Chapter 1968: Mist Sea, Raw Land, Pure Land

Jie Yuan lingered high above the Abyss of Nothingness for a long, long time before finally departing.

As the vision faded, the shadow of Jie Yuan in Yun Che's soul sea opened its demonic eyes once more.

"Even I and Ni Xuan dared not approach the Abyss of Nothingness in the past," Jie Yuan's voice began. "But now, as you can see and feel, its destructive power has become exceedingly weak."

"So weak that it might not even be able to consume you, let alone gods or devils."

"Over ninety-nine percent of the primordial qi in the current world has poured into the Abyss. Clearly, this is the root cause of the Abyss's essence transformation."

"The transformed Abyss has already weakened the Chaos World's aura across several major planes, which constitutes a grave disaster. Yet, when this fundamental change began, and what hidden perils it has harbored over these long years... I cannot ascertain."

"However, standing above the Abyss, I always feel a faint unease. The deeper one descends into it, the stronger that unease becomes."

That was the Devil Emperor's demonic soul perception.

For Jie Yuan to feel uneasy, even if only slightly, it was undoubtedly a monumental hidden danger for the current world.

"However, you also perceived that within the Abyss, there exists an extremely powerful pulling force. This must be an ancient force field, existing since time immemorial, which has not completely collapsed like the power of annihilation. With this force field present, even if the Abyss's power undergoes some transformation, it should not be able to intrude upon the current world."

"I hope it's all just my groundless fears."

At that moment, Jie Yuan's shadow slowly blurred, quickly vanishing completely into Yun Che's soul sea.

Yun Che's soul sea fell into a prolonged silence.

Like the Ancestral God, Jie Yuan too expressed hope that it was all just her groundless fears.

Yet, less than ten years after Jie Yuan left the Chaos Dimension, and barely a year after the Ancestral God's will fell silent, this "hidden danger" erupted so impatiently at this very moment.

He had only glimpsed an infinitesimally small corner of this "hidden danger," yet he was already powerless to the point of despair.

And Jie Yuan's unspeakable "monumental secret" was now clear to Yun Che.

She had detected the presence of the Ancestral God's will.

He clearly recalled Jie Yuan's profound shock when she discovered that both dark and light profound energy could coexist within him.

An existence capable of surpassing even the Devil Emperor's understanding... could only be the Ancestral God.

However, at that time, Jie Yuan dared not, under any circumstances, associate it with the term "Ancestral God."

But when no other possibilities could be found, and furthermore... she detected the chains of destiny binding Xia Qingyue.

Even if it was difficult to believe, she had to understand that the Ancestral God existed in some form within the fabric of this world.

As the Devil Emperor, directly created by the Ancestral God, she undoubtedly held a reverence for the Ancestral God deeply rooted in the very core of her life and soul.

It was impossible for her to show any disrespect or defiance towards the Ancestral God, nor could she reveal any of her secrets.

She ultimately chose to destroy herself and all the persistence, hopes, and resentment her entire clan had accumulated over countless years, burying herself and her clan forever outside the Chaos Dimension. Perhaps the Ancestral God's existence was the most significant reason.

Time flowed silently amidst an almost terrifying stillness.

One day... two days... three days...

Finally, Yun Che slowly opened his eyes.

The barrier parted, and Chi Wuyao entered.

"Finally, you're awake," Chi Wuyao said, not without concern. "If you hadn't woken up soon, I would have had to forcibly drag you out."

Yun Che smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I merely sorted out a few things."

During these few days of mental stillness, his injuries had also recovered significantly on their own. "Sorted out?" An unusual gleam appeared in Chi Wuyao's eyes. She slowly sat before Yun Che, looking directly into his pupils from very close range: "Have you truly 'sorted things out'?"

Facing Chi Wuyao's demonic eyes, Yun Che's gaze remained unwavering. He did not answer, but instead said, "Tell me all the information you extracted from Mo Beichen's remnant soul."

"Before that," Chi Wuyao said, "first tell me everything you know about the Abyss. Given the circumstances, there is nothing left to hide."

Yun Che had never intended to tell anyone about the Ancestral God or all the truths behind Xia Qingyue.

Chi Wuyao also knew he harbored certain immense secrets, but she had never proactively inquired.

And now, as she had said, there was nothing left to conceal.

She had to synthesize all the information to find a meager and desperate path to survival.

"Very well." After only a very brief hesitation, Yun Che nodded.

Immediately, he recounted everything in the order the Ancestral Will had once told him, starting from the Ancestral God's transformation of Chaos, the separation of the world of life and the world of destruction, through the passage of time... the ferocious war between gods and and devils... the collapse of the Abyss's laws... and the Ancestral God's rebirth...

...up to the Ancestral God's thousandth reincarnation, and everything concerning Xiao Lingxi and Xia Qingyue.

He recounted everything to Chi Wuyao, concealing nothing.

Before the disaster occurred, he had thought this would be an eternal secret known only to him and He Ling.

Afterward, he also told Chi Wuyao everything about the memory imprint the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor had left him, holding nothing back.

Chi Wuyao fell into a prolonged silence... Without a doubt, even with a mind as sharp as hers, facing these world-shattering secrets would require a significant amount of time to accept and digest.

Only now did she finally understand the true reason behind all of Xia Qingyue's inexplicable actions, and why Yun Che had been in pain so intense it nearly fractured his soul during that period.

Yun Che's destiny, Xia Qingyue's destiny... astonishingly, it was the Ancestral God who had forged everything.

It was... Xiao Lingxi.

Tracing it back to the source, the Ancestral God had chosen to be reborn because she had discovered the Abyss's anomaly.

And only then did Yun Che and Xia Qingyue, whose destinies were later intervened with, come into being.

The Abyss...

Letting out a soft breath, Chi Wuyao's demonic eyes lifted, and she whispered, "I once had several theories, many of which were so bizarre they made me scoff at myself. Yet, I never imagined that the truth... would be tens of thousands of times more bizarre than my wildest conjectures."

"Had the Ancestral Will not voluntarily informed us, even if the Devil Emperor and Creation Gods were still alive, they would have had no means of knowing."

After a sigh, her gaze gradually shifted, becoming utterly chilling.

No matter how bizarre the established facts were, they were no longer as important.

Integrating Mo Beichen's remnant soul memories with everything Yun Che had said, the Abyss began to take on a more complete form within her demonic soul.

"Mo Beichen's demigod soul was too powerful, and coupled with my severely wounded demonic soul at the time, I only barely managed to extract some information as it was on the verge of dissipating," Chi Wuyao said. "Most of this information, apart from Mo Beichen's recent memories, constituted basic knowledge of the Abyss world."

Yun Che said nothing, listening intently.

Chi Wuyao slowly began to describe the world of the Abyss as it unfolded within her soul sea:

"In the primordial era, the Ancestral God separated the life essence and destruction essence of the Chaos World, which then became the current world where living beings flourish, and the Abyss, a realm solely of destruction, respectively."

"Over exceedingly long ages, coupled with the impact of the ferocious war between gods and devils, the laws the Ancestral God bestowed upon the Abyss gradually collapsed. The primordial qi from the current world rapidly poured into the Abyss, and the life essence and destruction essence seemed to undergo a neutralizing transformation."

"Ultimately, the primordial qi of the current world became extremely thin, and its laws grew primitive and fragile. Conversely, the destruction essence of the Abyss world greatly diminished, and gradually, some areas within it evolved into spaces where survival was barely possible."

"However, the Abyss world is ultimately dominated by destruction essence. Even with such a massive influx of primordial qi, the spaces where survival is barely possible remain exceedingly scarce, amounting to less than one-thousandth of the Abyss world."

"For this reason, the Abyss is divided into three distinct realms. These are..."

"The Misty Sea, the Living Lands, and the Pure Land."

"Misty Sea... Pure Land..." Yun Che murmured, his brows furrowed.

Chi Wuyao continued, "The destructive aura of the Abyss is referred to as 'Abyss Dust' by its inhabitants. Abyss Dust corrodes the bodies, lifespans, and even souls of living beings. Overly dense Abyss Dust forms a pervasive mist, which then creates the 'Misty Sea'."

"The Misty Sea is incredibly vast, occupying over ninety-nine percent of the Abyss's space. The deeper one delves into the Misty Sea, the more terrifying the Abyss Dust becomes. Even a demigod venturing deep within, with their sight and spiritual perception gradually eroded, would easily get lost and be unable to escape, eventually collapsing and perishing."

"Additionally, within the Misty Sea, there exist 'Abyss Beasts,' born from destructive power and feeding on Abyss Dust."

What exactly "Abyss Beasts" were, and how terrifying they were, Chi Wuyao had not learned from Mo Beichen's remnant soul.

"The habitable areas beyond the Misty Sea are the 'Living Lands.' They serve as the survival grounds for almost all living beings in the Abyss, with the exception of Abyss Beasts."

"However, even in the 'Living Lands,' Abyss Dust is still present, though it is much sparser than in the Misty Sea. Therefore, these 'Living Lands' are merely places for precarious survival. The presence of Abyss Dust drastically shortens the lifespan of Abyss dwellers, forcing them to cultivate desperately to higher levels to resist its erosion."

"Evidently, infants born in areas permeated by Abyss Dust, without sufficient protection, are almost invariably doomed to an early demise."

"Protection?" Yun Che raised an eyebrow.

Chi Wuyao did not explain directly, but continued: "Within the Living Lands of the Abyss, there are places that can almost entirely isolate Abyss Dust. These are the core areas of the Living Lands... the Six Divine Kingdoms."

"Divine Kingdoms..." Yun Che looked up, his eyes alight with an unusual tremor: "Are their rulers true gods?"

Meeting Yun Che's agitated expression, Chi Wuyao slowly nodded: "The six Divine Kingdoms of the Abyss are all ruled by true gods."

"That's right, they are the true deities that, in your understanding, only existed in ancient times and should have been eternally extinct!"

"..." Yun Che took a quiet breath, then said in a deep voice, "How many such true gods are there in total?"

"Among the Six Divine Kingdoms, one is guarded by twin deities, while the others are each ruled by a single god, making a total of seven true gods."

"The barrier unfurled by the power of true gods can shelter an entire Divine Kingdom within a vast, dust-free domain. This supreme protection, unique to the Divine Kingdoms, is called 'Divine Grace'."

"Therefore, those born within a Divine Kingdom, as long as they do not step outside its territory, can remain protected by Divine Grace from the erosion of Abyss Dust."

"However, the scope of Divine Grace's protection cannot be infinitely vast. Entering a Divine Kingdom is a lifelong, almost unattainable aspiration for most Abyss dwellers. And within the Divine Kingdoms, the useless are also expelled."

"Nations and races outside the Divine Kingdoms desperately strive to be near the Divine Kingdom territories, submitting as their vassals, and paying a hefty annual price for limited Divine Grace."

In just a few words, Chi Wuyao had fully conveyed the Abyss's incredibly harsh living environment and its brutal rules of survival.

"Then what is the Pure Land?" Yun Che asked.

"The Pure Land is the only place in the entire Abyss that needs no artificial interference and is completely free of Abyss Dust." Chi Wuyao's voice paused slightly, then deepened a few shades: "It is the most sacred existence in the faith of all beings in the Abyss, the dwelling place of the Master of the Abyss—the Abyss Emperor."