Chapter Seventy: The Ninth Terrace

The six or seven men suddenly halted, their gazes fixed upon Chu Jie and his companion.

“You two… why do you look so familiar?” The burly man at the front furrowed his brow, as if something had dawned on him.

“Now that you mention it, they really do seem familiar,” remarked the martial artist in the crimson robe beside him.

By now, Chu Jie had already walked ahead, leaving only their backs in view. Though their figures appeared ordinary, there was a constant, barely restrained explosive power emanating from them, making them unsettling to behold.

Chu Jie’s Nine Tribulations physique and Duan Kun’s unique constitution were both extraordinary. While others might not discern their exact nature, the aura they exuded could still be sensed.

The burly man, Wu Long, remained deep in thought. He was the leader of this small band, tasked with leading them into the ninth terrace of the Demon God Abyss in search of treasure.

The martial artist in the crimson robe was named Li Yao. Both were at the fifth level of the Spirit Convergence Realm, while the others were mostly at the fourth.

Suddenly, Wu Long seemed to recall something, his eyes widening in realization. “They’re those two infamous killers!”

A chill wind swept by. The words “infamous killers” sent shivers down their spines.

In the Demon God Abyss, these two had wrought unimaginable carnage, striking fear into all who heard their name.

Yet now, Wu Long’s face showed excitement, an expression both odd and unsettling.

Li Yao, too, was visibly thrilled, as if they had stumbled upon some hidden treasure.

Rumors abounded that the two infamous killers carried precious treasures and left slaughter in their wake.

They exchanged glances, then broke into a run toward Chu Jie and Duan Kun, their squad trailing behind at full speed, the pace of Spirit Convergence Realm warriors quite formidable.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun, however, did not rush forward at full speed, holding back enough strength to respond to unforeseen circumstances.

“There are people following us,” Chu Jie remarked to Duan Kun.

“Are they pursuing us?” Duan Kun glanced back, catching sight of six or seven dark silhouettes rapidly approaching.

“Should we pick up the pace?” Chu Jie found the situation troublesome; better to shake them off, lest they become entangled with these people.

“Yes, let’s do that.” Duan Kun agreed without hesitation.

The two instantly accelerated, transforming into streaks of light shooting off into the distance.

“How are they so fast!” Li Yao stared, dumbfounded, as the two streaks vanished from sight. He sighed inwardly: truly worthy of their reputation, their speed was extraordinary.

Wu Long’s eyes nearly bulged from his skull—twice their own speed, a terrifying display. They speculated about the cultivation of these killers; surely, anyone capable of such slaughter must be of immense power.

At the very least, they believed these two possessed extremely high cultivation. Even so, they refused to give up, charging after Chu Jie and Duan Kun.

“Hurry up, brothers!” Wu Long urged the other fourth-level Spirit Convergence Realm warriors.

Six or seven martial artists gave chase.

After running at full speed for a while, Chu Jie and Duan Kun came to a halt. Their velocity had been so great that after a brief sprint, they should have lost their pursuers.

“If those people catch up, we’ll have to kill them,” Duan Kun said coldly.

“We’ve been mistaken for infamous killers, but the problem is, we don’t actually have their strength. It’s absurd.” Chu Jie’s face was clouded with frustration. The infamous killers had rewarded them once, but now it seemed much of the attention had shifted onto them.

He added, “Perhaps in the ninth terrace, we’ll face a lot of trouble.”

Duan Kun nodded in agreement. It was likely they would stir up even greater carnage in the ninth terrace.

As they walked forward, Chu Jie observed the surroundings.

The ninth terrace of the Demon God Abyss was the final one; beyond it lay the abyss’s depths.

Originally, the abyssal floor was shrouded in the Nine Heavens Gale, but now radiant light erupted forth, dazzling and beautiful, with no trace of the gales remaining.

Shadowy figures wandered nearby—their ultimate destination.

The ninth terrace was vast; there was still some distance to the abyss’s bottom.

Now, scattered silhouettes of martial artists could be seen in the distance. Once, there had been beasts below, but now, not a single one remained, likely wiped out by the increasing number of cultivators.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun were far from the first to arrive. The number of people in the ninth terrace likely exceeded a thousand, and with so many gathered, an earth-shattering battle was inevitable.

Moreover, the number kept growing.

Only now did Chu Jie realize the true strength of Blood Slaughter City—so many martial artists, most of them Spirit Convergence Realm cultivators, though mainly first and second level, with some higher-level warriors as well.

Just then, Chu Jie noticed a martial artist in the distance leap into the air, flying without the aid of any artifact.

He flew at incredible speed toward the center.

“An eighth-level Spirit Convergence Realm warrior!” Chu Jie watched him with admiration, though he knew that any such figure was a potential foe.

The reason was simple—should any extraordinary treasure appear, all would vie for it, making everyone an enemy.

“Chu Jie, I wonder when we’ll reach the eighth level and finally fly freely in the air,” Duan Kun said, envy in his eyes.

Once a cultivator reached the eighth level, they could fly—it was the peak of the Spirit Convergence Realm, the strongest stage.

But Chu Jie was only at the fifth level, with a long way to go.

“Let’s hurry up,” Chu Jie urged.

But just then, they saw the eighth-level martial artist flying toward the center of the abyss, when a beam of light shot out from its heart, rising like a sudden pillar.

The flying warrior was struck and sent hurtling away.

From Chu Jie’s vantage, it looked like a shadow blasted by a massive pillar of light, vanishing without a trace.

The two fell silent; they had thought an eighth-level cultivator was formidable, but in this unique environment, he was slain in an instant.

“Come, let’s take a look,” Chu Jie said.

No matter what, having come this far, they had to see for themselves. Chu Jie still wondered why the infamous killers had slaughtered so many martial artists, yet now ignored the others, letting the Blood Slaughter City warriors run rampant.

It was highly unusual, but unless the infamous killers appeared, the mystery would never be solved.

Perhaps the infamous killers intended to catch everyone in one net.

It was not impossible.

Chu Jie and Duan Kun pressed closer, the number of cultivators around them increasing. At that moment, a voice shouted, “You two, don’t run!”

Chu Jie glanced back and nearly fainted—it was the same six or seven pursuers, showing remarkable persistence. Somehow, they had caught up, perhaps by taking a shortcut.

Chu Jie couldn’t be bothered with them and, together with Duan Kun, accelerated again, easily leaving them behind.

Looking back, the group was nowhere to be seen.

“Such relentless pursuit. If they catch up again, we’ll wipe them out,” Chu Jie said.

Duan Kun nodded, “That should have been done long ago.”

Wu Long and Li Yao watched helplessly as Chu Jie and Duan Kun vanished once more. They had taken a shortcut to intercept, only to be outpaced with ease.

Staring after their receding figures, Wu Long was plunged into despair, his expression one of deep disappointment, like an abandoned lover.

Li Yao, too, looked pale and crestfallen.

Chasing a target you can never catch breeds only frustration.

…

Chu Jie and Duan Kun checked behind them; no one followed. Being constantly pursued was vexing.

“Are they after our treasured artifacts?” Chu Jie mused aloud.

Duan Kun replied, “It’s possible. Who knows who spread those rumors? Two infamous killers—ridiculous, a trap if ever there was one.”

In truth, no one had intentionally set them up. It was simply that the two had killed so many people, the misunderstanding was inevitable.

As they walked, they carefully surveyed the surroundings. They noticed some martial artists spotted them, panicked, and quickly disappeared.

That was the expected reaction; most knew they were the infamous killers and kept their distance.

Few, like those pursuers, dared to chase them so relentlessly.

This was essentially the lowest level of the Demon God Abyss. Though they had yet to see signs of any extraordinary treasures, the fact that so many gathered here suggested there must be some benefit, otherwise such numbers would be inexplicable.

After walking a while longer, they reached a point where any martial artist who saw them vanished instantly, making Chu Jie and Duan Kun cautious.

Just then, at a bend, a group of people emerged. Chu Jie was stunned—it was the same six or seven pursuers, somehow arriving so quickly. Unbelievable!

“You’re fast, aren’t you?” Chu Jie didn’t run this time, intending to eliminate them, but first he wanted to find out how they managed to arrive so swiftly.