That Long-Missed, Familiar Aura — The Demoness in Red, Chan Hongyi
That Long-Missed, Familiar Aura — The Demoness in Red, Chan Hongyi
Within the Demon-Burying Abyss, Demonic Qi surged violently. The deeper one went, the more one could feel that terrifying fluctuation.
Moreover, countless skeletal remains hung upon the four walls, belonging to creatures of every race. One could feel a fear and trembling that seeped into the very soul, as if even flesh and bone had been permeated by the frigid cold.
This was no longer a place ordinary people could reach.
The Demon-Burying Abyss had existed for so many years, yet it could be said that very few had ever walked to this place. Not a trace of light could be seen here.
However, with Gu Changge’s eyesight, he could easily make out the surrounding scenery. The four walls were steep, overgrown with all manner of strange plants.
Quite a few Soul-Exterminating Lotuses were rooted in the void as well, though none of them were very old — they looked as if they had only recently sprouted.
They had descended along the mouth of the abyss all the way down, and by now they had nearly reached the bottom.
The demonic creatures here were even more terrifying in strength. Even the monks accompanying Jin Chan, the Chosen Monk, were beginning to struggle, finding it hard to advance an inch. Many were gravely wounded, injured by the demonic creatures of this place.
Fortunately, the Buddhist arts of Buddhist Mountain were exquisite. With a few techniques, they purged the Demonic Qi from their bodies, so it did not cause much trouble.
“The depths of the abyss — that is where the true danger lies...”
“Why don’t you all wait here for this humble monk, Young Master Changge? I can go in alone.”
Just then, a terrifying and vast fluctuation came from ahead, as if an entire stretch of heaven had fallen from the sky, annihilating everything within its radius.
Seeing this, Jin Chan’s expression grew somewhat grave. He turned back to glance at Gu Changge and spoke.
Although Gu Changge’s earlier words had reduced much of his suspicion, he still remained highly wary of Gu Changge, quietly guarding against him.
A man like him would never truly trust anyone — let alone when that person was Gu Changge.
The best course now was to avoid Gu Changge and enter alone, thereby preventing Gu Changge from coveting that Zen Robe.
“Is that so? Since it is dangerous within, then all the more reason I cannot leave. What if something were to happen to you here, Chosen Monk Jin Chan? Wouldn’t Buddhist Mountain blame me for it then?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge’s expression did not change, and he replied with a smile.
He naturally knew exactly what Jin Chan was scheming.
“In that case, I shall have to trouble Young Master Changge in a moment.”
Jin Chan was somewhat disappointed inside, though his expression remained unchanged.
He was not surprised by Gu Changge’s answer. Having come this far, how could Gu Changge possibly leave?
His earlier suggestion had merely been a sliver of wishful thinking.
Soon, Jin Chan led the group through the region ahead where the Demonic Qi was even more vast, and they finally arrived at the bottom of the Demon-Burying Abyss.
Unlike the surging Demonic Qi of the other regions, this place was unusually tranquil.
Not even a single demonic creature could be seen. It was utterly deathly silent, without the slightest hint of life — as if they had passed through an invisible gateway and arrived at the deepest part of the Nether.
“There’s something strange about this place. It makes one uneasy...” A monk from the Floating Buddhist Temple spoke up, his brow tightly furrowed as he swept his gaze across this deathly silent abyss floor.
It differed greatly from what they had usually imagined the depths of the Demon-Burying Abyss to be like. Still, here they could see many traces of battle and slaughter — someone had once come here, only to perish in this place in the end.
Here, an even denser demonic mist shrouded everything, capable of even clouding one’s divine sense. All was hazy and grey.
“It’s where the Zen Robe is...”
Jin Chan felt the Buddhist Bone in his bosom glowing faintly, transmitting a sense of kinship. This Buddhist Bone was the relic left behind after the Zen Robe’s last owner passed away in meditation. Its appearance was exactly like that of ordinary bone, yet it shone with brilliant divine radiance, with strands of Buddhist rhythm interweaving upon it. However, Jin Chan’s face did not reveal the slightest abnormality. He said, “This place is extremely unusual. Why don’t we split up and search, to see if we can find any clues?”
“What do you think, Brother Gu?”
Gu Changge sensed the natural feeling of kinship emanating from the depths of the Demon-Burying Abyss. Hearing this, he smiled casually. “Since Chosen Monk Jin Chan puts it that way, then it is naturally best for us to split up and search. However, should anyone encounter danger, I’m afraid it may be difficult to rush to their aid in time.”
“That can’t be helped. Everyone, take care to protect yourselves. I suspect the reason the Demon-Burying Abyss’s seal has loosened and cracked is connected to this place. If we find no trace of anything in a while, let us reconvene here afterward.”
Jin Chan spoke with some regret.
“In that case, I shall go investigate this side first.” Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled, then nodded and headed directly toward another region where the Demonic Qi surged even more violently.
Jin Chan watched him deeply. Only after Gu Changge’s figure had vanished from sight did he turn and head in the direction the Buddhist Bone sensed.
However, worried that Gu Changge might double back, he concealed his figure and waited there, extremely cautious.
“It seems he really has gone the other way...” Jin Chan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. After waiting a long while without seeing Gu Changge’s figure follow, he finally headed toward the place the Buddhist Bone sensed.
He was incomparably wary of Gu Changge and had never once let his guard down, so he was careful in every single matter.
“Is he still foolishly waiting for me to double back?” After parting ways with Jin Chan and the others, Gu Changge’s figure appeared atop a low, barren hill at the bottom of the abyss, his expression carrying a faint mockery.
Whatever Jin Chan could think of, how could he not think of it as well?
Just as Jin Chan did not want him following along, Gu Changge likewise did not want Jin Chan following him — after all, a drop of his True Blood from long ago still remained in this place.
Before that, he would first go retrieve the True Blood. As for the Zen Robe Jin Chan was searching for, Gu Changge was in no hurry.
Even if Jin Chan found it, he had the means to make him hand it over.
As for the energy contained within this drop of True Blood in the Demon-Burying Abyss, it surpassed imagination and defied all reckoning. With his current strength, it would likely be very difficult to fuse with — even forcibly devouring and refining it with the Grand Flask would not work.
However, once he took it away, things would be much simpler. Fusing with it would only be a matter of time.
Gu Changge’s figure passed through this place, heading toward the even darker region ahead.
Terrifying fluctuations unfurled — this was the might of the Sacred Emperor Realm. As long as his blood and Qi still surged, he was without equal.
Even from a distance away, trembling with fear, one would feel as if one’s body were about to burst apart.
During this journey, there was no shortage of great demons at the Sacred King Realm appearing, yet in the end they too trembled, not daring to approach, prostrating themselves where they stood.
With Gu Changge’s current cultivation, he was only half a step away from the Quasi-Nirvana Realm. Before him, Sacred Kings were really no different from ants.
At this moment, they all felt as if they were worshipping a True Dragon — with a single wisp of his pressure, the other party could shatter them into collapse.
The land before him had already taken on a dark purple hue, as if formed from the soaking of countless blood. Demonic Qi pervaded the air; all was withered and desolate.
This place was most peculiar. It had once been smashed to ruin — one could even see stars that had fallen here one after another, blasting terrifying craters into the ground.
Gu Changge ventured deep into this place but did not sense Chan Hongyi’s aura. He figured she should be in the direction Jin Chan had gone, while this place of his was where that drop of True Blood had fallen back then.
He charged straight into the deeper reaches, as if entering a land devoid of people.
There were even some Stone Engravings here, extremely ancient, fallen from who-knows-where — some intact, some shattered into pieces.
Gu Changge swept a casual glance over them and quickly lost interest.
The depths of the Demon-Burying Abyss held a world of its own; the territory here could be called boundless.
The residual might of that drop of True Blood back then had even altered and twisted the laws of heaven and earth here, causing this place’s environment and Great Daos to differ. One could even see numerous stars emerging overhead, an Astral River rolling onward, the heavenly secrets in chaos.
This sight was truly horrifying — this place had already been fashioned into an independent world.
Finally, Gu Changge arrived at the depths of this place.
It was a crimson, fire-like ocean — or rather, a sea of blood — boundless and endless. Dense Demonic Qi steamed and roiled, surging sky-high, radiating a hazy blood-colored brilliance. Strands of supreme laws interwove and condensed within it.
Looking down from high above, one could even see bubbles emerging within it, tumbling as they rose into the sky, as if containing ancient worlds.
Having reached this place, even he felt a sensation of his body threatening to split apart — one could imagine how terrifying the aura of this sea of blood was, its ferocious might truly world-topping.
Even a True Daoist would change countenance, not daring to approach lightly, trembling with fear.
However, as Gu Changge’s aura revealed itself, that body-splitting sensation vanished — after all, the two were of the same origin.
At that moment, several figures emerged not far away, very blurry, their auras equally terrifying.
However, their faces were not of the Humans — they were most bizarre, as if spliced together from various creatures. Some had human heads on beast bodies, others beast heads on human bodies.
At this moment, the gazes they fixed upon Gu Changge carried uncertainty, yet also reverence — and submission.
This was a feeling from the depths of their hearts, for they were the terrifying Ox Spirits birthed by this sea of blood. At the bottom of this Demon-Burying Abyss, they were overlords who dominated their domain, with few able to match them. In their eyes, the other demonic creatures were merely food.
“This familiar, long-missed aura...”
Gu Changge noticed the figures nearby but paid them no mind.
He gently closed his eyes and came to the edge of the sea of blood, his voice carrying a trace of admiration.
At this moment, the sea of blood before him seethed, and sky-piercing blood light burst forth, as if cheering, as if welcoming its rightful master.
“Hu...”
The next instant, Gu Changge suddenly opened his mouth and inhaled toward the boundless sea of blood before him.
The terrifying momentum seemed to sweep across all of heaven and earth, shaking the universe and all its realms. Even space itself was collapsing, on the verge of crumbling.
All living beings near the sea of blood could not help but tremble, quaking with fear, kneeling prostrate upon the ground, not daring to move.
Weng!!
At his glabella, the crown of his head glowed, brilliant and dazzling, incomparably resplendent and crystalline. That was his terrifying power of blood and Qi, piercing through the firmament, entwined with five-colored auspicious light and Chaos Energy.
This was the first time Gu Changge had ever revealed it so fully. It could practically split the heavens apart — even stars were as fragile as dust before him, able to be blown into ash with a single breath.
This was matchless power.
The next moment, something dreadful happened. Following Gu Changge’s long howl, the sea of blood before him began to boil madly, surging toward him.
He swallowed like a whale and drank like an ox, devouring the endless blood Qi of this place. Streaks of crimson radiance, like rivers of stars, poured down into Gu Changge’s mouth.
This place seemed to have formed a bottomless black hole, or rather a dim, collapsing sun, gathering all the light in the world.
The sea of blood was rapidly vanishing. Boundless though it was, it now surged with monstrous waves.
The sight was far too shocking. Gu Changge even manifested his Dharma Body, towering ten thousand zhang high, standing between heaven and earth. All of the blood sea rose like columns of wolf smoke, and with a single breath from his open mouth, it all poured into him.
Every living being in the vicinity wore expressions of terror and horror, stunned by such a sight, trembling where they stood, frightened to the extreme.
They had never imagined that one day, the source of the blood sea that had birthed them, the origin of all Demonic Qi, would actually be devoured by someone.
And the aura on this young man filled them with even greater dread—more terrifying than facing the source of the blood sea itself.
Bloodstains—no one knew how they had gotten there. A tattered black battle armor flowed with dark light, split open in places to reveal bluish skin beneath. In its hand it held a battered long spear, along with a cracked dark-gold shield. Its aura was extremely terrifying, having even reached the level of the First Heaven of the Quasi-Nirvana Realm.
The other beings in the vicinity, sensing its arrival, were all deeply fearful. Clearly, it was the absolute overlord of this place, stronger than all the other Ox Spirits.
Yet when it came before Gu Changge, it set down the long spear and dark-gold shield in its hands. Divine light shone brilliantly in its eye sockets, and then it sincerely lowered its head, displaying its intent to submit and follow.
Gu Changge’s eyes were slightly closed as he quietly devoured the blood sea here. Aware of its submission, he paid it no further mind.
Seeing this, the other Ox Spirits silently left the area, not daring to come too close. Ordinarily, if they encountered this creature before them, they would become its food—one could well imagine its power and terror.
That body covered in scars and tattered battle armor was the best proof.
And just as Gu Changge was gnawing away at the blood sea here, about to retrieve his former True Blood...
The entire Demon-Burying Abyss was undergoing a shocking upheaval. From a place extremely far away, sky-piercing baleful qi came sweeping out.
This murderous might was terrifying beyond description. There was even world-topping Demonic Qi bursting out of the Demon-Burying Abyss, dimming all the star domains within a million miles.
All the essence qi of heaven and earth was rolling backward. Countless great stars trembled, each one seemingly on the verge of collapse.
The sky went dark and the earth dimmed; no light could be seen at all.
This sight shook many orthodoxies and powers of the Beyond. Many ancient existences skilled in deduction all changed expression drastically, looking toward the direction of the Demon-Burying Abyss.
“Blood light soaring to the heavens—this is hatred and killing intent that could never be erased through all eternity... The sky of the Beyond is about to change...”
The Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets and the Sikong Family, both skilled in deduction, had elder-generation existences whose expressions turned solemn, grave to the extreme. The tortoise shells used for divination in their hands split apart with a kacha.
Some even grunted, coughing up blood as they were sent flying backward, suffering a terrifying backlash, their faces full of horror.
“A calamity of great misfortune. This time, an unimaginably peerless vicious demon is likely about to emerge from the Demon-Burying Abyss. This matter is truly inconceivable... The seal has been wearing down all these years—is it finally unable to hold?”
“But wasn’t there supposed to be half a year left? How could this happen...”
Many supreme experts furrowed their brows. Because of the war against the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, they could hardly spare their attention.
Yet at this very moment, trouble had erupted at the Demon-Burying Abyss.
If there were still half a year, they could have thought of countermeasures. But judging by this sight now, some kind of anomaly must have occurred within.
“No good. We must dispatch experts to take a look and find time to resolve the matter of the Demon-Burying Abyss.”
At once, they began devising countermeasures, then dispatched whatever experts they could mobilize to investigate the Demon-Burying Abyss.
For a time, the Beyond was once again thrown into turmoil. First came the calamity of the Absolute Yin Heaven, and now the chaos of the Demon-Burying Abyss—leaving everyone anxious and deeply unsettled.
“What happened...”
“Could it be that the location of the Zen Robe has caused the power of the seal here to weaken...”
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the Demon-Burying Abyss, Jin Chan, the Chosen Monk, felt his expression shift slightly. Just moments ago he had nearly suffocated, a tremor rising from the depths of his soul, as if it were about to freeze solid.
That hatred, enough to grind away one’s aura and soul, could truly be called sky-flooding. It permeated this place as if it had already merged with the environment itself.
Even with his mental fortitude, he couldn’t help but feel a trace of fear at this moment, not daring to imagine what level the existence sealed in the deepest part had reached.
However, he was no ordinary person. His expression quickly returned to calm as he looked toward a mountain peak not far away, radiant with Buddhist light. It was not tall, but countless scriptures glowed upon it, strings of ancient runes interweaving and flickering, branded across every spot.
Faintly, one could even see divine light coiling around the mountain, with phantoms of Buddhas and ancient monks appearing, sitting cross-legged there, chanting scriptures.
At the mountain’s peak, a moon-white Zen Robe lay draped over it, Buddhist light flourishing, incomparably holy, radiating brilliance that protected everything nearby.
When Demonic Qi reached this place, it was as if it had touched a blazing sun, emitting chi chi chi sounds as it dissolved into green smoke.
“Chosen Monk, this is the boundary line of the seal. We cannot go any closer.”
The many monks around Jin Chan all wore extremely grave expressions, staring at the scene behind that mountain peak.
That place was clearly pitch black, without a trace of light, as if sunk into eternal darkness.
Yet a heart-palpitating aura came from it, making them tremble and cower, completely beyond their control.
This feeling was like ants facing a True Dragon—that brilliant, unapproachable pressure was like walking along the edge of an abyss with one’s eyes closed, where a single misstep meant utter annihilation of body and soul.
Besides the Zen Robe, all sorts of terrifying Array Patterns had been laid down here, emitting waves of golden light.
But as the Demonic Qi eroded them, they too were cracking apart inch by inch. Clearly, they could not hold out much longer.
They were deeply afraid.
“I know. But the Zen Robe must be retrieved.”
Jin Chan’s expression was solemn as he walked toward the mountain peak ahead.
At the same time, he took out a Buddhist Bone glowing with Buddhist light, preparing to place it in position when he took down the Zen Robe.
Otherwise, the seal here would absolutely collapse very quickly.
But suddenly, Jin Chan’s expression changed drastically. His whole body went cold, and he didn’t dare move an inch, as if some incomparably terrifying existence had fixed its gaze upon him.
Terrifying chill swept over his entire body. His spine went ice-cold, and his scalp felt like it was about to explode.
He didn’t dare turn around, but he saw the other monks, their faces full of terror and horror, staring behind him.
“What is that...”
Jin Chan’s Buddha Heart was now flowing with Buddhist light, and his Buddhist Bone bloomed with dazzling radiance, resisting this horrifying aura.
He turned his head with difficulty, only to see a figure standing not far from him.
The other party seemed to be looking at him in confusion and bewilderment.
It was a figure of absolute beauty. Any words of description in this world, when applied to her, seemed empty and powerless.
This beauty had reached an extreme, such that one dared not profane it—even a single glance felt like a sin.
She wore red, her figure tall and slender, her black hair cascading like a waterfall. Her oval face and features were without the slightest flaw, her eyes clear black and white, like flawless black gemstones, glimmering with crystalline luster.
Yet the expression within them was deeply lost. She stood there, looking at him, her gaze unfocused, seemingly falling upon empty space—or perhaps falling upon some place far behind him, looking at something.
“This is that figure from back then...”
“The demoness in red sealed within the Demon-Burying Abyss.”
Memories surged up in his mind, and Jin Chan’s unrippled heart gave a violent thump.
He averted his gaze with difficulty, not daring to look again, knowing full well how terrifying this existence was.
The woman in red stood within the Array Patterns, unable to walk out. Waves of golden light fell upon her, raising wisps of green smoke. It was clearly an agonizing sight, yet her face showed no change of expression whatsoever. She still stared blankly into the distance.
Moreover, there was a unique immortal grace about her, like an immortal soaring above the nine heavens, yet also like a mustard seed drifting down the Yellow Springs. Her aura was terrifying enough to make one’s scalp go numb, nearly making their legs give out and drop them to their knees.
“This is the demoness in red recorded in the ancient texts...”
“It really is her.”
The monks of Buddhist Mountain were all deeply frightened. However, sensing that the demoness in red seemingly still could not walk out of the Sealed Land, their hearts gradually settled.
Back then, why had the abbot of the Floating Buddhist Temple perished? Wasn’t it precisely because he had strayed into the formation?
They didn’t dare underestimate this woman in red in the slightest. Her terror was unimaginable.
Just standing there, she made their souls feel like they were freezing and cracking.
Still, they dared not look too long, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures in their hearts to calm themselves, lest they be bewitched by her beauty and lose their minds.
“She can’t come out...”
Jin Chan quickly calmed down. Knowing the demoness in red could not leave the Sealed Land, he set his mind at ease and prepared to head to the mountain peak ahead to take down the Zen Robe.
But as he walked over, the Array Patterns here suddenly erupted with hundreds of millions of divine rays, transforming into pillars of light, blinding and resplendent, all blasting toward the demoness in red within the Sealed Land. Her body emitted sizzling sounds like green smoke, more like water splashed into a pan of hot oil—a sound that set one’s teeth on edge.
Yet the demoness in red seemed unable to feel the pain, as if long accustomed to it. She still stared blankly in the direction behind Jin Chan. She seemed able to sense that there was someone there—someone very important to her, someone she could never forget.
Even though she couldn’t see him, she still knew where he was.
“Shi... fu...”
Her expression was deeply lost as she murmured those two ancient words.
But Jin Chan and the others couldn’t understand them. They felt the words were obscure and archaic, having no idea what epoch’s script or language they belonged to.
The demoness in red seemed to want to walk out of this place, but the moment she touched the light before her, horrifying green smoke rose from her body, as if she were being scorched by raging flames, making her shrink back involuntarily, feeling the searing pain.
The monks of Buddhist Mountain all changed expression drastically, watching as the demoness in red’s hand, upon touching the light, rapidly melted away—flesh, blood, and bone all dissolving.
This kind of pain made them tremble involuntarily, beyond imagination.
Who exactly had laid down the Array Patterns here back then, that they could be terrifying to such a degree?
And these Array Patterns seemed to have been set up specifically to seal the demoness in red. No one else would trigger them—they could easily walk over to her side.