Yafuan led the Snake People toward the Abyss. The farther they went, the more monsters they encountered.

Swarms of ghosts spread out to help guide the group to their destination.

A ghost from ahead reappeared and fell into the Witch Spirit’s handbook.

The Witch Spirit closed her eyes, sensed for a moment, and then said,

“Turn left.”

“We cannot go straight ahead. We must take a detour.”

“How far are we from our destination?” Yafuan opened his handbook to check his position and determine the next route.

Thanks to the ghosts’ early warnings, they avoided one monster nest after another.

Although the journey took a winding route, no mishaps occurred along the way.

The group rode Land Dragons for many days, finally traversing half of the Avel Peninsula to reach the former mountains of the Winged People.

The former mountains of the Winged People were long gone. In their place lay an enormous abyss with a bottom that could not be seen, and filthy black mud slowly writhed and flowed along its edges.

Flocks of Eagle Demons and Snake Demons were stationed in the mountains and valleys around the abyss.

They nested and bred here, and at the command of the more powerful Black-Scaled Snake Demons and Evil Eye Eagle Demons, they formed massive monster armies and marched out.

The Eagle Demons’ nests resembled giant bird nests made of branches, feathers, and mud. The Snake Demons’ lairs looked like caves, with some located directly in swampy bogs.

Once they had all been part of civilization, but now only bestial instincts remained.

“Hiss!”

A terrifying, fallen, rotting Wing Demon flew out from the Abyss. As soon as it emerged, it spread its enormous fleshy wings, stirring up gusts of wind.

The Snake People immediately lowered their heads to avoid the Wing Demon’s gaze.

They could also see monsters made of putrid mud crawling out of the Abyss. The mud rose continuously after emerging, transforming into towering forms ranging from several to dozens of meters tall.

These were Swamp Demons, a recent phenomenon formed from the fallen Stone Demons.

Accompanying the Swamp Demons were transparent shadows.

These were Heart-Burning Demons.

They were monstrosities born from fallen Fire Demons.

They differed from ordinary Fire Demons in that they could confuse and provoke rage in mortals.

They could enter living bodies through their breath, controlling minds and inciting people to slaughter one another. When the rage reached a certain level, they could ignite their targets directly, consuming them like fuel.

They were terrifying and difficult to deal with.

Over the years, the Abyss had grown much stronger, and this was the source of Yafuan’s anxiety and distress.

One by one, the Avel people looked at the scene and cried out, “The Abyss!” Some shouted with hatred while others with fear.

“Not only have the monster types increased, but their numbers have grown as well,” they observed as they looked at the Swamp Demons and Heart-Burning Demons. Previously, even one or two were difficult to resist, but now they appeared in droves.

“So many monster armies are stockpiled here. If they were all dispatched at once…” The Avel people could hardly bear to imagine it.

Yafuan stared at the Abyss, speechless.

He looked for a long time before finally taking out a handbook.

This was once Echilio’s handbook, and by following its records, he discovered a secluded valley with a direct view of the Abyss.

They would begin the Abyss Sacrifice ritual here.

Yafuan directed his men to engrave the ritual array in the valley. These arrays, used to communicate with deities or other beings through the spirit realm, followed standard patterns with only minor differences.

The ritual array was inscribed with the name of the Abyss and the incantations and commands necessary for the sacrifice. Yafuan had witnessed these during his years of battling the Abyss.

Once gathered, the Abyss monsters would perform large-scale Abyss Sacrifice rituals.

Everyone stood on the ritual array as Yafuan turned to look at them all.

He asked, “Are you ready?”

Some gazed at Yafuan without moving and said, “We are ready, Lord Yafuan!”

Others lowered their heads, their voices trembling as they barely formed words.

“Re… rea… ready.”

One could see them shaking, each gazing at the Abyss Sacrifice ritual array beneath their feet as if it were a monstrous mouth ready to devour them.

They stood at the edge of a cliff with no way to retreat.

They had all known the purpose of this journey before coming and understood it was a one-way trip.

As they truly faced their fate and witnessed the Abyss emanating an aura of death, feelings of dread and despair surfaced.

Many thoughts ran through their minds.

“Do we really have to die?”

“I don’t want to die…”

“Even if I die, I don’t want to become such a monster.”

Yafuan could clearly discern their thoughts.

Humans are strange creatures. When caught up in a surge of determination, they display a courage that disregards everything.

But when that momentum dissipates, they become timid and hesitant, even to the point where a gentle breeze could knock them over.

Every team member had been full of passion when they set out, ready to die for Avel.

But as death and the Abyss drew nearer during the journey, their courage retreated and fear gradually swelled within their hearts.

Yafuan did not blame them. Instead, he simply asked, “What’s wrong? Are you afraid?”

At Yafuan’s question, someone immediately collapsed to the ground.

Facing Yafuan, he spoke as if he were on the verge of a breakdown.

“Lord Yafuan, we truly do not fear death.”

“I have faced life and death countless times with you, and I have never backed down.”

“I once said that if I died in battle, it would be enough just to bring my body back.”

“If I were about to fall and become a monster, then kill me and let my consciousness return to God’s realm.”

He raised his head from the ground and looked at Yafuan’s feet, his eyes nearly bursting from their sockets.

With bloodshot eyes, he cried out, “But… Lord Yafuan! This time we are being asked to turn ourselves into monsters with our own hands. We will be imprisoned in the Abyss, becoming masses of mad flesh, sinking into darkness and decay.”

“I… I am afraid of becoming such a monster. That is worse than death.”

Yafuan had already transformed into a Bone Demon. His face showed no expression, and his voice was hoarse and cold.

“I gave you all a choice before we came.”

“But now that we are here, you have no way to turn back.”

Yafuan stepped forward.

He extended his hand, revealing his skeletal palm, “Look at my hand.”

There was not a trace of skin or flesh, only stark white bone.

He removed the bandages covering his face, even pulling back his hood, “Look at my appearance.”

It was a terrifying skull, a living skeleton. The mere sight of it made one’s heart crawl.

Everyone present knew Yafuan’s current form, and many had participated in his transformation ritual.

“Look!”

“I have already become a monster. Since that moment, I have had no way back.”

“And since you have come here, you have no way back either.”

Yafuan walked past them, “Do you think I don’t want to turn back? Don’t I want to live peacefully? Don’t I want a happy, satisfying life?”

“But we don’t have that option.”

“If we retreat one step, it means extinction. But if we advance one step, we can allow others to survive, to gain a stable homeland.”

“We cannot obtain what we want.”

“But we can let our descendants obtain it, let our families and friends obtain it.”

Yafuan’s gaze swept over everyone as he said to them,

“Die here, all of you!”

“For the future of Avel.”

Flames flared in Yafuan’s eyes, and his voice suddenly grew incredibly fervent.

“I beg you to die!”

“I command you to die!”

“I will lead you to die!”

“I need you to fall and become monsters.”

“The people of Avel need us to complete this mission, and we must complete it.”

Everyone stared at Yafuan’s appearance.

Everyone struggled to contain their emotions as they beheld their Chief Divine Servant transformed into such a monstrous figure.

Some wept freely, others knelt on the ground sobbing, while still others clenched their teeth tightly.

But after their tears, everyone became more resolute.

Yafuan finally spoke, “Stand up. We have no time left.”

“If we delay, the Abyss Queen Melde might discover our whereabouts. We chose to perform the sacrifice ritual so close to ensure they would have no time to react.”

“Once the opportunity passes, it will be gone forever.”

Everyone immediately took their designated positions according to the plan and activated the Abyss Sacrifice ritual array.

Yafuan stood at the forefront, leading everyone in chanting the incantations for the Abyss Sacrifice.

They called out the name of the Abyss and waited for its response.

“Will of the Abyss.”

“You are the darkness of all spirits, the fall of all things.”

“Please accept your servants’ offerings, bestow upon me the power of darkness, let me stand against the light.”

The array patterns beneath their feet gradually began to illuminate.

The black mud at the bottom of the Abyss churned violently like boiling oil in a cauldron.

The Will of the Abyss was like a ravenous demon god whose stomach rumbled thunderously as it sensed the delectable feast it had anticipated.

Thousands of monsters looked toward the Abyss from all directions, sensing the stirring of its will.

Countless Eagle Demons rose from within the Abyss, circling excitedly above it in search of something unknown.

At the temple at the bottom of the Abyss, the fallen queen Melde suddenly awakened.

She slowly descended the stairs and exited the temple.

The Wing Demons tethered to both sides of the entrance trembled and pressed their heads to the ground, their wings spread as if bowing before Melde.

Melde was puzzled, “What is happening?”

“Who is the divine responding to?”

From the perspective of the circling Eagle Demons outside, she saw traces of the activated Abyss Sacrifice ritual array in a distant valley.

A massive dark curtain shrouded the valley.

The sky filled with dark clouds, and black rain began to fall.

“Someone is sacrificing to the Abyss?”

Over the years, Melde had witnessed the Winged People sacrificing to the Abyss, willingly becoming part of it through corruption.

But no one had ever caused such a commotion or elicited such a violent response from the Abyss.

Moreover, performing the sacrifice so close to the Abyss suggested they had ulterior motives.

The moment the Abyss Sacrifice ritual array activated in the valley, darkness spread in all directions from beneath their feet.

A black curtain enveloped the entire ritual array.

The sky filled with dark clouds, as if about to unleash black rain at any moment.

All the Avel people participating in the ritual stood firm, continuously chanting incantations and calling upon the Will of the Abyss.

After the ritual array beneath their feet activated, the ground gradually transformed into filthy black mud.

The dark veil and black clouds around them continued to expand, with darkness rapidly consuming the light.

They looked around, feeling as if they had already fallen into the Abyss.

The black mud continued to gather, and finally, black rain began to fall.

“Boom!”

At that moment, a terrifyingly massive black shadow emerged from beneath the black mud, prompting everyone to look up immediately.

It was a deformed, nauseating, enormous mountain of flesh.

The Will of the Abyss had appeared.

Many of the Avel people collapsed in fear, while others screamed from the depths of their souls.

“Ah!” Everyone immediately stopped chanting and screamed in unison, their voices filled with terror.

“What is this thing?” Even Yafuan was shocked. He had never imagined the Will of the Abyss would manifest as such an entity.

“A demon god… this is a demon god…” someone remarked, directly regarding the being before them as a fallen and evil deity.

The enormous flesh mountain crashed down from above, with black mud continuously seeping from its body and falling to the ground in puddles.

“Splash!”

“Splish-splash!”

“Thud-thud-thud!”

Under the despairing and terrified gazes of the Avel people, it swallowed them all.

Inside the flesh mountain was a passage leading directly to the deepest part of the Abyss.

Here existed only filth and corruption as black mud surged from all directions, engulfing Yafuan.

Yafuan looked around.

He saw all his subordinates struggling in the black mud, crying out in despair in the darkness.

Not only that, Yafuan felt the Abyss corroding him on another level.

That dark, filthy power was devouring his body and consuming his spirit.

Finally, it penetrated his spirituality, the source of his consciousness and wisdom.

Darkness completely filled Yafuan’s vision, leaving him blind to the world.

In his ears rang mad whispers, the frenzied murmurs of all living Snake People, Winged People, and even monsters before their fall.

Shadows of countless Snake People flashed before his eyes, cursing and roaring at him, while numerous Winged People howled in the black rain before succumbing to madness.

Although these visions were unbearably painful, they could not destroy Yafuan’s will.

The scene shifted, and he saw a temple.

Yafuan looked around in confusion, “Where is this?”

He felt that this place was very familiar, as if he had been here a long time ago.

He walked toward higher ground and looked up to see a deity statue inside the temple.

It was a statue crafted from pure gold.

Upon seeing the golden statue, Yafuan finally realized, “This is the former Temple of Life!”

“No… no…”

Yafuan slowly shook his head, “The former City of Avel is gone, and the temple disappeared long ago.”

He moved closer to touch the golden statue when he suddenly noticed that his hand had returned to its human form.

He had returned to his original form, to his youth when he was merely a divine servant apprentice.

He would visit the Mother of Life’s temple daily during those years, praying to her with the stubborn devotion of youth.

He believed the sea was cursed.

He believed that the divine were merciful.

He believed that his future and Avel’s were bright.

The scene shifted again, and he saw the day the war began.

Warships sailed across the sea one after another, stretching to the horizon.

Terrifying puppet colossi breached the walls of Avel City under cover of darkness, and crazed soldiers stormed in, killing everyone they encountered.

Fire consumed the entire city as black smoke blotted out the sky.

He hid underground, watching through cracks as corpses fell outside.

He felt anxious and terrified.

He watched everything outside with despair.

“Why?”

“Why won’t the divine save us?”

“Why must we suffer such calamity? What did we do wrong?”

“We were so devout, we gave everything we could to the divine.”

Image after image flowed past. He saw countless people die.

Some died in war, some died during migration, some died at sea, some died at the hands of monsters.

Corpses lay beneath his feet, piled in countless, innumerable layers.

Yafuan retreated frantically, yet wherever he went, he trod upon corpses and blood.

A voice continuously whispered in his ear, “Look, all these people died because of you.”

“Because you chose to leave Ruhe Beast Island.”

“Because of your cowardice and incompetence.”

Yafuan opened his mouth wide and shouted, “Begone! You are the Will of the Abyss.”

“I don’t believe what you say. I am Yafuan.”

“I will definitely win.”

“I will definitely win.”

However, the corruption of the Abyss could not be resisted merely with strong will. It was contamination on a supernatural level, corruption from the spiritual source of wisdom.

A filth-covered figure struggled to rise from among the countless corpses, slowly approaching Yafuan.

It was a tall, middle-aged man. Though his entire body had been corrupted by the power of the Abyss, he still held his head high, gripping a long sword in his hand.

With a face covered in black spots, he gave Yafuan a strange smile and loudly asked,

“Yafuan, things will get better in the future.”

“Right?”

Yafuan stared at him, his gaze filled with disbelief.

He collapsed instantly.

“Echi… lio?”

Yafuan fell directly to his knees. He dared not look directly at the other, and could only lower his head to stare at the ground.

His entire body trembled, overwhelmed by shame.

He could not truly face those who had died.

“I’m sorry… Echilio… I couldn’t do it.”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“Things didn’t get better. They just kept getting worse.”

He spoke through tears and laughter, clawing desperately at his own face, his nails leaving bloody marks.

“Echi… lio!”

“I’m truly useless. I couldn’t… accomplish anything!”

Mucus and tears flowed unceasingly as he wept inconsolably.

“If Lord Xiuborn hadn’t chosen me back then, if he had chosen someone else, or if he had chosen you, you would have done so much better, I’m certain of it.”

“If we had stayed on Ruhe Beast Island back then…”

Yafuan had imagined this scenario countless times, wondering if they would have fared better had they not left.

If Xiuborn had chosen Echilio instead, perhaps the current situation would have been entirely different.

These regretful thoughts clung to his heart like an incurable poison, though he never outwardly showed them.

But now, under the corrupting Will of the Abyss, nothing in his heart remained hidden.

The scene shifted, and Yafuan found himself in a completely white space.

A voice came from above him.

“Yafuan!”

“You’re showing your weakness again.”

Yafuan’s pupils dilated as he slowly raised his head.

Once more, he saw the man who had been both an idol and a teacher to him.

That man with a will as strong as steel was Xiuborn.

“Lord Xiuborn?”

His hands dropped from his face as he asked in a daze.

“Why did you choose me back then?”

“Why?”

The man told him, “Because you craved power, you yearned for strength.”

The white space receded, transforming into a fortress-like city.

Everything seemed to return to that afternoon when they stood amid the ruins of Ice River Fortress.

They had just defeated the allied forces of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents, taking control of their own destiny for the first time.

The man placed his hand on Yafuan’s shoulder, gazing at him with immense expectation.

“Become strong.”

“Become someone who no longer begs for divine mercy.”

“Yafuan.”

Yafuan looked at him, his pupils flickering as if light were rekindling within them.

Then, after the words that Yafuan had cherished for half his life, Xiuborn spoke the second half that he had never heard before.

“Become strong.”

“Become as strong as the divine.”

The light in Yafuan’s eyes grew increasingly intense as his spirituality was completely consumed by darkness and his consciousness fell into the endless Abyss.

“Yes! I must become strong, as strong as the divine.”

“Only then will I no longer need to beg for divine mercy.”

“Only then can I grasp my own destiny.”

All illusions dissipated, and Yafuan remained in the filth of the Abyss, his form reduced to a terrifying, hideous skeleton.

The skeleton erupted in maniacal laughter, its jawbone clattering as it uttered the most arrogant and crazed words.

“I will become a god.”

“No!”

He lifted his skull high, reaching toward the sky with his hand.

“I am”

“God!”

The black mud gradually engulfed the skeleton’s face and raised hand, swallowing him completely.

In the black mud, the mythic organ within Bone Demon King Yafuan’s skull slowly dissolved, becoming thoroughly part of the Abyss.

His skull was empty, as though everything that made up Yafuan would soon vanish.

A flame suddenly ignited within the empty cranial cavity, illuminating his deep eye sockets.

The flames gathered, resembling the glow of Yafuan’s eyes.

“Hum!”

Terrifying power radiated outward from Yafuan’s center.

The Will of the Abyss radiated from the depths to distant reaches, reaching all Abyss monsters.

A new Abyss King had been born.

Bone Demon King Yafuan had merged with the Abyss, gaining control over part of its authority. Within the Abyss, nothing could kill him.

For he had sacrificed his mythic organ and become part of the Abyss itself.

One by one, Bone Demons rose from the mud. They were Yafuan’s companions, his former subordinates.

They had all transformed into Bone Demons, yet they differed from ordinary ones because flames burned within their skulls.

Those flames shone through their eye sockets, revealing madness and arrogance.

“King!”

“King!”

“King!”

All the Bone Demons knelt before Yafuan, calling out to him loudly.

Beyond the Abyss, countless monsters from jungles and lands knelt, bowing toward the Abyss.

They celebrated the birth of the new king.

Yafuan’s fall caused violent tremors throughout the Abyss.

When ordinary Snake People fell, they merely transformed into common monsters, but Yafuan, a fourth-rank Bone Demon King, directly became an upper-rank Abyss race upon his fall.

After accepting this sacrifice, the Abyss split into two layers.

A strange fire appeared within the Abyss, baking the black mud into soil and stone.

A second layer formed above the original black mud, creating a solid surface.

The Bone Demon King Yafuan descended upon the cracked black earth, and immediately, buildings rose from the ground.

A palace of black stone rapidly formed around the Bone Demon King, and Yafuan sat upon the throne, accepting the worship of countless Abyss monsters.

He reigned over the Abyss’s Second Layer.

“Roar!”

A fearsome bone dragon flew out from the darkness, bellowing in the Abyss.

From his throne, Bone Demon King Yafuan spoke, “I am the master of the Abyss’s Second Layer, Bone Demon King Yafuan.”

“I am Pride.”

“I shall bring the fire of demon spirits to all Abyss races, bestowing the Abyss inheritance upon all monsters, granting you the will of pride.”

“This is the power given by the Will of the Abyss to the Abyss race, the Abyss Law.”

The information about the Divine Artifact Abyss on the Divine Cup was modified again in the Dream Realm to include a new law.

【Abyss】

【Sequence Number 4】

【Ability 1 Dark Corruption: The Abyss possesses immense corrosive power, capable of spiritually contaminating and corrupting the forms of other life, transforming them into Abyss races. Abyss races are influenced and controlled by the Abyss, forever becoming part of it, but upper-rank Abyss beings can also, in turn, control part of the Abyss’s authority.】

【Ability 2 Abyss Sacrifice: The Abyss can transmit power through sacrifice. Any wisdom race can form a contract with the Abyss through the spirit realm.】

【Ability 3 Abyss King: Upper-rank Abyss races can establish contracts with the Will of the Abyss to gain partial control over the Divine Artifact Abyss and establish certain Abyss laws.】

【Ability 4 Abyss Law: The Will of the Abyss represents chaos, evil, and corruption. It is an existence without any wisdom, purely yearning for the evil of this world. However, Abyss Kings possess will and can control part of the Abyss’s authority. Abyss Kings can establish Abyss laws by merging their mythic organs with the Abyss.】

【Law of Desire: Abyss monsters possess powerful and uncontrollable desires. The Abyss Queen Melde grants them the power of reproduction, allowing them to use the Abyss to give birth to new Abyss monsters. (This Abyss law was created by Melde, master of the Abyss’s First Layer)】

【Law of Pride: Species with wisdom are all proud. From the moment of their birth, they begin to covet everything in this world, to possess everything, to place themselves above all else. Bone Demon King Yafuan grants all Abyss monsters the fire of demon spirits. Abyss races possessing demon fire will obtain the Abyss inheritance. Through the flames, wisdom can be passed down, as can power. (This Abyss law was created by Yafuan, master of the Abyss’s Second Layer)】

Everything happened in a flash.

In just a moment, the Abyss had birthed a second king, a development that Melde, master of the Abyss’s First Layer, could not accept.

The fallen angel standing before the temple looked on in disbelief.

This queen immediately raised thousand-foot waves, roaring with extreme fury.

“This is mine, this is mine!”

Yet the Will of the Abyss would not change for anyone’s plea or desire. It had its own order and rules.

It was not the dark aspect of the Lord of Radiance. It was merely the god that existed in Melde’s imagination.

It was merely a tool that accepted anyone who could sacrifice to it, anyone who could fall and become part of it.

Only Melde still could not discern the truth.

The Fallen Angel Melde, master of the Abyss’s First Layer, and Bone Demon King Yafuan began a great war.

The tide had turned within the Abyss.