Chapter 174

"I'm sorry..." Chen Ce could only respond with a hug and... something that made the girl feel good. "I must stop the monster from the abyss..."

"Hmm... I understand..." Ashe nuzzled her head against the other's chest, the firm feel tingling with a bittersweet sensation. "So what I was saying was... if... if only someone could help us guard the Abyss forever..."

"That's too difficult..." Chen Ce shook his head helplessly, letting the girl rub against him like a kitten longing to be petted.

But it was at this moment that he suddenly thought of something as he looked at the girl's shy expression.

[If only someone could guard the abyss for us forever...]

It's unlikely that a person will be able to, but...

Things...?

Control Ward?

While it can't solve future problems, it can address the current ones...

At least it ensures that if something goes wrong on Aatrox's side, it can be detected immediately, so Lissandra won't have to stay by the Howling Abyss all day long. Then she can use her free time to do many things for the Freljord Alliance or for herself!

Even a 75-gold Control Ward has its unique uses!

I was so busy with that... I didn't even think of that simple logic!

"Ashe, you're a genius!" Chen Ce excitedly hugged Ashe and kissed her.

"Eh...?" Ashe was both enjoying the sudden kiss and confused.

Before she could react, Chen Ce had already put on his clothes and walked out the door.

"I will come back later!"

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Number One Person Below Papaya Aspect!

To be honest, Chen Ce wasn't quite sure how "Control Ward" worked in the real world either.

The Rift is essentially a tool for scouting, a way to "penetrate the fog of war" from a top-down perspective, which then appears on the minimap... But what's the reality?

There is no such thing as a third-person, God-like perspective in reality.

He didn't quite understand.

But he still rushed to the Howling Abyss overnight—as the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and to fully understand the Control Ward, one can only insert one on the spot to see for oneself.

Since there are only three Control Ward, you can't just randomly place them anywhere to play around and experiment.

If you're going to do something, just tackle the most important goal right now.

Although this might be a little dangerous, it's... worth it, very worth it.

"As expected of the abyss that imprisons the Watchers, it's truly deep..."

Chen Ce cautiously descended the icy cliff, taking each step very slowly.

There's still plenty of time; caution is the most important thing...

The surrounding light was dim, but because of the moonlight overhead, it wasn't the complete darkness that engulfs everything at the winter solstice; it was more like the afterglow of dusk. The ice itself seemed to be emitting a dim, ethereal light, reflected in the thick fog, so Chen Ce didn't need to carry torches or firewood.

The howling wind still lashed through the valley, like ghostly hands tugging at him, trying to pry him off the ice.

As he went deeper, he had no way of judging the time. Different periods of time were all blurred together, forming an indistinguishable mass. Climbing, waiting, climbing, waiting... the cycle repeated itself.

The lower he descended, the darker the ice wall became. Black veins crawled through it, reaching upwards like demonic claws. A series of indistinct crackling sounds came from all around, seemingly scraping the brains of the "uninvited guest."

He could see no signs of movement, but in his imagination, the sound came from black tendrils beneath the ice, struggling to escape the cursed pit and crawl toward the surface.

The ice surface here is becoming less smooth, covered with bumps and depressions that are difficult to traverse.

The icy fog enveloped him tightly, thick and oppressive. The fog also blocked out all sound—except for that incessant, agonizing scraping sound.

Finally, the solid ice surface appeared, abruptly breaking the fog.

Chen Ce tentatively stomped his feet down twice, the crisp echoes reverberating in the abyss like the murmurs of some monster.

He started walking in the direction where he had left Aatrox.

Then, the strange sound became clearer and clearer... as if it were right next to one's ear. It was bewitching any life that came into contact with it.

Chen Ce knew that it was the Watchers's indiscriminate "psychic attack".

This proves that he's on the right track.

The closer one gets to the awakened Watchers, the clearer the sound becomes.

Gradually, the terrible whispers became less noticeable—but not because the sound became softer or disappeared.

On the contrary, it became increasingly jarring.

Only...

Another voice drowned it out.

It was a loud roar... and the sounds of a terrible fight—accompanied by the cracking and rolling of stones, as if the fight was going back and forth.

"Die--!!"

That familiar, hysterical roar...

Chen Ce could already picture that face contorted with rage.

Without a doubt, the owner of that voice was the one he came here for— Aatrox.

"Let me see what Brother To is doing..."

Chen Ce approached slowly, his footsteps so light that he could barely hear them himself.

At the deepest point of the first layer of ice beneath the abyss, he caught a glimpse of that familiar figure.

But... it's not that familiar either.

Because at this time, Aatrox was entirely purple, and his body was covered with many strange and twisted structures—he had taken the flesh and blood of the Watchers and rebuilt his physical body.

He now appears to have lost some of his demonic domineering aura, replaced by a deformed, twisted, and morbid sense of terror.

But no matter what, he is definitely stronger now than before—that's an indisputable fact.

The flesh and blood of the Watchers are countless times stronger than the flesh and blood of ordinary living beings.

"Ah--!!"

Beneath the ice, Aatrox, now in Void form, launched a fierce attack on the enormous purple eye, the power of the Darkin Blade seemingly unmatched.

But the Watchers's Disintegration Ray was clearly stronger, piercing through Aatrox's body in an instant, and then being swatted away by countless terrifying tentacles.

Fortunately, Aatrox had experienced this countless times before—in just one day, he had been "seriously injured" no less than a hundred times.

But he always manages to get back up.

By consuming the severed flesh and blood.

As long as the Watchers cannot completely annihilate his physical body in the blink of an eye, he can be resurrected with full health countless times.

"You think you can... kill me?!"

Aatrox burst from the collapsed rock wall and rushed toward the Watchers at top speed.

The latter fired another beam, but because Aatrox was fast enough, it missed a vital spot, only severing one of his arms.

Puff--!

The greatsword struck the enormous single eye, leaving a distinct gash.

Aatrox immediately drank the blood that was spurting out.

He has managed to survive until now by relying on this crazy, injury-for-injury fighting style.

While this level of damage is negligible to the Watchers, it has no means of healing itself within this endless embrace of True Ice, and over time, Aatrox will inflict significant damage on it.

Glug glug...

After a disgusting and eerie sound, the enormous purple eye began to wriggle.

Then, no fewer than ten thick tentacles emerged from every corner—as if they were growing out of ice or the ground. They corroded and assimilated everything around them.

They slapped at Aatrox simultaneously, as if swatting an annoying fly.

The latter didn't even have time to draw his sword and escape.

Thump--!

The swift force sent Aatrox flying once more, even slamming his body into the hard, True Ice.

He roared, preparing to drag his battered body back to fight the enemy to the death.

But just then, he suddenly noticed something strange...

A figure... should not have appeared in this endless cold and darkness...

He paused for a moment, stunned.

Then he became even more enraged.

"Mortal--!!"

That figure was none other than Chen Ce.

The two looked at each other across a transparent layer of ice, their voices carrying through the ice.

"Um... Good evening, Aatrox." Chen Ce scratched his head sheepishly.

"I'm going to kill you--!!" Aatrox screamed hoarsely, his greatsword slashing towards True Ice.

But before he could even touch the ice, the tentacles behind him attacked him once again.

Snap! The sound of whipping was like a leather whip striking flesh.

Aatrox tried to withstand the Watchers' attacks and break through the True Ice, but the tentacles quickly bound him completely.

He could only watch helplessly as that damned mortal stood before him.

Separated by only one wall...!

"Don't get agitated, Brother To." Chen Ce slowly approached the ice, even placing a hand on it. "Instead of killing me, shouldn't you be focusing all your efforts on dealing with the Void right now?"

"You all deserve to die too...!!" Aatrox's hoarse growl sounded terrifying.

But Chen Ce was not afraid at all—with this indestructible layer of True Ice blocking his way, and with the Watchers pulling Aatrox back from behind, he was completely safe.

"Sigh... I'm just a nobody passing by, why are you getting so worked up?"

While joking, Chen Ce pulled something out of his pocket that was glowing red.

It's not big, only about 20 centimeters long and a few centimeters thick; it's rod-shaped, with a circular structure at the top that glows and flashes with a red electric arc.

Control Ward.

Commonly known as the Control Ward.

"You guys keep fighting, I'll just set up a little toy here."

"Ah--!!" Aatrox didn't know what it was, but he could guess it wasn't anything good. He roared again.

Unfortunately, the Watchers quickly and forcefully pulled him back.

The annoying shouting gradually faded away. Chen Ce picked at his ears and then began to deploy Control Ward.

Well... calling it deployment doesn't really mean there's much to do.

Just stick it directly into the ground.

Bite--

The Control Ward made a crisp sound the moment it was planted in the ground.

The next moment, Chen Ce felt his vision change—the scene before him remained the same, but suddenly he had a feeling of... having gained another perspective?

Just like the legendary "compound eyes of a fly," the field of vision suddenly widens considerably.

Even when he turned his back, that strange feeling didn't disappear.

Even with his eyes closed, he could see things in the darkness... the area around where his Control Ward had been placed.

It's a strange feeling... Although it seems like I can see that scene no matter what, it doesn't affect my normal vision at all.

It's like... radar? Something like that...

"How amazing..."