Chapter 167

Magicians entering the Abyss lose more than half their power; warriors fare somewhat better, but still suffer various negative effects that greatly reduce their strength.

Creatures from the Abyss suffer great power loss when entering the Continent of Gods.

Above the Continent of Gods lies the Heavenly Realm with its gods; the Abyss, too, has its Abyssal Demigods.

Even the gods of the Heavenly Realm are reluctant to enter the Abyss.

Yet Abyssal creatures often take interest in the Continent of Gods, and long ago, the Abyss launched an invasion.

But as the Continent of Gods grew stronger, the passage between the Abyss and the Continent of Gods was sealed.

Judging from this Abyssal Demonic Flame, it's quite possible that below lies the Abyss.

The Abyss imposes special restrictions on the strong of the Continent of Gods.

But for Lin Yan… these restrictions barely exist.

It's merely a matter of consuming more energy points.

"First, upgrade the Abyssal Demonic Flame!"

Lin Yan spoke, then selected upgrade.

Three thousand evolution points were deducted.

Immediately after, his Tenth Layer flame was transformed into Abyssal Demonic Flame.

Then, the Outer Layer of Lin Yan's flame turned pitch black.

Now, besides his core Three Inner Layers, his other seven layers are special flames, also called Strange Flames.

But under normal circumstances, Lin Yan hides all seven layers.

This time, Lin Yan used Abyssal Demonic Flame as his "outer flame"; once ignited, he found his consumption returned to normal.

"Earlier, consumption was high because the laws within the black hole had diverged somewhat from those of the Continent of Gods; now consumption is normal because Abyssal Demonic Flame is originally a flame of the Abyss."

Lin Yan understood the reason.

Abyssal Demonic Flame has a unique effect.

It is a flame that acts upon the soul.

When Abyssal Demonic Flame burns, nearby life forms involuntarily feel fear.

This fear and pressure increase as Lin Yan injects more energy points.

Moreover, Abyssal Demonic Flame is not merely capable of inducing fear.

It is a flame that truly burns souls.

Lin Yan covered the entire Outer Layer of his flame with Abyssal Demonic Flame; in the darkness, he became completely invisible.

Then Lin Yan headed toward the fissure from which the Abyssal Demonic Flame had emerged, and soon found he could not enter.

The Abyssal Demonic Flame can seep out, but cannot go in.

The timing is not right.

Even if he melted the ground beneath him, it would not work.

The Abyss connects to the Continent of Gods, lying at its very bottom—but "bottom" here does not mean merely the geographical direct underside.

Even if a subterranean creature skilled in burrowing dug hundreds of kilometers straight down from Lin Yan's current position, it still might not reach the Abyss.

The underground city beside the Abyss is exceptionally bustling.

There are many subterranean creatures here.

Yet the subterranean creatures who live in the underground city possess some intelligence and are not entirely chaotic, unlike creatures like cave spiders—pure insects!

On a torch above the underground city, Lin Yan sat quietly resting, gathering his energy.

The residents of the underground city did not know that the flame burning atop that torch was the very same terrifying flame that had lit the black hole moments ago.

Lin Yan had learned from the underground city's residents that the Abyss's passage would open a crack in a short while.

The black hole was called "Demon Abyss" by the people of the underground city.

Demon Abyss is the passage connecting the Continent of Gods and the Abyss, though its center is currently blocked.

Yes, Lin Yan planned to enter the Abyss and see if he could devour more flames from within.

Moreover, the Abyss is filled with chaotic creatures, allowing Lin Yan to burn without restraint.

If he could burn an entire layer of the Abyss to ash, his evolution point gains would surpass imagination.

Lin Yan was not without tasks.

He was testing a new function of his Virtual Divine Core.

Yes, once his faith power reached a certain threshold, the Virtual Divine Core gained a new function.

That function: creating higher-tier divine power.

Lin Yan could now exchange over one million faith points for one point of high-tier divine power.

Or exchange ten points of low-tier divine power for one point of high-tier divine power.

Additionally, Lin Yan could create special high-tier divine power.

By fusing faith power with Lin Yan's energy points, then inserting one of his special flames, he could obtain high-tier divine power with unique properties.

For example, Lin Yan could choose one million faith points plus a "White Flame" containing one million energy points to obtain one point of high-tier divine power with exceptional healing effects!

This high-tier divine power even has the effect of reviving the dead.

As long as the target has not completely expired, they can be saved.

Another example: Lin Yan could use one million faith points plus a "Cold Flame" containing one million energy points to obtain one point of high-tier divine power with extraordinary effects on spiritual power!

Divine power is not omnipotent, but its applications are comprehensive.

Even divine power obtained purely through faith points can be used to heal wounds, enhance spiritual power, bestow blessings, or even ignite—dramatically amplifying the effect of Berserk Burning.

Yes, if Lin Yan used divine power instead of energy points to ignite his flames, the combustion effect would be astonishing!

In the state of Berserk Burning, his temperature reaches several to over ten times the normal level.

If he uses divine power to ignite the raging burn, his temperature will reach dozens of times the normal level!

That… would be a terrifying temperature!

However.

After adding Lin Yan's energy points and special flames, the effect in certain aspects will be even better.

After the Virtual Divine Spark upgraded, its functions have grown more and more numerous.

This is also why Lin Yan, although he does not intend to walk the pure path of becoming a god through faith, still places such importance on the power of faith.

Because the Virtual Divine Spark can only be driven by the power of faith, or rather, divine power.

In the underground city, time quietly flowed on.

Lin Yan still remained atop the largest torch in the underground city, using the Virtual Divine Spark to analyze the aura of the Abyss.

If he can analyze it successfully, Lin Yan might be able to come into contact with some knowledge at the Rule Layer ahead of time.

Over the next few days, people gradually began to appear in the underground city.

Some bizarre underground creatures emerged from who knows where.

These underground creatures were likely all preparing to enter the Abyss.

However, the opening of the Abyss passage was still some time away.

Meanwhile, on the surface, the preparations for war in the City of Divine Wonders were nearly complete.

The Xiong Zu's population really wasn't large.

The entire Xiong Zu numbered only a few thousand.

But they had scraped together a contingent of two thousand.

These two thousand were clad in heavy armor hastily crafted by tens of thousands of dwarven artisans!

The counterattack can begin!