Darkness, desolation, and deathly silence permeated everything, carrying an overwhelming sense of madness. The sky and earth blurred together indistinctly, while crimson molten lava flowed from the heavens down to the ground like countless blood vessels, evoking deep-seated revulsion and disgust.
This was the Abyss in its natural state.
Even though Jing Shaoyu had spent two and a half of the past three months within the Abyss, he still couldn't acclimate to its oppressive gloom and barrenness. This was a true forbidden zone of nature—a wasteland where no life could thrive!
Through his firsthand experiences over these days, he had come to understand the fundamental differences between the Abyss Plane and the Douluo Continent. The Douluo Star's laws were complete and harmonious, maintaining a balance between light and dark, order and chaos. In contrast, the Abyss Plane lacked such equilibrium, making it inherently aggressive.
At this moment, Jing Shaoyu stood deep within an S-class Abyss Passage, at a junction node very close to the Abyss's native territory and far from the Douluo Star.
These so-called Abyss Passages were essentially conduits the Abyss Plane used to infiltrate the Douluo Continent, transporting Abyssal creatures—in simpler terms, they served as the Abyss's troop carriers. Suppressing these passages was the Blood God Legion's most critical mission.
Based on the highest level of Abyssal creatures each passage could transport, the Blood God Legion classified these 108 Abyss Passages into four tiers, with C-class being the lowest and S-class the highest. These 108 passages corresponded directly to the 108 layers of the Abyss, among which 36 were S-class—frequented by lord-class Abyssal beings equivalent to Titled Douluo.
"Shhhk!"
The Doomsday Divine Spear pulsed with an eerie crimson glow as it pierced through the grotesque body of an Abyssal creature. Like a searing brand pressed against foam, it sizzled with white smoke while the creature's flesh rapidly dissolved. A stream of pure energy traveled up the spear's shaft and flooded into Jing Shaoyu's body.
His eyes narrowed slightly in satisfaction.
The Abyssal creature, whose cultivation rivaled a Soul Douluo, let out agonized, ear-piercing shrieks—but soon fell silent, its form collapsing into a swirling gray mist that coiled around the spear's tip like a shackled serpent, unable to break free.
As the embodiment of all negative energy laws on Douluo Star, the Doomsday Divine Spear thrived in the Abyss Plane. Every Abyssal creature slain by it had its soul and Abyssal essence condensed at the spear's tip, refining crystals of doomsday law. Meanwhile, their life force and Abyssal energy were purified by the spear, becoming part of Jing Shaoyu's cultivation.
Using the flesh of the Abyss Plane to nourish Douluo Star's Star Spirit could be considered their atonement for invading the Douluo Continent.
"Ah..." Jing Shaoyu withdrew his spear, scanning the surroundings to confirm no Abyssal creatures lurked within a hundred miles before sighing. "That's enough for today. I'll continue tomorrow."
Truthfully, he was currently troubled. The closer he got to the Abyss's native territory, the more he sensed a faint yet persistent repelling force—the Abyss Plane's rejection of him as the life core of an alien world. It was only because Jing Shaoyu's inherited authority remained incomplete that this rejection manifested as mere discomfort for now.
When he truly descended into the depths of the Abyss, this repulsive force would act upon his cultivation or actions. Once he possessed complete authority, this repulsion would reach its peak—just as the Abyss Sage Monarch dared not lightly descend upon the Douluo Continent, for the cost was too great and the gains too unstable.
Thus, Jing Shaoyu's current state of mind was relatively relaxed. Whether reclaiming full authority or launching a counterattack against the Abyss, both required strength as a foundation. Before his cultivation reached the level of a Limit Douluo, the best strategy was to continue lying low and developing steadily.
At the entrance of the Abyss Passage.
As soon as Jing Shaoyu flew out and landed, a spirited female lieutenant colonel immediately approached him.
"Your Excellency, has today's special training ended?" Long Yuxue gazed at Jing Shaoyu with admiration in her eyes, simultaneously dispelling the Abyssal aura clinging to him while inquiring.
"Yes, let's head back." Jing Shaoyu nodded and handed his Blood God Ring to her, saying, "Check how many merit points we earned today."
"Understood." Long Yuxue respectfully accepted it and replied.
Though she had only known Jing Shaoyu for three months, Long Yuxue's admiration for him had reached an unparalleled level. It wasn't just because he had once saved her from the grasp of an adult Fiend Succubus, nor because he had fought their way through thousands of Abyssal creatures to rescue her. Long Yuxue simply felt that this boy—who was five or six years younger than her yet already a Titled Douluo—was truly dashing.
Well, she wasn't the type to fantasize about princes and princesses or heroic rescues. She simply admired strength in its purest form.
Unfortunately, ever since His Excellency Eternal began delving into the S-rank Abyss Passages, she could no longer stand by his side. Her strength was too weak, and recklessly entering the highest level of the Abyss would only lead to certain death.
But that didn't matter. As long as she remained His Excellency Eternal's assistant, Long Yuxue was content.
Returning to his dormitory, Jing Shaoyu sat cross-legged on his bed and began digesting the energy fed back by the Doomsday Divine Spear. Soon, he entered a state of deep meditation.
His Soul Power surged within him, and the surrounding natural energy formed a vortex of Primordial Qi that converged toward his body. The snow around his dormitory melted, and vegetation sprouted from the barren ground as the temperature rose slightly.
A gentle vitality radiated outward.
The next morning, Jing Shaoyu opened his eyes, and a narrow golden light burst forth from his pupils. A majestic purple aura rose from his face, and a faint pressure leaked from his body—only to be swiftly reined in, leaving him appearing harmless.
Yet, even so, his joy was impossible to conceal.
Level 92!
He had broken through. In just half a year since leaving Devil Island, his Soul Power had advanced from level 91 to 92. If he could maintain this pace, he would become a Limit Douluo by the age of 25 or 26 at the latest.
"Ah!" Jing Shaoyu sighed, however.
The amount of Soul Power required to go from level 91 to 92 was enough to take a Soul Master from level 10 all the way to level 91—a Titled Douluo. What did that mean? It meant that at level 92, he would need to absorb the equivalent of two level-91 versions of himself just to replenish his Soul Power!
What worried him now was whether advancing from level 92 to 93 would require the same amount of Soul Power—or perhaps even more.
This meant that the further he progressed, the more difficult it would be to enhance his cultivation.
Fortunately, there was some good news—the existence of the Abyss Plane allowed him to accumulate energy rapidly, eliminating the need to trade time for breakthroughs.
"Alright, I was planning to take a day off today, but it seems that's not happening!" Jing Shaoyu chuckled wryly as he stepped out of his dormitory.
"Oh my god!" The moment he exited, Long Yuxue's exclamation reached his ears. Turning toward the sound, he saw her staring in shock at the ground outside the officers' quarters, her expression dazed. Around her, several other officers wore similarly stunned expressions.
With a single glance, Jing Shaoyu immediately understood the reason for their reactions.
For concealment purposes, most of the Blood God Legion's barracks were painted white to blend into the snowy terrain, and the officers' quarters were no exception. The surrounding area was usually buried under thick snow. Yet, in just one night, the snow had completely melted away, and patches of tender green grass had sprouted across the barren land, vibrant with life.
What made this phenomenon even more intriguing was that while the snow around the officers' quarters had vanished, the rest of the area remained untouched, creating a stark contrast.
Jing Shaoyu averted his gaze, his heart unperturbed. He had already guessed the cause of this bizarre change—it was likely due to the traces of natural energy that had leaked during his breakthrough the previous night.
"Your Excellency, good morning!" Long Yuxue spotted Jing Shaoyu and immediately pushed aside her confusion, rushing over to him with a mix of reverence and faint admiration in her voice.
"Morning. Let's have breakfast."
The morning's oddity didn't affect Jing Shaoyu. Though he was a major general and the head of the Special Operations Division, matters like this clearly fell under the jurisdiction of the logistics department, so no one would bother him about it.
After breakfast, he headed straight into the Abyss Passage to begin his daily training and cultivation.
This time, he entered another S-class passage—not the same one as yesterday. Given his strength, he exterminated tens of thousands of Abyssal creatures daily. If he visited the same passage two days in a row, it might draw the attention of the Abyss's top-tier powerhouses. If he accidentally provoked one of the Abyssal Monarchs, he feared he wouldn't be able to resist refining it—and once that happened, his plans for covert development would be ruined.
Thus, Jing Shaoyu rotated through all thirty-six of the highest-level Abyss Passages, switching to a new one each day. A full cycle took about a month, and he was already on his third rotation. The higher the passage's rank, the more cannon fodder creatures it contained, making it less likely to raise suspicion among the Abyss's upper echelons. After all, with such vast resources at their disposal, they wouldn't care about such negligible losses.
The moment Jing Shaoyu stepped into a passage node, a swarm of leader-level Devour Lizards—nearly a hundred of them—charged at him.
"Devour Lizard" was the name used on the Douluo Continent. The creatures' true name was of no concern to the people of Douluo; they were simply named for their lizard-like appearance. Their bodies were ash-black, covered in razor-sharp barbs, and their jaws could open a full 180 degrees, as if capable of devouring anything in their path—hence the name.
This is a major clan within the Abyss, ranging from the lowest cannon fodder to the rulers of certain Abyss layers. Their presence spans all levels, making them one of the three most-killed Abyss creatures by the Blood God Legion.
The group of Devour Lizards before Jing Shaoyu each exceeded ten meters in length, placing them at the leader level. Translated to the Douluo Continent's power system, they ranged from Soul King to Soul Saint.
"Perfect timing!" The Doomsday Divine Spear instantly appeared in his hand. With a swing of his arm, the spear swept across, unleashing a scorching gale that instantly blasted apart the heads of all the Devour Lizards pouncing toward him, killing them on the spot.
But it didn't end there. As the spear completed its arc, the blazing gale spun in a full circle. A layer of purple energy radiated outward from the gale, dyeing the crimson wind with a desolate violet hue, engulfing dozens of charging Devour Lizards.
With a light tap of the Doomsday Divine Spear against the ground, all the Devour Lizards turned into violet crystal dust, scattering into nothingness with the dissipating gale. Nearly a hundred streams of gray energy were violently absorbed by the spear, transforming into a substantial surge of pure energy that flowed into Jing Shaoyu's body.
This strike, formed by the fusion of the Power of Destruction with wind and fire, was named the Li Fire Burning Wheel by Jing Shaoyu.
The Devour Lizards failed to hinder his advance. He pressed forward, quickly covering another four to five hundred meters before arriving at a new tunnel junction.
"Screech—"
Countless bat-like creatures blotted out the sky above the junction. Upon detecting an unfamiliar presence, the swarm dove toward Jing Shaoyu in unison, each brandishing four or six sharp claws, flapping blood-red wings, and emitting ear-piercing, agonizing shrieks.
Four-Clawed Bats—another major Abyss clan, much like the Devour Lizards. However, unlike the latter, which had a low floor but high ceiling, these creatures were weak at both ends. Even the strongest Six-Clawed Bats only reached leader level, making them pure cannon fodder. Their numbers were staggering, forming the bulk of every Abyss tide.
These creatures were worth only five Contribution Points each. But adhering to the principle of "quantity over quality," they became the favorite prey of legionnaires—simply because they were easy to kill. They came in swarms and could be wiped out in one strike, practically handing out free benefits to the troops.
Jing Shaoyu couldn't even be bothered to glance at them. With a flap of his Natural God Wings, he spun the Doomsday Divine Spear before him. Countless deep-blue spear shadows, radiating icy coldness, materialized above his head and shot forth one after another like a rain of arrows, piercing through the bat swarm.
The bats fell instantly. The once sky-blotting, pitch-black swarm was cleared in an instant, opening a path. Jing Shaoyu flapped his wings and flashed to the other side, flying toward the next tunnel junction without hesitation. Lingering even a second longer would have been a sign of insecurity.
A dozen seconds after Jing Shaoyu left, a series of explosive tremors echoed behind him.
The hundreds of ice spears had transformed into fragmentation soul-guided grenades. The combined forces of Destruction and ice elements culminated in this strike—the Extreme Ice Carnival.
The next tunnel node unsurprisingly featured the last of the three most frequently slain Abyss species—the Six-Clawed Devil. This was practically standard configuration for all S-rank Abyss Passages, with the first three nodes always populated by these three creatures, the only variation being their order of appearance.
The Six-Clawed Devil was a peculiar creature shaped like a spindle but with six claws, excelling in stealth and ambush tactics. Like the Devour Lizard, its lower limits were extremely low while its upper limits were frighteningly high. Currently, the ruler of the 97th layer of the Abyss was the patriarch of the Six-Clawed Devil race, known as the Six-Clawed Devil Emperor.
The number and strength of the Six-Clawed Devils in this node far surpassed the previous Devour Lizards and bats, so Jing Shaoyu needed two shots from his spear to eliminate them.
Just as he prepared to advance further, a sudden instinct made him flick his wrist, thrusting his spear sharply backward to the left. A crisp pierce sounded, followed by a few weak, unwilling struggles.
The creature that had attempted to ambush Shaoyu was a humanoid Abyss species—the Fiend Succubus.
This was a winged humanoid Abyss creature with exaggerated proportions—curvaceous and striking—paired with green skin, giving off a distinctly fantastical vibe. However, its hands and feet were covered in sharp spikes, making it far from friendly.
The Fiend Succubus was a top-tier Abyss creature, with mature specimens typically possessing lord-tier strength—roughly equivalent to a Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo. Adult Fiend Succubi also bore the closest resemblance to humans, though their skin remained green, and the spikes on their limbs disappeared.
Like the one currently skewered on Jing Shaoyu's Doomsday Divine Spear—its head cleanly impaled, body limp—it looked rather… intriguing. For those with particular tastes, perhaps it could be enjoyed while still warm.
But Jing Shaoyu was a normal person, so with a flash of light from his spear, the Fiend Succubus instantly turned to dust, leaving only a wisp of gray energy writhing at the spear's tip.
(End of Chapter)