When that crimson vertical eye opened, the entire Abyssal Plane seemed to settle into eerie silence. Though the ninety-seventh layer had collapsed, its destruction would no longer spread to adjacent layers.
"Humanity has produced a force capable of annihilating us. We must strike first. At all costs, tear open the passage and utterly destroy the humans. Any who sacrifice themselves for this cause, I swear upon my existence—when you are revived, there shall be no resistance to your rebirth, and your layer within the Abyss shall be raised by three ranks. To fully open the passage, we need the sacrifice of ten Emperors."
That chilling voice echoed through the deepest depths of the Abyss, striking fear into all the Abyssal Kings.
Yes, it wasn't that the Abyssal Plane couldn't break the human seal—it was that the cost of doing so was too great. Should an Abyssal King fall, their throne could be seized by others of their kind. This risk was something none of them wanted to face.
No one knew how long the Sacred Monarch had been dormant. But now, it awakened, and the moment it spoke, all of the 108 Abyssal Emperors bowed their heads. They knew one truth well—when the Sacred Monarch promised, it would deliver. It had never broken a vow.
"I am willing to offer myself for the Abyss," said a towering creature with five muscular arms, stepping forth solemnly before the Sacred Monarch.
One after another, Abyssal Kings emerged to volunteer for sacrifice. Although such sacrifice meant lengthy slumber, the promised revival and elevation in the hierarchy made it a worthwhile bargain.
"Excellent. Annihilate the humans, devour their world. The Abyss has reached the moment of expansion," the Sacred Monarch's cold voice rolled through every abyssal crevice, as if crimson eyes were watching from every shadow.
Abyssal beasts across the entire plane began to riot in a frenzy.
…
A violent surge of dread hit the Ant Emperor. It reeled in disbelief. 'The Six-Clawed Demon Emperor… is truly dead?' And why hadn't its plane seed returned? That was impossible. Could it be… could the humans really destroy a plane seed?
At that moment, it witnessed something terrifying.
The skies above the Abyssal Passage, once darkened by hordes of Four-Clawed and Six-Clawed Bats, suddenly burst into chaos. Without any human interference, the bats began to explode into bursts of abyssal energy, which surged madly into the vortex at the center.
Though the vortex was indeed growing larger, the implications were horrifying. 'Could it be… that the layer once ruled by the Six-Clawed Demon Emperor has completely collapsed?' The Ant Emperor shivered. 'Was the seed of that layer truly destroyed?'
Panic surged. In that instant, the Ant Emperor abandoned all thoughts of battle and bolted toward the Abyssal vortex. Its first instinct was to return—flee back to the Abyssal Plane.
'The humans killed the Six-Clawed Demon Emperor. What's stopping them from killing me next?'
Just as that thought formed, it froze. Its emotions locked, its mind suddenly blank. Thought itself stopped.
A beautiful but deadly sword light appeared beneath it, silent as a whisper, slashing upward.
The Ant Emperor reacted immediately. Its body curled in defense, and thick armor-like scales erupted across its body. A dark, vile liquid sprayed from its pores—its signature weapon, Ant Acid. Even the touch of this acid could melt any living being into blood.
This was its natural talent—destroy foes with acid, then absorb the resultant blood to fuel its power.
But in that moment, the blade brought something more than physical force. It carried a freezing intent—an oppressive will that seemed to cut the Ant Emperor off from the rest of its kin. It felt… alone.
'What… what is this?'
'A domain. A spiritual domain!'
'No—this is a human powerhouse. No wonder the Six-Clawed Demon Emperor perished!'
Unlike its counterpart, the Ant Emperor possessed greater decisiveness. Knowing that the Six-Clawed Demon Emperor had been truly destroyed, it immediately activated its plane seed to self-destruct and return to the Abyss.
Buzz—!
The white sword slashed across its body, breaking its scales, but the real danger came from within. Its self-destruction had already begun.
Just then, a flicker of green light silently touched the wound on its chest—where its scales had cracked.
The Ant Emperor's thoughts recoiled. 'Why… why is the seed trembling?!' A tiny, emerald-green tendril had pierced its chest like a ghost and latched onto the plane seed. The seed, usually stable and powerful, now shivered as if it had encountered its greatest nemesis.
Then, a burst of rainbow light streaked through the air—Golden Dragon Spear. It pierced the very same crack on the Ant Emperor's body, and the Abyssal King felt its life force drain rapidly.
From the sky, a bright moonlight beam descended, striking its paused form.
Unfeeling struck seven times—each blow crashing against the Ant Emperor's skull, the strongest part of its body.
Under that barrage of sword energy, the Ant Emperor couldn't even hold a coherent thought.
Cao Dezhi could have killed it then and there—but he didn't. His goal wasn't to slay it, but to buy enough time for Gu You… or rather, for the Tree of Life to complete its task.
Compared to the Six-Clawed Demon Emperor, the Ant Emperor's plane seed was vastly more powerful.
As the Tree of Life's vine burrowed into the Ant Emperor's body, the seed violently resisted, crashing against its attacker. It surged wildly in an effort to break free, but every strike was blocked. The vine held firm.
Gu You gave everything to draw in its life force. The weaker the Ant Emperor became, the less power its plane seed could tap into.
Eighty-seven…
A glowing symbol—green as jade—shimmered on Gu You's forehead, pulsing with dazzling light. Energy waves flowed around him in dense, radiant spirals. The Golden Dragon Spear trembled in his grip.
The energy being absorbed was overwhelming. His dragon core compressed rapidly, and his heart raced. Both his soul core and dragon core were near their limits.
Eighty-eight!
Two levels in one moment—evidence of just how immense the Ant Emperor's energy reserves were.
At last, the Tree of Life…
(End of Chapter)
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