Jason Ji led his three thousand Eastern Imperial Guards forward until they stopped at a mountain peak. Gazing at the land below, shrouded in deathly darkness, he murmured, "The air reeks of decay, and the blackened earth signals doom. So, this is the Nether Abyss."
The three thousand armored guards stood solemnly behind Jason; their eyes fixed on the death-laden, blackened ground. The Nether Abyss was infamous across the continent—a place where death pervaded, and where tens of thousands of cultivators had perished over the decades. It was, in every sense, a point of no return.
"My lord, are you truly planning to train in the Nether Abyss?" Quentin Wei, commander of the guards, asked uneasily.
"Of course. I never go back on my word," Jason replied with a casual smile. Noticing Quentin Wei's worried expression, Jason understood his concerns. He knew that while these guards were fierce warriors, most of them only possessed innate-level cultivation. Entering the Nether Abyss would indeed be perilous for them.
"You don't need to follow me in. Just wait for me outside the Abyss," Jason suggested.
"My lord, that won't do!" Quentin Wei protested, shaking his head and dropping to one knee. "We have orders to ensure your safety, even if it costs us our lives."
Seeing their determination, Jason sighed and nodded. "Very well, you may accompany me, but stay close. I can't guarantee everyone will make it out alive."
With Jason leading, they descended the mountain and stepped onto the blackened ground. Immediately, a deathly miasma seemed to come alive, rising from the earth as if awakened. Haunting wails, like those of vengeful spirits, echoed from all sides, sending chills down the spines of even the bravest soldiers. Despite their rigorous training, they couldn't help but feel tense.
"If I remember correctly, the Nether Abyss has three levels. The first is the Domain of the Dead, the second is the Ghost King's Domain, and the third is the true Deadly Abyss. The Netherworld Ghostfire is held by the Ghost King on the second level, so I must get through the Domain of the Dead first," Jason murmured to himself, planning his next moves.
As Jason pondered, eerie laughter resounded from every direction, putting the guards on high alert. Jason, unfazed, drew the Immortal Slayer Sword, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, a pale hand broke through the black soil, followed by a skeletal figure clawing its way to the surface. This was only the beginning, as an entire army of skeletons soon emerged, countless in number, standing before Jason.
The three thousand guards instinctively took a step back, some even trembling slightly as they gripped their weapons. Quentin Wei, swallowing hard, turned to Jason. "My lord…what should we do?"
Jason glanced at him and replied firmly, "What else? We fight!"
With that, he stepped forward, his body surrounded by the shadowy aura of the Eight Steps of the Celestial Demon and plunged into the army of skeletons. The guards could only watch in shock as he cut down hundreds of skeletons with each sweep of his sword.
"Hold back! I'll handle this alone," Jason shouted as he continued his assault, effortlessly cleaving through the skeletons. With his mastery of the sword, Jason demonstrated one flawless technique after another, his blade emitting waves of True Essence and sword energy. Every stroke felled a multitude of skeletons.
"Sweeping the Battlefield!" Jason's eyes flashed coldly as he executed a massive horizontal strike. Three beams of sword energy, each over thirty feet long, shot forth, obliterating countless skeletons. The guards stared in awe as he continued his assault.
"Rainbow Piercing the Sun!" The Immortal Slayer Sword radiated a blinding light, forming a brilliant arc that tore through the battlefield.
"Blood-Frenzied Assault!" Jason advanced with the Immortal Slayer Sword, the Eight Steps of the Celestial Demon multiplying his shadow, making him appear as though he was everywhere at once. No skeleton could withstand his assault, each crumbling to dust as his sword struck them down.
As Jason fought, he marveled at the speed and power of the Eight Steps of the Celestial Demon. Each move was stronger than the last, his skill in swordsmanship growing sharper with every blow.
"Tenfold Domain!"
"Sunlight Over the Nine Provinces!"
"Flame Dance Whirlwind!"
Time passed, and as Jason continued his relentless battle against the skeletons, the expressions of his guards transformed from skepticism to awe and finally to sheer amazement. Unable to contain themselves, they began to cheer him on.
"Lord Jason is unstoppable!"
"Yeah, with strength like this, who could stand against him?"
"He's like a god descended to earth!"
Quentin Wei, watching Jason's silhouette cut through the skeleton horde like a war god, murmured to himself in amazement, "This must be what it means to be a genius beyond even Lady Livia."
But Jason remained focused on his task, ignoring both the clamor of shattered bones and the awestruck cheers of his men. His attention was fixed on the numbers displayed on his system panel:
Cultivation Experience: 9987/10000
Sword Mastery Proficiency: 9987/100000
Finally, after slaying the ten thousandth skeleton, Jason's experience bar reached 10000/10000. A beautiful system notification sounded in his ear.
Ding! Congratulations, Host. Cultivation level has risen to Star Condensation One-Star.
As a ray of starlight broke through the clouds and descended upon him, Jason felt his True Essence and physical strength soar to a new level. Even more significant, he sensed a strand of starlight imprinted within his True Essence—a mark of Star Condensation-level power, a force that only Star Condensation cultivators could harness.
In this moment, Jason knew he had fully ascended from the innate level to become a true Star Condensation realm cultivator.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。