Chapter 126: Chapter 96 Tartarus_3

But the Abyss was void of anything, devoid of any signs of life having ever existed. The only ones that had ever been there were the three Titans who served as prisoners. Cronus truly couldn’t fathom what meaning there could be in the birth of script here.

It couldn’t possibly be for the Abyss itself to read, yet Tartarus was the only Primordial God without personification, lacking the ability to ‘see’.

“Who knows… The Abyss is one of the few places that even I know nothing about.”

“Whatever happens here, I wouldn’t be surprised. That’s also why I describe this journey as an ‘adventure’, for I’ve even prepared for the possibility that the Abyss might suddenly come to life.”

After studying the script in his hand for a while, Laine summoned a few more for comparison. But in the end, he still couldn’t discern anything.

“Let’s continue onward, hoping to find the answers inside. This journey into the Abyss has truly been quite fruitful.”

Setting them aside, Laine decided not to dwell on it any longer. At the core of the Abyss, he thought he would likely find the outcome.

Even if the core held no answers, once Cronus completed his transformation, he might tell him the answer, if by that time his mind had not been confused by the powers of Chaos.

“Okay.”

Nodding, Cronus also found this matter very interesting.

After all, Laine’s foundation was in the Spirit Realm; how the Abyss was, was only due to a desire for exploration and prevention that he paid it attention. But for the former Divine King, it was necessary to understand every bit of the unknown here, so as not to unintentionally cause even greater troubles in the future.

Discarding the script in his hands, the two set off once more. As they continued deeper, the surrounding void became darker, sometimes even taking on the color of Chaos. Streaks of Chaotic Source Force roamed around, and Laine tried to make contact with them but eventually gave up.

These freely dissipating remnants of Source Power within the bowels of the Abyss were difficult to utilize; they were the leftovers from the creation of the world, the detritus from the collapse of the Chaotic Void. If he took them out and tried to process them with the entire body of the Spirit Realm, it indeed could be done, but the point was trivial.

On one hand, they were difficult to collect, and on another, it was too time-consuming. Laine could roughly judge that even if he spent ten thousand years, the power gained would likely be inconsequential.

Even Chaos itself, being larger than the Spirit Realm, chose to expel them into the body of Tartarus, letting them slowly erode over the long years. Rather than Laine spending his energy on them, it would be more valuable to think about how to improve the inner circulation of the Spirit Realm.

As they delved deeper, the Chaos tint and the currents laced with strands of Source Power became even denser. Under such circumstances, Laine also had to release his powers to resist the surrounding environment.

In one moment, as they once again dodged a tidal wave formed by converging currents, Laine stopped in his tracks.

Standing here, he could already see the core of the Abyss. Laine’s expression was a mixture of surprise and understanding, as all his previous doubts were answered, yet now he was unsure whether to feel disappointed or excited.

“What is it now?”

Having been impatient yet interrupted once more, Cronus showed a hint of impatience, but he still composed himself.

“Hmm…”

Hesitating for a moment, Laine organized his thoughts. He was considering how to deal with the situation, but eventually, he began to speak slowly.

“Although this is the Abyss, with the help of the Chaotic Source Force that makes up this incarnation, I am still able to sense within a certain range, which I’ve mentioned before.”

“Yes, so we’re close now, you’ve already seen the core of Tartarus?”

With a relaxed expression, Cronus inquired.

“Yes, but I now have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news to tell you. Which do you want to hear first?”

His tone carried a hint of regret, but Laine did not intend to deceive the other party. After all, without Cronus, he himself would not be able to reap the benefits unless he gave up everything and accepted the Abyss’s transformation first, becoming one of Its beings.

But that was impossible. Straightforwardly, even if Cronus obtained it, he could still get a share of it. After all, this was not part of their previous agreement, and the other party also needed his help.

“Bad news…?”

At his side, Cronus’s expression became stiff; he had obviously misunderstood something. He had already gambled everything away, just as Laine once described him, the former Divine King had wagered it all, waiting for the moment to turn the tables. Now, any piece of bad news was something he did not wish to hear.

“…Then let’s hear the bad news first.”

The former Divine King took a deep breath and spoke.

In any case, there was no room for regret for him now. No matter the outcome, he would have to accept it.

“The bad news is that our previous plan may no longer be viable.”

“I had thought that there were no living beings in the Abyss and that as long as you could make it here, by accepting the Abyss’s assimilation with a status devoid of all worldly endowments, intrinsic to that of a deity, then you could become its first god. You would be to the Abyss what the Primordial Gods were to the world.”

“But now, an Outsider has taken your place there. Having lost the notion of being ‘the first,’ even if we continue the plan, your gains would be much diminished.”

Observing more closely, Laine looked even more regretful. It was a pity that he was only an avatar entering now, but no one knew what was inside the Abyss, and not being able to prepare beforehand was to be expected.

As for having his true body come later for exploration, that would be pointless. Opportunity was fleeting, and it seemed that he would have to reluctantly become a shareholder, sharing in the dividends.

“What about the good news?”

After a prolonged silence, Cronus thought Laine felt sorry for him. He reluctantly accepted this outcome, as it seemed his luck had never been particularly good.

Now, it was just another blow. Although he had lost the concept of being ‘the first,’ he could still become an Abyssal Demon Lord; it was just that the result was rather far from what he had envisioned.

However, in front of him, Laine provided an answer that was beyond his expectations.

“The good news I have for you is—”

Shaking his head slightly, Laine looked at the former Divine King beside him. It had to be said that perhaps fortune had turned, and this time, the other party might just pick up a bargain.

Of course, along with the bargain, there also came a powerful enemy.

“I’ve opened up the Spirit Realm, you know that, right?”

“Yes, so what?”

“So, have you ever considered opening one yourself, perhaps a smaller, weaker one, but a world that can grow and become strong without the influence of the current world?”