Into the Netherwoood Abyss

Lian Qin Yu exhaled sharply, her gaze sweeping over the towering, fog-cloaked forest ahead. The Netherwood Abyss.

For centuries, this place had been marked on maps with only two words: "No Return."

Not because no one had ever made it out, but because those who did, wished they hadn't.

The infamous Netherwood Abyss, was the kind of place that made grown men piss themselves, but right now, she had bigger problems.

Like the fact that her legs felt like soggy noodles.

"Alright," she muttered, rubbing her sore shoulder. "Let's review."

Seven years ago. A group of twenty elite Nascent Soul cultivators sought enlightenment within the abyss. Only one stumbled back out. His spiritual roots shattered, meridians reversed, and qi forcefully extracted, leaving him an empty husk. The last thing he said before his consciousness faded was:

"The trees... are alive."

The next incident was five years ago. A wandering demonic cultivator attempted to refine a Blood Spirit Formation within the abyss. Days later, the formation collapsed on its own, and his body was found hanging upside down from one of the spirit trees, drained of all essence.

His storage ring remained untouched, yet his jade slip contained one cryptic phrase:

"Abyssal qi devours all."

Another incident three years ago was a rogue sect that attempted to chop down a Netherwood tree for its rumored life-extending properties. They succeeded, or so they thought.

Days later, a new tree had grown in the same spot. It bore the same scars as the one they had cut.

And every single member of that sect… vanished without a trace.

Lian Qin Yu sighed, rolling her stiff shoulders. "Great. A haunted forest that holds grudges. Just my luck."

Her robes were slightly torn from running, her internal injuries flaring up whenever she moved too fast.

She needed time to recover, but time was the one thing she didn't have.

Her fingers curled into her sleeve.

A gust of wind slithered out of the abyss, carrying the scent of damp earth and something… off. Something that made the little hairs on her arms prickle.

She shuddered.

"I'm terrified. That means my survival instincts still work. Good to know."

Lian Qin Yu groaned, slowly lowering herself to the ground. Her body screamed in protest, but she needed a moment to think, and by think, she meant stall.

Her limbs ached from running crawling, and not eating anything remotely nutritious. Honestly, she was amazed she was still standing. Hadn't she died recently? Shouldn't she get some kind of newbie tutorial or a free power-up for reincarnating?

She sighed, stretching her legs out. "Alright, genius. Let's break it down.

Option One: I try to find another way. Downside? That could take weeks, and I'll probably get caught, starved, or die from an infected splinter before I even figure something out.

Two: I enter the Netherwood Abyss and roll the dice. Maybe I live, maybe I get turned into a haunted house prop.

Three: …There is no Option C.

She pressed her hands against her face. "Why don't I have an Option C?"

Her arms trembled from the effort of just lifting them. She was running on fumes. At this rate, if the abyss didn't kill her, exhaustion probably would.

Her head tilted back, eyes narrowing at the looming treetops. "What do you think, creepy forest? Gonna let me walk in and take a nap? No? Yeah, I figured."

She glanced down at her trembling hands. Her cultivation base was unstable, her body still recovering from the previous soul-binding restrictions that had nearly crushed her to death. Entering this place in such a state was suicidal.

Yet, what choice did she have?

She let out a slow breath, watching the cold mist swirl before her eyes. "Looks like I don't have the luxury of fear."

After a long, painful struggle to stand up, Lian Qin Yu dragged herself forward, only to slam into something invisible.

A ripple of spiritual energy crackled against her skin.

A protective array? No, it is a boundary formation.

She scowled. "Tch. So even a death trap has standards, huh?"

She squinted. "Okay, rude. I get that I look like a half-dead rat, but you could at least let me in before you kill me."

She tried again. And again. And again.

Still blocked.

"Ugh. This is worse than those glass doors that won't open unless you stand in the exact right spot."

She stepped back, trying again.

Blocked.

Again.

Blocked.

She narrowed her eyes. "Alright, let's try this another way…"

She focused on her spiritual senses, tracing the energy fluctuations in the air. The formation wasn't completely solid,; itifted, like a breathing entity.

Slowly, she adjusted her movements.

One step back.

Two steps forward.

Pause.

The barrier shuddered.

A faint, whispering qi thread curled around her wrist like an unseen hand testing her presence.

She stilled.

Then, she exhaled.

One more step.

The barrier gave way.

The world titled.

She yelped as she fell through the barrier, landing flat on her back with all the grace of a stunned fish.

For a moment, she just lay there.

Then, she exhaled, staring up at the glowing leaves above her.

"Well. That wasn't embarrassing at all."

The air was thick with ancient spiritual energy, yet tainted with something else... something darker. Not just humid, but heavy like it was pressing down on her, watching her every move.

The trees were massive, like towering giants, their bark inky obsidian, so dark it swallowed the light, with veins of deep crimson running through them, pulsing faintly, as if breathing. Their leaves weren't green but glowing violet and deep indigo, shifting colors under the eerie light of floating ghost-fire lanterns.

The ground was not normal dirt. It was dark, warm to the touch, with veins of red light crawling underneath like slow-moving magma, with traces of demonic qi.

Lian Qin Yu dragged herself to her feet, her arms screaming in protest.

She should not be here.

And yet…

She pressed a palm to the nearest tree. Its bark was strangely smooth, cold, like polished obsidian. The moment her skin touched it, a soft hum vibrated beneath her fingertips, not a sound, but a feeling.

She yanked her hand back. "Nope. Don't like that. Not even a little."

Something was alive in these trees. And it knew she was here.

A gust of wind whispered past her ear.

She flinched. The wind shouldn't whisper.

Her heartbeat stuttered. She whirled around.

Nothing.

And yet, that presence lingered. Watching.

She clenched her fists. "Alright, listen up, creepy forest. I'm tired, I'm injured, and I really don't have the patience to play hide and seek with a ghost right now. So if you want to kill me, could you at least make it quick?"

Silence.

Somewhere in the distance, the sound of faint laughter echoed. Not human. Not entirely spirit.

She stiffened. "Right. This place has humor. Too bad I don't."

Her eyes flickered to the strange flora surrounding her.

Among them were:

Shadow Lotus – A rare flower that only bloomed in places of high yin energy. It was rumored to devour the souls of the weak-willed.

Celestial Flame Moss – A glowing, golden moss that warded off malevolent spirits. Useful, but incredibly hard to harvest.

Bloodroot Vines – Harmless-looking, except for the fact that they thrived on the qi of living beings.

Lian Qin Yu groaned. "I am standing in a walking death trap of a forest with no plan and barely any qi reserves. What could possibly go wrong?"

A gust of cold wind slithered past her cheek.

She froze.

Something was watching her.

Not just watching. Studying.

Her fingers twitched toward the dagger at her waist. Not that it would do much against whatever lurked here, but having a weapon felt better than nothing.

She inhaled deeply, suppressing the chill creeping up her spine. "Alright, Abyss. You've got your chance to scare me. Now let's see if you can kill me."

She stepped forward.

The trees sighed.

The Netherwood Abyss had accepted her.

For now.