Chapter 34: A Bold Idea
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Chapter 34: A Bold Idea
There was a time when Qiuqi, trembling before the energy storms stirred up by the Abyss Lord, had felt a flicker of longing in its heart.
As one of the denizens of the abyss, distortion, chaos, slaughter, destruction, and annihilation were the fundamental laws of this realm. Only by embodying them could one earn the favor of the world's will, growing stronger amidst the wails of tormented souls.
Qiuqi had once attempted to venture beyond its magma domain to uphold the Iron Laws of the Abyss.
But in the end, it gave up.
As an elemental creature, it was inherently difficult for Qiuqi to stray far from the Elemental Pool for long.
The magma granted it overwhelming power within its territory, but it also imposed shackles—restricting its range of movement.
Away from the magma, though it could still draw fire elements from the surroundings to replenish its energy and steal vitality from the souls of its enemies, these gains were always insufficient compared to the demands of its massive form.
If it suffered severe injuries, it would have to enter a deep slumber to recover its strength.
And sleeping in the abyss was an exceedingly dangerous act.
After several near-death experiences—gaining only some experience and combat skills while its body grew weaker—Qiuqi had no choice but to return to the magma.
It abandoned its trials.
Like countless predecessors, it lurked within the magma, lying in wait for unfortunate trespassers, slowly accumulating strength.
It saw no essential difference between itself and the filthy, lowly mud-devourers that wallowed in the sludge.
For a time, it wallowed in self-pity, spending its days in slumber.
But now, things were different.
If it could earn the favor of the Internet God, it might go further—perhaps even break free from its Magma Shackles and witness the true majesty of the abyss.
This was its ambition!!!
Seated upon the throne in the Divine Palace's Ancient Castle, Yu Sheng'an observed Qiuqi's prayer, and a bold idea suddenly sprouted in his mind.
The more he pondered it, the more his heart raced with excitement.
To be honest, when he had first contracted Qiuqi, he hadn’t regarded it as a subordinate.
It was merely one of his life sources, a fire-element tool, a combat asset, a laborer… and so on.
Even today, when Qiuqi had been shattered, it was only the inspiration from the "Shared Dragon Egg Life Force" that prompted him to attempt a rescue.
But Qiuqi’s prayer made him realize—it had a name. It was an intelligent being, just like the countless other creatures bound to him by contract.
Many of them, though not made of flesh and blood, still possessed emotions, joys, and sorrows!
Defining them purely as "cannon fodder" or "military resources" wasn’t entirely wrong. As long as he had enough Source Essence, the contract power would compel them to obey his every command—even to their deaths.
The abyss was vast beyond measure. With sufficient Source Essence, his supply of cannon fodder would be inexhaustible.
But what if he showed a little mercy?
For instance, using his main body as a hub to share the life force among all his contracted creatures.
What a magnificent sight that would be!
One could imagine that as long as his contracted creatures weren’t instantly annihilated, they could draw upon the "collective" life force to revive.
They would thrive in their respective planes, growing ever stronger!
One day, Yu Sheng'an would become the one they must protect at all costs.
For if he died, all the advantages of their contracts would vanish.
This means he will fully activate the "subjective initiative" of his contracted creatures!!!
Only profit is eternal and everlasting.
"Haah..."
Yu Sheng'an exhaled, his eyes flickering as he made a decision in his heart.
......
After his prayer, Qiuqi fell into an agonizing wait.
His heart was filled with extreme anxiety, his thoughts tangled to the extreme—one moment exhilarated, the next terrified.
Exhilarated at the thought that if the Internet God favored him, he would break free from the shackles of magma.
Terrified at the possibility that the Internet God might be enraged and casually strike him dead.
The latter was not impossible. What was he to the Internet God? A mere ant, daring to seek favor before pledging loyalty—such audacity was taboo.
In the midst of his torment, Qiuqi suddenly stiffened.
The Contract Document rooted in his soul abruptly floated out before him. In the molten glow of his eyes, lines of text twisted and transformed.
When the changes were complete, the Contract Document burrowed back into his soul.
Qiuqi was stunned.
After a long pause, he prostrated himself on the ground and loudly praised, "Praise to you, great Internet God! Qiuqi swears upon his soul to spread your glory throughout the abyss!"
After a long while, he stood up, not even glancing back at the comforting magma behind him, and strode forward.
At this moment, he was reborn.
......
Some were reborn, while others teetered on the brink of death.
In a jagged canyon, the demon Baluo hid within a crevice, desperately suppressing his breath. The wounds smeared with excrement still bore wriggling maggots.
He was dying!
He had fought a brutal battle, exhausting every ounce of strength to slay a Flame Demon, only to be targeted by a Demon-Hunting Spider.
He had no choice but to flee.
But he knew escape was impossible.
The Flame Demon had inflicted fatal wounds on him before dying, drastically reducing his combat power.
The Demon-Hunting Spider was a notorious predator in the abyss, feeding on demons with its terrifyingly keen senses. Even if he smeared his wounds with excrement to mask his scent, he was still gambling with his life!
Silently, Baluo gathered his strength, channeling his power.
The approach of death instead ignited the most savage fury deep within his heart.
Even if he died, he would drag the Demon-Hunting Spider down with him!
"Rustle, rustle..." The faint scraping sound made Baluo tense. He turned toward the source, his razor-sharp claws already coiled to strike!
"Thud!"
The sound of a blade piercing flesh froze Baluo rigid. A paralyzing venom spread through his body in an instant, numbing even his thoughts.
He looked down and saw a segment of sharp exoskeleton protruding from his chest. He realized—he had been tricked.
As the venom spread, his mind grew hazier.
The Demon-Hunting Spider crawled over, spitting thick fluid to encase him, slowly dragging him out of the crevice.
Despair flooded Baluo's frenzied heart.
Even for one who treated death as routine, his heart now brimmed with rage, resentment, and even fear.
He had seen the prey of Demon-Hunting Spiders before.
Their skins remained pristine in death, but their insides were liquefied and sucked dry.
Rumor had it that to keep the prey fresh, this process could last dozens of days.
A pregnant Demon-Hunting Spider could even sustain certain special prey for an entire Dark Age!
The toxin's erosion grew increasingly severe.
Baluo's consciousness grew murkier by the moment. Suddenly, it wished that the deity with whom it had signed a contract would summon it away to battle in another world.
Even if it were to die in that other world.
It refused to perish under the venom of the Demon-Hunting Spider!
The deity seemed to hear its desperate plea—but instead of summoning it away, an overwhelming surge of life force poured in from an unfathomable dimension.
Stimulated by this torrent of vitality, its critically wounded body began to heal itself. An unending well of power surged from its flesh and blood.
Even the deadly poison gradually weakened under the relentless flow of life force.
Baluo froze in shock.
After a long pause, it closed its eyes.
When it opened them again, its claws slashed through the sticky webbing and plunged deep into the Demon-Hunting Spider's body!
Again and again!
The Demon-Hunting Spider thrashed wildly, stirring up a storm of dust and debris.
When the chaos settled, Baluo paid no heed to whether the commotion might attract other predators.
With its claws, it carved an intricate magic rune into the ground, channeling the spider's blood into its grooves. Finally, it solemnly placed the Demon-Hunting Spider's head atop the rune before stepping back and prostrating itself.
Its voice twisted with excitement as it cried, "O great Internet God, please accept this offering from your most devout servant!"
The blood-infused magic rune flared to life—and in the next instant, the Demon-Hunting Spider's head vanished into the crimson array.
There was a time when Qiuqi, trembling before the energy storms stirred up by the Abyss Lord, had felt a flicker of longing in its heart.
As one of the denizens of the abyss, distortion, chaos, slaughter, destruction, and annihilation were the fundamental laws of this realm. Only by embodying them could one earn the favor of the world's will, growing stronger amidst the wails of tormented souls.
Qiuqi had once attempted to venture beyond its magma domain to uphold the Iron Laws of the Abyss.
But in the end, it gave up.
As an elemental creature, it was inherently difficult for Qiuqi to stray far from the Elemental Pool for long.
The magma granted it overwhelming power within its territory, but it also imposed shackles—restricting its range of movement.
Away from the magma, though it could still draw fire elements from the surroundings to replenish its energy and steal vitality from the souls of its enemies, these gains were always insufficient compared to the demands of its massive form.
If it suffered severe injuries, it would have to enter a deep slumber to recover its strength.
And sleeping in the abyss was an exceedingly dangerous act.
After several near-death experiences—gaining only some experience and combat skills while its body grew weaker—Qiuqi had no choice but to return to the magma.
It abandoned its trials.
Like countless predecessors, it lurked within the magma, lying in wait for unfortunate trespassers, slowly accumulating strength.
It saw no essential difference between itself and the filthy, lowly mud-devourers that wallowed in the sludge.
For a time, it wallowed in self-pity, spending its days in slumber.
But now, things were different.
If it could earn the favor of the Internet God, it might go further—perhaps even break free from its Magma Shackles and witness the true majesty of the abyss.
This was its ambition!!!
Seated upon the throne in the Divine Palace's Ancient Castle, Yu Sheng'an observed Qiuqi's prayer, and a bold idea suddenly sprouted in his mind.
The more he pondered it, the more his heart raced with excitement.
To be honest, when he had first contracted Qiuqi, he hadn’t regarded it as a subordinate.
It was merely one of his life sources, a fire-element tool, a combat asset, a laborer… and so on.
Even today, when Qiuqi had been shattered, it was only the inspiration from the "Shared Dragon Egg Life Force" that prompted him to attempt a rescue.
But Qiuqi’s prayer made him realize—it had a name. It was an intelligent being, just like the countless other creatures bound to him by contract.
Many of them, though not made of flesh and blood, still possessed emotions, joys, and sorrows!
Defining them purely as "cannon fodder" or "military resources" wasn’t entirely wrong. As long as he had enough Source Essence, the contract power would compel them to obey his every command—even to their deaths.
The abyss was vast beyond measure. With sufficient Source Essence, his supply of cannon fodder would be inexhaustible.
But what if he showed a little mercy?
For instance, using his main body as a hub to share the life force among all his contracted creatures.
What a magnificent sight that would be!
One could imagine that as long as his contracted creatures weren’t instantly annihilated, they could draw upon the "collective" life force to revive.
They would thrive in their respective planes, growing ever stronger!
One day, Yu Sheng'an would become the one they must protect at all costs.
For if he died, all the advantages of their contracts would vanish.
This means he will fully activate the "subjective initiative" of his contracted creatures!!!
Only profit is eternal and everlasting.
"Haah..."
Yu Sheng'an exhaled, his eyes flickering as he made a decision in his heart.
......
After his prayer, Qiuqi fell into an agonizing wait.
His heart was filled with extreme anxiety, his thoughts tangled to the extreme—one moment exhilarated, the next terrified.
Exhilarated at the thought that if the Internet God favored him, he would break free from the shackles of magma.
Terrified at the possibility that the Internet God might be enraged and casually strike him dead.
The latter was not impossible. What was he to the Internet God? A mere ant, daring to seek favor before pledging loyalty—such audacity was taboo.
In the midst of his torment, Qiuqi suddenly stiffened.
The Contract Document rooted in his soul abruptly floated out before him. In the molten glow of his eyes, lines of text twisted and transformed.
When the changes were complete, the Contract Document burrowed back into his soul.
Qiuqi was stunned.
After a long pause, he prostrated himself on the ground and loudly praised, "Praise to you, great Internet God! Qiuqi swears upon his soul to spread your glory throughout the abyss!"
After a long while, he stood up, not even glancing back at the comforting magma behind him, and strode forward.
At this moment, he was reborn.
......
Some were reborn, while others teetered on the brink of death.
In a jagged canyon, the demon Baluo hid within a crevice, desperately suppressing his breath. The wounds smeared with excrement still bore wriggling maggots.
He was dying!
He had fought a brutal battle, exhausting every ounce of strength to slay a Flame Demon, only to be targeted by a Demon-Hunting Spider.
He had no choice but to flee.
But he knew escape was impossible.
The Flame Demon had inflicted fatal wounds on him before dying, drastically reducing his combat power.
The Demon-Hunting Spider was a notorious predator in the abyss, feeding on demons with its terrifyingly keen senses. Even if he smeared his wounds with excrement to mask his scent, he was still gambling with his life!
Silently, Baluo gathered his strength, channeling his power.
The approach of death instead ignited the most savage fury deep within his heart.
Even if he died, he would drag the Demon-Hunting Spider down with him!
"Rustle, rustle..." The faint scraping sound made Baluo tense. He turned toward the source, his razor-sharp claws already coiled to strike!
"Thud!"
The sound of a blade piercing flesh froze Baluo rigid. A paralyzing venom spread through his body in an instant, numbing even his thoughts.
He looked down and saw a segment of sharp exoskeleton protruding from his chest. He realized—he had been tricked.
As the venom spread, his mind grew hazier.
The Demon-Hunting Spider crawled over, spitting thick fluid to encase him, slowly dragging him out of the crevice.
Despair flooded Baluo's frenzied heart.
Even for one who treated death as routine, his heart now brimmed with rage, resentment, and even fear.
He had seen the prey of Demon-Hunting Spiders before.
Their skins remained pristine in death, but their insides were liquefied and sucked dry.
Rumor had it that to keep the prey fresh, this process could last dozens of days.
A pregnant Demon-Hunting Spider could even sustain certain special prey for an entire Dark Age!
The toxin's erosion grew increasingly severe.
Baluo's consciousness grew murkier by the moment. Suddenly, it wished that the deity with whom it had signed a contract would summon it away to battle in another world.
Even if it were to die in that other world.
It refused to perish under the venom of the Demon-Hunting Spider!
The deity seemed to hear its desperate plea—but instead of summoning it away, an overwhelming surge of life force poured in from an unfathomable dimension.
Stimulated by this torrent of vitality, its critically wounded body began to heal itself. An unending well of power surged from its flesh and blood.
Even the deadly poison gradually weakened under the relentless flow of life force.
Baluo froze in shock.
After a long pause, it closed its eyes.
When it opened them again, its claws slashed through the sticky webbing and plunged deep into the Demon-Hunting Spider's body!
Again and again!
The Demon-Hunting Spider thrashed wildly, stirring up a storm of dust and debris.
When the chaos settled, Baluo paid no heed to whether the commotion might attract other predators.
With its claws, it carved an intricate magic rune into the ground, channeling the spider's blood into its grooves. Finally, it solemnly placed the Demon-Hunting Spider's head atop the rune before stepping back and prostrating itself.
Its voice twisted with excitement as it cried, "O great Internet God, please accept this offering from your most devout servant!"
The blood-infused magic rune flared to life—and in the next instant, the Demon-Hunting Spider's head vanished into the crimson array.
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