Chapter 28: Abyss
After releasing over five thousand meters of steel cable, the winch began to tighten.
Click-clack...
The steel cable rapidly wound around the winch. Before long, Su Xiao heard the cries of the giant war pig. It felt somewhat like fishing.
When the giant war pig was hauled up, it still had several "hangers" attached, biting into its hind legs.
These four ferocious "accessories" were exceptionally vicious, having already bitten many bloody holes into the giant war pig's hind legs.
Once they left the range of the black mist, the four vicious alien beasts released their grip. They leaped onto the rock wall and quickly climbed downward.
The winch stopped, leaving the giant war pig suspended in midair in a hanging posture. It glared at Baha, clearly having developed a grudge against him.
Preliminary testing showed that there was danger below the abyss, but not to the extent that Su Xiao couldn't handle it. His gaze shifted to Baha.
"With its weight, it should be fine."
Baha grabbed the giant war pig by the nape of its neck, unfastened the harness on it, and began descending together with the giant war pig.
Su Xiao dismantled the winch and stored it away. He looked at Amu, who directly leaped into the abyss. Su Xiao's gaze turned to Bubu Wang, only to find that this guy was already prepared.
Bubu Wang was wearing a custom-made wingsuit, a pair of goggles on his head, and a miniature thruster attached to each side of his rear.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang charged forward a few steps, then leaped, spreading all four paws wide. Due to the high-speed dive, the sides of his lips were blown up by the wind pressure, flapping incessantly. This guy was already having fun.
Su Xiao also jumped down, landing precisely on Bubu Wang's back. The Realm Severing Thread shot out, wrapping around the falling Amu.
Bubu Wang leaned forward slightly, and the thrusters on his rear activated.
Puff~
Blue flames sprayed from the miniature thrusters, slowing Bubu Wang's descent. The Realm Severing Thread in Su Xiao's hand tightened.
The wind howled past his ears. During the descent, Su Xiao was surrounded by black mist, unable to see anything clearly.
Bubu Wang adjusted the angle of his wingsuit. Not far away, Baha was gripping the giant war pig, using his wings to decelerate.
After falling for at least several minutes, Su Xiao, seated on Bubu Wang's back, could finally see the situation below. It was a pitch-black land.
Su Xiao's team landed smoothly. The white orb floating beside Su Xiao slowly drifted in one direction.
Su Xiao grabbed the white orb and tossed it to Amu for safekeeping. This thing could guide their direction.
The black land was barren, with not a blade of grass. Occasionally, a skeleton half-buried in the soil could be seen. The contrast between black and white was especially striking.
The vicious alien beasts from before did not appear. The abyss gave a feeling of desolation—nothingness, the desolation of all things withering.
After confirming there was no danger nearby, Su Xiao began moving toward the inner part of the abyss, following the direction indicated by the white orb.
During the journey, aside from the sound of footsteps, there was silence all around. Su Xiao's hand rested on his sword hilt. Ever since entering the abyss, he had felt a faint, probing gaze.
"Come out."
Su Xiao stopped, ready to draw his sword at any moment. But after a while, the feeling of being watched disappeared.
Half a kilometer away, behind a pile of rocks, a figure was crouching. She had long gray hair reaching her waist and pitch-black pupils. Though her aura was strong, her hiding posture was somewhat embarrassing.
"How did this plague god come here?"
The mixed-blood ancient god, Ursula, had disbelief in her eyes. She had sensed life energy entering the abyss and came to check, since staying here was a bit boring.
"Oh? Am I not allowed to come to the abyss?"
Hearing this somewhat familiar voice, Ursula's face stiffened before returning to normal.
"Long time no see, Kukulin."
Ursula sat on the rock pile, her expression natural.
"If you don't mind, lead the way for us."
"I do mind, so I won't lead the way for you!"
Ursula smiled at Su Xiao, her words contrary to her true feelings, but she still felt an exhilarating sense of relief. She had finally refused a Law Destroyer's request. How many years had she wanted to do this? Today, she finally succeeded.
Ursula's body dissolved into a swarm of gray butterflies. This was her avatar, a clone-like ability, but several ranks higher than a standard clone ability.
Su Xiao watched the drifting gray butterflies ahead, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He remembered this favor.
Ursula's attitude earlier was not a refusal. The feeling was clearly a hint—most likely, some creature or existence was watching this place.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao took out the [Psychic Liquid] he had obtained earlier and sprinkled some on the back of his hand.
The moment the psychic liquid touched Su Xiao's skin, the world in his eyes changed drastically, becoming a distorted black and white.
A vertical pupil appeared above, and with a sizzling sound, it seemed to be burned and slowly dissipated.
"You understood after all. I don't want to offend that guy yet, since we've coexisted peacefully for a few hundred years. So, good luck~"
A faint voice came through, and Ursula's aura completely disappeared.
Following the direction indicated by the white orb, Su Xiao continued deeper into the abyss. He encountered no enemies along the way. This was no coincidence; it was likely a benefit from the psychic liquid.
The span of the abyss was wider than imagined. Su Xiao walked for nearly a day before reaching the rock wall on the other side. At the base of the rock wall was a cluster of dilapidated buildings.
These buildings had a completely different architectural style from the Sera Empire. The roofs were gabled, with tiles on both sides, and stone decorations at the four corners of the roof.
This construction method was more practical than the buildings of the Sera Empire—no water accumulation during rain, and a more stable overall framework.
Although these buildings were still standing, they seemed very out of place, as if they had suddenly appeared here one day. Some houses didn't even have foundations.
A massive figure sat among the buildings. He looked like a giant, a somewhat fat giant.
Su Xiao stood behind a wall, took a peek, then picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it.
Bang~
The pebble hit the fat giant's bald head. He tilted his head in confusion, rubbed the back of his skull, and continued sitting there in a daze.
Clang~
Dragon-Slaying Flash was drawn. Su Xiao walked out from behind the building, blood energy spreading around him.
The fat giant was visibly startled. He looked around, but after searching for a while, he still didn't see Su Xiao. After all, to the fat giant, Su Xiao was shorter than his calf. Even though he was sitting, he still couldn't see Su Xiao.
The fat giant grew very uneasy. Finally, he looked down and saw Su Xiao.
"Ah!"
The fat giant, "frightened," scrambled to his feet, stomping a building flat with a crash before running off in large strides.
Su Xiao looked at the pile of rubble ahead. Such strength was conservatively estimated at over 150 points, and it was true strength attribute.
"What the hell... that was too cowardly. I feel like that big fatty could beat me hanging upside down."
Baha stared blankly at the retreating fat giant.
"He's not afraid of us."
Su Xiao sheathed his longsword.
"Then?"
"It seems... he doesn't want to harm any living thing."
As Su Xiao and Baha conversed, they arrived before a palace.
[Tip: The Hunter has arrived at the Divine Ritual Hall.]
[The Hunter must quickly find the 'Space-Time Hub Device' within the Divine Ritual Hall.]
Su Xiao pushed open the wooden doors of the Divine Ritual Hall. The doors hadn't been opened in a long time; they creaked as they swung open, dust falling from above. The two wooden doors were pushed wide.
...
Above the abyss, on the cliff beside the old hag, Iwell.
The march of over a hundred thousand troops caused the ground to tremble slightly. At the front of the column was a woman with long silver hair. It was Xi, who had clearly come to find Iwell as well.
"Xi~ Xi, Xi!"
A short-haired girl spoke. Her unique aura was like a Samoyed just let out of its cage—cheerful and intellectually challenged.
"I'm here. What is it now, Mi Tang?"
Xi's delicate brows furrowed. The thing she regretted most recently was hiring this violator from Holy Light Paradise.
"I suggest you run immediately, faster than a wild dog. Quick! Quick! Start running."
The short-haired girl jogged in place, urging Xi.
"Pfft~"
A handsome man beside her couldn't help but laugh. He seemed very casual, named Old Wolf. He wasn't Xi's follower; he owed Xi a favor, so he was helping her. After doing three more things for her, they would be even.
"Explain the specific situation, Mi Tang. I know you mean no harm, but talking like this will get you killed sooner or later."
Xi frowned. Of course, she wouldn't get angry over a single sentence from Mi Tang.
"Ah, sorry. Then run like a runaway wild donkey. Just be fast!"
As Mi Tang's words fell, the old hag Iwell, who had been kneeling in the distance, slowly stood up.
"You... have eaten the source of a god. A pitiful and kind god."
With a boom, the rock layer beneath Iwell's feet shattered. A massive war scythe burst out, grasped in her hand. At this moment, Iwell had just swallowed Alexander's heart.
"Congratulations, Ms. Xi. You've successfully triggered one of the top three boss battles in this world. And let me give you another 'good news': that old hag can absorb life force by killing enemies, and you can't negotiate with her, so you won't find the Divine Kingdom. Oh yeah~"
Mi Tang made a peace sign, raised her phone, and with a click, took a photo with the distant Iwell.
"Aren't you running?"
Mi Tang smiled at Xi.
"Of course... not."
Xi raised one hand, and ten transparent crystals floated around her.
"Oh ho? Then if you get beaten to the point of doubting life, don't say I didn't warn you. This young lady is off first. If you can win, I'll come back. Good luck."
The cheerful cute girl, Mi Tang, vanished from the spot. If she died, the world would lose an interesting soul, but gain an interesting ghost.
"Kill... you all."
With a boom, crushed stone flew from under Iwell's feet. The next moment, she appeared abruptly before Xi, her war scythe swinging horizontally, the wind howling mournfully.
Iwell's speed was so fast that no one had a chance to react, like a starving, ferocious ghost.