C1904 The Abyss

In the otherworldly Abyss, a resplendent Origin Realm Gate hovered in the dim sky, gently swaying with the breeze. It was just one of the numerous Origin Realm Gates scattered throughout the Abyss.

Yu Yuan's Yin God, followed closely by Ji Hui, emerged from the open Origin Realm Gate and materialized in the fabled Abyss. The spiritual form of the Yin God refrained from hastily touching down and instead gazed in bewilderment at the world beneath him.

Below lay a dark brown, diamond-shaped expanse dotted with numerous caves and beautifully crafted stone temples, inhabited by peculiar life forms. Additionally, the land was overrun with robust and menacing plants beyond the wildest reaches of his imagination.

The gloomy Abyss was devoid of sun, moon, and stars. Near the diamond-shaped land, three other landmasses of comparable size floated in the void, each populated with beings garbed in elaborate attire but bearing odd and ancient features.

Above him, two even larger continents hung suspended. Looking further up, he beheld a land that seemed constructed from an endless array of colorful crystals, towering like a divine abode. It radiated a kaleidoscope of light, bathing all the worlds below in its glow.

Yu Yuan, driven by curiosity, stared at this land and felt a profound sense of insignificance. Then, he cast his gaze downward through the diamond-shaped continent and immediately noticed eight smaller, more scattered landmasses beneath the four larger ones.

"The structure of the Abyss World is utterly unlike our own," remarked Extreme Wisdom, his soul form enveloped in a cyan-black cape woven from the very essence of the Origin of Vastness. He inhaled deeply, savoring the turbulent and chaotic currents of the Abyss, and declared, "Just as I suspected!"

He appeared to have confirmed some long-held belief.

"Master, the Abyss World is comprised of seven layers, forming a pyramid-like structure. At the very pinnacle of the Abyss, the land that shines with light is the hallowed ground revered by all creatures of the Abyss World, a place not easily tread by the unworthy."

"That single landmass is the source of light for the Abyss, illuminating the six levels below. Beneath it, the second layer consists of two continents, and our current location is among the four continents of the third layer."

"Following this pattern, the fourth layer contains eight continents, the fifth has sixteen, the sixth boasts thirty-two, and the bottommost layer is home to sixty-four continents."

"Each continent is a world unto itself, teeming with the diverse denizens of the Abyss."

The light emanating from the first level can only reach as far as the sixth. For the beings dwelling in the sixty-four lands of the deepest layer of the Abyss World, they may never witness this light unless they ascend.

Yu Yuan remained silent, his curiosity piqued as he scrutinized the peculiar structure of the Abyss World, making mental comparisons with his own knowledge.

"Look, that's my physical form in the Abyss," Ji Hui said with a light chuckle, gesturing towards the base of the Origin Realm Gate where a flesh-and-blood person stood.

"A human!" Yu Yuan exclaimed, his eyes landing on a figure comparable in stature to Ji Hui's soul body.

Before him was a tall, striking man with a head of silver hair, though he appeared gaunt. His eyes held a tinge of dullness, likely a result of prolonged soul separation, which seemed to have taken a toll on his spirit. His body bore acupoints similar to those Yu Yuan was familiar with in humans.

What was unexpected was the absence of any formidable power within him, a stark contrast to what Yu Yuan had envisioned. He had assumed that Ji Hui's physical presence in the Abyss would be akin to that of the colossal Evil Gods, each muscle teeming with world-shattering strength. Yet here Ji Hui was, a human in the Abyss, and such a frail one at that—almost indistinguishable from a mortal unversed in the ways of cultivation.

"Sir, observe closely," Ji Hui urged, his soul form taking on a grave demeanor. His soul, cloaked in the black essence of the Origin, descended abruptly beside Yu Yuan.

As his soul merged with the frail human vessel, the Origin from the vast heart of the world seemed to catalyze an ineffable and wondrous transformation within his feeble flesh and blood form.

With a whoosh, the tumultuous and ferocious power of the Abyss converged from all directions, forcibly infiltrating his limbs and organs.

Ji Hui let out a low growl as his unremarkable body suddenly swelled with the energy of the Abyss. His veins, bones, and viscera were honed and hammered by this force, undergoing a series of mutations and elevations, visibly fortifying his physique.

"Master, it's not the mere rejoining of my soul with my body that has sparked such a dramatic change. It's the power of the Origin from the vast expanse!"

Yu Yuan let out a howl.

Boom!

A colossal warrior, towering over a hundred feet tall with a body shrouded in blackness and four massive elephant-like hooves, charged forward. Vines resembling tendrils sprouted from his neck.

His weight was immense, each step landing with the force of a mountain collapsing, yet the diamond-shaped continent beneath him was as unyielding as steel.

He quickly reached Yu Yuan, who was transforming with the essence of the Vast Ocean, drawing it in like a whale gulping water. The warrior crouched down and, in a flawlessly articulated human tongue, said, "Your Majesty, you have finally reclaimed what was lost!"

Yu Yuan responded with a smile, "Just as I anticipated."

Yu Yuan, now a being of flesh and blood, floated silently above and gazed upon his own soul. "I'll take you to the very depths of the Abyss," he offered.

Yu Yuan nodded, allowing himself to be enveloped by a surge of abyssal energy.

Whoosh!

Together, they descended from the third tier of the Abyss into the realm below.

The fourth level was home to a myriad of bizarre and gargantuan Abyss World creatures.

Some appeared as hybrids of beasts and other races, others were akin to giant trees made of flesh and blood, and still others resembled massive serpents with numerous centipede-like legs.

Here, the inhabitants of the Abyss World had their own distinct territories and kingdoms, clearly demarcated from one another.

This level thrived in peace and civility, with intelligent beings living under a system of laws and regulations.

Next came the fifth level, with sixteen continents.

Here, the Abyss World creatures engaged in constant skirmishes across the sixteen lands, with battles erupting even in the void between continents. Warfare was an intrinsic part of life in this world.

On the sixth level, there were thirty-two continents.

The light was faint, casting the widely dispersed lands into shadows that Yu Yuan could barely discern.

He could only make out the nearest continent, where all the Abyss World creatures seemed locked in vicious combat, devouring each other's flesh to fortify themselves.

Savagery, bloodshed, and brutality were the dominant themes of this tier!

They fought to empower themselves and advance their bloodlines, all to obtain artifacts of superior quality, seemingly to ascend and dwell upon the fifth level.

Finally, there was the seventh level, the lower reaches of the Abyss World.

This realm was shrouded in darkness akin to the Dark Domain, a place untouched by the light from above, as if it deliberately chose not to illuminate this depth.

Across sixty-four continents and an equal number of worlds, countless beings of the Abyss were dispersed in all directions.

Rather than being considered an intelligent race, they resembled... wild beasts.

Despite being akin to the creatures above, the lowest denizens of the Abyss seemed to lack awakened intelligence, acting solely on instinct.

In the darkest depths of these sixty-four worlds, they engaged in brutal combat and mating, savagely tearing at the flesh of the vanquished, much like unenlightened beasts.

The horrific flora of this layer preyed upon the flesh and blood that came too close, yet these lightless worlds harbored wondrous objects and minerals absent from the upper levels.

Even the powerful beings from above would occasionally descend to this realm, indiscriminately slaughtering those beast-like creatures.

Out of place in this lowest layer were... humans.

An exceedingly wise leader guided Yu Yuan's Yin God to a dilapidated human village. From a distance, they observed the frail humans fortifying their homes with fences and traps, relying on their intellect to ward off the frenzied, mindless beasts intent on tearing them to shreds.

"Why are there humans living in the Abyss, especially on the bottom level?" Yu Yuan inquired, voicing his confusion. "How did they enter the Abyss? The Origin Realm Gate remains intact, with no connection between the two worlds. It's impossible for flesh-and-blood beings to have arrived here."

This defied all reason.

"In the Abyss, they're known as... Wisdom Men. My lord, if you ponder it, why did humans in our Origin Realm only emerge in the Vast Expanse? Reflect deeply, and you'll realize that this occurred before the supreme Titan spinosaurus reached the Vast Expanse. Before then, there were only Heavenly Demons like Beilstein and alien beasts like the Demon Phoenix."

"It was after the Titan spinosaurus perished, dropping the Abyss Treasure into the depths, that humans appeared in the Vast Expanse."

"The Nagas originated from the blood transformation of the Titan spinosaurus, but humans are different, at least not entirely the same."

The Extreme Intelligence explained with great patience.

From the shadows in the distance, he could see the so-called... Wisdom Men, shivering with fear. Yet, these Wisdom Men of the Abyss lacked the capacity to see him.

Yu Yuan, in his pure soul form, remained undetected.

"It's not that they came to the Abyss, but rather, they have always resided within it! The true origin of the entire Boundless Human Race lies within the Abyss!" Extreme Intelligence suddenly bellowed.

Yu Yuan's Yin God trembled, nearly collapsing under the weight of his revelation and roar.

Could the Boundless Human Race truly originate from the Abyss?

Were humans, like the alien beasts, not the original inhabitants of that world?

"How can this be? It can't be possible!"

Yu Yuan whispered to himself, unable to come to terms with Extreme Intelligence's declaration. Yet, there they were—the Wisdom Men at the very bottom of the Abyss, tirelessly fending off the beast-like creatures of the Abyss—right before his eyes.

Were these wise individuals not the people of the Vast Expanse? They seemed almost indistinguishable from the ordinary mortals who lacked the knowledge of cultivation!

"The hierarchy of the Abyss World is incredibly rigid. Those dwelling in the higher echelons of the Abyss are seen as both powerful and noble, free to traverse the lower realms as they please."

"However, for those from the lower depths, ascending to a higher level is as arduous as reaching the heavens, demanding unimaginable effort and sacrifice."

"Once upon a time..."

Extreme Intelligence inhaled deeply, his gaze filled with sorrow as he observed the feeble and vigilant Wisdom Men. "They were once the royal lineage of the Abyss, residing on the first level, which served as the Abyss's source of light. They stood as high as the heavens, with all Evil Gods at their command."

"They were the divine Protoss of the Abyss!"

"That is, until they lost a precious treasure."

"The Titan spinosaurus, an intruder, stole that Abyss Treasure and took it to the Vast Expanse."

"That artifact gave rise to the civilization of the Vast Expanse, allowing the wise beings of the Abyss to emerge in that world as members of the human race."

"And yet, due to the loss of that treasure, they tragically plummeted to the deepest depths of the Abyss."

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