Li Xi said to the sealed space, "Protect me for a while. Once I finish absorbing the Flame Demon's bloodline, the mark of the Abyss Cursed will disappear, and the world's rejection force will also vanish."
This was something Li Xi discovered after absorbing the Flame Demon's bloodline last time. Although he had only absorbed a few dozen drops of Flame Demon essence blood, the mark of the Abyss Cursed had already faded. Li Xi estimated that with enough Flame Demon bloodline, he could completely eliminate the mark. This was the fundamental reason why Li Xi dared to come here after hearing the location was the Abyss.
"Don't worry, leave it to us."
After the Two-Tails and Three-Tails agreed, several elongated palms extended from their Beast Cloaks, encircling Li Xi and protecting him from the unsolicited attacks of demon beasts and the lightning that occasionally struck from the sky.
The two Flame Demon corpses collected during a mission with S-rank mercenaries Galidos and Hermei had long been refined into bloodline by Li Xi. Now was the time to absorb them.
Li Xi first took out a large bottle filled with golden divine power liquid. Fifty drops of divine power were consumed without hesitation. Anyone who witnessed this would be heartbroken.
Gulping down fifty drops of divine power in one go, the lingering fragrance in his mouth. Who could afford such extravagance? Even low-ranking deities couldn't be so lavish. It was like throwing a mountain of gold into a deep trench, enough to make outsiders ache with regret.
A power that seemed to foster all things took root and multiplied within him. At this moment, even Li Xi's slightly myopic right eye gradually regained clarity under the nourishment of divine power. He had only used the Mangekyo Sharingan a few times, and his eyes were already feeling nearsighted. Although it wasn't severe, the slight blur was still annoying.
"It can even cure myopia in the Mangekyo Sharingan. What a treasure!"
Li Xi carefully observed, hoping for a miracle. If myopia could be cured, what about the other eye?
A slight numbness in his missing left eye made Li Xi's heart pound. But after a while, all the unusual sensations vanished. The expected effect of his left eye regenerating did not occur; it only healed the minor pain in the area of his left eye.
No unexpected gains were within expectations. After slightly calming his mind, Li Xi proceeded to his next step.
Li Xi took out the Flame Demon bloodline and directly gulped it down. Six hundred drops of Flame Demon bloodline required a stomach like an ox to contain.
"Baika no Jutsu" (Enlargement Technique)
Li Xi enlarged himself fourfold. Only then could the stomach of a small giant accommodate so much Flame Demon blood.
Heavy, scorching, burning. A line of fire went straight to his stomach. Everywhere the Flame Demon bloodline flowed, it felt as if it had been set ablaze.
Black and red blood exploded. Endless killing intent and malevolent thoughts appeared within Li Xi's body. At this moment, Li Xi wanted to kill, wanted war, wanted to hear cries, wanted to destroy everything, wanted everything that wasn't peaceful and stable to happen by his hand.
The most beautiful music in the world was the cries of enemies. The most delicious food was the blood of enemies. A day without souls slipping through his hands was like wasted time.
However, just as the Flame Demon bloodline began to corrupt Li Xi, leading him to eternal damnation in the Abyss, the divine power that had been lurking within his body began to exert its influence.
Like a hero destined to defeat evil, a savior destined to rescue all living beings, the divine power appeared and banished all evil thoughts from Li Xi's body.
Li Xi's entire body was like a chimney emitting thick black smoke from burning wet firewood. This was the negative energy slumbering within the Flame Demon bloodline, the root of chaos. But in the radiance of divine power, it melted away like snow under the summer sun.
Just as Li Xi was at a critical juncture in absorbing the Flame Demon bloodline, thick smoke was sweeping in from the distant horizon. Judging by their speed, they would reach Li Xi in less than fifty breaths. This was the Abyss Cursed power at work. As long as Li Xi did not eliminate the mark of the cursed, the longer he stayed in the Abyss, the stronger the attacks would become, until they surpassed Li Xi's limit and killed him within the Abyss.
The Two-Tails, Matatabi, continuously warned Li Xi, but Li Xi remained unmoved. Only when the black smoke on his body subsided did Li Xi make a move. He formed a hand seal.
"Kibamaru no Jutsu" (Demon Seed Technique)
The two Flame Demon bloodline essences in his stomach, like boiling iron water, seemed to have found an outlet and rapidly diminished. Li Xi's aura began to change.
The Two-Tails and Three-Tails could now see what was within the rolling smoke from the horizon. They were monstrous insects with the lower bodies of centipedes and the upper bodies resembling praying mantises, their limbs shaped like scythes.
Each of these composite insect-like creatures was about two meters tall, moving with the speed of the wind, traversing mountains and valleys as if on level ground. Other creatures caught in their path, unable to escape, would see several flashes of blades, their complete bodies sliced into several sections before being crushed into powder.
Though less than a thousand of these creatures, their movement was like a charging army. Everything in their path was leveled, even the grass was cut down by their sharp, thousand-foot legs, leaving a clear path behind them.
Seeing Li Xi still unmoved, the Two-Tails and Three-Tails could only stir up their chakra, causing red, illusory palms to cover Li Xi entirely, preparing for a decisive battle against these insectoids.
500 meters, 400 meters...
The insectoid army was rapidly approaching.
Li Xi's body began to change. His yellow skin tore as if cracking, revealing a black and red skin beneath that was swelling like an inflatable. His body grew rapidly, like a seedling pushed upwards, along with the tearing of his skin.
Two curved horns, growing upwards, roared as if to pierce the heavens. His skin was adorned with bright yellow lines resembling lava, drawn by the finest brush. His powerful physique was forged like the finest steel, devoid of any excess fat, a testament to pure strength. His sharp nails could dismember an elephant with bare hands.
The clothes Li Xi had been wearing were long torn by his growing body, and his mask, too small, fell to the ground. The human face behind the mask was gone, replaced by the terrifying visage of a one-eyed Flame Demon.
Two rows of sharp teeth, like a devil ready to devour, protruded. Each breath exhaled a shower of sparks. The single remaining eye shot out a gaze as cold and sharp as a drawn sword, as if ready to kill without reason.
Just as these monstrous insect soldiers reached him, Li Xi, transformed into a complete Flame Demon, stood twenty meters tall, his aura like a volcano on the verge of eruption, ready to unleash a cataclysm.
Li Xi pulled a large hammer, specifically sought out for use by Flame Demons, from his spatial ring and struck the ground heavily.
The entire ground violently trembled under the immense power of the Flame Demon Li Xi had become. Soil rolled outwards like a tide, and countless cracks instantly appeared on the ground, each one large enough for these monstrous insect soldiers to fall into.
The insectoid army, which had been charging forward, was instantly thrown into disarray by the shockwave of power. Their tight formation was instantly broken, and many insectoids were buried by the surging waves of earth.
While these insectoids were trying to re-form their ranks, Li Xi touched his brow. Since transforming into the complete Flame Demon, the feeling of being rejected by the entire world had disappeared. He had become a part of the Abyss, and the Abyss naturally would not trouble its children. The faint whispers in his ears were now clear—it was the Abyss cheering for its new member.
"What are you doing? Attacking a Flame Demon? What gives you the audacity?"
Li Xi crouched down and his enraged question echoed like thunder, resounding in the surroundings. Even the slightest whisper from the now Flame Demon-transformed Li Xi was a terrifying threat.
Kakarot pulled half of his body out of a collapsed crevice and looked at the towering Flame Demon squatting before him. The shadow cast by the Flame Demon alone covered their entire formation. He couldn't help but tremble in fear, the resounding question still echoing in his ears, almost knocking him unconscious.
What terrible luck to run into a Flame Demon so casually in the wild. Their small team would probably be eaten as a snack, wouldn't they?
There wasn't a Flame Demon here before; there was only a disgusting monster with red tentacles!
But seeing that this unfamiliar Flame Demon didn't attack, Kakarot, trembling with fear, cautiously replied, "Respected Great Flame Demon, we are a patrol team under the great Mother of Ten Thousand Insects. We sensed spatial fluctuations here earlier and feared an intruder, so we came to investigate. We truly did not know you were here."
Li Xi analyzed the intelligence revealed by the insectoid's words. The so-called Mother of Ten Thousand Insects was likely his target for this journey. This creature, worthy of being a planar lord, had sensed him. Fortunately, he had acted quickly and transformed into a Flame Demon. Otherwise, his subsequent journey would have been fraught with endless pursuit.
Li Xi couldn't help but speculate. The seniors who had undertaken this mission before him must have wanted to die upon understanding the situation here. The reality was vastly different from the understated description given when the mission was assigned. They probably never even met the evil god Mother of Ten Thousand Insects before being eliminated by these insectoids.
"The spatial fluctuation earlier was caused by my accidental arrival here. Which layer of the Abyss is this?"
The insectoids had no reason to doubt him. The Abyss had countless layers, and traveling to other layers due to various unexpected circumstances was commonplace. It was as simple as visiting a neighbor.
"Respected Great Flame Demon, this is a small plane ruled by the great Mother of Ten Thousand Insects. It does not belong to any layer of the Abyss. If you wish to return to the Abyss, you can go back through the Full Moon Plains. It directly connects to the twenty-fifth layer of the Abyss, but..."
"But what?"
Kakarot cautiously looked up, noticing that this Flame Demon he had encountered was unusually good-tempered, unlike the temperamental Flame Demons who would start slaughtering after only a few words, as legends told.
"But currently, it is a battlefield. A Balor from the twenty-fifth layer of the Abyss is attacking us, so it will be very difficult for you to leave our world."
Kakarot harbored no suspicion that the Flame Demon before him might be a spy sent by the enemy. In the Abyss, direct combat was what they preferred. No demon understood subtle tactics, or rather, the concept of strategy didn't exist in their minds. Of course, these insectoids' minds didn't grasp it either. Sultan Novel Network.
A subtle smile played on Li Xi's lips. "Since that's the case, I won't leave for now. The battle is urgent, do you need my help to fight?"
"Are you serious, sir?"
"Of course. Where else would I fight? The most brilliant moments of my life must be spent on the battlefield." Li Xi, like a battle maniac, was eager to join upon hearing about a fight.
"Respected Great Flame Demon, please return with us. The battlefield is not far. I believe the great Mother of Ten Thousand Insects will be very pleased with your arrival."
"No problem. As long as the conditions are right, I will be your most reliable combat partner."
Kakarot and the other insectoids led the way, with Li Xi, transformed into a Flame Demon, following behind. The insectoids moved very quickly, but Li Xi could keep up at a normal walking pace.
This was Li Xi's first appearance in a large form besides the Baika no Jutsu. It wasn't an enlargement through ninjutsu; his true body was twenty meters tall. A height of twenty meters made everything appear small, giving him a feeling that the entire world was prostrating at his feet. Trees became saplings, hills became small mounds, and the ceaseless river became a stream.
Li Xi couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he used Baika no Jutsu now.
40 meters? 80 meters? 100 meters?
On the way, Li Xi also gained a general understanding of this plane's situation. The Mother of Ten Thousand Insects nominally ruled everything, being the highest recognized existence by all life forms. However, in reality, she did not do much. She usually slept in her cave, and everything outside developed as it would, which did not fit the image of an evil god who performed blood sacrifices.
And these insectoids were merely created to deal with the large-scale battles that occurred every few years. It was unclear when the Balor from the twenty-fifth layer of the Abyss began to invade them every few years. The intensity was not great, just within their tolerance. It was this frequent harassment that annoyed the Mother of Ten Thousand Insects.
The demon forces in the plane were rapidly depleted. Eventually, when the demons in the plane realized there was no hope of victory, they all defected to the enemy.
Therefore, the Mother of Ten Thousand Insects chose to create insectoids specifically for war. Among the created insectoids, except for high-level ones like Kakarot, who were composite main combat insectoids of level three, other troop types were not numerous. From this, Li Xi sensed that the Mother of Ten Thousand Insects was not very powerful, her strength not quite matching her status as a planar lord.
Li Xi also voiced his doubts. With their strength, they were no match for the twenty-fifth layer of the Abyss. Even if the twenty-fifth layer held back, they couldn't have survived so many times without being captured and drained dry by now.
"Respected Lord Litcha, you may not know, but we are indeed not their match. However, we have reinforcements, and with their help, we have remained unharmed to this day."
"Reinforcements?"