A Second Book in the Endless Abyss?

"The Eight Ultimate Runes each represent one of the eight ultimate powers in the world?" Xiao Yan was utterly stunned by this profoundly mysterious system.

"Yes, except that these Eight Ultimate Runes cannot be formed on the Dou Qi Continent." Hun Tiandi's usually composed gaze suddenly dimmed somewhat.

"Why? Since the theory is complete, you should be able to try reconstructing these runes yourself." Xiao Yan looked at Hun Tiandi in bewilderment. In his view, his master possessed ample theoretical knowledge and was a Nine-Star Dou Sheng. How could he possibly fail to reconstruct the so-called Eight Ultimate Runes?

"My inability to reconstruct the Eight Ultimate Runes stems not from inadequate theory, but from a deficiency in heaven and earth." Hun Tiandi shook his head. After considerable thought, he finally spoke slowly.

"Xiao Yan, which profession on the Dou Qi Continent commands the greatest respect and possesses the most complete lineage of teachings?"

"Uh... alchemists?" Xiao Yan ventured. In his limited experience, alchemists stood at the pinnacle of all professions. Others, such as artifact refiners, formation masters, and beast tamers, were nowhere near as influential.

"Correct, alchemists. This profession has a long history on our Dou Qi Continent, and its lineage of teachings is exceptionally complete. Since my birth, the Alchemist Association has always been an organization spanning the entire continent. Even the sects formed by alchemists have never fallen out of the ranks of the continent's foremost powers."

"The other professions are nothing like that. Not only are artifact refiners scarce, but no high-ranking artifact refiner has appeared for a very long time. Formation masters are likewise few in number, and their inheritance is outright incomplete. Only our Hun Clan possesses a relatively complete inheritance. Beast tamers, meanwhile, belong to a minor school that cannot even take a place at the table."

"Have you ever wondered why all this is so?"

For the first time, Xiao Yan heard Hun Tiandi speak at such length. At that moment, he seemed not like the lofty lord of the Hun Clan, but merely a scholar seeking the ultimate truths of the world.

"No," Xiao Yan answered honestly.

People always took what had existed since their birth for granted, and Xiao Yan was no exception. From the outset of his cultivation, he had known that alchemists held the most exalted profession, so he had never considered why the other professions were in such decline.

"All of this is because the laws of the Dou Qi Continent are incomplete. Our world is merely one small piece among the countless worlds in the universe, so its laws are likewise only a small fragment of the laws of the whole. Other worlds exist beyond the Dou Qi Continent. I even suspect that there is a Central World possessing all the laws. In that world, every profession would possess a complete inheritance."

Listening to Hun Tiandi, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a little dazed. Wasn't this precisely the framework of the Great Thousand World?

The Great Thousand World, the Middle Thousand World, and the Small Thousand World.

The Great Thousand World possessed all the heavenly laws in the universe and was also its center. Middle Thousand Worlds and Small Thousand Worlds possessed only a portion of those laws and existed in dependence on the Great Thousand World. The latter two also had lower levels of martial power. Once an expert reached a certain realm within them, ascension was their only option; otherwise, heaven and earth would no longer tolerate their existence.

Our world actually worked like this?

Seeing Xiao Yan's vacant gaze, Hun Tiandi pondered for a moment, wondering whether this knowledge had placed too great a burden on him at his current stage.

"In any case, take your time digesting this. If you cannot understand it, there is no need to tie yourself in knots. Study the three runes I gave you carefully, and try to understand them before we reach the Endless Abyss."

After giving those instructions, Hun Tiandi turned and vanished before Xiao Yan.

Their journey continued. Xiao Yan studied the three runes while learning alchemy from Yao Chen. With the aid of his powerful soul power, everything fell into place as naturally as water flowing into a channel.

Three months later, after the spatial ship had traveled an unknown distance through the void, the Endless Void finally appeared before them.

It was a region where the void had abruptly collapsed. There was no physical substance, only a terrifying attraction drawing in everything around it.

"The Endless Void." Xiao Yi Xian frowned as she looked at the void before them.

An enormous planet slowly fell toward the Endless Void. The immense gravitational force kept tearing it into fragments, yet even the smallest fragment was thousands of times larger than their spatial ship.

"Can we really find the Nine Nether Wind Flame in there?" Xiao Yan felt as though this had to be a joke. The Endless Abyss was practically a black hole. Could anyone enter it and come out alive?

Yao Chen also began to lose his nerve. Even with the strength he had possessed at his peak, escaping an Endless Abyss like this would have cost him a layer of skin, if not his life.

Hun Tiandi frowned as well. Watching the planet being torn apart, he realized that his original plan to take Xiao Yan and the others inside for training was no longer feasible.

"There is no need for you to go in. Once I bring back the Nine Nether Wind Flame, we will head straight back." Hun Tiandi shot out of the spatial ship. After laying several restrictions around it, he flew toward the Endless Void.

He crossed the immense distance in the blink of an eye. Neither the Endless Void's gravity nor the terrifying forces unleashed by the planet's destruction could affect him. He passed straight through them.

Once he entered the Endless Void, violent astral winds assailed him. At this point, even a weaker Half-Saint could have suffered grievous injuries!

Hun Tiandi stood utterly motionless amid the astral winds. After closing his eyes and sensing his surroundings for a while, he continued deeper into the Endless Abyss.

The farther he went, the fiercer the astral winds became. Void creatures even floated amid them.

These void creatures were extraordinarily powerful. Even the weakest possessed the strength of a Dou Zun, while the strongest had reached the Six-Star Dou Sheng realm. Yet they displayed none of the excitement or arrogance they usually showed when people entered to train. Every one of them concealed its aura, terrified of being discovered by Hun Tiandi.

Reaching the depths of the Endless Abyss without obstruction, Hun Tiandi found the Nine Nether Wind Flame before him. Beside the heavenly flame, a void monster with a cultivation of at least Early Eight-Star Dou Saint stared at him sinisterly for a long while before slowly retreating.

It had actually handed over the Nine Nether Wind Flame without a fight!

Hun Tiandi did not pursue it to wipe it out. He put away the Nine Nether Wind Flame and prepared to leave the Endless Abyss.

Suddenly, he seemed to notice something. Farther down in the Endless Abyss, deeper still than his current position, a book made of some unknown material floated slowly.

Hun Tiandi's pupils contracted sharply. He immediately recalled the scene when he had previously obtained the book "Battle Through the Heavens."

It was likewise in the void, had likewise appeared inexplicably, and likewise bore four large characters:

"..."