CH 16.1

Always Look at Me (1)

“AHHHHHHHH——” The insect’s six legs clung onto Shi An’s shirt tightly while screaming uncontrollably.

“You’re noisy!” Shi An grumbled loudly in the roaring wind.

“It’s you who’s crazy AAAAHHHH!” The insect screamed even more hysterically than before.

The abyssal rift, by nature, repels all intruders. Those who directly jump down from above, like now, would be recognized as enemies and any magic power released during the descent is nullified.

So…...don’t drag me along if you gonna goddamn commit suicide!!!

“Whoosh——” Suddenly, the falling speed slowed down.

The harsh wind earlier became heavy and dense, keeping Shi An firmly airborne.

Insect: “???” Overwhelmed by the sudden change, its shivering legs clung even more tightly onto Shi An’s shirt.

Rhythmic flapping sounded from behind.

The insect slowly turned around and look in the direction where the sound came from.

Two huge black dragon wings flapped slowly and gracefully——pitch-black scales gleamed with a metallic shine, cold hard wing bones were slightly raised and several meters wide when spread out——giving off an eerie sense of stunning beauty.

“That…...this…...you……” The insect’s jaw dropped, its words faltered. “......when……”

Shi An landed on the ground gently and pondered for a moment before saying: “Around the time when we were reaching the rift, I felt it should be ok.”

The insect dully repeated: “Sh-should? Meaning you’re not sure too?”

Shi An nodded and replied in a practical tone: “Yeah. If I don’t jump down, how will I know whether I can fly.”

Insect: “......” What to do, I really want to hit him. But hitting him is impossible, too weak.

Shi An caressed his dragon wings cherishedly. “Unfortunately, I don’t have enough power now, so they are only this big. My wings last time can cover an entire plain when they were fully spread out.”

——However, although my wings now are small, at least they are no longer just a silhouette.

Shi An raised his head and closed his eyes.

The concentration of the poisonous air from the rift is ten times more than that from the outside. Grayish-white poisonous fog as thick as liquid enshrouded the depths of the rift like a barrier, silently enclosing Shi An within it. Familiar power slowly poured into his body as if welcoming their brethren, friend, and master.

——At this rate, it’s only a matter of time until full recovery.

Shi An slowly opened his eyes. Reddish-gold light shone in the depths of his pupils. He could feel that deep in this rift, there is a more powerful, purer, and darker magic fluctuation. It is silently beckoning him from afar, exuding an irresistible scent of temptation.

“Come, let’s go deeper into the rift.” Shi An blinked, his clear voice a little hoarse. After that, he folded his two large pitch-black dragon wings and retracted them back into his body. He walked two steps forward, then halted.

The insect was puzzled. “What’s wrong?” Didn’t you say to go deeper into the rift?

Shi An stretched out his hand and touch his back. “Erm, about the flying, I think I might not have given it enough thought……” He whispered hesitantly.

“?!” Realization dawned on the insect and it turned around sharply to look at Shi An’s back.

The dragon wings had torn apart the back portion of Shi An’s shirt, leaving only a few strips of clothing dangling in the air. His pale and delicate back could be seen vaguely in between the dangling strips.

“It’s a little cold,” Shi An said gloomily.

Insect: “......” Fuck.

*

In the grayish-white fog, Mu Heng walked steadily forward.

Another monster snarled and lunged towards Mu Heng. But before it could get near, a silver blade flashed across silently and drew a beautiful arc in the air. The thick fog was sliced open for a moment, leaving behind a narrow gap in the middle.

With a thump, the body parts fell to the ground. Pitch-black blood spurted out from the neatly cut areas, evenly coating the jagged stones on the ground.

The man’s leather boots stepped on the blood unconcernedly, his pace did not even hesitate for a second.

Mu Heng looked at the detection device in his palm. This abyssal rift had stretched open to the widest in history, with the distance between the two sides of the cliff exceeding ten meters. The reading on the device was also the highest ever, astonishing even him. If left unattended, this rift might stretch open into a complete passage.

The situation this time seems to be more serious than what Mu Heng thought. In the past, just a few centimeters wide rifts could unleash many difficult Abyss species.

And this time, the unleashed monsters, not only in numbers but in size as well, were also unprecedented. These monsters were locked inside the Abyss for tens of thousands of years. He is not sure the human species is capable enough to deal with these unfamiliar species.

However, the top priority now is closing the abyssal rift.

Mu Heng carefully examined the palm-size device in his hand.

The magic fluctuations within the rift were too strong to be detected by conventional means. This device is used exclusively by the Crisis Management Office and can handle the maximum threshold of magic power.

Only by using this detector could the Eye of the Abyss be found.