The Favored Being of Abyss

Mao Nianzu immediately noticed the solemn, dreadful atmosphere inside the territory behind the dark curtain.

There was no sun or moon, only waves of dark clouds covering the vast sky. In front of his eyes was an empty, barren land.

There was no day or night, and there was no way to judge the passing of time.

"Nothing's here!" Mao Nianzu exclaimed in confusion.

The outer part he passed before arriving in this place was so crowded that he would drown among the sea of creatures.

He thought this part would also be rowdy, lest it had something, not an empty place.

Suddenly, a shining light flashed before his eyes, and the entire land view changed into a magnificent mountain peak. As he witnessed it, he had to suck in a cold breath.

Beneath this peak were waves of mountains covered by black, deadly mist—extremely powerful intent of the unknown elements scattered around it; a dead zone for weaker beings.

On the peak were ruins and rubbles, seemingly from a former majestic palace. Insanely grand palace.

Some murals and paintings remained, showing myriad tales of a particular era and emitting faint glows of powerful energy from time to time.

Mao Nianzu was lifted by an invisible force, floating mid-air, which gave him a better view. He realized this peak was massive as he could not see the end of the ruins. Apparently, he stood at the edge of the peak.

The luminous eyes lit up, acting as a lantern in this dark place. Then, they flew at high speed for several minutes before arriving at the core of this peak.

A torn majestic throne exuded a terrifying, murderous intent. Unfathomable marks engraved in twisted manners, some from claws, bare fists, and sharp weapons, making it more dreadful.

The immense intent suffocated Mao Nianzu. His eyes gradually turned white right after landing, and his vision became blurry.

Buzz!

A black circular sphere came forth within the void, stopped right above the throne.

In an instant, the suffocating aura vanished, letting Mao Nianzu pant heavily. As he breathed greedily, his eyes locked onto the sphere.

The deep, dignified, hoarse voice rang after this long silence.

"The shadow stares at you; the abyss falls in love with you!"

This might sound rather strange and confusing as an opening. Mao Nianzu furrowed his brows, thinking about what this creature was up to the whole time.

Just as he was about to ask, the deep voice continued with a profound aura. The words it uttered caused a phenomenal scene at some corners of this peak.

"Suppressed by the heavens; condemned by all races."

Waves of dark clouds descended, forming diverse races with an immeasurable aura.

"The darkest luck in history; the idol of the entire tragedy."

Mountains erupted hot lava, transforming into ferocious wyverns and dragons. They flew and shrieked outrageously, flexing the capability of mythical creatures that could stomp anything.

"DEAR ABYSS! DEAR DAMNED CREATURES!"

Suddenly, the voice reverberated in a high density, causing the earth to tremble in fear. All creatures inside the Abyss kneeled in solemnity.

"LET THE DAMNATION FALL!!"

The voice significantly intensified. A massive ocean of blood flooded the entire mountains beneath the peak. The strong scent of blood immediately hovered in the air, turned into a red mist.

"BLESS THE DARKEST LUCK!"

Innumerable twisted, bizarre eyes lit up in a brief moment from every corner of the Abyss as the luminous eyes fused with the black sphere and the creepy mouth, transforming into a wisp of black mist that entered Mao Nianzu's forehead, precisely in the middle of his eyebrows.

Boundless chaotic energy burst forth within the throne like a fountain. It gradually surged up, piercing the dark clouds, and some were split in mid-air in all directions. The dark curtain fluttered, causing numerous typhoons in some areas.

It went on for a long time…

After the chaos died down, the whole Abyss turned dead silent.

Only the sound of ocean waves of blood danced around. Wyverns and dragons revolved atop the peak, surrounding it like moths.

-------

A few moments ago, when Mao Nianzu furrowed his brows while guessing what the creature was up to.

Mao Nianzu heard the next sentence, which contained a huge blasphemy toward heaven. Yet, his heart felt assured and peaceful hearing it.

Then, he looked up at the clouds of diverse races. A smile of curiosity appeared on his face.

Not long after, he heard the voice again. This time, his body emitted a dark aura. It was only dark color with no might, and Mao Nianzu did not know that he had such atmosphere.

After all, he was a mortal. Never knew how this worked.

Shriek!

Many wyverns and dragons flew in the sky, piercing the clouds of diverse races. There was a sense of satisfaction when he saw it.

Mao Nianzu could not help but envy. It would be nice if he could also fly with such freedom.

After that, another sentence came in. Mao Nianzu felt a faint connection to something he was unsure of.

Frowning, he thought: 'It's very warm and comfortable, but I never knew this. Where is it?'

Then he saw a glimpse of scenes in which the ugly, strange creatures he saw in the tunnel obediently kneel, uttering no word or movement.

The scenes lasted quite long with various places and species. Shortly after, another sentence came in.

He felt the peak tremble and saw the massive ocean of blood pouring down from the surrounding space, dispersing the diverse races. Satisfaction grew within his heart for no reason.

Soon, the last sentence came in with a distinct impression. Subconsciously, he imitated the sentence, and he had no idea how he carried that out.

Regardless, his burden and all negative energy gradually dissolved when he spoke the words.

Diving through the moment, he closed his eyes and felt a gentle drop of water touch his glabella.

Soon after, he felt a powerful force running rampant all over his body parts, tearing everything inside.

Magically, the dragon's shriek eased his heart, and the waves of sound eased his mind. He could withstand this pain.

Truth to be told, he recalled the first time a mine worker sucked up his energy; the current pain was not far different from that. The more he withstands it, the more painful it becomes, yet the more ethereal he would be.

Furthermore, the major pain occurred on the inside. Not physically, but more in the mental state. Although he was unsure of this term, he believed that his mental state got pumped up by this strange, mystical force.

Enduring pain was Mao Nianzu's life; getting another one was not a big deal.

Not long after, his eyes flickered, showing the same color of light from the luminous eyes. The retina slowly turned into red blood, then returned to normal — dark color, and red blood color again repeatedly.

Then he felt something was wrong with his mouth. A tingling sensation crazily squirmed around it. He could not control his mouth for a moment, causing it to show expressions he never did before; smirking and sneering uncontrollably.

He reached out his mouth and realized it felt different from before. He felt it in a concise moment, and then the mouth returned to normal.

Ever since he encountered these strange creatures, he had been stocking up with questions, yet this one question was something he wanted to ask soon.

Just what on the actual earth is this mouth?

Even if the mouth gave him an incomparable might… if it obstructed him from having an enjoyable meal, he would rather throw it to the edge of the world.

Still, he was not in a position to complain. He genuinely felt gratitude for this power bestowment, albeit the puzzlement within himself.

Of course, he was puzzled why he suddenly got power out of nowhere. Furthermore, nothing was free.

So, he tried to wrack his brain, thinking about what they wanted from him. He always found the same conclusion, either his body, soul, or both.

The former choice was better because he could retain his memory and sentient. The latter option meant he would no longer himself, act not according to his own will.

Either way was acceptable. He was nobody and had nothing to lose.

What if these creatures longed for something besides this? He paid no attention to it and let the time answer.

After the 'bestowment' finished, the peak became dead silent. Only Mao Nianzu remained. Standing in front of the torn, majestic throne.

Silly him, he only realized that he got no idea what to do in this place without the luminous eyes, let alone go home.

"You, the favored being of Abyss." The same deep, hoarse voice sounded. Mao Nianzu heaved a sigh of relief after hearing it.

"The schemes you always plan in your mind, the ruthless attitude you always keep within yourself." Now, like that of an aloof existence, an unfamiliar voice sounded.

"Do what you want from now." A feminine voice rang out affectionately.

"Wherever you go, Abyss is your home!" The hymn of myriad voices sounded like that of citizens who greeted the emperor. It reverberated until giving goosebumps to Mao Nianzu.

"You are our home." A gentle, ethereal voice chimed as Mao Nianzu felt his head buzzing. Profound exhaustion crept into his body, making his vision dark and blurry as he let himself fall to the ground.

But, this feeling was not bad. With a sincere smile of gratitude, he exerted his remaining stamina to utter something: "If it's lonely at the top, then it's lonely at the bottom."

Until the end, he never witnessed the owner of these voices. He only let this sentence out of his mouth comfortably.

He did not know why, but he felt the next time he opened his eyes, he would turn into a new leaf.