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The Abyssal Sage King is the core existence of the entire abyss.
The vast majority of the abyss's energy lies under his control.
All the abyssal creatures, even the Abyssal Kings, possess only a fraction of the abyss's total energy—perhaps barely one-tenth.
It might even be less than that.
After all, apart from the Abyssal Sage King, the master of the abyssal plane, there is no true god in the entire abyss. At most, there is one with god-level spiritual power, and another with divine power. As for the rest—even the top ten ranked Abyssal Kings—at best, they are quasi-gods.
And what is a quasi-god?
Simply put, it's someone who can unleash power comparable to that of a god through various means and abilities.
But in the end, they are not true gods.
Even those with god-level spiritual power or divine energy haven't truly broken through to godhood. They still remain beneath the divine threshold, possessing only partial god-tier abilities due to special circumstances.
On the Douluo Continent, this means that—aside from the Abyssal Sage King—none have surpassed the limit of level 99. All remain firmly stuck at that boundary.
Among them, the Spirit Emperor on the second level, who possesses god-level spiritual power, and the Flame Emperor on the third level, who wields divine energy, are both still at level 99. They are comparable to the current Electrolux, having obtained powers exclusive to gods through special means, but their true level remains at 99.
Electrolux's current state is quite peculiar, yet there's no doubt—he has already merged with the Douluo plane. One could say he has been reborn in Douluo. Drawing upon necromantic energy and the understanding of reincarnation he gained from Su Yu, he reshaped his fragmented soul into a new body, becoming a form of energy life.
In other words, Electrolux is now considered a being of the Douluo Continent and is subject to the same level 99 limit.
However, at his core, he is still at the level of divine consciousness—his spiritual power was originally at the god-level. And within the Dragon Valley, he condensed all his insights into a nascent godhood as a necromancer, refining his own strength and acquiring divine power.
It can be said that in every aspect, he has now reached godhood—possessing both god-level spiritual power and divine energy—yet without having broken through the level 99 bottleneck of an Ultimate Douluo.
Of course, his mastery of techniques and his overall strength, like Su Yu's, far exceeds the typical limitations of level 99.
What's his actual combat power?
That will only be proven in real battle.
Gu Yuena is in a similar state. However, in her case, she rid herself of her severely wounded body through reincarnation, and her strength has been rebuilt nearly from scratch. Thanks to the absorption and refinement of her past powers and Su Yu's ultimate life energy support, she swiftly returned to the level of an Ultimate Douluo.
She compressed her power close to the threshold of divine strength, and her spiritual power directly broke through to the god-level.
Of course, for her, this still isn't the primary source of her strength. Her true power lies in the bloodline of the Silver Dragon King.
With Su Yu's soul spirit cultivation system, her mastery over her own bloodline has surpassed what she had in the past.
In the abyss, there are a total of 108 layers. Each layer has an Abyssal King, and each Abyssal King is like the master of that layer's plane, capable of fully controlling the power of their respective level.
Yet, among these 108 layers, not a single Abyssal King has broken through the divine threshold.
Only the Abyssal Sage King has reached godhood—and not just barely, but as a first-tier god!
Converted into Douluo Continent levels, the other Abyssal Kings are, at best, level 99, while the Abyssal Sage King is likely at level 130 or higher!
One can imagine how much of the abyss's energy is concentrated within him alone.
Without the Abyssal Sage King entering the Douluo Continent, even if the entire energy sent by the abyss were refined and absorbed, it would be like a drop in the ocean.
It falls far short of Su Yu's planned goals.
"We still have to wait—wait for the abyss to invest even more of its strength."
Why Did Su Yu Allow the Battlefield to Be Anchored on the Douluo Continent by the Abyss?
In the original work, the battlefield between the Douluo Continent and the Abyss was located within the spatial passage connecting the two realms. Within that passage, soul masters were actually unable to fully harness the power of their soul rings and soul skills. Though that suppression of power was one issue, the more important factor was guiding the Abyss to continually invest more of its forces into the Douluo Continent.
As long as the Abyss poured in enough resources, Su Yu's side would be guaranteed steady returns.
"The Abyss is powerful—far stronger than the Douluo Continent—but it is still weaker than the Divine Realm. In fact, it's vastly inferior."
That's the current state of affairs.
The will of the plane lured in the Abyss, tempting the Abyssal Sage King to impulsively commit such massive forces in hopes of taking a bite out of Douluo. But if things begin to go south, the Abyssal Sage King would not hesitate to abandon the endeavor at the first sign of danger.
Su Yu cannot destroy the spatial passage—it is the power that links two separate planes, and it cannot be so easily erased. However, the Abyssal Sage King, as the lord of his plane and the representative of the Abyss itself, does possess the ability to sever it. The catch is that doing so would come at a massive cost, and all prior investments would be utterly wasted.
Su Yu's plan is to lure the Abyss into committing more and more resources to the conflict. That way, even if the Abyssal Sage King sees the situation turn against him and chooses to cut off the connection, a great number of abyssal creatures—and even several Abyssal Kings—will already be trapped within the Douluo Continent and ultimately devoured.
This strategy is all about securing a fallback guarantee.
The war must continue as a long-term conflict, but from Douluo's perspective, there needs to be a guaranteed minimum gain.
While Su Yu is calculating how to exploit the Abyss, the Abyssal Sage King is also waiting for his moment.
"This man... he must be the true core of the Douluo Continent."
By now, the Abyssal Sage King had no doubts. The true leader of Douluo's resistance was neither Kong Deming, nor the Silver Dragon King, nor Ditian—it was Su Yu.
Su Yu was the key figure connecting all the strongest forces resisting the abyssal invasion of Douluo.
And he himself possessed the most supreme power on the entire continent.
"Those worthless fools from the Holy Spirit Church were eliminated so quickly... and their bodies were damaged beyond use as vessels for descent!"
The Abyssal Sage King was furious.
But at the same time, a sense of caution took root in him.
The strength of the Douluo Continent had grown to such a degree?
The number of Ultimate Douluo-level powerhouses had already surpassed double digits!
Though this number was still unimpressive when compared to the Abyss, in the scope of the universe, it placed the Douluo Continent among the ranks of truly powerful worlds. Most life-bearing planets didn't even possess divine-level beings, much less so many peak-tier powerhouses.
Reaching this number of top-tier fighters meant that the Douluo Continent had already reached the critical point of evolving into a divine-level planet capable of nurturing gods.
With one more step, soul masters on the Douluo Star would be able to truly break through the limit and reach level 100.
They would become gods without the need for god positions.
Of course, gods without a divine seat would have the standard lifespan of ordinary divine beings across the universe.
Even so, from the Abyss's perspective, the Douluo Continent still posed no true threat to its power.
The only thing the Abyssal Sage King truly feared... was the Divine Realm.
"The commotion caused by this invasion of the Douluo Continent is so great, yet the Divine Realm hasn't reacted at all."
The Abyssal Sage King knew that the Divine Realm was plotting something.
He wasn't foolish.
On the contrary, having led the Abyss to evade attacks from powerful planes and grown by devouring material planes, reaching the current level of strength, he was very astute.
The Divine Realm hadn't faced any external attacks, and suddenly, communication with the Douluo Continent was cut off. Afterward, the will of the Douluo plane revealed its weakened state, luring him over. One thing led to another, and it all seemed too suspicious.
"Internal conflict." The Abyssal Sage King shook his head and said, "Though the conflict between the God of Destruction and the Sea God has erupted multiple times—especially since a thousand years ago—it's possible that they've been deliberately lulling the outside world into complacency since then."
The Douluo Divine Realm had never been stable.
It wasn't just the Abyss trying to peep in. The Douluo Divine Realm was enormous, with many high-quality planes under its jurisdiction, all with the potential to give birth to gods. It was also one of the few divine realms in the universe, capable of forming divine positions and granting eternal life to divine beings!
"The Crimson Domain is eyeing us from afar, along with numerous nearby star systems, all coveting the planes under Douluo's divine control."
These were all material planes capable of producing gods or growing to the potential of reaching godhood.
"You're fishing, and I'm walking a tightrope." The Abyssal Sage King was probing.
Now, with the Abyss fully invading, the Douluo Divine Realm had yet to make any move, not even attempting to restore contact with the Douluo Continent. This made him even bolder.
"As long as the Douluo Divine Realm takes any action, I'll withdraw. If the gods reconnect with the Douluo Continent and send the God Kings, I'll have enough time to sever the planar connection."
The Abyssal Sage King was also testing the limits of the Divine Realm's bait.
It turned out that the Divine Realm's move was far more ambitious than he had imagined.
"Such a large game board—are they not afraid of it falling apart?" A trace of coldness flickered in the Abyssal Sage King's eyes. "Hmph, they clearly have set their sights on my entire Abyss."
By this point, how could he not realize this?
"Heh, as long as I, the Abyssal Sage King, don't personally step into the Douluo Continent, and as long as the Divine Realm doesn't make a move, I can sever the connection. I'll remain invincible."
Having already reached the level of a first-tier god, as long as the Abyssal Sage King didn't collapse, even if all the 107 Abyssal Kings beneath him perished and their energy was completely lost, his realm would not fall.
With the strength of a first-tier god, it was still possible for him to absorb and devour weaker planes, restoring the Abyss to its current state.
If this invasion succeeded and the Douluo plane was devoured, the Abyss's power would grow even further.
"The Douluo Continent, about to evolve into a god-level plane, will be my best source of nourishment—especially the devoured plane's will."
The Douluo Continent was on the verge of giving birth to its own will. No wonder it had never reached godhood. It must have been because it gained its own will, consuming so much energy in the process.
And then, the entity that was attempting to seize the plane's will—it had to be a god at the very least. And to completely take over the plane's will, the power it commanded wouldn't be weaker than a second-tier god, possibly even comparable to a first-tier god.
"The plane's will... that entity seizing it must have the strength of at least two beings comparable to first-tier gods. Add that to the Douluo Continent's massive foundation, and it's like devouring the power of three first-tier gods!"
This was just the boost for the Abyssal Sage King. The overall strengthening of the Abyss would be significant as well.
After all, Douluo had already birthed several Ultimate Douluo, so if the Abyss devoured the Douluo Continent, with its centralized system of power, it could easily produce ten or more Ultimate Douluo.
"Even the birth of ten semi-gods is not without hope."
Or perhaps, the Spirit Emperor and the Blaze Emperor would completely transform into true gods.
With his own further growth, coupled with the Abyss becoming even stronger, all these factors made the Abyssal Sage King willing to take the risk.
"Fish on, fish on, hahaha! I, the Abyssal Sage King, will stay here in the Abyss and never leave. Do the gods of the Douluo Divine Realm truly dare to enter my Abyss and fight with me?"
A first-tier god and a master of a plane—his power was far stronger within his own plane. By controlling the power of the plane to suppress his enemies, one could even say he was akin to a semi-God King.
With his mastery of the super artifact Heavenly Saint Abyss Cleaver, he wasn't afraid of any God King.
If the opponent had the audacity to defy the heavens, enter the Abyss plane, and push him too far, the Abyssal Sage King could self-destruct and perish together with them.
Thus, the Abyssal Sage King was certain: as long as he stayed within the Abyss, the Douluo Divine Realm couldn't do anything to him.
"And then, there's this human."
The Abyssal Sage King's gaze turned back to Su Yu.
"He's strong, he's monstrous. If the Divine Realm hadn't been so reluctant to release divine positions, he'd probably have ascended to godhood by now."
Apart from Su Yu, there were two others.
The Abyssal Sage King couldn't help but covet the foundation of the Douluo Continent.
If the plane itself didn't have any restrictions, or if divine positions weren't so scarce, these three would undoubtedly become gods!
Despite the Abyss being so powerful and its system so conducive to the creation of strong beings, it had only produced the Spirit Emperor and Blaze Emperor, both of whom were on the verge of breaking through to godhood.
"Human, I recognize your strength."
The voice of the Abyssal Sage King echoed in Su Yu's ears.
"Oh?" Su Yu didn't know what the Abyssal Sage King wanted to do and quietly waited for him to continue.
"Your strength has already reached the threshold of godhood, but you're trapped by the weakness of this plane. Doesn't that pain you?"
No pain.
Su Yu thought to himself that he hadn't even reached his limit yet.
"On the Douluo Continent, there are still divine realms. There are stronger beings with the hope of advancing further, beings who will be selected by the gods of the Divine Realm to inherit divine positions and ascend."
"But, this is a rule passed down through the ages. It doesn't have to be strictly followed."
The Abyssal Sage King's voice carried a subtle yet powerful allure, but there was no coercion.
However, what he said was deeply tempting.
Sadly, it had no effect on Su Yu.
"In the past, the early gods were willing to pass on divine positions. But with each successive generation, some gods became complacent, clinging to their positions and enjoying eternal life in the Divine Realm. They stagnated, and as time went on, most of them became like this. As a result, the talents of the Douluo Continent have no opportunity to rise."
"This is a tragedy."
Does the Divine Realm not have divine positions suitable for the talented individuals of the lower realms?
Doesn't Kong Deming's twin martial souls, Sun and Moon, deserve a divine position? Doesn't Jing Hongchen deserve one? Doesn't Long Xiaoyao? Doesn't Ye Xishui? Or perhaps, is there no divine position for Mu En? The one who is immune to poison?
It's impossible that there are none. The issue is that the divine positions already have masters, and those masters are not willing to pass down their positions.
Don't bring up the excuse that the gods are too old or that their potential has already been exhausted.
Kong Deming has the potential to reach level 99 through his own cultivation. He also has a deep understanding of soul tools and the potential to become a level 10 soul engineer. If he had started receiving divine inheritance at level 60 or 70, guided in his cultivation, corrected past mistakes, and had his foundation polished, with the most suitable divine soul ring bestowed upon him, he would definitely become an excellent successor.
The same applies to Jing Hongchen and the others, including the ones immune to poison.
After all, across the entire Douluo Continent, there has never been a shortage of soul masters with the potential to reach the extreme level of 99, but there has been a lack of divine positions suitable for them.
As long as they could receive divine inheritance, starting from level 70 and undergoing the gods' trials, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that at least one new god could be born every thousand years, even if luck plays a role in whether or not someone encounters divine inheritance.
But none of this matters to Su Yu.
"The gods aren't willing to pass down divine positions for now?"
What does that have to do with me, someone who plans to create my own divine position?
As for whether the Divine Realm can accommodate more divine positions?
Su Yu didn't care.
The Divine Realm could never run out of space for more divine positions. If such a situation arose, it would simply be because the Divine Realm lacked the resources to help geniuses condense new divine positions. It would never be the case that a peerless genius couldn't create their own divine position, and the Divine Realm couldn't accept or bear it.
Su Yu didn't care, but he didn't mind listening to the Abyssal Sage King continue with his ramblings.
"Hmm, the seal has finally been strengthened a bit. But we must continue. The entire seal and the spatial passage must be merged into one, or it could be destroyed at any moment."
Su Yu hadn't stopped improving the seal.
No matter what kind of seal it was, it wasn't particularly secure. The only way to truly make the Abyss hesitate was to bind the seal with the spatial passage. Even if the seal was destroyed, the passage would go with it.
A long-term war required constantly attracting the Abyss to pour more of its army into Douluo Continent. Naturally, this swirling passage couldn't always be in the hands of Douluo.
If Su Yu couldn't merge the seal and the passage completely, then this seal would be a joke.
So, while the Abyssal Sage King was arguing with him, Su Yu was happy to entertain him.
"You talk, I'll listen."
Boom!
A series of loud explosions rang out.
"Hahahahaha!"
The arrogant laughter of Xiao Hongchen echoed as he stood out from the battle between the Soul Armor Masters and the Abyssal creatures, carrying hundreds of soul cannonballs. He relentlessly bombarded the outer perimeter, swiftly approaching the core area.
Meng Hongchen was beside him, dealing with the nearby Abyssal creatures.
The siblings now both possessed the strength of Titled Douluo.
Their soul armors had been upgraded to the highest-grade intermediate-level soul armor, and as excellent soul engineers, they had created numerous soul tools specifically designed to complement their armors.
This time, the siblings were the commanders of the Soul Armor Master Corps.
However, they didn't expect that, not long after the battle began, they would separate from the team.
Fortunately, the Soul Armor Master Corps still had figures like Ji Juechen, Jing Ziyan, and Xiao Ping, who had participated in the Soul Fighting Tournament, and many of the first-generation Soul Armor Masters were also in the Corps.
Most importantly, Xuan Ziwen was also part of the Soul Armor Master Corps.
Compared to the Hongchen siblings, Xuan Ziwen was the true core of the Soul Armor Master Corps. As a Titled Douluo, although he didn't have a super soul armor, with the highest-level advanced armor and the combination of his soul power, his combat strength could rival that of Jing Hongchen before the latter had a soul armor.
Leading the Soul Armor Master Corps to resist a group of Abyssal creatures that didn't have Titled Douluo-level strength was the true stabilizing force.
Xuan Ziwen was essentially the final safeguard for the safety of this group of Soul Armor Masters under the extreme disadvantage of ten times fewer forces.
"Do you know why the Four Saints of the Holy Spirit Church helped my Abyss establish this passage?"
Hmm?
Su Yu immediately perked up when he heard what the Abyssal Sage King said.
He was really curious about this.
As soul masters from Douluo Continent, why did Ye Xishui and the others choose to cooperate with the Abyss?
The Demon Emperor was undoubtedly a madman, possibly just aiming to destroy Douluo Continent, but what about Ye Xishui and the others?
Did Ye Xishui and the others really go mad too?
There must be a goal, a pursuit behind it, right?
Su Yu listened with curiosity as the Abyssal Sage King spoke.
"Because, on Douluo Continent, they have no further possibilities for growth, but my Abyss can provide such opportunities."
Is that all?
"Ha ha ha ha! You must think that's the only reason, right?" the Abyssal Sage King sneered. "Do you think that the Abyss can only offer such opportunities? In the Abyss, there's nothing you can't cultivate, nothing you can't achieve."
"Once you enter my Abyss, your soul power level can continue to increase. Breaking through level 100 is not without hope. Even after reaching level 100, you could push it to 110, 120, or even 130. As long as you keep progressing, my Abyss will allow it. But on Douluo Continent, you will be stuck at level 99 for life!"
Oh~~~
So that's it.
But… is this really possible?
After entering the Abyss, could they really break through directly?
Wouldn't they have to integrate their power with the Abyss?
And if they integrated with the Abyss, in such a purely energy-based dimension, with the system of the Abyss being so well-established between the master and sub-master of the realms, could they still control their own power?
These questions quickly emerged in Su Yu's mind, and he quickly dismissed them one by one.
There was no doubt that these were fatal issues, and the Abyss couldn't guarantee or even avoid them.
"Su Yu, you have great talent, and so do those two. You all have a real chance to break through to the divine level. Aren't you content to remain at level 99?"
The Abyssal Sage King seemed to be considering Su Yu and the others.
Su Yu remained unmoved, continuing to integrate the seal with the spatial passage.
Seeing that Su Yu was still working on the seal, the Abyssal Sage King realized that Su Yu had not been fully swayed.
But it didn't matter now.
Since Su Yu wasn't tempted, then he could only be eliminated.
"Hmm?"
Su Yu sensed something unusual and looked down, focusing on the area where the bodies of the Demon Emperor and others had been killed.
Despite the presence of the Golden Dragon Spear, the half-plane of the undead, and Su Yu's seal, as time passed, the energy from the Abyssal creatures that had died, along with the Abyssal energy not fully absorbed by the vortex, quickly began to gather.
The shattered body of the Demon Emperor was instantly transformed when large amounts of Abyssal energy flowed into it.
"A descent?" Su Yu quietly rejoiced in his heart.
(End of Chapter)