At Lingg Shan’s question, the group stared at her, completely bewildered.

Lingg Shan immediately recounted everything, from hearing the scream and leaving Zhao Feiyu’s group to her encounter with Ye Wushuang.

As Lingg Shan vividly told her story, the others’ brows furrowed. Clearly, none of them had suspected Yinn Su’s malicious intent.

"Brother Ye, how did you know Yinn Su had malicious intent?"

Yunn Dong and the others were now incredibly curious as well.

Ye Wushuang remained silent, but Zhao Feiyu chuckled. "The Endless Wilderness is treacherously unpredictable. It’s dangerous even when traveling in a group. Why would a lone woman dare to venture in by herself? It would be more surprising if there *wasn’t* something fishy about her."

"I see!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded. They had also been to the Endless Wilderness and were well aware of its dangers. It was true; no one would dare to enter it alone.

Ye Wushuang smiled and nodded, agreeing with Zhao Feiyu’s assessment, though that wasn’t the real reason.

Previously, Ye Wushuang had noticed that while Yinn Su’s expression was panicked and terrified, her eyes had been perfectly calm. Furthermore, the actions of the two robustly dressed young men had been incredibly strange, which made him feel that something was amiss.

However, he didn’t explain further. Instead, he changed the subject. "By the way, Brother Zhao, are you all heading to the Earth Palace as well?"

Zhao Feiyu’s smile faded. "The Sect Master and the others have already reached the Celestial Abyss. We’re a step behind, so we were planning to go and meet up with them. But we got delayed by this whole incident."

"Celestial Abyss?" Ye Wushuang asked, puzzled. "What is that?"

Zhao Feiyu said, "The Celestial Abyss is where the Earth Palace Gate is located. I’ll explain on the way."

"Sounds good," Ye Wushuang agreed. Since they were all heading to the Earth Palace, it was perfect to travel together.

Ye Wushuang then turned to Pann Wu, who stood behind him. "We’ll go with them."

Pann Wu replied, "As you wish, Lord Priest."

"Lord Priest!"

The sudden address startled everyone, and they all whipped their heads around to look at Ye Wushuang.

This giant had just called Ye Wushuang "Lord Priest." Could it be that Ye Wushuang was the Priest of the Giant Spirit Race?

"Brother Ye, are you really the Priest of the Giant Spirit Race?" Yunn Dong asked in disbelief. Just a short while ago, Ye Wushuang was a disciple of the Ancient Spirit Sect being hunted by the Feather Race. Now, in the blink of an eye, he had become the Priest of the Giant Spirit Race.

As the foremost of the Ancient Races, Yunn Dong knew a thing or two about them. He was naturally aware of the immense status the Giant Spirit Priest held.

It was something none of them could quite believe.

Ye Wushuang replied with a smile, "It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you all later. For now, let’s head to the Celestial Abyss." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Seeing Ye Wushuang deflect the question, the group didn’t press the matter and prepared to leave.

"Big fella, keep up with them."

The Dragon Cat, perched on Pann Wu’s shoulder, thought of the Earth Palace, and a crafty glint appeared in its eyes.

...

The Celestial Abyss was situated within a mountain range deep inside the Endless Wilderness. Viewed from the sky, it looked like a great scar of unknown length and width gashed across the landscape.

The formation of the Celestial Abyss was linked to a great war that took place in Ancient Times.

Legend told of a peerless True Demon that came from the Outer Heavens and rampaged across the Grand Emperor Domain. It slaughtered hundreds of millions, leaving behind mountains of bones and seas of blood, bringing the entire Domain to the brink of annihilation.

But at the moment of crisis, a peerless Saint suddenly appeared in the Grand Emperor Domain.

In the place now known as the Celestial Abyss Land, this peerless Saint battled the True Demon. With a single slash of a Heaven-Reaching Sword, the Saint struck down and killed the True Demon, leaving behind a colossal scar from the blade.

That sword scar is the Celestial Abyss of today.

And the Earth Palace Gate appeared right in the center of the Celestial Abyss.

「Four days later.」

After slaying Demon Beasts all along their path, Ye Wushuang, Zhao Feiyu, and the others finally reached the Celestial Abyss.

The land for dozens of miles around the Celestial Abyss had been razed flat, every last Ancient Tree shattered.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a dense sea of people. The cacophony of their chatter was so loud it could be heard clearly even from dozens of miles away.

Standing atop a small hill on the outskirts, Ye Wushuang and his companions gazed into the distance, completely stunned.

The crowd here probably outnumbered the entire population of Blood Jade City. It stretched on endlessly, so far that even Ye Wushuang couldn’t find its end with his Divine Sense.

"There are so many people!"

Yuann Qingmeng exclaimed.

"With the opening of the Earth Palace this time, it’s not just disciples from the major influences in the Endless Wilderness. There are also Loose Cultivators and even people from outside the wilderness, like from the Grand Emperor Country."

Zhao Feiyu explained slowly.

Hearing this, Leng Hex asked, "With so many people, how are we supposed to find our Sect?"

Ye Wushuang’s brow furrowed as well. ’In this vast sea of people, finding Ye Rou and the others will be incredibly difficult.’

Zhao Feiyu said, "This is just the periphery. We’re still far from the Celestial Abyss itself. Besides, this area is mostly filled with Loose Cultivators. The real powers and their Sects are inside the Celestial Abyss."

Lingg Shan’s expression brightened. "Doesn’t that mean we’ll be able to find our Sect quickly once we get inside the Celestial Abyss?"

"We can, yes. The problem now is how to get through this crowd."

Zhao Feiyu gave a wry smile.

The sky above the Celestial Abyss was covered by terrifying Restrictions. Even experts at the Yin Yang Realm didn’t dare to fly, leaving them with no choice but to cut through the crowd on foot.

But at this level of congestion, the Earth Palace Gate would probably open long before they could ever reach the Celestial Abyss.

The Dragon Cat said nonchalantly, "What’s there to be afraid of? Follow Lord Cat, and I’ll get you through this in minutes."

At that, Ye Wushuang looked up at the creature and narrowed his eyes, as if he understood exactly what it was thinking.

"Let’s head over first."

Zhao Feiyu called out, though he didn’t quite believe the Dragon Cat. If it were possible to get through in minutes, all these people on the periphery would have entered the Celestial Abyss long ago.

With that, the group left the hill and moved toward the crowd.

"Get out of the way!"

"Let me through! The treasures of the Earth Palace are mine!"

"Dammit, get the hell out of my way!"

"Move, or I’ll kill you."

In their desperation to push forward, many had already resorted to violence, even murder.

Ye Wushuang and his companions stood quietly on the edge, watching without stepping into the fray.

THUD!

Suddenly, a young man was yanked out of the crowd and thrown, crashing at Ye Wushuang’s feet. He immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He scrambled back to his feet, however, his face twisted with fury.

Turning to see Ye Wushuang staring at him, he roared, "Bastard! What are you looking at? Scram!"

With that, he thrust a palm at Ye Wushuang. He had struggled so hard to push his way in, only to be thrown back out. He was already furious to the point of wanting to kill someone.

Seeing Ye Wushuang staring at him now, his rage finally found an outlet.

"You dare lay a hand on my Lord Priest? You’re courting death!"

Before he could even get near Ye Wushuang, a massive hand descended from the sky and snatched him up.

With a sickening pop, he was crushed instantly.

"Big fella, clear a path!"

The Dragon Cat, which had been lazing about, suddenly stood up. It pointed a claw at the crowd, its posture radiating flamboyant confidence.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Hearing the order, Pann Wu knew exactly what to do. He thrust his two giant hands down into the crowd and then shoved them apart. As if sweeping away ants, he simply pushed the throng aside, creating a massive, open channel that left everyone staring in stunned silence.

Then, Pann Wu turned respectfully to Ye Wushuang. "Lord Priest, the way is clear."

Ye Wushuang nodded.

’It seems forcing our way through is the only option.’

Then, he called out to the stunned Zhao Feiyu, Yuann Qingmeng, and the others, "Follow me."

The next moment, under the dumbfounded gazes of the crowd, a handsome, white-robed youth led a small group of men and women through the wide-open channel, strolling as casually as if they were on a grand boulevard.

"Holy shit! What the hell is going on?"

It took a long moment for the crowd to snap out of their stupor. Every pair of eyes was wide with shock, filled with raw, undisguised envy.