novel against the - Chapter 2098

Chapter 2098: The Lure of the Abyss

Xuanmo Realm¹, a small, insignificant world in close proximity to the Mist Sea². The entire realm spanned a mere two hundred miles, with its closest edge lying less than three hundred miles from the sea of mist.

However, due to this proximity, it became a place for numerous profound practitioners³ to prepare, recuperate, and escape, gradually developing into a trading hub. As a result, Xuanmo Realm didn’t decline but instead showed signs of prosperity.

Almost daily, profound practitioners perished within Xuanmo Realm. These individuals, escaping the Mist Sea, were afflicted by abyssal corrosion⁴, dying before they could return home. A month ago, this misfortune befell the son of Xuanmo Realm’s Realm King.

Mo Xifeng, the current Realm King of Xuanmo Realm, ruled over a small world but possessed extensive connections. His ability to maintain this realm in such a dangerous location spoke volumes about his profound strength. A millennium ago, he had already reached the Divine Extinction Realm⁵. Though his cultivation had stagnated at the first level of this realm, it was sufficient to command respect.

His most talented son, Mo Qianyou, after successfully breaking through to the Divine Master Realm⁶, obtained his father’s permission to enter the Mist Sea for the first time. Yet, at the outermost periphery, he encountered a Divine Master level abyssal beast⁷. Despite having a guardian by his side, he was severely injured, his body invaded by abyssal dust, his heart consumed by abyssal corrosion, leaving him on the brink of death.

Upon receiving the message, Mo Xifeng was struck as if by lightning. He frantically rushed towards the Mist Sea. At its edge, he found his beloved son enveloped in gray mist, the abyssal corrosion not only reaching his heart but also his profound veins and meridians. It was a completely incurable, fatal affliction.

As he wept in despair, devoid of his usual kingly demeanor, he saw a pair of gray eyes hidden within the thick abyssal mist and received a blessing that seemed like a dream……

A month later, Mo Xifeng once again stepped into the Mist Sea, accompanied by Mo Qianyou, who bore almost no visible wounds, only a slight weakness in his profound energy.

The outer periphery of the Mist Sea, near the easily accessible Xuanmo Realm, saw a considerable flow of profound practitioners. Unmindful of them, Mo Xifeng and Mo Qianyou knelt, facing the misty expanse. “Realm King of Xuanmo Realm, Mo Xifeng, along with my son, Mo Qianyou, offer our deepest gratitude to the Mist Emperor⁸ for the gift of life!”

His voice boomed, each word filled with sincerity, drawing the attention of all profound practitioners in the vicinity.

“The Mist Emperor governs the Mist Sea, his heavenly might boundless. As a humble Realm King, I know not how to repay the Mist Emperor’s grace. I can only offer my heartfelt loyalty. Should the Emperor ever require my service, Mo Xifeng is willing to offer his life!”

Xuanmo Realm saw countless profound practitioners from all corners of the world every year. In such an environment, Mo Xifeng always treated people with righteousness and kept his promises.

“Qianyou, quickly thank the Mist Emperor for your rebirth.”

Only after Mo Qianyou respectfully kowtowed towards the Mist Sea in gratitude did the father and son rise.

Strange gazes were cast upon them. Mo Xifeng understood their meaning. Rumors had spread of the Mist Emperor saving many from certain death, granting them a new lease on life, filling them with immense joy…… But no one had ever returned to express their gratitude after their miraculous recovery.

Openly thanking the “Mist Emperor” was undoubtedly disrespectful to the sole emperor of this world.

As Mo Xifeng and his son were about to leave, a sudden change occurred.

The roars of the abyssal beasts ceased abruptly, and the entire Mist Sea fell into absolute silence.

The sky darkened sharply, and an immense, boundless mass of abyssal mist surged upwards, reaching towards the heavens.

“This… This is…”

Mo Xifeng and Mo Qianyou spun around, staring blankly at the sky…… Their gazes fixed on a pair of distorted gray eyes.

The… Mist Emperor!

Mo Xifeng’s throat tightened, a sound of both awe and fear escaping his lips.

The Mist Sea was vast, and the Mist Emperor’s appearances were always fleeting. He never imagined his gratitude would elicit a response.

The surrounding profound practitioners were frozen in place, their minds reeling, mesmerized by the legendary phenomenon.

“Mo Xifeng……”

The Mist Emperor’s voice echoed from the abyssal mist, the terrifying sound penetrating their ears and hearts, creating a horrifying sensation as if their souls were being dragged into a bottomless abyss. “I have bestowed countless blessings, yet you are the first to offer thanks.”

“It seems this filthy world isn’t entirely filled with filth.”

Mo Xifeng quickly pulled Mo Qianyou down to kneel again. “The grace of saving a life is greater than the heavens. We, father and son, will never forget the Mist Emperor’s kindness, even for a moment, but…… we know not how to repay you.”

“How to repay?” The Mist Emperor’s voice suddenly turned cold and piercing, each word like a chilling blade to the soul. “This entire abyssal world is saved by me. How have you ever repaid me? How can you repay me?!”

“…Eh?” Mo Xifeng was stunned, as were all the profound practitioners who heard this voice, completely bewildered.

The entire abyss…… was saved by the Mist Emperor?

What absurd words were these?

“Mo Xifeng, in light of your actions today, I shall grant you another boon.”

The abyssal mist churned, and a black streak of light flew towards Mo Xifeng.

Mo Xifeng hurriedly reached out and caught it, finding it to be an ordinary abyssal stone, emitting a faint mist.

“Should you encounter insurmountable difficulties, crush this stone within the Mist Sea, and I will grant you an audience. From this day forward, the abyssal dust of the Mist Sea will no longer spread towards Xuanmo Realm. Even if the isolating barrier is removed, the abyssal dust in Xuanmo Realm will be far weaker than before. You may leave.”

The abyssal mist billowed, instantly merging into the boundless Mist Sea, leaving no trace.

The Mist Emperor’s voice dissipated into the air, leaving Mo Xifeng and his son dumbfounded, as if in a dream.

Only when the long-paused roars of the abyssal beasts resumed did the bewildered profound practitioners awaken, their minds filled with the excitement and shock of encountering the legendary Mist Emperor.

When Mo Xifeng and his son returned to Xuanmo Realm, they found the core elders hovering outside the realm, seemingly inspecting the barrier that isolated the abyssal dust.

“What happened?” Mo Xifeng quickly approached.

“Realm King, a strange thing has happened.” Several elders gathered around, their expressions filled with intense excitement and even stronger bewilderment. “Just now, the concentration of abyssal dust in the city suddenly plummeted. We thought you had somehow strengthened the isolating barrier, but we discovered that the abyssal dust outside the realm has also weakened to this extent.”

Mo Xifeng and Mo Qianyou exchanged glances, speechless.

“Realm King? Could it be…… that something major has truly happened?” Their strange expressions drew the attention of all the elders.

Mo Xifeng tightly gripped the seemingly ordinary abyssal stone, not answering the elders’ questions, but instead muttering repeatedly in a daze, “It’s actually true…… It’s actually true……”

“That… is truly the Emperor of the Mist Sea.”

Deep within the Mist Sea, Yun Che’s figure slowly emerged from the churning abyssal dust. As he stood still, Li Suo’s voice suddenly rang out:

“What are you doing?”

Mo Qianyou, with his Divine Master Realm cultivation and a guardian at his side, shouldn’t have encountered any significant danger at the outermost periphery of the Mist Sea, as long as he didn’t recklessly court disaster……

Yet, he encountered a mid-stage Divine Master level abyssal beast in this outer region, which should have been filled with only low-level abyssal beasts.

Because it was controlled by Yun Che.

“Scattering bait as usual,” Yun Che said casually. “And look, today someone finally ‘took the bait’.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Li Suo said. “Although your ability to control abyssal dust is increasing daily, preventing the outer abyssal dust from spreading towards Xuanmo Realm still requires immense effort, and you’ll need to spend several hours maintaining it every day. You…… Do you really intend to keep doing this……”

“You know it’s impossible with your little toe.” Yun Che sat down on the ground, and as he closed his eyes, the surrounding abyssal dust swirled around him. “It won’t last long. This is just another bait, and the most important thing is the stone given to Mo Xifeng.”

“Today’s events, along with the news of the sudden drop in abyssal dust in Xuanmo Realm, will inevitably spread. Rumors that haven’t been witnessed will always remain rumors, but the change in Xuanmo Realm’s abyssal dust is a fact that anyone can perceive. In this way…… the Pure Land⁹ should also make its move.”

His voice was cold and calm, and even Li Suo, whose soul was bound to his, couldn’t sense the slightest ripple of emotion.

In this short year, Yun Che’s ability to control abyssal dust had become increasingly terrifying. Or perhaps, it could be said that his body was becoming increasingly attuned to the abyssal dust that everyone in this world feared.

A year ago, when he first appeared as the “Mist Emperor,” gathering enough abyssal dust to conceal the aura of the Abyssal Qilin supreme-ruler nearly cost him his life.

Now, with a mere thought, he could summon abyssal mist that blotted out the sky.

Li Suo had a vague feeling…… It wasn’t so much that Yun Che was striving to make his body and power compatible with the abyssal dust, but rather that he was rapidly restoring a pre-existing, seamless affinity with it.

While his control over abyssal dust grew by leaps and bounds, his profound cultivation…… remained stagnant.

“Just how long do you intend to suppress your cultivation?” she asked.

Nine months ago, he could have broken through to the fourth level of the Divine Master Realm, but he had been forcibly suppressing it.

“Oh……” Yun Che opened his eyes. “You’ve reminded me. Meng Kongchan is piling all the resources on me now, and with the perfect Divine Essence, it’s indeed not quite normal if I don’t break through.”

“Then I’ll break through later.” He spoke as if it were a small, unavoidable matter.

“That’s not what I mean.” She asked the question she had posed several times before. “Your previous deliberate suppression was to achieve a breakthrough in front of Hua Caili and Hua Qingying. Now, why are you forcibly suppressing your cultivation again? Given your current situation, I can’t think of a reason.”

“It would be strange if you could figure it out.” Yun Che wore a self-satisfied, arrogant expression. “You only need to know that it’s important. As for the reason……”

He still didn’t give her a definite answer, but a rather eerie smile appeared on his lips…… eerie enough to send chills down one’s spine. “Don’t worry, you’ll find out.”

Without lingering, he stood up. This simple act caused the surrounding abyssal dust to instantly converge, completely engulfing him within the abyssal mist. Then, a pair of distorted gray eyes slowly materialized in the mist above.

“Time to check on my ‘disciple’.”

“I hope he can endure today’s brutal training.”

The Mist Emperor’s voice was chilling. “If it’s not cruel enough, not painful enough, how can he remember this power, this hard-won revenge?!”

The Abyss, Pure Land.

The white sky was almost devoid of gray mist, with only faint, flickering golden light.

This was the purest, most luxurious, and most sacred sky in the entire abyssal world.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The clash of armor symbolized the solemn march of a knight. As the sound abruptly stopped, Abyss Knight Bai Yu knelt on the ground. “In response to Commander Wei Chi’s summons, Bai Yu is here to receive orders.”

The tall man in front of him slowly turned, his white heavy armor reflecting a starlight-like supreme radiance.

The twenty-fourth Abyss Knight, one of the thirty-six commanders of the Abyss Knights—Wei Chi Nanxing.

“Bai Yu,” he said, looking down, every word and action carrying the weight of an Abyss Knight. “That so-called ‘Mist Emperor’ has appeared again. This time, I want you to take all your attendant knights and personally capture him.”

Bai Yu didn’t immediately accept the order, but said, “The Mist Sea is vast and trackless. Waiting for him to appear is like searching for a needle in a haystack.”

“This time is different,” Wei Chi Nanxing said. “There’s a way to lure him out. However, everything about him is shrouded in mystery, and he’s full of strangeness. You must be cautious and not underestimate him. If you can’t capture him, you must at least discern his true form and sense his aura.”

“Yes,” Bai Yu responded heavily. “He dares to claim the title of Emperor, a crime punishable by death! With the Abyss Knights dispatched, he will have no place to hide in this world.”

He stood up, but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he asked as an equal, “Commander, the rumors of the ‘Mist Emperor’ have intensified in this short year, gradually spiraling out of control. Has the Abyss Emperor or the Divine Officer given any clear instructions on this matter?”

Wei Chi Nanxing said coldly, “Such a petty scoundrel isn’t worthy of the Abyss Emperor’s or the Divine Officer’s attention. Moreover, the Abyss Emperor has been in the Lost Paradise recently and has no time for such trifles.”

“Hmm.” Bai Yu nodded.

“Set off immediately.” Wei Chi Nanxing looked south, his voice growing colder. “Go to the place called Xuanmo Realm.”

As soon as Yun Che stepped out of the cultivation space, he sensed something different about the supreme son temple

Sure enough, Meng Kongchan was standing in the courtyard, respectfully attended by the entire supreme son temple. As Yun Che stepped out, Meng Kongchan turned around with a smile. “Yuan’er, I’ve heard that you’ve spent eighty percent of your time cultivating this past year. You truly don’t need to be so harsh on yourself. As my son, you should also enjoy luxury and pleasure.”

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly flickered, and then an expression of uncontainable joy appeared on his face. “Yuan’er, you…… have broken through!”

The aura emanating from Yun Che at this moment was clearly that of the fourth level of the Divine Master Realm.

“Yes, I just broke through.” Yun Che also wore a satisfied expression.

“Hahahaha!” Meng Kongchan burst into laughter that shook half of the Woven Dream Divine Kingdom. “That Hua Xin Divine Venerable said that you only broke through to the third level of the Divine Master Realm last year, and in just one short year, you’ve made another leap! You are indeed my Yuan’er! Hahahaha!”

AI Translation Notes:

1:

Xuanmo Realm: 玄漠界 – xuán mò jiè

2:

Mist Sea: 雾海 – wù hǎi

3:

Profound Practitioners: 玄者 – xuán zhě. Refers to individuals who cultivate profound energy, a mystical energy source in this world.

4:

Abyssal Corrosion: 渊蚀 – yuān shí. A debilitating condition caused by exposure to the energies of the abyss.

5:

Divine Extinction Realm: 神灭境 – shén miè jìng. A high level of cultivation in this world’s power system.

6:

Divine Master Realm: 神主境 – shén zhǔ jìng. Another level of cultivation, lower than the Divine Extinction Realm.

7:

Abyssal Beast: 渊兽 – yuān shòu. Monsters originating from the abyss.

8:

Mist Emperor: 雾皇 – wù huáng. The title Yun Che has adopted.

9:

Pure Land: 净土 – jìng tǔ. A significant location in the Abyss, contrasting its generally corrupted nature.

Human Editors Notes:

1. Changed “Jasmine” to “Li Suo”
2. supreme son temple fix
3. ”Meng Kongcan” to ”Meng Kongchan”
4. ”Divine Spark” to ”Divine Essence”
5. “Hua Caijie” to “Hua Caili”
6. ”詭異” to ”strangeness”
7. ”Abyssal Knight supreme-ruler” to ”Abyssal Qilin supreme-ruler”