Chapter 4045: Old Friend

Inside the Abyss Erosion Zone, Su Xiao sheathed the long blade in his hand. The "Pitch-Black Sea of Blood" gradually dissolved, finally turning into pools of blood.

Continuing deeper into this place, it wasn't long before he saw the Abyss passage. After observing for a moment, he frowned. The reason was that this Abyss passage was different from any he had seen before; its edges were ragged, looking very much like it had been forcibly torn open?

No, looking at the marks, it looked very much like it had been bitten open. This immediately made him think of the Rune clan, who represented the "Beast." This savage method was indeed beastly enough.

Within this Abyss passage, the low growls of dark beasts could still be faintly heard. However, after experiencing the god of slaughter outside, these dark creatures chose to retreat temporarily. They were indeed fierce and cruel, but they were also living beings with biological instincts, knowing how to seek advantages and avoid harm.

Not to mention these Abyss-type creatures, in the Ancient Dragon Kingdom, those Abyss-type existences had all been killed by Su Xiao until they moved away.

He clasped his hands together for a moment, then gradually pulled them apart, drawing out strands of Spirit Shadow threads as thick as a little finger. These Spirit Shadow threads spread toward the Abyss passage, their crystal-sharp tips piercing the world to form stitches. Completing the precise suturing, he gave a forceful tug, and the Abyss passage was initially sealed, all the Spirit Shadow threads merging.

Because this was not the Ancient Dragon Kingdom and the balance between the Abyss and the elements had not been broken, he held his hand out in a void grip and waited for a few minutes. Various natural elements gathered toward his right hand. Among them, an unruly fire element changed direction and headed straight for his face.

*Slap~*

Su Xiao flicked the fire element away as if flicking a summer insect. He appreciated the little guy's enthusiasm, but it shouldn't get too close; even with his stamina attribute at over 2500 points, he still felt the fire element scorching his face.

When enough natural elements had gathered in his hand, he pressed his palm against the sutured area. This caused the area where the Spirit Shadow threads had stitched the world scar to gradually calm down. As this part of the world completely healed, he withdrew the Spirit Shadow threads, perfectly closing one Abyss passage.

At this moment, outside the Black Stone Sky Wall, the legion stationed there had finished assembling. The Honorary Second Lieutenant looked solemn, while the adjutant beside him had a worried expression.

The Honorary Second Lieutenant was waiting for orders from above; he had already reported the situation here.

"Sir."

A strong female warrior spoke. She was one of the few sensory types in this legion battalion. Her "Divine Flesh" was her heart, and as a reward for the higher probability of "Alienation," she had successfully mastered the "Spatial Tactile Ability."

Given a little time, she could distribute her sensory network over a large area of space around her like a spider weaving a web. At that point, any slight movement would be captured by her.

And the so-called "Alienation" was an unavoidable risk of transplanting "Divine Flesh." Once the mechanized part of the body exceeded 50%, "Alienation" could occur.

"Alienation" was an irreversible and extremely dangerous process. At first, "Alienation" only made people's emotions gradually fade; this was the incubation period. When emotions thinned to a certain threshold, it would enter the acute phase.

Individuals who entered the acute phase of "Alienation" had no emotions or feelings. They would subconsciously absorb the negative emotions of other living beings within their range—jealousy, lewdness, inner evil, killing intent, greed, and so on.

In people's hearts, there is inevitably a beast. Those who cage this beast are the good people seen in daily life, and those who release this beast are the villains.

This "Alienation" would undergo rapid distortion based on the strongest negative emotion absorbed at the time. How fast? From entering the acute phase to completing the distortion, it could take as little as a few minutes or as long as several hours.

What was even more terrifying was that the mental power of this "Distorted Body" was contagious, causing other living beings around it to undergo the same type of distortion.

This, of course, required someone to handle it, which was one of the daily tasks of the "Imperial Special Affairs Department."

Following the direction the female warrior pointed, the Honorary Second Lieutenant looked at the top of the Black Stone Sky Wall. The large cracks made his heart sink. As for stopping that outsider from entering the Abyss spreading zone, the moment he saw the other party, the Honorary Second Lieutenant knew it was impossible. He certainly wasn't afraid of death; if he were, he wouldn't have volunteered to guard this place in the first place.

What the Honorary Second Lieutenant really needed to do was report everything that happened here. That way, the Legion Commander would be prepared, minimizing the disaster level of this Abyss invasion. Even if it cost his life, he could not let the Abyss spread near "Infor City."

"First, Second, and Third Squads, prepare to hold the line..."

The Honorary Second Lieutenant's words had just reached this point when the Black Stone Sky Wall shattered with a boom. To be precise, the Black Stone barrier that had contained this Abyss spreading zone shattered completely.

The Honorary Second Lieutenant's fists clenched until they creaked. Watching the darkness rushing toward him, his gaze became increasingly firm. He absolutely had to hold out until the last moment. For every second they, as the vanguard, held out, the main legion stationed near "Infor City" would have one more point of certainty in holding the line.

Standing in the surging darkness, the Honorary Second Lieutenant was about to give another order when he suddenly discovered that the rushing darkness was actually starting to... thin out? No, not thin out; it was rapidly drifting upward and disappearing.

In just half a minute, the Abyss spreading zone that had existed here for a thousand years left only a pitch-black land to prove it had ever existed. The Abyss passage that had once been explored but could never be approached had now completely vanished, and that clear world area looked as if an Abyss passage had never existed there at all.

The Lord Train arrived, and after it stopped, steam billowed. Su Xiao boarded the Lord Train, and the train started, heading straight for the next Abyss passage.

The soldiers stationed here looked at each other, stunned for a moment, followed by an irrepressible joy in their hearts—a joy so sudden it felt unreal. If it weren't for protecting the citizens of "Infor City" and their loved ones living there, who would be willing to risk their lives to guard this place?

Facing this almost unreal situation, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells took the communication device. From his barely visible but still trembling hand, it was clear that his inner state was not as calm as he appeared on the surface. Hearing the familiar and majestic voice coming from the communicator, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells said:

"Sir, the No. 53 Abyss spreading zone I was responsible for guarding has disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

The Legion Commander on the other side did not show half a point of joy; instead, there was worry.

"To be precise, it was closed. I can still see the original traces and direction of the Abyss passage in the spatial marks. It was... closed very thoroughly."

Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was looking at the sensor device to give this answer.

"Wells."

The serious tone of the Legion Commander on the other side made Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells press one hand firmly against his chest: "Subordinate is here!"

"I order you to lead your Fifth Vanguard Squad to track that outsider as much as possible... track the traces of that gentleman. If that gentleman has any needs, satisfy them as much as possible, provided it does not harm the interests of the Empire."

"Yes!"

Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells answered decisively. This was an order; all legions of the Empire were like this—as long as it was an order, there was no room for negotiation.

Hanging up the communication, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells looked at the female warrior beside him. The female warrior shrugged, indicating, *Sir, don't look at me; that train is the fastest and most excellent means of transport I have ever seen in my life; I can't track it. *

Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells opened the Imperial map, looking at the Abyss passages from No. 68 to No. 0 on it. For a moment, he was troubled; he had no idea which Abyss passage that supreme powerhouse was going to close next.

Just then, a dog head leaned over, clearly saying: *'Yaha? There's a map? Let me see what's going on.'*

The "Network Terminal" actually hadn't uploaded this Abyss passage map, or perhaps it had been uploaded once and then completely deleted. The Imperial military had successfully retained a paper version. One didn't need to think to know that this was the trace of the past power struggle between the Royal Family and the Three Ministers—that is, the Soul Bell Tower and the Rune family.

Ten minutes later, on the Lord Train, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells, his adjutant, and the female warrior Cassilaman were all sitting upright.

"The three of you, don't be constrained. From our actions, you should be able to see that we are not bad people."

Baha, who had just returned to the team, took charge of this negotiation.

Although Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells had no bottom line in his heart, there was always a kind of courage in his heart that he could not lose face for the Empire or the legion. He asked:

"May I ask who you gentlemen are?"

"Me? Baha, not worth mentioning. This is Bubutney, and this is our boss. Hmm~, externally, he generally calls himself the Shadow of the Law-Breaker, Kukuin Bai Ye."

Hearing the name Kukuin Bai Ye, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells's pupils clearly showed signs of contraction, even though he tried his best to hide it. This person was infamous throughout the Void and Myriad Worlds.

This person went to the Wind Sea Continent, beheaded the contemporary Beast King, and then caused the Wind Sea Continent to enter the Abyss Era from the Transcendence World. The Beast race was exterminated, and the Sea race had become distorted monsters after the Abyss invasion.

He went to the Witch World and detonated the "Evil Change" of the Witch World. It was said that he also toyed with the contemporary Moon Witch, eventually imprisoning her in the Moon Temple.

That wasn't all. After arriving at the Blazing Sun Star, this person nearly slaughtered 90% of the powerhouses there.

Obviously, this was the news spread by the Arcane Eternal Star. What was more subtle was that over 70% of this news was true. Su Xiao did indeed behead the old Beast King, but the Wind Sea Continent entering the Abyss Era was caused by Madam Spider.

As for toying with the contemporary Moon Witch, that was pure rumor! However, based on what Su Xiao did in the Witch World, and the look in the Moon Witch's eyes when he was about to leave, it was indeed full of deep meaning.

Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was not a stupid person. He had long heard of the hostility between the Law-Breakers and the Arcane Eternal Star, and which side had spread this news.

Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells only believed what he saw. What he saw was that after this person arrived here, he closed an Abyss passage and was currently heading straight for the next spatial passage.

What was certain was that this person was a ruthless man who acted decisively like a god of slaughter. As for being wicked, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells didn't think so.

"The three of you, don't be constrained. Are Imperial officers forbidden from drinking?"

"Not in non-special circumstances."

"Then, the three of you, please."

Baha pointed his left wing at the wine bottle on the table. The female warrior Cassilaman glanced at her superior, then pulled out the stopper, poured a glass for her superior first, then the adjutant. When it was her turn, she grinned and drank straight from the bottle.

"Mr. Bai Ye, the purpose of your visit this time... is it convenient to tell us?"

"Competing for the 'Heart of the Stars,' and closing the Abyss passage by the way."

Su Xiao spoke while closing his eyes to rest. There were still many Abyss passages to close, so of course, he had to take time to rest on the way.

"'Heart of the Stars'? What is this?"

"Intelligence told to me by a friend named Priest."

Su Xiao was not worried that the Priest would come here. The other party had just mastered the "Death Mark" and was more than 50% unlikely to come here immediately to clash with him, unless there were special circumstances.

Royal City, Star Shine City, King Street, in front of store No. 2052.

This was a clothing store. A traveler who had just arrived in this world a few hours ago was being measured by a tailor. He wanted to customize a decent set of clothes.

This person was wearing a gray shirt, narrow-framed sunglasses, golden short hair combed back, black gloves on his right hand, and a faint smile on his face. That's right, it was the Soul Master.

Nearby, there was Aurora, wearing black robes with ink-green eyes. Those arrogant eyes of the past were now full of helplessness, and the light in her pupils was almost dimming.

The Soul Master's mood at this moment was very complicated because he was repeating what Hao Tao had done in the previous world.

In the previous world, the strength of that Hunter and the Priest had both undergone transformation due to their respective accumulations. The Soul Master was convinced that he was already a step behind these two, but with the "Brand Devouring" ability given by the Dawn Paradise, he had the confidence to catch up with these two in the near future.

But meeting these two at this moment, he had to avoid their edge temporarily.

The problem was, he wanted to avoid them, but the Priest didn't want to. The Priest had taken a fancy to this ability that could perform "Brand Devouring." Just like Su Xiao had mastered the "Heavenly Edge Sword Shadow," the "Death Mark" fused by the Priest, although powerful, was also in an initial state and needed massive resources to improve.

That was why the Soul Master spent a great price to track Su Xiao here. The purpose was simple: with this Law-Breaker who was hostile to the Priest, the Priest could not hunt him down unscrupulously and would definitely have to divert some energy to guard against that Hunter.

Just as the Soul Master was thinking, the tailor behind him said: "Guest, the measurements are done."

Hearing this gentle, elderly voice with a touch of kindness, the Soul Master's body stiffened. He clearly remembered that the person who had measured his posture just now was a middle-aged tailor.

Through the side mirror, the Soul Master saw that standing behind him was an old man wearing a white shirt, a raw-hide vest, with the right sleeve rolled up to the elbow. Even though his hair was gray, he had a full charm of an adult male. It was... the Priest!

Or rather, this was a clone of the Priest, and also one of the abilities of the Death Mark. The living beings he assimilated, the older they were and the closer to death, the easier it was for him to assimilate them into clones. This middle-aged tailor, even though he was thousands of miles away from the Priest, was assimilated in just a few seconds and became a clone of the Priest.

Not only that, but this clone could also become the source of death assimilation, using this as a radiation center to assimilate more Priest clones into the surroundings.

On the pedestrian street outside the glass door of the shop, pedestrians stopped one after another. They walked to the glass door of the tailor shop and kept crowding forward. Faces that were 70% similar to the Priest, but different in gender and age, were pressed against the glass door. They were all looking at the Soul Master.

The corner of the Soul Master's eye twitched. He once thought that his ability to toy with souls was already considered weird. Now it seemed that compared to the Priest's weirdness—no, it should be eeriness—what he had before was nothing. This scene made even him feel a bit of fear in his heart.

"Guest, you haven't paid the deposit yet."

The Priest tailor spoke with a kind smile. The smile that had been maintained on the Soul Master's face had disappeared. Perhaps this was the law of conservation of smiles.

*Tick, tick~*

Pitch-black blood dripped along the tip of the blade. Su Xiao was in the empty No. 68 Abyss spreading zone. With the Abyss passage location map provided by Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells, things were easy to handle.

The earlier the Abyss passage, the more troublesome it was to deal with. Even for the Abyss spreading zones with the first few numbers, the Empire could not send legions to guard them. Above this, there was the even more terrifying No. 0 Abyss spreading zone.

That was on the Southern Continent, which was completely shrouded in Abyss energy. Let alone approaching the No. 0 Abyss passage, even the sea area near that continent was very dangerous. Massive aquatic dark creatures, and even aquatic Abyss-type creatures, roamed the dark sea area.

This made Su Xiao guess that the No. 0 area might be the lair of the Rune family. With the strength of the Rune family and the power hidden within the Empire, occupying a continent as a lair was not difficult.

The No. 68 Abyss spreading zone where Su Xiao was currently located had been cleaned up by him using "Extreme Edge: Sea of Blood." This ability was truly too suitable for cleaning up Abyss spreading zones. After being used, it could continuously merge and swallow the black blood splashed out after Abyss-type creatures were slashed, thereby increasing the power of the Sea of Blood. In addition, most Abyss spreading zones were generally closed terrain, which was very suitable for the spread of "Extreme Edge: Sea of Blood."

This gave him a further grasp of the "Heavenly Edge Sword Shadow" ability. This ability did not inspire different sword techniques in every battle. To be more precise, it inspired the most suitable technique moves to be used in the current world according to the different worlds he was in.

For example, "Extreme Edge: Sea of Blood." In the outside world, the lethality of this ability was only about 100-120. But in the Abyss spreading zone, it could reach about 150 initially. After killing and absorbing enough Abyss dark blood, the power of "Extreme Edge: Sea of Blood" could be increased to 200+.

Su Xiao stood on the pitch-black sea of blood. As the long blade in his hand rang lightly, the sea of blood suddenly erupted toward the surroundings, impacting the Black Stone seal that sealed this place. He used the Dragon Shadow Flash ability to reach the area in the center of the sea of blood that had already been cleared. After sheathing the long blade, he pulled with both hands, and Spirit Shadow threads as thick as a little finger were formed.

Half an hour later, this Black Stone barrier shattered with a boom. An honorary second lieutenant with a strong build and a face covered in scars, standing beside Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells, looked numb after seeing this scene.

It was not that he lacked emotions in his heart, but that he had too many. Several generations of his family were low-ranking officers in the Empire. His grandfather and his father both died defending the exit of this Abyss-spreading zone against the dark creatures that seemed to pour out eternally.

This strong second lieutenant, who was over three meters tall, lit a special cigar. This thing was as thick as an egg and half a meter long, but with the strong second lieutenant's build, it looked just right in his hand.

Strong Second Lieutenant Red took a big puff of the cigar, looked in the direction where the Lord Train was moving away, and sighed: "I have a premonition that something big is going to happen. Even the Law-Breaker Kukuin Bai Ye has come."

"Sir, how do you know this person?"

The bespectacled female adjutant spoke.

"Don't you read the Astral Realm Daily?"

Strong Second Lieutenant Red tilted his head and looked at the female adjutant sideways. The female adjutant snorted and didn't ask what the Astral Realm Daily was.

When the train stopped, it was already in front of the vanguard fortress of the No. 67 Abyss spreading zone. I don't know why, but fortresses guarding Abyss spreading zones were often named "Vanguard Fortress" or "Frontline Fortress." His old friend Lu Siwa on the Blazing Sun Star was the highest commander of a vanguard fortress.

First, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells and his adjutant negotiated with the honorary second lieutenant stationed at the vanguard fortress. The so-called honorary second lieutenant was an officer whose military merits and qualifications were sufficient for promotion, but the current lieutenant rank and honorary lieutenant rank were full, so they were waiting for promotion.

The Imperial legion system was very complex. The highest commander was the Grand Marshal position. Below that were dozens of Legion Commanders. Below the Legion Commanders were hundreds of general-level commanders. After that, it followed the school level, lieutenant level, and sergeant level. Below that were the dozen or so military rank levels of soldiers.

The Imperial legion system gave people the first feeling of being complex and huge. However, considering the Empire's population of over 900 billion, if there were no such a huge legion system, it would be impossible to complete various dispatches.

Before long, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells finished the negotiation. Su Xiao was still in the same appearance as when he entered the first Abyss spreading zone, walking toward the entrance of the Black Stone Sky Wall.

Just as he stepped into the darkness, he felt something was wrong. This place was too quiet. In the darkness around, there was neither rustling nor faint low growls and roars.

A glimmer of light appeared in front. He pressed one hand on the hilt of the blade and walked toward the light. The closer he got, the more normal he found the surroundings. However, this so-called normal meant there were dark creature activities, as well as faint, creepy low growls in the distance.

When he arrived in front of the light, Su Xiao felt a bit of warmth, especially since he was shirtless and trying his best to sense the surroundings, so as not to encounter a powerful enemy who was extremely good at hiding in the Abyss spreading zone.

This was the characteristic of the Abyss spreading zone. One second, the surrounding dark creatures might have Tier 8 or Tier 9 combat power, and the next second, a top-tier supreme Abyss-type creature would kill out from the darkness.

In front were intertwined tree roots, which formed a bench while also forming a cover at the top, making this place look like a shack.

An earthenware brazier was located on this tree root shack, burning and emitting a dim white light. On the bench below sat an old woman dressed in gray-black coarse linen fabric, with her robe hanging down loosely. On the bench on both sides of her were round, chubby black spirits. They were round and about the size of a fist, looking around mischievously, but they didn't dare to leave the old woman too far. They were a group of naughty and cute little guys.

The old woman sat on the backless bench, leaning on a twisted wooden staff in her hand. Severely hunched and withered, she seemed to have fallen asleep.

Because Su Xiao walked nearby, the old woman slowly opened her eyes. Because her eyesight was poor, she squinted her turbid eyes with effort, trying to see clearly who was in front.

"Oh, it's little Law-Breaker, you're here."

The old woman smiled happily, revealing less than five teeth in total, top and bottom combined.

"Old woman has been waiting for you for a long time. Your destiny is too hard to see clearly. Come, come closer, let grandma see your hand."

"..."

Su Xiao took two steps forward and raised his right hand. The old woman held his wrist with her left hand and lightly tapped his somewhat clenched fist with her right hand, smiling and asking him to open his palm.

The old woman's withered but somewhat warm hand pressed on Su Xiao's palm, while feeling it bit by bit. Finally, she nodded with satisfaction.

"This makes me feel at ease. Old woman won't suggest you do anything. You just do what you want to do. Grandma supports you, little Law-Breaker."

The old woman smiled kindly, raised her hand and lightly tapped Su Xiao's palm. She, along with the tree trunk roots behind her and the group of chubby black spirits, were gradually swallowed by the darkness behind.

In the second after the old woman left, dark beasts gradually gathered around. Or rather, without the old woman's misleading, these dark creatures finally discovered Su Xiao.

*'Extreme Edge: Dark Prison.'*

*Clang!! *

Countless slashes flew toward the surroundings, and they were continuous, turning the surrounding area into a hell with only dark slashes left.

Within a thousand meters around, all dark creatures and Abyss-type creatures were slashed to pieces, with black blood splashing everywhere.

*'Extreme Edge: Sea of Blood.'*

The pitch-black sea of blood spread toward the surroundings. The slashes densely packed inside made it look like surging waves with shimmering scales when looking down at the sea of blood from above.

The next day, 5:30 PM.

Outside the No. 26 Abyss spreading zone, Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells looked at the Black Stone Sky Wall that was starting to crack. He knew that another Abyss passage had been closed.

Regarding this, he went from the initial shock in his heart, to the later disbelief, and then to the joy in his heart every time one was closed, until now, he felt a bit numb. After having too many fluctuations in one day, it was inevitable that one's emotions would be somewhat exhausted.

Just as Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells was considering whether to invite Mr. Bai Ye to have a full meal at a famous food city nearby, a chariot drove over. At first, Wells narrowed his eyes to look, but after seeing clearly, his expression changed slightly.

The chariot stopped. A middle-aged man with a beard, strong build, and a height of just over two meters walked over with steady steps. As a guardian of an Abyss spreading zone, Wells certainly recognized this person. This was one of the two deputy ministers of the "Imperial Special Affairs Department," Tuo Enta.

As for what the "Imperial Special Affairs Department" was, that was a department that Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells had long yearned for but could not enter. This department did not belong to the Royal Family, the Church, or the Three Ministers—the three giants of the Empire—but was directly under His Majesty the King, an agency responsible only to His Majesty the King.

Honorary Second Lieutenant Wells immediately pressed one hand firmly against his chest and stood straight. Deputy Minister Tuo Enta, who was walking over with big strides, saw him and a rare smile appeared on his serious face, nodding at him. This made Wells's heart beat wildly; this was a big shot he had long respected.

Deputy Minister Tuo Enta stopped in front of Su Xiao, looking at this ruthless man who flicked the black blood off the long blade in his hand, not only broke into the Abyss spreading zone alone but also closed the Abyss passage. He subconsciously stood solemnly and said sternly:

"Mr. Kukuin Bai Ye, His Majesty the King wants to see you."

Note that what Deputy Minister Tuo Enta said was *'His Majesty the King wants to see you,'* not *'summon you.'* The former was an invitation; if you give face, you go; if not, you don't. The latter was a must-go, otherwise, you would bear the consequences.

Su Xiao looked at the time. It was 12 minutes and 23 seconds away from the 24 hours since entering this world. It was a bit far to the next Abyss passage, and there was no time to rush over.

"Lead the way."

"Yes."

Deputy Minister Tuo Enta's attitude changed quietly. He walked quickly to the chariot and said: "Please, my lord."

Hearing this, Su Xiao roughly guessed what the old King wanted to see him for this time. ===== CHAPTER 4046 =====