Chapter 2101 – The Shocking “Truth”
Divine Limit Realm used to be known as level ten Divine Extinction Realm, but over time, no one in the Abyss was able to become a True God via cultivation once more. That was why level ten Divine Extinction Realm was viewed as the absolute limit one could reach via cultivation and was re-named the Divine Limit Realm.
The ten levels of Divine Extinction Realm were reduced to nine levels, and the Divine Limit Realm itself was split into nine minor levels. Every time someone overcame a minor level, they were getting ever closer to godhood with their mortal shells, yet never reaching it.
This was why the nine minor levels of the Divine Limit Realm, despite being the hardest levels to increase out of all cultivation levels, did not boast as big of a gap and difference compared to other cultivation realms.
Even so, the gaps between the minor levels were by no means easy to overcome, not to mention that Yuchi Nanxing was just a level three Divine Limit Realm profound practitioner, and the Ancestral Abyssal God a level nine peak Divine Limit Realm abyssal beast with many times more mass than Yuchi Nanxing, and the advantage of abyssal dust to boot!
Boom—
The star formation on his body crumbled and mended itself again and again. Every time he struggled, the world groaned at the calamity he wrought.
Crack!
Finally, Yuchi Nanxing was able to inflict a rather sizable crack between the Abyssal Qilin God’s scales, but before he could even catch a breather, he noticed that the crack was healing at a visible rate and plummeted into despair.
As if that wasn’t enough, his attacks were damaging his own body and organs with every discharge.
Although the battlefield was taking place at the edge of the Endless Fog and so boasted a much thinner concentration of abyssal dust compared to the inner regions, it was still within the Endless Fog. The abyssal dust was suppressing his strength and spiritual perception from all sides while empowering an abyssal beast with endless strength and “life force”.
“A futile struggle.”
The Fog Monarch’s voice resounded once more, but this time it sounded like it came from the distant sky and the bottom of his soul at the same time. Not even Yuchi Nanxing was able to tell where the voice was coming from.
“I have only ‘awakened’ for a decade, and I have never carelessly taken a life. Not only that, I have saved countless living beings from perishing to abyssal corruption. You, on the other hand, massacred countless innocent people just to escape! As expected of a knight of a filthy land! As expected of the so-called ‘Pure Land’ of sin and corruption!”
Every word the Fog Monarch spoke was the worst blasphemy against an abyssal knight’s ultimate faith. Naturally, Yuchi Nanxing’s fury was so great that it nearly punched through his skull. His eyes shone with starlight as he channeled his profound energy, but right before he could rebuke the Fog Monarch, his clearing vision suddenly centered on something that stole his breath away.
He saw a tattered ground covered in cracks and crevices. He saw many wet patches of scarlet blood and even more corpses. Not a single body was intact.
His eyes widened as he abruptly turned his head. There at the distance, he saw less than half of the hundreds of thousands of profound practitioners who followed him to this place. Where did the other half go?
They were dead, of course.
Most of the survivors were carrying wounds and wearing shocked, fearful expressions on their faces. Even Bai Yu had blood dripping down the corners of his lips. However, unlike everyone else, the man was stubbornly getting close despite being thrown far, far away by the shockwaves earlier.
For an instant, Yuchi Nanxing’s mind turned completely blank. These people were clearly dead or injured by his desperate outbursts and attempts to break free from the Abyssal Qilin God!
An abyssal knight should possess a noble soul, be fair and impartial, loathe evil, tolerate no impurities, and above all else, judge a sinner and only a sinner! They must never indiscriminately kill innocent people!
But today… he…
That one moment of mental breakdown stopped Yuchi Nanxing from unleashing the full power he had been gathering. In fact, it was dissipating by the second.
It was at this moment the Abyssal Qilin God broke its momentary silence. Eyes flashing with deep, otherworldly light, its vast and unparalleled power of destruction abruptly surged into its massive tail and exploded from Yuchi Nanxing’s body.
Boom crack—
It sounded like ten thousand thunderclaps erupting at the same instant.
It was the sound of many Divine Limit bones breaking at the same time.
“Nanxing!!” Bai Yu cried out in shock and terror.
It was common sense that an abyssal beast possessed no consciousness whatsoever. Naturally, plotting or even thinking was beyond the ability of an abyssal beast. And yet, the Abyssal Qilin God had, despite being far stronger than his knight commander in the first place, accurately caught that instant of weakness in his psyche and dealt him a near fatal blow!
Yuchi Nanxing felt every bone, every organ in his body shattering into pieces. His soul sea was a deafening roar of white as well.
Bang!!
There was a loud bang as the Abyssal Qilin God smashed his broken body against the ground. However, Yuchi Nanxing was ultimately a Divine Limit Realm profound practitioner. His consciousness and strength recovered way faster than that of a normal profound practitioner. The second his body made contact with the ground, he had already snapped out of his daze and got ready to renew his struggle.
Unfortunately, his strength was just stirring when an indescribable power that felt as heavy as the heaven itself crashed right on top of him.
BOOOOOOM————
It was the Abyssal Qilin God mercilessly slamming its qilin claws against Yuchi Nanxing’s body and splitting the ground into a billion cracks. In fact, the longest one stretched a couple hundred kilometers all the way to the Profound Desert City.
The spectators were once again sent flying as well.
When the Abyssal Qilin God raised its claws, Yuchi Nanxing in the shadow looked barely human and completely covered in blood. However, this was the beginning of the knight commander’s nightmare, not the end.
Boom!!
The Abyssal Qilin God raised its claws and brought them down on Yuchi Nanxing’s head.
Boom! BoOm! BOom! BOOOM————
Every time the Abyssal Qilin God brought its claws down, it was like it was trying to split the heaven in half, or turn the sea upside down. As if possessed by frenzy, it struck Yuchi Nanxing’s broken body again and again until his broken bones slowly but surely crumbled into itsy bitsy pieces. It was mercilessly dragging his life and soul toward the true abyss of death.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM————
To the nearby profound practitioners, the Abyssal Qilin God’s ceaseless strikes felt like the hammer of god itself. As if trapped within an irresistible dimensional storm, they were hopelessly flung about until blood was pouring out of every orifice. Worse, even their deafening, bloodcurdling screams were completely stifled by the deafening rumbles.
One person who was still forcing his way toward the center of the battlefield with all his might, however. He was Bai Yu.
“Sir knight! Don’t go! You can’t—ugh!” His squires tried to stop him, but they were quickly sent flying by a spatial storm.
“Nanxing! Fog Monarch… stop… STOOOOPPP!!!” “If you dare kill an abyssal knight… the Pure Land will fight you to the death!”
In his infinite horror and shock, he actually shouted something that could be interpreted as a severe loss of dignity for the Pure Land.
BOOOOOOOOM————
The Qilin God’s claws fell on Yuchi Nanxing once more, but this time, it did not continue its relentless assault. Instead, it slowly raised a limp and motionless Yuchi Nanxing into the air and… waited.
The titanic disasters rippling throughout this corner of the world slowly subsided. Dozens of kilometers away, the survivors finally managed to arrest themselves and catch a breather, but they were covered in wounds and wearing terrified expressions on their faces.
Yuchi Nanxing was lying on the ground, his silver armor having crumbled into silver scraps a long time ago. Even his natural profound glow had vanished completely. If not for the fact that he was twitching from time to time and letting out a soft, painful groan, they would think that he was already dead.
He was a Divine Limit Realm profound practitioner and one of the Thirty Six Commanders of the abyssal knights. Despite being stomped on by the Abyssal Qilin God dozens of times, he was somehow still alive.
“Abyssal knight,” the Fog Monarch’s voice came from within the deep unknown, “this monarch is never willing to take a life carelessly. However, you dared to offend me, so this is the punishment you deserve.”
“Now, this monarch will grant you a chance. Kowtow to me and apologize, and this monarch shall allow you and your companions to leave.”
“Hah… haha…”
Despite feeling weaker than ever before, Yuchi Nanxing let out a low, unyielding chuckle. “There is… but one person… who deserves my subservience… and He… is the Abyssal Monarch!”
“The one true monarch!”
“Nanxing!” Bai Yu cried out in worry. He was well aware of Yuchi Nanxing’s willpower and faith. It was why he was terrified that his defiance would rile up the Fog Monarch in full and cause him to kill him where he stood.
The Fog Monarch did not get angry, however. He simply let out a cold, scornful laugh and said, “Hehehehe, as expected of a creature of stupidity. You will never know how stupid you truly are.”
“I ask you, abyssal knight. Who can be monarch in this world? Who deserves to be monarch?”
Yuchi Nanxing raised his head slightly and answered without hesitation, “Only… the Abyssal Monarch!”
The Fog Monarch’s voice grew infinitely deep and distant. “The monarch of a world must be one who has supported the world during its time of crisis, or an almighty being who could do what all others could not.”
“Answer me, abyssal knight. Who is the one who carved out the Land of the Living in this infinite realm of disasters and abyssal dust? Who is the one who built up the Abyss step by step?”
Yuchi Nanxing gritted his teeth and, through sheer willpower, growled out the answer everyone in the Abyss knew, “The Abyssal Monarch, of course! There is no world without the Abyssal Monarch!”
The Fog Monarch’s voice grew infinitely scornful and contemptuous then. There was even a hint of tragic sorrow. “Foolish belief, lamentable creatures. Answer me again, abyssal knight. Why is the abyssal dust of the world centered at the Endless Fog? Why has it not spread and devoured the Land of the Living or the so-called Pure Land?”
Yuchi Nanxing continued to answer stiffly, “The heart of the Endless Fog… the Primal Abyss of Death keeps it all contained…”
“Hahahaha!” As if he just heard the funniest joke in the world, the Fog Monarch let out a laugh that was far more wanton and contemptuous than all the laughter he had let out before. “I see! So this is what you think is the truth! This is the truth of the so-called Pure Land and abyssal knights!”
His laugh suddenly ceased, and his voice grew heavy. It pierced everyone’s soul like the voice of the devil as the Fog Monarch declared, “The ancient Abyss is an eternal world of death. I and the abyssal beasts are the only dead people in this dead world.”
“Several million years ago, when more and more living beings fell into this world for one reason or another, I decided that I could see these pitiful creatures struggle in despair, perish, and etch their pitiful cries into my world no longer. I decided to muster all the power of the Abyss and divert it toward the center, creating what you would come to know as the Endless Fog. I created a land that is thin with abyssal dust for those who fell, a space full of life and hope.”
“Because I used up too much power, I fell into a long slumber and did not awaken until over a year ago. The space of hope I created has become what people know as the Land of the Living and the Pure Land today!”
The “truth” proclaimed by the Fog Monarch was so heretical that just listening to it felt like committing heresy.
“Absolute… nonsense!” Yuchi Nanxing uttered through gritted teeth, “You dare… claim… the Abyssal Monarch’s divine merit… as you own?!”
He had just finished speaking when the sky darkened abruptly.
What felt like an infinite amount of abyssal dust rolled in and devoured the space Yuchi Nanxing was in in an instant. Just a few breaths later, it had spread dozens of kilometers and engulfed the distant spectators as well.
The Fog Monarch’s voice resounded within the choking space of abyssal dust, “Now answer me again, abyssal knight. Can your Abyssal Monarch control abyssal dust like me? Manipulate the Endless Fog like an extension of his body?”
Yuchi Nanxing’s mouth opened, but he could not say a word. He could only stare blankly at the rolling abyssal dust.
“If he cannot, then how did he create a Land of the Living in the Abyss?”
“If I can do it, then how dare you question my ability to condense the Endless Fog and create the Land of the Living?”
Yuchi Nanxing tried again and again to raise his broken neck and utter a retort. His willpower and faith made him instinctively want to open his trembling lips and rebuke all the blasphemous words. And yet, despite clearly having enough strength to roar whatever he wanted, he found himself… unable to even mumble a retort
The Abyssal Monarch could not control abyssal dust. No one could control abyssal dust. The most anyone could do in this world was repel and isolate.
At the very least, this remained an immutable, unquestionable truth to this day. However, he just witnessed the Fog Monarch controlling the abyssal dust and expanding the Endless Fog in an instant.
It wasn’t hearsay. He had seen it with his own eyes and felt it with his own body. It left no room for doubt; no room for optimism. “Another question, abyssal knight.”
The Fog Monarch’s voice appeared right beside his ears, and suddenly, Yuchi Nanxing discovered that he had never been more afraid of the Abyssal Monarch than now. It was fear that his unwavering faith… was wavering.
“Why do the abyssal beasts of the Endless Fog only roam within the Endless Fog? Barring exceptional circumstances, why do they never leave the Endless Fog and threaten your Land of the Living and Pure Land?”
Yuchi Nanxing answered again, but this time, he clearly sounded less than confident. “Because… the abyssal beasts instinctively wanted to stay close to abyssal dust.”
“Is that so? Heh!”
It was the usual icy remark of scorn, but what happened next caused everyone’s eyes to bulge like they would fall out of their eye sockets. They thought that they couldn’t possibly feel more terrified than they already were, and yet, they did.
Large patches of shadows and dark lights began appearing in the sky. Thousands, ten thousands, hundreds of thousands…
The silhouettes were abyssal beasts, and the lights their eyes. Not only were they moving in uniform formation, there were so many of them that they blotted out the sky.
Not a single one of them was howling or biting or indulging in their destructive impulse in general. Instead, they were stepping out of the Endless Fog and into the Land of the Living with perfect uniformity, eyes staring at the profound practitioners shivering in fear as if ridiculing them.
They had never seen the abyssal beasts acting so docile before, and yet this was a thousand, no, ten thousand times more terrifying than even the greatest crisis they had ever encountered in the Endless Fog.
Yuchi Nanxing’s trembling eyes had come to a complete standstill as well. The densely packed yet uniform formation of abyssal beasts felt like a million needles that ripped his eyes and his beliefs to shreds.
It was ludicrous, impossible, unbelievable. And yet, right here and now, no one could ignore the infinitely terrifying realization that the abyssal beasts… beasts who only knew destruction and impulse… were being controlled by the Fog Monarch!
“Now, answer me once more, abyssal knight.”
At this point, the Fog Monarch’s voice truly sounded like the vilest devil whispering words of heresy into Yuchi Nanxing’s soul. “Why do the abyssal beasts of the Endless Fog only roam within the Endless Fog? Why do they never threaten your Land of the Living and Pure Land?”
Yuchi Nanxing did not answer him. He couldn’t.
“Even as stupid as you are, it seems that the answer has dawned upon you.” The Fog Monarch’s voice seeped through heaven and earth and into every corner of every person’s soul. “Allow me to voice the answer you wish to stow away in the depths of your heart then.”
“The abyssal beasts of the Endless Fog are my citizens. The reason they do not stray from the Endless Fog is because I commanded them not to before I fell asleep.”
“My command is absolute. No citizens of mine—abyssal beast or abyssal ghost, before or after—will disobey it and threaten the land of hope I have specifically created for the foreigners.”
“Long have I slept before I awakened from my slumber, and what did I find? A so-called ‘Abyssal Monarch’ has taken the credit of my mercy and even built a so-called Pure Land!”
The Fog Monarch’s voice was one-tenth fury and nine-tenths pity. “As if that isn’t enough, he even dispatched you pitiful fools to judge me, the one who created the world you live in!”