Chapter 460: Ruins, the Boy
After forming his ninth divine ring, Ye Cheng's power rapidly stabilized, reaching a flawless Divine King realm. With the system's assistance, the consolidation process was instantaneous, skipping all the usual time consuming steps an immediate breakthrough.
[Reward complete. Would you like to play the answer video?]
The system's inquiry echoed through the livestream. Ye Cheng didn't hesitate and lightly nodded. The audience knew he must be just as curious about this so called "controversial Moon Worship Cult Leader." Who exactly was this person?
[Playing the answer…]
As the system's voice faded, the screen changed, revealing a new scene.
It was a ruined city, reduced to rubble.
From the remnants of collapsed buildings, one could vaguely make out the traces of past prosperity.
But now, all that prosperity had vanished, leaving behind only skeletal remains and demonic scavenger beasts rummaging through the wreckage. The state of the ruins made it clear this city had suffered an Abyssal invasion. They had fought desperately, but in the end, perhaps both sides had perished, or maybe one side had won and departed.
The audience couldn't determine what had truly happened, but just from the devastation, they could imagine the sheer brutality of the battle.
The camera shifted toward a partially collapsed building, where a grotesque, nightmarish Abyssal Hellhound was excitedly sniffing through the rubble.
It resembled a dog, but in truth, it was something else entirely perhaps it had once been a human or a soul beast. But after prolonged exposure to Abyssal corruption, it had mutated into a monstrous entity.
The reason for its excitement? It had picked up the scent of a living human. And to an Abyssal creature, nothing was more delicious than fresh, living flesh.
With a few powerful strikes of its claws, the already fragile ruins crumbled, exposing a small, hidden crevice beneath the wreckage. The Hellhound shoved its head inside, letting out a gleeful, chilling howl.
At that moment, from another section of the ruins boom! debris flew in all directions as a hole burst open.
A young figure, no older than a child, darted out like lightning, running for dear life.
The Hellhound's ears perked at the sound. It swiftly withdrew from the crevice, locking its eyes onto the fleeing figure. That was the source of the scent!
Letting out an ecstatic howl, it pounced forward, its massive body vanishing into a blur as it gave chase at terrifying speed.
The camera zoomed in, finally giving the audience a clear view of the boy.
He was around ten years old, his hair wild and unkempt, his clothes tattered and torn, making him look like a mere beggar.
But the five glowing soul rings around him told a different story this was a Soul King level soul master!
There was no way a mere beggar could possess that kind of power.
Even in this era, where soul masters were abundant, reaching Soul King at just ten years old was nearly unheard of. His potential was staggering if he survived, he was bound to become a Titled Douluo at the very least.
[Holy crap…]
[A ten year old Soul King?!]
[That's insane. In our time, this would be completely impossible! This must be set hundreds, maybe even thousands of years in the future.]
[By then, the Abyss must have overrun the world, drastically increasing the energy concentration causing an explosion in soul master numbers.]
[That kind of world is unimaginable for us…]
[Yeah, the Abyss invasion has its pros and cons.]
[The good part is that it boosts the world's energy, allowing for more powerful soul masters. The bad part? The entire world is essentially marked by the Abyss. At any moment, it could be consumed, turning us all into Abyssal fodder.]
[A terrifying reality…]
The audience engaged in fervent discussion, expressing mixed opinions.
In the video, the boy sprinted with inhuman agility.
Green wind currents swirled around his body, forming a pair of translucent wind wings that flapped rapidly, lifting him off the ground.
At first, he only flew just above the ground, but as he gained confidence, he ascended higher and higher, clearly hoping to escape into the sky.
But the Hellhound was even more monstrous.
It originally had no wings, but after seeing its prey take to the air, bulging lumps suddenly formed on its back.
Rip!
With a sickening tear, mutated flesh sprouted, quickly forming several pairs of leathery, bat like wings.
With a single flap, it vanished from the ground.
An instant later, it reappeared just a few meters behind the airborne boy.
The sight made the boy's blood run cold his body trembled in terror, and he nearly plummeted.
Barely managing to stabilize himself, he unleashed a burst of energy, his wind wings growing larger as he shot forward, increasing the gap between him and the Hellhound.
But the beast wasn't playing fair.
Instead of chasing, it hovered in midair, opening its grotesque maw.
From the depths of its throat, a crimson black energy glow pulsed violently before
BOOM!
It fired a concentrated beam of Abyssal energy.
"Ahhh!"
The boy had no time to dodge. The beam struck him directly, sending him spiraling downward like a wounded bird.
CRASH!
He slammed into the ground.
Falling from such a height, even a Soul King would suffer serious injuries his bones fractured, his body trembling.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The Abyssal corruption was spreading.
His skin turned gray, grotesque boils forming across his body. A putrid stench of decay filled the air.
He looked like someone who had contracted a horrifying plague so rotted and diseased that even carrion scavengers would hesitate to feast on his flesh.
But for an Abyssal Hellhound, this was perfection.
The more decayed and corrupted the flesh, the more delicious it was.
"Thud."
The Hellhound landed lightly, its grotesque wings shriveling and falling off as if they had served their purpose.
Its predatory eyes gleamed with hunger.
This was the eerie nature of Abyssal creatures.
And this was just a low level Hellhound a mere byproduct of Abyssal corruption.
Even this abomination was enough to terrify the audience.
[Damn, that thing is nightmare fuel.]
[No matter how many times I see them, Abyssal creatures always freak me out…]
[They're way too bizarre. And the worst part? This is just a low level one.]
[How the hell do you even fight against something like this?]
The audience shuddered, their fear evident in their bullet comments.
In the video, the boy lay motionless, his breaths ragged.
Was this the end?
Would he die here?
The audience held their breath.
[Is he going to die?]
[He might. But maybe… maybe not.]
[Wait could this boy actually be the Moon Worship Cult Leader?]
[If he is, then he definitely won't die. If he's not… well, he's doomed.]
The audience watched intently, eyes glued to the screen, waiting for the next moment that would determine the boy's fate.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10