The Bull Demon cursed silently in his mind.
He had been sent to this area to defend against invading cultivators, but he was nothing more than a lowly Prince of Hell.
Why should he be sent to fight in such a battle? As he surveyed his surroundings, he noticed that the shield protecting the abyss had vanished.
"To be able to destroy a formation like that... it must be someone from the in the root realm," he muttered, his expression growing serious.
Before long, an individual arrived on the scene. The newcomer appeared to be an old man with long eyebrows and beard, his eyes almost concealed beneath his brows. His aura resonated with that of a "Creator of the elements" realm cultivator.
"It's going to be a troublesome fight," the Bull Demon cursed under his breath.
He recalled the realms that existed beyond detachment: Lord of Elements, Creator of Elements, Endless Brilliance, True Immortal, Golden Immortal, and Emperor Golden Immortal.
After detachment, cultivators would ascend to become Lords of Elements, gaining the ability to create worlds at will.
Through further cultivation and the development of a unique element, they would become Creators of Elements.
Once they succeeded in constructing a vast world with their unique element, there would be a magnificent brilliance that would encompass the entire multiverse, signifying their promotion to an Endless Brilliance cultivator.
After extensive cultivation and absorbing enough power from the multiverse's core, they would achieve the rank of True Immortal.
Following True Immortal, they would need to absorb even more source power to reach the realm of Golden Immortal. And as for Emperor Golden Immortal, only one could exist at a time, requiring the previous emperor to be slain for a cultivator to take their place.
This was what the Bull Demon had learned from a Demon King.
The old man spoke with a voice that contradicted his aged appearance, "I am Ding Wu. May I have the honor of knowing your esteemed name?"
"I am the Bull Demon," he replied, and without further delay, he initiated his attack, unleashing his skill, "Sharp: Needle Horn."
An extremely long and sharp horn materialized with a speed thousands of times faster than light, aiming directly at the old man's left eye.
As it moved, it seemed as though even the void itself was being sliced by the horn.
The old man widened his eyes and invoked the spell, "Dao Mirror."
The Dao Mirror had the ability to redirect all attacks back to the one who initiated them.
However, the Bull Demon smiled and uttered, "Sloth: Spell Prohibition." Instantly, the Dao Mirror vanished, nullifying its effect.
Old cultivator dodged the needle horn with unbelievable physical powers.
But Bull demon, seizing the opportunity, teleported behind the old man and threw a powerful punch. The old man turned into a mist of blood and appeared to have been killed. Or so it seemed...
Moments later, he reappeared a few kilometers away, seemingly unharmed.
"Spell Prohibition, interesting," he remarked.
Then he cast another spell, "Divert Spell: Permanent." This spell had the ability to alter the trajectory of a hostile spell for an extended duration, despite its misleading name of being permanent.
The effect of Spell Prohibition vanished, leaving the old man free to act.
He announced, "Now it's my turn: Spiritual Slash."
A golden line emanated from the old man's hand and swiftly moved toward the Bull Demon.
In response, the Bull Demon invoked, "Pride: Invulnerable," hoping to withstand the attack.
However, the slash struck bull demon's left hand, directly severing one of the Bull Demon's hands.
Agony enveloped the Bull Demon as he screamed in pain.
He desperately tried to use "Sloth: Heal" to regenerate his severed limb, but to no avail.
The old man explained," Spiritual Slash leaves a lingering effect on the wound, preventing immediate healing in the midst of battle." he smiled
At the same time, he was preparing his new spell.
Despite the Bull Demon's frightening appearance his pain tolerance appeared low.
"Damn you! You've made me feel pain! Rage: Hellfire!" he bellowed, unleashing a massive fire from his mouth, engulfing the surroundings.
It was an immense fire, capable of decimating several large districts in the Mage World on its own. The sheer size and intensity of the flames were awe-inspiring.
The old man, struggling to defend against the inferno, realized that he needed to take immediate action. Gathering his strength, he unleashed his spell, exclaiming, "YinYang Reversal!"
In an instant, the flames were frozen, transforming into an extreme cold that even froze the fire within the Bull Demon's mouth.
Seizing the opportunity, the old man swiftly cast another spell, "Dao Hammer."
This spell harnessed the caster's knowledge and utilized it as a powerful hammer. With the Bull Demon immobilized, the impact of the hammer became incredibly potent. The hammer materialized and descended upon the Bull Demon's head, shattering him into countless pieces.
The old man let out a sigh and muttered, "He escaped."
Killing an existance in the fourth step was an exceedingly difficult task, as they possessed numerous life-saving techniques.
However, despite the Bull Demon's escape, the old man felt a sense of satisfaction. The path was now clear for further advancement.
He called upon other cultivators to invade from this point, signaling them to infiltrate the Abyss through here.
…
The Abyss, similar to the Mage World, consisted of multiple levels with varying degrees of autonomy, but it still maintained a hierarchical structure. Contrary to popular belief, the Abyss was not a realm of complete chaos.
As the cultivators advanced, they invaded numerous floors of the Abyss, looting and plundering as they went. However, even with their combined efforts, the overall impact on the Abyss was akin to scratching the surface of a colossal entity.
Meanwhile, the Mage Allout keenly observed the situation with great interest. Sensing a shift in the plan, he swiftly sent a message to his clones, stating, "The plan has changed..."
…
In this cluster of universes, there existed only four major worlds:
the Cultivation World, possessing power at the root level.
the Mage World, also armed with power at the Root level.
The Bloodstone World, holding power above the Root level but remaining highly isolated and unexplored.
And the Abyss, which wielded Root-level power but had recently gone missing.
The higher echelons of each world were privy to this information.
The altercation involving the woman with the tail and horn with mage world was considered a minor skirmish, hardly worth mentioning.
However, with the Abyss now lacking a Root-level powerhouse, everything had changed. Without such a formidable presence, they were defenseless and vulnerable to being consumed by other worlds, sooner or later.
…
Following a conference at the Mage Headquarters, it was decided to dispatch the Mage Ghost Knight to investigate and seek opportunities.
Being a Rank 18 Creator Mage, he possessed a keen interest in exploring the Abyss World.
Stealthily, he infiltrated the Abyss and witnessed cultivators pillaging multiple floors. Delving deeper and deeper, he eventually encountered an imposing formation.
"This formation... it won't yield unless a Root-level powerhouse comes here personally! It must be where an abyss god reside." the Mage Ghost Knight realized.
Determined to bypass it, he maneuvered his way around the formation and continued his exploration. Floor after floor, he navigated without arousing suspicion.
"This formation! It can't be broken even with a Root-level powerhouse, unless a significant amount of time is invested. This must be the heart of the Abyss," he contemplated. Without a Root-level demon safeguarding this formation, the efforts of demons would only be able to delay its ultimate destruction.
The Mage Ghost Knight contacted his main body to relay the news, saying, "I have found the headquarters."
Mage Allout wore a satisfied smile as he turned to Hao Gongming and remarked, "As agreed, 50% of the loot."
Returning the smile, Hao Gongming summoned a clone who promptly opened a portal.
Without hesitation, she leaped into the portal, emerging beside the Mage Ghost Knight who was looking at the heart of the Abyss.