Chapter 5: Devour
At the lowest level of the underground prison, before the cell imprisoning the indestructible Abyss Spawn.
Compared to the other cells, the gravity crystal layer of this cell, which held the Abyss Spawn, was half a meter thick, showing the level of caution toward this creature. Moreover, this cell was a standalone structure, not built in a row with the others.
When this cell was originally renovated, the design was such that the criminals in the other nine cells could all see the indestructible Abyss Spawn in this cell. If any criminal noticed unusual movements from the Abyss Spawn and informed the guards, they would have a chance to be transferred to the second floor above.
Those in the third level of the underground prison had no chance of getting out, unlike the prisoners on the second and first floors, who were allowed an hour of outdoor exercise each week.
The reason for this arrangement was that if this indestructible Abyss Spawn ever broke free, the Alliance, which had imprisoned it for so many years, would face unimaginable retaliation.
Su Xiao looked at the Abyss Spawn inside the cell. The creature, which had been constantly radiating malice, was now abnormally still. It had sensed that the one who could kill it was standing outside the cell, causing its aura to become increasingly violent.
The already quiet underground prison now had an inexplicable sense of oppression in the air. The nearby prisoners—Lion King, Angry Shark, and Siren—all turned their gazes toward the scene. Hatred, who had been hanging upside down in his cell, and Mind Master, who had been sitting motionless on his bed, both walked to the front of their gravity crystal layers, their eyes fixed on the confrontation between the Abyss Spawn and Su Xiao.
"Director, I suggest you get along with it. If you're thinking of killing it once and for all, I advise you to forget it."
Angry Shark, the most talkative of the five prisoners, spoke up. This guy had a shark-like face, greenish skin, and gills on his neck and behind his ears. He wasn't a fishman but had been cursed by some eerie deep-sea entity in his youth. He was once a notorious pirate of the Anglos Strait, frequently plundering merchant ships of the Saint Lan Kingdom and the Alliance.
The world's oceans were too vast, making them a haven for outlaws. The Four Sea Kings were prime examples, and Angry Shark had been one of the four Pirate Kings until his first mate got too cocky and robbed a cargo ship belonging to the Alliance Merchant Guild.
The Alliance Merchant Guild and Alliance merchants might sound similar, but they represented very different things.
When Angry Shark's first mate was inventorying the cargo of that ship, he found it was full of tea and spices. He was overjoyed until he opened the last few containers, which were filled with neatly stacked, metallic, heavy cannon-grade weapons.
The Alliance classified weapons into three levels: Dangerous, Heavy Cannon, and Iron Blood. The first level, Dangerous, was prohibited for civilians and could threaten the lives of citizens and buildings in cities.
The Heavy Cannon level was on the verge of war, meaning such weapons were only to be used during wartime.
The final Iron Blood level weapons were exclusively produced by the Alliance's First Military Factory. Only this factory in the world could produce weapons powered by Soul Crystals.
Iron Blood weapons were to be used only when necessary during wartime. They could only be stored and deployed in a few specific departments, and each Iron Blood weapon had its own unique serial number. Unless someone had a permit approved by the Alliance Parliament, like Veronica, who had such documents.
When Angry Shark's first mate saw several containers full of Heavy Cannon weapons, he laughed joyfully and ordered his men to take inventory while he went to relieve himself. In reality, he was planning to escape.
After that, the first mate disappeared. To be precise, he was interrogated and then thrown into the sea to feed the fish. An hour later, a five-man team from the Hunter Unit sneaked onto a luxury cruise liner, kicked open the VIP room where Angry Shark was, and found him paralyzed by a 'chance encounter' with a beautiful woman. Lying on the floor, Angry Shark was utterly bewildered, unable to figure out who he had offended. After all, he was one of the four Pirate Kings. How had he fallen so easily?
It turned out that the Alliance Merchant Guild was not to be trifled with because you could never guess which big shot they were working for. That batch of Heavy Cannon weapons was a semi-gift from the Alliance high-ups to the royal family of Saint Lan Kingdom as part of a cooperation deal. Although it appeared to be transported by cargo ship, the Hunter Unit had been secretly protecting it the entire time.
When the Hunter Unit saw Angry Shark's first mate make his move, they initially thought it was a pirate group secretly backed by the Northern Empire. They didn't act immediately but first asked their leader, Tessa, for instructions.
Tessa also found it troublesome. After weighing the options, she began pressuring the relevant departments of the Northern Empire. Their response was just two words: 'What?'
In the end, the royal family of Saint Lan Kingdom, the Alliance high-ups, and the intelligence department heads of the Northern Empire were all left unable to laugh or cry. It was all a misunderstanding.
The most confused was Angry Shark. He admitted to doing many bad things over the years, but the Alliance's tribunal shouldn't have sentenced him to 8,700 years in prison and sent him to the Twilight Sanatorium. That was going too far.
Lion King was the leader of the Ghost Gang. When the Alliance dealt with the Ghost Gang, Lion King had no complaints about being locked up in the Twilight Sanatorium.
Siren had disguised herself as a high-ranking Alliance councilor. She was sentenced to tens of thousands of years and sent to the Twilight Sanatorium, also without complaint.
Hatred and Mind Master needed no explanation. One had attempted to destroy several cities and nearly succeeded, while the other had organized a massive cult. Of course, they would be imprisoned here.
So Angry Shark felt he was being wronged. Why was he locked up here? Later, when the old director came to inspect the third level, Angry Shark repeatedly asked him. The old director finally said, "You dared to rob a ship of the Alliance Merchant Guild, and you don't know why you're locked up?"
At that moment, Angry Shark was bewildered. He asked the old director for a notebook and a pen, and the old director agreed.
From then on, Angry Shark began writing down and recalling all the bad things he had done in the past. Eventually, he became more and more certain that he had never robbed a cargo ship of the Alliance Merchant Guild.
When Angry Shark told the old director he was innocent, the old director shut him up with one sentence: "You've killed plenty of innocent people in your life. I see you're unrepentant. Maybe we need the monastery people to come and reform you."
Hearing this, Angry Shark had nothing to say. Not only because he had no retort, but also because he never wanted to see those lunatics from the monastery again. They were the ones who should be sent to a sanatorium.
Su Xiao glanced at Angry Shark in his cell. Their eyes met for a few seconds before Angry Shark looked away. It wasn't because he was scared, but under the influence of Su Xiao's Soul Gaze ability, Angry Shark felt as if his soul was about to burn if he continued staring.
Su Xiao turned his gaze back to the indestructible Abyss Spawn in the cell and checked whether the one-way valve was usable.
Su Xiao had always studied Abyss energy and Abyss Spawn because he found that the higher his rank, the more frequently he encountered them.
"Roar!!"
The Abyss Spawn in the cell let out a roar. Due to specialized soundproofing, the roar only caused the gravity crystal layer to ripple like water.
Bang! Bang!
The Abyss Spawn repeatedly slammed into the gravity crystal layer, causing it to bulge outward. The most violent impact left the bulging crystal layer only 10 centimeters from Su Xiao's nose.
"Roar!!"
The Abyss Spawn roared again. Though no sound could be heard, layers of black soundwaves spread outward. If these soundwaves hit a mid-to-lower ninth-rank contractor, they would be either dead or crippled, even without a direct attack from the Abyss Spawn.
Su Xiao estimated that if it were a one-on-one fight with both sides at full strength, he couldn't defeat this indestructible Abyss Spawn. Its immortality was just one of its many powerful traits. Back then, the Hunter Unit had captured it through a siege, suffering heavy casualties.
After observation, Su Xiao found that the Abyss Spawn had some intelligence. To be precise, Abyss Spawn that had just left the Abyss had no intelligence or thoughts, driven purely by instinct and cruelty.
After staying in one place for a long time, the Abyss Spawn would develop some intelligence and thinking ability due to environmental influences. However, its overly violent and cruel instincts would heavily suppress this acquired intelligence.
Confirming this, Su Xiao took out the means to deal with the Abyss Spawn. Opening the gravity crystal layer of this cell and fighting the Abyss Spawn one-on-one was impossible, but he could make it praise the sun.
Su Xiao took out a reinforced glass column filled with a blazing golden liquid. To be precise, it was liquid Apollo.
Long ago, Su Xiao had conceived the idea of liquid Apollo and had been refining it until he achieved satisfactory results. The two Solar Holy Swords he had used at Arcane Eternal Star were achieved through liquid Apollo.
When liquid Apollo was perfected, Su Xiao had another idea: gaseous Apollo. To be precise, it was a mist-type Apollo. In places where solid Apollo couldn't be thrown or liquid Apollo couldn't be poured, injecting gaseous Apollo could achieve the goal of eliminating enemies.
For a long time, there had been an unsolvable problem with gaseous Apollo. Then one day, Bubu Wang bought snacks that came with a balloon. When Bubu Wang blew up the balloon to a certain size, it popped with a bang.
Seeing this, Su Xiao silently reflected. Such a simple principle, and he hadn't thought of it. There was no need to worry about detonating gaseous Apollo.
In front of the cell, after setting everything up, Su Xiao noticed the Abyss Spawn inside mimicking his movements, though poorly, only in form.
Ignoring the Abyss Spawn, Su Xiao attached the device to the glass column. Just as he was about to activate it, his movements froze.
For the first time from first rank to ninth rank, Su Xiao experienced what it felt like to be controlled. His entire body became as stiff as stone, as if he had turned into a statue. This feeling made it impossible for him to perform even the simple act of activating the device.
The stiffness lasted about 2 seconds. When Su Xiao recovered, he confirmed one thing: the Abyss Spawn had a control ability that couldn't be resisted.
Of course, another possibility was that Su Xiao's Blade Grandmaster level wasn't high enough. Once it exceeded a certain limit, even the Abyss Spawn's control ability could be resisted.
Su Xiao flexed his fingers. Although he had only been controlled for less than 2 seconds, the tips of his fingers were still numb. Fortunately, the feeling was quickly fading.
Su Xiao activated the device and turned the power to maximum. Gaseous Apollo sprayed from the one-way valve into the Abyss Spawn's cell.
The next moment, the Abyss Spawn lunged forward, swiping its claw at the golden mist. Even though most of its abilities were restricted by the seal, its close-combat prowess was still terrifying.
Boom!
A dull sound echoed. The Abyss Spawn's swipe caused the liquid Apollo to detonate prematurely, covering its claw in sparks. However, the sparks were quickly swallowed by surging darkness.
In that short time, the Abyss Spawn's cell was filled with golden mist. Outside the cell, Su Xiao took out more glass columns filled with liquid Apollo.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion came from the cell, accompanied by the faint roar of the Abyss Spawn.
A few seconds later.
Boom!!
Another explosion. After two explosions, Su Xiao began injecting pure oxygen into the Abyss Spawn's cell, intensifying the Solar Flame's combustion and causing it to deflagrate.
At first, the Abyss Spawn opened its massive, fanged maw like a whale inhaling water, swallowing the deflagrating Solar Flame.
But a few seconds later, the concentration of gaseous Apollo reached the explosion threshold again. Another explosion came from inside, or rather, the intense vibration of the gravity crystal layer.
In a short time, the Abyss Spawn's cell turned into a domain of Solar Flame. As the temperature of the Solar Flame rose, its color shifted from pale gold to incandescent white, then to golden white, and finally to dazzling golden Solar Flame.
The other five prisoners watched the dazzling golden Solar Flame in the Abyss Spawn's cell. This scene felt familiar. No, they had seen something similar years ago when the old director had commissioned the bishops of the Sun Church to burn the Abyss Spawn with Solar Flame. However, that Solar Flame had only reached golden white, not the terrifyingly hot dazzling golden Solar Flame of now.
Su Xiao squinted as he watched the Abyss Spawn within the dazzling golden Solar Flame. At first, it thrashed about wildly, but after nearly half an hour, it began to show signs of fatigue, lying prostrate in the Solar Flame. Its many red eyes stared fixedly at Su Xiao.
Seeing this, Su Xiao gained a new understanding of the Abyss Spawn's survivability. This creature had bizarre abilities, absurd survivability, and, most absurdly, its indestructible trait. The only good news was that such indestructible beings were extremely rare even among the entire Abyss Spawn population.
This world was truly unlucky to have two indestructible Abyss Spawn. But considering the existence of the Dark God Cult in this world, the situation made perfect sense.
After the dazzling golden Solar Flame burned for over an hour, Su Xiao managed to reduce the Abyss Spawn's health to about 2%. Enemy Health was the only result he got from using his detection equipment.
It was worth noting that after such prolonged burning, the Abyss Spawn's cell was only pitted and scarred. It seemed reinforcements had been made after the previous attempt by the Sun Church bishops to eliminate the Abyss Spawn.
Even so, the gravity crystal, known as the strongest crystalline material, was now covered in cracks and reduced to a very thin layer. Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash and shattered it.
Su Xiao entered the cell, holding his sword. Five Blood Souls materialized behind him, floating. One of them merged into his body, enhancing him.
The moment he stepped into the cell, the Abyss Spawn inside suddenly erupted. A wave of darkness exploded from the Abyss Spawn, slightly restoring its health.
The humanoid monster's feet cracked the metal floor as it broke through layers of sound barriers, charging at Su Xiao. On its path, shattered space could be seen, scattering like glass shards.
'Blade Path: Slay.'
Su Xiao slashed diagonally, and a blood-red chain shot out. With the enhancement of the Blood Soul, the Slay's blood-red chain appeared dark red, dotted with sparks.
The Slay's chain enveloped the Abyss Spawn, and blood flames erupted on its body, slowing its movements.
Seizing the opportunity, three Blood Souls merged into Su Xiao. He raised his left arm, pointing his index finger at the Abyss Spawn. Compressed to the extreme, blood energy gathered at his fingertip.
'Blood Smoke Cannon!'
The compressed blood energy turned into a blood-red beam, breaking through layers of small airwaves.
Boom!
The heavily wounded Abyss Spawn was blasted into the wall at the far end of the cell. Its chest and abdomen exploded, revealing semi-fluid black structures that writhed like black tentacles.
'Blood Smoke Cannon.'
Another enhanced Blood Smoke Cannon was fired, causing the entire underground prison to tremble.
After the second shot, Su Xiao's left arm began to feel numb, but he didn't stop. The Abyss Spawn still had strength left, and he didn't want to get close to it. Its abilities were both powerful and bizarre.
Boom!
A third Blood Smoke Cannon was fired, causing the Abyss Spawn to lose its fixed form. It turned into a black semi-fluid mass, floating a meter above the ground, writhing with black tentacles.
Su Xiao immediately activated the Demon Spirit Awakening ability, using it for the first time.
"Passive Effect: Fully awaken the Blade Demon Spirit within Dragon-Slaying Flash. For the next 30 seconds, the Blade Demon Spirit will enter a Frenzied Devour state. During this time, if it attacks an indestructible Abyss Spawn with health below 10%, the Blade Demon Spirit will devour the Abyss Spawn's primordial power and seal it within Dragon-Slaying Flash (this devouring requires Dragon-Slaying Flash to be at least Origin rank to serve as a sufficiently sturdy container to seal the indestructible Abyss Spawn's primordial power).
Note: After completing the devouring and sealing, the Blade Demon Spirit will begin to consume the sealed indestructible Abyss Spawn's primordial power until fully digested. The absorbed primordial power will be used to permanently increase Dragon-Slaying Flash's maximum quality and the Blade Demon Spirit's strength."
A large amount of dark blue smoke spread from Dragon-Slaying Flash. The sword embedded itself in the ground, and all the dark blue smoke surged toward Su Xiao.
Enveloped by the dark blue smoke, Su Xiao's arms transformed into claws made of dark blue smoke. His eyes glowed red. A dark blue smoke thread connected his chest to the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash, which was still embedded in the ground.
Su Xiao vanished and reappeared in front of the Abyss Spawn. He grabbed it with one hand.
"Roar!!!"
The Abyss Spawn let out a deafening roar, causing the fire-blackened metal walls of the cell to crack. Strangely, the Abyss Spawn, which had remained calm even under the Solar Flame, now flailed its limbs and tentacles wildly. Its many red eyes were wide open.
From the perspective of the five prisoners, Su Xiao, shrouded in dark blue smoke, grabbed the Abyss Spawn with one hand and lifted it. The dark blue smoke on his body began to rapidly devour the Abyss Spawn, causing it to shrink. Eventually, the black semi-fluid Abyss Spawn was completely swallowed by the dark blue smoke.
Witnessing the Abyss Spawn being devoured, Hatred remained expressionless. Mind Master, though appearing calm, had a twitching corner of his eye, showing he was not at ease. Lion King, Angry Shark, and Siren looked as if they had seen a ghost.
The dark blue smoke gradually peeled away from Su Xiao and returned to Dragon-Slaying Flash. He pulled the sword from the ground and surveyed the damage around him. He would need to contact Mayor Perth again, but this time, the mayor would surely be willing to pay for the repairs.
Sheathing his sword, Su Xiao walked out of the cell and looked at Siren in the cell diagonally opposite. He approached her cell and stared at her calmly.
"Director Bai Ye... congratulations on eliminating the Abyss Spawn. I truly admire you."
"..."
Su Xiao said nothing, just stared at Siren through the gravity crystal layer.
"Ahem, Director Bai Ye, is there something you need?"
"..."
Finding Su Xiao still silent, Siren made a retching motion and then spat out a key-shaped metal strip, placing it on the tray used for daily food deliveries.
"Director Bai Ye, it wasn't me trying to escape. Lion King asked me to make this. You knew before that Lion King and Angry Shark were plotting an escape."
Hearing this, Su Xiao turned his gaze to Lion King, who felt his blood run cold. He had been wary of the new director, who was not only ruthless but also acted without needing a reason like the old director. This guy struck first and found a reason later.
If Lion King had been wary of Su Xiao before, after witnessing him devour the Abyss Spawn, he now trembled at the sight of him. The more he knew about the Abyss Spawn, the more he understood how terrifying the new director was.
Su Xiao pressed the one-way valve of the gravity crystal layer. The tray snapped out, and he picked up the homemade key. Siren explained from across the way:
"The human body contains iron. After a few months of accumulation, you get this amount."
"..."
Su Xiao tossed the homemade key into the Abyss Spawn's cell and walked toward the stairs. Only after his footsteps faded did Lion King angrily say:
"Siren, you sold me out."
"Don't be mad. Look at this."
Siren spat out a second homemade key. Seeing this, Lion King and Angry Shark suppressed their anger.
"So, you still want to escape."
Su Xiao's voice came from the dim stairwell. He was sitting on the steps, considering whether to kill Siren. But her ability was too useful. She didn't just imitate others; she could become them, achieving cell-level complete mimicry.
Su Xiao's return made Siren freeze. She quickly took out the second homemade key.
After taking the second key, Su Xiao left. Half an hour later, Siren, Lion King, and Angry Shark finally relaxed. Angry Shark cursed:
"Why show off? Couldn't you keep it hidden? Or do you have a third one?"
"This time, really not."
Siren sighed and lay back on her bed.
"Don't talk. I suspect he's still here."
Lion King whispered. Hearing this, Mind Master joked:
"From a psychological perspective, someone like Director Bai Ye, who cares about face, won't come a third time. Three strikes and you're out."
"Hmm, that makes sense."
With that, Su Xiao, who had been sitting on the dark steps, got up and left.
Half an hour later, in the director's office, Su Xiao, having taken a cold shower, sat behind his desk, feeling refreshed. Killing the Abyss Spawn came with a reward. He had known this before, but this time, the reward was special and required settlement. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He tried to check and received the following prompt:
[Prompt: The kill reward for defeating the Abyss Spawn (Aberrant Species) is being settled. This kill reward is dual: Reincarnation Paradise certification + Void Tree certification. Settlement is expected to be completed in five minutes.]