“Shouting Abyss? What kind of place is that?” The name itself exuded a sinister aura, prompting Li Fan to inquire.
Ji Hongdao turned his head to glance at Li Fan, smiling, “It’s no use telling you now. You’ll know when we get there.”
“Although it’s a bit dangerous, you don’t need to worry too much.”
“With us old folks around, nothing major will happen.”
Ji Hongdao evidently had confidence in himself and waved off any concerns.
Since Ji Hongdao spoke this way, Li Fan naturally didn’t continue to inquire and retreated with Xue Mu to the side.
Before long, Shangguan Shi, the thin man Li Fan had met in the Universal Courtyard, also brought five others onto the ship.
These five individuals were not part of the previous training group. They wore the standard robes of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, had matured features, and behaved professionally.
They seemed to have been on this flying ship before and were very familiar with its structure.
As they passed by Li Fan and Xue Mu, they nodded in acknowledgment.
Xue Mu didn’t immediately realize their identity and stood still.
Li Fan, however, greeted them just as familiarly.
As their figures disappeared from view, Xue Mu earnestly asked Li Fan through voice transmission.
“Li Fan, it seems you know them? Do you know their identities?”
Li Fan shook his head hastily, “I don’t know. But we’re all members of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, like a family. It’s normal to greet each other when we meet.”
Xue Mu was dumbfounded for a moment, unsure how to retort.
Fortunately, the chubby Huangfu Song came to his rescue.
“Let’s go, don’t just stand there like a fool. Almost everyone is here, so we’ll probably depart soon.”
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan, snorted, and ordered.
Li Fan, with the demeanor of a junior respecting his elders, followed behind Huangfu Song.
Passing through the cabin corridor, Li Fan noticed that many people had already gathered on the flying ship.
It seemed that not only formation masters from the Array Hall were present.
The faintly discernible aura of killing and blood emanating from certain practitioners in certain rooms made Li Fan realize that this mission might not be as easy as Ji Hongdao had described.
The two followed Huangfu Song to an empty guest cabin and sat down.
Li Fan smiled and turned to Huangfu Song for advice, “Senior Huangfu, can you reveal to us the objective of our mission this time?”
Huangfu Song glanced at Li Fan with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “You little rascal, are you scared too?”
Li Fan admitted openly, “Of course, my courage can’t compare to yours, Senior. After all, you even…”
“Stop! Stop!” Huangfu Song’s expression changed slightly. “You, how come every three sentences mention Dantai Tao?”
His eyes narrowed, flashing a dangerous glint as he scrutinized Li Fan carefully.
After a moment, Huangfu Song suppressed the killing intent in his heart and the smile reappeared on his face.
“Humph, telling you won’t hurt. If Director Ji didn’t tell you, it’s just because it’s complicated to explain.” Huangfu Song casually tapped the table in front of him and took a sip of the suddenly appearing hot spirit tea before his expression turned serious.
“On this trip, we are going to the depths of the White Mist.”
“The depths of the White Mist?” Li Fan and Xue Mu glanced at each other, slightly surprised.
However, they didn’t show it. Following Huangfu Song’s example, they lightly tapped the table and finished the steaming spirit tea.
They patiently listened to Huangfu Song’s explanation.
“As you know, there’s a 【White Mist Barrier】 that spans across heaven and earth, dividing each province. Traveling through the white mist consumes lifespan. Even passing through teleportation formations won’t avoid this.”
“So even we cultivators, if not necessary, are reluctant to move frequently.”
Li Fan nodded slightly in agreement.
“Because of this, our understanding of the White Mist is extremely limited.”
“Most people believe that the White Mist Barrier only exists on the original land as a dividing line.”
“But in reality…”
Huangfu Song smirked, “The White Mist is far broader than we imagine.”
“So, unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t get any wild ideas about physically crossing it. Otherwise, you might just get lost in the vast White Mist, beyond the help of even the Heavenly Ancestors.”
Xue Mu heard about this for the first time and couldn’t help but feel nervous and serious.
Li Fan thought for a moment, not being intimidated by Huangfu Song’s words, and spoke up, “Although the number of cultivators physically crossing the White Mist Barrier each year isn’t many, it’s definitely not few either.”
“It’s likely that what the senior said, the vast areas within the White Mist Barrier, are only a tiny fraction,”
“Otherwise, if it’s really as dangerous as Senior described, it would have been noticed long ago.”
Huangfu Song’s words were suddenly halted by Li Fan’s revelation, feeling a bit embarrassed.
But immediately he sneered and retorted, “I don’t know how many cultivators have disappeared in the White Mist without return, harboring the same thoughts as you.”
“If you’re not afraid of death, you can boldly try it.”
“Although it seems only a step away, it’s like a heavenly trench, impossible to cross. We call these locations within the White Mist Barrier ‘Maze Realms’.”
“I can’t disclose the number of confirmed Maze Realms at the moment, but it’s definitely far beyond what you imagine.”
Seeing Li Fan’s nod of agreement, Huangfu Song stopped being stubborn, feeling relieved.
He continued, “The destination of our trip, ‘Shouting Abyss,’ is one of the Maze Realms discovered a long time ago.”
“As the name suggests, it’s an area that extends infinitely downwards in space, unfathomable and endless.”
“Every once in a while, there are inexplicable sounds of astonishment, desperate screams, and faint murmurs emanating from the depths of the abyss.”
“Ordinary cultivators and those with unstable minds, once tempted by the sounds, may fall into demonic ways and regress in cultivation.”
“In severe cases, they lose their sanity, transforming into inhuman monsters solely driven by slaughter.”
Huangfu Song seemed to recall something, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
“Because this Maze Realm is too bizarre, once discovered, it’s heavily monitored by the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.”
“So, due to this influence, the Eternal Immortal Stronghold set up outside the Shouting Abyss has been forced to constantly relocate upward over the years.”
“However, in order to contain the influence of the devilish sounds within the Shouting Abyss, that stronghold has reached its limit.”
“So, a hundred years ago, the alliance began to experiment with special methods to counter the devilish sounds emanating from the depths of the abyss.”
“Special methods? Could it be…” Li Fan suddenly remembered something, his heart stirring.