My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

The Black Wind Abyss was a massive gorge located six hundred li northwest of Yunhai City. Perpetually shrouded in gray-black mist and battered by howling, sinister winds, it was a place that lived up to its name.

After leaving the Main Courtyard, Liang Cheng traveled at top speed, reaching the edge of the Black Wind Abyss in just two days.

Standing at the mouth of the abyss and looking in, he saw rock walls on both sides as sheer as if carved by a knife. The depths below were bottomless, and the gray-black mist churned and billowed. Faint beastly roars echoed from within, and the air was filled with the subtle stench of blood and decay.

The map indicated that the Mountain-Devouring Ghost Ape frequented the area near Soul-Breaking Cliff, in the middle section of the Black Wind Abyss.

Liang Cheng took a moment to regulate his breathing, bringing himself to his Peak condition. Then, with a single leap, he plunged into the abyss.

After falling for over a hundred feet, he pushed off an outcropping on the cliff face and executed the Wandering Dragon Step, gliding downward like a nimble ape.

The farther down he went, the darker it became and the thicker the mist grew.

Liang Cheng remained vigilant, checking his map as he descended. After descending for roughly a thousand feet, he felt solid ground under him.

He had reached the bottom of the abyss safely.

The mist was slightly thinner here, but visibility was still less than seventy yards.

The ground was damp and littered with rubble and old bones, both human and Demon Beast. Clearly, this place was the site of constant slaughter.

After getting his bearings, Liang Cheng headed toward Soul-Breaking Cliff.

He had barely gone a single li when a hissing sound suddenly cut through the mist ahead.

He stopped in his tracks, his right hand already resting on the hilt of his saber.

The next moment, three Corpse-Rotting Poisonous Pythons, each as thick as a water bucket and covered in gray-brown scales, shot out from the mist. They lunged straight for him, their foul-smelling maws gaping wide.

Tier One Fierce Beasts, the Corpse-Rotting Poisonous Pythons.

Liang Cheng’s body moved like the flick of a dragon’s tail, and he flashed past them in an instant. With his left hand, he formed a sword-finger and jabbed out!

[Profound Yin Sword Technique·Bone Penetration]!

Three streams of Gray-Black Sword Qi shot out silently, precisely sinking into the three Poisonous Pythons’ vital spots!

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

As the Sword Qi entered their bodies, a Cold Yin Force erupted instantly. The three Poisonous Pythons’ movements suddenly stiffened, and they collapsed limply to the ground. After a few twitches, they stopped moving entirely.

No blood flowed from the wounds; instead, a layer of gray-black frost formed over them.

Liang Cheng withdrew his hand and continued on his way without a second glance at the python corpses.

’Mere Demon Beasts, not even Fierce Beasts.’ To the current Liang Cheng, they posed no threat whatsoever.

He traveled for several more li, fending off a few waves of Demon Beast attacks along the way, all of which he dispatched with ease.

He gradually discovered that the Demon Beasts in the Black Wind Abyss seemed more frenzied and were far more aggressive than others of the same tier.

’It seems the unique environment here affects the disposition of the Demon Beasts,’ Liang Cheng thought, growing more vigilant.

As he advanced, the sudden clang of weapons and the sound of shouting came from up ahead. Liang Cheng frowned, concealed his aura, and crept closer.

After passing through a field of boulders, the scene ahead came into view.

Seven or eight Ironback Rock Wolves were gnawing on the five corpses that lay on the ground.

Ironback Rock Wolves were Tier One Fierce Beasts. Their hides were as tough as iron, their claws and fangs were sharp, and they excelled at coordinated pack attacks, making them difficult for an ordinary True Qi Realm Martial Artist to handle.

’Looks like an adventuring party that came to the Black Wind Abyss was completely wiped out.’

Just then—

SWISH!

A stream of Gray-Black Sword Qi shot through the air, precisely piercing a Rock Wolf’s right eye and penetrating its skull!

The Rock Wolf let out a wretched howl and collapsed.

Liang Cheng’s figure emerged from the mist, his left hand still held in a sword-finger sign, his right hand already brandishing a drawn saber.

"Wind and Thunder Slash·Breaking Wind!"

The flash of his saber was like lightning, stirring up the sound of Wind and Thunder as it instantly swept across three of the Rock Wolves!

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Three wolf heads flew high into the air!

The remaining Rock Wolves growled in terror. No longer daring to attack, they tucked their tails and retreated into the mist, disappearing from sight.

From Liang Cheng’s appearance to the wolf pack’s retreat, only three breaths had passed.

Liang Cheng glanced at the clothes on the corpses and saw they weren’t Disciples of the Main Courtyard. He searched the bodies and found a few bottles of Elixirs and some wrapped Spirit Grass.

"Consider this payment for burying you."

Liang Cheng found a spot behind a large rock and slashed downward, blasting open a large pit. He tossed the bodies inside and covered them with earth.

Then, he drifted away.

A short while later, Ye Zhiqiu appeared, the corners of his lips curling into a slight smile.

"Junior Brother is still so kind-hearted."

With that, he once again performed Concealment of his aura and followed.

The closer he got to Soul-Breaking Cliff, the thinner the mist became. However, the sinister wind grew stronger, carrying a bone-piercing chill and a wailing, ghostly sound.

Huge claw prints, each the size of a washbasin and pressed deep into the earth, began to appear on the ground. Liang Cheng slowed his pace, focusing all his effort on concealing his aura.

He rounded a corner in the rock wall, and the area ahead suddenly opened up.

A relatively flat valley floor appeared before him. In its center lay a colossal creature.

It was the Mountain-Devouring Ghost Ape!

The ape was nearly twenty feet tall, its body covered in long, dark-green fur. Its knotted muscles looked like a pile of boulders.

Its eyes were closed as if it were sleeping. Puffs of air from its nostrils were strong enough to send the nearby gravel skittering across the ground.

Even from hundreds of feet away, Liang Cheng could feel a heavy, oppressive pressure.

It was a Tier Three Fierce Beast, comparable to a human Martial Artist of the True Essence Late Stage Realm. With its tough hide, immense strength, and a degree of intelligence, it was an extremely difficult opponent.

Liang Cheng didn’t attack rashly, observing it carefully instead.

The Mountain-Devouring Ghost Ape had an old wound on its chest where the fur was sparse, revealing a faint, dark-red scar that looked as if it was left by a sharp blade. There was also a slight depression on its left shoulder blade.

’A senior brother from the Main Courtyard took this mission before,’ Liang Cheng mused. ’Looks like he failed, but the Mountain-Devouring Ghost Ape didn’t get away unscathed. Its old wounds still haven’t healed...’

Liang Cheng’s gaze swept quickly past the Ghost Ape.

White bones—both human and beast—were scattered all over the ground.

But what caught his eye was a small patch of moss glowing with a faint blue light at the base of the cliff wall behind the Ghost Ape.

’Dark Blue Moss... This stuff only grows in places with extremely dense yin energy. And where it’s found, there’s usually Earth Vein Yin Marrow seeping out nearby.’

Liang Cheng recalled what he had read in the Scripture Collection Tower.