Free Web NovelChapter 308: Chapter 229: The Terrifying Abyss (Part 2)
Doubtful, Han Ning sent a message via his Spiritual Power:
"What powerful Soul Beasts or Abyssal Races live near Night Nether City? And where are we in relation to it?"
He tossed the wooden map drawn by Akatos and a stalk of Soul Nourishing Grass to Ah Yu. "Two questions. Thirty stalks of Soul Nourishing Grass."
Ah Yu seemed quite satisfied with this deal. She immediately lowered her head to observe the wooden board.
Then, using her filthy fingernails, she scratched a few circles on the board before showing it to Han Ning. Pointing to the bottom-right corner of the map, she sent a message:
"We’re in this direction from Night Nether City. The nearest entrance is about 2,000 kilometers away. You’ll pass through the territories of three Lord Level Abyssal Soul Beast packs and a contingent of the Night Demon Race stationed outside the city."
"The Night Demon Race is one of the most powerful races in the Abyss. A Monarch Level Shadow Spider Demon lives there... along with countless Night Demon Beast Masters."
’Monarch... Have Monarch Soul Beasts become this common?’
Han Ning frowned at her words, but on second thought, the Grudge Abyss was a place even the Five Great Ancestors feared. The existence of a Monarch Soul Beast was perfectly normal.
"How many entrances does Night Nether City have? Is there a safer one?"
"There is."
Ah Yu blinked her red eyes and said no more.
Han Ning understood. He took out a bundle of thirty-five stalks of Soul Nourishing Grass and tossed it to her.
"Thank you, generous alien."
Ah Yu revealed a satisfied smile and continued,
"Night Nether City has four entrances in total. The entire city, including the sky above it, is shrouded in a pervasive deathly mist."
"The southern entrance is relatively easy to get into. The abyssal resources there are scarce, and it’s only inhabited by a pack of Gorging Worms. The most powerful one has the strength of an Upper Lord; it’s a Watcher left behind by the Alataku People." Ah Yu drew a line on the wooden board leading to the southern entrance.
"The path passes through the territories of two packs with Middle Lords."
"What’s the situation inside Night Nether City?" Han Ning tossed her another ten stalks of Soul Nourishing Grass.
"I don’t know. It’s not just me; very few Beast Masters in the entire Abyss know. You need the bloodline of the Alataku People to enter Night Nether City." Ah Yu shook her head.
"Alright, I understand." Han Ning nodded, gave Qingyao a meaningful look, and sent a secret message. "Elder Qingyao, knock them all unconscious, including that Dark Pattern Giant. I’m taking the woman with me."
"CLANG~"
Qingyao let out a low cry. With the speed of a lightning strike, the draconic whiskers on its chin shot forward, multiplying into thousands upon thousands of dense, cyan chains that simultaneously struck every living creature present.
In just an instant, every creature except for Han Ning and his companions was pierced through the chest by the cyan light chains. Their eyes closed, and they fell into a deep sleep.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The sound of bodies collapsing rang out one after another.
The creatures whose chests had been pierced by the chains showed no signs of injury, as if what had just happened was merely a dream.
Han Ning’s tentacles shot out, wrapping around Ah Yu and the few Soul Beasts beside her before tossing them onto Egg Pancake’s back. He picked up the map Ah Yu had marked and located the south. Pointing toward a patch of complete darkness, he said to his Soul Beasts, "Let’s go. That way."
...
Ah Yu awoke with a start.
She instinctively tried to scramble to her feet and summon her Soul Beasts.
But she found her body bound by layers of vines, completely immobilized. Even her Spiritual Power seemed to be suppressed, leaving her groggy and unable to connect to her Spiritual World.
She lifted her head. Standing more than two meters away was the alien, dressed in strange clothes and unusually clean, his gaze calmly fixed ahead.
"You..." She opened her mouth, her voice hoarse.
Hearing the movement behind him and Ah Yu’s unintelligible sound, Han Ning smiled. "My apologies. I can’t fully trust you. Please accompany us on our trip to Night Nether City. If we return successfully, I have a generous reward for you."
Ah Yu looked on in terror. Beneath her was a terrifying Flame Dragon radiating scorching heat. Flying nearby was a mysterious Flood Dragon. To one side was Fei Lin, who resembled a member of a High-Level Abyssal Race and was riding a clearly rare Abyssal Soul Beast. Ah Yu’s eyes filled with dread, and she subconsciously began to stammer in the Abyssal tongue, her words mixed with Spiritual Power:
"Everything I said was true..."
"If it’s true, then just take a trip with us. Think of it as a little vacation where you get a treasure at the end. What’s not to like?"
Han Ning’s smile didn’t fade as he casually asked,
"What’s the Hexagon Race’s standing in the Abyss? And what about you?"
Ah Yu swallowed and said tremblingly,
"I... Our Hexagon Race is just a small, nomadic tribe. The clan I’m in only has about 200 people..."
"Our original habitat was seized by another powerful race of Abyss Beastmasters—the Dark Race. We can only wander, searching for a new place to live."
"I’m one of the twenty Beast Masters in my tribe, with about Tier One Spiritual Power."
After she finished, she seemed to collect herself and nervously repeated the message with her Spiritual Power.
’This Ah Yu’s Spiritual Power messages are quite coherent. The knowledge passed down in her tribe must be substantial. Could it be the influence of the Alataku People?’
Despite Ah Yu being filthy and barely clothed, the information she provided was clearer than what Aketu had said.
She gave off the impression of a "noble" who had fallen on hard times.
Of course, this noble feeling didn’t come from her bloodline.
The bloodline of the Hexagon People was visibly inferior.
’She sounds rather pitiful.’
Han Ning didn’t feel pity for her. Instead, he was reminded of the difficult times he and his academy mates had gone through when they first crossed over to the Insect Continent, and he sighed inwardly.
"That Dark Pattern Giant is rare even in the Abyss. With its Lord Level strength... it can’t be your Soul Beast, can it?"
"It’s a monster summoned by the clan elders through sacrifice. It must consume a massive amount of blood and flesh every day to be controlled."
At the mention of the Dark Pattern Giant, Ah Yu’s voice trembled even more.
"Alright. You’ll be our guide. When this is over, I won’t treat you poorly." Han Ning pointed a finger at Ah Yu’s forehead from a distance.
A flash of blood-red light appeared.
The next second, Ah Yu felt a warm mass appear inside her body, and her muddled mind instantly cleared.
...
The floor of the Grudge Abyss was rugged and uneven, covered with a large amount of gray vegetation.
Complete darkness shrouded everything. The environment was damp and foul, and a faint, lingering stench filled the air.
Qingyao and Egg Pancake, flying mid-air, were the only two sources of light in the darkness.
"L-Lord... the Abyss is very dangerous. It’s best not to let your Soul Beasts emit Spiritual Energy light so freely..."
Ah Yu took a few deep breaths, her nervousness easing slightly.
Facing this powerful and terrifying alien, she had completely lost the will to resist.
Since she was already here, she might as well accept it. She couldn’t defeat him, so she might as well cooperate.
"Without the light from Spiritual Energy, how are we supposed to tell which way to go?"
BOOM!
Han Ning had just sent the Spiritual Power message when a sudden explosion, like a clap of thunder, erupted from below.
Following that, a dense pattering sound, like a torrential downpour, filled the air.
SPLATTER! PATTER! TAP! It sounded like a massive number of raindrops were striking the outer Spiritual Shield.
In an instant, Qingyao and Egg Pancake, who had been flying at high speed, came to a sudden halt.
The Spiritual Shields around the two Soul Beasts, Qingyao and Egg Pancake, were covered in a dense swarm of black worms.
Their mouths split open into several fleshy petals, gaping wider and wider. Each petal was lined with sharp teeth, which they used to frantically gnaw at the Spiritual Energy on the shield’s surface. The sight was utterly terrifying.
At the same time, a faint, dark fragrance drifted through the shield and into Han Ning’s nostrils.
Han Ning’s head spun. A sharp pain shot through his scalp, and dense gray spots appeared in his vision.
He sneezed forcefully. Countless tiny black bugs, having been killed by the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm inside his body, were expelled from his nasal cavity and fell onto the dragon’s back.
"It’s Death Leeches and Flying Scabies! Lord Han Ning, don’t emit Spiritual Power or Spiritual Energy! You have to use physical Power to destroy them!" Ah Yu held her breath, her eyes wide as she stared at the swarm of leeches covering the shield like a dark cloud.
