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

Chapter 190 Strange Buddha Statue
The lair of calamity was very far from the shelter. After leaving the plantation, Chu Xiu found that it was the last floor of the shelter, but behind a very thick and damaged blast door, he found a path leading to a deeper part.

The road was not wide, only wide enough for one armored vehicle to pass through, and it was very rugged, with protruding rocks everywhere. It didn't look like it was dug out by a tunnel boring machine or similar excavation machine, but rather like it was built by a powerful awakened being who used brute force to smash the rocks.

After walking along this road for twenty or thirty kilometers, Chu Xiu finally reached his destination.

This is a huge, naturally formed cavity. At this depth, you can already feel the intense heat of the underground lava. It is estimated that if you dig a few more kilometers down, you will reach boiling magma.

At the end of the hollow, there was a huge, dark cavern, hundreds of meters high, like a gaping maw from the abyss. At this moment, many decaying creatures were climbing around the cavern, like countless beetles moving with a rustling sound.

"These corrupted inhabitants are all of the Berserker rank!"

Chu Xiu was somewhat shocked.

Advancing corrupted residents to higher ranks is extremely difficult; it may take millions of them to produce even one ferocious-ranked individual.

Moreover, compared to the corrupted inhabitants of the outside world, their rock armor was a pale gold color, making them appear exceptionally mystical.

"Don't go any further, outsider."

"My suggestion is still valid, but once you enter the cave, there will be no turning back. You will awaken a terrifying being that even I cannot control." The calamity's deep voice rang in Chu Xiu's ears.

Chu Xiu turned his head and looked at the figure who had been talking incessantly beside him. It was a humanoid form manifested by the calamity, and it looked like a rather composed middle-aged man. At this moment, the expression on his face was extremely serious.

However, Chu Xiu calmly said, "If you really want to negotiate with me, then explain the whole story clearly."

"Do you really think I'd be scared by your riddles?"

Chu Xiu's words made the Calamity pause, and after a long while, it said, "I cannot tell you what my trump card is, otherwise it will lose all meaning. I also cannot tell you what will happen when you step into the cave, because that involves the secrets of my 'core'."

"But I can tell you that even if your strength far exceeds my expectations, forcing your way in will only lead to your destruction."

"Although you possess great power, your rank is still too low. You know too little about beings at our level, which can lead to your misjudgment."

"【Heroic Spirits】are beings on another level of life."

"Trust me, working with me will be the best choice for you."

The word "calamity" made Chu Xiu pause, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

It has to be said, its behavior is quite intimidating.

Is this just a delaying tactic, or is there something really going on?

Chu Xiu looked up, staring at the huge cave in front of him, and hesitated for once.

He usually prepares in advance before making a plan, and once the plan is made, he no longer hesitates and will not be frightened by a few unfounded words.

But the calamity did indeed strike at his weak point; he currently knew too little about the beings above him.

Actually, Chu Xiu's strength improved too quickly, while his status, information, and intelligence hadn't kept up.

Fortunately, he currently possesses a "superior status".

"Rasputin, what do you think? Can you Blood Demons swear an oath to the boundless pool of blood without any scruples just to deceive your enemies?" Chu Xiu asked after releasing Rasputin.

The eyes of the Calamity nearby immediately flashed with greed, while Rasputin's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly shouted, "Your Majesty! Don't be deceived by this despicable villain! That bitch of the Boundless Blood Pool is nothing! It's not an omnipotent and omniscient god. Don't even mention swearing in His name, even if you insult Him, He won't utter a fart!"

"Is that so?" Chu Xiu stroked his chin.

Judging from Rasputin's behavior, the Boundless Blood Pool probably hasn't reached the point where one can sense it simply by reciting its name. However, Rasputin's words, spoken in order to protect himself, cannot be entirely trusted.

After all, Chu Xiu hadn't forgotten that when he obtained the tongue, the description on the item said that Rasputin was dismembered because he was too talkative and gossiped about others behind their backs.

"But even so, there is currently no strong enough evidence to force me to change my plans."

Chu Xiu was not easily intimidated, but he secretly decided to be more cautious and prudent.

He waved the Hundred Soul Banner, and a ghost general led hundreds of fierce ghosts out from it, probing into the cave in the form of souls.

Chu Xiu himself sat on the back of the flying corpse and retreated several hundred meters, keeping as far away from the cave as possible, while holding the Great Sun Guardian Shield in front of him, maintaining a posture where he could retreat at any time.

He simply attached his mind to the ghost general to investigate the situation inside the cave.

Even if something unexpected happens, the flying corpse can quickly evacuate him. The movement speed of this refined corpse even exceeds that of many King-level Awakeners, which is enough to deal with most emergencies.

If the Calamity is still capable of killing him under these circumstances, then it wouldn't need to waste any more words; all the Awakened Ones in this pit would have been wiped out long ago.

Seeing that he did not back down, Calamity snorted coldly and said no more, only leaving behind the words "You will regret it" before the phantom image disappeared.

Chu Xiu ignored them and began ordering the ghost team to advance, focusing on exploring the interior of the cave.

To his surprise, these golden corrupted inhabitants did not attack him, as if they were completely unaware of their existence.

This unusual scene gave him a vague sense of foreboding.

The further they went, the stronger this ominous premonition became.

Pale golden threads, like mycelium, began to appear on the ground and the surrounding rock walls, becoming denser as the group ventured deeper. At the same time, the rugged rock walls gradually became smoother, giving Chu Xiu a strange feeling that the cave before him was becoming like a palace cast in gold.

Strangely, Chu Xiu did not feel any sense of "grandeur" or "solemnity" at all. On the contrary, the further he went, the colder he felt. This was not a psychological illusion, but a real feeling.

"Ghosts are composed of yin energy, and even ghosts themselves feel a chill in their hearts."

Chu Xiu's expression turned slightly serious, and he became even more vigilant.

But he continued to explore forward, and just then, three loud bell tolls suddenly came from the depths of the cave.

"Boom-thump-thump-"

The sound of the bell was no different from that of the temple bells. However, instead of the sobering sound that should have brought him clarity, Chu Xiu heard countless noisy whispers in his ears. These whispers included those of old people and children, women and men, and even strange howls that were neither beast nor human. He found them disturbing.

This startled Chu Xiu, who quickly activated his divine sense to guard his spiritual platform, and the strange whispers gradually disappeared.

"This is [contamination]. I never expected that the [contamination] of that calamity would be so powerful that it could affect me based on the subtle connection between my consciousness and that of the ghost."

"As expected of someone in a high position, they certainly have some tricks up their sleeve."

Fortunately, ghosts are inherently yin beings, so they have a strong resistance to this kind of "pollution," and the ghost general can also gather the power of the vengeful ghosts together to further counteract the effects of the "pollution."

So the ghostly procession was able to continue. After traveling several more miles, the number of corrupted inhabitants increased further, and a type of corrupted inhabitant began to appear with bizarre behavior.

These corrupted inhabitants lay prostrate on the ground, kneeling towards the depths of the cave, seemingly in sincere prayer. Through their faces, covered by pale gold rock, one could see an expression of utmost piety. Even when ghosts passed by them, they remained completely still.

The golden light emanating from the rocks on these crawling, corrupted inhabitants was deeper than that of the other corrupted inhabitants, and the further one went, the greater the proportion of rocks covered in gold became.

"Tsk, this is getting weirder and weirder."

This scene caused Chu Xiu to silently retreat several hundred meters.

However, at this moment, Chu Xiu suddenly stopped, and a look of shock involuntarily appeared on his face. At the same time, the ghost general to whom his consciousness was attached also stopped walking.

After turning a corner, at the end of the cave, a huge Buddha statue appeared.

The Buddha statue sat cross-legged, yet it was still a hundred meters tall, radiating a faint golden light, with a compassionate smile on its face.

At this moment, countless golden threads emerged from beneath the Buddha statue, spreading out of the cave, appearing extremely mystical, like a deity bringing light to the world.

Strangely, half of the Buddha statue was embedded in the mountainside, and there were more than a dozen iron chains nearby that pierced through its body, fixing it firmly in place like a prisoner.

Chu Xiu also discovered that although its skin was golden, it did not seem to be as smooth as that of an ordinary Buddha statue. Instead, it was uneven and even had some cracks.

Just as Chu Xiu was carefully examining the Buddha statue in front of him, he suddenly caught something out of the corner of his eye: the Buddha statue's mouth seemed to move almost imperceptibly!
Although it was very subtle, Chu Xiu still keenly noticed it, and his heart tightened! All the ghosts immediately went into battle mode!
However, after waiting for more than ten seconds, nothing happened, as if it had just been his hallucination.

But this made him even more hesitant to act rashly.

Chu Xiu asked Rasputin, but the guy had never heard of such a bizarre thing. Blood Demon and Buddha statue, there was no way they could be connected.

However, one thing is certain: the scene before him does not match Chu Xiu's previous predictions, for example, some kind of anomaly has occurred.

"Could the calamity be true?"

"Should we just wait for Qin Xiang and the other kings to arrive before we talk about it?" Chu Xiu muttered to himself.

Although this would drastically reduce his profits, it would certainly be much safer. He was not a rigid person; the scene before him was beyond his comprehension, and with the addition of new intelligence, he naturally had to flexibly adjust his plans.

However, just as he was pondering to himself, the Buddha statue suddenly moved again!
His golden eyes, which had been staring straight ahead, suddenly looked down strangely, toward where Chu Xiu was!

Although the deviation was only a few degrees, Chu Xiu was certain that he had not made a mistake this time, because he had been highly focused since then, paying close attention to the Buddha statue's every move!
This made Chu Xiu's hair stand on end instantly!

Even though the pupil wasn't actually aimed directly at Chu Xiu, but rather deviated downwards by a few degrees, Chu Xiu still felt as if he were being watched by some being!

"Something's wrong. It's absolutely wrong!"

Chu Xiu's inner alarm bells rang loudly. Without the slightest hesitation, he made a decisive judgment and immediately manipulated the ghost general to retreat.

However, at that moment, the golden pupils of the Buddha statue suddenly cracked open, revealing a terrifying crimson color. At the same time, blood-red light emanated from its body, and a huge wind pressure surged out from the Buddha statue, squeezing outwards!

Countless pebbles were swirled up, and the ghost's soul was tossed about in the air by the immense wind pressure, like willow catkins in a storm. It had to materialize to barely stop its form. The surrounding rock walls rumbled loudly, and countless pebbles fell. Dust rose from the surface of the Buddha statue, as if some great life that had been dormant for millions of years was being revived within it!

As time passed, the already fierce winds, which were like being cleaved by knives and axes, not only did not diminish, but became even more powerful. The Buddha statue, which was originally half-embedded in the rock wall, was constantly being broken by the wind pressure. At the same time, the expression on the Buddha statue's face became more and more lifelike!
Suddenly, the Buddha statue crossed its legs, and amidst a violent friction sound, a large amount of dust was raised, and each of its legs, which was nearly fifty meters high, changed from a seated position to an outstretched position.

At the same time, the Buddha statue braced itself on the ground with both hands, as if it was about to get up!

With a deafening roar, the entire cave began to collapse. An immense pressure, unlike anything Chu Xiu had ever felt from anyone, descended upon him. Under this pressure, Chu Xiu's vengeful spirit couldn't even withstand it for a moment before collapsing to its knees with a thud! Its entire body was trembling!

This was a pressure from a completely different level. The fear of this pressure even surpassed the power that the Hundred Soul Banner could control. No matter how Chu Xiu gave the orders, the vengeful ghosts did not react at all! Only the ghost generals were able to resist it!

In fact, let alone the vengeful ghost, even Chu Xiu felt a fear from the depths of his soul. This was due to the huge difference in their levels. If Chu Xiu were in front of that Buddha statue, he probably wouldn't be able to move! This made him look horrified!
"This is a [Heroic Spirit]! This terrifying level of energy is on a completely different level from that of a King-level being!"

"No wonder becoming a Heroic Spirit is such a huge hurdle! No wonder those who haven't reached S-rank don't even have the qualifications to advance! No wonder countless exceptionally talented King-rank individuals, even after decades of accumulation, only have a less than 10% chance of passing the trial!"

This is no longer just an increase in power, but an evolution of the essence of life!
"Could this be the trump card that the calamity spoke of?!"

The strength of this strange Buddha statue has far exceeded Chu Xiu's previous estimates. Previously, everyone speculated that although the Calamity possessed the energy level of a [Heroic Spirit], it was a new life born with the help of the Blood Demon Core, and its control over the core was very poor, at most it could exert the strength of a top-level king.

However, the pressure emanating from this Buddha statue has far exceeded the realm of a king, and there may have been an unexpected turn of events!
Even though Chu Xiu was still extremely strong, he was not confident that he could hold out against this power!

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xiu turned and ran!
Just then, the Buddha statue suddenly pointed forward, and a golden light shot towards it. The golden light was incredibly fast, and the solid rocks mixed with minerals were pierced through it as easily as tofu!
Chu Xiu was shocked and hurriedly urged the flying corpse to speed up. At the same time, the Judgment Demon Blade condensed in his hand, and he unleashed his power from his body, slashing at the incoming golden light!
The blade of destructive energy collided with the golden light, producing a deafening roar that seemed to shatter metal and split stone, which then triggered a violent explosion in the arena!

The massive shockwave spread outwards, stirring up rubble everywhere. However, seeing this astonishing power, Chu Xiu let out a soft exclamation and stopped.

He never expected that the Demon Blade of Judgment could block this attack.

Although the golden light would inevitably weaken after traveling several kilometers, it was still the power of a [Heroic Spirit].

Originally, Chu Xiu was prepared to have the Judgment Demon Blade shattered and rely on his own powerful physique to withstand the damage.

But to my surprise, they accepted it.

He stared intently, only to be surprised to find that the oppressive aura emanating from the Buddha statue was rapidly diminishing, as if it were being suppressed by some kind of force.

But the thick iron chains that bound the Buddha statue, which were originally rusted, now shone with a bright green light, and countless ancient and mysterious inscriptions appeared on their surface.

Under the pressure of these inscriptions, the Buddha statue let out a defiant roar and slumped back down with a loud thud.

This scene startled Chu Xiu slightly, and then he let out a long breath.

"Ha, I knew that calamity was deceiving me."

That makes sense. If the Buddha statue truly had no limitations, it would probably have already rushed out of the pit and killed everyone else.

The chains gradually tightened, seemingly piercing through the Buddha statue's bones. The statue, like a manipulated puppet, gradually returned to its original posture.

However, before its power completely dissipated, it struggled and shot another beam of golden light at Chu Xiu.

However, this attack was much weaker than the previous one, and its speed was also slower. Chu Xiu's divine sense was even able to detect the true form of the golden light, which was a small vajra made purely of energy.

Just as he was about to slash it away, a figure suddenly rushed out from behind him and shattered the golden light in front of him with a punch.

A familiar face came into view.

Qin Xiang's face was full of anger: "Chen Ce! Why are you disobeying orders? Do you know what would have happened to you if I had arrived even a moment later?!"

(End of this chapter)