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

Chapter 431 A Gathering of Power
Chu Xiu's decision to step forward in reality was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Firstly, with his current strength, he already has enough ability to protect himself, and even the Heavenly King might not be able to kill him in a short time.

After de-datafication and fusion with the awakened space, he has gained the ability to freely enter higher-dimensional spaces, not to mention the life-saving means of the [Free Deep Dive Scroll].

On the other hand, the significance of hiding one's identity has diminished.

During the previous battle with the killer, Zhao Jie had already hinted to the investigation bureau that he knew his identity.

Although the Investigation Bureau is directly under the government, it is impossible to keep it a secret if the three Heavenly Kings really want to investigate.

Furthermore, the Sun King was aware of his identity, and the Mountain Tower paid special attention to him. It could be said that he had long been in the sights of these top experts.

In reality, the biggest obstacle preventing other forces from investing in Chu Xiu is "trust".

If Chu Xiu can guarantee his absolute loyalty, his investment potential is terrifying. It's not impossible that even the Heavenly King himself would step in to protect him!

But who can guarantee that Chu Xiu isn't the kind of person who verbally asks for benefits but then turns his back on them once the crisis is over? Who can guarantee that he isn't the kind of person who usually leeches off powerful forces but then runs away when a crisis arises?

Of course, Chu Xiu was indeed that kind of person.

But he has to convince others that he is not that kind of person.

Although the persona he had previously cultivated was acceptable—whether it was turning the tide in the battle of Pengcheng or facing the murderer to save Qin Xiang and bring back news—it seemed that he was a person who was not afraid of death and was dedicated to the country and its people.

But these powerful figures are not so naive; they will definitely conduct a professional analysis of all of Chu Xiu's actions from the time he participated in the trial until now.

This makes the situation very complicated. No one can be sure that investing in Chu Xiu will yield returns in the future, and without certainty, the efforts to attract investment cannot be increased.

Therefore, Chu Xiu's appearance in person is the first and crucial step in expressing his sincerity and enhancing trust.

Of course, Chu Xiu also made his own requests.

That means he has to choose the location for the gathering.

He chose an ordinary world that had just completed its awakening trial.

The only advantage of this world is that the number of [anchor points] is fixed and calculable, and the price is not high, so Chu Xiu bought them all directly.

This will prevent people who are not on the party attendance list from sneaking into the vicinity.

Chu Xiu will distribute these [anchor points] to others and descend into that world in advance to lie in wait, checking the participants one by one.

While this is still not absolutely foolproof, it at least significantly improves security.

"Sigh, if I could form a Star Core, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble," Chu Xiu sighed softly.

Over the past five days, while refining the ghost army, he has also been attempting to form his core.

If he were to cultivate a Star Core, relying on his body's ability to resist the rules after undergoing tribulations, he wouldn't be afraid to face Astrid head-on.

Even if we can't succeed in one go, as long as we can obtain even a little power from the star core, we'll have a much better chance of winning this final battle.

Although Chu Xiu has now cultivated a fighting spirit and his three-dimensional attributes have increased significantly, he may not be as strong as he was during his tribulation because his internal magic power is sealed.

But just as he had deduced, the current star core is just a special energy body containing a huge amount of energy. Before he fully integrates his foundation and soul, this huge power cannot be used at all!

"But how difficult it is to take this step."

However, after consuming tens of thousands of causal points for research, he quickly discovered that, unlike the previous Core Formation, this time the star core had already condensed together in advance, making it almost impossible to integrate the foundation and divine sense.

It's like a lump of clay in the molding stage, where you can easily add all sorts of pigments, but once it's fired into ceramic, it becomes extremely difficult to incorporate them again.

Fortunately, the star core has another characteristic: it has a strange ability to devour.

Previously, it could not only devour and transform various energies, but it could even absorb tribulations.

Even more outrageous, during the teleportation process, he was able to devour the bizarre creature that was so powerful that Chu Xiu couldn't even budge it!
Therefore, Chu Xiu's current idea is to continuously cultivate his magic power to allow the star core to devour it. Perhaps when he reaches a sufficient level, he can leave his own mark inside the star core, gradually control the star core, and then fuse it with his divine sense to create a star core.

However, this is an extremely long process. Even if we use causal points to build up them, it cannot be done in the short term. We can only wait until after the final battle to go into seclusion and break through.

Having made up his mind, Chu Xiu stopped hesitating and instead took out the [anchor point] he had prepared in advance and left it in place.

Government personnel will soon come to collect these "anchor points" and then teleport them back to Earth to distribute them to the participants of the gathering.

Chu Xiu took advantage of this time difference to enter that world ahead of time.

He originally planned to follow the person who came to retrieve the [anchor point], and then, when the person returned to Blue Star, use the same trick to enter the abyss space together, just like last time.

But after entering the multidimensional space, Chu Xiu let out a soft "hmm" and noticed something was wrong.

It seems that my own awakening space has gained another connection with the abyss space!
With that connection, he could enter the Abyss Space without needing to follow anyone! It was as if an anchor point had been planted in the Abyss Space!
"What's happening here?"

Chu Xiu clearly remembered that he had never had this ability before, otherwise he wouldn't have gone through so much trouble.

Chu Xiu suddenly thought of something.

"Wait, could it be because of that strange creature I absorbed?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this was the only possibility.

But this is too strange. First, I inexplicably swallowed a monster, and then I inexplicably gained the ability to teleport.

Although this is a good thing from any perspective, the unknown always makes Chu Xiu feel uneasy.

Touching his chin, Chu Xiu knew that this matter could only be explored slowly in the future.

Without further thought, he entered the abyss space and immediately headed to his target world.

The process went very smoothly this time, without any attacks.

In almost the time it takes to breathe, he arrived on a yellowish-brown planet.

This is a desert planet that once developed a unique civilization and beliefs.

However, as a world for awakening trials, the level is naturally not very high. Chu Xiu glanced at the ground below, where there was a lost ruin, and at this moment, many students with youthful faces were exploring it.

Unwilling to disturb the other party, Chu Xiu's figure flickered and flew towards the depths of the desert.

He flew for nearly five thousand miles before stopping.

This is the agreed-upon location, right in the heart of the desert, a dangerous place shrouded in sandstorms.

With a flick of his wrist, the entire ghost army surged forth, concealing themselves beneath the desert. Simultaneously, the two ghost kings released ghostly mist, which merged with the sandstorm, further expanding the ghost realm's reach with the help of the raging winds and sand. With this preparation, even if any unforeseen circumstances arose, it should give Chu Xiu ample time to retreat.

Soon, streaks of light began to appear in the distance, indicating that the people attending the gathering were arriving one after another.

Besides Chu Xiu, there were ten people attending the gathering.

Representatives from the government, military, labor unions, business guilds, and the four major families have all come, which shows how much they value Chu Xiu.

The remaining two were Chen Huang, whom Chu Xiu had specially invited to "drive up the price," and a representative from Shanwailou.

This strange organization seems unwilling to give up after their previous attempt to win them over failed, and they have sent people here again this time.

However, since the people from Shanwailou never show themselves in reality, the person who came this time was actually a well-known demigod they had temporarily hired, who was only there to deliver a message.

"The government representative was Huang Anhua, the military representative was Zhao Fengming, and the chamber of commerce representative was Lü Ji—all acquaintances."

Perhaps they thought that Chu Xiu would be more likely to join because of their past camaraderie, so the major powers all sent acquaintances this time.

"The Zhao family is led by Zhao Jie, the Jiang family by Jiang Lingfu, and the Zhang family by Shenwei Daoren."

Chu Xiu checked the personnel one by one.

But suddenly, his expression changed slightly.

The Zhang family representative was not Shenwei Daoren! But a middle-aged man with a long beard and a dignified face!

Chu Xiu recognized the man at a glance—it was Zhang Zhengdao, the current head of the Zhang family, known as the successor of the Celestial Master!
"What's going on? Wasn't it supposed to be Daoist Shenwei? Why has the Zhang family head come in person!"

The people sent by various forces this time were mostly powerful figures with the status of elders. They had enough say, but they were not the ones who made the final decisions.

Only the Zhang family sent their patriarch in person!

This shows that they value Chu Xiu to the extreme.

But Chu Xiu thought of another possibility.

"Soul-Gathering Treasure Box"

He still remembered that back in the Corpse Demon World Pit, someone had contacted two King-level beings, intending to kill him! And they had used the souls from the Soul-Gathering Box to possess his body!
Later, during the investigation by the Bureau of Investigation, it was discovered that the operation against him was carried out by the Zhang family!

Although it was unclear whether it was the unilateral decision of a powerful member of the Zhang family or the will of the entire Zhang family, it was enough to make Chu Xiu wary.

In particular, once the Soul-Gathering Treasure Box selects a target, it cannot be changed. In other words, if someone in the Zhang family wants to bring the soul in the Soul-Gathering Treasure Box back to life, their only way is to kill Chu Xiu!
Previously, Shenwei Daoren's upright conduct had changed Chu Xiu's opinion of the Zhang family considerably, but the sudden appearance of the Zhang family patriarch made him wary again.

Although there has been no movement for so long, it does not mean that the other party has given up their plans!
“Zhang Zhengdao, as the head of the Zhang family, has a large supply of resources and is undoubtedly a perfect demigod. It is said that in the entire Zhang family, only the Grand Elder, who has been exploring the abyss for many years and does not care about worldly affairs, does not even know if he is still alive, has a combat power above him.”

"Not only that, he is also an SS in both talent and profession, making him one of the best among perfect demigods."

"I'm afraid only Green Princess and the fourth leader of the Martial Arts Guild who represents the guild can compare to her."

The sudden appearance of such an unplanned person aroused Chu Xiu's suspicions.

But to hide it because of this would be too cowardly.

"Zhang Zhengdao, huh? Let me see what brings you here!"

With a cold snort in his heart, Chu Xiu slowly revealed himself.

He was dressed in a black robe and wore a bronze mask, and he became the focus of everyone's attention as soon as he appeared.

Huang Anhua glanced at him, then said with a wry smile, "When I heard that you were willing to see us in your true form, I thought you had finally let your guard down, but I didn't expect you to still be hiding so well."

Green Princess covered her mouth and chuckled, "Well, it's good for young people to be a little wary."

Duan Yan, who represented Shanwailou and had a full head of white hair, said, "His concealment technique surprised me; he didn't reveal any of his aura at all."

Green Princess exclaimed in surprise, "Even Elder Duan couldn't see it?"

Duan Yan was among the first batch of awakened beings since the invasion of the Abyss. He not only experienced the Dark Ages but also participated in both paths to godhood. Although his strength was not top-tier, he could be considered one of the most senior and knowledgeable awakened beings.

His innate profession is mainly reconnaissance, and even he couldn't see through Chu Xiu's disguise, so it's no wonder that Green Princess was surprised.

Before Duan Yan could speak, Wanyan Lie, the fourth leader of the Martial Arts Guild representing the martial arts school, said somewhat displeasedly, "I just don't know if their strength is really as amazing as the rumors suggest."

This person was a stranger, but the Martial Arts Guild was the guild where the Martial Arts King belonged. As the fourth leader of the guild, this person was naturally extremely strong, and most likely a perfect demigod. It was normal for him to have some airs.

Chu Xiu stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "It is not that I deliberately concealed my identity, but I was worried that if my identity were exposed, it would affect my family's life. I hope you seniors will not take offense."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression softened considerably.

Chu Xiu's reasoning is plausible, and having family around suggests he has some ties, which is more stable than being a lone wolf.

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's get straight to the point." Wanyan Lie was a burly man with fiery red hair and beard, and his temperament seemed as volatile as his appearance.

His bloodshot eyes stared at Chu Xiu: "What my older brother told me was very simple. He said he couldn't truly trust you unless you met him in person. Otherwise, we can only follow our guild's SSS-level talent recommendation agreement. I'm too lazy to go into the details, but you definitely wouldn't be interested anyway."

Wanyan Lie's words made Chu Xiu's heart sink. Although he knew that even if he had amazing talent, these powerful forces would not invest in him blindly, the conditions offered by the guild were really too harsh.

He was aware of the SSS-level talent referral agreement, which was undoubtedly extremely generous for ordinary people, but it was of little help to him at the moment.

Of the three major forces, Chu Xiu was most looking forward to the guild, but its main drawback, as he had analyzed before, was that it valued brotherhood too much, making it difficult for outsiders to accept it. Now, it turned out to be true.

At this point, the army and the chamber of commerce also offered their terms.

“My teacher, the King of Slaughter, thinks highly of you. From the perspective of protecting talent, helping you preserve civilization is also beneficial to our Chinese nation.”

"He promised that as long as you join the army, he will immediately send three demigods to help you, and you will be provided with the most advanced weapons and equipment."

"However, joining the army can't just be for show. The teacher requires you to stay on the front lines for three years. Of course, military merits will still be counted."

Zhao Fengming presented the army's terms.

"What are all these demands of yours?" Green Fairy said coquettishly, her captivating eyes looking at Chu Xiu, and she chuckled, "Our trading company is much more lenient. My young master said there's no such thing as a business that guarantees a profit. Chen, your talent is worth our investment!"

"Twenty war behemoths, ten thousand-year-old tree spirits, and fifty bottles of super-life-giving elixir."

Green Princess kept dropping a bunch of items, but Chu Xiu became increasingly disappointed.

The conditions offered by these three companies fell far short of his expectations!
(End of this chapter)