The Abyss Bloodcrows were surprisingly intelligent. They quickly scattered to prevent the flames from spreading further.
Ling Feng's Devouring Flame had already reached the third phase. While it was still far from the terrifying power to devour heaven and earth, its might was undeniable.
Combined with the explosive force, the flames unleashed devastating destruction, leaving the bloodcrows dead or fleeing in droves.
Realizing their prey wasn't easy pickings, the bloodcrows no longer charged recklessly. With a collective screech, they retreated.
Xue Ji let out a slow breath, examining the barrier around her. Under the relentless assault of the bloodcrows, cracks had begun to form.
Wang Chuanjia fared even worse—his earthen defenses were nearly shattered, littered with bloodcrow corpses and reeking of blood.
Bai Yuan, with the weakest defense, bore multiple wounds. Chunks of flesh had been torn from his body by the bloodcrows, leaving him bloodied and battered.
Only Jiang Biyi, under Ling Feng's direct protection, remained completely unharmed.
Of course, such treatment wasn't something others could envy.
Xue Ji gritted her teeth. While relieved to survive, she now understood Ling Feng's strength even more deeply.
That flame's power was easily on par with an abnormal fire—and not just any ordinary one at that.
Who the hell is this guy?
At just Pulse Formation Realm, his strength was absurd, and he even wielded an abnormal fire?
Considering his closeness with Jiang Biyi, Xue Ji assumed he must be a direct disciple of some sacred land powerhouse.
What a miscalculation.
Who'd have thought the Northwestern Army would have someone ?
Little did she know—Ling Feng's monstrous abilities had nothing to do with the sacred land.
"Looks like those bloodcrows will behave now," Wang Chuanjia muttered, eyeing the abyss below with lingering fear.
Xue Ji smirked, her voice dripping with mockery. "That was just the weakest, outermost swarm. The deeper we go, the bigger, more numerous, and more aggressive they get."
Wang Chuanjia and Bai Yuan exchanged glances.
They'd nearly died just getting this far, and now they were told this was the easy part?
No wonder the Lingxu Spring was so hard to get too!
"Anyone who wants to back out, now's the time," Ling Feng said coolly.
"Fortune favors the bold!" Wang Chuanjia clenched his teeth. After coming this far, no one would willingly turn back.
Though Bai Yuan was terrified, at least Ling Feng hadn't abandoned them yet—meaning he still had strength to spare.
In truth, Ling Feng wasn't just holding back—he was barely even trying.
The Despicable Donkey hadn't even made an appearance yet.
That was the real trump card he was saving for the Demonic Jiao Prince.
Ling Feng nodded, then turned to Xue Ji. "You don't get a choice. Keep climbing."
Xue Ji clenched her fists, but she obeyed, descending further.
Then Ling Feng casually added, "Oh, and by the way—your bloodline is trash."
Xue Ji nearly lost it.
Furious, she pushed her bloodline suppression to its absolute limit.
From a hundred zhang down to four hundred, not a single bloodcrow dared approach.
Partly because of Ling Feng's earlier fiery display, but mostly because—contrary to his taunt—the Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline was anything but weak.
She'd just been conserving energy before.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Xue Ji panted heavily, her entire body trembling from exertion.
"Well? See now? The Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline is not trash!" she spat through gritted teeth.
Ling Feng arched an eyebrow. "So you weren't trying your best earlier?"
Damn it, I walked right into that.
"Next time, I'll toss you straight down."
Ling Feng placed a hand on her shoulder, lifting all her restrictions.
The dangers ahead would only grow. Time for this cannon fodder to be useful.
Xue Ji took a deep breath.
Every move, every thought—Ling Feng saw through them all.
This human is terrifying.
With no choice, she continued leading the descent.
After descending over eight hundred zhang, the bloodcrows grew restless again.
Past five hundred zhang, Xue Ji's bloodline suppression reached its limit. Now, every hundred zhang, they faced another swarm, forcing them to slow repeatedly.
By now, everyone looked worse for wear—except Jiang Biyi.
During one skirmish, she'd climbed onto Ling Feng's back... and simply never gotten off.
After repelling another wave, Xue Ji frowned.
"Strange... We shouldn't be encountering mid-sized swarms this soon. Did the records get it wrong?"
Suddenly, a violent impact shook the abyss' depths.
The force was so immense, the very space trembled!
Wang Chuanjia lost his grip, plummeting into the void.
Ling Feng's Void Eye activated instantly. Void Tentacles tore through space, snatching Wang Chuanjia mid-fall and hurling him back onto the cliff.
Shaking uncontrollably, Wang Chuanjia barely registered his narrow escape.
One second later, and he'd have been doomed.
Ling Feng's brow furrowed as he glared down at Xue Ji. "What the hell was that? What else are you hiding?"
Xue Ji looked equally stunned. "Uh... I don't know!"
She'd only read about the Wuji Cave Heaven in texts—she'd never actually been here before!
Whatever was happening, it wasn't good.
A cry of shrieks erupted, louder than ever before.
A monstrous black tide surged upward from the abyss, vast enough to blot out the sky!
At a glance, its density resembled a tsunami of darkness, rising with unstoppable force!
"N-No... This is... a mid-sized bloodcrow swarm!"
Xue Ji's face was drained of color.
A mid-sized swarm numbered at least a hundred thousand—each bloodcrow several times larger than the ones before.
But before she could react—
Another black wave erupted from below.
Even larger. Even denser. Even more ferocious.
If the first wave was a tsunami, this one was an apocalypse!
And it wasn't just beneath them.
Across a hundred-li stretch of the abyss, everywhere, the bloodcrows were going berserk!
Xue Ji's pretty face twisted in horror. After a stunned pause, she screamed:
"Large-sized swarm! RUN!"
In an instant, the abyss' depths were consumed by an all-devouring "black flood"—a force of nature that spared nothing in its path!