Three days later, moonless and windy. At a narrow fissure entrance on the Thorn Wall's rear flank, perfectly concealed by illusion formations and natural vines, seven figures gathered like phantoms.
It was the full "Dawn" squad.
Tang Xiaoqi stood at the head, dressed in specially-made dark water-tight attire that hugged his form, outlining lean, powerful lines. The Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword was slung behind his back, sword intent contained. His gaze was calm, sweeping across each companion about to infiltrate the demon lair together.
Third Senior Sister Liu Yun had her black hair tied up, wearing convenient black combat attire. An ancient sword case was on her back. Sword qi around her was concealed yet ready, her sharp gaze like a cold blade about to unsheathe.
Crown Prince Ao Qin had changed from his usual ornate attire into a suit of azure flickering with fine draconic scale patterns. His hidden dragon horns had flowing light, his aura subtly merging with surrounding water vapors.
Zhao Tiezhu still wore simple hemp combat attire, muscles bulging, qi-blood power surging within him like a human-shaped furnace, scorching the approaching faint demonic energy until it hissed.
Second Senior Brother Luo Feng's soul body now resided in a cleverly crafted combining puppet technique and soul guidance technology, urgently made by the alliance's artifact masters. This shell was neither metal nor wood, with flexible movements capable of carrying his soul and performing delicate operations. Its surface bore concealed and defensive runes.
Mu Xue wore white moon-robe with a thin ice outer garment, emitting faint cold aura that highlighted her cool, outstanding temperament. She gripped an ice-crystal staff, the jewel on its head seeming to seal a miniature snowfield within.
The rabbit spirit crouched on Xiao Qi's shoulder, its small nose occasionally twitching, ruby eyes vigilantly scanning the surrounding darkness. Its two long ears rotated like radar.
Without excess words, Xiao Qi slightly nodded to everyone. Mu Qingfeng stood at the entrance, forcefully patting Xiao Qi's shoulder—everything unspoken between them.
"Move out."
Xiao Qi low-cried. He first slipped into the narrow fissure only wide enough for one person. Everyone filed in. Mu Xue last, her fair hand lightly waving, a faint ice mist dispersing that quietly erased their remaining auras and traces.
The fissure started extremely narrow, barely allowing passage. After several dozen steps, faint water sounds emerged. The air grew damp and cold. After another hundred zhang, the view suddenly opened. A wide, deep underground river appeared before everyone. The water showed an eerie dark blue, with faint black demonic energy floating on the surface. But as Aunt Su said, demonic energy concentration here was far thinner than on the surface, and divine sense detection was greatly suppressed here, as if absorbed and dispersed by some invisible force.
This was the Yinming Water Vein's tributary!
"Per plan, follow the river downstream." Xiao Qi spoke low. He first jumped into the icy underground river. The water was bone-chilling, but for those with minimum Nascent Soul cultivation, it was no great problem. They all auras, like seven stones sinking underwater, using faint spiritual power to control their bodies, silently moving forward with the current.
The underground river wasn't dead silent. Occasionally one could see strange bioluminescent moss and water plants in pale green or ghostly blue clinging to the riverbed or cavern walls, providing faint light for this dark environment. Some bizarre creatures adapted to darkness and cold—blind fish, bone shrimp—swam nearby. Sensing the suppressed yet extraordinary auras, they fled in panic.
The infiltration was far more oppressive than imagined. Divine sense greatly limited, vision blocked, able only to rely on faint light and water current perception. In the darkness, countless eyes seemed to peer. Every step felt like stepping on knife points.
After roughly an hour of progress, the lead Zhao Tiezhu suddenly raised his fist, signaling stop. Everyone instantly in the water, breath held, senses alert.
Ahead at the river's bend, among a cluster of huge, black seaweed-like aquatic plants, several strange worm-like creatures several zhang long, resembling centipedes yet with fish tails and countless pale white fangs, were slowly patrolling. They emanated thick yin energy and a trace of demonic energy-corrupted ferocity.
"These are 'Yinming Corpse-Centipedes.' Aunt Su's materials mentioned them—group-living, fangs with potent toxins that can corrode spiritual shields, acute smell, but highly bright light and pure yang qi-blood." Xiao Qi's voice rang in everyone's minds via divine sense transmission.
"I'll handle it." Zhao Tiezhu transmitted back. His qi-blood slightly surged. A scorching yet restrained masculine aura spread forward like water waves.
Those Yinming Corpse-Centipedes sensed this intensely uncomfortable aura, immediately restless. They emitted threatening hisses but didn't attack—slowly retreating into the plant thicket, clearing the passage.
The squad seized the chance to quickly pass through.
The deeper they went, the more complex the river became, with multiple branching paths. Fortunately, with Aunt Su's general route map plus the rabbit spirit's near-instinctive sense of direction and acute perception of energy flow, they didn't get lost in this underground maze.
However, Aunt Su's marked "unknown danger zones" began truly revealing their terrifying side.
When passing through an area full of underwater stalactite forests, those seemingly ordinary stalactites suddenly activated! Their tips cracked open, revealing dense suction cups and sharp mouths—like countless tentacles reaching and piercing toward the squad!
"Stone Marrow Demon Leeches! Careful, their saliva can petrify flesh!" Second Senior Brother Luo Feng's urgent voice rang. His puppet shell's arms ejected two high-speed rotating serrated wheel-blades, instantly shredding several attacking tentacles.
Liu Yun pointed with her sword finger. A slender silk-like sword light flew from the sword case behind her, silently shuttling through. Where it passed, Stone Marrow Demon Leeches broke apart, cut surfaces smooth as mirrors.
Mu Xue lightly tapped her staff. An extreme-cold ice ring expanded from her center, instantly freezing surrounding water and attacking tentacles, clearing a safe zone for everyone.
Xiao Qi protected the squad's flank. The Nirvana Crimson Flame Sword remained sheathed, yet the purifying power-infused from sword sheathe points shattered approaching leeches into powder.
After brief, intense exchanges, everyone passed the Stone Marrow Demon Leech ambush zone dangerlessly, but the atmosphere grew heavier. This was just the beginning.
As they pressed deeper, demonic energy concentration in the water slowly increased, water color becoming darker. Occasionally, they sensed heavy booms and faint demon shrieks from above—reminding them that above ground was the battlefield where demons ran rampant.
They walked as if inside a demon's blood vessels, every step heart-stopping.
After unknown time navigating the dark, oppressive, danger-filled underground river—at least a day and night based on spiritual power consumption and vague time perception—just as everyone felt a trace of fatigue and mental oppression, the lead rabbit spirit suddenly vigorously tugged Xiao Qi's hair. Its paw anxiously pointed toward a seemingly insignificant left-side tributary branch, while shaking its head hard, signaling the main river direction had enormous danger.
Xiao Qi, immediately leading the squad into the left tributary. The branch was narrow, currents swift. Just after they turned, the main river direction brought heart-stopping vast pressure and several heavy roars—a truly powerful demon was patrolling there.
Everyone's hearts grew numb, trusting the rabbit spirit's early warning ability even more.
After navigating the dark, oppressive, dangerous underground river... after unknown duration, the lead Xiao Qi and the rabbit spirit on his shoulder stopped almost simultaneously.
Xiao Qi raised his hand, gaze grave as he looked ahead.
The underground river reached a vast underground cavity. Water poured into a pitch-black underground lake. On the lake's opposite shore, a huge, utterly demonic-energy-shrouded shadow outline was visible—like a primordial beast crouching in darkness.
Aura far more pure and terrifying than any place before spread from the opposite shore like substance, making everyone's breath catch.
That was the demonic army's core area! And where the demonic lord's true body and Demon Marshal Xu Zhan were most likely hiding!
They had finally arrived at the demon realm's deepest depths. The true test was just beginning.