He is the eldest senior brother of Eric Dawson, the direct disciple of the current old sect master of Guangcheng Mountain.

This man is upright and straightforward. Admitting that his abilities are not as great as Eric Dawson's father and second senior uncle, he made it clear early on that he would withdraw from the competition for the next sect master, willingly assisting the new leader and putting the development of the sect above all else.

In fact, even if this Elder Stone is not quite as capable as his two junior brothers, the difference is minimal. He is a veteran grandmaster, one of the top experts of Guangcheng Mountain, and his reputation is renowned throughout the entire Eight Extremes World.

Although he does not participate in the competition for the next sect master, his words carry great weight—even the current old sect master highly values the opinion of this senior disciple.

No matter who becomes the new sect master, he will almost certainly continue to firmly occupy the chief seat of the Disciplinary Hall, a true super heavyweight within the sect.

At present, between Eric Dawson's father and second senior uncle, this eldest senior brother remains neutral.

If Ethan Clark happened to rub him the wrong way and ended up killed by Eric Dawson out of jealousy, one can well imagine how Elder Stone would react.

Even without evidence, mere suspicion could affect his perception.

Jack continued, “As for this matter, Ethan Clark himself probably doesn’t know yet. Elder Stone intends to observe him for a while longer.”

He glanced at Eric Dawson, speaking with some exasperation, “Young master, this time you really do need to look after this Ethan Clark. Otherwise, if he dies in Zhenlong Abyss, even if you didn’t do it, you’ll still be blamed.”

Eric Dawson curled his lips, thinking to himself, “Come on, with the protagonist’s halo around him, how could he die so easily?”

“After I enter Zhenlong Abyss, you’ll be in charge of all internal and external communications. Sorry, but you’ll have to run around a bit more.” Eric Dawson waved his hand indifferently, and Jack quickly nodded in agreement.

The group made their way through Zhenlong Abyss along the path opened by the blue lanterns and fire, soon reaching the end.

Eric Dawson stopped, took out the measuring instrument, lit a green candle, and, using the candlelight, stepped into the dense black mist ahead. The others did the same, carefully following behind Eric Dawson.

Once free from the suppressive seal, the black mist in the environment immediately became even more violent and rampant, surging at the group like raging waves.

If not for Eric Dawson and Jack leading the way, the others, even with candlelight, would have found it hard to linger for long.

“As expected, the chaotic demonic aura is much denser, and its flow is far faster than before—clearly disturbed by some cause.” Eric Dawson looked around, his gaze piercing the thick black mist.

It was almost pitch black before his eyes; even with Eric Dawson’s eyesight, he could only make out things nearby.

Faintly, a streak of red light flashed by like lightning in the night sky—an anomaly never before seen in Zhenlong Abyss.

Without needing Eric Dawson to instruct him, Jack reached out his palm and grabbed at the air.

When he withdrew his hand, a red mark could be seen in his palm, faintly glowing in the darkness, writhing as if alive, seemingly trying to burrow into his flesh.

“Something foreign…” Eric Dawson glanced at it, his eyes narrowing. “So it really isn’t a natural disaster, but man-made.”

Chapter 10: Close the Gate, Release Ethan Clark!

Guided by the vibrating instrument, Eric Dawson and the others made their way through Zhenlong Abyss.

The red flashes that occasionally darted through the black mist like lightning were collected by Jack, who used his own qi to restrain them, then sealed them in specially crafted crystals.

After traveling for half a day, the group suddenly felt that the chaotic demonic aura in the form of black mist ahead seemed to have calmed and thinned a little.

Jack walked beside Eric Dawson: “Young master, we’ve reached the center of the vortex.”

Eric Dawson nodded. In Zhenlong Abyss, there were occasionally calmer spots, like the eye of a storm, surrounded by raging waves but relatively peaceful within.

Such areas varied in number and size, their locations shifting over time, sometimes even moving and changing.

“The center of the vortex is relatively safe. Everyone can take a break here,” Eric Dawson said. “Generally, these areas are likely to give rise to all kinds of rare treasures. Since the environment is safer, it’s also good for searching and gathering.”

“Everyone can move about freely and try your luck, but be careful—this is still Zhenlong Abyss.”

Ethan Clark, Alice Warren, and the other young disciples all responded in unison, then curiously looked around.

Eric Dawson held the measuring instrument, examining it closely. “This vortex center seems to have some unique mysteries…”

“Hmm?” Eric Dawson suddenly sensed something, lifted his head, and casually glanced around, saying lightly, “Everyone, fall back.”

In the distance, a glimmer of golden light suddenly flickered in the black mist. The group, startled, instinctively retreated as instructed.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Eric Dawson sent a streak of blue light flashing by like lightning in the night sky, illuminating the surrounding canyon.

At that moment, the golden light in the black mist suddenly grew brighter, and a massive figure burst forth—a one-eyed monstrous python, its single eye emitting the golden glow.

But just as the python lunged out, the blue light struck, accompanied by a faint dragon’s roar!

The golden light was instantly extinguished. The monstrous python let out a piercing hiss, which abruptly stopped the next moment, falling silent.

A moment later, a heavy thud sounded—the massive body of the python had crashed to the ground.