Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 523 Out of Reach [6k words]

The Starlight Pendant...pointed behind them? !
Almost at the moment when he "saw" the divination scene in his mind, a piercing chill rose from Xin Lailai's back for no reason, causing his body to tremble instinctively, and a large number of thoughts emerged from his mind uncontrollably.

The starlight needle points to the depths of the abyssal ocean...

Could it be that according to the divination, they would definitely die if they took the normal route? The only hope for survival was the spatial cracks in the abyss ocean?

No, that's not right. With their current equipment and supplies, if they dare to rush into the space crack again, they will definitely die no matter what.

But if it weren't so, according to the concentration of the abyss energy below, they simply couldn't...

Wait, next?
In an instant, a somewhat nonsensical idea suddenly popped up in Xin Lailai's mind:
Why do they think that walking in the direction of decreasing energy concentration in the abyss is climbing upwards?
Almost at the moment when this thought came to mind, Xin Lailai felt as if his eyes were being pulled by an invisible force, and he subconsciously looked up at the rock wall above the picture in his mind:

It was a dark rock wall with rocky gullies washed on it. Pieces of rubble fell from the end and sank into the abyss of the ocean, falling down bit by bit.

He looked at the rock wall in front of him, and his consciousness was immersed in it involuntarily. He couldn't pull himself away. Gradually, the voice in his mind began to fade away, and the surrounding scene seemed to be getting darker and darker. The gullies on the rock wall in front of him began to become more and more vivid, just like...

One eye?!

boom--! !

The moment this thought emerged in Xin Lailai's mind, the strong mental shock hit his mind like a sledgehammer, causing the scene in front of him to change suddenly.

Instantly, an indescribable sense of fear began to spread in Xin Lailai's mind. When he opened his eyes again, the dark rock wall in front of him began to madly enlarge, zoom in, and distort, and then...

Suddenly opened my eyes and looked at him!

"Come, look at me, hug me!!"

A cold, twisted, creepy muttering sound that sounded like a mixture of thousands of voices rang out in Xin Lailai's mind. In an instant, a strong impulse erupted uncontrollably from his mind.

escape!
Escape from Him!
That's right, they must escape quickly, they have been deceived, that is not the exit at all, but the road leading to the depths! It's a trap!!

"Zero more than one! Zero more than one?! Zero more than one!!"

An anxious cry came from Xin Lailai's mouth. He looked in horror at the huge scarlet vertical pupil in front of him that blocked his entire vision, and shouted hysterically, but found that no one responded at all.

distortion.

Swallow.

Grow.

Darkness began to spread uncontrollably in Xin Lailai's sight. In a trance, it seemed as if thousands of whispering voices were gnawing at his brain.

No, it can't go on like this!

As a strong sense of confusion and distortion arose, Xin Lailai instinctively bit the tip of his tongue and used the pain to briefly wake up:

"Xiao Pu No. 1, hurry up, re-regulate... eh?!"

The pitch-black color in his sight became increasingly dense. Xin Lailai shouted as loudly as he could, and habitually raised his hand to his side, trying to sit up from the cockpit, when he was suddenly stunned:
Wow——! !

The sound of surging sea water rang in Xin Lailai's ears. He looked at the dark abyss sea around him, subconsciously touched the empty side of his body, and stood there in a daze.

Why is he...here?
He shouldn't be in the cockpit...

"What is...a cockpit?"

A confused voice of muttering to himself came from the black-haired young man's mouth. He looked at himself slowly sinking in the dark ocean, and the confusion in his eyes became more and more intense.

In a trance, it seemed as if something was gradually moving away, leaving only the cold touch from the surrounding sea water formed by the energy of the abyss... Eh?

Why does he feel that the sea water is cold?

In the darkness, the black-haired young man who was instinctively trying to struggle to swim upwards suddenly stopped and looked down at his body in a daze.

Swish~!
A faint sound of something breaking out of the body was heard, and black threads were seen emerging from his palms, eyelids, face... every inch of flesh and blood in his body.

As his flesh and blood began to mutate, a strange feeling of warmth began to rise from his body. This warmth seemed to have some kind of magical power, which slowly soothed all the uneasiness in his mind. A peaceful smile gradually appeared on his frightened face.

Ah...he remembered.

That’s right, he (it) just got lost... and now, he (it) has found the nest that truly belongs to him (it).

"Come, return to me, integrate into me~!"

A gentle and pleasant voice sounded from its (his) mind, and a joyful emotion rose from its (his) soul. It (he) turned around and looked at the huge scarlet vertical eye that covered the endless horizon in front of it, showing a joyful smile, opening its arms, and letting the waves carry it to the depths, and then...

"Lai Lai! Wake up!!"

A rapid cry suddenly exploded from the depths of its soul, causing it to be stunned. Its body stopped instinctively, and a hint of doubt appeared in its scarlet compound eyes.

Lai Lai...who is it?
It seems so familiar, but... I can't remember where it is.

It floated there, thinking, hesitating, and when it was ready to swim towards its 'destination' again, the familiar voice sounded from the depths of its soul again:
"No, it's too late! Lai Lai, I'm going to take action!"

Take action...?

Incomprehensible emotions rose from its mind, and the next second...

boom!
A strong tingling sensation suddenly exploded in its mind, and a white light suddenly bloomed in its sight. Then its consciousness fell into endless darkness, leaving only the warning sounds in its mind that were suddenly magnified to an extremely harsh level:
[Warning: 5680 points of soul damage have been received, and the current soul health remaining is: 0%]

[Warning: Irreversible collapse of the pioneer soul has been detected! ]

【Warning: The pioneer has died!!】

In an instant, the feeling of warmth, weightlessness, fear... all senses were instantly pulled away from its (his) body.

finally--

[Hint: It is detected that the pioneer is using the "Soul Shell", and the soul body is completely dead, and the talent effect "Ethereal Body" has been activated]

“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo…!”

In the soul space, Xin Lailai suddenly opened his eyes, sat up from the ground with a look of horror, breathed heavily, and his somewhat dilated pupils contracted and expanded violently. Then his throat choked slightly, covered his mouth, and retched violently:
"vomit--!!"

A retching sound as if the internal organs were being vomited out came from the soul space. At this moment, a pair of warm arms suddenly hugged Xin Lailai from behind.

"Don't worry, Lailai, everything is fine now."

Ling Yuzi gently hugged the trembling black-haired young man in her arms, stroked his face, and said softly:
"Don't worry, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

A gentle voice sounded in Xin Lailai's mind. Xin Lailai felt the warm touch on her back, and her body instinctively curled up in the other's arms. The light gradually returned to her scattered pupils, and her frightened expression gradually calmed down. The soul fluctuations emanating from her body also stabilized bit by bit.

After an unknown amount of time, when Xin Lailai opened his eyes again, he looked at Ling Yuzi's face, with a gentle look in his eyes, and said softly:

"Thank you for your hard work, Ling Yuzi."

Ling Yuzi just smiled gently upon hearing this, and gently stroked the face of Xin Lailai who was lying on his thighs. A hint of pity appeared in his red pupils, and he whispered:
"Nothing. I should say that I discovered it too late."

When she noticed something was wrong with Xin Lailai in the soul space, the other party's soul had already fallen into an irreversible mutation. For this reason, she had no choice but to kill the other party decisively to prevent the pollution of the abyss from invading the soul space.

"I was the one who got tricked. If you weren't here, the consequences would have been disastrous."

Xin Lailai shook her head, sat up, and recalled what had just happened. A strong sense of fear flashed in her eyes.

It was not until he was resurrected by Ling Yuzi that he finally realized what had happened to him.

Abyss erosion.

He had heard this word countless times from Kagus and 83203, and he had witnessed countless terrifying phenomena along the way. Just now, it finally happened to him.

Moreover, after truly facing the erosion of the abyss, Xin Lailai finally realized how terrifying the word "abyss" is.

Judging from Ling Yuzi's memory, the whole process only lasted for less than a few seconds in reality. However, it was during these few seconds that he, whose willpower was as high as 140 points, suffered a mental breakdown out of fear after his resurrection.

The nausea that even his entire cognition was completely distorted, the confused feeling that his mind suddenly identified with all kinds of ideas that were completely not his own, even though he had recovered, still made him feel nauseous.

At the same time, Xin Lailai also realized that he had made a fatal mistake:

——He overestimated his resistance to the abyss.

His past experiences in the Black Four World and the Black Bullet World made him subconsciously have the illusion that he was not powerless to resist the suppressed power of the abyss, which led to his intuitive misjudgment of his own resistance.

However, this time he was not in the Black Four World, so he did not have the all-round protection of the world's will. Nor was he in the Black Bullet World, so he did not have a 'Hiruko Yinying' that could actively absorb the power of the abyss into his body. This time, all he had was a useful but totally insufficient bonus of +5 to the abyss resistance.

However, what they were facing this time was neither the remnant of the alien abyss whose corrosive power was suppressed to death by the boundary thunder, nor the dark light alien body suppressed by the sword intent of Dao Ji, nor some abyss creature transformed from a wisp of breath and a bit of abyss energy, but the real abyss erosion zone, the real abyss zone!
He thought he had successfully used the energy of annihilation to get rid of the erosion of the energy of the abyss, but he didn't know that the gaze of the abyss had already penetrated into his flesh and blood without his knowledge.

He thought he could hold out for a while in the face of the horror of the abyss, but the reality was that just a few seconds of staring at it almost dragged him into the endless darkness.

If he had not been reborn once with his soul body before the second fall, Xin Lailai suspected that the erosion he had just encountered should have erupted as soon as they landed, instead of waiting until they had initially escaped the crisis and his spirit had relaxed before launching a surprise attack. Not only that, after facing the erosion of the abyss, Xin Lailai also realized another fatal problem:

They have been in the abyss for too long.

Almost three days have passed since they woke up from the abyss erosion zone.

If it were a normal second-level contractor, let alone three days, even one day would have caused him to become a half-human, half-ghost appearance similar to the strange color they encountered in the Black Four World because he would not be able to resist the gaze of the abyss.

But they relied on their erosion immunity and amazing willpower to hold on until now before showing the initial signs of collapse. Although they had replaced their souls once using their soul shells and the world will of the Earthly World increased their abyss resistance by 5 points, even so, this was already far beyond the time a second-level contractor could persist in the abyss.

In other words, if they continue to stay in the shallow area of ​​the abyss, every step they take will likely lead to a situation like today.

Moreover, even if we put aside the future, they still have an extremely difficult problem to solve:
"Have the signs of erosion in my body exceeded the critical value..."

Xin Lailai sensed the memories coming from Ling Yuzi and fell silent.

From Ling Yuzi's memories, he learned that he had never used the [Starlight Pendant] at all. Those scenes were illusions created by the abyss from beginning to end to induce him to turn back. At the same time, his physical condition was completely deteriorated by the erosion of the abyss. Although it was temporarily suppressed by the sealing technique arranged by Ling Yuzi, if they didn't find a way to solve it, the two of them would only be able to move with the help of the alchemical doll.

"Well, there are two ways at the moment. One is for you, Lailai, to drink the Thunder Potion directly. This should be able to directly remove all the abyss erosion in our bodies. The other is for us to use the characteristics of the soul body to commit suicide first. After clearing the erosion on the soul in this way, you, Lailai, can use the resurrection prop to recast a new body. This should also get rid of the erosion problem."

Ling Yuzi nodded slightly and said solemnly.

Because the contractor's body still has remnants of the soul, even if the soul itself is not in the body, it still has a certain branding notarization effect, so it cannot be stored in the storage space.

This means that unless they intend to completely abandon their physical bodies, they will not be able to take effective action without finding a way to solve the problem of physical erosion.

"Thunder potion or resurrection item..."

After hearing Ling Yuzi's story, Xin Lailai fell into deep thought, and her hands clenched subconsciously. It was obvious that she was not satisfied with the current situation.

They haven't even walked out of the abyss ocean yet and are still in the deepest level of the dungeon. If they use one of the two most important life-saving cards in their hands at this time, there is no doubt that the chances of successfully climbing back to the exit of the shallow area will drop significantly.

The problem is that apart from these two methods, they now have no effective way to deal with the erosion of the abyss that has already shown signs of mutation.

Assuming that they are the undead contract holders in the Ancient God Cult, they may be able to avoid physical erosion by preserving some key cells that have not been contaminated, then destroying all other parts and then regenerating them.

However, with their current level of regenerative ability, they can only regenerate severed limbs at best. They cannot perform high-speed regeneration based on a few cells like the undead system. This method can only remain at the level of thought.

Or if they have extremely strong and corrosive energy like the Blue Steel Shadow's energy or the Netherworld's Death Energy, they can also try to accumulate it in quantity and use a large amount of body energy to expel the abyss energy in the body. This is also the most common method used by those top inheritances to deal with the erosion of the abyss. Although there will be some residue left, as long as they can go back alive, there will always be a way to treat it with the means of Paradise and the Tree of the Void.

The key is that among the energies they currently control, the mana simply cannot do this. Although the strength of the demon power and the angel power is not bad, they cannot awaken this energy and cannot use it to shake the abyss energy. As for the annihilation energy? This thing can indeed clear the abyss energy, but the problem is that the abyss energy has now invaded every corner of his body. If it is to be completely cleared, it is actually not much different from suicide.

Unexpectedly...

Xin Lailai clenched his palms unconsciously, he closed his eyes, and thought frantically in his mind, but he could not find a third way to completely free his body from the erosion of the abyss.

The black flame of the Demon Scythe, the Blue Steel Shadow energy of the Destroyer, the boundary thunder of the Agent, the demon power after the second awakening of the demon clan, the solar power of the Fiery Sun system, the extreme master's intention... He could find a large number of response cases against the erosion of the abyss even if he just flipped through his memory, but at this moment, he had a deep sense of powerlessness.

Because... he couldn't do any of these operations.

If Yamu and the others were here... the situation would be completely different, right?

Xin Lailai looked at the [Thunder Potion] and [Aria of Light·Part 3] in the storage space, and couldn't help but think of the figures of Yamu and others in his mind. Then he subconsciously raised his head and looked up at the dome of the soul space.

——There has never been such a moment that made him feel so far away from those people, even...

——out of reach.

"Oh, what on earth am I thinking? Am I really planning to compete with them?"

Finally, Xin Lailai just sneered at himself and shook his head. Ling Yuzi on the side looked at this scene with a slight change in expression, but when he saw the expression on Xin Lailai's face, he fell silent again. He just gently held the other's clenched fist, leaned on the other's strong back, lowered his eyes slightly, and said nothing.

Xin Lailai felt the touch on the back of her hand and back, and was slightly startled. She looked down at Ling Yuzi's palm, a soft look flashed in her eyes, and finally she gently loosened her fist, held Ling Yuzi's small hand, looked up at the dome of the soul space, and said self-deprecatingly:
"I'm sorry, Ling Yuzi, I was too persistent and accidentally wasted so much time."

They were now extremely pressed for time, and he shouldn't have delayed here for so long to come up with a third solution to the abyss erosion.

"Lailai doesn't need to apologize. Just like I told Lailai in the past, in my opinion, Lailai, you are just a little too strong, even a little too strong."

Ling Yuzi smiled gently, pressed his cheek against the other's skin, felt the throbbing coming from the other's soul, and whispered.

She knew better than anyone to what extent the other party had implemented the words "persistence" and "unyielding" in order to fulfill his responsibilities and to protect the pure land in his heart, and how much awareness and concessions he had made for the word "family".

"If Lailai has any ideas, just go for it. Xiaobai and I will always support you behind you no matter what."

Ling Yuzi smiled gently. Xin Lailai's expression changed slightly when he heard that. Finally, he looked down at the slender and delicate hand in his palm. A hint of tenderness appeared in his dark pupils, which then gradually turned into determination.

Oh, he is really hopeless. At this time, he is actually upset over such a small matter?
Faintly, it seemed as if she could hear the sound of self-mockery in her mind. Then Xin Lailai turned her head slightly, glanced at the white hair in her sight with her peripheral vision, and smiled warmly:

"Zero more."

"Ok?"

"Thanks a lot."

There were no endless words of thanks, no impassioned declarations, just the usual condolences between family members.

But Ling Yuzi couldn't help but let a warm smile spread across his face, and he seemed very happy.

"You too."

After he finished speaking, Ling Yuzi slowly loosened his arm, looked at Xin Lailai who turned around in front of him, raised his head and glanced at the young man, and they both chuckled at the same time.

"Then, let's get started. First, you, Ling Yuzi, will condense a new soul body, and then I will control it to destroy my physical body."

"Ah."

Xin Lailai said, and Ling Yuzi, who was sitting on the bed, immediately closed her eyes. The soul energy in her body gathered towards the surface of her body little by little, and finally, as the girl's mind moved, it turned into a complete soul body and left her body.

[Tip: The effect of the talent "Spirit Body" has been activated. The current upper limit of the number of "Soul Shells" that can be constructed is: 1/1]

A cold reminder sounded in the girl's mind, and after doing all this, Ling Yuzi quickly sat down cross-legged. Soul crystals appeared around him, and he quickly absorbed the soul energy inside and restored his own state.

When Xin Lailai saw the newly appeared soul body, he also quickly sat down cross-legged, sent out a wisp of soul thought, and his mind quickly sank into the soul body.

Immediately afterwards, the soul body that was exactly the same as Ling Yuzi began to rise and change at a speed visible to the naked eye, and finally turned into his own appearance.

[Tip: The current consciousness has settled in the "Soul Shell". During this period, the "Soul Shell" will be used for actions, and all actions of the "Soul Shell" can enjoy the bonuses of skills and equipment effects. ]

A familiar prompt sounded, Xin Lailai opened his eyes, and after a quick glance at his "body", his mind moved, and the scene in front of him instantly changed from the soul space to the cockpit made of super dark iron metal.

[Warning: It is detected that the Pioneer's body is currently being eroded by the energy of the abyss and is about to enter an irreversible stage. Pioneer, please seek treatment as soon as possible! ! ]

Almost at the moment of returning to reality, a scarlet warning instantly popped up from the edge of Xin Lailai's vision. In front of him, a body with a large number of pitch-black threads floating on its surface, eyes completely engulfed by the thick darkness, and a large number of sealing spells constructed by soul energy emerging on its body surface. A terrifying figure who was 90% similar to him was sitting on the seat, constantly roaring at him.

"Hmm... Although it looks a bit disgusting, from the looks of it, I should have become the rarest host body after being corroded?"

Xin Lailai touched his chin, looked down at the 'self' in front of him, muttered, nodded slightly, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

It’s okay, at least it didn’t turn into an ugly deformed thing.

'Lailai, I'm fine here. '

'Um. ’

Ling Yuzi's voice sounded. Upon hearing it, Xin Lailai, without any hesitation, quickly transformed a large amount of demonic power into his body.

Immediately afterwards——

[Hint: Has entered the "Nirvana Assimilation" state]

A black and white figure appeared instantly, and then he was seen snapping his fingers at the monster in front of him.

Peng——! !

[Warning: The pioneer's body has died, and the soul strength is being determined...]

[Judgment passed, because the pioneer soul strength has reached 80 points and the body is completely dead, it will enter the "ghost" state]

[Tip: The ghost state is more fragile than the normal soul state, and there is a limit to its duration. If it exceeds the limit, it will enter an irreversible soul collapse state.]

Prompts and warnings sounded one after another. Xin Lailai, who had already released herself from the assimilation of annihilation, looked at 'herself' who was blasted into nothing but a few remnants by the energy of annihilation, nodded with satisfaction, then took out something and controlled the magic chip to crush it.

[Hint: "Aria of Light Part Three" has been used. Since the Pioneer is currently in a state of physical death and his soul has not yet dissipated, the Pioneer will be "resurrected" immediately! ]

……

(End of this chapter)