Soon afterward, a great roar erupted from the Sea of Bitterness, followed by monstrous waves. The Great Whale then emerged from the depths, its head rising as it looked at the departing Ning Beichen with what seemed like a look of relief. It nodded slightly.
"Beichen, you've finally emerged from seclusion," said Liu Yilin and the other women, gathered excitedly at the entrance to Ning Beichen's secret chamber.
"Yes, I apologize for making you worry. By the way, how long was I in seclusion?" Ning Beichen asked.
"You were in seclusion for nearly two years," Liu Yilin replied.
"Two years? It's been two years?" Ning Beichen exclaimed. While cultivating, he hadn't perceived the passage of time at all. He hadn't realized that two years had flown by in the blink of an eye. It was no wonder they said that time in the mountains passes unnoticed; it wasn't that time didn't pass, but rather that one forgot about it.
"Has anything significant happened outside?" Ning Beichen asked, putting aside his musings.
"No, everyone is stable. With your formations in place, they can't get out, so most people are focusing on their cultivation," replied Liu Yilin and the others.
"And the daughter of the Asura King?" Ning Beichen nodded, then remembered the Asura King's daughter. He asked urgently, as she wasn't human and might not be as compliant.
"She's convinced the Asura King isn't dead and occasionally pleads with us to rescue her father," Haitang shrugged.
"What do you think?" Ning Beichen didn't dismiss it outright, as no one knew for certain if the Asura King was truly dead.
"We can't rule out that possibility. After all, we humans have a connection with our loved ones. Perhaps the Asura King's daughter can sense her father," Jin Yuehe said.
After discussing the Asura King's daughter, the women eagerly inquired about Ning Beichen's seclusion. They were all overjoyed to hear that he had mastered the Divine Realm of the Great Empowered.
"Beichen, do you have confidence in dealing with the Asuras?" Liu Yilin and the others still seemed a bit worried.
"Don't worry, what is a mere Asura to me?" Ning Beichen said confidently. This wasn't just for their reassurance; he truly felt this confidence. He had seen things that other cultivators couldn't, and he had glimpsed the world of the truly empowered. Strictly speaking, Bai Mei wasn't a true empowered being; he could only be considered a pseudo-empowered one. Even if Bai Mei's cultivation hadn't been suppressed, Ning Beichen was still fully confident in defeating him. To see mountains not as mountains and water not as water – that was the realm of the truly empowered.
"Let's go, I'll take you to Abi Great City," Ning Beichen told Liu Yilin and the others.
"Yes." Liu Yilin and the others nodded excitedly. Since Ning Beichen said so, he must have complete confidence, as he had never taken their safety lightly.
To go to Abi Great City, they naturally had to bring the Asura King's daughter. However, they needed to negotiate terms with her and find out how many among the Asuras supported the Asura King. Killing all the Asuras was unrealistic, as this was the Asura Hell. Even with Ning Beichen's current strength, he couldn't achieve that. His goal was simply to leave this place.
The Asura King's daughter readily agreed and was eager to go to Abi Great City immediately.
Before long, Ning Beichen led them toward Abi Great City. However, before they even approached the city, they were discovered by the Asuras. The city gates were opened, and countless Asura soldiers poured out, surrounding Ning Beichen and his companions.
"Presumptuous! Do you know who I am?" the Asura King's daughter stepped forward and shouted.
Upon seeing the King's daughter, the Asura soldiers were startled and knelt down. Regardless, the Asura King was still a supreme being in their hearts.
Just then, an Asura general on a tall steed emerged and roared, "Rise, all of you! She is a fake princess! Arrest them all!"
With the general's command, the kneeling Asura soldiers stood up and began to attack Ning Beichen and his group.
"How dare you!"
"The Princess is here! Do you dare attack her and not fear the Asura King's wrath?" Ning Beichen roared, speaking sternly. Before departing, he had learned some Asura language from the King's daughter, so these Asuras could understand him.
"He's human, ignore him! I order you to capture him!" the general commanded as soon as Ning Beichen finished speaking.
The Asura soldiers, aware that something was amiss, dared not disobey the general's orders and launched their attack on Ning Beichen. However, both the general and these Asura soldiers had underestimated Ning Beichen's strength, believing that their sheer numbers would overwhelm these humans.
Ning Beichen, too lazy to engage in further talk, unleashed a powerful pressure that enveloped the entire Abi Great City. Instantly, all Asuras below the six-armed Asura level, both inside and outside the city, were overwhelmed and fainted. Those above six-armed Asura were also affected; weaker ones couldn't even move, struggling to endure. However, the eight-armed Asuras and above were less affected by the pressure. More than ten eight-armed Asuras charged towards Ning Beichen. Before they could even get close, a swift, eerie sword light flashed, and the heads of these ten-plus eight-armed Asuras vanished.
Though Asuras were powerful, the eight-armed ones were considered elite. Even in Abi Great City, their numbers were scarce, totaling less than a hundred. To have over ten eight-armed Asuras instantly killed was a loss that even Abi Great City could not afford.
With a thunderous roar, a colossal figure flew out of Abi Great City and descended towards Ning Beichen. This massive figure was a nine-armed Asura. With its nine arms, it unleashed various attacks towards Ning Beichen. Ning Beichen looked at the nine-armed Asura and licked his lips. This creature's appearance finally sparked a slight interest in him. However, it was only a minor interest. Facing the nine-armed Asura's onslaught, Ning Beichen didn't even look up. With a grab of his five fingers, he caught one of the nine arms. With a powerful heave, he slammed the nine-armed Asura to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw, then proceeded to pummel it relentlessly. After a few blows, the nine-armed Asura was on the verge of death. The attacks from the nine-armed Asura had been completely ineffective, unable to even dent Ning Beichen's golden body.