Truth

The wind carried the stench of blood through the corridor. Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes swept over the angel reliefs on the stone walls—angels that should have spread their wings to protect all living things now hung their heads, black blood dripping from their fingertips.

"Bibi Dong, are you sure this is the way?" Yang Jun pressed a hand against the Ice Soul Heart, coldness spreading from his palm to his fingertips. The red glow deep within the Forbidden Ground reflected in his blue eyes—the unique aura of Abyssal Parasites.

Bibi Dong's violet eyes swept across the stone wall. Her Eight Spider Lances silently pierced the ground, and spider silk spread through the cracks—its returning vibrations concealed the corpses of three guards drained dry of Soul Power. A cold smile curled her lips. "Qian Xunji is showing us the way."

Yu Xiaogang brushed his fingers across the ring his mother had left him. Blue-Silver Patterns glimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. The inscription inside the ring suddenly grew hot—"Where thunder reaches, the abyss falls silent." He looked toward the depths of the Forbidden Ground, where a rift spewed black mist that tangled with the golden radiance of the Angel Scepter.

"Let's go." He tightened his grip on the Hoe-Sickle. The Blue-Silver Patterns erupted in dazzling blue light. "Mother's Soul Power is guiding us."

The rift resembled a torn-open mouth, and the roars of Abyssal Beasts came from within the black mist. Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart floated above his head, its chill freezing the mist into black ice crystals. Countless twisted faces emerged within them—Soul Masters corroded by Abyssal Parasites.

"Those are... Red Cardinals from the church?" Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances stabbed toward the ice crystals. The moment her spider silk touched them, it began to dissolve. Fury rose in her violet eyes. "Qian Xunji actually used them as test subjects!"

Thunder burst from Yu Xiaogang's palm and shattered the ice crystals. Their fragments fell to the ground and turned into a pool of black blood, within which runes from the Angel Scepter emerged. His blue eyes abruptly narrowed. "The Angel Scepter's power... was used to nourish the abyss?"

"That's right."

Qian Xunji's voice came from deep within the rift, amusement shining in his golden eyes. He held the Angel Scepter, and within the gem at its tip lurked a writhing black parasite.

"The Angel Spirit's power originated from the abyss." He stroked the scepter as the parasite crawled along his fingers and into his palm. "I used the church's Soul Masters as sacrifices, refining Abyssal Power into angelic power—this is Spirit Hall's true future."

"You're insane!" Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart transformed into an Ice Blade and slashed at Qian Xunji. The instant the blade touched the scepter, black mist sprayed by the parasite corroded it away.

Disdain filled Qian Xunji's golden eyes. "Yang Jun, your Ice Soul Heart is nothing but a toy." He swung the scepter, and black mist mixed with golden light into a beam that shot toward Yang Jun.

Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances wove a spider web before Yang Jun. The web began dissolving the instant it touched the beam. Bibi Dong let out a muffled groan, purple-black blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Confusion filled her violet eyes—the Silk Soul Crystal suddenly blazed with purple light, sucking the black mist from the beam into itself!

"Bibi Dong!" Thunder erupted from Yu Xiaogang's palm and struck Qian Xunji. The thunder shattered the beam, but blood began seeping from the pattern on his forehead—his mother's Soul Power was being overdrawn.

Surprise flashed through Qian Xunji's golden eyes. "The Silk Soul Crystal... can actually absorb Abyssal Power?" He swung the scepter, and parasites poured from its tip, transforming into an Abyssal Demon Spider that lunged at Bibi Dong.

Resolve filled Bibi Dong's violet eyes. She pressed the Silk Soul Crystal against her chest, and runes of the Abyssal Mother Nest emerged within it. "Since you want to know, I'll show you—what the abyss's power truly is!"

The Silk Soul Crystal erupted with blinding purple light and swallowed the Abyssal Demon Spider. Its body began to twist into a cloud of black mist, and within that mist appeared Bibi Dong's phantom—her memories of being imprisoned by Qian Xunji: he had injected Abyssal Parasites into her body, calling it "the evolution of the Angel Spirit."

"So that's how it was..." Tears shimmered in Bibi Dong's violet eyes. "You treated me as an experiment!"

Panic filled Qian Xunji's golden eyes. "Bibi Dong, I did it for your own good! Only by merging Abyssal Power into the Angel Spirit can Spirit Hall stand at the pinnacle of the continent!"

"Shut up!" Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances stabbed into the ground, and spider silk instantly formed a massive web. The web wrapped around Qian Xunji and dragged him toward the Abyssal Rift.

"Bibi Dong! You can't do this!" Qian Xunji swung the scepter, and parasites surged from its tip to corrode the web.

Thunder burst from Yu Xiaogang's palm and struck the scepter. It shattered the parasites, and a crack appeared in the gem at the scepter's tip. Frost glimmered in his blue eyes. "Qian Xunji, your plan ends here!"

Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart floated overhead, its cold sweeping through the entire Forbidden Ground. Frost spread along the rift, freezing the black mist into black ice crystals. Within them emerged the phantom of the Abyssal Mother Nest—a massive black nest with a beating heart at its center, pierced by a broken Hoe-Sickle.

"That is..." Blood seeped into Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. "My Hoe-Sickle?"

Surprise rose in Bibi Dong's violet eyes. "The Abyssal Mother Nest's core... is actually your Hoe-Sickle?"

Fear filled Qian Xunji's golden eyes. "No... impossible! I clearly destroyed that Hoe-Sickle!"

Thunder burst from Yu Xiaogang's palm and struck the Hoe-Sickle within the ice crystal. The thunder shattered the crystal, and the Hoe-Sickle flew out of the Abyssal Mother Nest and landed in his hand. Blue-Silver Patterns appeared along its tip, connecting with the pattern on his forehead.

"Mother..." He stroked the Hoe-Sickle, and his mother's voice sounded by his ear. "Xiaogang, you are the Child of the Earth. The Hoe-Sickle is the key that connects the earth and the abyss."

"A key?" Confusion filled Bibi Dong's violet eyes.

Blue light rose in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Mother once said that the Hoe-Sickle can open an Abyssal Rift—and close one." He gripped the Hoe-Sickle tightly and pointed it at the Abyssal Rift. "Now, it's time to end this!"

The Hoe-Sickle erupted with blinding blue light. The light spread along the rift, swallowing all the black mist and golden radiance. The rift began to contract, and the phantom of the Abyssal Mother Nest gradually vanished.

Despair filled Qian Xunji's golden eyes. "No... my plan... my Spirit Hall..." He swung the scepter, trying to stop Yu Xiaogang, but the gem at its tip suddenly exploded. Parasites poured from his body and devoured him.

"Qian Xunji..." Complex emotions filled Bibi Dong's violet eyes. "This is your retribution."

Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart floated overhead, freezing the parasites into black ice crystals. The crystals fell to the ground and turned into a pool of black blood, within which appeared the remnants of the Angel Scepter.

"Is it over?" Yang Jun looked toward Yu Xiaogang, exhaustion filling his blue eyes.

Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Patterns began to dim. He held the Hoe-Sickle and shook his head. "No. This is only the beginning." He looked toward where the Abyssal Rift had vanished. A black mark remained there—the rune of the Abyssal Mother Nest.

"The Abyssal Mother Nest's core... still remains." Solemnity filled Bibi Dong's violet eyes. "We must find it and destroy it completely."

Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart gave off a faint blue glow. He helped Bibi Dong to her feet and looked at Yu Xiaogang. "We'll go together."

A smile rose in Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. He tightened his grip on the Hoe-Sickle and nodded. "All right, together."