An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 180 The Proposal of Calamity

Chu Xiu was very much looking forward to the inheritance that was about to be unlocked.

Because usually, the inheritance unlocked at level 7 is a relatively high-level supernatural power or secret technique.

But after he calmed down and carefully understood the situation, he frowned slightly.

"This"

Chu Xiu gave a wry smile and touched his chin helplessly.

Three traditions came to mind:

【Bone Binding Technique (Supreme Demon Lord): This technique can mobilize the power of a soul banner to bind and restrain enemies. The greater the soul power contained in the soul banner and the higher the proficiency of the technique, the stronger the effect.】

【Burning Blood Golden Eye (Innate God and Demon): A golden eye can be cultivated between the forehead to detect enemy attributes and see through illusions. The effect is enhanced when infused with mana, and 'God and Demon Pressure' is applied to the target, greatly reducing the enemy's mobility. Consuming the Golden Embryo Essence or one's own essence blood can further enhance the effect.】

【Ten Directions Demon-Binding Rope (Duobao Demon Lord): Simply lock onto the enemy with your divine sense, and once thrown, it will automatically bind the enemy and continuously drain their mana and attributes】

It wasn't that these three secret techniques were weak, which disappointed Chu Xiu somewhat.

On the contrary, these three secret techniques are top-tier techniques that can only be learned by the elders themselves, and all of them have reached the [Ultimate Skill] level. They can be said to be very strong, extremely strong!

But the problem is
"The functions of these three inheritances seem to overlap somewhat?"

Chu Xiu scratched his head.

Whether it's the automatically unlocked Soul Binding Technique or the other two, they all serve as control skills.

However, upon closer examination, this is actually extremely reasonable.

Since almost all demonic cultivators choose only one path to cultivate, from this perspective, it can be seen that the inheritance unlocked by each path gradually cooperates to form its own system of combat.

Now that we've improved most of the attributes we needed to, and we have both defensive and offensive capabilities, it's time to focus on control skills.

However, Chu Xiu only hesitated for a moment before adjusting his mindset.

"Actually, this is fine."

"The more control skills you have, the better."

"As everyone knows, control skills are never weak!"

And he really needs control skills right now.

After cultivating the Golden Muscle and Nether Bone to the fifth level and perfecting the Judgment Demon Blade, Chu Xiu had no weaknesses in either offense or defense; both were abnormally strong.

In comparison, the only thing it lacks is flexibility and speed of movement.

Although his speed is comparable to that of a high-ranking general thanks to his extremely high base physique and the Vampire Earl's Wings, it is still lacking in attack and defense capabilities.

In previous battles, if the colonel wanted to escape, there was no way he could stop him. Even those corrupted awakened ones, as long as they mastered special movement skills like corrupted warriors, would be quite troublesome for him to kill.

If you master a control skill and slow down the enemy's movement, isn't that equivalent to indirectly increasing your own movement ability?

Furthermore, although these three inheritances are all control skills, they actually have different focuses.

The Blood-Burning Golden Eyes can increase additional perception and reconnaissance abilities, while the remaining two skills are one inclined towards "mental binding" and the other towards "physical binding," and they do not conflict with each other.

After a moment's thought, Chu Xiu quickly finalized his plan.

"Prioritize upgrading the Blood-Burning Golden Eyes with Causal Points!"

This skill not only provides control abilities but also enhances one's scouting capabilities. Since the Ghostly Eye is outdated, it's the perfect replacement.

"As for the remaining two, we'll consider buying materials to craft the Demon Binding Rope if we have extra Chinese currency later. As for the Soul Binding Technique, we'll slowly practice it through regular battles first."

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu prepared to invest in adding points.

He gained over 80,000 karma points in this wave, which means he's become wealthy again.

Before upgrading his skill, Chu Xiu cautiously scanned his surroundings with his divine sense to make sure there were no traces of enemies. He didn't want to be interrupted halfway through the upgrade.

However, after completing the inspection, just as Chu Xiu was about to settle down and cultivate, he suddenly noticed something, let out a soft exclamation, and looked at the spiritual flesh storage pouch at his waist.

During the time it took to examine the inheritance, both the Soul Banner and the Spirit Flesh Storage Pouch were simultaneously refining the living soul and flesh.

Needless to say, the Soul Banner can be left to the ghosts to fight, devour, and level up on their own. However, the Spirit Flesh Storage Pouch requires Chu Xiu to use a portion of his divine sense to manipulate it.

He didn't waste the remaining 150,000 units of life energy in the Heavenly Blood Vine. Instead, after a certain percentage was lost, he transferred it all to his spiritual flesh storage pouch.

With so much life energy, those two refined corpses shouldn't be a problem.

What caught Chu Xiu's attention was...
The colonel's body, sitting in the center of the spirit flesh storage pouch, remained completely still.

Chu Xiu naturally had high hopes for this superior physical body with a physique exceeding five thousand, and upon seeing this situation, he couldn't help but frown.

"Could it be that the colonel's physique is too strong, and the corpse-refining technique has no effect on him?"

"No, it shouldn't be. The Corpse Refining Manual was personally selected and improved by the elders of the Holy Sect. They are all big shots who can destroy a small world with a wave of their hand. Let alone five thousand physiques, even fifty thousand should not be a problem. It's just a difference in how much flesh and blood are consumed."

At this moment, Chu Xiu noticed that Rasputin had come to his side at some point, looking him up and down with a curious expression, as if he had discovered something, and muttering something in a language that Chu Xiu could not understand.

This made Chu Xiu look thoughtful.

With a thought, the colonel's body was moved out, which startled Rasputin.

Then, Chu Xiu used his divine sense to carefully scan every corner of his body.

When the scan reached the colonel's mental center, he actually discovered a clue: deep within his brain, there was a tiny black dot that was almost impossible to detect.

It was this tiny black dot that was secretly manipulating the colonel's body to resist the refining process.

If it weren't for the extraordinary divine sense of cultivators, and the fact that Chu Xiu, who cultivated the Boundless Reincarnation Technique, possessed such exquisite divine sense and ranked high among cultivators, it would have been impossible to discover the clues!
Chu Xiu snorted coldly, his divine sense transforming into a large hand, about to erase the black spot.

But at that moment, his vision suddenly blurred, and he saw the black dot rapidly expand, like black paint splashed on a wall, completely enveloping Chu Xiu in an instant!
Everything around him was swallowed up, and by the time Chu Xiu realized what was happening, he was in a world without any light.

Chu Xiu's expression hardened for a moment, but he quickly relaxed again.

He could feel that his connection with the real world was still there, and the scene before him was just an illusion created by the black dot after it exhausted its last bit of power.

It is still an illusion that is not very stable.

Although the technique was quite clever, the energy contained in the black dot was too little. Chu Xiu could easily destroy the illusion with just a surge of his divine sense.

But he didn't rush to do that. Instead, he looked into the depths of the illusion, where a chaotic creature, barely perceptible, was hidden in the darkness.

Chu Xiu could not make out its exact appearance, but he could feel an indescribable evil aura. Just one glance was enough to make him feel as if a million dead souls were clinging to him, whispering in his ear and seeping into his limbs and bones.

This feeling was quite similar to when he had gazed at the bottom of the pit before, only this time it was stronger and clearer.

The Undying Corpse King amulet on his chest glowed slightly, clearly sensing some kind of intrusion. However, perhaps because this pollution was different from a direct mental attack, he did not launch a counterattack.

Without needing to say more, Chu Xiu confirmed the identity of the being hidden deep in the darkness.

The calamity at the bottom of the deep pit.

However, Chu Xiu still had no clue what it was. Was it the remnant soul of the dismembered Blood Demon? Or was it a creature that later occupied the Blood Demon's core and re-evolved?
Chu Xiu didn't think much of it. He had nothing to talk about with this thing. With a thought, he prepared to remove the last trace of the calamity left on the colonel.

"Wait a minute."

But at that moment, he felt an ancient thought rise in his mind.

"Outsider, I'd like to have a talk with you."

"I don't think there's any need for us to talk."

"Oh? Awakened beings these days don't even need Causal Points or [Legendary] equipment anymore?"

"I already said I would get it myself."

"Is that so?" The being in the chaos chuckled softly. "If that's the case, then why don't you break the illusion? And why did you abandon your main force and come alone before?" The words of the calamity made Chu Xiu frown slightly. He stopped talking and just looked at the other party thoughtfully.

The laughter of calamity continued: "Humans are always like this, no matter which world they live in, they never change. Unless they are in a life-or-death situation, they will always be fighting and suspicious."

A mocking glint appeared in Chu Xiu's eyes: "Since when has the fish on the chopping board had the right to dictate the world?"

These words seemed to have touched a raw nerve with the calamity, silencing it instantly.

After a long while, its thoughts resurfaced, but this time it didn't continue the previous topic. Instead, it asked a strange question: "Do you know how many years I've been at the bottom of that deep pit?"

"Not interested in."

"Three hundred and forty-one years."

Chu Xiu paused, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The destruction of the shelter was clearly later than that of the city of the dead, and the city of the dead was only about thirty years away from the apocalypse. If the calamity hadn't lied to him, could this guy have been underground for a long time?
Catching Chu Xiu's surprise, Calamity chuckled softly: "As expected, you know nothing about the Abyss."

"Once you learn a little, you'll know that you can gain far more benefits from working with me than you do now."

"Speak your mind." Chu Xiu remained noncommittal.

"When I descended into this world, I noticed a kind of insect." The calamity continued to emanate from the mind.

"It hides its eggs in the fruit of the banyan tree. After the male insects hatch, they will find the female insect's eggs as soon as possible and fertilize them before they hatch. From your human perspective, it is equivalent to a newborn baby impatiently mating with its sister who is still a fetus."

"Once fertilization is complete, the male insects will immediately use their sharp teeth to tear at the fruit's peel, helping the female insects open a passage to the outside world. This takes all the strength they have in their entire lives. Once the passage is open, the male insects' lives come to an end."

"And the female insects aren't much better off. They will tirelessly search for the next fruit and lay their newly fertilized eggs before their lives end."

"Do you think there's any meaning to the life of this insect?"

The question of calamity made Chu Xiu frown even more: "I don't care about the insects' lives."

The calamity ignored Chu Xiu's words and instead answered on its own: "It has no meaning. Their lives have no meaning. Everything they do in their lives is for reproduction, nothing but reproduction."

"Reproduction is a life instinct, but does it really have any meaning in itself?"

"If we consider a population as an individual, then reproduction is equivalent to extending the life of that individual. But even with an infinite lifespan, if the price is the inability to accomplish anything within that infinite lifespan, does such a life still have any meaning?"

Chu Xiu was completely impatient: "I've already said I'm not interested in the lives of insects, and I certainly don't want to discuss philosophy with a bunch of chaotic and unknown things."

"If you keep talking nonsense, I will end this illusion."

“What I’m trying to say is that this is true of any place swallowed by the abyss,” the calamity’s thoughts echoed. “In the place where I live, there are a large number of corrupted creatures, among which there are many powerful individuals who have reached the ranks of warrior, ferocious, or even general. If they were placed outside, they would be enough to become servants of powerful lords or domineering heroes who rule a region.”

"But after being devoured, they all lost their free will. The only meaning of their existence was existence itself, and I was no exception."

"In this situation, time loses its meaning. It is common in the Abyss for different areas to have different time flows, because no matter how much time passes, nothing will change. You may be shocked to see tens of millions of corrupted creatures and the bottomless pit, but in reality we are just moving along a predetermined track. We can't do anything, and in the end, we will inevitably face our own demise."

"But the arrival of outsiders can disrupt all of this, allowing us to briefly surface from the mire of the abyss."

"So, you should thank us?" Chu Xiu found it somewhat amusing.

The mention of calamity reminded him of something Su Jinyu had said before, though she had only mentioned it briefly then. Now, Chu Xiu had a clearer understanding of it.

“I want to thank you, but if I want to completely escape from the abyss, I have to fight against you,” Calamity continued.

“The Awakened see us as sustenance for their advancement, and we must devour everything in order to break free with this power. You will not willingly give up this world, and I will not sit idly by and wait to die. This is an unavoidable deadlock.”

"If that's the case, what's the point of cooperation?" Chu Xiu asked.

Calamity laughed again: "It's very simple. The deadlock is viewed from a holistic perspective, but it's not necessarily the case between you and me."

"You help me gather enough power to give me this world, and I will give you rewards far exceeding what you could normally obtain. Karma Points? Is 300,000 enough? Legendary equipment? Do you want three or five pieces?"

"I know you're not someone who cares about the lives of others? Anyway, you Awakened Ones can go to other worlds, so giving one to me isn't an unacceptable thing, is it?"

The mention of calamity did indeed make Chu Xiu show a thoughtful expression.

Indeed, following the normal course of events, even if he successfully eliminates the Calamity, it would be difficult for him to snatch many good things from the four King-level opponents.

Most King-level Awakeners have already developed mature combat physiques, with their offense, defense, agility, and control all optimized to the best level, making them a completely different level of combat power from ordinary King-level creatures.

Moreover, those who can enter the King rank are basically Awakeners of A rank or above. They have strong talents and rich combat experience, which makes it extremely difficult to fight beyond their rank. Not to mention that those four are not low-rank Kings, but veteran Awakeners who have stayed at the King rank for at least five years.

Chu Xiu had never fought against an enemy of this level. Although he believed that his basic attributes were not too far off, he was not the only one with a high-level inheritance. King-level awakened beings generally had very troublesome special skills. Under these circumstances, Chu Xiu dared not say that he would have an advantage.

Calamity pressed its advantage, saying, "Moreover, I can swear that even after I grow stronger, I will preserve your [anchor point] and only destroy the [anchor points] of others, making this world our private garden, where we can reap all the resources."

"Isn't this offer generous enough?"

Chu Xiu didn't speak, but stood there silently pondering, while Calamity looked at him expectantly.

However, the next moment, he caught a glimpse of disdain and sarcasm in Chu Xiu's eyes.

A massive surge of divine consciousness erupted from Chu Xiu's body, sweeping outwards like countless heavy hammers, shattering the illusion like countless shards of glass under the impact.

"Why?!" A bewildered roar echoed from the depths of the illusion, quickly turning into one of fury.

"You sanctimonious idiot! Do you think I only have you as an option?"

"If you don't agree, someone else will!"

"After you've been betrayed by your own comrade, I'll definitely come and personally witness your expression of regret and despair!"

Amidst the roar of calamity, the illusion shattered completely, leaving only Chu Xiu's calm figure standing in place.

"Just now...did someone call me a saint?"

"Does it think that I didn't agree to it because of moral reasons?"

Chu Xiu found it somewhat amusing; this was the first time he had ever been called a saint.

His reason for rejecting calamity was quite simple.

Chu Xiu's growth far surpasses that of everyone else.

Keep in mind that he has only been awakened for less than two months!
This terrifying rate of improvement in strength means that those opponents who were evenly matched with Chu Xiu could be left far behind in just one or two weeks.

"Share the entire Shiki world with you? No, I want all of your wealth, your body, your soul, and the entire Shiki world!"

He had no interest in letting even the slightest benefit slip through his fingers.

Of course, the more important reason for Chu Xiu's decision was that cooperating with a superior entity like Calamity could easily lead to being tricked due to information asymmetry. For example, Chu Xiu was learning about the Abyss for the first time.

It's possible that after overcoming a certain bottleneck or meeting a certain condition, the opponent's strength suddenly increases dramatically, catching Chu Xiu completely off guard.

He was certain that the other party was not someone with a sense of contractual obligation, and that they would turn on him faster than flipping through a book if the situation reversed.

In this situation, it would be safer to stand firmly on the side of humanity and gradually develop by utilizing the existing order system.

"As long as I upgrade step by step, I can realize my potential. Why risk long-term development for short-term gains?"

Therefore, Chu Xiu had no intention of cooperating with them at all. He had only listened to them for so long because he wanted to learn more information.

"However, what that guy said at the end made some sense, so we have to be careful."

Although Chu Xiu wouldn't cooperate with him because of his own high potential, it's a different story for others. As Qin Xiang said, it's not surprising that those kings trapped under the spirits would take such a risk.

"You still need to have the power to crush everyone else!"

Chu Xiu let out a long breath and cast several spells, instantly increasing the refining speed of both the Soul Banner and the Spirit Flesh Storage Pouch.

Next, he focused his attention on the inheritance of the [Burning Blood Golden Eyes].

add a bit!

(End of this chapter)