Swallowing the Stars: Starting with the Battle of Geniuses

Chapter 97 The Abyss Mother Wall (5K)

"Before I answer the second question..."

"Hunzhen, I've stated my goal. What about you? What about you?"

Just as Hunzhen was wavering about whether Xingluo's approach to him was a coincidence, the young man beside him asked him a question instead.

"I?"

Xingluo was undoubtedly asking about his motivation for choosing to dive.

Hunzhen frowned and said, "I don't have lofty goals like you. Like everyone else, I want to dive deeper and deeper for a better life, more opportunities, and a higher status, until I reach my own limit. Mediocre, ordinary, nothing more."

Seemingly unsurprised by Hunzhen's answer, Xingluo smiled and said, "In that case, I think you should accept my proposal."

Xingluo, seemingly unaware that Hunzhen was still on guard, continued, "Speaking directly might surprise you. So let me beat around the bush—Hunzhen, do you know the difference between the outer and inner layers?"

Hunzhen naturally shook his head.

Xingluo nodded: "You should already know that without the Feather Ship, we would all encounter deep-diving pressure when we descended through the abyss layers. In the inner abyss, even without descending, just staying in the current layer would result in immense deep-diving pressure, while the outer layer is different. As far as I know, the abyss is divided into eighteen layers, with the first to tenth layers being the outer layer and the eleventh to eighteenth layers being the inner layer."

"For us lower races, even if we raise our strength to the level of a city lord, we cannot withstand the pressure of deep diving for long. Instead, we need to constantly expend our strength to fight against it. Only the adults of the royal family can ignore the pressure of deep diving and move freely. That is to say, normally, the tenth level is the deepest area that our lower races can live in."

"Unfortunately, the tenth layer, being the closest to the innermost layer, has been regarded by the royal family as the 'battlefield of the abyss' for resolving most of the conflicts. The only layer that we can actually live in is the ninth layer of the abyss."

At this point, Xingluo pointed to himself and smiled, "And my suggestion of 'partnership' means that this dive won't end once we reach the second level."

Hunzhen's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you're going to take me straight to the ninth level?" he asked.

Xingluo nodded: "After arriving at the second level, I will transfer to a feather ship to descend to the third level, and then take another feather ship directly to the ninth level. I will join a research institute on the ninth level as a researcher, and as a newly hired researcher, I will have one assistant position. That is to say, I can bring any one person with me to the ninth level."

Noticing Hunzhen's deep concentration, Xingluo seemed to have thought of something and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Of course. 'Assistant' is just a title. Our relationship remains the same as before, just friends. We're not actually in a superior-subordinate relationship. Once we reach the ninth floor, you're basically free to move around as you please, unless I specifically instruct you. With your abilities, obtaining a legitimate identity on the ninth floor and then getting rid of this 'assistant' identity shouldn't be too difficult."

Hunzhen finished thinking and looked up to ask, "I have two questions about this matter. First, why did you choose me?"

Xinglu chuckled self-deprecatingly and replied, "You should understand the reason without me having to explain it. It's simple: I don't have any friends besides you, and you are the person I trust the most."

Hunzhen's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked calmly, "The second question is, what do I need to give in return?"

Xingluo replied, "This relates to your earlier question about 'why we need to team up.' Before I build my own team, I need you to handle my troublesome matters. As my only assistant, you may encounter some difficulties and challenges, but because you are my only assistant, you won't face any life-threatening risks. At least your status is much higher than others who descend from the eighth to the ninth level through normal means."

Hunzhen narrowed his eyes slightly: "If I'm not mistaken, my handling of Old Man Huo and his group's greed is your test of whether I'm qualified?"

Xingluo didn't mince words, nodding and answering directly: "If I can't even handle this small problem, taking you directly to the ninth level would only harm you. Hunzhen, if you want to reach a higher level, your own abilities are naturally a necessary element. Otherwise, you will only be devoured by desires and shattered to pieces. And you have already proven to me through your actions that you are indeed someone with the ability and are qualified to accompany me."

The interests are aligned, coupled with his reclusive personality and lack of capable assistants... a perfectly reasonable answer.

Unlike taking a steady, solo approach to conquer each level, relying on Xingluo's connections to reach the ninth level would likely save Hunzhen at least ten years. And this is only a minimum estimate based on Hunzhen's current information.

The Sims' records made no further mention of Xingluo's existence after that, clearly indicating that the Sims rejected Xingluo's invitation.

That makes perfect sense.

Other native inhabitants would likely face immense hardship and near-death experiences to secure a spot on the ninth floor, but for the Sims, it's simply a matter of spending more time.

If it weren't for the need to thoroughly investigate and refine one's resume to ensure its completeness and credibility, this timeframe could likely have been significantly reduced.

However, relying on Xingluo is an option with unknown risks.

While reaping the benefits, one must also bear unseen risks.

The troubles Xingluo mentioned about being a researcher are not too difficult to explain.

But I'm afraid that one day I might get caught up in the trouble of the Silver Ghost Clan behind Xingluo, and be inexplicably drawn into the vortex of conflict.

As a lower race, they might be targeted by this enemy who is their backer without even realizing it.

On the other hand, this is undoubtedly a shortcut to the goal.

"I had already considered getting in touch with the Silver Demon King through the Silver Demon Clan. To carry out the possession plan, this is undoubtedly one of the most feasible ways with the fewest enemies to face."

"As for the risks? The simulator can take care of them for me."

Inferior races are disregarded and can be targeted at will.

On the other hand, this is also a huge advantage for Hunzhen.

Even if he goes into hiding or takes the opportunity to run away, the forces targeting him won't be too exaggerated.

As long as the battle is confined to the Silver Demon Clan, he can even turn the tide and completely change the faction.

But... the key question is, is Xingluo really trustworthy?

"Then thank you very much for your help?"

Thinking this, Hunzhen smiled and reached out his hand to Xingluo.

Would someone with a Silver Demon Clan background really lie low for ten years or even longer before taking action over something so trivial? It's like using a cannon to kill a mosquito; there's absolutely no need for that.

In the worst-case scenario, Xingluo has already discovered his identity as an extraterrestrial visitor. If he was going to take action, he should have done so long ago after arriving at the Ninth Floor Induction Research Institute and ensuring his own safety.

The action here doesn't involve a direct fight, but rather, like Nash in a certain simulation, informing on others and getting the two royal families to take action.

With the existence of the simulation system, he can directly foresee the trajectory of the next ten years.

No matter how much Xingluo tries to hide it, he only has one chance. In comparison, he himself has countless trial and error costs.

No matter what Xingluo's intentions are, as long as Xingluo doesn't show any ill will towards him, why should he care so much?

In the face of a simulation system, all calculations will eventually be exposed to the light of day.

Until that imagined situation occurs, he should just treat the other person as a true friend.

"Perhaps it really is just that I have a strange, unfortunate connection with this guy."

Hunzhen couldn't help but recall the several figures who had spent a period of time with him in the Realm of Inferno, each with whom he had spent a period of time.

If someone possesses the powerful ability to foresee the next ten years, yet lacks even the courage to uphold a friendship... Hunzhen felt he should just leave the Abyss of Purgatory now and abandon his plan to possess another body.

……

About three months later, the matter of Zagarad's death was settled, and two reports on the desk in the Blackrock City Lord's Mansion contained the following description.

"On a certain day, Huo Duyu and his group followed Hunzhen from the east gate of Blackrock City. During their brief encounter, a wind-devouring phenomenon occurred, causing both sides to separate. Hunzhen survived thanks to his scavenging skills in the wilderness, while Huo Duyu and his group encountered a noble Black Demon during their escape and were easily killed by him." (See Chapter 17. After fighting with Old Man Huo and his group for a while, Hunzhen no longer emitted any energy fluctuations, essentially becoming a ghost who left the battlefield halfway.)

"On XXX day, Lord Zagarad, a nobleman of the Dark Demon Clan, was severely injured while pursuing Lord Noferic, a nobleman of the Silver Demon Clan. Coincidentally, he encountered a level two Devouring Wind, a rare event that occurs only once every hundred years in the first layer of the Abyss. Although he successfully defeated his opponent, his injuries were too severe to resist the Devouring Wind's suction force, and he perished in the Abyss. Some of Lord Zagarad's remains, which were attached to the edge of the Great Hollow, have been found and confirmed."

The two reports were not completed and submitted at the same time.

After reading the two reports that he had specifically extracted, Lord Nash frowned slightly, but soon relaxed.

"Forget it, that kid was sent away a month ago, and he clearly had little to do with this incident. If I bring it up with the adults now, it will only make me look incompetent."

After thinking it over, Nash casually sealed the two reports and placed them in different categories.

……

Two months passed quietly after Nash sealed the documents.

Far from Blackrock City in the wilderness, a huge, gray-white spaceship sails silently.

The spaceship has ten pairs of slender, bone-like structures on both sides, each several meters long. These structures cannot flap but move in a circular motion as the spaceship flies.

The hull was made of a grayish-white, fleshy material, making the spaceship look from a distance like a white whale with ten pairs of wings flying through the air, which appeared in a fantasy world.

This spaceship was the feather ship that Hunzhen and Xingluo were traveling on.

On the day Hunzhen met with City Lord Nash and offered the collected demon heads and bodies to exchange for a quota, Xingluo was also present.

Logically speaking, Blackrock City only has one lower-level slot, but it seems that Xingluo is not subject to the slot limit. After just mentioning it to Nash, he successfully obtained the qualification to dive down.

At this moment, as if they had entered researcher mode in advance, the two of them were observing the shape and structure of the feather ship.

Needless to say, Xingluo is someone who aims to improve his spaceship using flesh and blood technology.

The reason Hunzhen observed the feathered ship was because he had noticed before boarding that the gray-white floating spaceship was made of materials that were very similar to the material of the Zagarad flesh and blood armor that he had observed up close that day.

To be precise, this material is clearly of the same type as the roofs of houses and the tall walls in Blackrock City, only it looks to be a level higher.

"It's impossible that the two royal families offered their remains to 'inferior races' both as ships and as shelter from the wind and rain, is it?"

Hunzhen secretly complained.

As the two observed, the feathered ship continued its journey, still on the first level of the abyss, and had not yet begun its descent.

The reason is simple: each feathered ship carries qualified individuals from hundreds or even thousands of cities.

The latest novel is first published here!

Even with the optimal route, the spaceship needs to dock and wait for qualified individuals from various cities to board. Acceleration, deceleration, docking, and startup all require additional time. As a result, it has been three months and the descent has not yet officially begun.

Xingluo noticed Hunzhen's interest in the feathered ship and stepped forward, saying, "Are you curious about the materials used to build the feathered ship?"

Hunzhen nodded and said without hesitation, "I have seen the appearance of the royal family members, and I always felt that this material is very similar to the armor on their bodies."

Since you've agreed to be my assistant, there's no need to shy away from such questions. You can ask directly without arousing unnecessary suspicion.

Xingluo had no researchers around him, and he showed a slight excitement in response to every question and discussion from Hunzhen.

He started by asking, "Do you know the origin of the currency we use today, the 'Mologo'?"

Hunzhen was stunned for a moment: "Demon Fruit? You mean, a demon head, a demon body...? Xingluo, don't tell me this feather ship, or even the outer walls of Black Rock City, are made of this stuff, right?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Xingluo smiled and said, "To be precise, it is made with some royal remains as the core and most of the Demon Fruits as the basic building materials."

Royal remains?

Hunzhen's pupils trembled slightly.

He had just made a random comment in his mind, but it turned out to be true?

From his simple values, this act of "defilement" of the remains was clearly a great disrespect to the owner of the remains.

Although I really wanted to ask this question directly, seeing how calmly Xingluo stated this fact, it is very likely that, according to the local Abyss Indigenous customs, this behavior is by no means abnormal.

Hunzhen didn't ask directly, but instead kept his mouth shut.

If his guess is true, asking such a common-sense question would be tantamount to revealing his extraterrestrial identity.

"Royal family members all possess the ability to resist the power of the abyss, and so do their corpses. In fact, because they have lost their vitality and become corpses, their nature is closer to that of the abyss itself, and their resistance is even stronger than when they were alive."

Xingluo continued to explain, "As for the Demon Fruit, if you knew its origin, you probably wouldn't have any questions about why it has this effect."

Xingluo's lips suddenly curled up slightly, and he said, "Hunzhen, have you noticed? This feather ship received all the people who were eager to board three days ago."

"look."

Xingluo pointed ahead and said, "The Abyss Mother Wall is almost here."

"The Abyss Mother Wall?"

Hunzhen was puzzled.

Xinglu nodded: "The Abyss Mother Wall is the boundary of the Abyss hierarchy, the wall of the Abyss, the wall of the world, which is farthest from the Great Void."

"According to research and investigation, each level of the Abyss has a certain angle of inclination, and the whole structure forms a spiral downward structure around the large cavity. As long as we move close to the mother wall of the Abyss, we will definitely be able to find more than one abyss passage leading to the next level. Our feather ship is currently heading towards the mother wall, and after that, it will fly close to the mother wall and reach the nearest abyss passage leading to the next level."

Xingluo's tone was full of ups and downs, not like he was stating scientific research results, but rather like he was describing a chapter of the world, which had a captivating charm that made Hunzhen listen carefully involuntarily.

He looked toward the Mother Wall in the direction Xingluo pointed, and a dark red wall of flesh and blood, stretching endlessly into the sky, came into view.

That was exactly what Hunzhen saw from the outside, the internal appearance of the Purgatory Abyss that gave him the texture of a stomach sac.

A wall of wriggling, vibrant, flesh and blood.

Even with his current level of strength, Hunzhen still felt a sense of dread when he saw the Abyss Mother Wall.

Therefore, after calming down a bit, he noticed the densely packed, swollen tumors and cysts on the mother wall.

As the Abyss Mother Wall undulated, the fleshy tumors swelled and contracted, as if they were nurturing some kind of life.

puff--.

As Hunzhen watched, just then, several tumors burst open, and two gray fleshy dumplings fell out, mixed with thick, murky gray-black blood, rolling on the ground.

Moro Fruit, he remembered the name of that thing clearly.

Hunzhen immediately understood the reason behind Xingluo's previous remarks.

The Mara Fruit, born from the abyss, is naturally the substance least likely to be corrupted by the power of the abyss.

"Even for us inferior races, the Moro Fruit is a pure energy source that can be directly digested and used to enhance our strength. Furthermore, it can be applied to various fields such as transportation, agriculture, animal husbandry, and cooking!"

Following Xingluo's words, Hunzhen couldn't help but recall the scene inside the tavern where the Abyss natives, with expressions of satisfaction, ate the flesh and blood fruit that had fallen from the ruptured tumor on the Abyss Mother Wall, along with their wine.

vomit--.

He couldn't help but turn pale.

That stuff burst out from an even more disgusting tumor on that disgusting mother wall.

If he hadn't sensed something was off about this stuff early on and hadn't never tried eating it, the reaction might not have been so simple...

"What's wrong, Hunzhen? You don't look too well."

What I fear most is a sudden silence, and a sudden expression of concern from a friend.

Seeing Xingluo's concerned expression, Hunzhen forced a smile: "It's nothing, just a sudden bout of seasickness?"

"seasick?"

Xingluo stared in astonishment, his eyes wide. "I remember you broke through to the cosmic level five months ago, right? A cosmic level cultivator can get seasick?"

Hunzhen gave Xingluo a deep look, then turned around and went back into the cabin of the feather ship.

"Okay, actually, it was the first time I saw the Mother Wall that I suddenly had some insights. I went to cultivate, and who knows, I might be able to make another breakthrough."

With this explanation, Xingluo naturally had no doubts.

After sailing close to the mother wall for about a month, the feathered ship finally arrived at a huge steep slope.

At the captain's command, everyone took refuge in the cabin, and the actual descent finally began.

(End of this chapter)