Chapter 35

The moment Xu Han and the coalition stepped through the portal, the air thickened, filled with an unsettling weight. They emerged into the Whispering Abyss, a realm that defied all normal laws of space and time. The ground beneath them seemed to twist and stretch, while the sky above swirled in dark, ominous clouds, broken by flashes of eerie light. The silence was oppressive, and the air carried faint whispers—voices that had long since lost their meaning but still echoed through the Abyss.

Xu Han took in the surroundings, his senses immediately heightened. The energy here was unlike anything in the multiverse, bending and warping reality in ways that would disorient even the most experienced beings. He could feel the subtle pull of the Abyss, attempting to unravel his perception of time and space.

"Stay close," Xu Han instructed the group, his voice firm. "The Abyss feeds on confusion and doubt. Do not let it twist your thoughts."

The coalition moved cautiously, their footsteps barely making a sound on the dark, shifting terrain. Tian Long and Seraphina led the way alongside Xu Han, their auras bright and steady against the chaotic energies surrounding them. Kairo remained near the back, his eyes constantly scanning the area for any sign of danger.

"We are not alone here," Kairo said quietly. "The cult is already in the Abyss. I can sense their presence."

Xu Han nodded, his gaze fixed ahead. "We expected this. They're after the same fragment. But they won't find it before we do."

The group continued deeper into the Whispering Abyss, the terrain growing more treacherous with every step. The ground shifted beneath their feet, and strange, shadowy forms flickered at the edges of their vision. It was as if the Abyss itself were alive, trying to ensnare them in its twisting, disorienting depths.

Suddenly, the path ahead split into multiple directions, each one leading into a different part of the Abyss. The voices—the whispers—grew louder, as if beckoning them toward the wrong path.

"This place is designed to trap us," Seraphina said, her voice steady but tense. "If we take the wrong path, we may never find our way back."

Xu Han stepped forward, his eyes glowing with the power of the Great Daos. He extended his senses, feeling for the faintest traces of energy that might lead them to the fragment. The Abyss was a maze of shifting paths and false trails, but Xu Han was not easily fooled.

"There," Xu Han said, pointing toward one of the paths. "The energy of the fragment is faint, but it's there. This is the way."

Without hesitation, the group followed Xu Han's lead, moving quickly but carefully through the labyrinth. The path twisted and turned, leading them deeper into the Abyss, where the whispers grew louder and more persistent. The voices seemed to claw at their minds, filling their heads with doubt and confusion.

Kairo glanced at Xu Han, his face set in a grim expression. "The Abyss is trying to break us. It feeds on the mind, not just the body."

Xu Han's eyes remained focused. "Then we do not let it."

As they moved through a particularly narrow passageway, the shadows around them suddenly shifted, and a cold wind swept through the Abyss. Xu Han halted, his senses flaring.

"They're here," he said quietly.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the cultists struck. From the darkness, a group of robed figures emerged, their faces hidden behind dark masks, their hands glowing with void energy. The cultists moved quickly, launching a barrage of dark magic toward the coalition.

"Defensive positions!" Tian Long shouted, his voice echoing through the Abyss.

The coalition warriors reacted instantly, raising shields of light and energy to block the incoming attacks. Seraphina moved with grace, summoning the power of the moon to create a protective barrier around the group, while Lord Zephyr unleashed a torrent of wind and lightning, scattering the cultists.

Xu Han, however, was already on the move. His eyes locked on the cult leader standing at the center of the ambush—a figure wreathed in shadow, his hands raised as he directed the void energy toward them.

"You've come too far, Xu Han," the cult leader snarled, his voice echoing with dark power. "The Void Sovereign will rise, and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

Xu Han's gaze remained cold. "You will not summon the Void Sovereign. And you will not leave this place."

With a single motion, Xu Han summoned the Dao of Elemental Fusion, creating a swirling vortex of fire, water, and wind. The elements combined into a single, devastating force, which he directed toward the cultists. The ground beneath them erupted in a fiery explosion, scattering the cultists and breaking their formation.

The cult leader staggered back, his dark aura flickering. "You think you can stop the inevitable?"

Xu Han stepped forward, his aura flaring. "I know I can."

With that, Xu Han unleashed the Dao of Temporal Severance, freezing the cult leader in place for a brief moment. In that instant, Xu Han struck with the Dao of Absolute Darkness, enveloping the cult leader in a wave of pure void energy, consuming him in the very force he sought to control.

The remaining cultists faltered, their confidence shattered. They fled into the shadows, disappearing into the twisting pathways of the Abyss.

The coalition regrouped, the tension still thick in the air.

"They'll be back," Kairo said, his voice low. "This won't be the last time we encounter them."

Xu Han nodded, his gaze steady. "We press on. The fragment is close."

The group continued deeper into the Abyss, the energy of the fragment growing stronger with every step. The whispers were louder now, their voices almost coherent, as if trying to warn them of what lay ahead.

As they approached a large, open chamber, Xu Han could sense that they had reached the heart of the Abyss. In the center of the chamber, floating above a pool of dark energy, was the second fragment of the Nexus Key. Its glow was faint, but unmistakable.

But standing between them and the fragment was a towering figure, its body made of pure shadow and swirling void energy. It was the Guardian of the Abyss, an ancient being tasked with protecting the fragment from any who would seek to take it.

The Guardian's eyes glowed with malevolent light as it stepped forward, its voice a low, rumbling growl. "You do not belong here. The fragment is not yours to claim."

Xu Han stepped forward, his aura brightening as he prepared for battle. "The fragment is the key to sealing the rifts. I will not leave without it."

The Guardian let out a roar, the ground trembling beneath its feet. Dark energy crackled in the air as it charged forward, its form shifting and twisting as it attacked.

Xu Han reacted instantly, summoning the Dao of Astral Displacement to warp the space around him, avoiding the Guardian's initial strike. He could feel the immense power radiating from the creature—it was connected to the Abyss itself, drawing on its chaotic energy.

Seraphina and Tian Long flanked the Guardian, their combined powers creating a barrier of light and celestial energy that held the creature at bay. Kairo moved swiftly, his blade cutting through the shadows as he sought to weaken the Guardian's defenses.

But the Guardian was relentless. It shifted through the shadows, appearing and disappearing at will, its form constantly changing. Every time they struck, the Guardian reformed, drawing on the endless energy of the Abyss.

Xu Han knew that they couldn't defeat it through brute force. The Abyss was fueling the Guardian, making it nearly invincible.

"We need to sever its connection to the Abyss," Xu Han called out. "It's drawing power from this realm. We must cut off its source."

Kairo nodded, understanding immediately. "I'll handle the ritual. Keep it distracted."

Xu Han moved forward, engaging the Guardian head-on. He summoned the Dao of Eternal Light, creating a blade of pure energy that cut through the shadows with ease. The Guardian roared in fury, lashing out with tendrils of dark energy, but Xu Han met each attack with precision, keeping the creature focused on him.

Meanwhile, Kairo began the ritual, using the ancient knowledge of the Celestial Wanderers to disrupt the flow of energy between the Guardian and the Abyss. His hands moved in intricate patterns, tracing symbols in the air as he chanted in a forgotten language.

As Kairo's ritual neared completion, the Guardian faltered. Its movements grew slower, its form flickering as the connection between it and the Abyss weakened. With one final strike, Xu Han unleashed the Dao of Temporal Severance, freezing the Guardian in place.

In that moment, Kairo completed the ritual, severing the Guardian's connection to the Abyss. The creature let out a final roar of defiance before collapsing into a pool of shadow, its form dissolving into the darkness.

With the Guardian defeated, the path to the fragment was clear. Xu Han stepped forward, reaching out to the floating piece of the Nexus Key. As his hand closed around it, the fragment pulsed with energy, its light growing brighter.

"We have it," Xu Han said, his voice steady. "The second fragment."

The coalition gathered around him, their faces filled with a mixture of relief and determination.

"This is only the second," Seraphina reminded them. "There are still more to find."

Kairo nodded, his gaze focused on the fragment. "And the cult will not stop. They will continue to pursue us until they have all the pieces."

Xu Han looked around the chamber, the whispers of the Abyss now fading into silence. The battle was far from over, but they had taken another step toward preventing the rise of the Void Sovereign.