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

Chapter 185 Moving forward
Chu Xiu's words made everyone involuntarily look at the corpse again.

They soon discovered that the lower half of the corpse had not disappeared, but had merged into the strange, dark substance, just like the person who attacked Chu Xiu was able to blend into the shadows!
Chu Xiu's expression was also somewhat solemn. During his first transaction, there was someone lurking around him. That person had a strange ability to blend into the shadows. If he hadn't been careless and been detected by Chu Xiu's divine sense while approaching him, Chu Xiu really wouldn't have been able to find him.

Furthermore, even after being exposed, he was still able to retreat calmly from Chu Xiu's attack. Although Chu Xiu at that time was only relying on the brute force of the Berserk Heavenly Demon Hand to smash him, it was enough to show that person's strength.

At the time, the initial conclusion reached by the crowd was that this person came from the Yakuza.

But why is Yakuza here? And who killed him?
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat heavy. Su Jinyu and Guan Ke, who were unaware of the specific situation, were fine, but Zhang Qingshan, who had witnessed the ability of the Extreme Path to merge with the shadows, looked rather grim.

That ability was extremely special, making it incredibly difficult to kill, let alone the fact that the person possessed the strength of a general.

"The cause of death appears to be a penetrating head injury. Someone pierced the back of his head with a sharp, pointed object and churned his brain into a paste in a very short time."

"The person who did this clearly knew him well, killing him with a single blow that even an awakened being couldn't withstand."

“The blood of awakened individuals is usually more active. If this person’s blood is similar to that of an ordinary awakened individual, judging from the degree of blood clotting, the time of death should be between one and two hours.”

"We hadn't even come down to explore during that period."

"In other words, there are people operating outside the current operational system, and their strength is at least at the general level!"

Su Jinyu analyzed it carefully.

This discovery made everyone's expressions even more solemn.

At the same time, Zhang Qingshan and Guan Ke looked at Su Jinyu with somewhat strange expressions.

"The clotting time of an Awakened's blood? How do you know about such things?"

"Our research institute has a special project to study the bodies of awakened individuals from different professions, exploring the differences between them and ordinary humans."

“However, there is much less of this kind of research now, and it is basically still superficial. Most of the research data comes from the dark ages of thirty years ago. At that time, there were at least three King-level Awakened who were recorded as having been dissected and imprisoned for a long time. It is impossible to have such good experimental conditions now.” Su Jinyu said with regret.

Her words left Zhang Qingshan and Guan Ke looking at each other in surprise, as if they had never expected that there was such a research.

As for Chu Xiu, he had no time to dwell on these trivial matters. Su Jinyu had copied a large amount of knowledge into her mind, so it was not surprising that she knew everything.

What he is now concerned about is what this sudden appearance of the Yakuza means and what kind of changes it will bring to his actions.

"Behind the Ultimate Path lies the Extraterrestrial Demon. If this person truly is from the Ultimate Path, does it mean that the Extraterrestrial Demon has also intervened in this matter?"

If that's the case, it gets complicated. There are too many issues to consider. What is the relationship between the Extreme Path and the Calamity? Is it the same as the Awakened Ones, with the goal of eliminating the Calamity, or is it a collaboration or some other relationship?

Chu Xiu then recalled a message he had received from an Extreme Daoist during a previous world mission. The core purpose of the Extreme Daoists vying for the anchor point was to send stronger Extreme Daoists in to compete for a certain mysterious item.

Could it be that the calamity underground is related to the item that the Yakuza desires?
"Captain, what do we do now?" Zhang Qingshan's voice rang in his ears.

Chu Xiu narrowed his eyes: "Report the news immediately. As for us..."

"keep going."

Chu Xiu's words immediately changed the expressions of Zhang Qingshan and Guan Ke. Zhang Qingshan said bluntly, "Captain, given the unexpected turn of events, I think it would be best to reunite with Senior Qin first."

Chu Xiu said, "This trip is indeed risky. You and Su Jinyu can leave first, while Guan Ke and I will continue deeper."

Chu Xiu doesn't need much combat power from these two, but he does need Guan Ke's reconnaissance skills.

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Jinyu said, "I'll go down with you. My rune array will definitely come in handy."

She answered quickly, clearly afraid that if she left halfway, Chu Xiu would not give her the resurrection wine.

Zhang Qingshan frowned and said, "We can report information through the communication tool. We are a team, and even if I don't agree with your decision, Captain, there's no reason to split us up on the spot."

Guan Ke, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. "What's wrong with you two? What are you waiting for? If you're not leaving, then let me leave! Why am I the only one with no choice?"
However, Chu Xiu still needed her reconnaissance abilities, so he naturally wouldn't let her leave.

"In that case, let's set off now." Chu Xiu said no more.

Guan Ke sighed, resignedly summoning a large number of spirit birds to explore the depths of the road ahead.

She was cursing inwardly. She had thought that the Dark Night King would be a player with top-notch talent, intelligence, and skills, which would allow him to level up so quickly. Who knew he was a paranoid mad gambler?

Even though he was a general, and a general skilled in hiding, he was killed right before his eyes, yet he showed no fear and insisted on rushing in.

Even a King-level Awakened wouldn't be this reckless!

This isn't just taking a risk, it's courting death! Even if they survive this time, they'll inevitably crash and burn someday!

Although Guan Ke kept her grievances to herself, Chu Xiu could guess what she was thinking from the slight twitching on her face.

However, he naturally wouldn't care.

In fact, Chu Xiu did this not out of blind arrogance. Given his personality, he always considered all aspects and weighed the benefits and risks before making a decision.

What prompted him to make the decision to continue the exploration was the intelligence he obtained from Rasputin before he set off.

This blood demon possesses a wealth of information, and Chu Xiu certainly wouldn't be fooled by its few words. He had only prioritized other matters, not allowed himself to be manipulated by it.

After learning a lot of new information from Qin Xiang, he felt it was necessary to carefully interrogate this cunning Blood Demon before setting off.

There are four main problems.

Just how powerful is the calamity beneath the earth?

What special abilities does it possess?

What are its weaknesses?

And "What's the use of it collecting [pollutants], and why is it so eager for you?"

At first, this guy addressed me as "Your Excellency" as usual, with a humble expression, but he refused to reveal any useful information, dodging the question and acting like a shrewd businessman, trying to maximize his own interests with this intelligence.

But this time Chu Xiu wouldn't tolerate him. He directly pulled him out of the spirit flesh storage pouch and then ordered Su Jinyu to lash him with a lightning whip.

Amid Rasputin's screams, a charred mark appeared on his back, with the surrounding flesh tearing open and emitting a foul, burnt smell.

This guy has some cleverness, but little backbone. Before he could even get a few hits, he started crying and screaming, blurting out everything.

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Your Majesty, I'll tell you everything!"

Finally, amidst Rasputin's aggrieved gaze, Chu Xiu successfully gleaned a considerable amount of useful information.

First and foremost, there is a more accurate prediction of the power of calamities.

"Blood demons are special species born from the blood of powerful creatures, but their rank is not high. Even blood demons born from the blood of gods usually do not exceed the king rank."

"However, because the Boundless Blood Pool is inherently related to 'blood,' the Blood Demons born from its blood are far more powerful than ordinary Blood Demons; they are 'Primordial Blood Demons' born directly from 'Fragments of Rules.'"

"There are a total of seventy-two Primal Blood Demons, divided into thirty-six high-ranking and thirty-six low-ranking."

"Lower-rank Blood Demons are all [Heroic Spirits], while higher-ranking ones are [Demigods]."

“I can sense that the Blood Demon core underground comes from a lower-level Blood Demon. The calamity underground has taken over it, and it should have the energy level of a [Heroic Spirit], but it certainly cannot unleash its full power.”

"Furthermore, after the Blood Demon dies, its power will be greatly lost. Combined with the fact that it cannot move freely, it can be basically said that its control over the Blood Demon core is very low. I estimate that it can at most exert the combat power of a high-level king, and it is definitely no match for Your Excellency!"

Rasputin said with a fawning expression.

This guy's words are similar to Qin Xiang's analysis, but more precise.

He clearly knew that if Chu Xiu realized he had given false information, the first thing Chu Xiu would do before suffering any loss would be to kill him. Given his cunning, he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to deceive Chu Xiu.

Chu Xiu is more than capable of dealing with this level of strength!
Next, Rasputin provided two more crucial pieces of intelligence.

First, the underground calamities are unlikely to possess particularly troublesome abilities. "The special abilities of a Blood Demon usually depend on the original body it was born from. For example, Blood Demons born from Mountain Titans generally have innate defensive talents, while Blood Demons born from Banshees are born with the ability to master certain high-level spells."

"The calamity underground can sense other parts, either because it has taken over the Blood Demon's core and transformed into a Blood Demon, or because it is a life form reborn from the Blood Demon's core. Either way, it belongs to the category of Blood Demon and must abide by the characteristics of Blood Demon."

"And [Corruption] should be the special ability of this blood demon, so Your Majesty, you only need to consider how to deal with those corrupted creatures. The main body of the calamity should not be difficult to deal with."

As for the other piece of information, it is that after collecting other Blood Demon parts, as long as the power within them is refined, one can increase their control over the Blood Demon core.

Even if a Blood Demon dies, its brain, heart, and core will still retain consciousness, and there is even a chance that a new Blood Demon will be born thousands of years later.

The consciousness of the other components will gradually dissipate over the years, eventually becoming a power without a master.

However, even unclaimed power cannot be used by just anyone. Usually, only fellow blood demons can absorb it. Even if other races forcibly absorb it using special methods, they will suffer significant losses.

"In other words, the current calamity is likely refining those [pollutants] underground."

“It’s not conserving its strength to fight us to the death at all; it’s constantly sending out small groups to delay us and buy itself time to refine the [contaminants],” Chu Xiu quickly concluded.

It can be said that Qin Xiang's cautious strategy of advancing was actually in line with the impending disaster.

If we charge in recklessly like brutes, it will be difficult to deal with us. We can only rely on a large number of corrupted creatures to block the entrance and resist, which will quickly deplete the remaining manpower we have.

Therefore, after combining the above intelligence, Chu Xiu's action plan was already set: to charge down and eliminate the calamity!

The only question is whether it's better to share the intelligence with Qin Xiang and pool our resources, or to keep it secret and monopolize the resources.

After calculating his own strength, Chu Xiu felt that he was qualified to try to take it all for himself!
Furthermore, it's hard to say whether attracting other kings with ill intentions towards him is safer or actually increases the risk, since he still doesn't know who was following him with the special tool.

If someone were to take advantage of the situation to attack him while he was vying for resources, Chu Xiu, who knew nothing about these King-level beings, would be in a very passive position.

Although he was strong, he was far from invincible. In battles at the King level, there were many special methods that could cause him great losses, so Chu Xiu had to be cautious.

At present, the tragic death of the yakuza has added variables to the operation, but he was killed by a sneak attack on the back of the head, and the real strength of the murderer may not be that strong. Chu Xiu felt that the situation was not out of control, not to mention that he still had enough trump cards to save his life.

Therefore, he remained steadfast in pushing forward with the original action plan.

Next, Chu Xiu and Guan Ke, just like their previous coordination on the ground, released the mechanical spirit sparrow and the ghost army respectively.

They split into dozens of small teams, rapidly exploring the entire underground structure like mycelium spreading outwards.

This appears to be a large-scale shelter expanded from an underground military base designed to withstand nuclear bombs. The crisscrossing passageways connect different areas, including warehouses for storing military weapons and living quarters for residents. Judging from its size, it could probably accommodate hundreds of thousands of people.

However, all those military weapons have disappeared, and the residents have probably all turned into corrupted creatures.

"call out--"

A mechanical sparrow flew at an extremely fast speed across a passage that was hundreds of meters long, but just after turning a corner, a corrupted soldier holding a rotary machine gun suddenly appeared in front of it!

The gun barrel began to spin, and the next moment, amidst the deafening roar of artillery fire, hundreds of bullets wove together into a dense storm of metal, instantly destroying the mechanical sparrow.

Although the corrupted soldier was quickly destroyed by the ghosts that followed, the mechanical sparrow was completely destroyed.

This scene was happening simultaneously in several places!
Corrupted soldiers are constantly sniping Guan Ke's mechanical creations in individual combat!

"Snapped!"

After another mechanical sparrow was shot down, Guan Ke covered his head with his left hand, his face full of heartache.

Within just a few minutes, her mechanical sparrow was reduced to one-third of its original size!

Clearly, the calamities underground have started playing mind games.

The stronger the corrupted creature, the more easily it is manipulated by the calamity. For the lowest-level corrupted inhabitants, it can only issue some simple commands, so many of them were left there to delay the progress of the Awakened Alliance's attack.

But if you go deeper underground, you'll find a large number of elites.

"Captain, these monsters clearly know our location; they're ambushing us with a premeditated plan!"

"Should we retreat first?" Guan Ke's uneasy voice rang out.

Chu Xiu remained calm: "Keep moving forward. All the modern weapons we get along the way are yours. They're definitely worth more than those little birds you have."

Although Chu Xiu didn't have a good way to deal with the opponent's methods, since it was on their home turf, this only confirmed his guess. So now all he needed to do was continue to advance, just like when two armies are facing each other, a cavalry unit would directly attack the central army, and head straight for the place of disaster!
Soon, after paying the price of several more mechanical sparrows, the four finally discovered the passage to the second level.

After entering the second level, the enemy's ambush efforts and frequency increased significantly, and even Chu Xiu's ghosts began to suffer losses.

Guan Ke's mechanical sparrows were soon wiped out, and he could only continue to rely on mechanical dogs for reconnaissance, but this greatly reduced his efficiency.

Chu Xiu also made a decisive move, no longer relying on Guan Ke, but instead sending out a large number of ghosts to scout ahead.

Although this caused a sudden surge in the number of ghosts he lost, fortunately, the dead were all low-level ghosts that could be quickly replenished, while the speed at which he could explore the map increased dramatically.

In just ten minutes, Chu Xiu descended three floors and arrived at the fifth floor.

Seemingly realizing that Chu Xiu was coming for them, Calamity became anxious and began to send out a large number of elite snipers to target the four. They no longer relied on individual sniping as before, but instead used small-team positional warfare to block Chu Xiu's exploration. Even corrupted soldiers of the fierce rank appeared!
These corrupted creatures were well-equipped, and their various powerful modern weapons caused Chu Xiu's ghosts a lot of trouble, slowing down their exploration speed.

Furthermore, perhaps because the calamity was not far off, the people began to hear strange murmurs, and black and white phantoms flashed before their eyes from time to time.

"This is the [contamination] of calamity."

Su Jinyu quickly made a judgment, stepped forward and recited an ancient incantation. As the incantation ended, a floating rune pillar rose in the center of the four people, and the noise and illusions immediately disappeared.

"This is a rune I've mastered to resist [Contamination], but my mana can't sustain it for long, and the consumption will accelerate as the [Contamination] intensifies!"

Upon hearing this, the worry on everyone's faces deepened, and they all looked at Chu Xiu, who had already lost more than three hundred fierce ghosts and over a thousand yin ghosts in the current battle.

Even though they were all low-level ghosts, Chu Xiu still felt quite sorry for them.

Just then, Qin Xiang also sent a message: "Chen Ce! Why are you still going deeper? I know you're afraid that the resources will be taken by others, but do you want to face the calamity alone? Return immediately! The resources from annihilating the calamity will not be shortchanged on you!"

This was the fifth time Qin Xiang had contacted him.

However, Chu Xiu chose to ignore it.

“Keep moving forward,” he said.

With a wave of his hand, a large number of ghosts surged out from the Hundred Souls Banner and once again peered forward.

Su Jinyu followed, but Zhang Qingshan and Guan Ke, unaware of the inside story, showed even greater doubt on their faces.

However, Zhang Qingshan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The dragon soul on his left arm transformed into a shield covering his skin. Then he strode forward and rushed to the front of the group.

He didn't know Chu Xiu's exact strength, but he was clear about his role in the team.

After hesitating for a while, Guan Ke reluctantly followed.

She had no choice at this point; rather than being left alone on the fifth floor, she might as well risk it with Chu Xiu.

And so, after paying the price of losing hundreds more ghosts and all of Guan Ke's mechanical dogs, the four of them finally made it to the sixth floor.

What appeared before them was a large artificial planting area, in which fields of wheat had already withered.

Suddenly, Chu Xiu's divine sense detected something.

He looked into the distance, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

"Finally couldn't hold it in any longer, huh?"

(End of this chapter)