Chapter 856
Chapter 856 - 842 - : Invitation
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10 min read
"It’s no wonder it’s called the Endless Abyss, no wonder it’s the home of chaotic joyful foolery; every new event shakes the Multi-universe."
One’s own clone rebelling as soon as it gained independence was indeed a rare spectacle, even in the playground of Abyssal happenings.
And especially when the instigator of this event was the unusual Abyss Lord the Snake King, it was all the more amusing.
The clone had barely become independent before it rebelled, which more or less involved the will of the Abyss... Perhaps the local World’s Will had grown weary of this annoying Abyss boss.
"...This time, the resurgence is slower than before."
"Not only that, but her power limit has been reduced by quite a bit."
"Now, she is just a hair’s breadth away from falling from Rule-level, one more time, if she’s killed again..."
The intelligence came back much faster than expected; when the Beast King faced trouble, the hunters lurking in the shadows became restless.
The longer the time dragged on, the more hostile it became for the unfortunate lord... There would likely be more than just human hunters eyeing a Fallen Abyss Lord.
In fact, other lords were already on their way down, and they of course weren’t coming to pledge loyalty to the Snake King.
Perhaps, this is the world’s headwind; when everyone wishes for your demise, nothing goes smoothly.
"Continue."
After a brief exchange, Lu Ping’an and his company once again scattered; some continued to search and hunt for the increasingly scarce Snake Sheddings, while others, led by Kun Ba, ensured the Snake King’s continual demise.
Even in these times, Lu Ping’an still adhered to his own bottom line—not to confront Rule-level entities head-on.
From a larger perspective, the task by this point had mostly been completed; the Snake King was destined to lose her crown and authority... But since the Snake King had already fallen into misfortune, who wouldn’t enjoy adding another layer of soil to her grave and then stomping it down hard?
However, at that moment, Lu Ping’an suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest, as if something was seeping out.
He casually reached out to touch, and it was actually one of his "equipments" that was emitting a strange black glow.
[Ding, your Magic Pet ’Ah Jiu’ has completed its evolution and is awakening.]
Upon touching it, the moment the pages opened, the Life Bank provided an upgrade and analysis.
[During evolution, it came in contact with the Abyssal Will and received its own destiny. You may choose to help it fulfill its destiny, or refuse. Note: This choice is crucial to the Magic Pet’s evolutionary direction.]
[Ah Jiu: big snake, tasty, meow-meow, digest thoroughly, evolve, meow.]
The sudden prompt surprised Lu Ping’an, but what felt most bizarre was that the prompt came from the "Life Illustration" that he always carried with him.
It seemed that in some way it had become part of the "Life Bank."
If it were only this, Lu Ping’an would not have shown a surprised expression.
[The Abyssal Will proposes a ’trade’ through Ah Jiu, it seems to be pleading for ’removal... evolution... obstruction... reward’. Note: The reward will cause the Life Illustration to evolve and undergo a mutation, please choose carefully.]
It turned out that the "Life Illustration" sensed an opportunity for evolution and actively made a request from its master.
In that instant, Lu Ping’an finally felt the main task approaching... What’s there to hesitate about, the Life Illustration, a Silver Taboo item, had already reached its limit; the three slots had been restricting Lu Ping’an’s further growth.
Lu Ping’an had tried many methods before, spending resources, but Taboo items are relatively stable and difficult to break through on their own.
But even with such a tempting opportunity, Lu Ping’an still asked for an opinion.
"What’s it this time? Is it something for Chris, or are you just bothering the silly big cat?" It seems like the big cat is a bit annoyed.
"Then... how about dear older sister Kerdalais?" So, Lu Ping’an, leveraging his age advantage, squeezed out a sweet youthful voice to call for his big sister... uh, after saying it, he felt a bit disgusted himself.
"...Don’t be so disgusting. Call me Chris, the name is just a moniker. But if you keep talking like that, I’m really going to ignore you." On the other end of the communication, he successfully grossed out Chris, but also managed to hurt himself in the process.
Both sides suffered, was it worth it... uh, for Lu Ping’an, actually, it was quite worth it.
"I have a bit of an emergency here..."
He quickly explained the situation, and the big cat was taken aback for a moment, but then seemed hesitant.
"Rule System Abnormal Ability Users do have the chance to receive ’Revelations’, and your ability just makes them clearer. As for an Abyss Lord being loathed by the entire Abyss, that shows just how terrible they’ve been. It seems like the Snake King has been considered a shackle impeding the Abyss’s evolution; but from the standpoint of you humans, is it truly a good thing to kill her, to let the Abyss return to its chaos..."
The big cat, as a big boss, had a broader perspective, while the little shrimp Lu Ping’an was quite open-minded.
"...It doesn’t matter, as long as Changping City, which is responsible for paying my salary, thinks it’s a good thing. These kinds of distant concerns aren’t for us ’knives’ to ponder over; if a decision-making mistake is made, they will be the ones to take the blame."
The Chosen Part-time worker was very aware, sharpening his knife eagerly... hmm, definitely not blinded by the immediate rewards in front of him.
"...If you’ve already decided, then why are you asking me?"
"Are there any traps in this? Will it negatively affect Ah Jiu?"
"Under normal circumstances, yes, even those self-aware World’s Wills generally won’t communicate with entities below the status of a deity. If there really is a ’Voice of the World’, you can treat it as a scam; over ninety percent of those are sealed Evil Gods. But this is the Abyssal Will, and a battle-damaged version at that... It’s quite possible that it’s just carrying out the selection for the future Abyss Lord as usual and is interested in taking your Ah Jiu."
The World’s Will is elusive and untraceable, and at the core of this "radiated" World’s Will is the "Throne," eyeing the nearby Ah Jiu, which seems rather understandable.
It was merely the master of a small world, akin to a virtual divine status within the Secret Realm, but more so a combination of the many forces, creatures, and souls within. It would subconsciously operate its "World’s Reason," much like a machine executing commands automatically.
Each world has its own operating mechanics, and the Abyssal Will wouldn’t casually bestow its blessings. However, listing it as a candidate for "Abyss Lord" was a legitimate and standard procedure.
"What if I refuse?"
"If you refuse, you will be refusing the type of evolution that the Abyss offers. There are advantages and disadvantages, so it’s up to you to choose. Besides the very few gifted ones, the World’s Will isn’t idle enough to arbitrarily select people; there’s always someone willing to be a dog... *cough*, always a Chosen One who possesses both talent and ambition."
This seemed like a "trade" sent by the Abyss through Ah Jiu and the Life Illustration.
In exchange for completely eradicating the Snake King, Ah Jiu and the Life Illustration would undergo a sort of leap, towards the Abyss, of course.
The blessings of the Abyss, but does that imply that my Life Illustration would henceforth tend towards Abyss Transformation? Surely that could have some innate effects on my pets...
"Massacre allows you to become stronger? What a wonderful entry." Unlike Big Cat, Lu Ping’an himself didn’t resist it at all.
Its "Calamity" nature determined its potential, and as a tool, the essence of evolving through killing and feeding aligned perfectly with Lu Ping’an’s own needs. He should find it quite convenient to use.
This time, Lu Ping’an made his decision.
"Is there a way to kill the Snake King? Completely, entirely."
"There are two methods, but both carry great risks..."
The farce of fighting themselves continued but seemed nearly at its end.
Didirona, the Snake King who had revived once again, appeared somewhat panicked and lost, but quickly recovered... This time, she had ample time to summon a group of followers.
Although the followers were somewhat confused when yet another "boss" charged at them, at the very least, they could serve as a human wall.
The multitude of followers turning into corpses provided the real Snake King with enough time to cast her spells.
This time, the fake Snake King had half its head swallowed by a strange black sphere, and things were no better for the true Snake King.
The feedback from a powerful Curse she had forcibly controlled caused her to vomit blood, but before she could even savor the joy of victory...
"Howl, howl, howl, howl!"
The strange serpent’s head above its neck simply collapsed, and a new serpent head emerged from what had been its stomach area. A twisted giant serpent completed its resurgence from the original remains.
"Regeneration" and "Abyss Transformation," the fundamental rules, were exemplified to the fullest in this blessed Abyss Lord.
What did it matter if it lacked a head? The Abyss was not such an inconvenient existence.
Its original arms had turned to support limbs, and the four-limbed beast with the big head, along with the newly grown "face" that was all too familiar... It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.
This familiar yet strange monster twisted and evil, its grotesque form causing the Snake King to retch, filling her with fear and discomfort.
"...Have I truly been abandoned by the Abyss?"
At that moment, as all her attention was focused on the grinning monster and her heart wavered,
At that instant, an invisible, swift, and lethal Sword Qi struck her head.
Blood splattered, and agonized screams echoed like thunder.
"Ahhhhh! Mortal!"
The giant beast writhed in agony, rolling madly on the ground.
Above her, the middle-aged Sword Saint strove to maintain composure, but even he was shocked by the power of his recent strike.
An enormous gash appeared on the Snake King’s neck—a wound lethal enough for any ordinary creature. Although regeneration was at work, the lingering power of Kun Ba’s strike ensured that the wound could never heal.
This also meant...
"I, too, can now partake in such a battlefield." The delighted Sword Saint maintained a stoic face but couldn’t help recalling the wondrous Land of Rules.
"Pity, Wang Sikè spent so many years in hiding, only to fall on the eve of success..."
At the same time, memories of his colleague who had just died from venom came to him naturally.
"Die, reptile!"
Kun Ba formed a sword seal with one hand, and the next moment, a sky full of white feathered swords rained down.
— End of Chapter 856 —