Chapter Thirty-Two: The Core

Shen Chang'an was the first among them to regain his senses. Almost the very instant that terrifying black wave of energy surged toward them, he had already begun to accelerate the circulation of his magical power.

In that moment, a hidden divine power was automatically triggered within him.

The Power of the Celestial Fox, the third divine art: Banish Evil!

The Banish Evil art was a passive one—whenever Shen Chang'an encountered demonic or corrupt energies, it would activate on its own. The black, noxious energy that assaulted the mind and soul was easily blocked by the power of the Celestial Fox. He was dazed for less than a second before he came to himself again.

As soon as his senses returned, those horrific, twisted organs were already crashing down upon them.

Shen Chang'an made a split-second decision. Energy surged throughout his body as he unleashed a flurry of powerful strikes, sending everyone around him flying to avoid the monstrous onslaught.

But in doing so, he sacrificed precious moments to escape himself. Enormous serpentine tails, rodent heads, and other grotesque appendages lunged for him.

“Hah!” With a focused exhale, Shen Chang'an abruptly stepped forward instead of retreating, charging straight at the Abyss.

With a single step, his form twisted and vanished, only to reappear instantly right before the Abyss!

Celestial Fox Divine Art: Shift Form!

His sudden appearance startled the Abyss, catching it completely off guard. This was a secret fox art he had never revealed to anyone, so his foe had no way to anticipate it.

In Shen Chang'an’s hands, the long staff shrieked with a piercing, furious wail!

“Die!”

With a furious roar, he brought the staff crashing down at the Abyss’ torso, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere. The force of the blow was so immense even Shen Chang'an himself could scarcely gauge it. He poured every ounce of magical power into the assault, pushing his body’s meridians to the brink of destruction, driving wave after wave of energy into his attack with a frenzied intensity.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With the sound of repeated ruptures, Shen Chang'an’s staff did not pause. Under his relentless assault, the Abyss’ core began to shatter, its entire form splitting down the middle.

Yet at the very center—there was nothing.

A harsh, grating laughter echoed out as the Abyss mocked, “How amusing. Why would you ever think I’d leave my core somewhere so obvious?”

“Li Qingqing!” Shen Chang'an shouted.

By now, Li Qingqing had regained her senses as well. Hearing the Abyss’s words, her face turned grim, but she quickly replied, “Its power is beyond what I imagined. It can now move its core at will… I… I have no way to counter that.”

She still held a jade talisman—a single-use treasure. Unlike ordinary talismans, this was an artifact on par with Shen Chang'an’s Jade Talisman of the Dragon’s Pact, a powerful tool that could be used repeatedly. But Li Qingqing’s jade talisman, though a treasure, was single-use; its destructive power was immense. By her estimation, it could obliterate half the Abyss’s body.

However, if the Abyss could relocate its core, unless she could destroy the entire creature at once, the explosion would be wasted. It would do no harm at all. No matter how much of its body was lost, the Abyss could regenerate in time. If the core was untouched, everything they’d done so far was meaningless.

Shen Chang'an glanced around, realizing that everyone was out of options. If they delayed any longer, all of them would die here. They had no other choice.

“Go! We’re escaping!” Shen Chang'an commanded.

The way they’d come was blocked by stone, but with Shen Chang'an’s immense strength, it might just be possible to break through.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the Abyss intoned mercilessly.

The ground began to quake violently. Suddenly, twisted, writhing tendrils burst from below—no longer even resembling limbs, just thick, black, viscous tentacles.

As soon as these tentacles appeared, they radiated intense energy, waves of psychic force that made Li Qingqing’s face turn deathly pale.

“Damn it…”

Thanks to his Banish Evil art, Shen Chang'an remained unaffected and quickly adapted—completely unharmed. But the others were paralyzed, unable even to move. The chances of escape grew slimmer by the second.

The Abyss laughed coldly. “Daoist Shen, if you alone wished to flee, and I were trapped here, I truly could not stop you. But because you insist on saving them, you’re only dooming yourself!”

Shen Chang'an exhaled slowly and sneered, “No need to tempt me. If I truly couldn’t save them, I wouldn’t waste time here. But until we’re truly out of options, as long as there’s a sliver of hope, I will not give in.”

“Daoist, grab one each and run!”

Just then, Zheng Xin suddenly lifted Li Qingqing and called out to Shen Chang'an, dashing toward the way they’d come.

They had entered through a cave higher up in the chamber. It was a bit of a climb, but nothing Zheng Xin’s agility couldn’t handle.

Shen Chang'an was momentarily stunned, unsure why Zheng Xin was unaffected.

But he only hesitated for a second before springing into action. Whatever the reason, now was their best chance to escape.

He hurried to seize Wang Yue, and in a flash, leapt toward the upper cave, intent on escaping.

But would the Abyss simply let them go?

“Fools!”

With a thunderous roar, stones shattered all around as its tendrils swept out, rapidly encircling Shen Chang'an and the others.

The ground beneath their feet crumbled at a terrifying speed, making Shen Chang'an’s heart leap. “Zheng Xin, run!” he cried.

Taking advantage of the instant before the ground collapsed, he launched himself with all his might and vaulted out.

Zheng Xin, even more agile, bounded deftly beside him, unaffected by the Abyss’s spiritual assault.

The Abyss’s voice oozed out, viscous and disgusting. “So, another one with innate Yin-Yang blood… Excellent. Swallowing you all will make my power soar!”

Shen Chang'an cast a glance at Zheng Xin. She had withstood every attempt at mental domination—her bloodline was indeed extraordinary.

But clearly, Zheng Xin had never cultivated this aspect of herself; seeing through illusions was already a remarkable talent. To hope for her to help slay the Abyss was but a fantasy.