# Chapter 3: Old Friend
Within the Abyss Erosion Zone, Su Xiao sheathed his long blade. The "Pitch Black Blood Sea" gradually dissolved, finally turning into patches of blood puddles.
Continuing deeper into this area, before long, he spotted the Abyss Passage. After observing for a moment, he furrowed his brow. The reason was that this Abyss Passage differed from any he had seen before—its edges were tattered and ragged, as if it had been forcibly torn open?
No, judging by the marks, it looked more like it had been bitten out in one go. This immediately made him think of the Rune Clan, who represented "Beast." This savage method was indeed beastly enough.
From within this Abyss Passage, the low growls of dark beasts could still be faintly heard. However, after experiencing the god of death outside, these dark creatures chose to temporarily retreat. They were fierce and cruel, yes, but they were also living beings with survival instincts, knowing to avoid harm.
Let alone these Abyss-type creatures—in the Ancient Dragon Kingdom, those Abyss entities had been killed by Su Xiao to the point of relocating.
He clasped his hands together for a moment, then gradually pulled them apart. Strands of Spirit Shadow Threads as thick as pinky fingers stretched out. These Spirit Shadow Threads spread toward the Abyss Passage, the crystal sharp spikes at their tips piercing through the world, forming sutures. After completing precise stitching, he gave a forceful pull, and the Abyss Passage was initially sutured shut, with all the Spirit Shadow Threads fusing together.
Since this wasn't the Ancient Dragon Kingdom, the balance between Abyss and elements hadn't been disrupted. He raised one hand in an empty grip and waited for a few minutes. Various natural elements gathered toward his right hand. Among them was a mischievous fire element that changed direction and flew straight toward his face.
*Pah~*
Like flicking away a summer insect, Su Xiao flicked away this fire element. He appreciated the little fellow's enthusiasm, but it shouldn't come too close. Even with his over 2500 points of stamina attribute, he still felt the fire element scorching his face.
When enough natural elements had gathered in his hand, he pressed his palm against the sutured area. This caused the region with the world scar at the Spirit Shadow Thread sutures to gradually smooth out. Once this area of the world had completely healed, he withdrew the Spirit Shadow Threads, perfectly closing an Abyss Passage.
At this moment, outside the Black Stone Sky Wall, the legion stationed here had already assembled. The Honorary Second Lieutenant wore a grave expression, while his adjutant beside him had a worried look in his eyes.
The Honorary Second Lieutenant was waiting for orders from above. He had already reported the situation here to his superiors.
"Sir."
A strong-built female soldier spoke up. She was one of the few perception-type members in this legion brigade. Her "Divine Flesh" was a heart. As a trade-off for the higher probability of "Aberration," she had successfully mastered the "Spatial Touch Ability."
Given a little time, she could spread her perception web across a large area of surrounding space, like a spider weaving its web. At that point, even the slightest disturbance would be caught by her.
As for the so-called "Aberration," this was an unavoidable risk of transplanting "Divine Flesh." Once the mechanized portion of the body exceeded 50%, "Aberration" could occur.
"Aberration" was irreversible and an extremely dangerous process. Initially, "Aberration" only caused a person's emotions to gradually fade—this was the incubation period. When emotions thinned to a certain threshold, it would enter the acute change phase.
An "Aberration" individual in the acute change phase had no emotions or feelings. It would subconsciously absorb the negative emotions of other living beings within its range—jealousy, lust, inner evil, killing intent, greed, and so on.
In people's hearts, there would inevitably be a beast. Those who kept this beast locked away were the kind-hearted people seen in daily life. Those who released this beast were the wicked.
This "Aberration" would undergo rapid distortion based on the strongest negative emotion absorbed at the time. How fast? From entering the acute change phase to completing distortion, it could take as little as a few minutes or as long as a few hours.
Even more terrifying was that this "Distorted Entity's" mental energy carried contamination, causing other living beings nearby to undergo the same type of distortion.
This naturally required someone to handle it—that was one of the daily tasks of the "Imperial Special Affairs Department."
Following the female soldier's gesture, the Honorary Second Lieutenant looked toward the top of the Black Stone Sky Wall. The large cracks made his heart sink halfway. As for stopping the outsider from entering the Abyss Spreading Zone, the moment he saw the other party, the Honorary Second Lieutenant knew this was impossible. He certainly wasn't afraid of death—if he were, how could he have volunteered to guard this place back then?
What the Honorary Second Lieutenant truly needed to do was report everything that happened here to his superiors. That way, the Legion Commander would be prepared and could minimize the disaster level of this Abyss invasion. Even if it cost him his life, he couldn't let the Abyss spread near "Yinfu City."
"First, second, and third squads, prepare to hold the line—"
Before the Honorary Second Lieutenant could finish his words, the Black Stone Sky Wall shattered with a boom. More precisely, the Black Stone barrier that had sealed this Abyss Spreading Zone completely broke apart.
The Honorary Second Lieutenant's fist clenched until his knuckles cracked. Facing the oncoming darkness, his gaze grew increasingly resolute. He absolutely had to hold on until the very last moment. Every second they, as the forward front line, held out was another second of certainty for the main legion stationed near "Yinfu City."
Standing in the surging darkness, the Honorary Second Lieutenant was about to issue another order when he suddenly noticed that the surging darkness was beginning to... thin? No, it wasn't thinning—it was rapidly dispersing upward and disappearing.
In just half a minute, the Abyss Spreading Zone that had existed here for a thousand years was reduced to nothing but a pitch-black land, proving it had once existed. As for the Abyss Passage that had been discovered in the past but couldn't be approached, it had now completely vanished. The clear world region looked as if there had never been an Abyss Passage there.
The Lord's Train arrived, stopping with a burst of steam. Su Xiao boarded the Lord's Train, and it started up, heading straight for the next Abyss Passage.
The soldiers stationed here looked at each other, momentarily stunned. Then came an irrepressible joy in their hearts—a joy so sudden it felt unreal. If not for protecting the citizens of "Yinfu City" and their loved ones living there, who would risk their lives to guard this place?
Faced with this almost unreal situation, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells took the communication device. From his barely visible but still trembling hand, it was clear that his inner state wasn't as calm as his outward appearance suggested. Hearing the familiar yet authoritative voice from the communicator, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells said:
"Sir, the 53rd Abyss Spreading Zone under my jurisdiction has disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
The Legion Commander on the other end showed no joy whatsoever, only concern.
"To be precise, it has been closed. I can still see the original traces and direction of the Abyss Passage in the spatial marks. It has been... very thoroughly closed."
Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells gave this answer while looking at the detection device.
"Wells."
The Legion Commander's stern tone made Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells press his hand firmly against his chest: "Sir, present!"
"I order you to lead your Fifth Vanguard Squad and do your utmost to track that outsider... track that gentleman's whereabouts. If that gentleman has any needs, as long as it doesn't harm the Empire's interests, you are to fulfill them to the best of your ability."
"Yes sir!"
Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells answered decisively. This was an order. All legions of the Empire were like this—once it was an order, there was no room for negotiation.
Ending the communication, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells looked at the female soldier beside him. She shrugged, indicating, "Sir, don't look at me. That train is the fastest and finest vehicle I've seen in my life. I can't track it."
Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells opened the Empire map, looking at the Abyss Passages from number 68 to number 0. He was momentarily at a loss. He had no idea which Abyss Passage that Supreme Strong would go to close next.
Just then, a dog head poked over, clearly thinking: 'Oh? There's a map? Let me see what's going on.'
On the "Network Terminal," this Abyss Passage map hadn't been uploaded. Or perhaps it had been uploaded before but was completely deleted. The Imperial military had successfully preserved the paper version. Needless to say, this was a trace of the past power struggles between the royal family and the three ministers—namely, the Soul Clock Tower and the Rune Family.
Ten minutes later, on the Lord's Train, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells, his adjutant, and the female soldier Casilaman all sat upright and proper.
"Three of you, no need to be so formal. From our actions, you should be able to tell that we're not bad people."
Baha, who had just returned to the team, took charge of this negotiation.
Although Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was uncertain inside, he still had a courage that wouldn't let the Empire or the legion down. He asked:
"May I ask who you several individuals are?"
"Me? Baha, not worth mentioning. This is Bubuteni, and this is our boss. Hmm~, he generally introduces himself externally as the Shadow of Law Destruction, Kukulin Bai Ye."
Hearing the name Kukulin Bai Ye, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells's pupils visibly contracted, even though he tried hard to hide it. This person was infamous throughout the Void and myriad worlds.
He went to the Wind Sea Continent, killed the current Beast King, then caused the Wind Sea Continent to enter the Abyss Era from being a Transcendent realm. The beast race was exterminated, and the sea race had become a race of distorted monsters after the Abyss invasion.
He went to the Witch Realm, triggered the "Malignant Transformation" there, and was even said to have toyed with the current Moon Witch before imprisoning her in the Moon Temple.
That wasn't all. After arriving at Blazing Sun Star, he nearly killed ninety percent of the strong ones there.
Obviously, this was information spread by Arcane Eternal Star. More cleverly, over seventy percent of this information was true. Su Xiao had indeed killed the old Beast King, but the Wind Sea Continent entering the Abyss Era was caused by Spider Lady. As for toying with the current Moon Witch—pure slander! However, considering what Su Xiao had done in the Witch Realm and the look the Moon Witch gave him when he was about to leave, it was indeed meaningful.
Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was no fool. He had long heard about the enmity between the Law Destroyers and Arcane Eternal Star, and which side was spreading these rumors.
Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells only believed what he saw. What he saw was that this person had come here, closed an Abyss Passage, and was at this very moment heading straight for the next spatial passage.
What could be certain was that this person was a ruthless killer, decisive in killing. As for being evil and wicked, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells thought that wasn't necessarily the case.
"Three of you, don't be so formal. Are Imperial officers forbidden from drinking?"
"Not under special circumstances."
"Then please, the three of you."
Baha gestured with his wing toward the wine bottle on the table. Female soldier Casilaman looked at her superior, then pulled out the stopper, first pouring a glass for her superior, then for the adjutant. When it came to herself, she grinned and drank straight from the bottle.
"Mr. Bai Ye, may I ask... what is your purpose in coming here?"
"To compete for the 'Star Heart,' and to close the Abyss Passages along the way."
Su Xiao spoke with his eyes closed, resting. There were still several Abyss Passages to close later, so he naturally needed to rest during the journey.
"'Star Heart'? What is that?"
"Intelligence from a friend called Shenfu."
Su Xiao wasn't worried about Shenfu coming here. The other party had just mastered the "Death Mark," and there was more than a fifty percent chance he wouldn't immediately come here to clash with him—unless there were special circumstances.
...
King's City, Star Radiance City, King's Street, in front of store number 2052.
This was a clothing store. A traveler who had just arrived in this world a few hours ago was being measured by a tailor. He wanted to order a proper set of clothes.
This person wore a gray shirt, narrow-framed sunglasses, slicked-back blond hair, a black glove on his right hand, and a faint smile on his face. Yes, it was Soul Master.
Nearby was Orora, dressed in black robes with eyes showing a dark green hue. Her once defiant eyes were now full of helplessness, their light almost dim.
Soul Master's mood was complicated at the moment because he was repeating what Haoji had done in the previous world.
In the previous world, both the Hunter and Shenfu's strength had undergone transformations due to their respective accumulations. Soul Master was certain that compared to these two, he was now a step behind. But with the "Brand Devouring" ability given by Dawn Paradise, he had confidence that in the near future, he could catch up to them in strength.
But for now, encountering these two meant he had to avoid their sharp edge.
The problem was, he wanted to avoid them, but Shenfu didn't want that. This ability for "Brand Devouring" was something Shenfu had his eye on. Just as Su Xiao had mastered "Heavenly Edge Shadow Severing," the "Death Mark" that Shenfu had fused, though powerful, was still in its initial state and required massive resources to upgrade.
That was why Soul Master had paid a great price to track Su Xiao here. His purpose was simple: with this Law Destroyer who was hostile to Shenfu around, Shenfu couldn't chase him without restraint—he would have to divert some energy to guard against the Hunter.
Just as Soul Master was pondering this, the tailor behind him said, "Customer, the measurements are done."
Hearing this gentle voice tinged with a hint of kindly old age, Soul Master's body stiffened. He clearly remembered that the tailor measuring him just moments ago was a middle-aged man.
Through the side mirror, Soul Master saw standing behind him an old man wearing a white shirt, a raw leather vest, with his right sleeve rolled up to the elbow. Though his hair was gray, he exuded full masculine charm. It was... Shenfu!
Or rather, this was a clone of Shenfu, also one of the abilities of the Death Mark. The older a living being he assimilated, the closer to death, the easier it was to assimilate into a clone. This middle-aged tailor, even though he was a thousand miles away from Shenfu, was assimilated into a clone in just a few seconds.
Not only that, but this clone could also become a source of death assimilation, using this as a radiation center to assimilate more Shenfu avatars in the surrounding area.
On the pedestrian street outside the glass door of the shop, passersby gradually stopped. They walked to the glass door of the tailor shop and kept pressing forward. Faces that were seventy percent similar to Shenfu's, but of different genders and ages, pressed against the glass door, all staring at Soul Master.
Soul Master's eye twitched. He had once thought that his ability to manipulate souls was already eerie. Now it seemed, compared to Shenfu's eeriness—no, it should be called uncanniness—his previous abilities were nothing. Even he felt a chill in his heart at this scene.
"Customer, you haven't paid the deposit yet."
Shenfu the tailor spoke with a kindly smile on his face. The smile that Soul Master had maintained all along had disappeared. This might be the law of smile conservation.
...
*Drip, drip~*
Pitch-black blood dripped from the blade tip. Su Xiao stood in the empty 68th Abyss Spreading Zone. With the map of Abyss Passage locations provided by Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells, things became much easier.
The earlier the numbered Abyss Passage, the more troublesome it was to handle. In fact, the Empire couldn't even send legions to guard the first few numbered Abyss Spreading Zones. Above them was the even more terrifying 0th Abyss Spreading Zone.
That was on the Southern Continent. That entire continent was shrouded in Abyss energy. Forget approaching the 0th Abyss Passage—even getting near the sea around that continent was dangerous. The dark waters were teeming with countless aquatic dark creatures, even aquatic Abyss-type creatures.
This made Su Xiao speculate that the 0th zone might be the Rune Family's lair. Given the Rune Family's strength and their hidden power within the Empire, occupying an entire continent as their lair wouldn't be difficult.
The 68th Abyss Spreading Zone where Su Xiao currently was had been cleaned out by him using "Extreme Blade: Blood Sea." This ability was truly too suitable for clearing Abyss Spreading Zones. When used, it could continuously fuse and devour the black blood splattered from shattered Abyss-type creatures, thereby increasing the Blood Sea's power. Moreover, most Abyss Spreading Zones were generally enclosed terrains, very suitable for the spread of "Extreme Blade: Blood Sea."
This gave him further mastery over the "Heavenly Edge Shadow Severing" ability. This ability didn't necessarily inspire different blade techniques in every battle. More precisely, in different worlds, based on the world's characteristics, it would stimulate the most suitable technique moves for use in that world.
For example, "Extreme Blade: Blood Sea." Outside, this ability's killing power was only around 100-120. But in an Abyss Spreading Zone, it could initially reach around 150. After killing and absorbing enough Abyss dark blood, the power of "Extreme Blade: Blood Sea" could increase to over 200.
Su Xiao stood on the pitch-black Blood Sea. As his long blade hummed softly, the Blood Sea suddenly burst outward, impacting the Black Stone seal that trapped this place. Using his Dragon Shadow Flash ability, he arrived at the now-empty center of the Blood Sea. After sheathing his long blade, he pulled his hands apart, forming strands of Spirit Shadow Threads as thick as pinky fingers.
Half an hour later, this Black Stone barrier shattered with a boom. Standing beside Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was a strong-built Honorary Second Lieutenant with a face full of scars. Seeing this scene, his expression was wooden.
It wasn't that he had no emotions inside—there were too many. Several generations of his family had been mid-to-low-level Imperial officers. His grandfather and father had both died defending against the seemingly endless stream of dark creatures pouring from the exit of this Abyss Spreading Zone.
This strong-built Second Lieutenant, over three meters tall, lit a special cigar. This thing was as thick as an egg and half a meter long, but in the strong-built Second Lieutenant's hand, it looked just right.
Strong-built Second Lieutenant Reed took a big drag on his cigar, looking in the direction the Lord's Train had gone. He sighed and said, "I have a feeling something big is about to happen. Even the Law Destroyer Kukulin Bai Ye has come."
"Sir, how do you know him?"
The bespectacled female adjutant spoke.
"Don't you read the Star Realm Daily?"
Strong-built Second Lieutenant Reed turned to look sideways at the female adjutant. She made a "tsk" sound and didn't press further about what the Star Realm Daily was.
When the train stopped, they were in front of the Vanguard Fortress of the 67th Abyss Spreading Zone. For some reason, fortresses guarding Abyss Spreading Zones were often named "Vanguard Fortress" or "Vanguard Fortress." His old friend from Blazing Sun Star, Luciwa, was the highest-ranking officer of one such Vanguard Fortress.
First, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells and his adjutant negotiated with the Honorary Second Lieutenant stationed at the Vanguard Fortress. So-called Honorary Second Lieutenants were officers whose military merits and seniority were sufficient for promotion, but the current positions of Second Lieutenant and Honorary Second Lieutenant were full, waiting for advancement.
The Empire's legion system was very complex. The highest commander was the Grand Commander. Below him were several dozen Legion Commanders. Below the Legion Commanders were hundreds of General-level commanders. Then came Colonel-level, Major-level, and Sergeant-level, followed by over a dozen rank levels for soldiers.
The Empire's legion system gave a first impression of complexity and enormity. But considering the Empire's population of over 900 billion, without such a vast legion system, various deployments couldn't be completed.
Before long, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells completed the negotiation. Su Xiao was still in the same state as when he entered the first Abyss Spreading Zone, walking toward the entrance of the Black Stone Sky Wall.
The moment he stepped into the darkness, he felt something was wrong. This place was too quiet. In the surrounding darkness, there was neither rustling sounds nor faint low growls.
A glimmer of light appeared ahead. He pressed his hand on his sword hilt and moved toward the light. The closer he got, the more normal the surroundings seemed. But this so-called "normal" meant there were dark creatures active and distant, barely audible, spine-chilling low growls.
When he reached the light, Su Xiao felt some warmth. He was currently bare-chested, sensing his surroundings to the maximum to avoid encountering a strong enemy highly skilled in stealth within the Abyss Spreading Zone.
This was the characteristic of Abyss Spreading Zones. One second, the surroundings might be filled with dark creatures of Eighth or Ninth Rank combat power. The next second, a top-tier Supreme Abyss-type creature could ambush from the darkness.
Ahead were tangled tree roots forming a bench while also creating a canopy above, making this place look like a crude shelter.
A clay brazier sat on this tree root shelter, burning with dim white light. On the bench below sat an old woman dressed in coarse gray-black linen, her robe loose and hanging down. On the benches on either side of her were plump black spirits. They were round, about the size of a fist, playfully looking around but not daring to stray too far from the old woman. They were a group of mischievous yet adorable little creatures.
The old woman sat on the backless bench, leaning on a twisted long wooden staff. Severely hunched and thin, she seemed to have fallen asleep.
As Su Xiao approached, the old woman slowly opened her eyes. Due to poor eyesight, she squinted her cloudy eyes with effort, trying to see who was in front of her.
"Oh, it's the little Law Destroyer. You've come."
The old woman smiled happily, revealing fewer than five teeth in total, upper and lower combined.
"The old woman has been waiting for you for a long time. Your fate is too difficult to see clearly. Come, come closer, let grandma see your hand."
"..."
Su Xiao stepped forward two paces and raised his right hand. The old woman grasped his wrist with her left hand and lightly tapped his slightly clenched fist with her right, chuckling as she told him to open his palm.
The old woman's withered but somewhat warm hand pressed against Su Xiao's palm, slowly feeling it over. Finally, she nodded with satisfaction.
"Now I can rest assured. The old woman won't suggest what you should do. Just do what you want to do. Grandma supports you, little Law Destroyer."
The old woman smiled kindly, lightly tapped Su Xiao's palm, and along with the tree roots behind her and the plump black spirits, was gradually swallowed by the darkness behind.
The moment the old woman left, dark beasts gradually gathered around. Or rather, without the old woman's misdirection, these dark creatures had finally discovered Su Xiao.
'Extreme Blade: Dark Prison.'
*Zheng!!*
Countless slashing rays scattered outward, continuously, turning the surrounding area into a hell of nothing but dark slashing rays.
Within a thousand meters around, all dark creatures and Abyss-type creatures were shattered, black blood splattering everywhere.
'Extreme Blade: Blood Sea.'
A pitch-black Blood Sea spread outward. The dense slashes within it made the Blood Sea, when viewed from above, seem like surging waves with shimmering scales.
The next day, 5:30 PM.
Outside the 26th Abyss Spreading Zone, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells watched the Black Stone Sky Wall beginning to crack. He knew another Abyss Passage had been closed.
Regarding this, he had gone from inner shock at the beginning, to still disbelief later, to inner joy with each closure, until now, when he felt almost nothing inside. After too many emotional fluctuations in one day, a person's emotions inevitably felt somewhat depleted.
Just as Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was considering whether to invite Mr. Bai Ye to a famous nearby food city for a hearty meal, a war chariot approached. At first, Wells narrowed his eyes to look, but after seeing clearly, his expression changed slightly.
The war chariot stopped. A middle-aged man with a full beard, strong build, and just over two meters tall walked over with steady steps. As the guardian of an Abyss Spreading Zone, Wells naturally recognized this person. This was none other than one of the two Deputy Ministers of the "Imperial Special Affairs Department," Toenta.
As for what the "Imperial Special Affairs Department" was, it was a department that Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells had longed for but couldn't enter. This department didn't belong to the three major powers of the Empire—the royal family, the divine cult, and the three ministers. It was directly under the King, an institution responsible only to His Majesty the King.
Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells immediately pressed his hand firmly against his chest and stood upright. The Deputy Minister Toenta, walking over with large strides, saw him and, on his usually stern face, rarely showed a hint of a smile, nodding at him. This made Wells's heart pound—this was a great figure he had long admired.
Deputy Minister Toenta stopped in front of Su Xiao. Looking at this ruthless person who had single-handedly charged into the Abyss Spreading Zone and could even close the Abyss Passage, he subconsciously stood at attention and said seriously:
"Mr. Kukulin Bai Ye, His Majesty the King wishes to meet with you."
Note that Deputy Minister Toenta said "His Majesty the King wishes to meet with you," not "summons you." The former was an invitation—go if you want, don't if you don't. The latter meant you had to go, or face the consequences.
Su Xiao checked the time. There were still 12 minutes and 23 seconds until 24 hours had passed since entering this world. The next Abyss Passage was too far away; there was no time to get there.
"Lead the way."
"Yes sir."
Deputy Minister Toenta's attitude subtly changed. He quickly walked to the war chariot and said, "Sir, please."
Hearing this, Su Xiao roughly guessed what the old King wanted to see him about.