Awakening and Abyssal Secrets

“Slap!”

A crisp slap echoed through the air. Akareya, already dazed and spiritless, froze in place, her empty eyes fixed on Su Han with a bewildered gaze.

“The Princess Akareya I know is kind, lively, adorable, and energetic,” Su Han declared, her tone serious. “She’s intelligent, a little cunning, and possesses a strong sense of justice. She’s not someone who lets setbacks defeat her, nor is she a person who exudes despair at first glance!”

“You must remember your identity and your status,” she continued. “And you know your purity is still intact. You haven’t suffered any true insult; you are still a chaste maiden. None of that has changed, has it?”

“It’s rather amusing, seeing a princess of a grand nation cry like a child,” Su Han mused. “But your listless expression, to me, is worse than that of common folk. When they see someone come to their rescue, they at least show gratitude, weeping uncontrollably in the arms of their savior.”

“They’ve been saved; they’ve seen hope,” she added. “So their tears are accompanied by smiles of relief. And you? Are you just going to remain like this?”

“I… Izaloth,” Akareya murmured, slowly regaining her senses. Though still muddled, at least a semblance of strength returned to her.

Su Han gently pulled Akareya’s head to her chest, stroking her hair. “There, there, no more crying,” she murmured. “Tears will only make your face look sorrowful! Even if you lose everything, at least you still have me, don’t you?”

Su Han smiled faintly after speaking. She had uttered these heartfelt words merely to console the other woman, yet a doubt lingered:

‘Could I truly live up to them? If I were to truly encounter the original Su Han, should I follow her? And in this state, how could I possibly make her believe that I am indeed that Su Han?’

“Alas,” Su Han sighed, her thoughts settling. “The boat will naturally straighten when it reaches the bridge. For now, I can only wait and see.”

Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water manifested as four interconnected elemental wheels, seemingly co-dependent. This four-element domain linked and evolved into a miniature world, utterly devastating the domains of Audris and Yue’ertuotai.

Motis, born with innate control over these four fundamental elements, possessed a primal strength clearly beyond human reach. The four interconnected elements formed an impregnable, stable whole, leaving Audris and Yue’ertuotai’s domains not only powerless but also thrown into utter chaos.

Within the devastated domains, the beings formed from their innate elemental powers were fighting desperately. However, the Golden Giants, imbued with the combined power of four elements, were clearly far superior to the single-element Specter Lords and Flame-Ice Giants.

“Summon Mobius from the Heron Empire and Rose from the Hanyan Empire,” Audris transmitted telepathically to his subordinate on the ground. “Leave the Ice Empress of the Moon-Worshipping Empire there to hold back the beast tide!”

“This… that might not be wise, might it?” Yue’ertuotai hesitated.

“What’s unwise about it?” Audris scoffed. “How long do you think you and I can hold back this Kiramei?”

“But that leaves Aedris alone…”

“Oh? And what’s wrong with that?” Audris chuckled derisively, striking out with another attack. “She’s renowned as the strongest existence; holding back the beast tide alone is more than enough for her!”

If Su Han were present, she would certainly know this, for Bai Que had once told her: Lucybria, Arcadia, Heron, Hanyan, and Moon-Worshipping—each of these five great empires boasted a supreme expert.

Among them, Aedris of the Moon-Worshipping Empire was considered the most formidable. Her white leather attire and flowing ice-blue hair had cemented her status as a legend in everyone’s eyes.

Not only was her appearance exquisite, but her strength was also unparalleled, having achieved renowned feats years ago. It was she who single-handedly repelled a hundred thousand orcs from the Southern Border. Who could believe such a feat was accomplished by a mere woman?

The orcs themselves were so terrified of her that they dared not emerge from the Southern Border, behaving docilely. A legend even circulated within the orc tribes: a witch resided in the Central Continent, a merciless demon who killed without blinking.

Should one venture to the Southern Border, they might be fortunate enough to witness a frozen landscape, where tens of thousands of ice sculptures stood. Every single one of these countless ice sculptures was a creation of Aedris’s hand.

Not only had she earned the title ‘Iceberg Beauty’ in the Southern Border, but previously, the Grand Prince of the Heron Empire—Morfitos’s elder brother, Morfitori—had proposed marriage to her. However, Aedris had not even deigned to look at him, leaving the Grand Prince utterly humiliated.

Determined to reclaim his honor, Morfitori challenged her to a duel. If Mobius hadn’t intervened, Morfitori would likely have met his demise then and there.

Rumor had it that a mysterious demonic mark resided on Aedris’s chest, a secret that was believed to be the source of her immense power.

While the ice sculptures were indeed Aedris’s creations, they were merely a byproduct of the freezing attribute inherent to her battle qi. She was, in fact, a legitimate Mystery Knight, wielding a unique and formidable black battle qi!

“What? I have Fallen Angel blood in my body?” Zhan Ling exclaimed, turning to Satan beside him with a puzzled expression. “But aren’t I human?”

As the ruler of the ninety-eighth layer of the Demonic Abyss and possessor of the most noble Fallen Angel bloodline, Satan calmly and elegantly began to explain everything to his successor.

[The ninety-ninth layer of the Demonic Abyss is the dwelling of the Demon God, and the ninety-eighth layer, the Fallen Abyss, is second only to it. Thus, Satan’s status is self-evident.]

“You are the offspring of Demon King Lucifer and a human, possessing both human and Fallen Angel bloodlines,” Satan revealed. “You must understand that Fallen Angels are not truly part of the Abyssal Demons; they are immortal beings created by the Divine Race!”

“But why would the Divine Race create us, only to then seek our destruction?” Zhan Ling questioned, bewildered by these ancient secrets.

“Because we became too powerful, the cowardly Divine Race grew afraid—afraid that we would escape their control!” Satan explained with a knowing smile. “That is why we broke away from the Divine Race and came here to the Demonic Abyss!”

As the ruler of the Purgatory Abyss, Nigore was a newcomer, not comparable to the seasoned rulers of the sixty-seventh layer and above. Nevertheless, his strength was beyond question.

“Seraph blood, care for a glass?” Nigore asked, holding a goblet between his index and middle fingers. He took a sip of the blood, his eyes lighting up with ecstatic delight. “I never imagined your strength would already be at the peak of the Legendary realm, did I? Just one step away from reaching the Mythic rank.”

“Indeed,” Bailuan replied, his expression unreadable. “However, the Dark God is still sealed. I must first elevate it to the Divine rank before I can step into the Mythic realm. It seems a trip to the Star Tear Abyss is in order…”

“Very well, go,” Nigore instructed. “At the crucial moment, crush the jade slip, and I will naturally appear!” He tilted his head back, draining the last drop of blood. With a sharp ‘snap,’ the goblet shattered on the ground, and he vanished.

Aedris’s black battle qi transformed into sharp daggers, and the surging force sliced into the leading demonic beasts as easily as a knife through tofu. The five demonic beast leaders were dismembered and scattered in an instant.

She couldn’t be bothered with the remaining smaller fry. With a single stride, she vanished from the sky.

Locks struggled to clear the lesser monsters. His talent wasn’t exceptional, and his strength had only just reached the Paladin rank, making the task quite troublesome for him.

Ziyao, however, was in a bloodthirsty frenzy, seemingly relishing the slaughter. His strength was roughly at the early Legendary stage, allowing him to cut through the ‘fish pond’ of enemies with ease.

“The Ghost King, ruler of the sixty-ninth layer of the Abyssal Demons’ Ghoul Abyss, fell, yet I fortuitously inherited his legacy!” Ziyao declared. “Though that old geezer Ye Yuan sealed me, now is the time for me to roam freely!”

Ziyao licked his crimson lips, his murderous intent undiminished.