Chapter 10 - CHAPTER 10 : Abyss #2.

[LOCATION : Continent Chaia | Seconds After System Notification]

The notification still glowed faintly before Jin Wei's eyes, its final line etched into his thoughts:

📛 "Once Started Descending, Can't return to the surface." 📛

Jin Wei's brows furrowed. He turned to the translucent form hovering beside him, eyes narrowing with both caution and urgency.

Jin Wei: "Master… now that the Abyss has opened, you should at least have some idea of what it really is, right?"

Gu Cheng's ethereal form didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he closed his eyes.

The wind quieted.

The air stilled.

And for a moment, time itself seemed to lean in.

From his forehead, a single golden thread of consciousness extended outward.

Reaching into the folds of space and logic like a fishing line cast into the depths of the unknown.

Jin Wei waited in silence.

Moments passed.

Then—

Gu Cheng opened his eyes.

Gu Cheng : "…The Abyss… is a world in and of itself."

He floated lower, voice low and sharp like an old blade.

Gu Cheng : "Once you descend into it, there is no climbing back up. If you try… you'll be cursed"

"You won't die. But, You'll become a bizzare creature called HUNTER. A hunter of men."

"Wandering the Abyss, preying on those who descend after you."

Jin Wei stiffened.

The wind picked up again, this time carrying the scent of something… old.

Gu Cheng : "I probed as far as I could. There are more than ten layers… maybe far more. And each one…"

He paused.

Gu Cheng: "Each level is larger than the continent of Chaia, and from Level 6 onward, each is the size of a Star System."

Jin Wei's breath caught.

A single level… larger than a planet.

Jin Wei (thinking): "Just what kind of… existence created this place?"

Gu Cheng (continuing):

"I didn't go deeper. If I pushed past a certain point, I'd lose connection with you."

"And finding you again… could take quite some time, and it would be a hassle."

Jin Wei nodded slowly.

Then another thought struck him.

Jin Wei: "There are over 4,000 entrances across Chaia. But what about other continents?"

Gu Cheng turned to look eastward, where distant lights shimmered beyond the mountains.

Gu Cheng: "Abyss isn't unique to Chaia. Every major continent has its own entries—thousands of them. But…"

He raised a finger.

Gu Cheng: "Until Level 6, each continent's Abyss is localized—only those who entered from that continent can access their version."

"But once you pass Level 6… things change."

Jin Wei: "Change how?"

Gu Cheng: "You'll start encountering others."

"Beings from different continents(Planets). From the same galaxy, yes… but with laws, and cultivation paths unlike anything you're used to."

He looked directly at Jin Wei now.

Gu Cheng: "That's when the real game begins."

A silence followed.

The sky above was calm. The land below still bore the scars of universal transition. But beneath it all… the Abyss waited.

And it had opened its mouth.

Jin Wei (thinking): "A world you can only descend into… with no return. A multi-layered world… larger than anything I've ever imagined."

"Enemies from other worlds…"

He tightened his fists.

The World Panel flickered again, highlighting Abyss #118 — only 700 kilometers away.

He looked at his Master.

Jin Wei: "Should I descend now?!"

Gu Cheng: "Good. But, before descending prepare enough meterals to survive for a year (10 earth years)."

Jin Wei : "Hmmm..."

[LOCATION : Continent Chaia – One Month Later (~8 Earth Months)]

Time passed. The world did not wait.

Jin Wei wandered through cities and ruins, markets and mountains, his presence ghostlike beneath the towering pressure of what loomed ahead.

The once-familiar Chaia had changed. Completely.

Gone were the quiet village paths and untamed wilds. Now, colossal banners bearing the emblems of Chaia's major sects and royal clans fluttered over every Abyss entrance. Gate fortresses had been erected. Spirit formations activated. Patrols deployed.

Every portal to the Abyss was guarded like sacred treasure.

And it was no longer free.

Entrance Fees was :

🔹 10,000 Qi Crystals

🔹 50,000 Gold Coins

🔹 1 Year of Army Work (10 Earth Years)

One of three. 

A price that 90% of the continent could never dream of affording.

[Meanwhile – Jin Wei]

He stayed hidden. Low profile. For an entire month, he worked, trained, hunted beasts, and sold cores and herbs across dozens of local markets. 

Only for supplies.

—High-grade Qi & Mana-restoring pills & Elixirs.

—Weapons and Artifacts.

—Preserved food for a year.

—Medical kits, barrier talismans, clean water beads.

—Armored Clothes like - Mana Cloak, Qi Gloves. etc.

—One backup identity token, just in case.

[Rumors on the Wind]

In taverns whispers flowed.

"Did you hear? The first 50,000 foreigners—those from the Master's world—they entered the Abyss the moment it opened."

"Yeah, and right after that, the first Chaian batch was allowed through—one million of 'em throughout the continent. But only the sect-affiliated ones."

"The rest of us? We're just… stuck here."

"Ten thousand Qi Crystals and 50K gold just to step in? That's more than our entire sect treasury!"

"Well, I guess we'll have to work in army for a year."

Some spat curses. Others fell into quiet despair.

Jin Wei sat there said nothing.

-----

The reason people were so eager to enter the Abyss, even without knowing anything about it,

was because the first batch of explorers quickly shared their experiences.

They uploaded videos and streamed live on [World Tube] and wrote detailed posts on [World Article].

Jin Wei watched some videos and live streams as he sat in the tavern, browsing through his system panel.

After that, he read a few articles.

According to them, the energy inside was overwhelmingly abundant — their cultivation speed increased by tenfolds.

But, there was a catch. you can't return to the surface.

[Observation – Abyss #118, Now Fortified]

He finally returned to the outskirts of Abyss Entrance #118—the one closest to where he had first received the system prompt.

But what stood before him now was a fortress city.

Rows of cultivator-soldiers in matching sect robes.

Flying beasts used for patrol.

Observation towers lined with Qi cannons.

A massive gate pulsed with formation arrays, glowing red.

The Abyss loomed behind it, like a divine wound carved into the world.

Guards stood at the checkpoint, demanding coins and crystals from anyone who approached.

And those who couldn't pay?

Have to work in the army for a year.(10 earth years)

Beneath the branches of a moonwood tree, Jin Wei sat cross-legged.

He watched it all.

Men begging to enter.

Women offering family heirlooms.

Cultivators selling their artifacts—just for a chance.

He clenched his fists beneath the folds of his robe.

Gu Cheng's voice stirred in his mind.

Gu Cheng: "This is why I told you to prepare."

Jin Wei (quietly): "They turned the Abyss into a business."

Gu Cheng: "You don't have to pay a single penny to those opportunistic bastards, I'll help you sneak in."

A long silence.

Then Jin Wei looked to the sky, where the floating system panel pulsed faintly.

Jin Wei : "Okay. I'll leave it to you."

Floating just above the ground, the old man's ghostly form raised a single hand.

Gu Cheng: "Stay still, Kid."

With a single wave, shimmering light twisted through the air like liquid smoke.

A brilliant purple-white aura blossomed around Jin Wei, flowing over his shoulders like mist, curling around his body, face, and even his breathing. 

The air grew heavier, quieter. The world itself seemed to blur around him.

Jin Wei blinked as his own form began to fade—no longer invisible, but something far more elusive. 

It was as if light had forgotten how to cling to him.

Gu Cheng: "This is camouflage."

His voice was sharp, low—more serious than usual.

Gu Cheng:

"While you're cloaked like this, no one below the Heroic Realm will be able to see you. Not with eyes, not with spiritual sense."

Jin Wei exhaled softly, gaze still locked on the red-gated Abyss fortress in the distance.

Gu Cheng : "But... they can still touch you. Your presence still affects the world. You must be cautious."

Jin Wei turned slightly toward his master, but Gu Cheng's expression had already grown distant.

Gu Cheng (quietly): "I'll be withdrawing into the ring. Maintaining this technique requires all of my mental focus."

"I won't be able to open my eyes or project my field to sense enemies."

A pause. Then, a nod.

Gu Cheng : "You'll be on your own. Until you're inside."

Jin Wei lowered his head respectfully.

Jin Wei : "…Understood, Master."

Gu Cheng's form shimmered, fading slowly into the Throne Ring on Jin Wei's hand, which glowed faintly for a heartbeat—and then dimmed into silence.

Now alone, wrapped in a spectral aura, Jin Wei stood.

Above him, watchtowers scanned the perimeter with shifting lights.

Before him… the Abyss.

It was a massive pit hole — so deep it seemed endless, as if there was no bottom at all.

[Note : the entrance is a Circular hole with the radious ~71Nongs(100km)]

Along the inner walls of the Abyss, strange plants and vine-like ropes grew, clinging to the stones.

As it grew darker and darker inside, Jin Wei flinched, unsure if he should really jump in. 

Even tho. Jin Wei was far from the entrance. But, Just a sight from far away felt like staring into his fear.

The area Jin Wei was infiltrating, had only few soldiers guarding the entrance. 

But, there were protective arrays. If someone infiltrated they will be shot down by arrays.

But, Jin Wei had camouflage casted by his master, Gu Cheng.

The mist clung low to the dirt path as Jin Wei stepped out from beneath the moonwood tree, each footfall careful, silent, hidden beneath the shimmering veil of Gu Cheng's camouflage.

No alarms. No cries of detection.

Only the ambient hum of barrier arrays and the steady pulse of the world's breath.

He took another step forward—closer to the edge of the abyss.

FWIP—!!

A sharp wind screamed infront of is face.

Something fast. Something deadly.

The hairs on his neck stood up as instinct took over—Jin Wei spun, dropping into a crouch, his left hand ready to draw his blade.

He turned toward the sound's origin. And then... he saw it.

A large wooden target board, nearly a hundred meters to his right—its bullseye now split clean in half by a single arrow, perfectly embedded at its center.

Jin Wei (thinking) : "Was I seen...?! Did someone really—?"

He paused, narrowing his eyes toward the left.

There, around two hundred meters away, perched atop a sentry tower overlooking the fortified field, stood a man in training armor—calmly lowering a long black-lacquered bow.

Another arrow nocked. Another silent breath taken.

The man was practicing.

Jin Wei (thinking) : "...Target practice. He wasn't aiming at me."

His muscles relaxed slightly, but he didn't let his guard fall completely. 

A near miss like that reminded him how fragile the veil was—how death could come without warning, even if unintentional.

He turned again.

There it was.

The Abyss.

A massive chasm, a perfect circle of shadow carved into the earth. Radius about 71 Nongs. (~100 km)

The pit's inner walls were coated in vine-like flora, glowing faintly in the darkness, spiraling downward like nature itself was trying to grasp something lost.

There was no sound from within. No wind rose from the depths.

Only silence.

Jin Wei (thinking) : "So this is it. Once I step over… there's no turning back."

He approached the ledge, boots just centimeters from the drop.

One more breath.

The barrier formations still hummed overhead—but no alarms rang. His camouflage still held.

He peered down.

Nothing but blackness below. A blackness that did not reflect light… it consumed it.

The Abyss.

He stood at the edge, alone, cloaked, burdened—but strangely, calm.

Jin Wei (thinking) : "Even Master said, I should go."

He straightened his back, eyes locked into the void.

A faint breeze carried voices in the distance—guards laughing, towers shifting, someone bragging about their shot.

But Jin Wei heard none of it anymore.

This was his moment. Just a step.

He took it.

Jin Wei (thinking) : "…Let's see what happens."

As he fell into the pitch-black darkness, it was as if the shadows engulfed him — and then, he vanished.

TO BE CONTINUED.----------