Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Entering the Death Abyss

Mo Yan and Feng Xuan were, at most, suffering and exhausted, but Lan Yin was in mortal danger.

The pool water was truly deadly. Fortunately, the guards said an order had come from above to temporarily stop the water torture, which finally gave them a chance to catch their breath.

Ao Shan had experience with escape attempts, so he briefly described the route to Lan Yin.

"...That’s the gist of it. There are too many guards. The slightest mistake and you’ll be discovered."

That was how Ao Shan had been discovered and then dragged back by that strange vortex.

Lan Yin was thoughtful. "What if we bypass the guards and get directly outside of Coral City?"

From Ao Shan’s explanation, Lan Yin learned that this place was Coral City, the former settlement of the Merfolk Clan on the Beast God Continent.

Because Beastmen would lose their way after entering, it was also known as the "Coral Maze City."

Ao Shan’s eyes lit up. "If we can really leave Coral City directly, our chances of a successful escape would be much higher. Do you have a way?"

"I do have a way," Lan Yin hesitated, "but I’m not sure if I can get all of you out."

He had no problem using Instant Teleportation on his own or even bringing one or two people with him. But besides Ao Shan, he had to take at least five other clansmen with them.

Ao Shan thought for a moment. "How about you take Xiao Yuan out first? He’s young and can’t hold on for much longer."

Xiao Yuan was the youngest of the five Merfolk. His health was poor, and if it weren’t for the care of his clansmen, he would have died long ago.

"Let me think," Lan Yin said, pursing his lips. "If possible, I want to get everyone out."

This place was no fit for anyone to live in. If they didn’t die in the pools, they would be crushed by the daily fear of death.

Lan Ying interjected suddenly, "What if we add my Talent Ability to the mix?"

"My Poisonous Fog can control them, but there are too many people here, so the effect won’t last long."

Lan Yin’s face brightened. "That’s great. Let’s discuss a plan. Maybe we can all escape..."

...

After gathering information about the Death Abyss, Yu An finished her task of selling dumplings. She made ample preparations and set out with Ao Wu and Han Li to search for Mo Yan near the Death Abyss.

The Death Abyss was near Su City. The area around it was barren, making it easy to identify.

Ao Wu found it strange. "It’s such a huge pit. Are the people who fall in blind? Can’t they see it?"

’Anyone with eyes can see there’s a huge pit here. They wouldn’t just jump into it, would they?’

Yu An sighed. "They don’t jump in themselves. But if they’re unlucky enough to encounter a gale while passing by, they get swept in."

Han Li thought for a moment. "An’an, is it like when Xiao Yu and I were pulled into that Jade Pendant?"

Yu An considered it. "Probably."

She tied a rope she had prepared earlier to a large tree. Still feeling uneasy, she tied it to several more trees to ensure that if a gale hit, the trees could hold them and prevent them from falling.

After that, she tied the rope around the waists of all three of them and they began to slowly descend along the cliff face.

She had plenty of rope prepared in her storage space. Whenever one ran out, she would connect another. They slowly descended like this, losing track of how far they had gone, when suddenly, Yu An heard a faint sound.

Han Li’s ears twitched, and his expression changed abruptly. "An’an, it’s the sound of wind!"

’A gale is coming!’

The two men immediately shielded Yu An with their bodies. Giving them both a speechless look, she grabbed them and pulled them into her storage space.

The rope dangled alone against the cliff face. From inside her space, Yu An watched as a gale erupted, sending sand and stones flying against the rock wall.

Fortunately, the gust of wind came and went quickly, and soon everything was calm again.

Once they confirmed it was safe outside, the three of them reemerged and continued their descent.

Ao Wu took a couple of steps and tried to shift into his beast form, but failed. He also tried to use his spiritual power, but that was gone too.

He told Yu An about his discovery.

"It seems the speculation was right," Yu An said with a frown. "Once you get down here, you can’t shift into your beast form."

Otherwise, any Beastmen from the Bird Clan who fell could have simply transformed and flown back up. And Beastmen searching for their missing relatives could have asked Bird Clan members for help.

’Falling from such a height, even if you don’t die, you’d be injured. I hope Mo Yan can hold on until I get there.’

What Yu An didn’t know was that Mo Yan and his group were currently climbing up, and the two parties would soon meet.

At that moment, Mo Yan’s group was also hit by the gale. They clung desperately to the cliff face, trying not to be swept away.

The moment seemed to stretch on endlessly. No one could think of anything else; they were all terrified of being blown back down into the abyss by the gale.

Even though they had ropes tied around their waists, their fear was hardly diminished.

Fortunately, the gale passed quickly. They didn’t dare let go of the rocks they were clutching until Mo Yan’s voice rang out. Only then did they relax a little and prepare to continue climbing.

"Don’t be afraid, everyone! The gale has passed. According to Brother Ao, these smaller gales are often followed by larger ones. We need to find a sheltered spot quickly."

At his words, the Beastmen immediately grew tense again, scrambling upwards with their hands and feet.

Ao Yi remembered a sheltered spot up ahead. The only problem was that it was a bit small for so many people... but if they squeezed together, they should all fit.

’I hope the next gale isn’t too strong. Otherwise, no shelter will be enough. This whole line of us will be blown into the air.’

Luckily, the higher they climbed, the more footholds there were, which made the ascent much easier. Ao Yi scanned their surroundings and soon spotted the sheltered location.

But there was no sign of wind at the moment. He wasn’t sure if they should stop there and wait for the next gale to pass, or continue climbing.

Mo Yan was also undecided, so he asked for the others’ opinions.

Opinions were divided. Some said it was safer to wait and not climb any further for now. Others disagreed, arguing that since the gale hadn’t appeared after so long, it might not come at all, so it was better to press on.

The majority supported pressing on, so they passed the sheltered spot and continued climbing.

Neither Mo Yan nor Yu An knew that the distance between them was shrinking. Mo Yan’s group climbed for nearly two hours after passing the sheltered spot and were just about to find a place to rest and eat something to regain their strength.

Just then, the small tufts of grass growing from the cliff face began to sway violently. To their horror, the Beastmen realized the gale was starting again!

This time, the wind was stronger than before—strong enough to lift stones of all sizes from the cliff face and send them floating into the air.

Just as Mo Yan was clinging tightly to a nearby rock to steady himself, a scream suddenly echoed from below.

He looked down and saw that a rock, carried by the wind, had smashed into a Beastman’s head. Blood instantly gushed from the wound. His grip loosened, and his entire body was lifted by the wind.

If not for the rope tied around his waist, he would have been blown who-knows-where.

Mo Yan shouted, "Hold on to the rope! Don’t let go!"

The other Beastmen held on for dear life, but as they watched one person after another get lifted by the wind, they fell into despair.

Mo Yan clawed at the rock, his grip so tight his fingernails began to bleed. Suddenly, he felt the rock he was holding start to loosen.

He sucked in a sharp breath. Before he could find a new handhold, the rock was torn away by the wind, carrying him into the air along with it.