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Chapter 111: The Big Boss is Out (Please Subscribe)
Chapter 111: The Big Boss is Out (Please Subscribe)
[Name: Xiahou Yuan (Lin Yuan)]
[Identity: Controller of the Myriad Worlds' Gate]
[Bound Talent: Heaven-defying Comprehension]
[Current State: Consciousness Descended]
[Remaining Time: Two Hundred and Ninety Years]
Deep within the Great Abyss, on the eighteenth layer, Lin Yuan opened his eyes, glancing at the illusory text that floated below his line of sight.
Unbeknownst to him, a full decade had passed since Lin Yuan's consciousness had descended upon this world.
During these ten years, Lin Yuan hadn't moved at all, focusing entirely on eroding the six black chains that bound him.
As for why he hadn't starved to death, in this cultivation system, upon reaching the seventh realm, one could absorb the energy of heaven and earth, thus no longer requiring physical sustenance.
Within the Great Abyss, the energy of heaven and earth was extremely scarce, but it wasn't nonexistent.
Moreover, with Lin Yuan's consciousness descended, it was naturally impossible for him to starve.
Besides, Master Tian Jianzi would not allow Xiahou Yuan to perish from hunger.
Even if his physical body perished, his primordial spirit would not be extinguished unless Xiahou Yuan actively sought death. Only then would he truly die.
"It's been ten years," Lin Yuan sighed. "Finally, it's done."
Lin Yuan slowly got up.
At the same time, the two black chains that pierced his chest, through the hyoid bone, silently turned to dust.
The other four black chains that bound his limbs also crumbled into pieces.
For ten years, Lin Yuan had never stopped eroding and devouring the black chains that bound him. Finally, on this day, he had completely dealt with the six chains that suppressed his power.
"I feel so much freer," Lin Yuan breathed deeply.
Without the suppression of the six black chains, Lin Yuan finally dared to take a deep breath.
"Six thousand-year-old deep-sea spirit metals have actually caused my physical body to transform several levels," Lin Yuan remarked, a hint of surprise on his face.
Using the Devouring Secret Art within the Swallowing Evolution path, he constantly converted the evolution within the deep-sea spirit metals, never stopping for the past ten years. This had resulted in a significant improvement in Lin Yuan's physical body.
This was an unexpected delight.
Outside the Great Abyss, numerous guards still remained.
As long as Xiahou Yuan was not dead, these guards would not be able to leave.
Of course, the guards were rotated annually, and the Bitter Cold North Region, where the Great Abyss was located, was a harsh place.
If it weren't for the rewards offered by the Tian Jian Sect, and the fact that they could rotate out after a year, no cultivator would willingly come here.
"Is that Xiahou Yuan still alive?" Zhao Si, who had become quite capable, stood at the entrance with a new guard, inspecting the stone lantern.
When he saw that the flame within was still slowly burning, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
Over the past ten years, he had been rotated out three times, and by guarding the Great Abyss, he had received rewards from the Tian Jian Sect.
Zhao Si had cultivated to the fourth realm.
Even so, standing outside the Great Abyss, he still felt suppressed.
He could barely move, like an ordinary person taking one step at a time.
And yet, a full ten years had passed, and that legendary big boss, Xiahou Yuan, was still alive.
If it weren't for the fact that this stone lantern was left by the number one powerhouse in the world, Master Tian Jianzi himself, Zhao Si would almost suspect that there was something wrong with the lantern.
"That Xiahou Yuan, he was a true big boss back then, wreaking havoc across the lands. He was the real deal, and even Master Tian Jianzi..." Zhao Si followed the usual routine, informing the new guard next to him about how immensely evil Xiahou Yuan had been.
"Uncle Zhao, does that mean that as long as Xiahou Yuan is suppressed here, the demon heads in the Five Regions will behave themselves and not cause trouble?" the new guard asked, perplexed.
"But in recent years, there have often been traces of demon heads in my hometown, and several villages have been slaughtered."
The new guard was confused because he had heard from his elders that more than a decade ago, when the big boss Xiahou Yuan was still around, the demonic path's influence in the Five Regions was unprecedented, and such incidents of slaughtering entire villages rarely occurred.
"Well..." Zhao Si fell silent upon hearing these words.
It wasn't just the newcomer who was puzzled; he, too, had heard of many similar incidents.
With Xiahou Yuan, the leader of the demonic path, gone, it was as if the Five Regions' demon heads had lost their 'restraint' and gone completely insane.
Of course, the righteous path factions, led by the Tian Jian Sect, had continuously dispatched disciples to exterminate these demon heads.
But it didn't seem to make much of a difference.
Even if a demon head was eradicated, after a few years or even a decade, a new one would pop up.
Moreover, these new demon heads were often the very same people who had participated in eradicating the previous demon heads.
Tempted by the power of the demonic cultivation techniques, they ended up cultivating them themselves.
There was no other way.
The demonic cultivation methods were just too alluring.
It was like cheating—an easy way to power.
With normal cultivation methods, breaking through from the first realm to the second required years of arduous cultivation, and one also needed good innate talent.
But with demonic cultivation methods? No arduous cultivation was necessary, nor was talent.
All one needed to do was kill.
The vital energy, blood, and souls of living beings were like supreme tonics to demonic cultivators.
"Don't think too much about it," Zhao Si said, trying to comfort the new guard, and perhaps himself as well. "Now that these demon heads are running rampant, you can imagine that if Xiahou Yuan were still around, the situation would be ten times more dire."
An audacious idea began to form in his mind.
Perhaps back then, Tian Jianzi should never have suppressed Xiahou Yuan.
If Xiahou Yuan were still around, even if the situation in the Five Regions didn't improve, it wouldn't have escalated to what it is now?
Deep within the eighteenth layer of the Great Abyss, Lin Yuan sat with his legs crossed.
"Next, it's time to restore my strength," Lin Yuan thought to himself.
When he was bound by the six black chains, Lin Yuan's physical body and primordial spirit were both suppressed.
Not only was cultivation out of the question, but even the slightest movement would bring excruciating pain.
Now, free from the suppression of the chains, restoring his strength would be a simple matter.
Even though he was in the deepest part of the Great Abyss, where all laws withered, and an ordinary cultivator at the seventh or eighth realm would have their strength suppressed by ninety percent, it was not a problem for Lin Yuan.
Furthermore, over the past ten years, while Lin Yuan had focused all his energy on eroding and devouring the black chains, he had not forgotten to seek enlightenment.
In that time, he had managed to digest and understand most of the over one hundred evolution paths in the Seven Stars Cave World, including the Xuan Huang evolution path, which he had comprehended to the eighth stage of the second step.
"It's a pity I don't have any precious treasures to assist me," Lin Yuan thought.
Restoring his strength was not difficult; it was merely a matter of accumulating energy to reach the required realm.
If he could bring over the 'Red Spirit Liquid' from the main world, Lin Yuan would only need half a day, or even just a few hours, to restore his full strength.
But without the 'Red Spirit Liquid' or other rare treasures, he had no choice but to slowly recover the old-fashioned way.
Of course, Lin Yuan's 'slow recovery' was relative to the speed he could achieve with the 'Red Spirit Liquid'.
Compared to other cultivators, and especially those strange demonic cultivators with their erratic progress, there was no comparison at all.
They were simply not on the same level.
Time passed once more.
Another ten years went by.
In the North Region, on a hill overlooking the Great Abyss, more than ten figures stood tall, gazing into the distance at the abyss.
"Honored One," said the leader of the group, a cold-eyed woman.
"Nuan Huafa," a figure dressed in black quickly approached and bowed respectfully. "Moyang Demon Lord says he is being pursued by the Tianjian Sect and cannot meet with us as planned."
"That guy," Nuan Huafa said, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
"Being pursued by the Tianjian Sect? With Moyang Demon Lord's ninth realm strength, if he really wanted to escape, unless Tian Jianzi joined forces with more than a dozen other righteous path cultivators at the ninth realm and set up an killing array, there's no way they could stop him," she added, a hint of disdain in her voice.
"Back when the Honored One was still around, these Demon Lords were all fawning over him, willing to do anything for him. Now that he's been sealed away by that despicable Tian Jianzi, they don't even think about rescuing him," Nuan Huafa said, her face twisted with anger, but her voice resigned.
She knew all too well how selfish and self-serving the cultivators of the demonic path could be, and expecting them to rescue Xiahou Yuan without any benefit was simply unrealistic.
However, she was aware that Moyang Demon Lord had received several great favors from Xiahou Yuan in the past, so she thought he should at least make some effort.
"It's all that despicable Bai Qing'er's fault. I warned the Honored One several times back then, telling him to be cautious of that vile woman," Nuan Huafa continued, her eyes narrowing.
She was well aware of the insider details of the earth-shattering battle between the righteous and demonic paths that had taken place twenty-five years ago. If it hadn't been for Bai Qing'er's betrayal, the outcome might have been very different.
"We can't wait any longer," she said, making a decision.
"Even if Moyang Demon Lord doesn't show up, I'm going to try again."
It had been twenty-five years since Xiahou Yuan was sealed away in the depths of the Great Abyss, and Nuan Huafa was genuinely worried that he might not be able to hold on much longer.
Outside the Great Abyss, Zhao Si and the other guards were on their patrol.
Suddenly, over a dozen figures came rushing towards them.
Even though they were close to the Great Abyss and their strength was suppressed to a certain degree, these figures were still moving at an alarming speed.
"Bad news," Zhao Si said, his expression grim.
"It's those remnants of the demonic path again," he added, his voice filled with experience as he immediately understood what was happening.
It was no secret that Xiahou Yuan had been sealed within the Great Abyss, so every once in a while, a group of die-hard followers would attempt to rescue him.
"Remnants of the demonic path?" The new guard among them asked, his eyes widening.
He was just about to gather his courage and try to stop the rapidly approaching group when Zhao Si pulled him back.
"What are you doing?" The new guard asked, confusion written all over his face.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? These demonic cultivators are fearless and reckless," Zhao Si said, quickly leading the group of guards away to a safe distance.
Once they were far enough, Zhao Si stopped and turned to look at the entrance of the Great Abyss in the distance.
The group of demonic cultivators had reached the entrance and were trying various methods to break through.
"Zhao...sir, are we just going to stand here and watch?" The new guard asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.
"Don't worry, they won't be able to break through the entrance of the Great Abyss," Zhao Si replied, his expression calm and confident.
This kind of situation occurred every few years, but the Great Abyss was built by Tian Jianzi and numerous other righteous path cultivators.
Xiahou Yuan was sealed in the eighteenth layer, deep within the abyss.
And so, from the first layer at the entrance to the deepest eighteenth layer, each door was forged from Xuan Gold. Furthermore, the deeper the layer, the more sturdy the doors became. Over the years, no matter how much these remnants of the demonic path struggled, they couldn't even break through the first layer, let alone save Xiahou Yuan.
"I've already contacted Jiang the Swordsman. He'll be here within half a mark of time," Zhao Si continued.
Jiang the Swordsman was an 8th Realm expert specifically tasked with guarding the Great Abyss. However, due to the extreme suppressive forces permeating the area around the Great Abyss, Jiang the Swordsman usually stationed himself a hundred li away from it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to cultivate properly. If anything happened at the Great Abyss, Zhao Si only needed to contact him using their predetermined method, and Jiang the Swordsman would arrive in a very short time.
Outside the entrance to the Great Abyss, Nuan Huafa took out a gourd and poured the viscous liquid inside it onto the entrance door.
Hsss! A wisp of green smoke rose from the door.
The surface of the entrance door was slightly corroded, revealing a pale golden interior.
"Damn it!"
Upon seeing this, Nuan Huafa felt a sense of despair.
The viscous liquid in the gourd was known as 'Mother Water', renowned for its ability to dissolve all things. Even the hardest substances would quickly vanish when exposed to it. Nuan Huafa had thought that the Mother Water would be able to deal with the 'Xuan Gold' used to construct the entrance to the Great Abyss, but now it seemed that her hopes were misplaced.
"Honored One," Nuan Huafa said, her right hand pressed against the entrance to the Great Abyss, as if trying to reach Xiahou Yuan through it. "I am useless." Her eyes reddened with emotion. "It won't be long now. That Jiang the Swordsman should be arriving soon."
The man beside her suddenly spoke up.
"Jiang the Swordsman," Nuan Huafa breathed, steeling herself. "If only Moyang Demon Lord were here. He could have intimidated Jiang the Swordsman and kept him from getting too close, buying us more time."
"Honored One," the man said.
"Hold on a little longer," he urged. "I'll be back soon."
After saying this, Nuan Huafa left with her followers.
As time passed, the number of demons truly loyal to Xiahou Yuan dwindled. Nuan Huafa couldn't afford to let her followers die in vain, so she decided to retreat. That Jiang the Swordsman was an 8th Realm expert, and if he intercepted them, her group would have a hard time escaping unscathed.
As Nuan Huafa and her followers departed, the numerous guards who had been kept at bay moved closer to the entrance.
"See?" Zhao Si inspected the entrance door, finding that only a thin layer had been corroded. He smirked and said, "Hahaha, these remnants of the demonic path are truly ignorant and arrogant. This entrance door was personally crafted by Master Tian Jianzi and a group of powerful experts. Even if they managed to get past the first layer, there are still seventeen more layers beneath it!"
"Wanting to rescue Xiahou Yuan is just a pipe dream," another guard chimed in.
"In my opinion," a third guard added, "even if Xiahou Yuan were unharmed and possessed peak battle prowess, he still wouldn't be able to break through the eighteen layers of the Great Abyss."
The guards exuded confidence in the indestructibility of the entrance doors. They even believed that Xiahou Yuan, even at his full strength, wouldn't stand a chance.
Suddenly— Crack!
Crackle, crackle, crack! A series of dull cracking sounds emanated from the entrance.
"Hmm?" Zhao Si, with his keen senses, immediately noticed something amiss.
The other guards also paused, exchanging glances.
"It seems to be coming from the entrance door," a faint voice said. It was the new guard among them.
At that moment, his eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the entrance door.
"What did you say?" Zhao Si's heart tightened.
He turned abruptly to look at the entrance.
And in that moment, Zhao Si witnessed a scene that would be forever etched in his memory.
The once intact entrance door to the Great Abyss was now covered in cracks, from the inside out. These cracks continued to spread, branch out, and split. In an instant, they covered the entire door.
"No!!!!" Zhao Si's heart nearly stopped.
Before he could finish his exclamation— The entrance door to the Great Abyss exploded, sending countless Xuan Gold fragments flying in all directions like shooting stars.
But no one paid any attention to the fragments. Their gazes were fixed on the now empty entrance to the Great Abyss.
A series of soft footsteps could be heard, slow and deliberate, echoing from the depths of the Great Abyss.
Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, a figure clad in tattered clothes walked out. As he emerged, he raised his hand to shield his eyes from the glare, as if the light was too bright for him.
"Freedom!"
The figure took a deep breath, and within a radius of ten li, all the heaven and earth's energy, willing or unwilling, was sucked into his body.
(End of Chapter)
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