42 Forty-Two: The Endless Abyss pt.1

In Lyra there are dozens of places where no man would dare to travel. Dreadfully referred to as Hell's Gate, Endless Abyss is a valley within the Forgotten Forest believed to be an ancient battlefield where the war between the gods and demons was fought.

Littered with ancient antiquities that date back from the divine war, the harsh conditions within Endless Abyss did not fully deter those who desired to loot and hunt for treasure and perhaps, try their luck. But so far, no one who ventured within the ghostly valley made it back alive.

But today, after numerous days of preparation and rigorous travel, another group is bravely entering the dangerous valley. Not to hunt for treasures but to search for a rare herb.

Xiao Xue stared at the miasma blanketing the entirety of Endless Abyss. The longer she looked, the tighter the knot in between her brows formed. The group was aware that the ancient valley is covered with a thick cloud of poisonous gas. But Xiao Xue never expected it to be this bad.

With Yi Xin, they managed to concoct and collect a decent amount of pills and elixirs that could counteract poisons. But with no specific location to search for the Blister Knot Leaf, coupled with the unknown circumstances they have to face within the valley, the pills and elixirs they prepared may not be enough to search the entire Endless Abyss.

"Perhaps we should consider dividing the group." Xie Yuan said as he stood beside her, his unfathomable gaze trained in the same direction she was staring at.

"Absolutely not!" Xiao Xue answered without hesitation. "It was agreed that everyone would move with the group. I agree that blindly searching in such a dangerous place, for a prolonged time, is not advisable. But it is exactly due to this that we cannot move in smaller numbers. We don't know what we will face within the valley. We are stronger with greater numbers as we could support and protect each other. If by chance we don't find the herb before the pills run out, then we would leave. Perhaps we could try again, if it is possible. But everything will depend on what we'll face once we enter."

Xiao Xue had been against venturing into the valley but Xie Yuan and Shui Ren were adamant. In the end, she had to compromise. This journey is mainly for her. But she will not blindly send her loved ones to their deaths just to heal herself. For Xiao Xue, if the opportunity presents itself, then it is good. If not, then there are other ways.

Xie Yuan wanted to say something but after seeing the resolute look on Xiao Xue's face, he decided against it. In truth, Xie Yuan wasn't thinking about splitting up with Xiao Xue, that would be impossible. He's not willing to allow his wife to venture to an unknown and dangerous place without him by her side. He would not gamble with Xiao Xue's life and would not entrust her safety to anyone, not even her errant brother.

If the group split in two, they would be able to cover more ground with less time. But the percentage of danger would also increase. They do not know what's waiting inside the valley and moving as a group is safer. As Xiao Xue stated, they could watch out for each other in case something happens. And if Xiao Xue is really against dividing the group, then there is nothing to discuss. Xie Yuan would never go against Xiao Xue's wishes, unless it concerns her well-being.

Even if the herb is not found this time they could go back and try again once they restock their supplies. Xie Yuan doesn't believe this valley could contain them. It was not arrogance but a belief in their group's capabilities. And once they gain an initial understanding of the situation within the valley, they'd be more prepared the next time they enter.

Of course, it would be perfect if they could find the Blister Knot Leaf this time. Accomplishing their goal in one sweep is better than retreating and trying again. There would be other factors involved during the second time and it might not be as smooth as initially thought. But that scenario is too miraculous and none of them put too much hope in its fruition.

They would do their utmost during this initial journey. Time is of the essence and with unknown threats looming in horizon, they cannot delay. But everyone is aware that the move to enter Endless Abyss, this time, is more for mapping out a relatively safe route for later explorations rather than seriously hunting for the herb.

The main purpose of this trip is to explore as much ground within the Endless Abyss as possible and see what dangers lurk within the deathly valley. This time, self-preservation is their top priority and if a miracle happens along the way, then they would be thankful for it.

Perhaps this simple thought and proper resolve is what set the group apart from those who ventured into the valley and never heard from again. Though no one has been able to leave the Endless Abyss once they enter, the group is optimistic.

Aside from Xiao Xue, everyone was in top form. Shui Ren, Xie Shan, Zhang Lao, He Heng and He Ling have their strengths suppressed due to the realm restriction. But if worse comes to worst, they could break the restriction and fight with full power. They would suffer some backlash but it would be better than being dead.

Yi Xin may not be as strong but self-preservation would not be a problem. As for Xie Yuan, no one really knows how much stronger he's become. He hasn't been neglecting his cultivation and recently achieved a breakthrough. If it came to a life and death battle, he's confident that even if dies, he could cut a bloody route for Xiao Xue so she could flee to safety.

Before setting off, they decided on a formation. Being the most experienced and with his special eye technique, Zhang Lao was to move in front and scout for the group. He would be followed by He Heng. Xiao Xue and Xie Yuan would move in the middle, flanked by Xie Shan and Shui Ren while He Ling and Yi Xin would be in the rear.

Xie Yuan considered bringing more people. But with the issue of Xiao Xue's condition and the recent attack on Spirit Temple, only this group of people are trustworthy. But in preparation for the future, Xie Yuan asked Xie Feng to send a word to their Father to allow a few of Xie Yuan's subordinates to enter the Lower Regions. But because time was constricted, they could not wait for these people to arrive.

After checking everything, the group finally entered. Unbeknownst them, they were being followed by another group.

The man leading the group had no visible aura and could easily blend in with the surrounding. On each side of him stood a pair of siblings, a man and a woman, that have identical features.

The trio moved in unison through the dense forest, perfectly melding with the shadows and creating no noise as they go. Though they did not release any form of coercion nor aura, the baleful and ominous air surrounding the three kept most of the wild beasts at bay.

Curiously, another person was included in the group. Trying to keep up with the trio's pace is a young man with a calm demeanor and distinguished bearing. Although the young man wore indiscernible black clothes and a mask to hide half of his face, the sly look in his eyes and the familiar silhouette of his body was unmistakable.

This young man was Lin Ru, the second disciple of Divine Martial Sect's Sect Master. Xie Yuan's martial brother who colluded with Ning Jing and cruelly abandoned her when things went awry.

"Senior Meng, their group should have entered the valley by now. Should we make haste?" Lin Ru asked the leader of the group, Meng Quan.

After Ning Jing's demise and the fall of the Ning Family, Lin Ru decided to lay low for a while. The battle for succeeding the Sect Master was still raging but it will not be resolved within the next decade. In Lin Ru's view, delaying some matters is fine as long as it does not affect the final outcome.

During this time, there were subtle movements from Wei Qian's faction but Lin Ru ignored all provocations in fear that Xie Yuan would find a connection between him and Ning Jing. But when it became apparent that he was not within Xie Yuan's sights, Lin Ru decided he was thinking too much. Although he schemed with Ning Jing against Xie Yuan, the plan was ruined before it began due to Ning Jing's idiocy. Lin Ru decided to let go of his doubts and set his plans into motion once again.

Though Wei Qian is his foremost rival for succeeding the Sect Master of Divine Martial Sect, in Lin Ru's view, the biggest threat was Xie Yuan.

Everyone regards the Young Master of Divine Martial Sect like a god. The disciples, even some of the sect elders, worship him blindly. Even if Xie Yuan personally declared that he would not be taking over the sect in the future, Lin Ru was not reassured. Afterall, humans are naturally selfish and Xie Yuan could change his mind in the future.

After learning of Xiao Xue's identity, as Spirit Temple's High Priestess, Lin Ru sent people to monitor the movements within Spirit Temple. With Xiao Xue's close association to Xie Yuan, Lin Ru did not believe he could not use her against Xie Yuan.

The information of the attack on Spirit Temple was carefully suppressed by the temple's elders. But those who have been carefully watching easily caught wind of the situation. Lin Ru is a scheming man. He realized something else was at play and immediately got in touch with the right people.

Meng Quan is an assassin from Dragon's Gate, a secret organization that trains hired killers and death soldiers. Within the three realms, anyone targeted by Dragoon's Gate will never escape its clutches. Someone paid a lot of gold for Xiao Xue's head and as a result, a top tier assassin was immediately deployed to the Lower Regions to collect it.

Meng Quan's position within the organization is quite high but because of some mishap from his last mission, his capability was questioned. Initially, Meng Quan felt that the order to collect a head of an unknown person from the Lower Regions was quite demeaning for someone of his status. But after learning of the bounty's association with Xie Yuan, he became more interested.

Xie Yuan's true identity is known to those who work in the shadows. A huge bounty was set on his head from the day he was born but so far no one has succeeded in claiming it. Because Meng Quan wanted to prove that he is still useful and his position should not be questioned, he decided to take this chance to reap Xie Yuan's head with the pretext of following the Gate's order of collecting Xiao Xue's life.

Meng Quan usually worked alone. But on this mission he brought Hei She and Hei Yu, the apprentices he's been grooming. The attack they launched on Spirit Temple was nothing more than a show of temper and a minor cover up to their original objective.

Meng Quan did not expect that his targets would be long gone from Infernal Rise Valley before he could get to them. But if he really wanted to kill that day, then no one from Spirit Temple would have survived. Even the person sent to Xiao Xue to deliver a warning was within Meng Quan's calculations.

Xie Yuan is tightly guarded. Unless he is brought to a setting where no one could provide aid and with no place to hide, then nobody would be able to kill him. This decision to enter Endless Abyss is a deadly gamble for Xie Yuan. It is not only for the unknown situation within the valley but because Xie Yuan would be trapped with only a handful of people to support him. For Meng Quan, this is a perfect opportunity.

In fact, if Lin Ru did not provide this information when he sought them out, Meng Quan would have killed him on the spot for daring to contact them while they were on the job. But because Lin Ru seems to know Xie Yuan's movements fairly well, Meng Quan decided to spare his life.

Meng Quan turned to the young man, who had the audacity to call out to him and say unnecessary things, and suppressed the killing intent that surged in his heart.

"No hurry." Meng Quan answered nonchalantly. "We'll keep the pace and follow accordingly." He turned his head away and proceeded to ignore the young man's existence. It would not be too late to kill him once his assistance is no longer necessary.