Beasts over a thousand meters were already massive.
But in the presence of those spanning tens of thousands of meters, they suddenly seemed insignificant.
Fortunately, the abyss was deep, and the beasts were far enough from Chu Feng that he could take them all in.
To be precise, he couldn’t see them all entirely, for Chu Feng suspected these weren’t the only ones; deeper in the abyss, there were likely more.
From a distance at the cliff’s edge, Chu Feng could neither see nor hear anything.
But as he drew closer, he could not only see them, he could hear them too.
From the depths of the eerie abyss came ceaseless wails, some ferocious, some mournful, others bizarre and chilling, enough to make one’s blood run cold.
Thanks to Chu Feng’s courage, he held steady. If it were anyone else, just hearing the roars of these beasts might have left them trembling in fear, too terrified to look further.
*Roar!*
Suddenly, a piercing bellow echoed up, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind that surged from below, shooting skyward.
Chu Feng’s hair whipped wildly in the blast, and he stumbled back a step, caught off guard.
Looking closely, his heart sank.
A beast resembling a lion was staring up at him, its blood-red eyes like twin crimson moons, radiating intense killing intent as they locked onto Chu Feng.
Worse still, after its roar, every beast below turned its gaze upward.
In that moment, Chu Feng felt countless pairs of murderous eyes fixated on him.
It was as if he were a helpless rabbit that had stumbled into a pack of predators, a powerless prey surrounded by countless beasts eager to devour him.
*Roar!*
Finally, the beasts stirred. Chu Feng heard a chorus of roars pierce the heavens, and waves of savage killing intent erupted from the abyss below, surging like a hurricane that engulfed him in an instant.
At that point, Chu Feng had no way to escape. Though he still stood at the cliff’s edge, it felt as though he’d fallen into hell itself.
In that moment, he couldn’t even move his body.
All that awaited him could be summed up in two words: certain death.
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
But just then, a series of explosive sounds, like firecrackers, erupted from the abyss, so loud they drowned out the beasts’ roars.
Not only that, the sudden blasts jolted Chu Feng back to his senses.
The killing intent that had swallowed him dissipated, and his body regained its freedom. Looking down, Chu Feng’s expression shifted.
“What’s that…?”
It was the fishing line the old man had been using. Now, it had transformed into an boundless whip, lashing at the beasts below.
Though each of those beasts possessed world-shattering power, they were utterly helpless against that slender line.
The fishing line was extraordinary. When it struck, blood sprayed, flesh tore apart, and even the beasts clad in seemingly indestructible steel armor had their hides shattered upon impact, leaving deep, wide gashes streaming with blood.
Every beast struck by the whip hurriedly turned and fled into the abyss’s depths.
Even those spared the lash were terrified, turning tail and escaping as well.
In the blink of an eye, the abyss, once teeming with beasts, was empty. Only the fishing line remained, reverting to its original form, dangling into the bottomless void.
No one knew how long that line stretched, but Chu Feng understood one thing: the abyss harbored countless powerful beasts, yet they were all confined by this seemingly simple thread. It was the line’s presence that kept them trapped.
Coming to his senses, Chu Feng glanced at the old man beside him.
That glance tightened his chest.
The old man was gaunt, almost skeletal, and hideously ugly, his appearance barely human.
If a child saw his face, they’d likely mistake him for a ghost and burst into terrified tears.
But Chu Feng knew this elder wielded immense power. How else could he seal away so many fearsome beasts with a single fishing line?
“Thank you, Senior,” Chu Feng said, clasping his fists once more.
Whether intentional or not, the elder had just saved him.
Yet when Chu Feng spoke, the old man responded by repeating his earlier words, ending with the same sleeve-waving gesture.
This time, though, nothing changed around Chu Feng, and no wind carrying the mysteries of martial cultivation appeared.
If Chu Feng had harbored any doubts before, he was now certain: this elder was indeed just a remnant shadow.
But those beasts? They weren’t illusions—they were real.
“To seal such monsters with just a shadow?” Chu Feng marveled.
He then scanned his surroundings, hoping for more discoveries.
But he soon realized he was trapped atop this cliff. Beyond its edge, he could go nowhere; an array blocked every direction.
Well, almost every direction. There was one exception: the abyss. If he chose, Chu Feng could likely enter it.
But he had no intention of throwing himself to the wolves. Stepping into that abyss would be a death sentence.
“Senior, I don’t know if you’re the Peach Garden Valley Immortal, but thank you for aiding this junior. My gratitude,” Chu Feng said, offering another bow. With a thought, he left the place.
He couldn’t enter this realm at will, but he could depart with a single intention.
As his vision shifted, Chu Feng found himself surrounded once more by endless ancient texts and mysterious symbols. Wuma Shengjie, Tantai Xing’er, and Gong Qing were beside him again.
Chu Feng was back.
Upon returning, he hurriedly sorted through everything in his mind.
To his delight, the insights he’d gained from that gust of wind remained intact, and a faint smile curved his lips.
It seemed everything he’d experienced wasn’t an illusion—it had truly happened.
Unbeknownst to Chu Feng, after he left, the scene atop the cliff persisted. This place was like a separate world.
His presence or absence didn’t alter it.
The old man, seated at the cliff’s edge, fishing rod in hand, sealing the horde of beasts, suddenly turned his head. Though his face was grotesque, his eyes shone with a piercing clarity.
Those deep, profound eyes gazed in the direction Chu Feng had departed.
He stared for a long while before turning back to resume his fishing.
Motionless once more, he no longer repeated the words he’d spoken to Chu Feng, nor did he wave his sleeve.
He sat there, as if petrified.
