Shackles of Humanity

At that moment, the sharp shrieks from above echoed once more. The power the four of them channeled churned like a dragon, forming spiraling air currents that rapidly shredded the attacking Dark Creatures.

”We’re almost at the bottom!” Tuoba Ye’s excited voice rang out.

Just then, the surrounding Dark Creatures suddenly retreated at high speed. The omnipresent mist grew thinner, and the faint outline of what looked like buildings appeared in the ravine.

A moment later, with a loud CRASH, a protruding rock at the bottom of the ravine was smashed to smithereens by Tuoba Ye.

The four leaped down, one after another, and were all stunned by the sight that greeted them.

Below the ravine was a residential compound of considerable size. The compound’s main gate was mottled and worn, its red paint completely peeled away. The dilapidated surrounding walls were overgrown with weeds and moss, giving it a thoroughly ruined appearance. Faint voices could be heard from within the residence, as if someone was living inside!

Su Chengbo seemed to realize something. His face paled as he cried out in alarm, ”The Abyssal Clan!”

Luo Kai was also taken aback. ’Down in this deep ravine, the oxygen is thin and the Dark Energy is so dense it could corrode flesh. How could humans possibly live here!’ His Spiritual Sense was extremely sensitive, and he could already feel the thick Dark Energy overhead swirling in a vortex around the residence. This compound was the very center of the Dark Energy.

Tuoba Ye and Xi Jinghui also wore grave expressions. Many years ago, a massive war had broken out between the Human Race and the other three branches. Since then, the Abyssal Clan and the Titan Clan had severed all ties with humanity. Only their connection with the Sea Race remained, and even that relationship was strained.

The Abyssal Clan had long dwelled deep underground, worshiping the all-corroding Dark Energy. Generation after generation, they had practically shed their human forms, becoming neither human nor ghost. Consequently, their very nature had become bizarre and twisted, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

As the four stood watching, lanterns emitting a faint, ghostly glow flickered past in the dilapidated courtyard. A cold, hoarse, androgynous voice drifted from within. ”Welcome, honored guests.”

At the same time, the dilapidated main gate swung open. The courtyard suddenly filled with overlapping silhouettes, their specific forms completely indistinct. It was as if countless figures were secretly peeking out at them.

A lone figure appeared at the courtyard entrance. It was a woman. They could just barely make out that her skin was a cyan color, and her eyes were a deep, solid red, which was incredibly unsettling. More importantly, the woman was floating. Her body was nearly transparent, as if she had no physical form of flesh and blood!

All four of them instinctively took a step back. Fear is born from the unknown, and the Human Race currently knew very little about the Abyssal Clan. They seemed to have abandoned their carbon-based life forms, transforming instead into pure Dark Energy Bodies.

Su Chengbo took a step forward and bowed. ”Are you our brethren of the Abyssal Clan who reside here?”

The woman seemed to nod, her voice just as cold. ”Welcome, four honored guests of the Human Race. Please, come in and talk.”

None of the four moved. This compound was clearly the heart of the Dark Energy, and as things stood, the Abyssal Clan were more foe than friend to the Human Race.

The woman said no more, simply standing motionless in the doorway.

After a moment, the silhouette of what looked like a little girl appeared atop the wall. A pair of large, deep-red eyes stared at them curiously. Her body was noticeably more solid than the woman’s; aside from her still-crimson eyes, she was otherwise identical to a human.

The woman turned to look at her, seemingly very angry, and snapped, ”Who let you out? Get back inside right now!”

The little girl jumped in fright, scrambled down from the wall, and vanished.

Su Chengbo hesitated for a moment before speaking up. ”Miss, may I ask if this residence is connected to the Underground Yin Veins below?”

The woman replied, ”Yes. We have resided here for a century.”

Su Chengbo and Xi Jinghui exchanged a look. Their mission was to acquire the remnant of the Complete Form Fierce Beast and, while they were at it, seal the Underground Yin Veins. But now, with the Abyssal Clan living right on top of those veins, things had just gotten complicated.

Just then, the cold, hoarse inquiry came from the courtyard once more. ”Zhu’Er, why aren’t our guests coming inside?”

The woman replied, ”Grandmother, the guests seem to be worried about something.”

The hoarse voice said flatly, ”Then never mind. Close the gate.”

”Wait.” Su Chengbo took a few steps forward. ”We came here for the remnant of a Complete Form Fierce Beast. Some days ago, after the Star Energy swept past Earth, this Fierce Beast began to show signs of revival. A Complete Form Fierce Beast is a common enemy to all of the Human Race. We absolutely cannot allow it to be resurrected.”

The woman seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, ”Hmm... so you’ve come for the Yao Yue Liu. It has indeed recovered some of its consciousness recently. The body of this Fierce Beast is incredibly tough; we haven’t been able to do anything with it either. Please, come in so we can discuss this in detail.”

Xi Jinghui condensed his voice into a fine thread and transmitted it to the other three’s ears. ”Nothing ventured, nothing gained. As long as we’re on our guard, I doubt these things that are neither human nor ghost can do anything to us.”

Tuoba Ye added, ”Yeah! If they try anything funny, we’ll just tear this whole place down!”

Su Chengbo mulled it over for a moment before agreeing. ”Alright, then. We go in, but we must be extremely careful. I have a bad feeling about this residence; something is off.”

Luo Kai also felt that something was off about the residence, though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He followed behind the other three. As he passed the woman, he finally got a clear look at her form. It wasn’t that she had no flesh, but that her flesh had become semi-translucent. Her internal organs, skeleton, and even her head were all translucent, like a mass of cyan-colored jelly. Light could pass straight through her, which made her appear transparent to the human eye.

As Su Chengbo passed her, she seemed somewhat fearful. Her translucent body trembled slightly, and she took a reflexive step backward.

In the grand scheme of Heaven and Earth Energy, Light and Darkness both generate and suppress one another. Su Chengbo was a Light-forged Human. Even without actively unleashing his Light Energy, his very presence purified and dispersed the Dark Energy wherever he went. This made him a natural counter to the Abyssal Clan.

Upon stepping through the main gate, their vision blurred for an instant. The surrounding scenery abruptly changed, transforming into a small garden filled with semi-translucent plants. Shimmering, translucent figures could be seen playing and frolicking in the garden.

The woman led the four through the garden and into a large hall. Seated within the hall was a translucent figure that resembled a wisp of blue smoke. Even at close range, they could not make out its features; it seemed to have become completely incorporeal.

”Please, be seated.”

Not only was its form blurry and indistinct, but its voice was also androgynous. It called out softly, ”Serve the tea!”

A procession of beautiful figures floated in. They were all pretty, young women with semi-translucent skin. What was surprising was that not only did they look alike, but their movements were perfectly identical, as if they were calibrated machines. They placed the cups of tea before the guests, then drifted away on a cold, fragrant breeze.

The androgynous figure on the main seat spoke. ”This is a specialty of my Abyssal Clan, Dream Spirit Tea. It comes from the Nine Nether Yin Vein and possesses the wondrous ability to nourish the Spirit. Please, have a taste.”