The sword-bearing ape was dressed in plain cloth robes. He was big-boned, with a furry face and protruding jaw. He carried a sword case on his back.

He stood a little over ten feet tall, and his eyes flashed like cold lightning. His entire body emanated imposing currents of sword qi, as if he were an unparalleled god of the sword.

He stood at the entrance to the Abyss of Dark Fog and gazed into the outside world, an undisguisable hint of longing on his face. He’d been trapped in the Abyss of Dark Fog for far, far too long, so long that he didn’t even know what year it was.

Hm?

Outside of the Abyss of Dark Fog, several Immortal Kings suddenly sensed something. All of them gazed through the entrance and saw the sword-bearing ape’s indistinct figure shrouded in fog.

Their hearts shook, and chills coursed down their spines as their instincts screamed of an impending crisis.

Especially when they met the ape’s cold, flashing eyes. Despite the distance, his gaze picked at the Immortal Kings’ souls.

All of them looked stricken.

Who is that? How could he be so terrifying?

The woman in the plain dress, Gong Yuxun, and the old man in Daoist robes, Mo Tianjun, noticed the ape as well. They couldn’t help but feel a sudden thrill of terror.

Is this one of the terrifying lifeforms that inhabit the Abyss of Dark Fog? Rumor has it that some of the creatures here can kill Immortal Kings with ease!

“Don’t worry. The creatures of the abyss are subject to the fetters of the Laws. Whatever it is, it cannot reach us here,” Mo Tianjun said softly.

“I just think something strange is going on,” said Gong Yuxun. Her brow furrowed. “It’s been less than an hour since Shen Mu and those Immortal Kings entered the Abyss of Dark Fog, yet now, a strange and terrifying lifeform has appeared at the entryway. What… do you think the creature’s trying to do?”

She’d only just said this when the sword-bearing ape waved his sleeve.

Boom!

Dark light filled the air. Time and space contorted around the point of impact.

A terrifying scene followed. It was as if the entrance to the abyss came to life. Endless black light surged out of the entryway, sweeping out in all directions!

This is bad!!

The Immortal Kings stationed near the entrance, including the hidden Gong Yuxun and Mo Tianjun, were completely enveloped in endless darkness.

The dark light was like murky, boundless fog. It completely blanketed the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

Then——

Everyone was swept uncontrollably into a curtain of black light and pulled into the Abyss of Dark Fog. They soon found themselves in a dark, barren landscape.

The black light receded like the tides, and everything returned to stillness and silence.

“What just happened?”

“It seems that ape used some sort of secret method to drag us all into the Abyss of Dark Fog!”

“What’s he trying to do?”

The Immortal Kings were bewildered. Chills coursed through their entire bodies, and their expressions were unsightly.

In the outside world, Immortal Kings were like hegemons. They could command the wind and clouds. In the present day, Great Realm experts couldn’t leave seclusion, so Immortal Kings reigned supreme!

Yet now, they’d been effortlessly swept up and dragged into the Abyss of Dark Fog. Of course they were startled. How could they not be?

“This is bad! The entrance to the Abyss of Dark Fog has vanished!!” someone cried out in alarm.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Only then did the others notice that the entrance to the abyss had vanished completely. Not a single trace of it remained.

Their hearts sank into the pits of their stomachs as they realized that this didn’t bode well.

What… what exactly is going on here!?

It was then that the sword-bearing ape reappeared in the distance. His eyes flashed like cold lightning as he scanned the group and said calmly, “If you can kill Shen Mu, this lofty one shall permit you to leave. Fail, and the Abyss of Dark Fog will become your final resting place!”

With that, the ape blurred into a streak of light and shot into the air. In the blink of an eye, he’d vanished completely.

Everyone was dumbstruck.

“We can only leave if we kill Shen Mu? Does that sword-bearing ape have some kind of grudge against him?” someone asked in bewilderment.

Another Immortal King felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders, and his eyes lit up. “That’s got to be it! Shen Mu must have done something so horrible as to provoke both men and gods. That’s why the ape has brought us here to help take him down!”

“No matter the ape’s reasoning, we’re already trapped in the Abyss of Dark Fog, and besides, we came here for Shen Mu anyway. There’s no harm in giving it our best shot!” someone said solemnly.

Some of the Immortal Kings were already setting off. They made contact with the others in their camp, hoping to reconvene before they went looking for Shen Mu.

Gong Yuxun and Mo Tianjun exchanged glances, their hearts heavy. Both of them sensed their predicament.

The sword-bearing ape’s aura was far, far stronger than theirs! If a terrifying existence like that wanted Shen Mu dead, he in no way needed their help!

Something fishy was going on!

“I planned to stay out of this and just see what happened. I didn’t want to get involved any further. Who’d have thought I’d get swept into this anyway?” Gong Yuxun said bitterly.

“We haven’t hit a dead end yet,” Mo Tianjun said solemnly. “The ape said that we could leave this place alive so long as we killed Shen Mu. We might as well try it.”

Gong Yuxun nodded. “We no longer have any other choice.”

The two of them promptly set off.

……

The sword-bearing ape stood beneath the foggy dome of heaven, high above the ground.

“Old friend, your pursuers have already entered the Abyss of Dark Fog. I promise none of them will escape. What happens next is up to you.” A smile tugged at the ape’s lips. “I’ll welcome you properly once you’ve finished venting!”

With that, the ape disappeared into thin air.

……

Later that day, Immortal King Meng Zhe of the Church of Divine Flame spread word to the other Immortal Kings in the Abyss of Dark Fog. Soon, everyone knew that Shen Mu had impersonated Xue He.

Every faction was instantly on guard.

Furthermore, the Immortal Kings formerly stationed outside the abyss reconvened with their allies to pass on the sword-bearing ape’s message.

All the Immortal Kings were bewildered, and all of them realized that something wasn’t quite right here.

“It’s all just too strange. Be careful, everyone!”

“The entrance to the Abyss of Dark Fog has disappeared? Just what was that ape thinking?”

“No matter what, we have to be the first to capture Shen Mu!”

……Similar discussions took place throughout the different camps. All of the Immortal Kings had experienced the ups and downs of worldly affairs, and all of them had an abundance of experience.

They could tell that the situation they’d encountered here was highly suspect, but that wasn’t enough to throw them off balance. They knew that their only hope of leaving the Abyss of Dark Fog alive was to capture Shen Mu!

……

Time slipped by.

Half a day later, Su Yi silently opened his eyes in the cave at the bottom of the silver lake.

After refining nine Nine Wonders Skyheart Pill in a row, his severely injured body was as good as new!

Furthermore, he’d already been just one step away from a breakthrough, and he’d smoothly advanced to the mid-stage Void Realm!

This breakthrough increased his strength considerably. He was even mightier than before!

He was currently bathed in the resplendent light of the Dao. His skin glittered, and his vital energy rumbled and boomed, as if his body were a furnace. He was like a treasure sword after undergoing repeated tempering, finally revealing his true unparalleled sharpness.

A moment later, Su Yi exerted his will, and the Dao Light receded. He suddenly seemed simple and unassuming.

The Immortal Kings’ pursuit was like a tempering in blood and fire. By overcoming life-and-death adversity, I’ve further excavated my latent potential, growing in the face of peril…

This

is my Dao of the Sword! It’s only through combat that I can gradually temper my sword heart, will, and cultivation base!

Su Yi let out a deep breath of turbid air and sensed the abundance of power coursing through him. He felt wholehearted satisfaction and pride.

Next, I’ve got to finish pulling in my net. Also, I wonder if the old ape did as I asked and got everything in order.

As Su Yi pondered, he rose and prepared to leave, but then, he sensed something. His gaze instantly turned strange.

Wu Ting and the others had returned to the shore of the silver lake!

“I can say with some certainty that Shen Mu is hiding here. It’s possible that he’s already fled, but I won’t be satisfied until we’ve searched the place thoroughly!” Wu Ting said gravely.

They’d attacked the silver lake repeatedly, only to achieve nothing in the end.

Then, they tried using their secret treasure, the Heaven-Reflecting Mirror, to search for leads. In the end, they discovered nothing at all.

But the more time passed, the more off it seemed to Wu Ting, so he led his allies back to search the lake thoroughly once more.

Someone said gravely, “I agree. Someone can’t just up and disappear out of nowhere without even leaving a trace. The silver lake is the most suspicious place here!”

“No need to waste any more breath. Let’s attack together and destroy this place!” said Wu Ting. “I’m going to find a lead even if I have to dig up the whole damn lake to do it!”

With that, all of them moved further away, took out their treasures, and attacked.

Boom!!

The silver lake boiled, and countless Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies soared into the air.

Wu Ting and the others had experienced this before, so they immediately moved further away. It was only after the swarm of butterflies returned to the lake that they assailed the silver lake once more.

There was no doubt about it. They were determined to destroy the place!

Whoosh!

The lake churned once more. Countless Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies soared into the air.

Wu Ting and his companions were already accustomed to this. They retreated further away, just as before.

But to their surprise, this time, the Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies seemed thoroughly enraged. This time, they transformed into a massive silver hurricane and gave chase.

“What’s going on?”

“Have the blasted things gone insane?”

Wu Ting and his companions were flabbergasted. As they dodged, all of them attacked. One wave of butterflies died after another, their little corpses littering the ground.

“So long as we keep them from surrounding us, the little monsters aren’t much of a threat,” a thin man in green robes said disdainfully.

He waved a jade fan through the air, and a waterfall of lightning came crashing down with appalling destructive power.

But in that moment, the edge of a sword flashed within the swarm of butterflies.

Kcch!

A perfectly straight rift tore open in the sky. The edge of that sword flashed by like a streak of lightning.

The green-robed man’s eyes bulged, and his expression froze in place. He opened his mouth, but all he could do was gurgle.

When he looked down, he saw blood spurting out.

He’d taken a sword to the throat!