Chapter 177: Abyss

You should know that the turmoil caused by the Evil Demons nearly led to the complete destruction of an entire civilization in the Ancient Spirit Realm, with hardly any legacy or documents left behind—this was a terrifying disaster, far more than mere petty squabbles.

A thousand years ago, Vilyric had gleaned much from visitors like Miss Xiao Kong and various special channels. At that time, the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance and the Blood of the Ancestors were powers as grand as Lingyin Fairy Island, with a long heritage and an abundance of strong individuals.

Perhaps they could not compare to the peak of the Original Land, which had undergone upheaval after upheaval, but according to the Priestess’s estimation, the number of top-tier strongmen that Ancient Spirit Realm could muster would be on par with the fire elemental army under some God of Blazing Flame in the Dream Realm.

That would count in the hundreds, nearly the scale of an entire mythical clan.

Setting aside the god-level powers on both sides, the fact that such a brilliant civilization protected by so many strong individuals was utterly obliterated, and that the Ten Thousand Nations Alliance and the Blood of the Ancestors were completely shattered to the point where hardly any records remain, showcases just how formidable the Evil Demons were.

In that case, could the power of just the Four Saints and Four Divine Beasts really turn the tide?

Indeed, perhaps their emergence successfully unified the fracturing Ancient Spirit Realm and played a crucial role, but there was surely another force, an unknown power, that annihilated the Evil Demons’ true main force.

For some reason, this event was not recorded in any historical texts, which made the Priestess feel very incongruous during her investigation.

It seems that the answer lies before her.

She turned to Miss Xiao Kong, who seemed to be in the know.

“Is this black orb related to the suppression of the Evil Demons’ turmoil?”

“Mm.”

The Cat Daughter nodded without hesitation.

“The existence of Evil Demons is vastly different from normal life. They originate from Destruction, and the only way they grow stronger is through Destruction—constantly killing and devouring all kinds of life using different yet converging methods.”

“However, the truly terrifying aspect is that those powerful Evil Demons can even devour their own kind, like refining insects, thus, as their numbers dwindle, their individual powers continuously increase. This is one of the biggest reasons why Evil Demons are so difficult to deal with.”

“If it were just regular combat, we usually need an overwhelming force—multiple times the number of the Evil Demons—to completely suppress and eliminate them. You know the situation back then; the Evil Demons were ferocious, and the Ancient Spirit Realm could barely defend against their rampage. How could they summon a force far exceeding the enemy to engage in battle?”

“Therefore, at that time, Lingyin Fairy Island proposed such a method—there was no need to kill all the Evil Demons; instead, the goal was to seal those powerful Evil Demons away, allowing them to gradually perish in an absolute void devoid of days or nights, light or dust. This technology built on this principle was named the Abyss.”

“Abyss…”

Murmuring this name, which bore some resemblance to something familiar, Vilyric looked around.

“This Abyss, could it be…?”

Miss Xiao Kong went straight to the point.

“Mm, you guessed right; it was personally created by the Spiritual Fox Priestess. She devised the method, and the others’ task was simply to do whatever it took to imprison those horrifying monsters inside.”

“After the Abyss was created, the strong ones of the Ancient Spirit Realm spent seventeen years, at the cost of nearly exhausting themselves, to imprison over ninety-nine percent of the top Evil Demons, while the remaining mid- and low-tier Evil Demons were gradually exterminated by the Four Divine Beasts you mentioned, ultimately bringing the turmoil of the Evil Demons to an end.”

“After everything concluded, the Abyss was divided into several parts and secretly guarded by trusted individuals personally assigned by the Spiritual Fox Priestess before her departure. Aside from her, no one knew the precise locations of all the Abyss compartments, to prevent malicious individuals from prematurely unlocking them and releasing those great Evil Demons that had caused chaos.”

“To reduce the impact and avoid causing panic among the populace who would fear that the Evil Demons were merely sealed rather than eradicated, and also to eliminate disruptive seeds, all information regarding the Abyss was concealed by the Four Nations and Lingyin Fairy Island. Only a handful of high-ranking individuals and those involved from a thousand years ago were privy to this information.”

“Although I have my suspicions, the Open Heaven Gate is indeed one of the factions that were appointed by her to guard the Abyss… They were suddenly destroyed by certain powers, and it seems the Evil Demons’ desire to reignite has not died.”

“…So that’s how it is.”

Now everything was clear.

According to Miss Xiao Kong, everything Vilyric had encountered so far could be connected.

Starting from the village of the Zeng family at the journey’s beginning, to the tidal ravine beneath Yangyuan County, the chaotic great secret realm on Peach Blossom Peak, and the ruins of the Open Heaven Gate in this Endless Ruins Sea, the key core linking all these events was the Evil Demons.

The sheer terror of this power might be far beyond what Vilyric had imagined, while within the Ancient Spirit Realm there seemed to be a force, which included but was not limited to the Seven-Day Demon Lord, always trying to bring the existence called Evil Demons back into this world.

With the extreme Yin point, Ya Zi, Taotie, and the Abyss ruins, if even one of these were mishandled, it would inevitably lead to catastrophic disasters, causing turmoil across the land; such a conspiracy is fundamentally achieved by tipping a scale like this.

The mysterious force that emerged over a hundred years ago and slaughtered the powers of more than a hundred sects, including the Open Heaven Gate, probably did not specifically target the Ferryman, but learned through some channels about the Abyss being hidden among them. Thus, they launched indiscriminate attacks, aiming to free those powerful Evil Demons imprisoned for a thousand years.

However, the Open Heaven Gate retained the trump card given by the Spiritual Fox Priestess, and at the last moment of knowing they were outmatched, they managed to shift their entire sect and the Abyss into the Endless Ruins Sea, thereby avoiding the enemy’s plot.

On the surface, this Ancient Spirit Realm appears peaceful and harmonious, but in reality, it is already brewing a storm, precariously balanced.

No wonder Ling Feng left a message in the letter saying that the upcoming Four Saints Selection Tournament is far from as simple as it appears. This grand event, covering the entire Ancient Spirit Realm, likely involves some significant secrets concerning the Evil Demons’ turmoil as well.

This is likely the true information that Hen intended to let her experience and realize for herself during this journey.

Finishing her contemplation, Vilyric returned her gaze to the Abyss floating in the air.

“So now what? Since we’ve come this far, how should we deal with this thing?”

Miss Xiao Kong pondered for a moment.

“We definitely can’t just leave the Abyss like this. This space formed from the ruins of the Open Heaven Gate is already quite unstable; you could say it’s entirely reliant on the power of the Abyss itself to keep it from collapsing. This not only burdens the latter; its mere existence is also a significant destabilizing factor.”

“If the Abyss were to be damaged, even if it were released into the Endless Ruins Sea, the consequences would be severe.”

“Mm… So should we just take it away and store it somewhere else?”

Hearing Vilyric propose this uncertain solution, the Cat Daughter suddenly gave her a look, revealing a hint of mischief in her smile.

“Actually, there’s a better solution.”

   

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