Layer 45 of the Endless Abyss
A large demon city nestled within the Bitter Resentment Basin.
The legendary demon Fa Buti walked into a tavern called "Broken Horn."
The moment it entered, all the demons in the tavern turned to it and laughed.
"Fa Buti, I heard you're being summoned by the Abyss Master again?"
Fa Buti said nothing. It simply spoke to the wriggling tentacle demon at the counter:
"Two cups of 'Filthblood Wine,' and a plate of 'Fresh Gnome Heads.'"
Then, it took out a few putrid innards of abyssal creatures as payment.
The other demons laughed uproariously.
"You must be boasting again about becoming some demon lord, then swindling someone else's territory and slaves!"
Fa Buti's four arms trembled as it glared with its crimson eyes. "How dare you defile my honor?"
"Honor? Ha! The other day I saw you provoking Flame Demon Gregor on his territory, only to be hung over the volcano and beaten all day."
"The screams… half the sub-dimension could hear them."
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Fa Buti blushed in embarrassment and tried to explain:
"Disputes between demons don't count as cheating!"
A flurry of convoluted words followed—claims about the busy Abyss Master, being impossible to be forgotten by the Abyss Will, never being left hanging, and so on—sending the entire tavern into laughter.
The tavern, both inside and out, buzzed with merriment…
---
Boom!
Just as the demons continued mocking Fa Buti, a black-red teleportation portal suddenly appeared beside it, accompanied by countless spatial rifts.
Instantly, a heavy, oppressive aura radiated outward from the tavern as the entire sub-dimension fell silent.
Not a single demon or abyssal creature dared make a sound; all cowered, as if a silencing spell had descended upon this muddy, filthy plane.
"This… this…"
Fa Buti trembled, kneeling on the ground.
From the black-red portal radiated the terrifying aura of the Endless Abyss Master.
In the next instant, an awareness entered Fa Buti's mind:
"Enter!"
"Truly… the Abyss Master has summoned me!" Fa Buti exclaimed, leaping toward the portal.
But as it stepped inside, it glanced back at the other demons still trembling in the tavern. A mixture of ferocity, hatred, and smug pride gleamed in its eyes.
It said nothing aloud, but the others understood.
"When I return… you will all die!"
The remaining demons went pale as death.
Even if a demon can be mocked, one must be prepared to pay the price.
---
"Great Master! Lord of the Abyss!"
"You are the creator of eternal darkness, the embodiment of the universe's shadow…"
The four-armed legendary demon Fa Buti knelt before Chu Hao, chanting his name with utmost humility.
Chu Hao, eating roasted rabbit and reviewing the Soul Sea Reverse Ascension experiment report, waved his hand, interrupting the chanting.
The reward for Fa Buti had never been of real concern; for the scale of the Endless Abyss, it was trivial.
Chu Hao had summoned Fa Buti simply to pass the time with some minor matters.
"Which land do you want?"
"And what kind of power do you desire?"
He displayed countless True Names of past powerful demons and select abyssal abilities for Fa Buti to choose from.
Once Fa Buti selected, whether multiple True Names or a single power, its strength would surpass the legendary peak, approaching demigod level.
It could effortlessly dominate whichever region it ruled—provided the territory wasn't already claimed by Yum or other creatures.
---
"Great Abyss Master, I want the 45th layer of the Endless Abyss! I wish to rule everything there, enslaving all beings of that layer!"
"But as for the powers… these True Names and abilities are not what I truly desire!"
Fa Buti trembled as it looked at Chu Hao and voiced its deepest greed.
Chu Hao, intrigued by this greed, put down the manifested experiment report and turned to the demon.
"Oh? You mean you don't want any of these powers or True Names?"
"No, Great and Profound Abyss Master, I want all of these powers and True Names!"
Fa Buti knelt humbly.
"But what I truly desire… is your permission!"
"Permission?"
"Yes—a permission that allows me to freely slaughter enemies! One that lets me follow you constantly, striking world after world!"
Fa Buti continued:
"I have witnessed countless powerful demons die in disputes amongst themselves!"
"When not invading, the Endless Abyss is filled with wars between strong demons. Yet all we fight over are harsh, unlivable lands!"
"And those we enslave are nothing but clusters of beings like us—unpalatable and prone to betrayal!"
"I should have accepted this… until I glimpsed the outside worlds."
"They are magnificent, filled with delectable flesh, destructible scenery, and…"
"I wish to be your most loyal servant, enjoying the conquest of worlds endlessly!"
"For this, I am willing to give up everything—become your soil, your hound, a puppet of the Endless Abyss!"
"As long as I can continue to relish the joy from my soul, I will give up everything!"
---
Hearing this, Chu Hao had a sudden revelation.
If demons, as individual units, could not invade worlds independently or bear the weight of the abyss, then…
Why not try transforming a portion of the abyss itself into powerful, evil beings with independent thought?
In other words, those who appear as demons but are actually extensions of the abyss' main body.
Chu Hao had heard such rumors before in his previous life's research on the abyss—these entities were called Demon Princes.