"The Devil's Cliff Crevice?" Amidst Li Yan's confusion, a soft gasp escaped from Lin Daqiao's mouth. This made Li Yan turn his head, only to see Lin Daqiao's face filled with astonishment and shock, which only added to his confusion. Just then, Wen Xinliang's words once again entered the minds of Li Yan and Lin Daqiao, only this time, he had switched to using voice transmission.
"Little Junior Brother must have never heard of the Devil's Cliff Crevice, right?" Wen Xinliang's voice suddenly appearing in his mind startled Li Yan even more. He nodded at Wen Xinliang. Wen Xinliang's sudden caution made him feel that this matter was unusual.
"The Devil's Cliff Crevice... to be specific, I only know the general situation, and I suppose Daqiao is the same. I've heard it's located in a very mysterious place on the Desolate Moon Continent . That place is said to lead to the Nine Netherworld, while others say it leads to the demon-infested Forsaken Continent . Still others say it leads to an unknown, perilous land. The stories are varied, and we don't know the truth of it.
"The Devil's Cliff Crevice is dangerous because Demon Lords often break through the world barrier from within. These Demon Lords are bloodthirsty by nature. Before this place was discovered, tens of millions of years ago, some Demon Lords appeared on our Desolate Moon Continent. They hunted cultivators and slaughtered entire towns of mortals. Often, in a single night, they could leave a small sect with no survivors and turn a mortal town of hundreds of thousands into a river of blood, a city of the dead. This anomaly quickly attracted the attention of the upper echelons of our four sects, who then joined forces to encircle and suppress them. After mobilizing a large number of cultivators, they quickly decimated these Demon Lords. Finally, they tracked the few remaining ones and, just as they were desperately trying to flee back to their own world, followed them and found the Devil's Cliff Crevice. There, they slew the remaining Demon Lords, only to find even more appearing. A great battle erupted instantly. After several months of fierce fighting, they finally killed all the Demon Lords there. But I heard that the human cultivators also suffered extremely heavy casualties in that battle. Countless Foundation Establishment cultivators fell, over a hundred Golden Core experts perished, and even four Nascent Soul grand cultivators died, with nine others severely injured. It was a devastating blow to their vitality.
"Of course, it wasn't called the Devil's Cliff Crevice back then. After the great battle, while clearing the battlefield, the cultivators discovered a deep abyss-like fissure from which demonic qi surged. This fissure was blocked by a layer of restrictive wards, but after countless years, the wards had begun to show signs of collapse. As a result, extremely small cracks had opened on its surface, and demonic creatures were constantly ramming against it, trying to break out. Whenever a creature occasionally broke through, the tiny cracks would forcibly heal under the effect of the final restriction. However, the sealing power was growing weaker and weaker. But it was also this sealing power that prevented more Demon Lords from rushing out all at once. Otherwise, it's hard to say if the Mortal Realm would even still exist.
"In light of this matter, I heard that it eventually alarmed the few remaining Spirit Transformation old ancestors in this world. After inspecting the place, they concluded that it was a fissure node connecting to another world. In an even more distant era, the ancient grand cultivators of the Mortal Realm had already discovered this place and sealed it. But evidently, the demonic creatures of the other world are very aggressive and have been constantly attacking the seal over the long years, leading to the current situation. In the end, the few Spirit Transformation ancestors used their world-altering, immense divine powers to add layer upon layer of sealing restrictions on top of the original seal. But they were still not at ease and repeatedly instructed the Nascent Soul cultivators of the four sects to guard this place with utmost vigilance.
"Therefore, our four great sects and the demonic cultivators from the Secret Realm have people stationed at the Devil's Cliff Crevice year-round. Those who go must have at least a Golden Core cultivation base. Although the Devil's Cliff Crevice was sealed again by the Spirit Transformation ancestors, because the fissure is so vast, some demonic creatures still occasionally emerge from extremely remote areas. So, the cultivators patrolling there day and night often clash with the emerging creatures. I heard the death rate is very high. Often, after a major battle, only seventy to eighty percent of a hundred-man team survives. The fighting is exceptionally brutal. But fortunately, the seal mainly targets the enemy's Nascent Soul-level demonic creatures. I've heard that for a Nascent Soul-level creature to break through requires an enormous price, and they need a larger fissure to emerge. As for what that price and the specific reasons are, that's beyond my knowledge. But whenever a demonic creature of Nascent Soul-level or higher appears there, the great formation's seal will forcibly suppress it, preventing it from tearing open a larger fissure. It is also because of this that we now have far fewer Golden Core cultivators than we did millions of years ago, and Nascent Soul cultivators are even rarer. And the demonic creatures that come out of that fissure are not something Foundation Establishment cultivators can withstand."
As Wen Xinliang's transmission reached this point, towering waves surged in Li Yan's heart. Although he had stepped into the cultivation world and had some awareness of ghosts, demons, and devils, and knew that these different species did indeed exist, he had always felt that ghosts and devils were too distant from him. It was only because demonic cultivators existed in the Hundred Thousand Mountains that he had a certain understanding and didn't find it completely abrupt.
Wen Xinliang continued his transmission, "Although guarding the Devil's Cliff Crevice is a matter of life and death, I've heard that you can obtain many heavenly materials and earthly treasures that are extremely rare or even non-existent in our world. In particular, the bodies of those Demon Lords themselves are said to be top-grade artifact-refining materials. They can be refined into mid-grade or higher puppets with extremely strong combat power, said to retain sixty percent of their original cultivation. These are extremely precious things, but I've never seen one. Just imagine possessing a Golden Core-level puppet. Even if its combat power isn't top-tier, it would still be first-class in this world.
"Even if a Demon Lord's body is mutilated, its body, hide, and other parts can serve as excellent raw materials for refining other magical artifacts and treasures. It's precisely for this reason that the Secret Realm's demonic cultivators have also sent many third-tier demonic beasts there, carving out a place for themselves as well.
"Although the demonic cultivators participate in the battles, the casualties are still too great every time a fight breaks out. So, the four great sects often issue secret orders for the subordinate sects to send any Golden Core grand cultivators to secretly take turns on patrol duty. Besides being able to keep whatever they gain in battle, the four great sects also offer generous rewards. I once heard from Eldest Senior Brother that Master also spent time there some years ago and was said to have had outstanding military achievements and a formidable reputation. I don't know if that's true or not, but it's a fact that I didn't see Master for three years a while back. I always thought he was in seclusion for cultivation.
"When I went back to Lord Lao Peak yesterday to exchange for some supplementary medicinal pills, there were several types I couldn't obtain. I had to find a core disciple I'm on good terms with who holds a high status within Lord Lao Peak, but in the end, I still couldn't get the pills I needed. He said that the Sect has an urgent need for these few types of pills at the moment, and his master has been in a bad mood these past few days, kicking them for no reason. Recently, he has also been making them refine pills day and night, causing them to live in constant fear of getting a good beating for any mistake. It seems his master was summoned by Martial Ancestor Mo Qing some time ago and was scolded because the supply of medicinal pills for the Devil's Cliff Crevice was late. The shortage of pills is likely related to this, but he doesn't know the specific details. I suppose the way things ended in the Secret Realm last time might also be related to the situation over there."
As the three of them flew rapidly, Wen Xinliang quickly recounted what he knew.
"I can't believe our Master has been to that place and stayed for several years, only to return completely unharmed. I truly revere him as a divine being," Lin Daqiao said, his voice also transmitted to the other two. It seemed he had long known about the Devil's Cliff Crevice, so he wasn't too surprised. Instead, he was marveling at the fact that his own master had been there. His tone was filled with disbelief.
After listening, Li Yan pondered for a moment and thought to himself, 'Once those Demon Lords from the fissure break through the seal, the entire Desolate Moon Continent will be plunged into misery and suffering. However, the impact on the Secret Realm might be smaller. After all, if the time comes, they could just destroy the passage and sever their connection with this world. But I imagine the demonic cultivators are also reluctant to give up the various heavenly materials and earthly treasures there, so they will likely do their best to help.'
Li Yan only thought about it briefly before shaking his head and putting the matter to the back of his mind. After all, from Wen Xinliang's account, this situation had existed for many years. He had just happened to learn about it this time. To worry about it would be baseless. It had nothing to do with a minor cultivator like himself. If the sky were to fall, the tall ones would hold it up.
"Oh, right, Senior Brothers, do you know what has happened to Wang Lang now?" Considering this, Li Yan stopped thinking about it. The mention of the Secret Realm made him think of Wang Lang, and he asked out of curiosity. This time, however, he did not use voice transmission.
"Wang Lang from the Ten-Pace Courtyard? Hahaha, I heard he was ambushed by some unknown thing in the Secret Realm. When he came out, he was already on the verge of death." Lin Daqiao burst into laughter upon hearing this. His laughter was so loud that nearby cultivators who were also flying past couldn't help but turn to look. But when they saw the three of them dressed in long, dark green robes, they quickly turned their heads away and kept their distance.
This scene caught Li Yan's eye, causing his gaze to flicker a few times as if in realization. But he immediately looked back at Lin Daqiao with a strange expression, feeling a bit frustrated. 'What do you mean, "thing"? That was clearly a person, okay?' But he also knew that after the Sect issued a gag order, those who knew about the matter had remained tight-lipped.
"I have heard a little about this matter, and the news came from the Ten-Pace Courtyard's side. Wang Lang was treated by Senior Tonggui from the Secret Realm, but he had not fully recovered when he came out. His cultivation also dropped to the peak of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment. It's said that he was afflicted with some kind of extremely potent poison, and even Senior Tonggui couldn't completely cure him at the time. However, some also say it's because he was poisoned for too long, so even the intervention of a Nascent Soul-level master was a bit too late. Both of these accounts exist. If all this is true, it's really a pity. Wang Lang had already reached the Pseudo-Core Realm , yet he has fallen to such a state. Who knows how much time and effort it will take for him to recover," Wen Xinliang said slowly. When he mentioned Wang Lang being afflicted by an unknown poison, his gaze swept over Li Yan nonchalantly. As he spoke, his words carried a hint of emotion. Thinking about how difficult it had been for him to cultivate to the peak of the initial-stage Foundation Establishment, and then thinking about Wang Lang's fall from his peak, he couldn't help but feel a bit wistful.
Although the look of suspicion in his eyes was fleeting, his gesture was quite obvious and not deliberately concealed, which gave Li Yan a start.
'It seems no one should be underestimated. Just from this rumor, it looks like this fifth senior brother already suspects me. His mind is truly formidable.'
Li Yan nodded without changing his expression. He also understood his fifth senior brother's lamentation. Anyone who had once touched the threshold of the Golden Core only to see it become like the moon in the water or a flower in the mirror would inevitably feel a sense of lamentation.
At this moment, Lin Daqiao asked curiously, "I heard that Quan Jiuxing of the Supreme Mystery Teachings might have been killed by Wang Lang. Little Junior Brother, since you were in the Secret Realm, do you know about this?"
"Oh, I do know a little about that. The injuries on Wang Lang's body were identified by Qiu Jiuzhen of the Supreme Mystery Teachings as being caused by Quan Jiuxing's natal magical artifact, the 'Crimson Gold Wheel' . As for whether that's the real situation, I don't know for sure."
Li Yan spoke calmly, but the image of Qiu Jiuzhen's hateful gaze involuntarily surfaced in his mind, like the stare of a vengeful ghost from the underworld, sending a chill through his heart.