Chapter 194: Activated Ruins

Chapter 194: Activated Ruins

In an instant, an intense distortion sensation and tearing force surged through Luo En’s entire body.

The feeling was far more violent than he’d imagined—like countless needles piercing every inch of his skin while his nerves stretched to their breaking point.

Space folded, twisted, and reassembled before his eyes. His vision blurred with countless illusions and afterimages.

Flickering glimpses of countless terrified faces howling in darkness—were they real or hallucinations?—and distant whispers in an ancient language, filled with mockery and laughter.

“Focus your spirit!”

Luo En forced himself to stay alert. His previous experience in the Simulation Combat Device taught him to recognize the curse’s effects immediately.

The Abyssal Curse!

Unlike the simulated effects within the Simulation Combat Device, the real curse was far more complex and layered. He could feel his flesh writhing as if hordes of tiny creatures crawled beneath his skin.

Simultaneously, his thoughts grew chaotic, deluged by bizarre notions clawing at his rationality.

It felt like a dual curse—both physical mutation and spiritual corruption.

Luo En immediately activated his bloodline power. A searing heat erupted within him as the Crimson Blood Sky Dragon’s power surged through his body like a raging inferno. This formidable bloodline acted as a barrier, momentarily halting the grotesque transformations devouring his flesh.

At the same time, he entered a meditative state. His spiritual energy circled his body, forming a specialized mental defense.

“Zi Keluonia.”

He silently chanted the syllables of the Erosion Sonata, wielding this mysterious stellar force to counter the abyssal curse.

The toxic countermeasure worked astonishingly well—the two opposing twisted forces neutralized each other, allowing him to maintain clarity.

“The effect is better than expected,” Luo En mused, slightly relieved.

The previous simulation in the Simulation Combat Device had replicated the third and fourth layer curses of the Abyss. Now, facing the real thing—though a combination of physical and spiritual effects—the intensity felt weaker, roughly equivalent to the first or second layer.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the teleportation ended.

The twisted space stabilized, revealing an unfamiliar world.

Luo En stood on a strange plain. The ground was a semi-solid, dark red substance that felt slightly elastic underfoot—like stepping on a thin layer of flesh. The unnatural sky hung in a sickly violet-black hue, devoid of sun or moon, with only jagged dark clouds occasionally flashing faint red lightning.

In the distance, twisted mountain outlines emerged faintly. Those peaks resembled the hunched spines of some colossal creature.

More unsettling was the environment’s eerie vitality:

The ground undulated slightly with his breath, and the air carried a sweetish, metallic stench—like standing inside some gigantic beast’s belly.

“Is this the interior of the Bloodline Altar?”

Luo En scanned his surroundings warily, his spiritual energy probing the ambient energy fluctuations.

After confirming the area’s safety, he swiftly opened his Storage Bag.

“Daire, come out.”

A faint spatial ripple shimmered, and the silver-haired Little Siren emerged.

The moment she appeared, she visibly recoiled.

Her violet-blue eyes widened, and her slender body trembled violently.

“Master…” Her voice came out hoarse and pained. “This place… feels terrible.”

Luo En immediately steadied the nearly collapsing Little Siren.

“Endure it. This is the Abyssal Curse’s influence. Don’t resist it—learn to adapt.”

Daire nodded, but her skin began to transform unnaturally: patches turned ash-gray, as if rapidly dehydrating.

Luo En swiftly retrieved a pale blue vial from his Storage Bag.

“Drink this—Abyssal Adaptation Agent. It’ll help alleviate the curse’s effects.”

Daire trembled as she took the vial, gulping down the liquid in one swallow.

The effect was immediate—her skin regained its normal hue, her breathing steadied.

“Thank you, Master,” she whispered, her voice calmer but still laced with fear.

“This place is worse than I imagined.”

“Only the beginning,” Luo En warned gravely. “The path ahead will grow even harsher. But don’t fear—remember everything I’ve taught you. We’ll survive this trial.”

The Little Siren nodded firmly, stiffening her posture.

“Master… does this place feel like a battlefield to you?”

She glanced around, puzzled.

Indeed, the landscape resembled an ancient battlefield, twisted by abyssal energy. Scattered across the ground were countless warped metal fragments—shields, spears, or swords long since fused into the terrain, now grotesque protrusions.

Massive bones jutted from the soil, clearly not human—too large, too twisted, their shapes unrecognizable.

Further away, tattered banners rustled in the wind, their insignias blurred but faintly revealing symbols of multiple nations or species.

“You’re right, Daire. This was likely an ancient battlefield corrupted by the Abyss.”

Luo En knelt, touching the ground with his blade’s tip. The soil-like surface cracked, revealing muscle-like fibers beneath.

“This ‘soil’—it’s actually living tissue. The entire space has been transformed by abyssal energy into some semi-living entity.”

Daire shuddered, instinctively stepping closer to Luo En, her voice hushed.

“Does that mean we’re… standing on a giant creature’s body?”

“More like the battlefield itself has been granted a twisted ‘life.’”

Luo En explained, “The Abyssal Life Compendium mentions similar phenomena—the fourth layer of the Abyss can transform dead zones into Activated Ruins, where decay and death coalesce into a unique mana form.”

As they spoke, the distant ground began to convulse violently. A massive figure burst from the crimson earth.

It was a grotesque corpse, over two meters tall, encased in rusted ancient armor fused completely with its flesh.

Its head was a hideous chimera: a human skull outline with four glowing eyes, a jaw extending into a lizard-like maw bristling with sharp teeth.

Most terrifying was its chest—a gaping cavity writhing with tentacle-like viscera. The appendages occasionally extended outward, sniffing the air.

“Master! What is that?” Daire stared at the behemoth.

“A Forgotten Warrior,” Luo En replied lowly, his eyes narrowing. “But unlike ordinary undead—it’s a hybrid of necrotic traits and multiple exotic race bloodlines.”

He drew his sword swiftly, swallowing a potion from his waist to boost his resistance.

“Beware its tentacles—they may carry corrosive toxins.”

The Forgotten Warrior had already noticed them.

Its four glowing eyes turned toward the pair, emitting different colored lights. It let out a deafening roar—a cacophony of screeching noise and deep resonance, like a thousand wailing souls.

“Master, let me fight!” Daire prepared herself, Water Element energy condensing in her hands.

“Proceed as planned,” Luo En commanded. “Your resistance is weaker—stay back and support me with ranged interference. I’ll engage first.”

As he spoke, the Forgotten Warrior charged forward.

Each step left deep indentations in the crimson earth, the soil writhing in response to its presence.

Luo En didn’t retreat—he advanced.

“Radiant Halo!”

A golden-red aura erupted from his body, forming a blinding armor around him, humming with latent power.

The Forgotten Warrior swung a massive arm. The deformed limb, fused with armor and bone spines, could pierce any ordinary man in one strike.

Luo En sidestepped nimbly, his sword carving an arc toward the creature’s chest cavity—a known weak point for such monsters.

The blade pierced through, and the Forgotten Warrior howled in pain.

The tentacles within its chest lashed out, trying to drag the weapon—and its wielder—into the cavity.

But upon contacting the Radiant Halo’s defensive field, the viscera sizzled like squid on a griddle.

“Daire, now!”

The Little Siren sprang into action, her hands weaving rapidly.

Water molecules in the air condensed into dozens of sharp ice shards.

“Crystal Arrow Rain!”

The ice shards shot forth like arrows, slicing through the tentacles extending from the creature’s chest, severing them precisely.

The Forgotten Warrior staggered backward. The severed tentacles spewed foul-smelling black liquid that corroded smoking pits into the ground.

Luo En swiftly distanced himself.

He noted the severed appendages regenerating at an alarming rate.

“This is the Abyssal Creature’s Regenerative Capacity—we must find its core.”

He analyzed the Forgotten Warrior’s movements.

This chimera—a hybrid of exotic race traits—far surpassed ordinary beings in strength and defense. Combined with relentless regeneration, conventional attacks were nearly futile.

“This’ll have to work… I hope my theory is correct.”

Luo En inhaled deeply, his spiritual energy weaving a complex spell matrix.

“Sound Wave Oscillation Erosion State!”

Invisible ripples erupted from his palm, carrying eerie whispers from the depths of the Star, striking the Forgotten Warrior.

Instantly, the creature slowed.

Black spots erupted across its body, as if corroded by an invisible force. Its chest tentacles writhed frantically, trying to shake off the effect with little success.

“It’s working!” Luo En’s heart leapt.

Just as during his previous encounter with the hybrid Serpent Demon, the Star’s mysterious whispers indeed held a unique counter-effect against Abyssal Creatures—a natural weakness, like a primordial nemesis.

The Forgotten Warrior shrieked in agony. Its armor began peeling away, revealing rotting flesh beneath.

Its four eyes flickered desperately. Then, it did something unexpected:

It plunged one hand into its chest cavity and pulled out a crystal radiating purple light—its core.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Forgotten Warrior actually popped the crystal into his mouth and started chewing vigorously!

"Is he... committing suicide?" Daire momentarily lost her composure, baffled by the seemingly idiotic move.

"He's going to make the core explode!" Luo En immediately grasped the enemy's intention.

The crystal shattered between Forgotten Warrior's teeth, purple mana dispersing like smoke into the air.

In the next instant, Forgotten Warrior's body began violently expanding, fissures forming across his skin as purple light bled from the cracks.

"Run!"

Luo En grabbed Daire and yanked her backward with lightning speed, simultaneously conjuring the most robust Flowing Barrier he could muster.

Boom!

Forgotten Warrior's body detonated instantaneously, transforming into a violet-black mana cloud that spread outward in all directions.

The Flowing Barrier absorbed most of the blast, but some mana still pierced through the defense, forming a sinister crimson mist in the air.

Just as Luo En prepared to check Little Siren's condition in his arms, an unusual movement caught his attention.

The Puppet Substitute hanging from his waist suddenly reacted autonomously, emitting a faint suction force.

In the next moment, the violet-black blood mist actually surged toward the puppet as if possessed of consciousness, getting rapidly absorbed into the wooden effigy.

"This is...?" Luo En immediately sensed something amiss.

The Puppet Substitute still coiled around his waist, but its surface had undergone a subtle transformation.

The originally smooth wood now bore a layer of pale purple markings, resembling blood vessels branching across the entire puppet's body.

Moreover, the puppet seemed to be slowly absorbing the mana from the blood mist, its previously dim mana indicator light growing slightly brighter.

Luo En immediately checked the Puppet Substitute's status:

[Auto-absorption of Vitality Abyssal substance. Charging progress +1%]

[Current mana: 3%/100%]

"It absorbed this abyssal mana and self-charged?"

While the puppet had previously reacted to and charged using living tissue from Lion Scorpions and Serpent Demons during experiments, this autonomous mana absorption during battle was genuinely unexpected.

He gently channeled a thread of spiritual energy to activate the Puppet Substitute.

The puppet reacted instantly, but this time its transformation speed and fluidity surpassed previous levels.

Not only that, its morphing capabilities had become more diverse.

The previously fused Serpent Demon and Lion Scorpion traits seemed enhanced in some way.

"The mana of Abyssal Creatures appears to have strengthened its aberration ability", Luo En mused thoughtfully.

If the Puppet Substitute could autonomously absorb and integrate Abyssal Creature traits, reaching the charging target might accelerate significantly.

Carefully securing the puppet, anticipation for the upcoming journey stirred within him.

"Master, are you alright?" Daire asked, concern etched in her voice.

"I'm fine", Luo En replied, recovering from his shock.

"But we need to be more cautious. These monsters clearly differ from ordinary Abyssal Creatures - their self-destruct behavior is highly unusual."

Little Siren nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Master. I'll be more careful."

Luo En carefully surveyed the surroundings for possible clues or objectives.

There must be a core located somewhere in this twisted battlefield.

Finding it and completing the trial was their purpose here.

But now, understanding this environment's rules was more urgent to better face upcoming challenges.

Meanwhile, Cui Xi had been transported to another area of the Bloodline Altar.

After a dizzying whirl, the brown-haired girl found herself in a bizarre swamp region.

Unlike Luo En's battlefield, this ground was covered in viscous dark green liquid emitting a pungent rot.

The sky displayed a sickly yellow-green hue, occasionally crossed by grotesque flying creatures shrieking piercing cries.

"Abyssal curse."

Cui Xi immediately felt the suffocating pressure as if some force was slowly twisting her muscles and bones.

But as Kelinna's disciple, she'd received specialized training to resist abyssal influences.

"Isolation Barrier!"

A pale green mana barrier expanded from her body, forming a translucent protective cocoon that temporarily resisted the abyssal curse's erosion.

Cui Xi surveyed her surroundings, spotting a faintly glowing stone tablet at the swamp's center, its surface engraved with complex rune patterns.

"That tablet might determine whether I can reach the core area."

The key to the path toward the core altar likely lay within.

But the issue was that between her position and the tablet lay a vast, bottomless swamp - recklessly crossing would equate to suicide.

She retrieved a small vial from her waist pouch and drank its contents.

This was a special adaptant prepared by Mentor Kelinna, enabling temporary free movement in such environments.

The potion's effect was almost immediate.

A pale green glow surfaced on her skin, her blood circulation becoming faster and stronger.

"I hope this lasts long enough to reach the tablet."

Cui Xi carefully stepped onto the swamp surface, letting her toes lightly touch the viscous green liquid.

Surprisingly, under the potion's effect, her body became exceptionally light, almost floating on the swamp instead of sinking.

"Mentor's potion truly deserves its Crystal Spire technology origin."

She advanced cautiously, maintaining vigilance.

Such a "miracle" wouldn't last long - she needed to reach her target quickly.

When she'd covered about half the distance to the tablet, the swamp suddenly churned violently.

A massive creature slowly rose from the mud, composed of countless small corpses emitting a nauseating stench.

Its "skin" consisted of countless tendrils and vines continuously writhing, extending or retracting as if alive.

Its head featured a massive flower-like structure, its center a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth.

"Swamp Assembler." Cui Xi's face paled as she recognized the terrifying Abyssal Creature.

"Why is a second-layer abyssal creature appearing here?"

The Swamp Assembler had clearly detected her, its "flower" turning toward her direction, emitting an odd buzzing sound.

Then its entire body began moving toward her, each step shedding a piece of corpse that immediately got replaced by new tissue.

Cui Xi knew she couldn't confront this terror head-on.

Her only choice was reaching the tablet quickly, completing her mission, and leaving this area.

Unlike Luo En, she couldn't bring a combat companion into the altar.

The Bloodline Altar's rules strictly restricted each participant to solo entry, with Luo En being the sole exception due to his champion privilege.

Facing this crisis, she could only rely on her own abilities.

She quickly activated her dormant Forest Elves bloodline, a surge of green mana erupting from her body and spreading outward.

The mana, as if alive, rapidly infiltrated the swamp depths, establishing contact with the mutated plant life.

Moments later, dozens of massive vines, thick as a child's arm with sharp spines, erupted from the swamp like whips, wrapping around the Swamp Assembler.

"This should buy some time."

Cui Xi didn't stop, accelerating toward the tablet.

The Swamp Assembler roared in fury, its immense strength snapping vines one by one.

But for each broken vine, two new ones emerged from the swamp, continuing to entangle its body.

Seizing this opportunity, she formed a complex hand sign across her chest, chanting a spell.

"Swamp vines, heed my call! Become my shield and spear!"

Countless vines erupted from the swamp, coiling around her like green serpents.

Meanwhile, Holt's situation was equally dire.

He'd been transported to a canyon-like terrain with towering rock walls on both sides - but those "rocks" resembled fossilized giant bones.

The sky bore an unnatural orange-red hue, perpetually bathed in eternal sunset without any sun visible.

The air carried a metallic tang, each breath feeling like inhaling fine iron filings.

"The curse's strength exceeds expectations."

Holt felt the abyss's effects on himself, the nausea and vertigo almost knocking him off his feet.

But he quickly regained control.

As an Enforcement Team member, he'd undergone specialized anti-interference training to maintain composure in extreme environments.

"Earth Elemental Golem, manifest!"

Holt swiftly retrieved a Crystal Stone from his Storage Bag, injecting spiritual energy. A five-meter-tall Earth Elemental Golem rose from the ground.

Its deep brown body was covered in hard stone armor.

Holt's strength almost entirely relied on this Earth Elemental Golem.

As a dedicated earth elementalist, he'd poured all his research and resources into this field.

His golem surpassed typical constructs in strength, defense, and durability.

"Begin exploration."

He ordered the golem to lead, cautiously following behind while observing the surroundings.

The canyon remained deathly silent, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls.

Holt noticed strange white crystals scattered across the ground.

Upon closer inspection, he realized they resembled crystallized bone tissue.

"These must be crystallized bones. The Abyssal Life Compendium mentioned they usually appear in certain third-layer abyssal regions called 'Dead Bone Wastes.'"

After confirming their harmlessness through testing, he carefully stored the crystal in his bag - potentially valuable research material.

Continuing forward for about half an hour, the canyon gradually widened into a circular basin.

At its center stood a stone structure resembling an altar.

Seven tall stone pillars surrounded it, each topped with a floating red crystal emitting faint light.

"That's the control point."

As Holt prepared to approach the altar, he suddenly felt the ground trembling beneath his feet.

The tremors intensified rapidly, shaking the entire basin as if an earthquake had struck.

The Earth Elemental Golem immediately assumed a defensive stance, crossing its arms protectively as it braced for impact.

Suddenly, the ground at the basin's center cracked open, and a massive figure erupted from below.

It was a colossal worm-like creature, at least twenty meters long and over three meters in diameter.

Its body was covered in thick, bony armor arranged in concentric rings, appearing impervious.

Its head lacked eyes, featuring only a circular maw lined with rotating rows of razor-sharp teeth, producing an eerie grinding sound.

"Bone Worm", Holt's voice trembled slightly.

"One of the third-layer abyssal predators..."

The worm seemed to sense the intruder.

Its body twitched, then suddenly lunged at Holt with astonishing speed.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end