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

Chapter 229 The Five Decline of Heaven and Man
"The Five Signs of Decay of the Celestial Being!"

This word made Chu Xiu's heart skip a beat.

The so-called Five Signs of Decay of Devas refer to the unusual phenomena that appear when celestial beings are about to die, according to Buddhist legend. These phenomena are: soiled clothes, withered flowers on the head, sweating under the armpits, foul body odor, and displeasure with their seat.

After taking a closer look at the young man, it did seem that a similar phenomenon was indeed occurring.

“Not long ago, I felt that this world and the outside world were suddenly connected under the influence of a mysterious force. I have been hiding in this Peach Blossom Spring for seven hundred years and this has never happened before. Then I was horrified to find that I had begun to experience the strange phenomenon of the five signs of decay of a celestial being,” the young man continued.

"My body began to decay, and my magical power faded accordingly. I tried to sever my connection with the outside world, but the moment I came into contact with that power, I knew it was a power I absolutely could not resist, a power I had been avoiding my entire life—"

"abyss."

As the word "abyss" fell, the youth's face grew even more ashen, and the boils on his body ruptured, beginning to ooze pus.

The young man's words made Chu Xiu realize something: "You were an Awakened before, weren't you?"

"Not only am I an Awakened One, but I am also one of only three Civilization Envoys in our world, although I failed in the first Ancient Trial."

The young man shook his head with a bitter smile: "All my teammates who went with me are dead. I'm the only one who survived thanks to the Proof of the Past. And all I've gained..."

The young man pointed to the spot beneath him: "This is the Peach Blossom Spring."

"No wonder." Chu Xiu nodded.

No wonder the young man seemed to know him very well; it turned out he had also been a civilization envoy.

It is estimated that he was disheartened after failing the trial, so he led some of his people to hide in this paradise and became a local tyrant.

However, this envoy of civilization actually used religion to rule his people and even built a paradise for his own enjoyment. In addition, Chu Xiu was also passively mentioned a lot of other despicable things along the way. It is no exaggeration to say that he is a capricious and cruel monarch.

It is clear that "civilization" is merely a label and has nothing to do with character.

"No wonder Ya Zi is so distrustful of me. Perhaps I should pretend more in the future," Chu Xiu thought to himself.

However, he still had some doubts: "Why did the other members become stronger after coming into contact with the Abyss, while you declined?"

"Because they are all creatures born locally, the power they acquire and their inner essence are unified."

"Even though I possess the strongest celestial power, it's like a golden robe. No matter how long I wear it, it's never truly part of my body. Once Peach Blossom Spring is damaged, external forces can enhance the celestial power, but this enhancement clashes with my original body. My internal body has already exhausted its lifespan and is decaying beyond repair over the past seven hundred years." The young man shook his head with a bitter smile.

"I see." Chu Xiu now completely understood why the Celestials had gone to such lengths to obstruct him.

For him, wanting to leave would undoubtedly further strengthen the connection between this world and the outside world.

Without giving it any further thought, Chu Xiu got down to business: "Where exactly is this place, and how do we get out?"

This time, however, the Celestial didn't answer honestly. Instead, he revealed a mysterious smile: "Then it comes down to the conditions I've set out to discuss."

"Speak," Chu Xiu said calmly, "As it stands, I see no possibility of cooperation between us."

“I have a suggestion,” the Celestial Being raised a finger, “the trial to clear the Old Trials should take away 50% of the people, right?”

“I cannot allow so many people to leave. Every time someone comes out of the passage, their soul, mind, and body, the moment they come into contact with the abyss, will cause the tentacles of the abyss to penetrate even deeper into this place.”

"However, I also know that this so-called 50% refers to 50% of the existing human population, not 50% of the total population."

"So how about this: we kill 95 percent of the humans here, and split the rest in half. You take half and leave, successfully completing the mission, while I take the others to the deeper parts of Peach Blossom Spring, to those places the abyss has not yet reached."

"That way, you can complete your mission, and I can continue my rule. Isn't that a win-win situation?"

The celestial being's words made Chu Xiu slightly raise his eyes.

Killing 95% of the population? That's nearly 20,000 lives.

Chu Xiu didn't care about the lives of unrelated people, but...
"This will affect my mission evaluation," Chu Xiu said calmly.

“But if you disagree, you will get nothing,” the young man said with an air of confidence. “In the past seven hundred years, I have not only enjoyed myself. Every day, I have been deepening my rule over this place.”

"Tianlong is now completely under my control. Even after I enter the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man, he cannot break free. Even if he kills me, he will not be able to break free of his control, but will only cause him to go berserk."

"And if we want to leave this place, we must rely on Tianlong!"

"You killed so many followers and destroyed my stupa. You must have gained enough benefits. You should be content."

Chu Xiu did not answer, but pointed to the passage outside and sneered, "If Tianlong can leave through this passage, why can't I?"

Chu Xiu originally thought that the exit passage was right in front of him, and that the Celestial Being would give way, but to his surprise, he revealed a strange smile instead.

"Perhaps you can leave, but you absolutely cannot take 20,000 people with you!" He said with absolute certainty. "Let me be honest with you, although you are powerful, without the help of the Heavenly Dragon, you can only manage to take a hundred people safely at most! By cooperating with me, you can bring back more people safely!"

"Why is that?" Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow.

"I can't tell you that," the celestial being said with a mysterious smile.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal all the information, especially since leaving was his only bargaining chip with Chu Xiu. Although he didn't think Chu Xiu had any countermeasures, what if this guy happened to have a tool to get through that "environment"?
After all, the abyss contains all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

"Then how can I trust you?" Chu Xiu asked.

"It's very simple. Over the past seven hundred years, naturally no one has ever tried to escape from this place. But if someone had successfully returned to my original world, the tentacles of the abyss would have already reached this paradise. You should now understand how difficult it is to leave."

"I might as well tell you that among those who escaped, there were twenty-one people whose strength was comparable to Liang Zhan's!"

"The exit route is clearly laid out in the center of the city, but even so, no one can escape!"

As the celestial being finished speaking, Chu Xiu frowned again.

This logic does make sense. Places like these, which are completely isolated from the Shiki world and have not been swallowed by the Abyss, will have their isolation broken if someone returns to the Shiki world. The Abyss will then detect this pure land and gradually erode it.

Furthermore, Chu Xiu also believed that under the oppressive rule of Buddhism, no one had ever tried to escape, especially those martial arts masters with considerable strength.

The words of the celestial beings may be somewhat exaggerated, but they are probably largely true.

"Strange, what kind of environment would prevent even a martial arts master like Liang Zhan from leaving?"

Thinking of this, Chu Xiu frowned.

Seeing his expression, Tianren couldn't help but reveal a smug smile. He was certain that Chu Xiu would compromise because the risks and rewards were disproportionate.

He had also participated in the trials of the past, so he naturally knew how precious it was to pass them safely.

"I wonder what difficulty level of trial this guy chose. Judging from his strength, he should be a general or king-level civilization envoy. According to news from the front, he seems to have a blood-red companion. Hmm, those summoned demons should also be summoning professions of another god. If we count the scout, then he's just like me back then, participating in the most basic four-person trial!"

"In other words, the basic reward for clearing the trial is at least one [Legendary] equipment or item per day! Even with a high completion rate, you'll only get one more item, which isn't worth risking your life for! Comparatively, it's undoubtedly more important to clear the trial safely!"

"Moreover, based solely on the strength he displayed when fighting the evil spirits, it's impossible for him to kill Asura. At most, he could only hold him off temporarily. The same goes for Garuda. That strange bird is so fast; if it wanted to escape, no one could catch it!"

"Judging from the fact that he fled back to the front line injured and disheveled, and relied on equipment to hold his ground, it's clear that anyone would be a fool to take any risks under these circumstances!"

Thinking this through, the celestial being grew even more certain, his smile widening: "Young friend, have you considered it carefully?"

However, before he could finish speaking, a sharp glint of light suddenly rose from the pagoda!
"puff!"

The celestial being's body was cleanly and neatly cut into more than a dozen pieces, and an incredulous look remained in his flying head.

"you!!!"

He stared wide-eyed at Chu Xiu.

The latter calmly wiped his knife and said indifferently, "You don't really think you have the right to negotiate with me, do you?"

The Celestial Beings made two very serious misjudgments. First, the difficulty of the trial Chu Xiu participated in was not "four people," but "the end!"
Chu Xiu had a strong premonition about the final mysterious reward. Given the Yin-Yang balance characteristic of the Abyss, such a high-difficulty trial would naturally yield an extremely important reward.

Therefore, he must make sure he achieves the highest completion rate and gets the top reward!
Another point is that Chu Xiu has already dealt with all the other tribes, including Asura and Garuda, so they are no longer able to cause him any trouble. Even the alien civilization envoy can be considered non-existent once he completes his mission within twelve hours!

"Of course, there's also something to add to the already wonderful experience."

"I'm incredibly curious about what amazing things you, a celestial being, might produce!"

Chu Xiu sneered and reached out to grab him. Instantly, thousands of sword lights shattered the celestial being's body!
However, although the youth's body had been cut into pieces as thin as minced meat, a thick, viscous mist surged from the youth's body. Even under the slash of the Judgment Demon Blade, the mist quickly recovered and transformed into a hideous head.

Although Chu Xiu's Golden Embryo Origin was almost completely depleted, and he didn't even have the Golden Embryo Origin to condense the True Demon Blade of Judgment, his ability to almost ignore the attack of the True Demon Blade of Judgment still surprised Chu Xiu slightly.

"You ungrateful wretch!" The head roared in fury and flew into the sky. Chu Xiu, of course, would not let it go. With a flick of his wrist, the leading ghost general appeared beside it!
Although the golden embryo's original essence, which had been restored with great difficulty, was exhausted again, Chu Xiu was not without a way to deal with souls. The ghosts in his soul banner were all experts in dealing with souls, having fought their way out of millions of souls!

Countless wronged souls shrieked and rushed toward the head, holding onto its soul and preventing it from moving an inch. At the same time, the leading ghost general simply reached out and grasped at the void, and the souls of the celestial beings were continuously sucked away!
The celestial being let out a shrill scream. This was the first time in seven hundred years that he had been so disheveled. He looked at Chu Xiu with a deep-seated hatred in his eyes!
Do you think I'm really afraid of you?

As the words fell, an extremely evil aura suddenly erupted from that enormous head! Compared to that aura, even the most ferocious ghosts seemed as docile as lambs!
The wronged souls that pounced on his head screamed in agony as they were burned into white smoke. Even the leading ghost general groaned as a black, bloody hole appeared in his chest, as if he had suffered some kind of backlash!
The celestial being's magical power appears to decline only because of the decay of his internal body, but his "robe," which represents the power of the celestial being, will be strengthened just like the other members of his tribe!
Freed from the constraints of his physical body, he had no more scruples. Vast energy surged forth from his enormous head like a geyser, and his aura grew at an astonishing rate. In the end, it was no weaker than Asura!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The bindings formed by the Soul Binding Technique crumbled, and the huge head coldly glanced at Chu Xiu before suddenly rushing into the sky!
At the same time, the earth began to shake, and a huge sound came from the central pipe. The next moment, something terrifying happened: the pipes were deformed as if twisted by a huge force!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

With a tremendous impact, cracks appeared in the 20-meter-thick pipe wall, as if a huge creature was writhing inside, trying to break through the wall!

The people in the main city had no idea what was happening and screamed in terror. Even the ground cracked as if it were an earthquake. Some people lost their footing and fell to the ground, and were immediately swept into the cracks!

"Tsk."

Chu Xiu clicked his tongue in annoyance, but since he had turned against the Celestial Being, he was naturally prepared and wouldn't be foolish enough to think that the other party would surrender without resistance.

With a wave of the Thousand Soul Banner, a large number of ghosts rushed out.
The concentrated Yin wind blade cleaved through the surrounding land, and a fierce ghost reached out and pulled the person out, while the other ghosts rushed to various parts of the city to ensure everyone's safety.

At that moment, the central pipe emitted another loud bang, as if it could no longer bear the weight. Then, a terrifying scene unfolded: after numerous fractures, the pipe that had shot straight into the sky emitted a chilling metallic tearing sound, and began to collapse like a colossal, deadly object!
"boom!"

As the pipe completely broke and fell, a huge object emerged from the collapsed pipe!

(End of this chapter)