Night fell.
The cultivators around Wudao Island had all entered a state of cultivation.
Logically, cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage and above no longer needed rest. They could work until their spiritual energy was depleted if they wished.
But this was outside the Nine Nether Gate!
If their sleep schedules were not adjusted, and a war broke out, it would be no joke if everyone was not in peak condition.
Therefore, at midnight, except for the rotating night watch personnel, everyone had to cultivate to maintain their optimal state.
It was at this time that four figures in black cloaks emerged from the Lingxiao Courtyard's territory.
Three of them were naturally Yun Ze, Dan Chenyu, and Ji Xiu, who was currently at the fourth level of Qi Refining. The other was Yun Xiao.
This was her last request.
She could go, but she wanted to bring her along!
While she was proficient in a thousand paths, she was, after all, only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. In terms of combat power, she might only be on par with Dan Chenyu, who had a full set of spiritual artifacts, or even less than Yun Ze, who held nothing back.
This was why she had not been chosen to accompany them when they explored the Nine Nether Secret Realm.
But if others didn't bring her, her two disciples certainly couldn't leave her behind, could they?
When Yun Xiao spoke, Yun Ze and Dan Chenyu could only nod in agreement.
Since they were bringing Yun Xiao, the two of them originally did not want to bring Ji Xiu, intending to leave him to guard the base camp.
However, considering that there might still be members of the Sacred Spirit Society in Tongtian Academy, Yun Ze had no choice but to bring him along.
This brat was annoying to talk to, but in the end, he was their disciple. They couldn't just abandon him, could they?
Thus, the four of them set off together, approaching the Nine Nether Gate.
As soon as they left the territory, that purple aura rushed at them!
A sense of oppression, gloom, and suffocation instantly surged into their hearts. Yun Ze felt a wave of irritation and looked at Yun Xiao with a frown.
For some reason, he suddenly found this person extremely detestable, wishing he could directly strike and eliminate her!
But the next moment, he shook his head and cast the thought aside!
This purple aura seemed to be able to affect one's mind!
He turned to look at Dan Chenyu and the other two, and found that their eyes were all in a state of confusion. Especially Ji Xiu, the killing intent in his eyes was almost overflowing.
"Xiao Xiu!"
Yun Ze stepped forward and called out to him twice. Finding it useless, he had no choice but to raise his hand and strike the back of his head.
With a muffled thud, Ji Xiu's eyes regained clarity.
"Master? What was that just now..."
"Possession by demonic energy."
Yun Xiao had also woken up by now. She explained calmly, "This is the terrifying aspect of the Nine Nether Gate. If it weren't for the formations that can purify demonic energy, however many people entered, that's how many would emerge as demons."
"How terrifying."
Dan Chenyu also returned to normal and said from the side, "I heard my father talk about this demonic energy before, but I never expected it to be so terrifying."
"Terrifying? This is not the most terrifying yet."
Yun Xiao continued to explain, "The reason I didn't tell you about this demonic energy before was that I wanted you to experience it firsthand.
This is currently only the outer perimeter of the Nine Nether Gate. Once you reach the edge or deeper, the influence of this demonic energy will become even more terrifying.
Just because you can awaken from it now, it doesn't mean you can escape it later. Therefore, you must guard your minds firmly. If you find your minds wavering, retreat immediately.
With the experience just now, you should know your limits, right? If you're scared, it's not too late to turn back now."
Everyone, including Ji Xiu, nodded slowly, taking this to heart, and then continued on their way.
It was just demonic energy, wasn't it?
This thing couldn't stop the three of them at all.
After all, one of them wanted to fake his death and escape quickly, another wanted to study under the Nine Nether Gate, and the third wanted to see the demons quickly and kill some demons to avenge his destroyed country and family!
Yun Xiao nodded silently and then led the group forward.
In less than half an hour, they reached the edge of the Nine Nether Gate.
The demonic energy here was so strong that it was visible to the naked eye. The group had already switched to internal breathing, trying to avoid contact with it as much as possible.
Now, with just a glance upwards, they could see the Nine Nether Gate not far away.
The Nine Nether Gate had already expanded for a hundred miles. From a distance, it looked like a bottomless canyon, with occasional wails echoing from the depths.
No one knew if it was the sound of the wind or genuine wails.
Yun Ze stepped forward and took a look, finding no clues: "What is down there?"
"Want to know? Why not go down and see?"
Yun Xiao said and then jumped down directly!
Without any warning, not even any preparation!
"Hey! Master, wait for me!"
Dan Chenyu followed closely, without any hesitation.
Yun Ze could only sigh and rub his forehead.
What else could he do?
These people were willing to risk their lives for research, and he happened to encounter them. What else could he do?
Of course, he had to indulge them.
"I say, couldn't you have at least given a heads-up before jumping?"
Yun Ze sighed helplessly, turned to look at Ji Xiu, and said, "Let's go."
"Master, can we not jump?"
Ji Xiu was surprisingly timid and said, "I'm a bit afraid of heights."
"Afraid of what? It's flat ground once you get down!"
Yun Ze said, then grabbed Ji Xiu by the neck and leaped forward, jumping towards the Nine Nether Gate.
Cold wind rushed into his ears.
Yun Ze felt the scenery around him change wildly, and the concentration of demonic energy also rapidly increased.
The previous demonic energy was merely visible to the naked eye, but now the demonic energy around them was almost condensed into liquid!
After about a quarter of an hour, Yun Xiao's voice finally came from below.
"This is the first level. Let's stop here for now."
"Alright!"
Yun Ze responded, then held Ji Xiu and stopped in mid-air.
The two of them slowly landed, finally touching the ground.
At this moment, Yun Xiao and Dan Chenyu had already landed and were searching for various stones, grass, and roots.
However...
Yun Ze only glanced at it and felt that this place seemed to have already been scavenged. Various plants had been partially picked, and there were traces of excavation on the rocks.
He couldn't help but step forward and ask, "Was it the Dean and the others?"
"Only them."
Yun Xiao replied, "Judging from the nearby traces, they probably descended about four hours ago. From the ground traces, they should have gone east.
However, the demonic energy on the west side is the most concentrated, and it's highly likely to be where the demons appear. They went east, so they must have discovered something else, or they plan to station here and prepare for a long battle."
"Then Master, what do we do?"
Dan Chenyu excitedly stepped forward: "Go to the west?"
"Naturally, we'll go to the west."
Yun Xiao did not hesitate and walked towards the west: "We came down secretly, so we can't just go find the main camp, can we? That would be punishable!"
Yun Ze was speechless and could only roll his eyes silently, then followed behind Yun Xiao.
He just wanted to catch a demon to study, was there a need to be so high and mighty!
However...
Yun Ze looked back towards the east.
If he wanted to fake his death, he would need several witnesses, wouldn't he?
If he encountered a demon later, and caused a big commotion, could he attract them over?
"Hey, why are you standing there? Hurry up and come over!"
Yun Xiao had already walked a hundred meters with Dan Chenyu. Seeing that Yun Ze had not moved, she called out to remind him.
"Coming!"
Yun Ze responded, and then, carrying Ji Xiu, he rushed towards the west.
It had to be said that this Nine Nether Gate was indeed strange.
As the demonic energy became more concentrated, there was even a layer of mist lingering in the air.
Yun Xiao said that this was called demonic liquid, which was no different from pure spiritual liquid for demon cultivators.
Just one drop could be equivalent to a year of hard cultivation for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The effect was very significant, but the price was also very significant.
One drop could directly cause a person to become a demon, a slave to their desires and emotions!
The group could only wear a layer of specially made demonic bullhide on the outside to barely resist the erosion of the demonic liquid.
However, it was only barely effective, and everyone's state of mind had been affected by the demonic energy to some extent.
Especially Ji Xiu.
As they went deeper, his emotions fluctuated more and more. After walking less than two hundred meters, Yun Xiao saw that the boy could no longer bear it. With a chop of her hand, she knocked him unconscious.
This made things convenient.
After walking about another hundred meters, a purple light suddenly appeared ahead! Judging by its shape, it looked like a person!
Dan Chenyu, who was at the front of the group, gestured to those behind her when she saw the figure.
Be careful!
Ahead, it was very likely a demon!
The luck was not bad, encountering a lone one right away.
Yun Xiao walked in the middle, closed her eyes and sensed for a few breaths, then gestured to the two of them.
Core Formation early stage cultivation, can fight!
Yun Ze rolled his eyes when he heard this.
Let's not even mention the Qi Refining stage person who was knocked unconscious. Besides him, there were three Foundation Establishment cultivators: one late stage, one middle stage, and one early stage.
Can they fight?
Were they not taking the demons seriously at all!
However, despite his eye-rolling, when Dan Chenyu drew her sword and charged forward, he quickly followed!
Almost simultaneously, Yun Xiao set up several different restrictions, including those that sealed aura, purified demonic energy, and increased spiritual energy.
Dozens of formations in total, all of which were placed around the demon in less than a second.
By the time the opponent reacted, Yun Ze and Dan Chenyu had already reached its side!
Almost simultaneously, a flash of spiritual light passed through, directly piercing the demon's chest!
"Done."
Dan Chenyu said with a smile, but the next moment, Yun Ze felt something was wrong.
This Core Formation stage demon was killed too easily, as if it had been waiting for them to make a move!
Boom!
Instantly!
A muffled sound exploded, and the demonic energy erupted!
Countless drops of demonic liquid bypassed the demonic bullhide and landed directly on Yun Ze and the other two!
They had been tricked!
Yun Ze's heart trembled as he saw countless purple lights surging around them.
Those... were all demons!