Chapter 831
Chapter 831 - 817: The Gift of the Abyss
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8 min read
What does it feel like to wander within the Abyss?
Probably, like a swamp of blood and foul stench, feeling as though something is constantly pulling at you, gradually sinking deeper into the Abyss....
"Tsk, another wave for nothing. Do these guys even have brains...."
The ground is already a pool of corpses, smeared with the flesh and blood of various Magic Monsters and Demons; the Silver Knight standing amidst the gore has lost its initial luster, its armor caked with blood and chunks of flesh.
This was not because the battle was so intense that Lu Ping’an couldn’t avoid it; rather, he did it deliberately, needing more Abyssal flesh and blood to cover up his own scent as a living being.
"....It’s so foul, so stinky; when we get back, remember to wash me thoroughly."
Zhi Xi’s voice, full of distaste, still rings in the air, but Lu Ping’an didn’t perceive any rejection in it... If she really stood firm in her refusal, Lu Ping’an would have had other disguises.
On the contrary, he could sense the joy and satisfaction Zhi Xi couldn’t hide.....
Lu Ping’an noticed that within the armor’s joints and magic lines, flesh was being absorbed and permeated continuously... This bloodthirsty Animated Armor, had found the perfect "nutrition" for itself,
To outsiders, it was as if the originally gray-and-white knight had become thoroughly soaked in red and black.
The knight standing among the flesh and debris seemed to bask in the aftertaste of massacre and blood... No, upon closer observation, one could see the blood and flesh on the ground converging and flowing towards it as though it were the center.
The red hue flowed over the armor but eventually vanished without a trace, as if completely devoured by it; when it finally regained tranquility, the blazing flames in its eyes awoke once more, and the raging aura regained a hint of sanity.
It stands there, quietly erect, and behind it, a vast devilish phantom seems to be taking shape.
When it moved again, the aura surrounding it was thoroughly transformed by the Abyss, and with the Abyss Beheading Sword in hand, no one doubted its identity as an "Abyssal Overlord."
"Has the Physique reached the Upper Silver level as well?"
[Zhi Xi (Upper Silver Exotic Species)]
[Physique: Upper Silver Mid-position (Puppet form), Reflex: Silver Mid-position (Upper), Spirit: Upper Silver (Upper).]
At this time, Zhi Xi’s panel in the Life Illustration had already shown direct changes.
From being a Silver Mid-position life form at the beginning of her existence, she had now become Upper Silver... This was a species change in the panel, the most difficult qualitative leap to achieve.
Along the way, her growth was evident, but it was only after the last battle on the Green Planet that her attributes barely reached above Silver Mid-position, and at that time, her stagnant Physique was in fact her weakness.
After all, her body was "cold, lifeless metal," not known where to begin evolving, and even the high rating was more about "hardness" than strength.
Now, the armor seemingly began showing tendencies of muscle formation; the dead Animated Armor appeared to be gradually transforming into a living being.
[Abyss Transformation: Infected with the aura of the Abyss, capable of evolving through massacre and hunting...]
The addition in the Codex made clear the source of her changes.
In a certain sense, she was indeed favored by the Abyss.
Lu Ping’an had no doubts that given enough time to assimilate, she could become a true living creature of the Abyss.
Should he say it’s truly worthy of being one of the "nine Great Disasters"? The Abyss, with its ability to assimilate all things into Abyssal monsters and possessing almost limitless evolution through massacre, is truly frightening... and yet also captivating.
"...How does it feel?"
"Very comfortable, like being revitalized entirely."
The emotion in her words made Lu Ping’an suspect she was bewitched by the Abyss.
"...Hey, don’t stop."
The next moment, her complaining voice followed.
Merely coming to the shallow layers of the Abyss wouldn’t cause any changes; what truly triggered everything was what Lu Ping’an was doing.
The Abyss Beheading Sword he held flowed with a Wave-Torrent, continuously emitting black fog that then coiled around his entire body.
The Abyss Beheading Sword is standard equipment for an Abyss lord, but from another perspective, it’s also proof of the "King’s Right" of the Abyss.
When Lu Ping’an tried to use "share" to link it with himself and Zhi Xi, covering himself with its characteristic power for concealment, he naturally became a true "Magic Monster" of the Abyss and naturally gained the "affection" of the Abyss.
"...Chris?"
"It’s nothing. Don’t think that just because it’s one of the ’nine Great Disasters’ it’s outrageously invincible. This place is just a remote ’colony’ of the Abyss, and it overlaps with our Plane; it’s not the true native Abyss or an Abyss-transformed world. Just like that Small World that periodically breeds the Stone-dragon King, It here also selects the ’Child of the World.’"
Big Cat’s words allowed Lu Ping’an to breathe a sigh of relief, and he continued to activate "share," sharing more of the Abyss Aura with Zhi Xi.
The nine Great Disasters are actually a popular term in the Multi-universe, roughly corresponding to the Twelve-Pillar... If the Twelve-Pillar are twelve communicable "existences," then the nine Great Disasters are nine types of natural disasters that have destroyed countless worlds.
Natural disasters, unable to communicate with or resist against, are true despair.
A complete version of the Abyssal Tide is one of the "nine," but here, it’s just a low-level, small-scale area transformed by the Abyss, and there is no need to worry too much.
And on the other hand, infamous for their relatively public intelligence...
"The Abyssal Will’s method of selecting a child of the Abyss is only one..."
"...The last one standing will become the King."
Lu Ping’an increasingly understood this increasingly dangerous world.
All the way, he had suffered at least five attacks, despite these Demons being far weaker than himself. Had they seen through him? Or were they just delivering themselves to death?
But it was later that he discovered that these Abyss Demons couldn’t see through him at all, they just attacked all living things they came across.
Massacre, feed, evolve, those were everything.
And those "Magic Monster Packs" dispatched were merely servants conquered by stronger Abyss Demons, as the wild Abyss creatures always craved the flesh of their kind.
𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂
"Let’s keep moving..."
Lu Ping’an eventually stopped, and now "he" was covered with a thick, upscale Abyss Aura, and his shell had obvious traits of Abyss Transformation like scales and horns, more Abyssal than the Abyss Demons.
And under his ethnic group, there were also many true Abyss Demons that were not just "laborers."
In the midst of the Abyss, battle and conquest are the main themes; those defeated who do not desire death or to become food, naturally submit.
Massacre, feed, grow stronger... Lu Ping’an remained silent, calmly "sleeping" within his "body", observing everything happening before him, as if he were the puppeteer behind the Puppets.
But his legion was also growing increasingly powerful, expanding like a snowball.
In his view, lone wanderers in the Abyss were foolish and dangerous... Facing the hostility of the entire world, even the powerful had a day when they would exhaust their strength.
"...To the newcomers with temporary Licenses, let me give you a lesson as your senior. As Explorers and outsiders, the foremost thing isn’t about what I can take from this world, or how my civilization is more advanced than yours... Blending into this world, understanding the Order and rules of this world, and becoming a part of it, only then may you possibly receive the gifts of this world."
Step by step, as the metallic giant Knight crossed the battlefield of flesh, he grew larger and more menacing.
On the metallic helmet, two black horns emerged, and his stature, originally just over three meters, swelled hard to around five meters. Behind him and at his feet burned slow black Flames, as he raised his giant Beheading Sword surrounded by a flickering, pale gray Halo.
"Kneel," came the raspy voice, carrying an irresistible pressure.
This time, the attacking horde did not resist; they willingly prostrated, knelt down, and trembled.
When that Demon-King-like Knight passed by without even a glance, those Demons rose joyfully to their feet.
They voluntarily followed behind the Demon King, blending into the Magic Monster Packs and becoming a part of the military force.
"Come, let us hunt, let us evolve...."
— End of Chapter 831 —