A Leap Into the Unknown

Ling Han relaxed his grip on Mo Yuegang's throat, his gaze still on high alert, ready for any signs of further foolishness from Mo Yuegang.

Sensing Ling Han's wary stare, Mo Yuegang broke the tension, "Don't worry. I'm well aware of the gap between our strengths. I won't do anything to harm Young Master Long."

"Well, that's good to know," Ling Han responded, a firm nod accompanying his words.

Holding out the buffalo horn to Long Tian, Mo Yuegang instructed, "You know what you need to do, right?"

Long Tian reached out, taking the horn, his voice resolute as he affirmed, "Of course, don't worry about it."

"Good, follow me then," Mo Yuegang gestured towards the palace exit and began to stride away.

Long Tian, Long Shan, and Ling Han fell into step behind him, while Ning Yuan and Qin Chen could only stand by and watch.

Qin Chen, in particular, was fuming inwardly. Again and again, it was Long Tian, always coming and taking what should have been his. He could only watch helplessly as Long Tian and Mo Yuegang retreated from the palace.

However, a sudden whisper reached his mind, comforting in its familiarity. 'Qin Chen, it's me. Don't worry, Long Tian will return the jade to you soon. We've made a pact, and I'm obligated to mentor him for a month. After that, I will return to you.'

It was Shen Yulan's voice, the mysterious woman within the jade.

Qin Chen felt a wave of relief wash over him at her assurance. Today might not have been his day, but at least he had some good news to look forward to.

"What should we do, Qin Chen? I don't think Mo Yuegang will allow you to enter the demon gorge, even if I give him the Seven-Patterned Pagoda," Ning Yuan broke the silence, her tone laced with concern.

"That's alright, Miss Ning, and thank you. You've done so much for me. I don't know how to repay you," Qin Chen's voice was tinged with sincere gratitude.

"Nonsense, Qin Chen. I'm happy to help you," Ning Yuan's words were sincere and warm.

Qin Chen smiled, his heart filled with gratitude. He was fortunate to know Ning Yuan. Her kindness and unwavering support were invaluable to him. He made a silent vow to repay her kindness someday.

"So, what do we do now? If left alone, your dantian might heal after a year. You can't possibly wait that long, right?" Ning Yuan asked, her eyes filled with worry.

Qin Chen fell silent at her words. After a moment, his face lit up as a thought occurred to him. "Miss Ning, I may have a solution. Elder Han might be able to help me," he suggested.

"That elder from Wudang Sect? That's a good idea. He might be able to help you," Ning Yuan nodded in agreement.

"Let's go see him," Qin Chen proposed, a hint of hope seeping into his tone.

"Alright," Ning Yuan agreed.

With that, they made their way out of the Heavenly Demon Palace and hurried towards the Wudang Sect.

****************

Meanwhile, Long Tian, Mo Yuegang, and the others arrived at a waterfall situated quite a distance from the Heavenly Demon Palace but still within the sect's domain.

It was already 6 am, and the sun's golden rays illuminated the mountain's peak.

"Is the demon abyss inside that waterfall? It doesn't sound like an abyss," Long Shan commented, his voice echoing against the cascades of water.

"You'll know when you step inside," Mo Yuegang responded, his voice laced with a mysterious undertone.

"Fair enough, let's head in then," Long Shan conceded, nodding in agreement.

Subsequently, the group of four ventured into the cascade of the waterfall. Their clothes were immediately soaked, clinging to their bodies like a second skin. As they penetrated the waterfall, Long Tian, Ling Han, and Long Shan were taken aback by the sight that welcomed them.

Instead of a cold, damp cave, they were met with a deep abyss, its bottom glowing an eerie, fiery red that seemed reminiscent of hot magma.

"Now I believe that it's indeed the demon abyss," Long Shan muttered, his voice echoing ominously through the cavern.

"This place is not for ordinary people to tread, try it for yourself," Mo Yuegang challenged, a hint of smugness in his voice.

Hearing this, Long Shan felt a surge of defiance. "Are you certain about this?" he questioned, his voice oozing confidence.

"Do I need to lie to you?" Mo Yuegang retorted, his tone dismissive.

"Fair enough," Long Shan acknowledged with a nod. Then he turned to Long Tian, asking, "How is it, young master?"

"No problem, go ahead," Long Tian nodded, giving his approval.

Having received Long Tian's confirmation, Long Shan instantly leaped into the abyss, spiraling downwards. But as he reached a certain point, he was abruptly flung back up by a mysterious force.

Bam!

He collided with the cave ceiling, causing it to crack before falling to the ground beside Ling Tian and the others.

"What the hell just happened?" Long Shan exclaimed in disbelief.

Before he could reach the abyss's bottom, he was abruptly pulled up by a mysterious force. It felt as though his very soul was being yanked up, but luckily, his cultivation base was high, so it didn't impact him much.

"This abyss has been here since before the Heavenly Demon Sect was established. Since then, many have attempted to venture into it, but all have failed. Some even lost their lives due to the abrupt force," Mo Yuegang explained, his voice carrying a sense of solemnity.

Ling Han's expression turned grave, "Young master, are you sure you want to venture into the abyss?" he queried, concern evident in his voice.

"Don't worry about it, Uncle Ling, I have this, so I'm safe," Long Tian assured, holding up the buffalo horn.

He then glanced at Mo Yuegang, "And Master Mo, you'll assist me in absorbing the demon blood," he added.

"No problem," Mo Yuegang nodded, a hint of resignation in his voice.

Long Tian then handed the buffalo horn to Mo Yuegang. This method could not be carried out without him; in the original plot, Qin Chen could absorb it because of Mo Yuegang's demonic technique.

"Sit down, young master Long, and close your eyes, this is going to be somewhat painful. Oh, and also, remove your shirt," Mo Yuegang instructed.

Long Tian complied with Mo Yuegang's instructions and sat near the abyss, taking off his upper clothing and closing his eyes. Meanwhile, Mo Yuegang gripped the buffalo horn tightly, and a dark aura began emanating from it.

Cracks began appearing on the horn's surface, and a few seconds later, the horn broke apart, and a blackish-red blood floated in the air - pure demon blood.

Mo Yuegang applied his technique, and the blood floated over and enveloped Long Tian's body.

The demon blood gradually entered Long Tian's body through his pores, slowly but painfully. It felt like his blood cells were fighting against the demon blood cells.

But once the demon blood cells reached his dantian, they immediately combined with the stars, coalescing into a new star cluster.

The process seemed beautiful when observed from the dantian, but outside, Long Tian was enduring an immense amount of pain.

***********

30 minutes elapsed, and all the demon blood had entered Long Tian's body. A black aura, the demonic aura, could be seen enshrouding him.

Ling Han felt somewhat peculiar watching Long Tian. Even though the Long family did not oppose demonic techniques, no one within the Long family had studied it. There were only a few Elders, and they used it to combat the demonic techniques themselves.

"Shouldn't he be conscious by now? Why is he still keeping his eyes shut?" Ling Han asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I'm not sure, but one thing I do know..." Mo Yuegang, using an invisible force, pushed Long Tian into the abyss.

Ling Han's expression morphed into one of shock, "What did you do!" he exclaimed.

"Calm down. That's why he wanted to enter the demon abyss in the first place. Besides, the process of blood absorption is already complete, he will be fine. He might even gain new powers, I'm quite curious about that," Mo Yuegang replied casually.

Hearing this, Ling Han calmed down slightly.

****************

Meanwhile, Long Tian was falling into the abyss, with hot magma awaiting him at the bottom.

Upon reaching a certain point, he was not pulled out like Long Shan; instead, he kept plummeting down.

And at this moment moment, flames erupted and engulfed his body, immersing him into the pool of magma.

Long Tian's clothes completely melted away due to the fire, and he seemed he was being bathed in hot lava.

However, nothing happened to him; the hot lava didn't harm his body. In fact, it was evident that his body was becoming cleaner, akin to being purified by the flames.

10 minutes passed, and the hot lava was still flooding Long Tian's body. But at this moment, a black figure, human-like with two horns emerged and hoisted Long Tian up!