The Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron

At the Abyss City.

Lei Mo, the scarred city master, stood deep in the ground in a secret, massive volcano. The boiling magma and bright red flames formed a magnificent scene, and within the volcano was a 100-zhang long white sword!

Thunder rumbled within the sword as thick streaks of lightning roared. Destructive sword energy filled the surroundings!

Lei Mo was elated. "The sword embryo has been formed. Only the cleansing with blood is left before it is complete!"

Gong, gong, gong—

At this moment, a gong sounded violently from the world above.

Lei Mo's expression changed. Leaving the underground area as he headed to the city master's palace.

"What's happening?" he said.

The city was in disarray, and multiple Human Kings flew over in fear.

"City Master!" one of them cried. "Come quick! It's the spell protecting the city!"

Lei Mo moved to the outside world, lifting his head to survey the scene. All he saw was a faint, colorful veil that was about to crumble any second!

"This is…" Lei Mo's eyes shrank.

"It's horrible, City Master!" someone yelled as they rushed over. Lei Mo recognized him as the guard who watched over the spell protecting the city. He held a five-colored crystal that had been reduced to dust. His face was pale. "It's the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements. It's been swapped!"

Lei Mo gaped at the man. "When was it swapped?" he demanded. "Why was this only discovered now?"

The confused guard was incredibly fearful. "City Master! The spell can maintain itself for half a month without the crystal before losing its power. It must have been swapped half a month ago! "

Half a month. Lei Mo's eyes flashed. "Who was the one guarding the spell half a month ago?"

"It was… the right-hand man of the second city master… Hong Mo!"

"Him?" Lei Mo's eyes filled with a cold glow. "Tun Gui's servant! Ah, Tun Gui! It seems you would go to any lengths to prevent me from forging the sword to secure my position as sole city master. You would do this even if it means condemning the entire city to die! We are in the midst of the blood sacrifice of the Gui clan. Ghosts are capturing humans. A major portion of our population will be wiped out if the city is unprotected! The divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements has powered the spell protecting the Abyss City for 500 years!"

A close aide, an elder with a goatee, narrowed his gaze. "Please do not be angry, City Master. This incident is strange, indeed. Even if Tun Gui was eyeing for the position of city master when he did this, what use does the position have if all life here is extinguished? He may be underhanded, but he is not rash. Our only course of action is to contact him quickly to see if Hong Mo was acting according to his orders… or if Hong Mo is the real mastermind."

"Our course of action should be to find the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements!" Lei Mo roared with fury. "Damn it! To steal the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements while I was meditating and preparing to cultivate the Cosmos Thunder Sword—he truly deserves 1,000 deaths!"

Lei Mo hastily established a connection with Tun Gui using a communication pendant.

Upon hearing the news, Tun Gui—who was in the midst of recruiting ghosts—made a strange face. "What? The divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements? Stolen by Hong Mo? Impossible!"

His first instinct was to suspect that it was some trick by Lei Mo. But when they confirmed it repeatedly, his expression finally changed.

"City Master Lei Mo, please quickly investigate the background of Hong Mo," said Tun Gui. "I issued no such order! I will immediately go in search of the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements!"

Putting the jade pendant down, Tun Gui glared. He grabbed the jade pendant again to contact Lü Mo. "Lü Mo, where are you?"

"I'm nearing the humans," answered Lü Mo. "Is something wrong, Lord Tun Gui?"

Tun Gui collected himself, calmly saying, "Lei Mo has discovered my actions and has summoned me back. There is not enough time. We have to capture the two outsiders quickly. Wait for me. I'll be there to capture them. We shall end this quickly."

******

As the communication ended, Lü Mo's eyes widened in shock. "Not good… Now, Tun Gui is coming for me!"

Lü Mo took out the compass given to him by Tun Gui. Clenching his teeth, he shattered it on the spot.

"Hmph!" he said, fury written on his face. "Tun Gui, when have I ever let you down? For you to treat me like this! It looks like I can only side with the ghosts. Fortunately, Hong Mo once caught a ghost spy that tried to convert us. Now that it has come to this, I am forced to seek help from the ghosts!"

******

Two hours later, Tun Gui and ten Rakshasas arrived at the location Lü Mo had given him, but no one was there. It was just a piece of desolate land.

Tun Gui's expression grew sinister. He had traces of killing intent in his eyes. "You dare fool me?"

Whoosh—

An hour later, Tun Gui and his Rakshasas arrived at the location of the compass he had given to Lü Mo. Tun Gui clenched his teeth, spotting the destroyed compass on the ground.

"Now you dare betray to me!" Tun Gui. "So, the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements on Hong Mo was indeed taken away by you! Humph! Luckily, I have prepared for this!"

Creak—

With the flick of his wrist, he took out a new compass. Its needle of the compass was pointing in the same direction. A ferocious smile hung on his lips. "Excellent! They are in the same direction. I will not have to look for them separately!"

******

Hours after they began, Xia Jingyu and Su Yu's clone finished their cultivation.

Xia Jingyu was almost transparent. Her fair exposed wrists were smooth like water, releasing an inhuman, crystalline glow. A massive, suffocating body of vapor encircled her. In her current state, she would have been capable of defeating most Human Kings.

As for the clone, multiple seals were imprinted on its body with varying degrees of brightness. The seals harbored a horrifying energy. Even Su Yu was alarmed by it; he could not comprehend how powerful his clone had become.

But what truly worried Su Yu was the fact that there were seals on the clone's body. This meant that the clone was gradually taking on a solid, material form. And observing closely, he realized that the clone had cultivated its own Dantian!

Even though it had been created with a fire base, it meant that with enough fire-based energy, it could cultivate independently and improve its cultivation level! For the first time, Su Yu felt uneasy. Just what was that remnant of the legendary technique for the clone to have such an unexplainable transformation after cultivating the technique?

It looked like he would have to understand this from the ancient clan that handed over this technique.

Collecting herself, Xia Jingyu woke up, unable to hide her surprise as she felt the transformation of her body. "This is wonderful! By harboring the water origin in my body, the power of my water-based techniques will increase exponentially!"

Exponentially? Su Yu bit his tongue.

"Let's head back to the exit of the Dragon Abyss," said Xia Jingyu. "If there is no White Asuras present, we might be able to break the lockdown of the Rakshasa with our powers combined and escape from the Dragon Abyss."

Xia Jingyu's abilities had improved dramatically, and it seemed her confidence had grown, too. Su Yu thought for a moment. Even though the idea was risky, it was worth a shot. After all, the Dragon Abyss of Nine Underworlds was growing increasingly odd.

Nodding, Su Yu kept the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements. There appeared to be only a shred of water and fire origins left. Su Yu naturally did not hesitate to take it for himself.

The two of them rose and prepared to leave, but they had barely departed when Su Yu and Xia Jingyu exclaimed at the same time, "Someone is coming!"

Su Yu was impressed. Xia Jingyu had become much sharper after receiving the water origin!

Turning, Su Yu spotted Lü Mo and ten Rakshasas! His eyebrows rose, but he did not retreat. A few days ago, he might have to be more careful. But now…

"Wait!" Lü Mo shouted. "We did not come to cause trouble! Please, give me some time!"

Su Yu's gaze faltered. "Eh? Speak!"

Lü Mo stopped a distance of 100 zhang from them, paying his respects from far away. "I did not come to capture you," he said, "but to warn you that City Master Tun Gui has started moving and is searching for you! You should escape quickly!"

Tun Gui? Who?

Xia Jingyu's expression turned serious. "He is coming to catch us… personally? Why would we believe that Tun Gui would exit the city to capture us? And furthermore, why are you telling us this information?"

Lü Mo let out a bitter laugh. "To tell you the truth, I am also being pursued by Tun Gui as well. Thus, I saw it fit to inform the both of you. We should split up. Only then can we have a chance to escape. As for capturing you, it was the unified decision of both the city masters. They want to bring you back as an offering to the Gui clan! We have to offer a certain number of humans to the Gui clan every year as sacrifices to guarantee that ghosts will not appear within 1,000 miles of the Abyss City. The two of you have exceptional talent and are young, making you the perfect sacrifices for the ghosts. That was why we were sent to capture you."

Was that so?

Xia Jingyu said softly, "Black Snow, what do you think?"

Su Yu laughed. "There may be some truth to what he says. It is better to believe him for now. We should leave and avoid a long battle!"

Xia Jingyu agreed and retreated alongside Su Yu.

Lü Mo did not leave immediately. His smile faded as his face radiated with a cold glow. "Humph! To be fooled so easily! They are indeed outsiders!"

Whoosh—

Lü Mo took out a green bottle from his sleeves. His eyes flashed with a scheming glow. "I carry the aura of evil ghosts. I need to find some way to get rid of it in case Tun Gui has discovered a way to find me. I have been preparing this bottle of Biluochun for many years. I paid a hefty price for it. Finally, I will use it today to mask the aura of evil ghosts by spraying it on my body! When Tun Gui reaches this area, he will think I left with the outsiders. He'll continue after them and give up looking for me, giving me plenty of time to escape."

After saying this, he began to spray it all over his body, but at that moment, an ice sword pierced through the air aimed at his heart.

Lü Mo's face darkened. "To think that you outsiders have still not left yet!" he turned to face the ice sword—and Su Yu and Xia Jingyu facing off against him. "With Tun Gui's abilities as a Half God, he can sense everything under heaven and earth. He only needs a split second to reach this place. I do not wish to die with you!" As he said this, he tapped down with his hand, shattering the entire ice sword! "This level of power is not enough to injure me. For now, I'll take my leave…"

Lü Mo retreated to prevent himself from entering a drawn-out fight, but there was icy water within the shattered ice sword. Lü Mo noticed it but did not pay it much heed. But at that moment, the ice water coalesced to form a small cat that leaped forward and snatching the Biluochun from Lü Mo's hands!

Lü Mo's expression changed drastically, reaching anxiously for the bottle. The shattered ice sword transformed into a sky full of ice shards that hurled themselves at Lü Mo's head. Caught off guard, he subconsciously waved with his sleeves to defend.

The cat and the Biluochun were grabbed by a large hand. It was Su Yu, holding Xia Jingyu with one hand and the Biluochun snatched by the cat with the another. He sprayed it on himself and Xia Jingyu without hesitation.

"Thank you for your gift," said Su Yu. He cupped his fists and laughed, then activated the 1,000 zhang wings on his back. "We shall meet again!" 

With a few flutters of his wings, they vanished without a trace.

Lü Mo was furious! He had wished for them to stall for time, but instead, he had freed them off their shackles and turned himself into Tun Gui's only clear target! The two of them had worked together seamlessly with their ice and water-based techniques, catching him off guard!

Hatred surged in his heart, but as a horrifying aura suddenly began to close in on him, Lü Mo let out a groan and fled in a hurry.

******

Several thousand miles away, Su Yu and Xia Jingyu observed this and laughed. The affinity the two of them had for working together was like a strange, deep connection. Su Yu was beginning to feel as if she was the only person who could work so well with him. And coincidentally, she was also adept in water-based techniques. They were a perfect balance for one another.

Xia Jingyu felt even stranger. Looking at Su Yu again, she felt as though the Black Snow Demon King in front of her was slowly overlapping with Su Yu.

The two of them looked at each other, their hearts filled with the same questions. The atmosphere became tense.

Su Yu observed Yi Yu closely. An exceptional level of perception, adept in water based-techniques—what didn't Xia Jingyu have to offer? Furthermore, Xia Jingyu also took part in the Lord Yi Yu selection. Could it be that she succeeded? In Su Yu's impression, even though Xia Jingyu's level of perception was high, it was not to the point that she could master every technique in the world, even creating a technique just below a legendary-level technique, but they were incredibly similar.

Su Yu's lips wavered. At the same moment, Xia Jingyu finally mustered up the courage to speak. When they realized the other was about to say something, both blurted out, "You first!"

They said it at the same time, then froze.

"I'll go first," they said, again at the same time.

Xia Jingyu turned red, her heart thumping wildly. There seemed to be a lump in her throat. Her eyes narrowed to slits. Could it really be him!

Su Yu was also shocked. Could she be Xia Jingyu?

The two of them looked at each other, taking a deep breath as they prepared to voice their guesses.

But at that moment, a sweet voice said coldly, "Big brother, big sister… what are you doing?"

The two of them trembled as turned to look.

On the ground beneath them was a pretty little girl in ponytails. She looked up at them with an innocent, almost naive smile. She appeared to be about five years old and wore a colorful dress. Her skin fair, and her features could not have been more perfect. At the moment, her clear eyes gazed at them playfully.

Su Yu took a small step forward, stepping in front of Xia Jingyu as he said sternly, "Who are you?"

Even though they had been a little distracted just now, it should have been impossible not to notice someone so close by. Furthermore, why would a harmless human child be in such a dangerous place like the Dragon Abyss of Nine Underworld?

Xia Jingyu, too, felt fearful as she looked at the little girl.

The little girl opened her eyes wide, smiling as she said, "I am Sheng Ge, 'Sheng' as in flute, and 'Ge' as in song. Hehe! Isn't my name nice?"

Sheng Ge, Sheng Ge… thought Xia Jingyu recalled. She was sure she had heard that name before!

******

Lü Mo could not escape from Tun Gui's hands. With a pitch black energy in his palm, Tun Gui enveloped Lü Mo's head, disregarding his heart-wrenching screams.

"Humph!" Tun Gui snarled. "So you do not know about the matter of the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements! Then why do you run? It seems that you have been cautious of me for a long time, even preparing to seek shelter with the Gui clan! If that is the case, I cannot leave you alive!"

Thud—

Lü Mo brain was forcefully ripped away.

Tun Gui's eyes flashed, and he laughed at himself as he let Lü Mo's dead body fall to the ground. "Since this is the case," he said, "Hong Mo must have already allied himself with the Gui clan. Could the Gui clan have instructed him to steal the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements? It is fortunate that the two outsiders came here. Otherwise, the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements might already be in the Gui clan's hands!"

Now that the outsiders had no aura on them, Tun Gui could only contact Lei Mo.

"Help me search for the two outsiders!" he said. "They have something to do with the divine crystal of the Origin of the Five Elements."

Back at the city, Lei Mo put down the jade pendant, cursing with fury. "What trash!" he said. "To lose two little ones!"

But since the matter involved the safety of the Abyss City, Lei Mo did as he was told. He activated the 10,000 Miles Cloud Passing Border, quickly finding Su Yu and Xia Jingyu. Unless their cultivation levels were higher or equal to his, it would be hard to escape detection.

"I found them," he said. "They are in the direction of the Abyss City."

Tun Gui nodded. "Is there anyone else?"

Lei Mo scanned the surroundings. There were only the two of them in the image. "I see only the two of them… Wait…"

Lei Mo looked closer, noting the body language of the two outsiders. It looked like the two were speaking to someone. They appeared to be on high alert—as if they were facing an enemy. But there was no one in the direction they were speaking!

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Lei Mo's back.

Frantically, Lei Mo turned the image to the direction they were looking at, searching closer. A strange scene unfolded. A little girl appeared in the middle of the empty image.

She was looking directly at the screen as if she could see Lei Mo.

Thud, thud, thud—

The gaze made Lei Mo retreat from the screen. He staggered as he fell.

His face was laced with fear, his voice trembling in panic. "Sheng… Ge… It's—it's the… Heavenly Ghost!"

The queen of all ghosts. The most horrifying entity in the Dragon Abyss of Nine Underworlds. The Fairy Realm Heavenly Ghost, Sheng Ge!

******

The little girl looked up at Su Yu and Xia Jingyu. She smiled as she said, "I am called Sheng Ge. Big brother, big sister, what are your names?"