Chapter 3087

Powder residue fell from Su Xiao's fingertips; in many ways, the Calamity Bell truly deserved its status as an S-rank hazardous object, and the main reason for its destruction was that Su Xiao learned through 'mechanism' intelligence that this object possessed a soul attribute.

Su Xiao was not afraid of the danger posed by soul-attributed objects, which is why he dared to seek out Hazardous Object S-002 (the Holy Grail of Death).

The death domain of S-002 acts upon the soul, and this hazardous object's tier is too advanced; Su Xiao lacked confidence in completely exempting himself from the death domain, but he had confidence in resisting it for a while, which formed the basis for his pursuit of S-002.

【Prompt: You have eliminated the Calamity Bell.】

【You obtained the Calamity Chest (a chest-type item).】

【You obtained 9.72% of the World Source.】

【You obtained 'Twisted Abyssal Energy Condensate·Fragment x1', a unique reward for eliminating hazardous objects.】

……

After storing the 【Calamity Chest】, Su Xiao examined the translucent fragment in his hand, about the size of a fingernail cap, which contained many tiny black spots and appeared extremely mottled.

'Twisted Abyssal Energy Condensate·Fragment', abbreviated as 'Abyssal Fragment', is a unique reward obtained after eliminating hazardous objects; the origin and purpose of this object are unknown.

Seeing this simple description, Su Xiao formed a hypothesis in his mind: the term 'Abyss' reminded him of the 'Undying Curse' endured by the Undying Old Man, and that curse originated from the Abyss.

The Abyss is both a place and a concept, a form of power; assuming this 'Twisted Abyssal Energy Condensate·Fragment' truly came from the Abyss Su Xiao imagined, the situation would be both troublesome and a great opportunity.

Things originating from the Abyss are not all negative; many treasures also come from the Abyss, the most famous being the seeds of the Black Maple Tree.

Indeed, the Black Maple Tree does not come from the Void; many people hold this misconception, as the Black Maple Tree in the Void is the most numerous, leading to the belief that it originated there.

Initially, Su Xiao also believed the Black Maple Tree came from the Void, but after encountering Old Mie Fa, the Regiment Leader, and the Undying Old Man, he learned that the original Black Maple Tree seed did not come from the Void, external rumors were unreliable, and the first seed of the Black Maple Tree originated from the Abyss.

As for exploring the Abyss, this need not be considered; Su Xiao's known information is that during the peak of the Mie Fa era, Mie Fa practitioners attempted to open a channel connecting to the Abyss, which collapsed after a few hours, after which no further resources were invested in this endeavor.

Until the Mie Fa era ended and the Arcane Eternal Star became the new ruler of the Void, they also tried to open a channel connecting to the Abyss, but the channel closed after a few hours.

It was not due to any dangerous existence within the Abyss; the two attempts to open channels to the Abyss informed both Mie Fa practitioners and spellcasters of the same fact: there is no life within the Abyss, only a dense, substantive Abyssal force.

It is precisely this energy—full of infinite possibilities yet uncontrollable—that, through multiple coincidences, gave rise to the Black Maple Tree seed as a marvel, a supernatural phenomenon.

An important point is that even top-tier powerhouses within the Void face an extremely high mortality rate when entering the Abyss, and more importantly, it is a losing investment.

The cost of entering the Abyss is too high; advancing just one meter inside requires extensive preparation and a tremendous sacrifice.

According to calculations by the myriad spellcasters of the Arcane Eternal Star, if they devoted all their resources, they could likely explore about a hundred meters within the Abyss before the Arcane Eternal Star would be impoverished for many years.

This is no longer a question of whether one can enter the Abyss, but whether it is worthwhile; the Abyss is vast, and while treasures might be found within, compared to the cost incurred, the obtained treasures are hardly worth it, not to mention that opening a channel to the Abyss itself consumes unimaginable resources.

The Abyss is not completely sealed; when its energy becomes excessive, it opens at a random point, and treasures nurtured within the Abyss may emerge with the outflow of Abyssal energy.

Once Abyssal energy enters the material world, its nature ceases to be dangerous; it dissipates within a short time and is absorbed by that world, and in the following century or more, that world's resources will become very abundant.

Compared to venturing into the Abyss to explore, it is truly better to wait for treasures to appear somewhere, sometime, and then seize them; even if one opens a channel to release Abyssal energy, careful calculation shows that the final result is still a loss so severe it induces vomiting blood—this has been attempted by the Mie Fa practitioners, the Demon Clan, the Arcane Eternal Star, the Winged Clan, and the Star Clan.

Speaking of which, it is interesting that initially the Mie Fa practitioners suffered losses; after announcing it externally, the Arcane Eternal Star initially scoffed, expressing disbelief, but after becoming the new rulers, they decisively attempted to open a channel to the Abyss, only to suffer losses so severe they vomited blood—turns out, the Mie Fa practitioners had not deceived them, and this situation is truly a loss.

The most problematic aspect is that the channel to the Abyss can only remain open for 3 to 5 hours before collapsing, requiring resources to be re-gathered before reconstruction.

The Arcane Eternal Star also announced this news; upon learning it, the Winged Clan immediately denounced it, then gathered vast resources, stole the technology, and opened a channel to the Abyss; during those years, the Winged Clan was unusually quiet—quiet from poverty.

Upon seeing this, the Star Clan nearly cursed, 'Stop pretending to be grandsons; you've clearly gained benefits, yet still pretend to be poor?'

The Star Clan decisively attempted it, only to suffer terribly; during that period, the Winged Clan and Star Clan, as two unfortunate brothers-in-arms, frequently traded with each other, and their relationship improved significantly.

As fellow major clans of the Void, the Devil Clan, notorious for suspicion, suspected this was all an illusion; after stealing the technology, they gritted their teeth and opened a channel to the Abyss, afterward becoming so impoverished they nearly fell to mid-tier clan status.

The Demon Clan watched the spectacle throughout, eating melons and even bringing along the mockery of 'seniors'; initially, when the Mie Fa practitioners opened the Abyss channel, the Demon Clan heavily invested, then remained impoverished for a long time.

After these events, no major Void faction dared to open a channel to the Abyss; that period was the most peaceful in the Void, so impoverished that no one wanted to wage war, and rest and recuperation became the primary concern.

Su Xiao had no intention of venturing into the Abyss to explore; all major Void powers had been reduced to such a state by their losses, and if he personally schemed this matter, he might expend all his resources, even the Black Maple Tree, and if luck was bad, he might only obtain some Abyssal energy.

The 'Abyssal Fragment' Su Xiao currently obtained is a condensate of Abyssal energy, but this twisted Abyssal energy likely can no longer be absorbed by the world.

This should be due to a certain Abyssal aperture spontaneously opening within this world, releasing Abyssal energy, and as for why it became twisted, that remains unknown.

If the appearance of hazardous objects is due to this twisted Abyssal energy, then the few highest-tier hazardous objects would be even more dangerous than imagined, requiring cautious handling.

The Calamity Bell has been dealt with; the surrounding walls underwent rapid changes, shifting from dilapidated to aged, and within this Red Pool Inn, it was practically another kind of 'primeval forest', where the law of the weak being prey to the strong was crystal clear.

Su Xiao glanced at the corpse of the Bell Woman; this person was the holder of the Calamity Bell, not controlled by it, but rather a perfect vessel for it; until the end, the Calamity Bell did not abandon this woman, and the two were nearly coexisting, mutually acknowledging each other.

As for Granny Qian, judging from her reaction, she was likely the mother or grandmother of the Bell Woman, possibly a direct relative.

One day, the Bell Woman accidentally obtained the Calamity Bell, became enamored with its sound, returned to the hot spring inn, and completed her first communication with the Calamity Bell; from that point on, this Red Pool Inn became her hunting ground.

Initially, her interaction with the Calamity Bell was limited to absorbing the life force and trace soul power of guests while they soaked in the hot springs; Granny Qian soon noticed something amiss, but due to her excessive indulgence of the Bell Woman, she chose to ignore it; later, the Bell Woman became increasingly reckless, drawing the attention of containment agencies.

When containment agency personnel arrived previously, Granny Qian was caught in the crossfire, died, and became a spirit, while the Bell Woman repelled the containment agency personnel.

After assessment by the containment agency, the Bell Woman was classified as a strong individual killer, with limited large-scale harm capability, possibly requiring several years before she would only afflict the Winter Springs Town, so they chose to suspend action—not because the containment agency was heartless, but because they truly had no alternative; some A-rank hazardous objects possess greater large-scale harm capability than the Calamity Bell, and those require handling, while personnel are insufficient.

The Eclipse Organization also came to Winter Springs Town to fight the Bell Woman to the death, killing several strong individuals before retreating; at this stage, the Bell Woman also understood the situation: as long as she did not leave Winter Springs Town, she would not invite calamity from heaven.

In reality, both the containment agency and the Eclipse Organization were waiting and cultivating, nurturing soul-system strong individuals to deal with the Bell Woman; do not think this exaggerated—for dealing with an S-rank hazardous object, deliberately cultivating a strong individual is common practice for both organizations, and the time required to deal with hazardous objects is measured in years, which is routine.

Su Xiao walked toward the outside of the hot spring inn; just as he exited the inner chamber, a little boy ran from ahead, clung to Su Xiao's leg, and pressed his small face against it.

"Big brother, thank you."

The little boy was somewhat shy; Su Xiao lowered his head to look at him, the boy's hand always resting on the sword hilt.

"Let go within three seconds."

As Su Xiao's words fell, the little boy released his grip, retreated to the wall, and hung his head while fiddling with his fingers.

"How long will this last you to eat."

Su Xiao posed a question that Xiang Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang, Bahah, Amu, and Lie Chao could not understand; the little boy, head lowered, bit his lip, those large eyes staring at the ground were very bright, and his somewhat baby-fat small face had lost its innocent smile, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned in a tiny arc.

How could a little boy with no blood relation to the Bell Woman or Granny Qian have lived this long, and still be alive?

"Or I'll just slaughter you."

Su Xiao made a motion to draw his sword; the little boy hurriedly knelt and sat on the ground, saying: "Enough for me to eat……for a long time."

The little boy already knew that acting cute was useless now; if he continued to pretend, he would die.

"Before you finish eating, you are not allowed to step out of this inn even half a step."

"En."

The little boy gave a crisp reply, looked up, and smiled at Su Xiao, his smile regaining its childlike innocence.

Su Xiao walked out of the hot spring inn; this little boy could stay, counting as a personal favor to Dean Weike over there, and they wouldn't refuse such a person.

After leaving the inn, Lie Chao kept frowning, unable to understand what Su Xiao meant when he asked the little boy, "How long will it be enough to eat?"

"What does that child eat?"

Lie Chao seemed to ask casually, but in fact, if she had something she couldn't figure out, she would feel uneasy for a long time—this was her obsessive-compulsive tendency.

Many people only notice the strong side of the powerful; in reality, the powerful also have unknown aspects—for example, Lie Chao despises wriggling worms and has a slight obsessive-compulsive tendency.

"He will eat spirits with strong resentment; the Bell Girl can bind the consciousness of confused resentful spirits to serve her, and disobedient resentful spirits will be eaten by that little thing."

Su Xiao said this for a reason: when he was on the second floor of the hot spring inn, that little boy pointed out the exit route for him—namely, jumping out from the designated window.

Is the little boy kind-hearted? Absolutely not; this little thing, while in the Red Pool Inn, had eaten who knows how many resentful spirits—he was guarding his food, afraid others would compete with him for resentful spirits.

Su Xiao walked toward the east side of the town, his feet crunching in the snow; he needed to find a safe place to set up a teleportation diagram. For the demon clan's diagram, he had roughly adapted with Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Ignoring Bubu Wang, Am, and Bahar; as for Lie Chao, she hadn't eaten lunch today, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Lie Chao stopped in the snow, turned her head to glance at the Red Pool Inn—this world was more dangerous than the Divine Hometown; just a single bell had turned the town's residents into monsters, their soul power nearly drained, their bodies filled with filthy water, twisted and deformed.

ps: (The backend lagged, and the previous chapter took over two hours to display.)