He suddenly gained an insight!
“Rumble…”
A surge of natural Law ripples descended into the hotel, and a large amount of water-type elemental essence gathered in the air above Linley, forming into a watery fog. A terrifying presence descended. This awe-inspiring presence was lofty and noble. Faced with this presence, everyone would choose to submit to it.
Within Linley’s body. Suddenly, Linley’s divine water clone flew out… that ‘green-haired Linley’.
“Boss, you made a breakthrough?” Bebe was delighted.
By the pool outside the hotel, the red-haired beauty who was currently using a person as fishing bait frowned, turning to glance towards the restaurant in surprise. “Hey? After seeing that technique of mine, he was able to make a breakthrough? This person’s comprehension abilities are quite astonishing.” At the same time, the red-haired woman gave the fishing pole a flick, causing the ‘fishbait’ to be whisked out and tossed to one side.
The violet-haired youth rolled on the ground, then immediately stood up.
“Enough. I’m not in the mood to punish you!” the red-haired beauty said coldly. “Remember. You had best not cause trouble in my inn. This time, I’ll spare you, but if there is a second time… I will just kill you!”
The black-robed, violet-haired youth looked at her silently, then walked to a nearby area, closed his eyes, then sat down and began to meditate.
As for the red-haired woman, she put down the fishing pole, standing up and heading towards the inn.
Within the inn, the waiters were currently cleaning up. Quite a few Highgods in the restaurant were chatting amongst themselves, discussing either the red-haired woman, Linley, or the violet-haired youth.
“It seems we have no chance this time. Even if we are lucky and the Abyssal Fruit appears, we won’t be able to overcome them.”
“Those two from the Infernal Realm are truly strong.”
“Let’s not give up. The insides of the Abyssal Mountain are shrouded in fog, and everyone will be spread around searching. Just because a person is strong doesn’t mean that this person will acquire the Abyssal Fruit! Perhaps we will be lucky and be the ones to acquire it instead.”
Those people, after seeing how strong Linley and the violet-haired youth were, knew they wouldn’t be able to out-fight them. They still didn’t wish to give up, however. In searching for the Abyssal Fruit, strength was one part of it, but luck was very important as well. In countless years, only three Abyssal Fruit had ever emerged. Although their chances of acquiring it was low, they still wanted to give it a try.
If they didn’t even try, they would remain ordinary Highgods in the vast Netherworld.
But if they gave it a try, perhaps they might suddenly gain in power and become Sovereign’s Emissaries, and stand at the peak of the Netherworld.
“Boss, congratulations.” Bebe happily raised his goblet while setting up his Godrealm, preventing others from hearing their conversation.
“It seems my luck is excellent.” Linley was all smiles. “My divine water clone actually reached the Highgod level at a time like this. It seems as though our visit to the Abyssal Mountain tonight will be a successful one!”
“Right, it definitely will be a successful one!” Bebe said as well.
To enter the Abyssal Mountain and to see the Sovereign! This was indeed too difficult. Even the likes of Linley and Bebe felt worried.
“Eh?” Linley turned to look.
He saw the red-haired beauty walk towards his table, then pull out a chair and sit down at their table. The red-haired woman pulled out a goblet, pouring herself a glass with Linley’s wine. Not saying a single word, she drained it.
Linley and Bebe couldn’t help but look at the red-haired woman, puzzled.
“Kid.” The red-haired woman looked at Linley, her lips curving upwards. “You just became a Highgod in water. Shouldn’t you thank me?”
“Right.” Linley laughed, raising his own winecup. “I do indeed need to thank you. Otherwise, who knows how long it would have been before I made a breakthrough?”
“Boss, what does this woman intend?” Bebe sent mentally, puzzled. Linley was puzzled as well, and he sent back, “Bebe, I also have the feeling that this woman is very weird. An expert who seems to be at the level of power of an Asura of the Infernal Realm is actually here running an inn? This really is unfathomable.”
The red-haired woman drained a few more cups of wine, tilting her head back.
“The two of you are here for Abyssal Fruit as well?” The red-haired woman laughed calmly. “From the power you revealed, you two are at least at the Seven Star Fiend level of power, or perhaps even stronger. It seems to me as though the two of you don’t need this sort of lucky break or the Abyssal Fruit, right? The power you already wield is already enough to allow you to become heroic, renowned figures in either the Netherworld or the Infernal Realm.
“Nobody ever complains about being too strong.” Linley laughed calmly.
Linley didn’t wish to let others know that he wanted to meet a Sovereign.
“Oh, that’s true.” The red-haired woman nodded. “But let me give you some advice. It’s best if you don’t enter the Abyssal Mountain.”
“Why is that? Because it is dangerous inside?” Linley asked.
The red-haired woman laughed gently. “It is indeed dangerous! Only three Abyssal Fruit has ever appeared in the Netherworld. Countless billions of years will pass between each fruit. These people who have come in search for it…” The red-haired woman glanced sideways at the others. “These are all people whose lives in the Netherworld are not to their satisfaction, and so they have come to try their luck. But trying one’s luck comes with a cost! Even someone as strong as you two, in the Abyssal Mountain, might lose your lives if you aren’t careful!”
Linley couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.
“The power you wield is more than enough to allow you to roam about and dominate the Netherworld. Why risk your lives for a single Abyssal Fruit that only appears once in countless years?” the red-haired youth said.
Linley nodded.
Although ordinary Highgods, Five Star Fiends, and Six Star Fiends were powerful, it was impossible for them to stand on par with the peak experts of the Netherworld. These people would thus risk their lives and hope that their destinies would be changed by it. But for experts who were nearly at the Asura level, it wasn’t worth it. Their lives were precious!
“We are willing to go risk it.” Bebe just laughed. “I’m very curious as to what is so dangerous about this Abyssal Mountain.”
“I’m just giving you some advice. It’s none of my business whether or not you go in and whether or not you die.” The red-haired woman laughed calmly. “Only, far, far too many people have gone into the Abyssal Mountain without being able to come out!”
“Can you tell me what is so dangerous about the Abyssal Mountain?” Linley asked.
Since this young woman owned and operated an inn next to it, and seemed to be connected to the three castle lords of Greenleaf Castle, and perhaps was one of them… she definitely knew things about the situation in the Abyssal Mountain.
“Why should I tell you?” the red-haired woman asked.
Linley and Bebe were stunned.
The red-haired woman giggled as she stood up. “The higher up you go in traversing the tri-colored fogs of the Abyssal Mountain, the more dangerous it is! Remember. Beware the snakes, and the trees!” After speaking, the red-haired woman turned and left, leaving behind Linley and Bebe, both of whom were befuddled.
Linley had been prepared for the higher parts of the Abyssal Mountain to be dangerous.
But…
“Snakes? Trees?” Bebe muttered. “Of course there’s going to be trees in mountain forests. Can it be that we need to beware every single tree? Then how are we supposed to go up the mountain?”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just remember to be wary regarding ‘snakes’ and ‘trees’.
Still, we can’t be incautious about other things either,” Linley said after reflecting. “That woman might know many things about the Abyssal Mountain, but she doesn’t necessarily know everything about all the dangers of the Abyssal Mountain.”
The night of the full moon. An eerie red moon, as round as a plate, hung there in the skies. Under the light of the moon, the Abyssal Mountain, always crackling with faint electric light, seemed to have a red aura emanating from it as well.
The northern base of the Abyssal Mountain.
The vast, endless chains of lightning fell down from the peak of the mountain like waterfalls. At the northern base of the mountain, there was an enormous gate that was ten meters long, and the gate was covered in carved runes as well. Large amounts of electricity crackled and flowed around the mountain gate, but the gate itself didn’t have any electricity present.
Tens of figures were at the gate.
“This is the only entrance,” Bebe murmured. “I really want to enter from other areas and see how powerful that lightning is, exactly.”
“It’s always best to be careful.” Linley raised his head as well.
The entire mountain was covered in the tri-colored fog, but the density of the fog was now a bit lower.
“My four brothers!” Next to them, five Highgods were gathered together, one of whom had a very solemn look on his face. “For many years, we’ve lived a dazed, blurred life… let’s go in and give it our best shot. At worst, we might just fail and die! But if we succeed… the brother who succeeds has to help the others take care of their matters.”
“Don’t worry, Elder Brother.”
Those people all had steely, resolved looks in their eyes. They stepped forward, passing through the gate and entering the Abyssal Mountain.
“They are just throwing their lives away!” an effeminate, soft voice rang out.
The speaker was the silver-haired, effeminate man. “They think they are worthy of acquiring the Abyssal Fruit?” The silver-haired man entered the Abyssal Mountain as well. The other Highgods were speaking to each other as well, and they all entered the Abyssal Mountain. Those who dared to enter it… had already decided to risk their lives for it.
“Abyssal Fruit?” The black-robed, violet-haired youth entered as well.
“Boom!” Linley instantly Dragonformed. Azure-golden draconic scales covered his entire body, and savage spikes appeared on his back, forehead, and other areas. With a flip of his hand, a nearly translucent longsword appeared as well. “Let’s go, Bebe.” Linley and Bebe entered the Abyssal Mountain.
Linley’s sudden Dragonforming badly startled the others.
“So this person was concealing his strength!” Those people felt their hearts quail.
“That sword seems to be a treasure as well.”
Although the other Highgods were stunned, they still passed through the gate.
Moments later, only two people were left outside the gate; the red-haired beauty and the green-robed woman.
“Boss, those two from the Infernal Realm really are powerful,” the green-robed woman said.
The red-haired beauty had a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. “If my guess is correct, that weapon from the Azure Dragon clansman should be a godspark weapon made by Beirut! It really is extremely rare to see such a large godspark weapon. The relationship between this youth and Beirut is definitely quite special. As for that youngster, he was able to grab the sword of a Seven Star Fiend with his bare hands without suffering any wounds at all, but his body doesn’t have any Sovereign artifact’s aura… as I see it, he most likely is that legendary successor to Beirut, the second Godeater Rat.”
“Oh. Let’s go back.” The red-haired woman turned and left.
“Boss, how many of them do you think will make it out alive?” the green-robed woman asked.
“Based on past precedence… the strength of this group isn’t bad. Several of them should be able to return. But if they get too greedy and attempt to go to the peak of the Abyssal Mountain? Quite possibly, not a single one of them!” the red-haired beauty said calmly. “Don’t worry about them. The Netherworld is filled with people. So what if a group of people die?”
The green-haired woman followed the red-haired woman, heading back to the hotel.
20
LOST
As soon as Linley entered the Abyssal Mountain, he felt a heart-palpitating presence spread out from it.
“What a powerful presence!” Linley’s face turned solemn. “Even in the Infernal Realm, when I faced the Bloodridge Sovereign, I didn’t feel such a terrifying pressure!” After having been pressured by this presence as soon as he entered the Abyssal Mountain, Linley had a feeling… as though he had returned to his childhood years in the town of Wushan, and was once more facing that magical beast, the ‘Velocidragon’ for the first time. It was that sort of terror and shock that he now felt.
His heart was shaking! This sense of pressure pressed down on his soul!
“Boss, I can’t even spread my divine sense out.” Bebe turned to look at Linley. “This pressure is too powerful, even more powerful than that of the Bloodridge Sovereign.”
“That’s because when the Bloodridge Sovereign appeared, it was just an energy construct, rather than his true form.” Linley carefully inspected his surroundings.
Behind him was the Abyssal Mountain gate. For now, none of the Highgods who had entered dare go any deeper into the mountain, as they were all carefully inspecting and getting accustomed to their new surroundings. The Abyssal Mountain was filled with danger. Even Seven Star Fiend level experts who entered might perish. Such a dangerous area… how could any of them dare to be incautious?
“Within the Abyssal Mountains, even gravity is gone. It is as though this place is completely cut off from the outside world.” Linley just hovered there.
“This white fog can even cause people to go dizzy. However, for myself and Bebe, the influence is negligible.” Linley was still constantly weighing his surroundings.
There were many trees, bushes, and other types of vegetation growing atop the Abyssal Mountain, which was completely covered by the white fog. Outside of the white fog was the ‘Heaven-Earth Chains’. The power of the endless chains of lightning was something that Linley had heard of long ago. Linley didn’t want to touch them or to personally experience how powerful that lightning was.
“Whoosh!” Linley’s body sank down, and he descended until he stood atop the mountain stone.
“Bebe, within the Abyssal Mountain region, let’s advance while on the ground,” Linley sent mentally, speaking solemnly. “If we fly, the white fog will completely block our field of vision. If we aren’t careful, we might run into the lightning chains. That would be terrible.”
“I rather want to give them a try.” Bebe laughed, but he still descended until he stood atop the mountain stone as well.
“Remember, beware the snakes and the trees!” Linley sent, while at the same time, he stared vigilantly at the trees nearby. The trees who were living in this unique environment of the Abyssal Mountain were all fairly short, and had unusual shapes as well. “Perhaps these trees are capable of attacking people.”
Linley didn’t dare to be incautious.
“Don’t worry.” Bebe looked at the nearby trees as well. “These trees won’t be able to hurt me.”
The other Highgods had gotten a good sense of their surroundings by now as well, and they all began to head out.
“Let’s move out,” Linley gave the order.
Linley and Bebe, sticking close to the surface of the Abyssal Mountain, began to fly forwards. However, they didn’t dare to fly too quickly… for fear that the trees might suddenly attack them mid-journey. In addition, Linley had yet to see a single ‘snake’ which the red-haired woman had warned him about.
Moments later…
“Swish!” Linley and Bebe came to a halt, puzzlement in their eyes.
“Boss, which direction should we advance towards?” Bebe sta
red around himself.
“This damn place.” Linley was frustrated as well.
Linley was surrounded on all four sides by endless fog. Despite Linley and Bebe’s ocular prowess, they were at most able to see to a distance of a few dozen meters. In addition, given the terrifying pressure emanating from the Abyssal Mountain, they weren’t able to make their divine sense leave their body. And given that the Abyssal Mountain had no gravity within its borders…
These things combined to make it impossible to determine a direction!
Although the mountain did have slopes and inclines, given that there was no gravity at all, even though Linley and Bebe might be standing atop the mountain they wouldn’t be sure which direction they were standing. The trees that grew in this gravity-less region also grew in strange, distorted directions.
“It’s impossible to even tell directions clearly within this Abyssal Mountain. There’s no way to tell which way is ‘up’ the mountain and which way is ‘down’!” Linley carefully inspected the surroundings, but everywhere around him were those bizarrely shaped trees and some ordinary plants. As well as that thick, endless white fog…
Bebe had a sour look on his face. “All I know is that if we leave the surface of the mountain and fly upwards, we’ll encounter those lightning chains. As for front, back, left, right… I have no idea where to go.”
Linley and Bebe had encountered the first difficult trial of the Abyssal Mountain…
The loss of a sense of direction!
“Forget it. Let’s just move forward.” Linley gritted his teeth. “The white fog only extends for a few hundred thousand meters, a distance of less than a thousand kilometers. We’ll just charge forward blindly… and perhaps we’ll be able to charge out.” By now, the only option left to them was a foolish method such as this; by relying on their speed to burst out of it.
The Planar Wars Page 16
