Chapter Forty-Three: A Voice Echoes Through the Abyss

Chapter Forty-Three: A Roar That Shakes the Abyss

As Chu Jie and his companions prepared to leave, the Whirlwind Serpent King grew even more arrogant, unleashing over a dozen wind blades that shot after them in pursuit.

Chu Jie was seething. If not for the safety of his Mad Dog Battalion brothers, why would he have chosen to retreat?

"You all fall back to the entrance," Chu Jie commanded.

"Boss, we want to fight alongside you!" the men of Mad Dog Battalion shouted in unison.

"There's no need. Let me teach it a lesson. You go inside first!" Chu Jie stepped forward, his aura steadily rising.

Every single wind blade struck Chu Jie.

A thunderous boom resounded.

His clothes were instantly shredded, revealing a robust, muscular torso. Though he felt the searing pain of blades slicing skin, his body remained unscathed—completely unharmed.

The men of Mad Dog Battalion were left stupefied. Once more, Chu Jie displayed the formidable strength of his flesh.

They had witnessed the might of the Whirlwind Serpent King's wind blades—with a single strike against solid rock, deep grooves would be carved. If those blades hit them, they knew their bodies would be torn apart.

"Our boss is invincible!" the men cheered fervently.

Seeing its attack fail, the Whirlwind Serpent King accelerated, winds howling around it. There should have been no Sky-Scouring Gale here, yet now it was conjured from nothing.

The wind shrieked, lifting rocks into the air—stones that, upon rising, were instantly reduced to dust by the Sky-Scouring Gale.

Chu Jie had known the Whirlwind Serpent King was powerful, but not to this extent. The Sky-Scouring Gale it called forth wielded the might of the fifth tier of the terraces.

Yet Chu Jie stood firm—the wind had no effect on him!

Within his body, the Wheel of Samsara spun furiously, drawing vast amounts of spiritual power and focusing it all at the tip of his fist.

The greatest threat from the Whirlwind Serpent King was its formidable body. In a previous exchange, a single blow had sent Chu Jie flying—evidence enough of its strength.

Moreover, the Whirlwind Serpent King surely had yet to reveal its most fearsome moves, for it was not truly desperate.

Chu Jie had no intention of risking his life against the serpent now. Though he coveted the black crystals within the cave, the time was not yet right.

Once the Mad Dog Battalion grew stronger, the black crystals on the cave wall, the Whirlwind Serpent King—everything here would be his.

Seeing the Sky-Scouring Gale was useless, the Whirlwind Serpent King swooped low in a flash, its body dropping close to the ground before its tail lashed out violently.

Chu Jie was prepared. Instead of retreating, he surged forward amid the cheers of his men, leaping several meters high, his fist gleaming with dazzling light and unmatched force as he struck at the serpent.

The Whirlwind Serpent King did not even bother to dodge, as if ridiculing Chu Jie's overconfidence.

"Solar Flame Fist!" Chu Jie roared, his fist crashing down on the serpent's head.

It was as if a sun exploded atop the serpent's skull, a searing wave of heat blasting outward, raising the temperature throughout the entire cavern.

Yet the Whirlwind Serpent King did not move, showing no reaction at all. The men of Mad Dog Battalion held their breath.

Seeing no response, Chu Jie struck again, delivering more than a dozen thunderous blows, each one landing squarely upon the serpent's crown.

With the final blow, he gathered nearly all his spiritual power, about to unleash it when the Whirlwind Serpent King finally responded.

The serpent did not attack Chu Jie, but instead shot upward into the air with astonishing speed—much faster than when it had been pursuing him—leaving Chu Jie momentarily bewildered.

High above, the Whirlwind Serpent King writhed in agony, shrieking and twisting its head in pain. Clearly, Chu Jie's blows had hurt it—perhaps even wounded it.

Chu Jie and his men were left speechless. So the serpent had been putting on a show before—he must have stunned it with the very first punch. It had never anticipated Chu Jie's ferocity, and now, in pain, it understood to keep its distance.

Since the serpent could fly, further attacks would require using the Heaven and Earth Wheel. But Chu Jie still lacked the certainty to slay the Whirlwind Serpent King, so he decided to withdraw for now and prepare.

"Let's go." Amidst the cheers of his men, Chu Jie led the Mad Dog Battalion out of the cavern, returning to the fourth terrace's cave.

"Boss, why didn't we kill the Whirlwind Serpent King?" Chen Long, who worshipped Chu Jie blindly, couldn't understand. To him, Chu Jie was unbeatable.

Pulling on the outer robe handed over by a subordinate, Chu Jie replied, "The time isn't right yet. I'll make it your first whetstone!"

The men of Mad Dog Battalion were instantly filled with fighting spirit. "Boss, let's move on to the fifth terrace—I feel like I'm about to break through!"

"Me too, Boss!"

...

After a brief rest in the cave, Chu Jie broke open the entrance, leading his men out.

This place was of great value, so Chu Jie took care to conceal any traces, ensuring no one would discover the cave below.

If anyone found it, who knew who might claim the black crystals inside? Secrecy was vital.

No sooner had they finished than Chu Jie spotted a group approaching from a distance—over thirty men. They, too, saw Chu Jie and stopped far off, watching warily.

The Sky-Scouring Gale blew incessantly, filling the air with a grim tension.

Chu Jie's aura rose again. If those men made a move, he would tear them apart without mercy.

In the Abyss of Gods and Demons, might was the only law. Opportunities abounded, but so did brutal combat. Once battle began, there was no room for hesitation—ruthlessness was survival.

Chu Jie did not advance, but waited to see how the other group would react.

The two groups faced off from afar, a strange tension hanging in the air.

Chu Jie keenly noticed they were discussing something amongst themselves. Soon, the leader called out from a distance, "Are you the commander of Mad Dog Battalion?"

Chu Jie tensed. Had the Five Lords’ henchmen come to avenge their deaths? Killing intent surged within him.

"That's right!" Chu Jie shouted, his clear voice ringing out. At the slightest sign of hostility, he would charge into battle.

The opposing leader clasped his fists in salute from afar. "Your reputation precedes you. Your name resounds throughout the Abyss of Gods and Demons. We will not impose any further."

With that, the group turned and fled, moving much faster than when they had arrived—without so much as a backward glance.

Everyone knew of Mad Dog Battalion's annihilation of the Five Lords. To cross paths with them without caution was courting death.

Chen Long stepped up, laughing heartily. "Boss, looks like our name is famous throughout the Abyss now. Those guys are scared of us!"

The men of Mad Dog Battalion all stood taller, their chests swelling with pride to be part of the battalion.

Once the others had vanished from sight, Chu Jie led his men toward the entrance of the fifth terrace. It was some distance away, and would take some time to reach.

On the fourth terrace, Chu Jie instructed his men to continue refining their bodies. Though they had adapted to the Sky-Scouring Gale here, it still had its uses.

Along the way, they occasionally encountered other martial artists—but at the sight of Chu Jie's party, those groups gave them a wide berth.

To have slain the Five Lords was a terrifying feat. The Five Lords had been the ones to hunt others for years; now, having been hunted themselves, Chu Jie and his Mad Dog Battalion had stolen the spotlight.

The whole way, the men brimmed with pride. Each harbored the thought that so long as they followed Chu Jie, they would one day become true masters and have all they desired.

After half a day’s march, Chu Jie suddenly halted, for he smelled a strong stench of blood.

His men grew uneasy as well—they too sensed the metallic tang in the air. Though violence was common in the Abyss, such a thick scent could only mean many had died.

Before long, they came upon a field strewn with corpses.

The scene was gruesome—severed limbs everywhere, the dead numbering over a hundred, their garb marking them as members of different factions.

A conservative estimate suggested at least five groups had gathered here.

This presented two mysteries: why had so many gathered here? Could it be that some rare treasure had appeared? And who had slaughtered them all?

Chu Jie frowned deeply. He felt no fear, but something had shifted in the Abyss. Such carnage could not have occurred without cause.

"See if anyone's alive," Chu Jie ordered.

Mad Dog Battalion fanned out, searching the bodies. But there was little to examine—the dead had died horribly.

Some of them struck Chu Jie as familiar. On closer inspection, he realized they were among those who had fled at the sight of him earlier.

"Boss, not a single survivor. One hundred and eight dead," Chen Long reported.

The men regrouped warily behind Chu Jie.

"Keep moving. We must reach the fifth terrace," Chu Jie said, a sense of urgency pressing upon him. They had to increase their pace—who knew when the Abyss might change again?

This time, Chu Jie pressed his men forward much faster. Along the way, they occasionally discovered more corpses—many small groups who had come to refine their bodies here had been wiped out. No one knew who was carrying out this massacre.

Chu Jie's expression was grave, spiritual power crackling over his skin. Each new killing field filled him with a restless fury. Not knowing where the enemy lurked left him deeply unsettled.

"Another one!" a scout reported from up ahead.

Chu Jie led his men to investigate. This time, even more had died—a clear sign of a fierce battle. Yet the dead met the same gruesome fate as before.

Most of the victims were martial artists at the Body Steel stage, with a few at the Spirit Gathering stage.

Chu Jie suspected the environment played a role. Those training at the fourth terrace were usually not high-level; any leader at the third level of Spirit Gathering was considered remarkable.

But what truly alarmed Chu Jie was that, all the way to the entrance of the fifth terrace, they did not encounter a single living soul.

Something was very wrong.