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

Chapter 415 Hunting Ritual
Chu Xiu cast his gaze down from another dimension, quietly watching the four fully equipped people.

From a higher-dimensional perspective, Chu Xiu even saw their still-present connections with each other's awakened spaces.

There is no doubt that this is the advancement trial. It was because of the sudden arrival of these four people that the brightness of the light spot suddenly increased.

"Is it a trial for four people to work together?"

"Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen such an easy trial."

He only teamed up with someone once during the Warrior-rank trial, but he carried the Ferocious-rank trial by himself, and later he didn't even have any teammates left.

However, the ordinary trials of heroic spirits are already difficult enough. Some civilization envoys, especially those from large families, will not choose the trials of the past but only the ordinary trials when they are on the safe side.

After all, for them, a steady advancement is more important than the extra rewards.

Only a monster like him faces trials that become more and more monstrous with each challenge.

Looking at the four people below, Chu Xiu thoughtfully stroked his chin.

"These guys are well-equipped."

"And it looks very advanced."

The depth of the trial grounds is usually related to the difficulty level.

While this is not absolute and exceptions may occasionally occur, the rule is generally applicable.

The trials for heroic spirits on Earth are around 20,000 in depth, while the trials for heroic spirits to advance to demigods are generally between 30,000 and 40,000.

Chu Xiu figured that the difficulty and depth of the tribulation should be at least 50,000, and it wouldn't be surprising if it soared to 100,000.

To encounter a trial of a King-level Heroic Spirit in such a place, there can only be one possibility.

"These guys are from an advanced civilization."

As civilization develops, the world in which that civilization exists will also continue to sink into the abyss.

For example, the initial depth of Earth was only three or four hundred, but in recent years it has dropped to six or seven hundred.

It should be noted that the number of self-awakened beings on Earth has been less than fifty years.

Those civilizations that have existed for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years may have a depth of tens of thousands of meters just for the depth of their physical worlds!
Like the coordinates Xie Xuanzhao gave Chu Xiu, although the coordinates on the horizontal plane need to be calibrated by the beacon of the Tianyan civilization, the depth is clearly written as 1.78 million!
At that depth, it is the initial awakening trial. If you are unlucky, you may encounter the spying of higher-dimensional beings. If the civilization does not have a strong shield for protection, it may be invaded by the abyss tens of thousands of times a day!

Looking at their various strange equipment, Chu Xiu became even more certain of this.

"If they come from an advanced civilization, wouldn't there be a chance we could get information about free deep-sea exploration from them?" Chu Xiu's eyes lit up slightly.

"Even if you don't know, you can try to sneak over to them when they leave. At the very least, you can observe how the Abyss manages to teleport over such long distances."

With this thought in mind, Chu Xiu did not hesitate. While keeping an eye on the movements of the four people below, he mobilized all his willpower and accelerated towards the location of the light.

"Sia, what are you looking at?"

Hearing her companion's call, the white-haired girl on the altar slowly withdrew her gaze.

"I have a feeling that someone is watching me," Shia said.

“It’s probably that so-called God of Hunting,” the tall, thin man who had spoken to her earlier sighed. “Let’s focus on the mission for now.”

Which one should we choose?

Shea didn't answer, but just stared quietly at the light screen in front of her.

The Trials of Mogu'goro Honduras from Beyond the Realm

[Trial Rank: King]

[Trial Quest: Survive the ritual of the Hunting God.]

[Trial Description: The extraterrestrial Mogugor Honduras is a powerful being who loves hunting. His followers call him the God of Hunting and hold hunting ceremonies every year to please this powerful being.]

Three months ago, the humans, unable to endure the suffering any longer, breached the capital under the leadership of the hero Cang Kai, but were immediately suppressed by the descending divine messengers.

Now, they need to atone to the gods with their lives.

[Hunting Ritual: The event lasts for one day and covers an area of ​​300 li in radius. Every 15 minutes, prisoners on the first floor of the sacrificial tower are released, starting from the lowest level and progressing to the highest. After all prisoners have left, hunters can begin their mission 15 minutes later. Collecting enough hunting points completes the mission.]

Hunting Points: Earned by defeating prey. The higher the rank and strength of the prey, the higher the points. Certain special targets offer additional bonuses. After the ritual, points can be exchanged with the God of Hunting for items.

[Overseer: Appointed personally by the divine messenger and his guards, the Overseer will hunt the hunters. The strength of the Overseer will be dynamically adjusted based on the hunters' hunting points; the higher the hunting points, the lower the Overseer's strength.]

[Sacred Hunt: A special buff during the ritual. Each prey kill provides the hunter with a certain energy bonus. Prey can also hunt each other. Killing three prey of the same rank or one higher rank removes the 'prey' status, and the prey is protected by the rules and can no longer be hunted.]

[Trial Rewards:]

Shia stared intently at the panel before her, then at the kneeling prisoners on each level of the altar, a flash of anger crossing her pale blue eyes.

"Don't act rashly, Shia," her tall, thin companion whispered, "I know you want to protect these humans, but in this trial, obeying the rules and defying the rules are two completely different things!"

"You saw that divine messenger yourself; he's definitely at the level of a Heroic Spirit! If he were just an ordinary Heroic Spirit, it wouldn't be so bad, but a Heroic Spirit who becomes a divine messenger has the power of his master amplified. Fighting such a being is too risky."

Shea didn't reply, but turned around and saw a huge throne built on the right side of the altar. A humanoid creature, nearly seven meters tall, dark green in color and resembling a lizard, was sitting on it with its legs crossed, looking very casual. It rested its chin on one hand, and its yellow-green vertical pupils were full of a mocking expression.

A terrifying aura emanated from him, and several humans prostrated themselves at his feet. These humans were the "royal family" of this place, but at this moment they did not even dare to raise their heads.

Behind the lizardman were dozens of other lizardmen wielding bronze spears, each possessing an equally impressive aura—all top-tier kings!
"It's not that we can't fight," Shia transmitted her voice.

"To be able to establish an altar, it certainly can't be a meteor-level extraterrestrial demon; it must be at least a satellite-level one," the man immediately said. "Even a satellite-level extraterrestrial demon possesses considerable blessing power, not to mention it might even be a desolate planet-level being."

The man's words made Xia's expression even more unpleasant, and Chu Xiu, who was spying from the void, was also slightly taken aback.

So extraterrestrial demons are actually divided into levels.

Judging from their proficiency with extraterrestrial demons, they must be from an advanced civilization. This high-level information is exactly what Chu Xiu urgently needs right now.

With that in mind, he immediately quickened his pace. This girl seemed quite saintly; he didn't want her to die before he even reached them, otherwise his trip would have been in vain.

Now that he's familiar with how to use his mind, he's much faster than before.

As expected, after thinking about it seriously for a while, Shia still snorted coldly: "So, are we really going to hunt our own kind to please these ugly lizards?"

"This," the tall, thin man said helplessly, turning his pleading gaze to the other two.

The two were clearly a last-minute match, and they were strangers to Shia and her companion. One was burly, and the other was completely shrouded in a black robe.

Just as the burly man was about to speak, a thought suddenly descended from the high platform.

"let's start."

As everyone looked over, they saw the lizardman messenger slowly rise. He was adorned with golden jewelry, clearly powerful magical equipment, which made him appear truly majestic, just like a divine messenger.

The king of the human race was prostrate on the ground at the forefront. He respectfully responded and then turned around to give an order. Immediately, strong men struck the large drums around the high platform, and the heavy drumbeats carried far and wide.

Upon receiving the order, the guards on the first floor immediately unlocked the chains on the prisoners and fitted them with wristbands equipped with displays.

"This bracelet shows nearby resource points, which contain the food, water, weapons, and other supplies you need."

"Of course, each resource point is basically the territory of local wild animals."

"The more dangerous the place, the better the things it contains. It wouldn't be surprising to find a fully powered mech. And these dangerous resource points will be distinguished by color on your wristbands."

"Run! Offer your lowly lives to the great god and beg for a sliver of hope!"

As the captain of the guard shouted, the sound of gears turning rang out, and the iron fence on the first floor slowly rose, instantly revealing a dense primeval jungle in front of the prisoners.

Yes, hunting rituals do not only exist among the prey, the hunter, and the overseer, but also among each other and in the mutual hunting with local creatures!
Furthermore, it's not just the strong hunting the weak!
The technology here is already quite advanced, and those who can become sacrifices in the hunting ritual are not ordinary people, even at the lowest level. The weakest among them are all warriors. Those low-ranking rebels have already been executed on the spot.

Even the lowest-level resource points will have powerful weapons such as modern rifles, sniper rifles, and explosives.

After all, what the god of the hunt wants to appreciate is a hunt full of strategy and struggle, caution and decisiveness, and all-out effort, not one-sided slaughter!

This is a ritual where everything is for the purpose of hunting! People of the same race, people of different races, the strong, the weak—everyone can hunt each other!

The lizardman envoy cast an expectant glance down, but just a few seconds later, his expression changed slightly.

Because only a few people rushed towards the distant dense forest, the vast majority of them, even though their shackles had been removed, still stood still and did not move an inch no matter how the guards tried to drive them away!

"What's going on?" A divine thought, tinged with a hint of anger, resounded in the room.

The king's face turned deathly pale, but the one in the middle of the four people kneeling on the top floor not far away suddenly burst into laughter.

The divine messenger looked at him coldly and actually spoke in human language: "Cang Kai, what are you laughing at?"

This powerful man, regarded as a hero by the local people, was kneeling on the ground with disheveled hair and a full beard, but his black eyes were exceptionally sharp.

He sneered, "Although we have lost, our spirit will be passed down from generation to generation. Today, we will send a message to all our people: We humans can lose, we can die! But we will never be playthings of others!"

"Though I am dead, the flame of resistance has already been ignited. Even if you win a million times, there will always be a day when you lose!"

After saying that, he spat hard on the ground, then straightened up and roared forward, "Brothers of the righteous army, you are all great!"

His voice soared to the heavens and carried far. The king beside him was covered in cold sweat, but the divine messenger was not angry. He simply said "Oh" with interest and then looked at the king.

"You figure it out."

"In any case, this person must participate in the trial."

"Yes, yes, yes," the king nodded repeatedly, then quickly gave a few instructions to his men. He had clearly anticipated that those who came today were tough nuts to crack and that some would certainly resist.

The rhythmic drumbeats sounded, and the mechanisms deep within the altar began to turn again, pushing out a large number of prisoners.

These prisoners were just ordinary people, but they ignited the anger and hatred in the rebels below, who were filled with unprecedented fury and hatred.

The king's voice carried far through the loudspeaker: "Those who refuse to participate in the ceremony will have their entire family and friends executed. As long as they are willing to participate, I swear in the name of the king that their family members will not be held accountable, regardless of their position in the rebel army or their past. If they survive the ceremony, they will be pardoned and granted the title of second-class noble!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an uproar erupted from below, with cries and pleas for mercy rising and falling.

To ensure the smooth conduct of the hunting ceremony, not only were the families of the rebels captured, but all civilians who had any connection with them, even those who had only shared a few meals with them, were also arrested.

Looking at his family members and loved ones who had clearly suffered, and at their pleading and hopeful eyes, even the most steadfast warrior couldn't help but waver.

Not to mention, there's a carrot behind the stick: second-class nobles, who can already be considered great nobles, but in terms of status, there are no more than a hundred people in the whole country who can be above them! And they can be completely exempted from punishment! How could people not be tempted?
Cang Kai, standing on the high platform, sighed softly and spoke again: "I am already deeply grateful that you brothers are willing to follow me. How can I bear to see you brothers fall into a state of filial impiety and injustice?"

"Those who oppress and bully us are the nobles and those high and mighty alien gods!"

"I, Cang, hereby swear that no matter what decision you brothers make, I, Cang, will have no complaints even in the afterlife!"

As his words carried far, the rebel soldiers' eyes reddened. As one of them ran towards the primeval forest, it was as if a chain reaction was triggered, and everyone scattered.

Although they were prepared to die, no one can remain indifferent in the face of life and death, let alone when they put their family members' lives on the line.

Even those who had no relatives or friends and were determined to die a martyr thought that they might be able to help their comrades before they died, so they rushed out together.

This scene brought a satisfied look to the divine messenger, who praised, "Well done."

The king immediately knelt down like a dog that had been rewarded, shouting, "It is my honor to be able to share the burdens of the divine messenger. To receive a word of praise from the divine messenger makes my life worthwhile!"

His appearance drew disdain from the four participants in the trial.

But even if they are equally angry, they must now face a realistic choice.

"so."

The tall, thin man looked at the others: "What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)