Chapter 5: Instant Refining, Stand Up!
"Swish, swish!"
Gigantic dark purple ants passed by Jiang Xiu, moving in an orderly fashion in one direction, seemingly oblivious to him.
"This is the Ant King Clan, the seventy-sixth-ranked race of the Abyssal Species. Does that mean I'm currently in the Abyssal Plane?"
Jiang Xiu took a deep breath, and with a strong mind, he suppressed his negative emotions and carefully observed the ants passing before him.
In a split second, Jiang Xiu recognized them, for it was this clan that had emerged from the Abyssal Tide and destroyed Snow City.
"And now, I've become a shadow?"
Jiang Xiu looked down at his hands, only to find them pitch black. Wasn't this his vanished shadow?
His blood-red eyes focused, a ripple forming. Jiang Xiu looked around, sensing his own shadow, and a wave of enlightenment gradually washed over him.
"So that's how it is. Fierce Wolf Douluo guessed partly right. Due to the uniqueness of the Shadow King, the Lord's protection was indeed triggered when the Abyssal Tide descended. However, my shadow did not merge with it. Instead, for some reason, it followed the Abyssal Tide into this Abyssal Plane."
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiu, far from feeling any fear, instead had a hint of excitement in his eyes.
The Shadow King's most important ability is to extract the shadows of the deceased, transforming them into his most loyal shadow soldiers. Looking at the entire plane, is there anything more suitable than the Abyssal species?
Abyssal species are not only diverse in variety, but also in number, making them his natural shadow-making field!
"Although these Abyssal creatures lack their own consciousness, they do have shadows. I just don't know if I can successfully extract them."
Jiang Xiu looked at the Ant King clan passing by him. He could clearly see that under the reflection of the light, shadows appeared on the dark scorched earth. Although they were a little faint, they were indeed there.
"How about giving it a try first?"
A thought flashed through Jiang Xiu's mind. He extended his palm and waved it in front of an Abyss Ant. The ant waved its slender antennae, tilted its head to glance at Jiang Xiu, and then continued walking.
Jiang Xiu's face lit up with understanding. He had a vague idea of why these Abyss Ants of the Ant Emperor Clan were ignoring him.
These were merely the lowest-ranking Abyss Ants of the Ant Emperor Clan. Their minds had a single purpose: to devour any life within their reach. He was now a mere shadow, devoid of any life force.
In the eyes of these Abyss Ants, he was useless and inedible.
Not every Abyss creature in the Abyss Plane lacked consciousness. For example, the kings of every clan possessed a cultivation level at least equivalent to that of a Titled Douluo. They all possessed their own thoughts. Even the Spirit Emperor Clan, the second-highest ranking clan in the Abyss Plane, was renowned for its wisdom.
But it was clear that these Abyss Ants, serving as cannon fodder before Jiang Xiu, were not worthy of intelligence.
Let's give it a try. Jiang Xiu, a man of action, instantly scanned the vast army of Abyss Ants, quickly locking onto a small, slender one. He transformed into a dark shadow and approached it.
Even as cannon fodder, these Abyss Ants varied in strength. Jiang Xiu observed the group before him. The weakest possessed energy fluctuations at the level of a Spirit Master, while the strongest rivaled even the Spirit Lords he had encountered.
It seemed truly remarkable that the Douluo Plane could withstand the relentless tides of the Abyss.
"Little ant, come and show me how strong your shadow is."
Jiang Xiu smiled kindly, quickly approaching the Abyss Ant. A faint light flashed in his hand, and a sharp dark dagger emerged.
Although he was now a shadow, he could draw upon the power of the Shadow King, making it easy to transform a portion of his shadow into a weapon.
The Abyss Ant was startled by the sudden appearance of the shadow, but the next moment, a cold light flashed, and the sharp dagger plunged into its most vulnerable eye.
"Puff!"
Black liquid flowed out.
"Relax, take a deep breath. Dizziness is normal."
Jiang Xiu gripped his dagger tightly and continued to thrust it into the Abyss Ant's pupil, offering gentle solace, but his grip intensified.
While the Abyss Ant lacked intelligence, it was not foolish. Knowing the dark presence before it was attacking it, it instantly began to struggle.
While the Abyss Ant possessed both offensive and defensive capabilities, its weakest point lay in its eyes. Under Jiang Xiu's fatal blow, it struggled only briefly before collapsing into eternal sleep.
"That's the beauty of being young. Falling asleep instantly,"
Jiang Xiu sighed, shaking off the black liquid staining his dagger. He held his right hand in the air over the Abyss Ant's corpse, preparing to activate the Shadow King's extraction ability.
"Buzz!"
But at that moment, something unexpected happened. A flash of black light emanated from the previously dead Abyss Ant's body, instantly disappearing into the distance.
"Where are you running to!"
Jiang Xiu, quick-witted, activated his Extract skill the moment it appeared. With a sweep of his hand, he grabbed the creature and instantly enveloped it in the power of extraction and refining.
"Stand up!"
Jiang Xiu's bloodshot eyes narrowed, his impassive face radiating an immense majesty as a regal voice echoed.
In just a few breaths, a pitch-black shadow rose from the corpse of the Abyss Ant.
Its eyes glowed red, its body shrouded in darkness, its resemblance to the recently deceased Abyss Ant.
"Baji, baji!"
The moment the shadow appeared, it knelt, its sharp mouthparts rubbing against each other, repeatedly conveying one message to Jiang Xiu:
loyalty!
Any shadow extracted by the Shadow King would be utterly loyal to Jiang Xiu. Even if Jiang Xiu ordered this Abyss Ant to die instantly, it would carry out the plan without hesitation.
"Success! It seems my plan is working!"
Jiang Xiu smiled slightly as he gazed at the Abyss Ant's shadow, which he could easily command .
After all, his biggest concern wasn't whether he could kill the Abyss Ants, but whether he could successfully extract their shadows.
Jiang Xiu knew that Abyssal creatures don't truly die upon death. Instead, they transform into their essence, return to the Abyssal Plane, and then be reforged.
This is why the Abyssal Plane can endlessly attack Douluo Continent, and the powerful warriors of Douluo Continent, once killed in battle, are truly dead.
And the most puzzling thing is that the strength of these Abyssal creatures before their death will be the same strength they will regain after being reforged.
This is why Tang Wulin was so highly regarded by the military when he joined the Blood God Legion and demonstrated the Golden Dragon Spear's ability to absorb Abyssal energy, because it was a method that could completely weaken the Abyssal Plane!
At this moment, Jiang Xiu looked at the ferocious Abyssal Ants before him and suddenly found that they had become more handsome.
"Hehehehe... cough cough."
(End of this chapter)