Chapter 223

Where is the young master?

The lady who came with the scientific expedition team to the supply point looked around.

The light had indeed grown dimmer.

But it was still certain: the young master who should have been here was missing.

He went to look for the Ninth Legion.

Luo De spread his hands.

The Ninth Legion?

The lady furrowed her brow and whispered something.

The sound was so soft that even someone with Luo De's hearing couldn't make out what she had just said.

However, from her expression, it seemed she was cursing someone.

That makes sense.

The orders brought by the lady and the young master.

It was obvious they were trying to win Luo De over to the Snezhnaya camp; if they couldn't win him over, they at least tried not to make relations stiff.

To achieve this goal.

She even didn't hesitate to bring out her identity as a senior sister of five hundred years.

So seeing the young master ignore the mission and do his own thing, how could the lady not be angry?

Of course, Dadalia wasn't truly ignoring the task issued by the Ice Empress.

In fact.

Dadalia and the lady could be called the most loyal executives in the Foolish People, and there was no way they would do anything to ignore the Empress's orders.

So he would choose to leave the team alone at this point.

Actually, it was because he discovered that persuading Luo De to join the Snezhnaya camp was not easy.

Given Luo De's understanding of Dadalia,

This person's thoughts are somewhat simple.

Not the good-and-simple kind, but the single-minded kind.

If possible.

He definitely wouldn't waste his lips like before; instead, he would use force to drag Luo De to Snezhnaya.

But after that match, he confirmed he was still no match for Luo De, and with the lady also not being a match, he decisively abandoned all plans and defined this mission as a failure.

Dadalia is not someone who can't afford to lose.

If the mission failed, then it failed.

Before he could think of a way to bring Luo De back to Snezhnaya, he wouldn't think of persuading Luo De again.

Rather than waste time here, it's better to hurry and bring the Ninth Legion back, completing the second task of this mining operation.

Luo De asking Yelan for help also includes this matter.

Specifically, it was to have Yelan destroy part of the traces left by the Ninth Legion, forge part of the traces, lead Dadalia to where the Ninth Legion previously encountered danger, and as much as possible prevent Dadalia from returning quickly.

Besides that.

Luo De merely marked the position of the Freezing Heaven Nail beneath the Chasm for Yelan and also told her the solution.

To solve the pollution problem in the underground mining area.

First, we must solve the Freezing Heaven Nail.

Otherwise.

While it remains bound, the Abyss's power cannot be contained, just as on the paths Luo De and they had walked before.

You should know that the Ninth Legion had also walked through these places before.

Given their mission to 'Eliminate the Black,' these places should not have any Abyss power left, let alone such a large amount.

But the fact is, the Abyss power here is still strong.

If Luo De hadn't, as the vanguard, cleared the path to the supply point in advance, the ordinary scholars in the expedition team would have needed far more time and effort to reach here.

However, the map of the underground mining area drawn by Liyue is actually incomplete.

After all, prior to this incident, Liyue had been continuously developing the Chasm, and this underground mining area had only been surveyed in a small part; consequently, a sudden event occurred, forcing them to seal off the entire mining area.

Now the map in Luo De's hands can be considered quite detailed.

It was hand‑drawn by Ye Lan herself, bit by bit, underground after the Chasm was sealed.

Compared to the map held by the Fatui.

Luo De's version is far more detailed and covers a much larger area.

Only she could think of using the Ninth Legion as labor to open up the map—a truly devilish idea.

Although the map is detailed, the location of that Cold Heaven's Nail isn't shown; Luo De, relying on memory, marked a blind spot on the map in the totally black area, and he specifically urged Ye Lan to first survey that spot before taking action, so she wouldn't go to the wrong place and waste her effort.

Just as Luo De had earlier asked her to help delay Dada Liya in finding someone, Ye Lan raised no objections, readily agreed, and then unilaterally cut off communication between them.

Whether she will actually go release that bound Cold Heaven's Nail, or go search for that Cold Heaven's Nail, remains unknown.

"What should we make to eat?"

While everyone else was busy organizing the survey results, Sai Nuo grabbed a meat‑roll pancake, came over to Luo De, and eyed the variously colored strange pills in his hand.

The air in the underground mining area was hot and humid, filled with all kinds of foul odors.

Even in such an environment, although the scholars didn't have to do heavy physical labor every day like the miners, their stamina was still greatly depleted along the way.

The supplies prepared by Liyue were highly professional—mostly food that could quickly replenish strength and salt and was easy to store; the taste was ordinary, but it suited the needs of such a harsh underground mining environment.

The scholars from Sumeru aren't picky eaters.

Back when everyone was still from Diliyesi, they had traversed every deep mountain and old forest, and the scholars selected by Nadixa are, on average, masters of wilderness survival.

Never mind the supplies Liyue is providing now; when they were exploring ruins in Sumeru, they could even stomach rotting animal carcasses.

Relatively speaking.

These foods now count as a delicacy for their starving stomachs.

The only different person among them.

It's Luo De.

While everyone else was eating fried dough, he sat aside chewing on a bun with sips of cold water, which made Cyno curious about what he had in his hand.

He was originally a fellow disciple under the same master.

Cyno wasn't as reserved as Tighnari; seeing Luo De bringing his own food, he edged over wanting a bite.

That's all.

Luo De's next sentence made him discard that thought.

"Made from slime, I specially had someone help make it; want to try a bite?"

Luo De chuckled and passed the bun over.

This slime bun treated with elemental energy no longer emitted black mist; instead, faint black threads were woven into its original color, looking as weird as could be.

"Slime"

Cyno's mouth twitched.

Speaking reasonably.

When hunting criminals, he ate whatever was on hand; at the worst times, he even ate insects.

But slime? He had never tried it before.

To be honest.

He was quite keen to try it.

If it tastes good, then next time he's hunting criminals and his provisions run low, he could catch a few slimes to fill his stomach—after all, they're everywhere you go.

"You want to eat it."

"Then let's wait until we get back; I'll find that head chef and have her make you a proper full-course slime feast so you can really try it."

Luo De didn't give Cyno a chance to taste the slime bun; he just shoved it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

What a joke.

This thing is filled with abyssal power; if Cyno ate it, even if he likewise wielded divine power, he'd be tormented enough.

As a vanguard scout.

Luo De didn't linger long at the supply camp before setting out again.

This time.

No one followed him.

Originally, Tartaglia wasn't there, and the Lady very much wanted to come along.

But after Luo De put forward the cooperation agreement, she had no choice but to stay.

The Empress of Snezhnaya's orders were quite effective.

No matter how unwilling the Lady was, she had to faithfully follow the scientific expedition team.

Of course.

Naturally, the Young Master who deserted his duty couldn't escape another scolding from her.

Working with such colleagues, she really was mentally exhausted.

If possible.

The Lady would rather act alone than team up with Tartaglia, such a trouble‑causing, highly capable Executant, on the same mission.

But that's too bad.

No ifs.

Now, Luo De, who can finally act alone, is much more at ease.

He came to the Chasm precisely for the abyssal power here.

Tasks like surveying lifeforms, ancient fossils, and drawing detailed terrain maps belong to the scientific expedition team; his presence makes no difference.

Just like that.

With no one disturbing him.

Luo De advanced forward at great speed.

The monsters lurking along the road all suffered disasters worthy of being called heavenly calamities; the lucky ones left corpses, the unlucky were reduced to ash and became food in Luo De's pocket.

All along the way.

Except for brief stops at supply points to replenish his luminite crystals, he tirelessly continued slaughtering monsters and devouring abyssal power to strengthen himself.

During this period.

He also tried twice to use Zhongli's Gnosis.

Just as before.

Still, like a stone ox sinking into the sea, it was utterly unusable.

"Still not enough."

Fiddling with the Gnosis in his hand, Luo De sighed while resting on a rock.

The scientific expedition team had long been left behind who knows where by him.

He wasn't worried about the scholars' safety.

With Cyno, Tighnari, and the Lady present, nothing in the Chasm could threaten the scholars.

The problem now before him.

Even Luo De doesn't know exactly how much more he lacks to reach the standard the Great Merciful Tree King said is needed to forcibly draw out the Gnosis.

Never mind, let's go down and take a look.

Gazing at the oppressive black-red light beneath his feet, Luo De leapt forward and jumped straight off the high cliff.

This is where he is sitting now.

It is the necessary route that passes through the main mining area and leads to Cold Heaven's Nail.

At the same time, it is the most severely polluted area Luo De has seen since entering the underground mining area.

Before, the place at most had more black mud or more abyssal power drifting into the air; using luminite stone could suppress those harsh environments, merely a matter of quantity.

But the pollution area blocking Luo De's view now is different.

Here the abyssal power is almost condensing into substance.

Unlike the abyssal power outside that is purely black and hard to see even with close inspection.

The abyssal power in this polluted area actually emits a strong purplish-red light, and as soon as Luo De arrived at the opening above it, he was drawn in by that light.

And just how dense is the abyssal power here?

Even someone like Luo De, who could be called an innate abyssal-immune saint body, feels a heavy oppression and restless unease.

This is the same feeling ordinary people get when entering the dead zone.

Luo De is not unfamiliar with this place.

After picking up a log of the Foolish Ones' actions, he became even more certain he hadn't mistaken the location.

Indeed.

This is the black mist area that caused heavy losses to the Ninth Company.

"Inhale—"

Luo De took a deep breath and immediately furrowed his brows.

Wanting to completely devour the abyssal power here cannot be done in a short time.

The abyssal power diffusing in this black mist area is not only drifting about as black mist; the surrounding rock walls and ground have also been severely corroded by the abyssal power, just as the ore in the stratum abyss under the influence of Cold Heaven's Nail was transformed into luminite stone, so the rock in the black mist area has been transformed into a special mineral saturated with abyssal power.

According to the log's contents.

The Ninth Company had once dispersed this black mist area, and the previous black mist coverage was much larger than now; the black mist Luo De sees now is merely a subsequent emission from those abyssal ores.

Just as Luo De was inspecting around the black mist area.

A fireball emitting intense heat suddenly tore out of the black mist, its gaze clearly pointing at Luo De.

"Huh?"

Luo De reacted quickly, waving his hand to cast a fire elemental shield that blocked the fireball.

This isn't over yet.

After the fireball, ice balls, lightning balls, water balls—various attacks condensed from elemental energy rained down like raindrops.

One fire elemental shield is no longer enough.

Luo De grabbed with a wave of his hand, and the Holy Ritual Artifact instantly took shape; as the solemn incantation ended, Hermanubis's power surged, instantly pushing Luo De's bodily defense to its peak; then, backed by mighty elemental energy, the artifact transformed into a longsword, its momentum like thunder and lightning, receiving all the fierce attacks that suddenly erupted from the black mist.

"Can't sense any aura."

While swinging his sword to block attacks, Luo De's eyes involuntarily showed a solemn expression.

These attacks clearly come from abyssal monsters.

But within the black mist's range.

Luo De cannot confirm the exact positions of these monsters, so he can only passively endure their attacks.

"."

He glanced at the faint purplish-red pattern on his wrist, then Luo De stepped forward and charged straight into the black mist.

His time is limited.

The abyssal power here is too vast; given Luo De's endurance and the intense combat, he can only last a limited time here, so he must fight quickly and decisively.

"Can't see clearly"

Visibility in the black mist is obstructed; Luo De exerted himself fully but still couldn't see the surroundings, so he relied on his feeling, flapping the Snowy Owl Wings to accelerate, and using the Blazing Sun Lineage sword technique to slash at the abyssal monsters hiding in the dark.

After several consecutive missed swings.

The first scream finally rang out in the black mist.

According to the sound's origin, Luo De adjusted his stance and swung his sword upward again.

Like boiling magma, red blood instantly drenched Luo De from head to toe.

Fortunately Luo De himself is a skilled fire elemental energy user with strong resistance to high heat; otherwise, merely being splashed by these monsters' blood would have been enough to severely wound him.

Companions were slain.

This caused the monsters in the black mist to erupt in rage, their attacks intensifying again while howls and curses rose and fell.

This actually made it convenient for Luo De to confirm the exact positions of the surrounding monsters.

Blazing Sun Protection lives up to the divine technique inherited from the Archon.

Withstanding these abyssal monsters' attacks, his longsword turned into a bow, continuously firing precise shots at the spots where the sounds had previously come from.

"Thud thud thud" of flesh impact.

Luo De, gritting his teeth against the attacks, inevitably felt his blood surging.

He still ended up with a slight injury.

However, compared to Luo De's robust physique, the effect of this minor injury could be easily recovered with a breath, far less than the impact of abyssal power accumulating in his body.

In terms of sheer strength, the abyssal monsters hiding in the black mist are worlds apart from Luo De; only the initial attacks he faced could be considered somewhat threatening.

Compared to these monsters' attacks.

The abyssal power within the black mist is what truly troubles Luo De.

While consuming a huge amount of elemental energy on one hand and resisting the corrosion of excessive abyssal power on the body on the other, for Luo De this was also no small trial.

He glanced at his left hand again.

Before entering, the corrosion patterns from the abyssal power were only near the wrist, but after less than a minute of fighting, they had already spread close to the forearm.

At this rate,

"At most I can last another two minutes."

Although he currently held an absolute advantage, Luo De still decided not to fight in an environment like the black mist that was disadvantageous to him; he stepped down and, at top speed, left the black mist–covered expanse, and, enduring the attacks of the abyssal monsters, turned back once more to the cave above the black mist area.

"Trouble."

No sooner had he left the black mist area than the corrosion marks on Luo De's arm quickly faded, returning to normal in just a moment.

His wounds and the corrosion had both recovered.

Luo De chose not to go back down to the black mist area to fight those monsters; instead, he came to the suspended stone wall directly above the black mist area.

This black mist area is located inside a cave.

Those abyssal monsters also have physical forms.

So why waste energy like that again and risk being corroded by fighting them?

Luo De raised both hands, unleashing the Blazing Sun Divine Technique at full power, and immediately slammed it down onto the ground beneath his feet.

Amid the shaking earth and moving mountains, the explosive sound of cracking rocks rang out continuously into the distance; huge stones and shattered rock rolled down and collapsed, and under Luo De's successive attacks they fell as densely as raindrops.

Shouts, curses, and roars immediately echoed again throughout the black mist area.

After Luo De smashed all the breakable stones in this area, the ground originally shrouded in black mist was temporarily buried under rock; the once thick mist was now suppressed to only thin wisps seeping from the cracks in the stone, and before these rocks were fully corroded, the mist could not return to its former extent.

Most of the abyssal monsters that had fought Luo De were now crushed to death on the spot; even those still alive were pinned under the rocks, unable to move, except for four abyssal disciples over two meters tall who could still stand there, glaring at Luo De with murderous intent.

"What are you looking at?"

"Without the black mist, let's see how you fight me."

Taking advantage of the moment before the black mist re‑spread, Luo De surged downward with the speed of thunder.

This time.

Without the black mist's interference, those four abyssal disciples, no matter how well coordinated, were instantly beheaded by Luo De and killed beyond any chance of revival.

(End of chapter)