FIMA Ch169: The Abyss of Fiery Demons

The young man forced all those thoughts out of his head, then smiled again. “By the way, I’m Cheng Feng. I still don’t know the two of your honored names.”

“I’m Xie Yuan,” Gu Siyuan said, then pointed at Xie Xueyi. “He’s Gu Yi.”

Before coming to Wind and Snow City, the two of them had altered their appearances in order to avoid trouble, so adding false names to the disguise was only natural.

Because of what had happened in the Xianling Secret Realm, the outside world most likely still believed Gu Siyuan was already dead.

Cheng Feng nodded. “Brother Xie, Brother Gu, my respects. I’ll take the two of you to stay at Divine Wind Hall’s inn. Over there, even the Blazing Flame Gang won’t dare stir up trouble.”

“Good. Many thanks, Brother Cheng.”

The inn under Divine Wind Hall’s control was called Divine Wind Inn.

The moment Cheng Feng brought the two of them over, they were greeted warmly. From the innkeeper’s way of addressing him, Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi learned that this fellow was actually Divine Wind Hall’s young hall master.

The innkeeper prepared a superior room for the two of them. Not only did it have a sound-isolation formation, it also had a spirit-gathering formation, giving both privacy and a good cultivation environment.

Once Cheng Feng had been sent away, Xie Xueyi immediately threw himself into Gu Siyuan’s arms with laughter. “Gege, our luck is really not bad!”

Gu Siyuan wrapped one arm around his waist while the other held a talisman he was studying. “Mm. These gangs have stayed in Wind and Snow City for thousands of years. Their understanding of Lie Demon Abyss is extremely deep.”

Xie Xueyi looked at the things in his hand. “Gege, why did you ask Cheng Feng for this artifact and these talismans in advance? What are you planning to do with them?”

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes. “Make some preparations.”

Thinking back to all the thunderfire bombs this man had prepared before entering the Xianling Secret Realm, Xie Xueyi roughly understood. Gu Siyuan did not fully trust the things Divine Wind Hall provided, so he was planning to work on his own upgrades.

Relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself—that was very much Gu Siyuan’s style, and most importantly, he actually had the ability for it.

Not only was his artifact refinement first-rate, he could also make talismans and even refine pills. According to him, the last three stages of Xianling Ancient City had tested exactly those three arts.

Xie Xueyi swung one long leg over and sat facing him directly on his lap, smiling as he said, “Gege is amazing.”

Gu Siyuan adjusted his hold on him. “If you sit like this, how am I supposed to work?”

Tilting his head, Xie Xueyi leaned against him. “You can. I believe in gege.”

“…” Gu Siyuan lowered his head and kissed his pale, slender neck lightly, then said in a low voice, “Once the real business is done, I’ll deal with you properly.”

Time flew.

Soon enough, the day of the Fiery Contest arrived.

Very early that morning, Cheng Feng sent people to fetch Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi.

Lie Demon Abyss lay on the edge of Wind and Snow City, wrapped year-round in demonic energy, and normally no one dared go near it.

Yet on this day, countless cultivators had gathered above the abyss. Every major faction in the city had directly brought tables and chairs and set up a grand display, as if some heaven-shaking feast were about to begin.

Gu Siyuan’s cool gaze slowly swept across the cultivators present.

Xie Xueyi leaned close and said, “There are quite a few familiar faces here today.”

Gu Siyuan nodded. “Mm.”

The outcome of the Fiery Contest might determine the power structure of Wind and Snow City for the next several years, so all the major gangs and factions in the city were treating it with extreme seriousness. Not only had they brought out all their own strongest cards, they had also sought reinforcements from major outside forces.

The most obvious examples were the top three great gangs. Their connections were broadest, and the outside help they invited was the strongest—and all old acquaintances of theirs.

The Blazing Flame Gang had invited Yu Haofeng, the young master of the Demon Sect. The Jingyu Gate had outside support from Yin Xiaojue, holy son of Mingguang Immortal Sect. And Divine Wind Hall, besides Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi, had also invited Zhao Tianzong, da shixiong of Linhai Immortal Sect.

Fortunately, he and Xie Xueyi had already disguised themselves thoroughly, slipping into the crowd like fish into water without attracting the slightest ripple. No one present had any reason to pay them special attention.

“Brother Xie, Brother Gu, you’ve arrived!” Cheng Feng spotted them immediately and came over.

Gu Siyuan nodded. “Brother Cheng.”

Cheng Feng gestured outward. “This time, nearly a thousand people can descend into Lie Demon Abyss. Our Divine Wind Hall has thirty slots. I’ll take you to meet the other heroes.”

Zhao Tianzong stood there with his arms crossed, wearing his usual arrogant expression before the Divine Wind Hall disciples. When he saw Cheng Feng personally going out to welcome the two men back, his expression turned slightly cold.

Someone standing beside him immediately said, “I am shallow and ignorant and do not recognize the honored names of these two brothers. Yet Young Master actually lowered himself to welcome them personally?”

Cheng Feng looked faintly awkward.

The strength of Xie and Gu was something he had seen with his own eyes, but in terms of reputation, they naturally could not compare to someone like Zhao Tianzong, a heaven’s favored son who had long been famous across the continent.

Gu Siyuan cast Zhao Tianzong and the others a light glance. “Nameless nobodies. Not worth mentioning.”

The speaker choked for a moment.

It was as if something he took very seriously did not exist at all in the eyes of the other party.

Just then, the atmosphere on-site heated up. Presumably the leaders of the three great gangs had stood and said something.

The cultivators burst into one shout after another, the momentum immense.

After that, all the various gangs and factions of Wind and Snow City jointly finalized the rules for this Fiery Contest.

Below Lie Demon Abyss, besides certain rare heavenly treasures, there were even more demonized beasts and cultivator souls corrupted by demonic energy. The cultivators of Wind and Snow City collectively referred to them as demon spirits.

The standard for deciding the victor this time would be the number of demon spirits each faction killed.

After a demon spirit above the Golden Core stage was slain, it would leave behind a black demon pearl—the source of all its demonic power, something similar to a human cultivator’s golden core.

And even among Golden Core beings, strength naturally varied. A Golden Core like Gu Siyuan, for instance, could instantly kill at least five cultivators of the same realm.

Thus demon spirits were also divided by strength into three levels: low, middle, and high. A middle-grade demon pearl was worth the same as five low-grade demon pearls, and so on.

This time, each faction would send thirty experts down into the abyss, where they would remain for three days. The anti-demon artifacts developed by Wind and Snow City could only maintain protection for three days.

At the end of those three days, whichever faction held the greatest total number of demon pearls would be the winner of the Fiery Contest.

Of course, below Lie Demon Abyss, all methods were allowed.

One could actively kill enemies to obtain demon pearls. Or one could simply sit and wait, hunting the cultivators themselves and directly seizing the demon pearls they had already gathered.

That was why the major factions had sought powerful outside reinforcements in the first place. Once this Fiery Contest progressed toward the end, it was bound to become a massive hunt. Whoever was strongest would naturally dominate far ahead of the rest.

“Hold tight.” Gu Siyuan pulled Xie Xueyi tightly into his arms and, together with the crowd, leapt down into Lie Demon Abyss.

With nearly a thousand people jumping at once, the sight was rather shocking.

Xie Xueyi clung to Gu Siyuan’s waist as his body continued falling downward. All around them was darkness; nothing could be seen. Only the howling wind in his ears remained vivid and clear.

The wind inside the abyss carried a biting chill, but also a trace of wicked strangeness, as if both body and soul could be frozen together.

Even with his whole body buried in Gu Siyuan’s arms, the sensation was sharply distinct.

No one knew how much time had passed before a hard impact came beneath their feet.

They had finally landed.

Gu Siyuan held Xie Xueyi steady and then looked around.

Before entering, all kinds of rumors had spread about Lie Demon Abyss, each sounding terrifying enough.

And now that he saw it for himself, the rumors were not false.

Although the demonic energy within the abyss had already dropped to its lowest level in ten thousand years, everything in sight from top to bottom remained shrouded in dimness.

Black demonic mist and miasma drifted everywhere, like ink dropped into clear water and spreading through it in waves, or like strips of black gauze dancing in the air. It truly was sinister.

The cultivators from all factions immediately felt severe discomfort and quickly activated the anti-demonic artifacts they wore, preventing the remaining demonic energy from corroding them. At the same time, they split apart into teams by faction.

Once below the abyss, anyone else could become an enemy.

Gu Siyuan narrowed his eyes.

The abyssal demonic energy did not merely erode spiritual power; it also suppressed divine sense. Even with Gu Siyuan’s far stronger soul than most others, he could barely sense a thousand meters around him here.

Xie Xueyi stepped slightly out of his arms and looked around curiously. “So this is what Lie Demon Abyss looks like… what an exaggeration…”

Seeing him act that way, one of the Divine Wind Hall members who favored Zhao Tianzong could not help snorting in ridicule, apparently mocking him for having never seen the world.

Xie Xueyi glared at the man, then at once leaned back close beside Gu Siyuan again.

Young Hall Master Cheng Feng glanced between the two sides and said helplessly, “Everyone, let’s move. We can’t fall behind the others.”

Below the abyss, no one had come for a very long time. Who knew how many corrupted demon spirits had accumulated there? Their group had not gone more than a few minutes before they ran straight into a troop of more than twenty demon spirits.

Cheng Feng gave a light shout. “Kill!”

Then he attacked first.

Sword light spread everywhere as his blade cut across the air.

On the surface, Cheng Feng was already the strongest person in their group after Zhao Tianzong and one of Wind and Snow City’s most outstanding geniuses. Before long, one demon spirit died beneath his sword, its body scattering into ash, and from the remains dropped a round black demon pearl radiating strange energy.

Cheng Feng quickly and carefully collected it.

On the other side, Zhao Tianzong also killed two demon spirits. His expression remained arrogant throughout; his strikes appeared almost casual, yet his efficiency in killing was more than twice Cheng Feng’s, earning him a wave of praise from everyone.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Xueyi, meanwhile, concealed their strength and did not reveal themselves. They focused only on supporting their teammates.

After all, they were still only on the outer edge of the abyss, where the demon spirits were not especially strong. All of them were low-grade. About half a shichen later, the nearly twenty demon spirits had been entirely wiped out.

After that, everyone took out pills and rested briefly to recover.

Within the abyss there was no spiritual energy at all, so any spiritual power they spent in battle could not recover naturally. It could only be replenished by consuming pills prepared in advance.

Then the group continued deeper in.

Along the way, they found many resources. Some had naturally grown within the abyss itself. Since no one had come down here for so many years, their age and potency were astonishing—no worse than what Gu Siyuan had once obtained in the Xianling Secret Realm.

Others belonged to cultivators who had descended long ago to explore the abyss but eventually died here after exhausting all their spiritual power. The storage rings they left behind also contained substantial resources.

Naturally, the deeper they went, the stronger the demon spirits they encountered became. They shifted from low-grade to middle-grade. Even Zhao Tianzong had to fight a proper battle to suppress one, while the others were forced to cooperate in pairs or even groups of three to deal with a single demon spirit.

After more than half a day—

one Divine Wind Hall expert wiped sweat from his forehead. “Our spiritual power is being consumed faster and faster. It feels like the demonic energy is about to erode through our protective artifacts.”

Cheng Feng nodded and warned everyone, “We’ve already reached the most central area of the abyss. The demon spirits we meet are growing stronger and stronger. We may soon encounter high-grade demon spirits, so everyone must pay close attention to the surroundings.”

Gu Siyuan let out a bit of his divine sense and said lightly, “Those aren’t what we need to be most careful of.”

“Hm?” Everyone froze.

Cheng Feng glanced at Gu Siyuan, then reacted immediately. “Right. At this point, quite a lot of people should already have gathered in the central area. The most dangerous thing isn’t the demon spirits, but hunting and assassination from other factions.”

Zhao Tianzong let out a sneer. “Hunting? Which side are the hunters and which side the prey—that’s still uncertain. Only the weak would worry about such things.”

His gaze swept, intentionally or not, across Gu Siyuan.

For some reason, the first moment he saw this man, he had felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity that made him uncomfortable.

Cheng Feng paused, then smiled and nodded. “That’s true. Brother Zhao’s combat strength is extraordinary. If anyone really dares come hunting us, then we’ll make sure they never return.”

At that moment, a cold voice rang out.

“Then I suppose I must properly experience that for myself.”

Everyone froze and turned to look behind them.

At some point, the people from the Blazing Flame Gang had arrived nearby, and the one leading them was someone Gu Siyuan and the others knew rather well—Yu Haofeng, the Demon Sect’s young master.

Zhao Tianzong’s expression changed.

In all of Lie Demon Abyss, the only two people he knew he could not defeat were Yu Haofeng and Yin Xiaojue. But Yin Xiaojue belonged to the righteous path like himself, and they had always had some mutual friendship. Only this Yu Haofeng…

How could it be such a coincidence?

Yu Haofeng naturally locked onto him as well and laughed loudly. “Hahaha, Zhao Tianzong, I have to say your luck is terrible. Last time in the secret realm our demonic side suffered quite a bit. This time we’ll use you as the sacrificial banner!”

Zhao Tianzong drew the long blade at his side. “Don’t be so arrogant. You demonic trash were simply inferior in skill. If you died, then you deserved it!”

Yu Haofeng’s face turned cold to the extreme, and with one step forward he nearly reached Divine Wind Hall’s group in an instant.

His voice was chilling. “Very good. Very good. You’ve completely enraged me. Not just you, but also Yin Xiaojue, and all these people before my eyes—you’re all going to die. This time… things are not like they were before the Xianling Secret Realm. There won’t be a second Gu Siyuan here to clean up after you.”

As his words fell, a terrifying storm immediately began gathering around him.

Everyone in Divine Wind Hall, including Zhao Tianzong and Cheng Feng, felt a shocking sense of dread surge through them.

“Mm, how is there no second one?”

Suddenly, a low male voice sounded—cold, yet with a trace of lazy amusement hidden within it.

Support me on Ko-fi