Chapter 178: The Family of Destruction

Under that strange gaze, the Priestess felt a sudden chill run down her spine.

“Why do I feel like you’re trying to trick me… Wh-what’s the plan? Tell me!”

“Oh dear, look at you, Vilyric! I wouldn’t trick anyone, let alone you~”

With another round of light laughter, the Cat Daughter stuck out her pink tongue and licked the claws of her paw gloves like a real cat.

“Actually, the original design principle of the Abyss was to replicate a void with absolutely nothing in it, weakening those powerful Evil Demons over a long period, and then completely eliminating them at a certain stage to prevent future troubles.”

“So, the Abyss cannot exist forever. Even if we take it away and find another suitable place to house it, it will eventually dissipate.”

“And if I’m not mistaken… there isn’t much time left before that moment arrives.”

Raising an eyebrow slightly, the Priestess pondered.

“So, what do you mean?”

“Well… the situation of this Abyss is different from the others still being kept. Although the destruction of the Open Heaven Gate puts it at risk, that’s why we can face it now ahead of schedule.”

Miss Xiao Kong restrained her teasing expression, becoming solemn.

“Vilyric, if I want to completely eliminate the Evil Demons inside this Abyss right now, will you help me?”

“Eliminate…?”

Without rushing to answer, the girl simply contemplated.

“What exactly needs to be done? Details about the enemy’s strength; these should all be information to clarify before the battle, right?”

“Actually, it’s not that complicated… just follow me, and you’ll understand.”

As silver light swirled, the Cat Daughter stepped forward, walking slowly toward the pitch-black orb enveloped by countless spatial cracks, as if stepping on an invisible staircase.

The black cracks naturally opened to both sides in front of her, and Vilyric spread her Divine Wings to catch up with Miss Xiao Kong, arriving together at the colorful black light.

“Touch it.”

“Eh? Just directly touch it with my body? Are you serious? It looks super dangerous…”

Miss Xiao Kong didn’t speak, but her gaze toward the Priestess grew particularly resolute. Seeing her so rarely serious, Vilyric could only let out a helpless chuckle and comply.

Her fair palm reached gently toward the strange black light that had no clear boundary or shape, seemingly sinking right into it as if it were nonexistent.

However, no immediate change followed; it felt empty inside, or rather, just a mass of intangible light.

“…?”

Realizing that it wasn’t as bizarre as she had imagined, Miss Vilyric quickly calmed down and curiously stirred her hand inside before turning to the Cat Daughter beside her.

“What’s going on here?”

Miss Xiao Kong nodded.

“The principle of the Abyss is complicated, but essentially, it is something that doesn’t have a real entity. What we see now is just its special influence in the material world, similar to a shadow, which cannot be touched by conventional means.”

“So?”

“So, only things that can transcend the boundary between reality and illusion and project power into the void can truly enter the depths of the Abyss. This is something I currently can’t do, but Vilyric, I believe you have that capability.”

“Expecting so much from me puts a lot of pressure on me…”

That said, Vilyric could roughly understand what Miss Xiao Kong was referring to.

The so-called boundary between reality and illusion, the power that can project into the void, should be SP, the Divine’s Divine Consciousness.

This incredible power can transcend even time when specific conditions are met, making it the sharpest spear in the hands of a God, and the most intuitive standard for determining a deity’s strength.

And among those present, the one wielding this weapon is only Vilyric.

…Looks like I have to do it.

Taking a deep breath, the girl gathered a strand of SP into a line, sending it from her fingertip deep into the black light.

The Divine Consciousness pierced through space, reflecting into the void beyond.

“Buzz ~”

It seemed like a sound of wavering string echoed in her ears, and the next moment, she “saw” a new sight.

Not various bizarre and eerie Evil Demons, but… countless colorless feathers floating in the void.

The Feathers of Destruction.

Vilyric had once seen a Feather of Destruction guarded by the Holy Beast Qilin in the underground Tidal Gorge of Yangyuan County, and although these before her were far smaller in both size and aura compared to the former, their sheer quantity was overwhelming, densely scattered throughout every corner of this void, roughly estimating at least thousands.

Oh…

Seeing this scene, she suddenly began to understand.

If the Evil Demons in the Ancient Spirit Realm that couldn’t be entirely eradicated were merely unintelligent beings born from native spiritual energy tainted by the factor of Destruction, they would be the “soldiers,” while those imprisoned in the Abyss must be a further tier, possessing a certain level of power bestowed by that suspected divine existence—a “general.”

The family of Destruction.

They were not only stronger and more cunning than ordinary Evil Demons, but their very essence had transformed into a power vastly different from this world, which was represented by the Feathers of Destruction before Vilyric.

And Destruction is a force of the gods, hard to eradicate by ordinary means; even if the physical form is destroyed, it might just allow two Feathers of Destruction to merge into a larger individual, potentially resulting in a terrifying existence like the Chaotic Beast Taotie.

This really is quite a rascal, this thing…

No wonder it almost destroyed the peak period of the Ancient Spirit Realm. If it weren’t for the Spiritual Fox Priestess developing this thing called the Abyss, that Rezdnes World could have been a cautionary tale.

It seems that after millennia of time, most of the Evil Demons initially locked away in the Abyss have already “died,” reverting to their most primordial Feather of Destruction form, but that does not mean their threat has been lifted.

As long as they break free from the Abyss and return to the material world, whether absorbed and fused by other Evil Demons or finding new hosts, the existence of these Feathers of Destruction will inevitably lead the Ancient Spirit Realm into yet another demonic turmoil.

What’s even scarier is that they are just a portion of the suppressed.

The words spoken by Qilin resurfaced in the girl’s mind, plunging her into contemplation.

“Only the fated person can truly withstand and eliminate the Feathers of Destruction… What exactly does this so-called fated person refer to?”

To be honest, even though she had coincidentally eliminated that larger and seemingly more powerful Feather of Destruction last time, Vilyric herself was not entirely sure how she did it. Perhaps it had something to do with that mysterious golden-eyed Vilyric, but that being wouldn’t just appear and disappear at will.

…Regardless, I should just give it a try.

Adding more SP, amassing sufficient power as a foundation, Vilyric cautiously extended the tendrils of Divine Consciousness toward a quietly floating Feather of Destruction beside her, reaching out to touch it.

   

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