Chapter 176: Descent of the Abyss

“An emissary from the Underworld? Hosting a grand banquet?”

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes, though his expression remained calm. “Brother, I’d appreciate it if you could explain in more detail.”

The young man gave Lu Yan a strange look. The matter of the Underworld emissary had been the talk of the realm recently. Anyone with even a distant connection to the Li family was flocking to Luocheng, hoping to seize some opportunity.

He had initially struck up conversation with Lu Yan because he seemed distinguished and was heading to Luocheng, which fell under the Li family’s domain. The young man assumed Lu Yan was someone related to the Li family.

But now, seeing that Lu Yan hadn’t even heard about such a major event, it was clear he had no ties to the Li clan. The young man’s enthusiasm cooled, and he responded casually:

“The Li family may have had some dealings with the Ghost Gods of the Underworld and even received their blessings, but until now, they were never officially recognized.”

“The so-called ‘Ghost God Li Family’—that title was more about other forces showing respect for the Underworld than anything else.”

“But once the Underworld Emissary descends upon the Li family, it signifies official recognition. It means the Li family has become the Underworld’s spokesperson in the mortal realm—eligible to stand shoulder to shoulder with the thousand-year noble clans that govern dynasties.”

“When that time comes, the entire Hezhou province will likely fall under the Li family’s control. What an unimaginable glory that would be!”

As the young martial artist spoke with awe, a dangerous gleam flickered in Lu Yan’s eyes.

Others might not know who this Underworld Emissary was—but how could Lu Yan not?

As the master of the Underworld and the one who controlled its origin, he could confirm that he hadn’t sent out any emissary.

That made the Li family’s actions extremely suspicious.

“Li Hao isn’t a fool. It’s been less than half a year since I revealed my divine might in the Urban Version. The lingering influence of that display should still be present.”

“And yet the Li family is now claiming to host an emissary of the Underworld and making such a public spectacle? Are they not worried about angering the true Underworld?”

“Are they just trying to build momentum—or is there some other scheme at play?”

Lu Yan fell into deep thought, his gaze growing colder.

Something about this situation was very off, and it demanded caution.

This unexpected development completely ruined Lu Yan’s original plan of using his identity as the Underworld Emissary to approach the Li family and have Li Hao help him conceal his Dao Truths.

Until he uncovered the true identity behind this supposed emissary, Lu Yan couldn’t afford to show himself recklessly, lest he fall into a trap.

As Lu Yan pondered in silence, the previously excited young martial artist finally calmed down. The scaled beast carriage creaked along toward Luocheng.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but as the carriage jolted violently, Lu Yan slowly opened his eyes from meditation.

The shaking startled the other passengers awake, who glanced outside the carriage in fear and confusion.

In contrast, the members of the merchant caravan remained composed. One of them moved along the sides of the convoy, loudly calling out:

“Everyone remain calm! It’s our Human Ancestor making a journey. Just stay inside the carriages!”

“If you haven’t cultivated any True Law, do not look out the window! You might be overwhelmed by the Dao Aura!”

Upon hearing that, the young martial artist beside Lu Yan seemed thrilled and immediately lifted the curtain to peek outside.

The rest of the passengers, however, seemed well-practiced—they quickly took out a pouch of medicine, poured it into their mouths, and instantly passed out, avoiding the danger of seeing the Dao Aura firsthand.

This odd behavior piqued Lu Yan’s interest. Without using divine sense to probe, he instead looked through the gap in the curtain that the young man had opened.

On the distant plain, more than ten miles away, a towering giant was walking slowly. Its body appeared to be pieced together from massive boulders. Each step it took made the earth tremble. Clearly, it was the source of the earlier tremors.

Next to the stone giant, a massive crocodile demon crawled forward. Its body stretched over a hundred meters long, covered in dark green moss atop thick scales.

The two monsters were dragging a massive ancient bronze coffin. Under the moonlight, its surface shimmered with a strange greenish-bronze hue. Thick chains coiled around it, and every link struck together with a deep clang, as if hammering directly on the hearts of those who heard it.

Each beat of that sound seemed to make one’s own heart pulse in rhythm.

Such a bizarre and eerie sight shocked even Lu Yan.

Both the stone giant and crocodile demon radiated an aura on par with Golden Core cultivators.

And the aura emanating from the ancient bronze coffin they dragged—deep and unfathomable like a bottomless abyss—carried an indescribable pressure.

“Abyss Realm?” Lu Yan guessed silently.

Just then, a sudden shout came from within the caravan.

A Mortal Shedding Realm martial artist stood outside, eyes locked onto the bronze coffin’s abyssal aura. Beneath his skin, his flesh writhed like worms, pulsating and bulging.

With each pulse, his body ballooned in size. Within moments, a normal build had morphed into an enormous, fleshy mass. His stomach sagged so low it nearly touched the ground.

Despite the grotesque transformation and the pain it brought, the man’s face was filled not with terror—but wild joy.

“I did it!”

“I finally did it!”

Seeing this, the others in the caravan looked on with envy. Even the Soul Burial Realm martial artist overseeing the convoy sighed with admiration:

“To witness the passage of an Abyss Realm ancestor while still in the Mortal Shedding Realm—what fortune.”

By the carriage door, the young martial artist next to Lu Yan was also filled with longing.

“They say Abyss Realm ancestors have reached the pinnacle of cultivation. Their bodies are nearly one with the Dao. Merely observing their form is like witnessing the Dao itself.”

“We, as Mortal Shedding cultivators, must shed our mundane flesh before reaching the Soul Burial Realm. That journey demands immense understanding of True Law and enormous resources.”

“But that guy… with just one glimpse of the ancestor’s passage, he completed his transformation. Now he only needs to stabilize his state to break through. That’s practically a step to heaven.”

Lu Yan’s face twisted slightly. From his perspective, it was clear that the so-called shedding of mortal flesh was merely a process of willingly accepting Dao contamination.

Indeed, it allowed one to draw closer to the Dao and even comprehend Dao Truths more easily—but it was undoubtedly a case of picking up scraps and losing treasures.

Only the True Law martial artists of the Demon Version would engage in such reckless cultivation.

The newly transformed, bloated martial artist stood proudly as others congratulated him.

Even the young man in Lu Yan’s carriage went up to try his luck—but no one paid him any attention.

After all, a Mortal Shedding Realm cultivator was the lowest rank in the entire convoy.

Moreover, his mutations were far too minimal—just a few scales on his face. He barely looked different from an ordinary human.

Some veteran martial artists could immediately tell that he hadn’t cultivated a genuine True Law, but rather a counterfeit law—something modeled after real True Laws, unqualified to be ranked on the Heaven and Earth True Law Rankings. Such paths bore the form of demonkind but couldn’t connect to the world’s Dao.

After being ignored, the young man returned in frustration, muttering angrily:

“Tch, that guy’s just practicing that dumb Flesh Mountain Method, what’s he even so smug about?”

“Flesh Mountain’s already dropped out of the top ten thousand on the rankings. Last time it emerged, there were already over twenty thousand people cultivating it.”

“Competing with twenty thousand others over a bottom-tier Dao… no way he’s ever going to comprehend a Dao Truth.”

As he pulled back the curtain, the young man noticed Lu Yan still awake and suddenly looked guilty.

The man who had completed his transformation would certainly advance to the Soul Burial Realm, and talking badly about him could be dangerous. If Lu Yan repeated any of this, the young man would be in serious trouble.

But Lu Yan remained expressionless, pretending not to have heard a word. He closed his eyes again, ready to resume meditation.

Just then, a sudden explosion echoed from the camp.

Startled, both Lu Yan and the young man turned to look. Three other martial artists who had tried to use Dao contamination to shed their mortal shells had violently exploded—flesh and bone blasted outward, shredding several nearby carriages.

A chunk of heart even landed directly in front of Lu Yan’s vehicle. Black and red, the heart continued to beat, and some dangling veins writhed like tentacles trying to crawl away.

The young man’s eyes lit up with excitement. He quickly grabbed the heart and stuffed it into his clothes, furtively looking around.

The caravan members were busy tending to the wreckage and the wounded, so no one noticed. He let out a silent chuckle.

Cradling the still-pulsing heart carefully, he looked around the carriage. The ordinary passengers were all still unconscious from the sleeping medicine.

Only Lu Yan had his eyes open, gaze fixed on the grotesque heart.

The young man hesitated. Lu Yan seemed like a harmless normal person—he could probably be intimidated into silence with a few words.

But each time the young man harbored ill intentions, he’d get this strange feeling of dread—as if his conscience was warning him against it.

Sigh… still not a true demon after all, he thought bitterly.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “This heart has clearly completed the shedding of the mortal flesh. It’s no longer human in origin. Since you saw it too, I’ll share a bit with you.”

“Use it well. Maybe you’ll be able to cultivate a True Law and one day become a martial artist too.”

Then he quickly added, “But I picked it up, so I get the lion’s share. Don’t expect to split it evenly.”

Lu Yan’s expression grew strange. This guy sure has a lot going on in his head.

After a moment of thought, Lu Yan extended a finger and gently tapped the heart.

The next moment, a hideous, twisted face surfaced on the heart’s surface. Its gaping mouth twisted into a deranged grin, as if it might bite someone at any moment.

The young man’s hand trembled—he nearly dropped the heart onto the floor.

(End of Chapter)