When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Xu Ran’s golden eyes fixed on the darkness within the crevice in the valley, while dozens of scarlet eyes simultaneously stared back at him.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The valley, already continuously shattering, began to shake once more. The mountains crumbled ceaselessly, and the crack in the ground grew larger, forming a massive chasm as countless red mists emanated from it.

"Not good!"

Xu Ran sensed the changes in the valley and frowned slightly, murmuring softly to himself.

Although the red mist seeping from the crevice seemed unchanged from before.

However, he could clearly perceive that the aura from within the crevice was drawing closer to him, as if it would appear right beside him at any moment, extremely perilous.

Red mist increasingly swirled around the surface of Xu Ran’s body, persistently attempting to invade his body.

Yet the constantly diffusing innate energy clung to the surface of Xu Ran’s body, forming an invisible film that blocked the invading red mist.

But at this moment.

Xu Ran’s entire attention was not on the red mist. Instead, a wave of intense blood scent surged from below with the speed of lightning, instantly emerging aboveground.

"Boom!"

Suddenly.

The already massive crevice-ridden land was pierced with another gaping hole, and a huge red creature leaped out like a fish out of water.

At first glance, it was clearly not a fish. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

But rather...

A massive snake demon with ten heads.

This snake demon’s body was several hundred meters long, covered entirely in blood-red scales, exuding a constant scent of blood.

Moreover, these blood-red scales were etched with intricate mystical runes, incomprehensible and obscure.

What was most shocking about the snake demon were those ten gigantic heads.

Each of the ten heads was vividly red as if stained by blood, emitting thick blood scent, as though born from battles in a corpse mountain blood sea.

Each snakehead was about three meters in size, its eyes emitting a blood-red glow that carried a chilling fear, making one feel as if they were falling into an ice cave, helpless to save themselves after a mere glance.

Seeing this sudden appearance of the gigantic demon, Xu Ran’s heart trembled.

"How could this valley harbor such a demon?"

This valley, though not large, was not small either.

Initially shrouded in eerie green mist, the valley had been devoid of any living creatures before their arrival, lacking sunlight for survival.

In such harsh conditions, how could such a massive demon arise?

Moreover, the demon’s cultivation was unfathomable, beyond any detection!

"Gulp!"

Xu Ran swallowed lightly.

At the same time.

The red snake demon leaped fiercely from underground, landing on the uncracked ground, its ten enormous heads, eyes glowing red, fixed on the valley’s only living being, Xu Ran.

As for the Peregrine Falcon, though it remained in the sky, it had lost its soul. Even if the world ended, without its soul’s return, nothing could awaken it.

As long as the Peregrine Falcon’s body suffered no damage, it might, under such circumstances, indeed be a blessing.

Xu Ran waved his hand, wisps of innate Qi flowed from his body towards where the Peregrine Falcon lingered, guiding it to a completely safe place, before refocusing his gaze on the red snake demon.

Wisps of invisible innate Qi drifted quietly from his body, under the cover of the valley’s red mist, silently approaching the red snake demon.

Instantly, a strange sensation surged in his heart, akin to plunging into ice water on a cold day, jolting even his soul, swiftly recalling the innate Qi that touched the red snake demon.

By now, cold sweat trickled down Xu Ran’s forehead.

Luckily, the innate Qi promptly restored his body to optimal condition, allowing him to ponder that fleeting sensation.

"This red snake demon, isn’t a revival of a dead demon but a truly living creature, and moreover..."

Xu Ran paused, reflecting again on that sensation, his eyes suddenly lit up, gazing at the Peregrine Falcon, already moved to safety.

"On it, there’s the scent of Xiao Bai’s soul!"

Finally, a smile appeared on Xu Ran’s face.

This meant the Peregrine Falcon’s lost soul was on it.

But... retrieving it mattered most now.

Moreover, a snake truly deserves the title of cold-blooded creature. No matter how bizarre the red snake demon was, it couldn’t escape that nature. The chill that could make souls tremble continuously lingered in Xu Ran’s mind.

As Xu Ran pondered how to retrieve the Peregrine Falcon’s soul from the red snake demon.

Perhaps from being too long without sensing life, the snake demon couldn’t wait any longer.