Chen Nan laughed angrily, "Old man, you're really arrogant! You think you can take me on? Heh heh..."
The old man remained unperturbed, saying coldly, "What you've seen is only a portion of the force; many more are on their way here."
Just then, another whistling sound came, equally powerful and vigorous. Chen Nan thought to himself, "This is bad, another old guy!"
He dared not say anything more, and using the Divine Void Step, he quickly rushed out of the encirclement.
The gray-robed old man followed closely behind, slapping him viciously from behind. Chen Nan didn't even look, but instead slashed backward with his sword, while simultaneously slashing forward with his long saber at the person blocking his way.
Chen Nan's dazzling sword energy slashed backward and collided with the old man's fierce palm strike, erupting into a dazzling light. The immense force of the impact caused Chen Nan to feel an unusual discomfort in his chest and abdomen, but fortunately, he was not injured. Using this force, he charged forward rapidly, his long sword falling mercilessly like the Grim Reaper's scythe. The person blocking his way was instantly killed, his sword destroyed and his body shattered by Chen Nan's blade.
Chen Nan used the Divine Void Step to fly through the thick blood mist and escape towards the Death Abyss. That was the only way he could escape now; the other three sides were already surrounded.
Not long after he fled, an old man in black robes arrived at the forest where the battle had taken place with lightning speed. He asked the old man in gray robes in a low voice, "Who is the one who escaped from this deadly place?"
"Oh, it really is him. We don't need to rush after him, lest we alert the nameless gods and demons of the Deathly Abyss. In any case, we have already blocked all the necessary routes, so he has no way to escape."
What is the truth? The nameless god and demon had already sensed the presence of everyone here, but he did not move. Cultivators who had not reached the sixth level were unlikely to attract his attention unless they entered the Death Zone.
Meng Ke'er stood on a distant mountain peak, observing everything. She took no action, simply watching from afar.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Nan was "running around" between the Death Zone and the mountains five miles away. He successfully killed four high-level experts, most of whom were ambushed.
He repeatedly infiltrated the forest, and with his keen senses, the hidden masters in the woods were nowhere to hide from him. He launched a series of counterattacks and killed many of the ambushing masters, which enraged the group and made them extremely nervous.
During these three days, Meng Ke'er remained hidden in the shadows, observing coldly without taking any action. One reason was that she did not want to expose her whereabouts, and another reason was that she was afraid of disturbing the nameless gods and demons in the Deathly Abyss.
The Death Zone underwent astonishing changes. Over three days, the light barrier surrounding the zone grew dimmer and dimmer, as if it were about to dissolve into the air. Chen Nan tried to enter the Death Zone, but after taking a few steps, he was pushed back by a powerful force.
He knew that the "Heaven-Binding Formation" was already in operation, and it seemed that the Deathly Abyss would disappear into thin air in no time.
On the fifth day, Chen Nan killed two more high-level experts. The leader of the forest was heartbroken. It takes so much time and effort to train a high-level expert, and in just a few days, they were killed by counterattacks. He was furious, but he dared not pursue them to the Death Zone.
However, all of this changed on the sixth day. On the morning of the sixth day, when Chen Nan woke up from his dream, he suddenly realized that the oppressive aura of death and the heavy pressure that weighed on his heart like Mount Tai had suddenly disappeared.
He quickly looked up, and upon closer inspection, he was horrified to find that the Deathly Abyss, along with the adjacent mountain, had vanished! It had simply disappeared into thin air!
Although he had already learned of this possibility from the nameless god and demon, he was still shocked at this moment, as it was simply too unbelievable!
Shocked as he was, he could only sigh in the end. This journey to the desperate land had been bizarre and unbelievable, with too many unimaginable things happening, but he could only forget about them for now. Those things were too far removed from him, and he was powerless to investigate them now.
Forget it! Forget it! Forget it for now!
When Chen Nan came to his senses, he suddenly realized that he no longer had any safe barrier. The Death Zone had disappeared, and the many experts who were lying in ambush five miles away no longer cared about him. They would soon rush over.
Now that all three sides are surrounded, only the direction where the original Death Zone was located remains uncontained. However, if one flees in that direction, one will only get further and further away from the City of Sin, for that direction is filled with endless mountains...
At dawn, the crowd five miles away discovered that the terrifying pressure had suddenly disappeared. Everyone was overjoyed, and countless figures moved forward.
The stunningly beautiful Meng Ke'er stood atop the mountain, watching all this from afar, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Chen Nan sighed as he watched the shadowy figures approaching from the woods. He had no choice but to run, for he had discovered three old men whose cultivation was clearly similar to his own. With the assistance of several higher-level experts, he had absolutely no chance of winning.
Before leaving, Chen Nan didn't forget to show off his verbal skills. He shouted, "You bunch of bastards, one day I'll make you pay tenfold!" After cursing, he made an extremely undignified gesture with his finger, then turned and ran into the mountains.
The three old men leading the group were so angry their beards bristled. They shouted from behind, "You little brat, don't run away..."
A young man nearby whispered, "Master, calling him 'little brat' like that makes it sound like we're really in a tortoise and hare race..."
"You bastard! Chase after him!" The gray-robed old man slapped him, then led the crowd in hot pursuit of Chen Nan.
At this moment, the old man in black robes stopped, quickly wrote a note, tied it to the leg of the carrier pigeon he carried with him, and then released it.
As Meng Ke'er watched everyone rush into the depths of the mountains, she rode the Jade Lotus Platform into the air, and with a light wave of her Dragon-Capturing Hand, she instantly caught the carrier pigeons flying over the mountain peaks.
Meng Ke'er untied the note tied to the carrier pigeon's leg, unfolded it, and read the few lines of small writing: "The Deathly Abyss has vanished into thin air as the legend says, but Chen Nan has not yet been caught. He has fled into the depths of the mountains..."
A smile appeared on Meng Ke'er's lips as she tied the note and released the carrier pigeon.
In the City of Sin, when the carrier pigeon landed beside Ling Yun, he was startled. These past few days, he had been restless, fearing that the young masters trapped in the deadly abyss might suddenly return successfully.
He hurriedly unfolded the note, and after reading it, he couldn't help but frown. He muttered to himself, "Why are you so lucky? You actually escaped. This is incredibly troublesome. I wish you were stuck there forever like everyone else!"
Ling Yun paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, finally saying in a harsh voice, "Everyone looks out for themselves, or the world will punish them. Don't blame me, I had no choice!"
In the past few days, several senior experts have been brought here by the four major academies using flying dragons. As more and more senior experts arrive, the cultivators of the City of Sin gradually calm down.
Of the top ten young masters, only two returned; the other eight were trapped in the Death Abyss, their fates unknown. The most outstanding masters from the four academies were among them, which made the teachers and students of the four academies feel particularly heavy-hearted.
A gentle breeze blows, and the morning glow falls upon Shenfeng Academy, making this ancient academy, with its thousand-year history, appear solemn and dignified.
After leaving the inn, Ling Yun went straight to Shenfeng Academy. As he walked through the academy's gates, many students cast ardent glances at him. Having returned safely from investigating the Death Zone, he had already become a young hero.
Guided by a student from Shenfeng Academy, Ling Yun quickly found the office of the vice dean of Shenfeng Academy. After gently knocking on the door, he went in. The vice deans of the four academies were all there, discussing the matter of the Deathly Abyss.
After bowing to them, Ling Yun sat down in a wide-backed chair and said, "Seniors, my health has recovered, and I would like to tell you in detail what I saw and heard in the Deathly Abyss."
"Okay." Although the vice dean of Shenfeng Academy was exhausted from the past few days, he still managed a smile.
Last time, when Ling Yun reported the situation at the Death Abyss at Shenfeng Academy, he only gave a brief account before claiming that he was too frightened and confused, thus avoiding the topic. Of course, that was just an excuse; before things were settled, he didn't want to reveal his "thoughts" to avoid giving himself away.
When the vice deans of the four colleges saw that he was pale and trembling, they assumed that he had really suffered a great shock. They did not make things difficult for him and told him to come back and tell them in detail when he was in better spirits.
Now that things are developing in the direction Ling Yun had envisioned, he felt he had control of the current situation and came to Shenfeng Academy to "report" in detail.
"Dear Deans, I have already explained the general situation to you last time. Now let me tell you the details. At the time, my mind was a bit confused. Although I still remember some things, I dare not say them out loud, for fear that I would make the wrong judgment in that emotional state."
"Oh?" The vice dean of the Immortal Martial Academy's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Is there something important you haven't told me yet?"
"Yes, I didn't dare to say it at the time. Now I'm telling you all, so please make your own judgments and think about it."
"Okay, go ahead and say it."
Ling Yun, matching his words with a shocked expression, said, "Something incredible happened back then. I always thought I was going insane, so I didn't dare mention it when I came back. At that time, Chen Nan was actually able to communicate with the nameless god and demon, and he actually understood the ancient language of gods and demons!"
Ling Yun never mentioned this matter to the vice deans of the four academies. He knew that the highest level of lying was to have truth within falsehood and falsehood within truth. He kept this true information to increase the persuasiveness of his lies in the future.
He glanced at them and noticed the four old men were clearly shocked. He became even more engrossed and said, "Now that I think about it, I can be sure it's true. Chen Nan really does understand the ancient language of gods and demons. If you seniors don't believe me, you can ask Fairy Meng for confirmation after she shows herself."
The four elderly people were clearly experiencing unusually intense emotional fluctuations. The vice dean of the Illusion Demon Academy excitedly said, "Continue."
"Chen Nan and the nameless god and demon talked for a long time. In the end, the nameless god and demon led us into a strange world called the Illusionary Realm of the Void..." Ling Yun's words were a mix of truth and falsehood, creating the impression that Chen Nan was deliberately trying to please the nameless god and demon, and portraying the scene as if the nameless god and demon were very friendly to Chen Nan.
Of course, he didn't say these things directly; he was very skillful with language, speaking in a gentle and subtle way without leaving any trace.
After Ling Yun's detailed account, a series of scenes unfolded before the four old men. Chen Nan seemed to be very close to the Nameless Demon God. Logically, the Nameless Demon God shouldn't have attacked them, but after Chen Nan said something to him, the Nameless Demon God suddenly began to kill them, but he treated Chen Nan differently, making him step aside. In the end, only Meng Ke'er and Ling Yun rushed out.
Finally, Ling Yun added, "If it weren't for the life-saving magic scroll I had with me, which came in handy at the last moment, I'm afraid only Fairy Meng would have been able to escape. In the instant I fled the Illusionary Realm, I caught a fleeting glance and noticed that, apart from Chen Nan, the other seven seemed to be..."
"How does it seem?" the vice dean of the War God Academy asked anxiously.
Ling Yun said somewhat uncertainly, "Since it was just a fleeting glance, it seemed that apart from Chen Nan, the other seven people were all lying on the ground..."
Vague statements make it easier to believe he's telling the truth; it seems that, apart from Chen Nan, the other seven may have already been killed. The fact that the top young experts from the four academies were among them weighed heavily on the hearts of the four elders.
If Meng Ke'er were to verify Ling Yun's words, many flaws would surely be discovered, but Ling Yun was not worried. He knew that Meng Ke'er hated Chen Nan to the bone, and besides, he had laid a meticulous plan when Meng Ke'er harbored murderous intent towards him a few days ago.
At that time, he swore that he would not talk about the embarrassing things he saw in the Illusionary Realm, and that he would personally kill Chen Nan and express his admiration to Meng Ke'er.
He believed that Meng Ke'er would never jump out to accuse him of lying, because Meng Ke'er was very happy to see Chen Nan eliminated. Through their brief time together, Ling Yun had already seen that although this woman was a successor of the ancient holy land, the rules and regulations of the righteous path could not restrain her at all. She was a woman with an "active" mind, and she might stop at nothing to achieve her goals, provided that the bottom line allowed it.
Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the faces of the vice deans of the four academies, and the shocked looks on the faces of the two female students serving tea and water in the room, Ling Yun smiled...
Ling Yun's report this time was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, causing ripples to spread outwards in concentric circles.
The news first spread within the Kamikaze Academy, and then beyond the academy...
In just a few days, many people in the City of Sin learned of this news. With the help of "interested individuals," the "complex" and "unfathomable" relationship between Chen Nan and the nameless god and demon had been spread like wildfire.
Finally, fueled by the "insiders," versions of Chen Nan's story began to diversify, such as: "betraying friends," "despicable and shameless," "a lackey of the devil," and so on.
Many people have already "learned" that the nameless demon god "replenishes" himself every hundred years. Now that he has just been resurrected, he desperately needs the baptism of life and the blood sacrifice. Exceptionally talented young people are his best sustenance, and Chen Nan is the demon's messenger...
Rumors spread like wildfire. Although the various rumors differed, one thing was in common: Chen Nan was definitely a villain, an evil person.
Many people can't stand to see others succeed. Recently, Chen Nan has been gaining popularity and fame throughout the mainland, which has aroused considerable dissatisfaction among some people. In this controversy, many people who were originally unrelated have become the main force in stirring up trouble, sparing no effort to publicize Chen Nan's "evil".
As the saying goes, public opinion can melt metal. After repeated hype, the truth can become falsehood, and the falsehood can become truth. What's more, a considerable number of people are very willing to accept this "fact"!
The "Chen Nan Incident" is escalating. Apart from the vice dean of Shenfeng Academy who came forward to clarify, the vice deans of the other three academies have all chosen to remain silent, which makes people believe the truth of the matter even more.
Ling Yun's original intention was only to disrupt the situation and he did not intend to make people believe the rumors. Although he sent many of his family's confidants to infiltrate the crowd to slander and defame Chen Nan, things turned out much better than he expected.
Ling Yun sneered. This was what they called human nature! He never expected things to develop to this point. He could only sigh that everyone has inherent flaws!
"Chen Nan, you can only blame yourself for being too high-profile, which has angered many people. It's truly a stroke of luck! When the situation gradually gets out of control, everyone learns that the Deathly Abyss has disappeared, and you are discovered deep in the mountains by the dissatisfied crowd, things will be perfect! Hehe..."
In fact, Ling Yun was under immense pressure. If things were exposed, not only would he be disgraced, but his entire family would also suffer greatly. Once things started, he couldn't stop; he had embarked on a path of no return.