Chapter 19: The Soul-Devouring Azure Abyss
Page 1/3
"Huff—huff—I... I can't go on..." Wang Tiezhu collapsed like a mountain, sprawling in a star shape across the rocky ground, his chest heaving violently like a beached whale.
Zhang Lin and his wife fared no better. Li Yu’s hair was a tangled mess with strands of black silk clinging to her flushed cheeks, dampened by sweat. Zhang Lin leaned against a tree trunk, retching as if he wanted to vomit his insides out.
"Damn it... Two days... Four thousand kilometers..." Zhang Lin gasped, barely able to string his words together.
"I didn’t push this hard even when I ran away with your sister-in-law back then..."
Among the four, the only one still vaguely human-shaped was Lin Chuan—if “human-shaped” includes lying face down on the ground like a puddle of mud. At this moment, his face pressed against the cold stone, greedily soaking in every ounce of coolness.
His legs had gone numb, as if they weren’t his own but rather two overcooked noodles.
“Little Lin... what on earth are you made of?” Wang Tiezhu struggled to turn over, staring at Lin Chuan with eyes full of disbelief.
“You’re only at the eighth stage of body refinement!”
Lin Chuan tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile more pitiful than tears.
Of course, he wouldn’t tell Wang Tiezhu that every time he was about to collapse these past two days, the damned little spirit inside him poked his soul like a needle in a balloon, causing a sharp pain that instantly woke him up.
“Heh heh, not bad, right?”
The mischievous voice echoed in Lin Chuan’s mind.
“My original ‘Soul Bungee’ therapy guarantees you’ll break your limits!”
“I thank your whole family...” Lin Chuan bit his teeth in his mind and painfully propped himself up.
Every muscle in his body protested, as if thousands of ants were gnawing at him.
Li Yu caught her breath, tidied her disheveled hair, eyes filled with confusion. “Xiao Chuan, can you finally tell us where we’re headed now?”
Lin Chuan remained silent, only pointing forward.
Following his finger, Zhang Lin and Li Yu’s faces instantly drained of color.
“No... it can’t be...” Li Yu’s voice trembled until it was barely audible.
Wang Tiezhu, still dazed, got up and strode toward the cliff edge. Then—
“Mother of God!”
A scream comparable to a pig being slaughtered shattered the air.
The towering Wang Tiezhu jumped back like a startled rabbit, tripped over a rock, and fell flat on his back.
His dark face turned as pale as steamed bread, lips trembling as if electrocuted.
“The Devouring Soul Abyss?!”
Wang Tiezhu’s voice cracked.
Zhang Lin gasped sharply, while Li Yu clutched her husband’s arm so tightly her nails nearly pierced his skin.
The three stared at Lin Chuan as if he were insane.
Page 2/3
Lin Chuan slowly sat up, brushing dust from his clothes. “That’s right, the Devouring Soul Abyss.”
“Are you crazy?!” Zhang Lin nearly shouted. “The Li family warned us—anyone below the Earth Warrior Realm who goes in is just courting death!”
“Last year, a single Qingming Herb sold for three hundred thousand lower-grade spirit stones on the black market.” Lin Chuan said lightly.
Those words held a strange power; the three froze in place.
Three hundred thousand lower-grade spirit stones!
Zhang Lin and his wife had spent ten years in Destiny City and only saved eight hundred spirit stones. With three hundred thousand right before their eyes, how could they not be tempted?
Li Yu swallowed hard. “Xiao Chuan... is the Li family just trying to scare us?”
Lin Chuan shook his head. “They were serious.”
“Then why are you still—” Zhang Lin started anxiously, but his wife stopped him.
Lin Chuan smiled mysteriously. “When I was young, I got my hands on a damaged rare book that recorded ways to avoid evil souls.”
The air stilled suddenly. Wang Tiezhu scratched his head. “You mean the book you mentioned before... the one with countless rare treasures that let you identify so many valuables in Destiny Tower?”
“Exactly.” Lin Chuan lied without batting an eye.
“The book says the evil souls of the Devouring Soul Abyss fear three things: Chiyang Sand, Thunderstrike Wood, and... uh, child’s urine.”
“Pfft—”
The little spirit inside Lin Chuan burst out laughing.
“You’re making this up without even thinking! Child’s urine? Hahaha!”
Lin Chuan rolled his eyes in his mind. “If you’re so smart, you try it!”
Zhang Lin and his wife exchanged a glance, silently communicating. Finally, Li Yu cautiously asked:
“So... you brought Chiyang Sand and Thunderstrike Wood?”
“Of course... not! Both sell for tens of thousands of lower-grade spirit stones. How could I afford that?”
Wang Tiezhu suddenly slapped his thigh. “Wait! If we don’t have Thunderstrike Wood or Chiyang Sand, why the hell are we here risking our lives?”
Lin Chuan gave a meaningful smile, his gaze sweeping over the three faces.
“Though I can’t afford tens of thousands of lower-grade spirit stones to buy those, I do have child’s urine.”
Zhang Lin’s face flushed deep red, while Li Yu stifled a giggle.
Wang Tiezhu scratched his head, utterly baffled. “So you mean if we just drink your child’s urine, the evil souls won’t harm us?”
“Hahaha!” The little spirit laughed uncontrollably. “This dummy is too funny!”
Lin Chuan forced back a smile and said seriously, “Everyone just needs to smear the child’s urine on their bodies and enter at noon when the sun’s energy is strongest. That way, most evil souls will be avoided.”
The three were skeptical, but recalling how Lin Chuan had used the rare book to identify many treasures and earn nine thousand lower-grade spirit stones, they hesitated.
“Why not... give it a try?” Wang Tiezhu rubbed his hands together, eyes gleaming with greed. “Three hundred thousand spirit stones...”
Zhang Lin gritted his teeth. “Fortune favors the brave! Let’s do it!”
Li Yu sighed but her eyes grew determined. “Xiao Chuan, we trust you.”
Page 3/3
Lin Chuan felt a warmth in his heart, but it was quickly interrupted by the little spirit’s teasing:
“Tsk tsk, these three naive fools believe anything you say, and they’ll even count your money for you after you sell them out!”
“Shut up!” Lin Chuan retorted in his mind, then turned to the group.
“Rest up and regain your strength. Once noon hits, we go down.”
Each found a spot to recover.
Lin Chuan sat cross-legged on a flat rock, feeling the flow of spiritual power within.
Though physically exhausted, his mind was unusually clear—another credit to the little spirit.
“Ready?” the mischievous voice suddenly turned serious. “The evil souls down there are a feast for me, but deadly for your three friends.”
Lin Chuan nodded silently. “How far does your soul absorption protect us?”
“Just enough to shield all four of you,” the spirit said thoughtfully. “But you still need to be careful. My soul is still very weak.”
“That’s enough.”
Opening his eyes, Lin Chuan saw Zhang Lin staring blankly at the Devouring Soul Abyss, Li Yu preparing dried food, and Wang Tiezhu... undoing his belt?
“Big Brother Wang! What are you doing?!” Lin Chuan was startled.
Wang Tiezhu looked earnest. “I may not be a child anymore, but I’m a proud seven-foot man. My urine should have some power to repel evil souls!”
Zhang Lin rushed over and grabbed his hand. “Brother! It’s not noon yet!”
Li Yu shook her head, while Lin Chuan struggled to hold back laughter until his stomach hurt.
At this moment, despite the terrifying Devouring Soul Abyss ahead, he felt a strange sense of peace.
With such comrades by his side, even death didn’t seem so frightening.
“Time’s up.” Lin Chuan stood, dusted off his clothes, and handed each of them a vial of the “child’s urine” he had prepared.
“Let’s go make our fortune!”
After anointing themselves with the strange-smelling liquid, the four stood at the cliff’s edge, staring down into the mist-shrouded abyss below.
From the thick fog, faint, mournful wails drifted up, as if countless wronged souls were weeping.
Wang Tiezhu swallowed nervously, his calves trembling. “Is it too late to back out now?”
“Too late!” Zhang Lin grabbed his arm. “Three hundred thousand spirit stones are calling us!”
Li Yu looked toward a huge rocky outcrop several yards below. “I’ll go first.”
Lin Chuan stopped her. “No, I’ll lead. I’m the most familiar with the methods in the rare book.”
Hearing this, Li Yu fell silent and watched quietly as Lin Chuan jumped down onto the foothold.