Free Web NovelChapter 139: Chapter 138: Completing the Abyssal Soul Contract
Deep inside the cave, Ian leaned against the cold rock wall and slowly sat down.
The battle with Murphy had nearly drained him of all his Power.
The stinging pain from his depleted Sea of Spirit was harder to bear than his physical wounds.
He took a moment to compose himself, had Gaga stand guard, and then closed his eyes to focus, sinking his consciousness into his mind.
The wisp of gray light that had entered between his eyebrows when the altar collapsed was now quietly floating next to his panel.
[Detecting related Rule information... Integrating...]
On the pale blue Light Curtain, streams of data scrolled like a waterfall.
The [Abyssal Soul Contract], originally marked as [Severely Damaged], now had faintly glowing characters, and lines of analyzed text had appeared below it.
Ian held his breath and focused, carefully "reading" it.
The information was fragmented, but when pieced together, it outlined a truth that made his heart race.
That altar wasn’t a main channel for the Abyss’s invasion, but a "simplified version" of a cross-world contract Anchor Point.
Its principle was to use the contaminated energy radiating from the Earth Hernia as "fuel" to send specific contractual fluctuations into the endless Void.
Any being that perceived these fluctuations and possessed sufficient intelligence and soul strength could establish a connection through the altar and sign an "equal resource exchange contract."
The contract used the Soul Marks of both parties as proof and was protected by the fundamental Rules of the Abyss.
But in Ian’s case, the Abyssal Rules had been purified and filtered by his panel, removing all components of contamination and forced servitude.
"In other words..." Ian opened his eyes, a silver light swirling within them.
"I can build an altar like this myself, ’call out’ to countless worlds, and trade with the beings of other worlds?"
His breathing quickened slightly. freewebnσvel.cøm
’What does this mean?’
The resources of the Wizard World, though abundant, were ultimately limited.
’And in the endless Void, how many worlds have nurtured unique materials, knowledge, and even Rules?’
If he could truly establish a stable contractual channel, he would gain more than just resources.
He would gain perspective, opportunity, and even a level of understanding that transcended his current world!
The existence of the panel ensured the safety of the contracts.
It was like an absolute firewall; any contamination, Curses, or soul traps hidden in the contracts... would be completely filtered out.
’This... is the real treasure.’
Ian suppressed his excitement and forced himself to calm down.
According to the information, his current strength wasn’t sufficient to build an altar, but he could make some preparations first.
He looked toward the ruins of the altar.
Among the collapsed Obsidian and white bones, he could faintly make out some dark red stone fragments, their surfaces bearing faint, distorted patterns.
Those were the "Abyssal Rune Stones" that remained after the altar’s Runes had disintegrated.
Although their energy had nearly dissipated, as materials that had once supported a contractual channel, they inherently possessed certain spatial properties and the ability to bear Rules.
’I’ll take them all. They might be useful later.’
Ian got up and began to search carefully through the ruins.
Gaga perched on his shoulder, its small eyes vigilantly scanning the cave entrance, occasionally nuzzling its head against Ian’s cheek.
"Ian, does it still hurt?"
"Much better." Ian stroked the charred mark on its wing. "What about you?"
"It’s just a scratch!" Gaga puffed out its chest, but then immediately winced in pain.
"It’s just... a little ugly now that my feathers are burned off..."
Ian chuckled and took out a small jar of pale green ointment from his Dimension Bag, gently applying it to the wound.
"I’ll find a Potion to help your feathers grow back when we return."
"Really? I want the shiny kind."
"Alright, the shiny kind it is."
After collecting a dozen or so relatively intact Rune Stones, Ian carefully put them away.
The Stones felt cold to the touch and seemed to faintly pull at his Spiritual Power.
He gave the ruins one last look, then turned and left.
He was even more cautious on the path ahead.
The Rule distortions in the Earth Hernia Maze became more and more frequent. Sometimes, Gravity would suddenly increase severalfold; other times, space would compress like a fold, forcing him to "squeeze" his way through.
The Demonic Qi in the air was so thick it was almost liquid. Even with [Spirit Devourer] devouring and converting it, Ian felt a constant pressure on his Sea of Spirit.
’I can’t go any deeper,’ he determined.
’I have to head up, closer to the outer edge of the main battlefield. There are more Wizard teams there, so it should be relatively safer.’
He changed direction, heading upward through a passage where the vein-like patterns on the rock walls were lighter in color and pulsed more slowly.
He encountered a few more waves of Demons along the way, but they were just scattered Rock-Skinned Demon Dogs or Shadow Slimes, which he dealt with quickly.
The commotion from the battles attracted more prying eyes. In the shadows, he would occasionally glimpse a fleeting movement.
’Is someone following me?’ Ian’s gaze turned icy.
After walking for about another hour, he faintly detected energy fluctuations and the roar of exploding Witchcraft from the passage ahead.
Ian’s spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace.
Rounding a bend, the view suddenly opened up before him.
In a natural cavern nearly a hundred meters in diameter, five or six Wizards from the Shadow Moon Tower, clad in Deep Blue Wizard Robes, were fighting in formation against three "Crying Blood Giants."
These giants stood about five meters tall, their bodies formed entirely from dark red crystalline Rock. A pulsating, violet-black core was embedded in each of their chests.
The ground trembled with their every step.
Leading them was a Female Witch, her Deep Blue Robe embroidered with silver patterns of stars and a moon, and in her hand, she held a Magic Staff set with a Sapphire.
Her expression was cold and detached, and the Liquefied Spiritual Power flowing around her was like a lunar tide—vast and pure.
’Alevia... and Aisling.’ Ian recognized them.
Years ago in Nightfall Town, it was Malena who had crushed a Rune to summon this very Liquidation Wizard to erase the tracking Soul Mark left on him by Douglas.
He had only met Aisling once and had heard she didn’t get along with Malena.
Right now, Alevia was calmly giving commands.
"Aisling, restrict the one on the left with ice! Carl, disrupt the one on the right with a lightning net! Everyone else, focus fire on their chest cores!"
The brilliant lights of Witchcraft intertwined. Frost, lightning, and energy beams relentlessly bombarded the Stone Giants, but the dark red crystals were exceptionally hard, leaving only shallow cracks on their surface.
One of the Stone Giants roared, slammed its arms into the ground, and countless sharp stone spikes shot out from the floor!
"Fall back!" Alevia planted her Magic Staff, and a barrier of moonlight rose to block the spikes.
But the barrier trembled violently, clearly unable to hold for long.
’A perfect opportunity to make contact.’
Without hesitation, Ian shot out from the shadows.
His twelve Floating Crystal Cones flew out ahead of him, stabbing like a swarm of silver bees at the knee joint of the foremost Stone Giant.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
The Crystal Cones struck their mark precisely. The Order Energy imbued by the [Spirit Devourer] trait had an extra penetrating effect against Crystal Armor.
The Stone Giant’s knee shattered, and its body listed to one side, forcing it to its knees.
"Who’s there?!" A young male Wizard in the Shadow Moon Squad looked at Ian warily.
Alevia’s eyes flickered, however, and her gaze fell upon the Shadow Moon Apprentice Badge under Ian’s tattered robes.
It was old, but the insignia was clear.
"Ian?" Her voice held a trace of surprise.
"It’s me, Wizard Alevia," Ian nodded, his hands never ceasing their movements.
His left hand swept out a [Frost Ash Beam], the pale purple ray striking the chest core of another Stone Giant.
The alternating Erosion of extreme cold and heat caused the violet-black core’s surface to crack rapidly.
"Support him!" Alevia ordered decisively.
The squad’s Wizards immediately redirected their attacks to the damaged Stone Giant.
Several Thunder Arrows, Ice Spears, and Energy Blades bombarded the cracks in the core in a concentrated barrage.
BOOM!
The core exploded, and the Stone Giant disintegrated into a pile of rubble with a final wail.
The pressure on the two remaining Stone Giants mounted, and they were soon destroyed under the focused fire as well.
