Li Fan had met in the Universal Courtyard, also brought five others onto the ship.
These five individuals were not part of the previous training group. They wore the standard robes of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, had matured features, and behaved professionally.
They seemed to have been on this flying ship before and were very familiar with its structure.
After exchanging greetings with Ji Hongdao, they went straight to the cabin.
As they passed by Li Fan and Xue Mu, they nodded in acknowledgment.
Xue Mu didnât immediately realize their identity and stood still.
Li Fan, however, greeted them just as familiarly.
As their figures disappeared from view, Xue Mu earnestly asked Li Fan through voice transmission.
âLi Fan, it seems you know them? Do you know their identities?â
Li Fan shook his head hastily, âI donât know. But weâre all members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, like a family. Itâs normal to greet each other when we meet.â
Xue Mu was dumbfounded for a moment, unsure how to retort.
Fortunately, the chubby Huangfu Song came to his rescue.
âLetâs go, donât just stand there like a fool. Almost everyone is here, so weâll probably depart soon.â
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan, snorted, and ordered.
Li Fan, with the demeanor of a junior respecting his elders, followed behind Huangfu Song.
Passing through the cabin corridor, Li Fan noticed that many people had already gathered on the flying ship.
It seemed that not only formation masters from the Array Hall were present.
The faintly discernible aura of killing and blood emanating from certain practitioners in certain rooms made Li Fan realize that this mission might not be as easy as Ji Hongdao had described.
The two followed Huangfu Song to an empty guest cabin and sat down.
Li Fan smiled and turned to Huangfu Song for advice, âSenior Huangfu, can you reveal to us the objective of our mission this time?â
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan with a smile that didnât quite reach his eyes, âYou little rascal, are you scared too?â
Li Fan admitted openly, âOf course, my courage canât compare to yours, Senior. After all, you evenâŠâ
âStop! Stop!â Huangfu Songâs expression changed slightly. âYou, how come every three sentences mention Dantai Tao?â
His eyes narrowed, flashing a dangerous glint as he scrutinized Li Fan carefully.
After a moment, Huangfu Song suppressed the killing intent in his heart and the smile reappeared on his face.
âHumph, telling you wonât hurt. If Director Ji didnât tell you, itâs just because itâs complicated to explain.â Huangfu Song casually tapped the table in front of him and took a sip of the suddenly appearing hot spirit tea before his expression turned serious.
âOn this trip, we are going to the depths of the White Mist.â
âThe depths of the White Mist?â Li Fan and Xue Mu glanced at each other, slightly surprised.
However, they didnât show it. Following Huangfu Songâs example, they lightly tapped the table and finished the steaming spirit tea.
They patiently listened to Huangfu Songâs explanation.
âAs you know, thereâs a ăWhite Mist Barrieră that spans across heaven and earth, dividing each province. Traveling through the white mist consumes lifespan. Even passing through teleportation formations wonât avoid this.â
âSo even we cultivators, if not necessary, are reluctant to move frequently.â
Li Fan nodded slightly in agreement.
âBecause of this, our understanding of the White Mist is extremely limited.â
âMost people believe that the White Mist Barrier only exists on the original land as a dividing line.â
âBut in realityâŠâ
Huangfu Song smirked, âThe White Mist is far broader than we imagine.â
âSo, unless itâs absolutely necessary, donât get any wild ideas about physically crossing it. Otherwise, you might just get lost in the vast White Mist, beyond the help of even the Heavenly Ancestors.â
Xue Mu heard about this for the first time and couldnât help but feel nervous and serious.
Li Fan thought for a moment, not being intimidated by Huangfu Songâs words, and spoke up, âAlthough the number of cultivators physically crossing the White Mist Barrier each year isnât many, itâs definitely not few either.â
âItâs likely that what the senior said, the vast areas within the White Mist Barrier, are only a tiny fraction,â
âOtherwise, if itâs really as dangerous as Senior described, it would have been noticed long ago.â
Huangfu Songâs words were suddenly halted by Li Fanâs revelation, feeling a bit embarrassed.
But immediately he sneered and retorted, âI donât know how many cultivators have disappeared in the White Mist without return, harboring the same thoughts as you.â
âIf youâre not afraid of death, you can boldly try it.â
âAlthough it seems only a step away, itâs like a heavenly trench, impossible to cross. We call these locations within the White Mist Barrier âMaze Realmsâ.â
âI canât disclose the number of confirmed Maze Realms at the moment, but itâs definitely far beyond what you imagine.â
Seeing Li Fanâs nod of agreement, Huangfu Song stopped being stubborn, feeling relieved.
He continued, âThe destination of our trip, âShouting Abyss,â is one of the Maze Realms discovered a long time ago.â
âAs the name suggests, itâs an area that extends infinitely downwards in space, unfathomable and endless.â
âEvery once in a while, there are inexplicable sounds of astonishment, desperate screams, and faint murmurs emanating from the depths of the abyss.â
âOrdinary cultivators and those with unstable minds, once tempted by the sounds, may fall into demonic ways and regress in cultivation.â
âIn severe cases, they lose their sanity, transforming into inhuman monsters solely driven by slaughter.â
Huangfu Song seemed to recall something, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
âBecause this Maze Realm is too bizarre, once discovered, itâs heavily monitored by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.â
âSo, due to this influence, the Eternal Immortal Stronghold set up outside the Shouting Abyss has been forced to constantly relocate upward over the years.â
âHowever, in order to contain the influence of the devilish sounds within the Shouting Abyss, that stronghold has reached its limit.â
âSo, a hundred years ago, the alliance began to experiment with special methods to counter the devilish sounds emanating from the depths of the abyss.â
âSpecial methods? Could it beâŠâ Li Fan suddenly remembered something, his heart stirring.