Though the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons lay ten thousand li away, Evan, Jade, and Lynn reached it in no time thanks to their cultivation. The place was easy to find—a massive stone marker stood beneath a cliff, boldly carved with three giant characters: 'Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons.'
Jade, the Emerald Immortal Empress, felt groggy and drowsy. Evan glanced at her and said, "Jade, you and Lynn wait here for me. Let me scout inside first, and once I’ve checked things out, I’ll call you in. Use this time to get some rest."
"You be careful too. The Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons is dangerously unpredictable—don’t take it lightly. With Lynn by my side, I’ll be fine!" Jade replied earnestly.
Evan didn’t say much more. With a thought, he activated Light Transformation—his body instantly vanished before the two women, heading straight for the mouth of the Abyss.
The Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons was really just a giant cavern, but outside its entrance lay heaps of bones—likely the remains of Demonic Realm cultivators who’d died trying to enter. Maybe it was these corpses that gave rise to the remnant souls within. Evan would have to unravel the truth for himself.
Evan slipped quickly into the Abyss. The place was chillingly eerie—a cold mountain wind swept through, sending shivers down the spine. But Evan’s cultivation made him fearless; he barely noticed the wind.
The deeper he went, the darker it became. At the entrance, Evan sensed an invisible barrier—it didn’t hinder him, or he wouldn’t have gotten this far. Maybe it was meant to keep remnant souls trapped inside, not intruders out. But the bones scattered on the ground left him puzzled.
Logically, these bones should be from those who tried to enter the Abyss, and some seemed only decades or centuries old. But the Abyss itself was ancient. If the remnant souls were all formed from these corpses, something didn’t add up.
If the Abyss wasn’t filled with remnant souls formed from these bones, then who killed their owners and left them here? With a head full of questions, Evan pressed deeper, extending his spiritual sense to stay alert for any sign of danger.
The further Evan went, the blacker the darkness—now it was pitch black, not even a hand in front of his face. But it didn’t bother him; his cultivation let him see clearly in the dark, almost as well as in daylight.
Inside, Evan saw more bones scattered everywhere—black, white, pale gold, and even some strange purple ones.
Why did Demonic Realm corpses come in so many colors? Evan figured the only explanation was the multitude of races here, with bloodlines ranging from lowly to noble.
Evan crept deeper, encountering several remnant souls along the way—but he dodged them with ease. With the Firmament Light Mirror and Soul Rend at his disposal, he wasn’t worried about his safety.
The deeper he went, the wider the Abyss grew. From the darkness came chilling, miserable screams—these weren’t ordinary remnant souls, Evan realized, but monsters.
After about half a stick of incense, Evan reached a vast central platform. He stopped—this was the Abyss’s heart. Remnant souls swarmed everywhere, floating through the air and crawling on the ground, yet none ever touched him.
Whenever one came close, Evan dodged nimbly. Suddenly, an ancient voice rang out from a high dais. Evan looked up—a purple skeleton stood atop it, utterly fleshless, eerily like a Ghost Clan entity from the Netherworld.
But this was the Demonic Realm, not the Netherworld—there shouldn’t be any Ghost Clan here. The only explanation was that a powerful remnant soul had possessed the purple skeleton. No flesh, yet it could move and even speak.
How could it talk? Evan wasn’t sure—maybe its soul power was so strong it could shape sound, just like some Ghost Clan beings who could walk, talk, and even eat and drink without a trace of flesh. Where the food went, nobody knew.
"In half a month, two great joyous events will take place in my Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons! When the time comes, I’ll help you find suitable skeletal bodies, and together we’ll celebrate this grand occasion!" the skeletal king declared.
Evan was stunned—joyous events? A king? In this godforsaken place? He decided to keep watching and see what these freaks were celebrating.
"In half a month, the ten-thousand-year Soul Mushroom will mature! Once I’ve absorbed its power, I’ll regrow a flesh body and wield strength greater than even the Yin–Yang Demon Empress. The whole Demonic Realm will be mine!" the skeleton king boasted.
"And you will finally be free! I’ll shatter the Abyss’s barrier and let you all out—then you can hunt for bodies to possess and become human again!"
"I’ll also marry the most beautiful woman in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, rebuild her body, and make her my queen. Until then, guard the entrance—don’t let any Demonic Realm intruders in!"
"Reliable sources say the Yin–Yang Demon Empress has already perished in the Immortal–Demon War. I fear no one now! I’ll protect the Soul Mushroom with everything I’ve got, and the rest of you will keep the Abyss secure!" the purple skeleton proclaimed.
Evan hadn’t expected the purple skeleton to be the king here—his strength seemed just a notch below the Yin–Yang Demon Empress. This was a formidable enemy he couldn’t afford to underestimate.
Instantly, voices echoed all through the Abyss, and several skeletons rose to their feet, bowing in worship to the purple king.
Evan’s heart was a storm of joy and worry—joy because he’d finally found the Soul Mushroom, worry because it would take half a month to mature, and by then the war gate to the Immortal Realm would be sealed. Breaking through would take everything he had.
But right now, nothing else mattered. He had to get the Soul Mushroom and rescue Selena’s remnant soul—those were his true priorities. Deep down, Evan had a hunch: the king’s chosen bride, the most beautiful female soul, might just be Selena herself…