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

Chapter 392 A Narrow Escape
"Miss Xuanzhao?"

The woman's voice made everyone's eyes light up, and they all turned to look. They saw a woman with a ghostly figure, moving at an extremely fast speed, floating from a distance. It was Xie Xuanzhao, whom everyone had been searching for!
"Miss Xuanzhao, it's wonderful that you're unharmed!" Cat Seven Delight said.

With Xie Xuanzhao, a level ten civilization envoy who possesses powerful rules, their strength has increased dramatically. How could he not be happy?
Chu Xiu frowned slightly. He felt that he had just intimidated the others, but Xie Xuanzhao's appearance might make them want to take risks again. He couldn't help but say, "Miss Xuanzhao has been out of contact for a long time. Now that she has appeared, she is saying something about a very bad omen. I wonder what she means by that?"

Faced with his clearly hostile question, Xie Xuanzhao smiled slightly: "Brother Chen, there's no need to be nervous. My daughter has no ill intentions towards you."

"The reason for the long delay is that Brother Chen's clone is too troublesome. It took my daughter a lot of effort to barely get rid of it."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized that Chu Xiu's clone had gone after this woman. They knew all too well how strong Chu Xiu was, and even his clone was not someone they could easily deal with.

Chu Xiu was also surprised. This woman was able to break free from his clone, and the rules she possessed were probably even more troublesome than he had expected. However, she claimed to have no ill intentions towards him, but he wondered what her true intentions were.

Cat Seven spoke first: "Miss Xuanzhao, you've arrived just in time! We've already found out who the tribulation seeker hidden among us is!"

Having said that, Mao Qi looked at Xie Xuanzhao expectantly, but to his surprise, the latter showed no surprise at all, and simply smiled and said, "Is it Brother Chen?"

These words made Mao Qi pause for a moment, and then a doubt arose in his heart. He asked, "How did you know, young lady? Could it be that you have actually been staying nearby all along?"

Xie Xuanzhao raised her eyes and looked at the crowd with their various expressions, then smiled and said, "I will explain this matter in detail, but I have another question to ask at this moment."

"What are the specific rules that each of you is familiar with?"

This was a rather sensitive question, and no one spoke for a moment. Xie Xuanzhao didn't seem to mind, and simply turned to Zhu Jiu and said, "If my daughter's calculations are correct, Brother Zhu should be a law of destruction?"

Zhu Jiu paused for a moment, then nodded.

Xie Xuanzhao turned to Cat Seven again: "Brother Cat, shouldn't it be the Law of Change?"

Cat Seven frowned, somewhat displeased, and said, "Since you already know, why ask again?"

Xie Xuanzhao smiled and continued to turn to the others, announcing their rules one by one.

Although it was only a rough classification, it was basically accurate, which caused everyone's expression to change slightly.

Faced with skeptical gazes, Xie Xuanzhao remained calm and simply smiled, saying, "As expected, please don't overthink it. I'm just trying to verify a guess, and now I'll tell you everything I know."

"Do you all remember that I once mentioned that my teacher told me that the calamity was related to an ancient plan?"

Cat Seven said, "Of course I remember, but Miss Xuanzhao said at the time that she didn't know the specifics."

Xie Xuanzhao said, "I said I was not clear about the specific plan, but I never said that I knew nothing about the 'calamity' itself."

"It's just that the information I have is too fragmented and needs evidence to connect it. Also, the people who went through the tribulation were among us at the time, so I didn't say anything."

"Are we no longer among those undergoing tribulations?" Cat Seven's voice was rather impolite.

In his view, the situation was already very clear. They either had to find a way to kill the final boss, or they had to join forces to fight against Chu Xiu, who was obviously a Tribulation ...

The saying goes, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the second will be weak and the third will be exhausted." Xie Xuanzhao knew that Chu Xiu was a tribulation seeker, yet he did not join forces with the others to fight the enemy, which made Xie Xuanzhao suspicious.

Xie Xuanzhao remained calm and unhurried, saying, "Your Excellency may wish to hear my daughter's words before making a judgment."

Cat Seven fell silent, and Xie Xuanzhao continued, "According to my teacher's research, the origin of the Calamity is extremely ancient, and can even be traced back to hundreds of millions of years ago, to an era when gods, rules, and the entire Awakener system did not exist."

These words caused both Mao Qi and Zhu Jiu's expressions to change simultaneously. They came from a level ten civilization and knew more or less that Awakeners were not innate laws, but rather products that appeared later in life. Before Awakeners, there had been a glorious civilization in this universe, and traces of it can still be found occasionally.

Xie Xuanzhao continued, "In that era, a tribulation was a symbol of hardship, and there were various kinds of tribulations. There was the so-called transformation tribulation, which allowed demons and beasts to transform into human form once they passed through it. There was also the immortality tribulation, which allowed one to become an immortal once one passed through it. This was a powerful life form in ancient times."

"The forms of tribulation are also very diverse. The most common one is the lightning tribulation, which is the heavenly lightning that strikes the person undergoing the tribulation. As long as one survives it, one is considered to have successfully transcended the tribulation. Of course, this heavenly lightning is not ordinary lightning. It contains terrifying rules of destruction, but it only manifests in the form of lightning."

"In addition to these, there are also tribulations of self-examination, tribulations of inner demons, and so on."

“In that era, as long as cultivators could survive the tribulation, their strength would take a leap forward, and they would be able to break through the bottleneck that had been hindering them.”

"Doesn't this sound a lot like the advancement trial?"

After he finished speaking, everyone's expressions turned strange.

"So, Miss Xuanzhao means that the tribulation is a special kind of trial?" Zhu Jiu asked.

Cat Seven said, "You don't need to tell us, we can see that ourselves."

Xie Xuanzhao smiled and said, "To be precise, it is the essential power contained within the tribulation that enables people to evolve and transform."

"My teacher was obsessed with Zed, conducted extensive research on it, and proposed a theory: the Ascension Trial. It is actually transformed from the power of Zed that allows people to evolve and transform. Or, to put it in a more modern way, the Ascension Trial is the digitized version of Zed!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu's brow twitched violently, and his heart was filled with turbulent waves.

Is the Advancement Trial just a calamity after datafication?

He never imagined that there was such a connection between the two!
He never expected that this trial would yield such a shocking secret!
What are the strange characteristics of the Kejie?

Chu Xiu's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, but the others were uninterested. Cat Seven, having completely lost patience, asked, "How will this help us clear the level?"

Xie Xuanzhao's smile faded, and he said, "If you don't understand the characteristics of a tribulation, how can you deduce the special nature of those who undergo tribulations? Does Brother Cat simply assume that those who undergo tribulations are merely stronger awakened beings, and then fight them like that?"

Cat Seven was immediately speechless. He had thought about this before, but at the time he lacked information about the calamity, so thinking about it was useless.

He snorted and said, "So, you know the characteristics of those who have undergone tribulations?"

Xie Xuanzhao shook her head. Just as Mao Qi was about to mock her, Xie Xuanzhao flipped her wrist and a tortoise shell appeared in her hand: "However, I did perform a divination for us. If we were to fight Brother Chen here, it would be extremely unlucky."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized what Xie Xuanzhao meant by the ominous sign he had mentioned when he appeared, and their expressions all changed.

Xie Xuanzhao continued, "There are countless forms of tribulations. Different cultivation methods will trigger different tribulations. I once read in an ancient book from the [Era of Myriad Races] that there was a profession called [Cultivator]. They would go through seven major tribulations from mortals to enlightenment, namely the tribulation of healing, the tribulation of lust, the tribulation of delusions, the tribulation of demonic realm, the tribulation of emptiness, the tribulation of bone transformation, and the tribulation of the sea of ​​suffering."

"And the manifestations of these seven great tribulations are exactly the same as our rules!"

"If I'm not mistaken, the two attacks on us before were able to replicate the Delusion Tribulation of the Inner Demon and the Disease Tribulation that causes physical decay."

"In other words, in addition to the power that can raise one's level, the tribulation also contains the power of various different rules. Therefore, I guess that Brother Chen, as a tribulation participant, should have the ability to resist the rules."

As soon as he finished speaking, almost everyone recalled that when facing the Law of Cancer, Muto and the others directly developed cancer, while Chu Xiu only developed pustules on his skin! At the time, everyone thought it was because Chu Xiu's physique was too strong, but now that they thought about it, it did seem to be some kind of resistance to the rules!
Furthermore, the supernatural powers he used afterward were clearly able to interfere with the rules; otherwise, the life force of those summoned creatures would not have been enough to exhaust the crimson mist!

But this matter is simply too unbelievable. You must know that in everyone's understanding, only the divine power of gods can resist the rules! There are no exceptions, not even divine messengers can resist them!

The confrontation between those who wield the power of rules is by no means a contest of brute strength or energy level. As long as you are within the domain of the other's rules, no matter how high your attributes are, you cannot shake the rules in the slightest.

The fact that heroic spirits possessed divine authority beforehand was something they dared not even dream of, and also the reason why no one had noticed it. What was the origin of this trial-taker? Who exactly was this Chen Ce?

After the initial shock, silence followed.

If Chen Ce can defy the rules, then they will lose their most reliable trump card, and their chances of winning will be greatly reduced.

Xie Xuanzhao continued, "Let me ask you, has Brother Chen made any killings so far? And has he used any rules?"

"You don't even know his rules, so what makes you think you can defeat him? Besides, do you really think Brother Chen, as a trial-taker, wouldn't have any trump cards up his sleeve?"

"Most importantly, even if Brother Chen is no match for us, won't he just run away?"

Xie Xuanzhao's words made everyone's expressions even more unpleasant.

They calculated clearly that four of the seven people had been corrupted by the cancerous rules and were unable to fully exert their own rule power, leaving only Xie Xuanzhao's Law of Fate, Mao Qi's Law of Change, and Zhu Jiu's Law of Destruction.

Although these three laws are all top-level laws, they do not have the ability to trap enemies. If Chu Xiuzhen has resistance to the rules, it will be extremely difficult to keep him.

Xie Xuanzhao continued, "Once Brother Chen escapes, we will be in a lose-lose situation. Brother Tuoba will find it difficult to activate the rules again in a short time. Brother Mu, Brother Shagu, and Brother Canmo are also affected by the Cancer Law. That is to say, even if they are at the Divine Transformation stage, they still have two tribulations to use without restraint. Without Brother Chen's help, do you think you can withstand it?"

Everyone fell silent again.

After a long pause, it was Cat Seven's deep voice that rang out first: "That's why we should take advantage of this person's great exhaustion and fight to the death. If we drag this out, we will only become more and more passive. Or do you want to say that we should help him fight against that tribulation lightning transformation?"

"Do you know that it is controlling the corpse of a god? Even if it is just a corpse, it is still a god! And we are in His domain, ha, fighting a god in the domain of a god. It is hard to imagine that this is a suggestion made by a civilization envoy of a level ten civilization."

There was an uncontrollable fear in Cat Seven's voice; it seemed he was extremely afraid of the power of the gods.

The others were the same; among everyone present, only Chu Xiu was unaware of the insurmountable gap between ordinary people and gods!
The saying "All beings below the gods are but ants" is no joke!

Facing the skeptical looks from the crowd, Xie Xuanzhao smiled faintly: "Of course I know the difference between ordinary people and gods, so helping Brother Chen is a matter of life and death."

Her words left everyone speechless. They didn't know whether to hit her or help her. So what should they do?
Zhu Jiu stroked his chin, as if he had thought of something, and pondered, "Could it be that Miss Xuan Zhao wants to sit back and watch the tigers fight?"

Cat Seven sneered: "Even with our help, he's almost certainly going to die. Without our help, wouldn't he be even more certain to die? If he's determined to escape, with his strength, we'll definitely die before him."

Xie Xuanzhao laughed and said, "Both of you are right, so the best solution is to let Brother Chen and that Demonic Avatar have a fight to the death. That way, no matter who wins, we can clear the level!"

"."

Cat Seven fell silent, looking at Xie Xuanzhao with an expression that seemed to say, "Are you playing us?" After a long while, he sneered, "This is indeed a good method, the only problem is—Brother Chen is probably not willing to cooperate."

At that time, Chu Xiu was unable to withstand the god's casual attack. It was only by relying on the power of the Tribulation Transformation Artifact and the rules of life that everyone was able to barely retreat.

With a difference that could be instantly defeated, would Chu Xiu be insane to even attempt such a challenge?
Even Chu Xiu himself frowned as he looked at Xie Xuanzhao, wondering what she was up to.

Under his gaze, Xie Xuanzhao calmly turned around and smiled at Chu Xiu, "Although you may find it hard to believe, Brother Chen, even for you, this is the best divination. My daughter's divination may not be accurate, but when it comes to fate, it's better to believe in it, isn't it?"

Chu Xiu said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, but compared to those vague and ethereal things, I have more faith in my own analysis and judgment."

Xie Xuanzhao seemed to have anticipated his response and said without hesitation, "How about this? We will collect the divine artifacts as quickly as possible, and if we are attacked by the rules during this time, you will help us get through it. In return, when you are fighting the tribulation lightning incarnation, we will activate the effects of the divine artifacts together to help you."

"The power of the six laws, plus the effects of the six Tribulation Transformation Divine Artifacts—that's quite a boost, isn't it?"

This suggestion really tempted Chu Xiu; to be honest, it was almost the best solution at the moment.

It's impossible for the seven civilization envoys to truly help him without reservation. If they were to force him, the seven would only resort to a fierce battle to fight for their lives, which would be no different from giving up the trial in advance.

It's already quite good to be blessed with six divine artifacts.

After thinking for a while, Chu Xiu said, "How can I trust you?"

Xie Xuanzhao laughed and said, "Do you know that when I was casting the divination for you, although every hexagram was extremely dangerous, the result was always a life-saving hexagram without exception?"

"If my daughter's guess is correct, Brother Chen should have the [Freediving Scroll], right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other six people looked up at Chu Xiu in shock, while Chu Xiu gave Xie Xuanzhao a deep look.

"Your ability is truly impressive."

Xie Xuanzhao smiled slightly: "Thank you for your praise, Brother Chen. With the [Free Deep Dive Scroll] protecting you, I'm sure none of us will offend you because of this. You can rest assured."

After a pause, Xie Xuanzhao continued, "Moreover, even a calamity must follow the basic rule of Yin-Yang balance. It's impossible for us to actually kill a god. I suspect that the corpse must have some kind of restriction, or Brother Chen may have some special means to deal with it. At least the divination shows that Brother Chen is not without a chance of winning."

"Of course, you'll have to find out the specifics yourself, Brother Chen. If you need any additional information, please feel free to ask, and I will tell you everything I know."

Seeing that the other party had put it this way, Chu Xiu could only sigh and say, "I will do as Miss Xuanzhao says."

As he finished speaking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, which greatly increased their chances of survival.

Mao Qi clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xie Xuanzhao and said, "I was in a hurry earlier and offended you. Please forgive me, young lady."

Xie Xuanzhao waved his hand: "It's a trivial matter, nothing to worry about. We should find it as soon as possible and set off to search for the artifact to help Brother Chen."

"Not bad!" Muto breathed a sigh of relief and said fiercely, "Damn it, Brother Chen saved my life. If I were to fight with Brother Chen, that would be too inhuman! This is the best possible outcome."

He turned to Chu Xiu: "Brother Chen, rest assured, I can't control others, I, Mu Tuo, will never break my promise!"

Chu Xiu nodded and didn't say anything more.

Suddenly, Cat Seven transformed into a roc with a wingspan of over ten meters. He carried everyone on his back, and with a flap of his wings, he soared more than ten miles away. This speed was several times faster than Garuda's maximum speed enhanced by divine and demonic power. Even the extraterrestrial demons that invaded Peng City did not have such speed.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this should be his rule of change.

This will greatly shorten the time spent searching for the artifact.

Although Mao Qi had always targeted Chu Xiu, it was only out of self-interest. Now that the two were on the same side, he spared no effort in providing assistance.

On Mao Qi's back, Chu Xiu suddenly thought of something and sent a telepathic message to Xie Xuanzhao.

“Miss Xuanzhao, you say I might have a chance of winning, but according to your divination, how big is that chance?”

"Hmm," Xie Xuanzhao seemed a little embarrassed when faced with Chu Xiu's question, and after a long while he blinked awkwardly.

"It's about a tiny bit better chance of winning than a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival!"

(End of this chapter)