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Chapter 1 Link: iNovelTranslationAt the bottom of the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss, darkness engulfed everything.
From the walls of the abyss jutted countless tree-like branches, each one crowded with crows.
Their gloomy eyes glimmered in the dark, and they shrieked strangely, showing no fear of strangers as they stared intently at Xu Zimo and his companion.
The two of them leapt downward, plunging into the depths of the abyss.
The farther they descended, the thicker the aura of evil became, an energy that ceaselessly tried to corrode their bodies.
Both of them surrounded themselves with spiritual light, shielding against the invading miasma.
They continued downward for what felt like an eternity until, at last, they saw rows of tombstones rising from the darkness, whereupon they landed.
The place resembled a mass grave, bleak, chilling, and thick with death.
Each tombstone was unmarked, nameless, with mounds of dirt as tall as hills beside them.
Above, vultures circled once again, clutching scraps of bloody flesh in their beaks before swallowing them whole.
“Look around,” Xu Zimo said.
Xie Changliu nodded.
The two of them began to explore among the nameless graves.
After a short while, Xu Zimo stopped in front of a wall.
The surface was covered with countless carvings, each one the same word.
“Hate.”
Thousands upon thousands of hateful characters filled the wall, each one emanating endless resentment, as if the hatred might burst forth from the stone itself and devour him whole.
He walked along the wall, and everywhere he looked, the carvings remained the same, densely packed, the single word repeating over and over.
Suddenly, a loud “splat” sounded nearby.
A vulture flying overhead was suddenly seized by a massive hand and crushed to pieces.
Blood and feathers sprayed everywhere.
The arm connected to that hand stretched dozens of meters long, vanishing into the ground below.
“Another visitor, hahahaha!” A strange laugh echoed through the abyss.
The voice was bizarre, sometimes old, sometimes childlike.
“Who are you?” Xu Zimo asked, frowning.
“You may call me the Old Man of the Abyss,” the voice said slowly.
As the words fell, the earth began to tremble.
A long fissure split open at their feet, spreading outward like a spider web.
From within it rose a head, a massive skull formed from countless smaller skulls fused together.
It had innumerable eyes, mouths, and noses, a grotesque abomination beyond description.
From every nameless tombstone, long skeletal arms began to emerge, as many as there were graves. Each arm stretched dozens of meters long.
“I have dwelled within the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss for a hundred million years, undying, eternal, and self-named the Old Man of the Abyss,” the voice chuckled.
“Never heard of you,” Xie Changliu said coldly as he walked over, treading the air.
“That’s only natural,” the Old Man laughed. “Few who come to the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss ever leave alive. In all these million years, only two have managed it.”
“Which two?” Xu Zimo asked.
“The Ghost God, Kui, three million years ago, and his Evil Spirit,” the Old Man replied.
“Why are you here?” Xie Changliu asked.
“That question has no answer,” said the Old Man. “I have existed as long as the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss itself. This place is my home.”
“What do you want?” Xu Zimo asked.
“To make a trade,” the Old Man said with a grin.
“Just as I once did with that, I can send you out of this abyss.”
“What’s the price?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Half of your God Soul for me to devour,” the Old Man said with a sinister smile.
“Impossible,” Xie Changliu refused instantly before Xu Zimo could respond.
The God Soul was one of the most vital parts of a being’s existence.
Even the smallest damage could cripple a cultivator’s foundation; losing half would be devastating.
Such devouring caused permanent harm, no recovery or regeneration could ever fully restore it.
“No need to rush,” the Old Man said calmly. “You can take your time to consider. After a few tens of thousands of years trapped here, you’ll be willing. I’ve seen many like you.”
Xu Zimo and Xie Changliu exchanged glances.
Then Xie Changliu rose into the air, his sword aura blazing around him.
With a single swing, his blade split through nine layers of the heavens, slashing downward.
The Old Man of the Abyss raised one massive arm and gently closed his palm, and the invisible sword energy was caught between his fingers.
With a flick of his wrist, the sword energy was flung away.
It struck the nearby wall with a thunderous “bang,” slicing through it as if it were made of tofu.
“Don’t waste your strength,” said the Old Man. “You can’t harm me.”
Unwilling to concede, Xie Changliu waved his right hand, and his sword rose above his head, glowing fiercely.
Countless streams of sword energy gathered into it, shaking the very void, a blade that could pierce eternity itself.
“Kill!” Xie Changliu shouted, charging forward with his sword.
This time, the Old Man stretched out both arms, moving with crushing force.
Dark energy surged, forming waves of shadowed power.
Thunderous explosions filled the air.
His palms pressed together, catching Xie Changliu’s sword between them.
The two forces clashed, sword energy and demonic miasma entwining, grinding against one another.
When the power reached its breaking point, the Old Man swung his arms wide, hurling Xie Changliu backward.
A deafening explosion followed as Xie Changliu crashed into a nearby tombstone.
“You can’t win with brute force,” the Old Man laughed. “Half your God Soul for eternal freedom, sounds like a bargain to me.”
Xu Zimo smiled faintly. “And why should we believe you? What if you go back on your word after taking our souls?”
“Whether you believe me or not depends on whether you dare to gamble,” the Old Man said.
“At least tell us how you plan to send us out,” Xu Zimo replied. “That would make your story more convincing.”
“I don’t mind telling you,” said the Old Man. “After all, I’m the only one who can do it.”
“When the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss first formed, it was filled with countless soul-based celestial herbs. Many came seeking them, and where people gather, so do greed and war. Millions of years ago, two great kingdoms surrounded this place, each wanting to claim it as their own territory. They waged a great war for it. When the war ended, countless died, millions fell into the abyss. Amid the evil energy, death aura, and resentment, I was born. I am one with the Blue-Parasol Ancient-Abyss itself. Three million years ago, the Ghost God, Kui, sealed his Evil Spirit here. The sealing formation was powerful, but ultimately foreign to this place. I can shift the structure of the abyss and forcibly open a path outward, but doing so consumes tremendous energy. That’s why I must devour God Souls as payment.”
“Oh? So you expect us to believe you’re doing this out of kindness?” Xu Zimo sneered.
“It’s clear you’re not that strong yourself. You know you can’t defeat us, so you’re using this formation to try to consume our souls. If you truly had power, why bother making a deal?”