Grave Keeper

Morning light streamed through the stained-glass windows onto the Angel Statue in the hall. Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes swept over the Red Cardinals kneeling on the ground. The hems of their robes were stained with black blood, marks left by last night's Abyssal Rift eruption.

"Your Eminence Bibi Dong, the fact that you have been infected by an Abyssal Parasite can no longer be concealed." The leading Red Cardinal raised his head, disgust in his golden eyes. "The church cannot be ruled by a 'Child of the Abyss.'"

Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances pierced the floor, and spider silk spread along the stone pillars of the hall. A chill rose in her Violet Eyes. "Who closed the Abyssal Rift last night? Who stopped Qian Xunji's mad plan?" She pointed toward the Forbidden Ground outside the hall, where traces of black mist still lingered. "If you think someone afflicted by Abyssal Erosion is more terrifying than someone who uses soul masters as experiments—then I have nothing more to say."

The Red Cardinals fell silent. One elderly man trembled as he rose, raising the scepter in his hand. "Your Eminence Bibi Dong, you are Spirit Hall's most powerful War God, but the position of Pope requires a 'pure soul.'"

"A pure soul?" A cold smile tugged at Bibi Dong's lips. "Was Qian Xunji's soul pure? He nourished the abyss with soul masters' Soul Power, yet claimed it was for Spirit Hall's future." She looked toward the sky beyond the hall, where a black crack hung in the air and the roars of Abyssal Beasts echoed from within. "Now the Abyssal Mother Nest is awakening, and you still want to argue over 'pure souls'?"

The Red Cardinals exchanged looks. At last, the old man sighed. "Your Eminence Bibi Dong, we will temporarily acknowledge your position as Pope, but you must find a way to 'Purify Abyssal Power.'"

Disdain flashed through Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. "Purify it? Abyssal Power does not need purification. What it needs is 'Control.'" She turned and headed outside the hall. Her Eight Spider Lances shattered the stained glass, and the falling fragments transformed into an Abyssal Demon Spider. "Yang Jun, Yu Xiaogang, let's go."

Wind carrying frost swept across the snowfield, and Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Pattern glimmered with faint blue light. He tightened his grip on the Hoe-Sickle, and a phantom of his mother appeared at its tip—"Xiaogang, the core of the Abyssal Mother Nest lies in the Land of the Extreme North. There, I buried the final seal."

"Mother..." Tears welled in Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. "Why did you seal it?"

"Because the core of the Abyssal Mother Nest is me." His mother's phantom reached out and stroked his cheek. "I was once the Guardian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. To stop the Abyssal Mother Nest from devouring the continent, I fused my soul with the Hoe-Sickle and sealed the nest's core."

"Then Qian Xunji..." Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart floated above his head, its cold aura freezing the surrounding snow into ice crystals. "Why did he use soul masters as experiments?"

"He wanted to revive me." His mother's phantom glowed with sorrowful blue light. "He used Abyssal Parasites to infect soul masters' Soul Power, trying to strip my soul from the Hoe-Sickle. But Abyssal Power eroded his sanity and turned him into what he is now."

"So that's how it was..." Complex emotions flickered in Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. "He was even crazier than I imagined."

Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Pattern suddenly burst with dazzling blue light. He looked toward the end of the snowfield—where a black iceberg stood, pierced by a broken Hoe-Sickle. Blue-Silver Patterns appeared at the weapon's tip.

"That is..." Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart rumbled like thunder. "Mother's seal?"

Determination filled Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. Gripping the Hoe-Sickle, he walked toward the iceberg. "Mother, I'm here."

The roars of Abyssal Beasts came from within the iceberg. The instant Yu Xiaogang's Hoe-Sickle touched it, the ice began to crack. Black mist poured from the fractures, forming Qian Xunji's phantom. "Xiaogang, don't destroy the seal! I can bring your mother back to life!"

"Shut up!" Thunder erupted from Yu Xiaogang's palm and shattered Qian Xunji's phantom. The iceberg split apart completely, revealing the broken Hoe-Sickle inside. At its tip, his mother's phantom emerged.

"Xiaogang..." His mother's phantom reached out, blue light spreading from the broken Hoe-Sickle to Yu Xiaogang's own. "You finally came."

Tears shimmered in Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes as he took his mother's hand. "Mother, I came to save you."

"No..." His mother's phantom shook her head. "My soul has already fused with the seal. If it is forcibly removed, the Abyssal Mother Nest will awaken completely." She looked toward Bibi Dong and Yang Jun. "You must find the weakness of the Abyssal Mother God before you can destroy the nest completely."

"The Abyssal Mother God?" Surprise flickered in Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. "What is that?"

"The Abyssal Mother God is the source of Abyssal Power. Her soul is sealed in the core of the nest." His mother's phantom pointed at the broken Hoe-Sickle. "My Hoe-Sickle is the key to sealing the Mother God, but only the Child of the Earth can wield it."

Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Pattern glowed faintly as he tightened his grip on the Hoe-Sickle. "I'm the Child of the Earth?"

"Yes." His mother's phantom smiled. "Your spirit is a fusion of Blue Silver Grass and thunder, a link between earth and sky. Only you can open the core of the nest and destroy the Mother God's soul."

"What do we need to do?" Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart emitted a faint blue glow. "We don't have much time."

His mother's phantom pointed deeper into the iceberg. "The nest's core lies at the deepest point of the iceberg. The Mother God's guards are there—an Abyssal Demon Spider, an Abyssal Demon Dragon, and an Abyssal Demon Ape. You must defeat them before you can enter the core."

Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances pierced the ground, and spider silk spread over the iceberg. "Let's go. We have no time to waste."

Blue light shone in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He gripped the Hoe-Sickle and nodded. "Mother, we will destroy the Mother God."

His mother's phantom smiled. "I believe in you."

Black mist filled the passage deep within the iceberg. Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Pattern glowed blue, illuminating the walls of the tunnel—where Runes of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been carved. Images of Abyssal Beasts were hidden within them.

"These Runes..." Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart shone blue over them. "They are the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Sealing Art."

"That's right." Blue light flickered in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Mother was once the Guardian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. She used the clan's Sealing Art to seal the nest."

Grimness filled Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. "There's movement ahead."

At the end of the passage lay a massive stone chamber. At its center was a beating heart—pierced by a broken Hoe-Sickle. Three Abyssal Beasts circled it: an Abyssal Demon Spider, an Abyssal Demon Dragon, and an Abyssal Demon Ape.

"You finally came." The Abyssal Demon Spider let out a shriek. Its body was three times larger than an ordinary Abyssal Beast, and black light flickered through its spider silk. "Master has waited for you for a long time."

"Master?" Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances stabbed at the Abyssal Demon Spider. The instant the spider silk touched its body, it began to dissolve. "Who is your master?"

"The Abyssal Mother God." The Abyssal Demon Dragon spewed black flames, within which his mother's phantom appeared. "She will revive and devour the entire continent!"

"Shut up!" Thunder burst from Yu Xiaogang's palm and struck the Abyssal Demon Dragon. The lightning shattered the black flames, and the dragon's body began to dissolve. Yet its soul slipped into the Abyssal Demon Ape's body, causing the ape to swell to three times its size in an instant.

"Careful!" Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart transformed into an Ice Blade and slashed at the demon ape. The moment the blade touched its body, black mist corroded it away. "These Abyssal Beasts' souls are immortal!"

Determination filled Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. She pressed the Silk Soul Crystal against her chest, and Runes of the Abyssal Mother Nest appeared within it. "In that case, I'll use your souls as experiments!"

The Silk Soul Crystal erupted with dazzling violet light and sucked in the Abyssal Demon Ape's soul. Its body twisted into a mass of black mist, within which Bibi Dong's phantom appeared—her memory of being imprisoned by Qian Xunji. He had injected an Abyssal Parasite into her body, claiming it was the "evolution of the Angel Spirit."

"So that's it..." Tears welled in Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. "Your souls... were you also soul masters injected with Abyssal Parasites by Qian Xunji?"

The cries of soul masters came from the black mist. "Save us... We don't want to become Abyssal Beasts..."

"I'll help you." Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Pattern erupted with dazzling blue light. He tightened his grip on the Hoe-Sickle and pointed it at the black mist. "Mother said thunder can Purify Abyssal Power."

Thunder erupted from the tip of the Hoe-Sickle and struck the black mist. The mist was purified by the lightning, turning into a wisp of green smoke. The phantoms of soul masters appeared within it. They knelt on the ground, weeping. "Thank you... We are finally free..."

Complex emotions flickered in Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes as she looked at Yu Xiaogang. "Next, it's time to deal with the Mother God."

Blue light shone in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He gripped the Hoe-Sickle and walked toward the heart at the center of the stone chamber. "Mother, I'm here."

The heart at the center of the stone chamber · Mother God Core · Late Night

The heart beat faster and faster. At the tip of the broken Hoe-Sickle, his mother's phantom appeared. "Xiaogang, you finally came."

"Mother..." Tears welled in Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. "I'm going to destroy the Mother God."

"No..." His mother's phantom shook her head. "The Mother God's soul is half of mine. If you destroy her, my soul will disappear as well." She looked at Yu Xiaogang. "You must use the Hoe-Sickle to open the core of the nest, separate my soul from the Mother God's soul, and then use Thunder Purification on the Mother God's soul."

"But..." Yu Xiaogang's Blue-Silver Pattern began to dim. "I'll lose you."

"Silly child..." His mother's phantom smiled. "I am your mother. My mission is to protect you and protect the continent." She reached out and caressed Yu Xiaogang's cheek. "Now, it is time for you to fulfill your mission."

Determination filled Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. He tightened his grip on the Hoe-Sickle and pointed it at the heart. "Mother, I'm here."

The Hoe-Sickle burst with dazzling blue light, which spread across the heart as it began to crack. Black mist poured from the fractures, forming the phantom of the Abyssal Mother God. "Xiaogang, don't destroy the seal! I can bring your mother back to life!"

"Shut up!" Thunder erupted from Yu Xiaogang's palm and struck the black mist. The lightning purified it, revealing the Abyssal Mother God within—she was a beautiful woman, her face lit by sorrowful blue light.

"Xiaogang..." The Mother God's voice overlapped with his mother's. "I am your mother, and I am also the Abyssal Mother God."

"No!" Tears welled in Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. "My mother is the Guardian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. She sacrificed herself to seal you!"

"That's right." His mother's phantom flew out of the heart and overlapped with the Mother God's phantom. "I was once the Guardian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but while fighting the abyss, I was corrupted by Abyssal Power and split into two people—Guardian Me and Abyssal Mother God Me."

"So..." Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart glowed blue. "You are the same person?"

"Yes." His mother's phantom smiled. "I used the Hoe-Sickle to split myself into two people. Guardian Me sealed Abyssal Mother God Me, but as time passed, Abyssal Mother God Me began to erode Guardian Me."

"Then now..." Grimness filled Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes. "What should we do?"

"Use thunder to purify the soul of the Abyssal Mother God." His mother's phantom pointed to Yu Xiaogang's Hoe-Sickle. "Xiaogang's thunder is the power of the earth. It can Purify Abyssal Power."

Blue light shone in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He gripped the Hoe-Sickle and pointed it at the Abyssal Mother God. "Mother, I'll help you."

Thunder erupted from the tip of the Hoe-Sickle and struck the Abyssal Mother God. Her body began to dissolve into a wisp of black mist, within which his mother's phantom appeared. "Xiaogang, thank you... I'm finally free..."

"Mother..." Tears welled in Yu Xiaogang's blue eyes. "Don't go..."

His mother's phantom smiled, transforming into a wisp of blue light that merged into Yu Xiaogang's Hoe-Sickle. Blue-Silver Patterns appeared at its tip and connected to the markings on Yu Xiaogang's forehead.

"Xiaogang..." Yang Jun's voice came from behind him. "The nest's core has disappeared."

Yu Xiaogang looked toward the center of the stone chamber. The heart had vanished, leaving behind only a broken Hoe-Sickle. He picked it up and pressed it to his chest. "Mother, I fulfilled my mission."

Complex emotions flickered in Bibi Dong's Violet Eyes as she looked at Yu Xiaogang. "What do we do next?"

Blue light shone in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He gripped the Hoe-Sickle and looked toward the sky beyond the stone chamber. "The abyssal forces in Spirit Hall have not vanished. We must return and destroy them completely."

Yang Jun's Ice Soul Heart shone blue as he helped Yu Xiaogang up. "We'll go together."

Bibi Dong's Eight Spider Lances pierced the ground, and spider silk spread through the stone chamber. "Let's go. We have no time to waste."