Chapter 426: The Demon Abyss Has Been a Bit Strange Lately

Chapter 426: The Abyss Has Been Acting Strange Lately

Time flowed on.

In just a few months, undercurrents stirred within the Abyss, and many changes occurred.

Alas, aside from a handful of Yin Gods in the Absolute Moon Abyss, no one knew of these hidden shifts.

At this moment, Qi Yuan squinted, gazing at Mu Lan who had come to lodge a complaint, a smile in his eyes: “The stars in the sky are still there. Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to claim that the Demon Pupil Celestial Venerable and the Demon Hall Celestial Venerable have gone wrong?”

This Mu Lan was truly persistent; he had already gone to many regions to report the Demon Pupil.

Unfortunately, what he didn’t understand was that the Yang God Celestial Venerables he reported were now all Qi Yuan’s avatars.

Within the Abyss, Qi Yuan worked diligently, fishing seriously, but it was also rather boring.

Occasionally, he sought some amusement.

This Mu Lan was that amusement.

He was curious when Mu Lan would finally report to the Demon Heng Celestial Venerable.

Mu Lan lowered his head, his expression especially grim: “Celestial Venerable, better to believe it exists than not. Now the Yin Gods of the Absolute Moon Abyss have suffered heavy casualties—we must be on guard!”

What this Celestial Venerable said made sense.

If a Yang God had a problem and fell,

First, the star that reflected them across the heavens would fall.

But the Demon Pupil Celestial Venerable’s star was still fine.

The stars of the few Yang Gods he suspected still hung properly in the sky.

“The calculations of a Celestial Venerable—how could a mere Yin God like you know them?” Qi Yuan said blandly, appearing quite profound and inscrutable. “Enough, this matter ends here!”

Qi Yuan flicked his sleeve, and Mu Lan’s body was abruptly hurled out of the cave dwelling.

“Celestial Venerable, I have bled for the Marauders!”

“Celestial Venerable, I have sweated for the Marauders!”

“My loyalty is clear for all to see!”

Outside the cave dwelling, Mu Lan wept bitterly, looking utterly desperate.

“Interesting. He’s even better at acting than I am.”

Facing a Yin God like Mu Lan, Qi Yuan put little effort into his role; he didn’t even change his appearance, remaining in his original form, wearing a red robe.

He hadn’t even bothered much to conceal his figure.

This meant that every time Mu Lan went to a place, the Yang God he saw looked exactly the same.

The funniest part was that each time Mu Lan saw him, his heart churned with shock, but on the surface, he had to pretend he hadn’t noticed the change in person.

And he kept insisting on reporting.

Utterly amusing.

“Randomly teasing a Yin God—truly entertaining.”

Qi Yuan let his thoughts wander.

Now, in the Abyss, only the Demon Heng Celestial Venerable remained.

All the other Yang Gods had been successfully hooked by Qi Yuan.

In other words, he could do whatever he pleased in this Abyss.

Even if Mu Lan had the nerve to spread rumors, Qi Yuan wasn’t afraid at all.

At this moment, Mu Lan’s mind trembled with fear, though on the surface he wept bitterly.

He was beginning to doubt his own existence as a demon.

Was he going blind?

How could all the Yang God Celestial Venerables… look the same?

And then, suddenly, a message entered Qi Yuan’s communication jade slip.

“You, how did you get to the Sixth Heaven? How?”

Qi Yuan looked at this message, somewhat surprised.

It was from Sister Horn.

This kind of communication jade slip couldn’t transmit across a single heaven.

Even some special places couldn’t receive messages.

For instance, the Abyss, covered by the Marauder Well, rendered original communication jade slips almost useless—they would be blocked.

However, after gaining many permissions, Qi Yuan had unsealed his own restrictions.

This allowed his communication jade slip to receive messages from outside.

“Mm, got bored with the Fifth Heaven, so I came to the Sixth Heaven for a stroll,” Qi Yuan replied after a moment’s thought.

Sister Horn was a decent person; she had helped him with some small favors.

“Where are you? Tell me, I’ll come pick you up now. Urgent matter—a huge stroke of luck!” Sister Horn’s voice carried a hint of haste.

Qi Yuan hesitated briefly: “I’m in the Abyss right now.”

After all, it wasn’t a secret.

“How did you end up in the Abyss? There’s fighting there—it’s dangerous!” Sister Horn said anxiously.

She even speculated that Qi Yuan had been conscripted, or perhaps wanted to earn merits in the Abyss.

After all, cultivators from the Second Heaven lacked resources and would do anything.

“Don’t join the battle recklessly for now. Report the name of the Purple Fate Clan to the Yang God stationed there. I’ll come get you and take you away!” Sister Horn said excitedly.

“Why are you picking me up?” Qi Yuan asked, curious.

Sister Horn took a deep breath: “Your bloodline… shares the same origin as my Black Abyss, and it’s very noble.”

Judging by the ancestor’s expression, if the Great Principle hadn’t been unable to move freely and was delayed by matters, the ancestor would have gone straight to the Fifth Heaven to bring Blood Robe up.

Clearly, Blood Robe’s bloodline was absolutely extraordinary.

“Oh, sorry, I only want to be a guest elder. I don’t want to join a major power or become a subordinate god,” Qi Yuan refused.

“What are you thinking? The Black Abyss is different from other sacred lands. Without our bloodline, even as a slave, the Black Abyss wouldn’t accept you!

You don’t have to become a subordinate god!” Sister Horn said excitedly.

Blood Robe’s bloodline was definitely nobler than hers.

Could it be the Principle bloodline?

Otherwise, the ancestor wouldn’t have acted like that, Sister Horn speculated in her heart.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan’s gaze grew deep.

He was thinking.

After devouring the Mara clan, where would he go next?

At first, his plan was to head to the Buddha Land.

But the Buddha Land was in the Fifth Heaven, and he had incurred enmity with Taihuang Palace—if he drew the attention of that one from Taihuang Palace, it would not be very safe for him in his current state.

Now, hearing that he could go to the Black Demon Abyss, he felt a stir of interest.

After all, he couldn’t very well take Jinli to some “backwater.”

“You know my enemy is that one from Taihuang Palace—do you still dare to let me go?”

“Hmph, the Old Ancestor said it’s fine!” Sister Horn declared imperiously.

Even if this Blood-Robed One regarded that one from Taihuang Palace as his enemy, that one might not even know of his existence.

Qi Yuan, hearing this, pondered for a moment, then said, “Can I make some rather excessive demands?”

“Speak!” Seeing that he was tempted, Sister Horn was quite pleased.

“I used to live in a mansion—I must have my own standalone mansion in the Black Demon Abyss!” Qi Yuan opened his mouth wide like a lion.

“Ah? No problem.” Sister Horn had no idea what a mansion was, but that didn’t stop her from agreeing.

Anyway, the main thing was to trick him into coming first.

“When I eat beef noodle soup, I absolutely must have… two eggs.”

“A hundred eggs—dragon eggs!” Sister Horn shouted loudly.

In the Sixth Heaven, creatures like the dragon race existed.

“Isn’t a dragon egg a bit too extravagant?” Qi Yuan hesitated.

He looked at himself.

Eating a hundred dragon eggs at once—would his figure still be in check?

“When will you arrive?” Qi Yuan asked. “I still have some matters to handle. How about this: come back in a month, and when you do, I’ll go with you to the Black Demon Abyss.”

A month’s time would be enough for him to bring the Well back.

Then, he would head to the Black Demon Abyss.

That way, before he left, he could spread some rumors—that the Mara clan had dreamed of the Mara Lord, and all the Yang Gods had gone to the Ninth Heaven!

In that case, who would know what really happened?

“Nothing is more important than you coming to the Black Demon Abyss!” Sister Horn said earnestly.

The Old Ancestor was in a great hurry.

“I plan to annihilate the Mara clan—give me another month!”

“You’re just boasting—wipe out the Mara in a month!

If you don’t want to say, then don’t. Fine, I’ll be there in a month—where do we meet?”

Sister Horn naturally didn’t believe him.

This Blood-Robed One was good in every way except for his unstable mental state.

A while ago, he said that one from Taihuang Palace was his great enemy, and now he claimed he could destroy the Mara clan in a month. He was such a show-off.

That was the Mara clan—a formidable force with nearly forty Yang Gods and five Paragons.

In the entire Sixth Heaven, their power ranking would have to be in the top thirty.

“Alas, in this world, why does no one believe the truth?” Qi Yuan sighed, then sent Sister Horn the agreed meeting place.

When the time came, he would kill them all and then make a run for it.

…

“For some reason, I’ve been feeling restless lately, as if something is watching me.”

“Could it be… that the Moon God Palace is plotting against me?”

Demon Heng Celestial sat upright in his cave abode, a complex look in his eyes.

Ever since he returned from Demon Tong Celestial’s place, he had sensed something strange about the Demon Abyss.

But he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was off.

At that moment, he turned his gaze to the communication jade slip—the group chat.

There were many messages in it, and he read them carefully.

“So they found purple qi—lucky them.”

Mention of purple qi stirred his interest as well.

But those five Yang Gods had already divided it; if he butted in, it would be rather rude.

There were quite a few messages.

Those five Yang Gods had already split the purple qi.

“What luck—not only purple qi, but they found something else too.”

Demon Heng Celestial watched the group messages, his expression calm.

“Purple qi soaring to the heavens—haha, I’ve discovered another precious treasure!”

“Let’s go together!”

“Should we call Demon Heng Celestial?”

“No need for now—if the treasure turns out to be ordinary, wouldn’t that disturb Lord Demon Heng?”

“Let’s move!”

These five Celestials agreed together to go investigate the treasure.

After a moment’s thought, Demon Heng Celestial sent a message.

“Have any of you noticed that the Demon Abyss seems a bit off lately?”

“Yang Gods from other regions—have you been paying attention? Is everything normal?”

As he spoke, he looked up at the Star Realm.

The stars were still there.

That meant those Yang God Celestials hadn’t met with any major trouble.

But trouble didn’t necessarily mean death—it could also mean betrayal.

Especially Demon Tong—he had been acting strange ever since returning from the Moon God Palace.

He had already reported this to Mara Celestial.

But Mara Celestial only told him to keep an eye on it, without saying much else.

Clearly, Mara Celestial was still up to his neck in trouble with the Buddha Land and didn’t think Demon Tong Celestial had a problem.

“I think everything’s normal.”

“All normal.”

"A few days ago, I went to drink with Demon Tai Celestial, and he seemed fine for now."

"Demon Heng Celestial, could it be... something has gone wrong?"

The other five celestials in the group replied one after another, all finding it normal.

Hearing these answers, Demon Heng hesitated.

"Could it be my imagination?" Demon Heng Celestial pondered.

"How is your treasure exploration going?" After a moment's thought, he asked casually.

"It's still underway, but we've hit some snags—minor issues, should be resolved soon."

A Yang God replied.

"Mm, if you can't solve them, you can seek me out," Demon Heng Celestial said coolly.

He had ambitions to become the chieftain of the Mara clan, so he often bestowed favors upon other Yang Gods.

"Thank you, Celestial!"

The chat group fell silent once more.

Demon Heng Celestial sat upright in his cave dwelling, his thoughts tangled.

"Five Yang Gods all say there's no problem—could it be... my own issue?"

Demon Heng Celestial couldn't help but overthink.

"Perhaps... the Root Demon Tribulation is near, and that's why distracting thoughts arise."

Demon Heng Celestial could only console himself with this.

For a Yang God at the Principle Realm, to enhance strength, one must undergo the Root Demon Tribulation.

The Nine Heavens have no thunder tribulations, but they have the Root Demon Tribulation.

Through repeated baptisms of the Root Demon Tribulation, one's magical power continuously rises, and cultivation advances.

But the Root Demon Tribulation is not so easily overcome.

During the tribulation, all kinds of desires and distractions run deep.

A single misstep can lead to perishing within it.

Thus, many Yang Gods, after achieving the Principle Realm, suppress their cultivation to avoid the tribulation if they lack confidence.

Demon Heng Celestial was different; he had ambition to become the Mara clan's chieftain, so he did not suppress the Root Demon Tribulation.

As the Root Demon Tribulation drew near, it was only natural for him to breed some desires and inner demons, letting his mind wander.

"It must be distractions—now that my Root Demon Tribulation is approaching, who would dare scheme against me?"

Demon Heng Celestial had confidence.

The Root Demon Tribulation is the trial of every Principle Realm Yang God.

A Principle Yang God who does not suppress the Root Demon Tribulation is one even a Great Principle would be reluctant to provoke casually.

If he prematurely triggered the Root Demon Tribulation, it would cause great trouble.

It would drag even the Great Principle into the Root Demon Tribulation.

Of course, it was merely trouble.

This trouble was akin to the difference between a human crushing an ant and crushing a stinkbug.

One leaves a stench after being crushed.

Troublesome for a Great Principle Realm Yang God, but for other Principle Realm Yang Gods, it was a matter of life and death.

In such a case, both would undergo the tribulation together.

Because of this, in the region where Demon Heng Celestial presided, the Yang God of the Moon Palace had always been on the defensive, never daring to attack.

She feared Demon Heng Celestial would drag her into the Root Demon Tribulation.

Thinking this, Demon Heng Celestial felt greatly reassured.

It must be the Root Demon Tribulation's arrival, hence the overthinking.

At this moment, who would dare scheme against him?

Would that not be seeking death?

Yet just then, suddenly, Demon Heng Celestial's eyes flickered.

From the distant east, a vast aura swept and spread, as if heaven and earth were shattering, and the primal energy of all things leaked forth.

"This is... purple qi, so much purple qi?"

Holding the authority over the Demon Luo Well, Demon Heng Celestial immediately sensed purple qi leaking from the nearby Hong Yue Abyss.

Hong Yue Abyss was the domain of a member of their chat group, the Yang God who had discovered the treasure and proposed the joint exploration.

Demon Heng Celestial's expression shifted repeatedly: "Is this from their treasure exploration, finding some strange land?

This purple qi... is rather abundant."

At this thought, greed stirred in Demon Heng Celestial.

After all, so much purple qi would tempt even him.

"Everyone, was the recent disturbance in Hong Yue Abyss related to you?" Demon Heng Celestial asked.

He still had some face to save, so he inquired before going.

But about ten breaths passed, and no one replied to him.

Demon Heng Celestial was slightly stunned, his expression darkening.

"Could it be... another treasure?"

Demon Heng Celestial could no longer sit still. His massive form transformed into a streak of light, flying toward the place where the purple qi leaked.

(End of chapter)