The grand gorges grew more distant as they flew forward, and ahead lay an utter darkness, devoid of any light—like a direct passage to the Nine Tombs of the Yellow Springs. Yet the members of the Chì Róng clan emitted astonishing flashes of bright red light from their eyes, enabling them to see clearly even in the profound darkness, remaining calm and composed. Soon, an unusual cry arose from within the darkness, and vast numbers of dark, hulking forms surged forth—massive, bat-like creatures with purple-red eyes, emitting sharp, squeaking calls and rushing toward the Chì Róng clan. Zhù Yīnzi flew at the forefront; upon seeing the bats' determined and imposing demeanor, her face remained expressionless, yet her wings behind her suddenly trembled. A cascade of feathers shot out, forming a protective shield before her. A flash of red light revealed the feathers transformed into countless fiery arrows, piercing through the bat swarm with precision. A thunderous roar followed—the bats swiftly turned into glowing fire balls, plummeting from the sky, none escaping. The Chì Róng clan members continued without pause, their light trails vanishing into the darkness moments later. As long as they continued flying along this gully, they would reach the second layer of the Deep Abyss safely within one day and one night. ... A vast crimson land stretched out, and a massive black silhouette flashed past overhead, fleeing in a state of panic. Just as this shadow had passed, shimmering lights appeared along the horizon—dozens of colorful luminous orbs materializing and swiftly approaching. These beings, each with distinct feathered wings, all bore black tattoos on their faces, clearly members of the Seventh Yue Clan, the first branch of the Flying Spirit Race. Among them, a slender, thin young girl flying at the far edge—Ao Qing—was the one who had captured the attention of all the Sacred Princes. She gazed at the distant, fading silhouette fleeing in disarray, a quiet smile of contempt on her lips, and calmly pursued. "Ao Sister, the direction this golden-toothed beast is fleeing slightly diverges from the entrance to the second layer. Should we not follow it and eliminate it here instead?" After chasing for a while longer, one of the stouter young princes from the Qi Yue clan finally broke his silence. "Why are you so urgent? Does encountering a herd-mid-tier beast like the Golden-Toothed one in the first layer mean you must capture it completely? Or do you think that by following me down to the next layer, you'll fail the trial?" The young girl spoke without turning around, her tone emotionless. "No, I absolutely don't think that. I'm just afraid that the fruit of the Yin-Yan will be claimed by representatives from the other branches before we reach it." The sturdy man was startled and quickly explained. "If it's too late, we can always seize it from the others' hands. If that fails, there must be plenty of the fruit in the fourth layer as well. We can always take more time—just go down one more layer." Ao Qing gave a cold laugh, remaining unconvinced. Hearing this, the strong man smiled slightly and finally fell silent. So the group watched the swiftly fleeing figure in the distance, calmly following without urgency, as if cats chasing mice. ...Amid a heap of rocks, three flying spirit beings with blue feathered wings and scaled faces were fiercely attacking a dark monster standing two zhang tall, with the head of a deer and the body of a human. Thick black mist surged from the creature's body, and it wielded a massive black pike. Despite being overwhelmed by several spirit princes of the flying spirit race, it held its own and grew increasingly vigorous. The three princes surrounding it, however, were quietly growing frustrated. This was only the first layer of the Deep Abyss, yet a high-level monster—typically appearing in the third layer—had suddenly appeared here. Though, once this bloodthirsty monster had locked onto them, they had no choice but to fight hard. Elsewhere, many of the spirit princes stationed in the first layer were encountering unforeseen difficulties. Yet some progressed remarkably smoothly, seeking out branches leading directly to the second level, even resembling the Red-Fusing Clan in beginning their journey toward the entrance of the second layer. At this point, Han Li, in order to avoid the less favorable branches of other Tianpeng Clans, had to settle on the most remote entrance, driving the spiritual chariot with Lei Lan and Bai Bi for half a day. Whether the chariot's concealment spell proved effective or whether the creatures along this route were naturally sparse, their journey below encountered no obstacles. After flying for two days and two nights, passing through two dense forests and one hilly region, they had now reached deeper into the first layer of the Earth's Abyss. With the chariot's swift speed and such uneventful progress, they should reach the entrance to the second layer within one more day. Lei Lan and Bai Bi were both delighted by this. However, after flying several ten-thousands of miles further, a vast, dark underground mountain range suddenly emerged ahead. The three of them were startled and had to halt the chariot. "According to the map, this area should be a plain—how could there be mountains here?" Bai Bi stood inside the spiritual carriage, gazing at the towering mountain blocking their path, murmuring softly. Le Lan also seemed momentarily stunned. From a distance, the mountain peaks appeared remarkably high, with many extending straight into the uppermost layer of the Underworld, leaving only narrow passageways at the sides of certain peaks—creating small, precarious openings that made the sight deeply unsettling. No one knew how long this range of mountains stretched, nor whether there might be any hidden mysteries beyond it! "Indeed, and not just one—it's the entire mountain range that has been moved here. Yet, there's no need to be overly alarmed. Even the most profound妖 kings deep beneath the earth could not achieve such a feat without any external aid. They likely relied on some precious artifact or magical array. Otherwise, there would have to be a truly living, true spirit-level妖 creature at the very deepest layer of the earth's abyss." Han Li smiled slightly. "Ah, I see." Bai Bi, as the holy heir of the Tianpeng Clan, was no stranger to such marvels, and after a brief moment of reflection, quickly grasped the point. "Even so, something seems amiss here. The sand we passed through appeared suddenly. Surely, the earth's abyss creatures have some other intention behind this." Lei Lan expressed her concern. "It may be the effect of the recent妖 tide surge. Even if not directly caused by it, the earth's trial would have been impossible to cancel for any other reason. We cannot report this matter to the official authorities—we must swiftly reach the third layer, retrieve the Yin-Yan Fruit, and return immediately to inform the clan." Han Li remained calm and composed, for such unexpected events were not uncommon in his past experiences. "Brother Han is right. However, this mountain range seems rather unusual. If we fly straight through the gap at the summit, we can't be sure what risks we might encounter. If we instead take the sides around it..." Bai Wei began, then hesitated. "No, taking the sides is impossible," Lei Lan immediately dismissed the idea and proceeded to explain: "According to the map, the terrain on either side has distinct characteristics. On one side lies the Deep Earth Wind Belt—the Deep Earth winds here are far more powerful than the ones we encountered earlier. Their intensity and extreme cold are so great that they could turn us into ice pillars, permanently trapping us within a well-known sanctuary. On the other side, the conditions are equally challenging: it's home to a particularly formidable colony of Black Deep-Flying Ants, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. With our current levels of cultivation, entering this colony would not merely be a matter of survival—it would likely mean half of us never making it out alive." "So, it seems we have no choice but to take the risk and pass straight through this region." Staring at the dark, misty mountains ahead, Han Li ran a hand over his chin and murmured, "It's not certain. If we were willing to take a broader route, we could certainly pass through an alternative path. However, the time lost along the way would surely amount to at least seven or eight days—this would be highly detrimental to our search for the Yin Yang Fruit." Lei Lan hesitated. Han Li, however, glanced thoughtfully toward the distant mountains, remaining silent. At that moment, both Bai Bi and Lei Lan also fell quiet, as if the decision had been entrusted entirely to Han Li. "This mountain range feels strangely unusual. If we truly pass through it, we may encounter significant dangers. Even if we manage to break through, our magical energy would likely be depleted, which would be unfavorable for the trials below. As for delaying our descent to the second level, that poses no real issue. With these extra days of delay, the branches that have been deliberately targeting us will remain uncertain about our route. After all, so many trial participants are involved." There wouldn't be many Yin Yan fruits to be found on the second level either—indeed, I had originally planned to take you all to the third. Let's go. Spending more time here, even if it means facing unknown perils, is better than rushing headlong into them. Finally, Han Li spoke, and with a subtle shift of his form, he materialized as a streak of emerald light back into the spiritual chariot. Lei Lan and Bai Bi exchanged a few words in transmission, and soon after, they too ascended and joined the chariot. "Han brother, perhaps we should discuss this a bit more. Maybe this mountain isn't as dangerous as we initially thought," Bai Bi said, as he settled his feet onto the chariot, unable to help himself. Though he found Han Li's reasoning convincing, the delay still left him rather regretful. "No need to hesitate—I won't be entering this mountain range at all," Han Li replied calmly, completely silencing Bai Bi's further suggestions. Then, with a simple point of his foot on the triangular spiritual chariot beneath him, the vehicle surged into a brilliant glow and shot off like a comet, streaking swiftly in one direction. Seeing Han Li's determined expression, Bai Bi sighed and said nothing, while Lei Lan also fell silent. No one knew that, under the hesitant glances of these two Sacred Sons, Han Li himself was deeply troubled within. A strand of his divine awareness was currently connected to the啼魂 beast on the spiritual creature bracelet, calming its restless and agitated mood, while his mind murmured continuously. Since the moment he had first approached this mountain range, the inner humming pearl had suddenly warmed up. Startled, he immediately reached out to the啼魂 beast within the spiritual bracelet. To his surprise, the beast was behaving unusually—restless and constantly moving, low growling throughout.