"Leave… this place..."
"I… can't hold on much longer..."
Whispers, faint and fragmented, echoed suddenly in Luo Chuan's mind.
He stiffened, momentarily stunned.
His eyes shifted toward the World Tree, that colossal being rooted between heaven and earth.
The voice—it felt like it came from above.
Was it the tree itself?
"System," Luo Chuan said cautiously, "can you check the World Tree's data?"
Honestly, he half-expected to be rejected.
After all, the system had a long-standing habit of saying no to anything even slightly inconvenient.
But this time—
To his surprise—
The system agreed.
"Affirmative," it replied, its tone as clipped and mechanical as always.
A translucent window blinked into view beside the World Tree, much like the character info display in the Tower of Trials' casual mode.
World Tree
Realm: Celestial Ascendant (Elementary)
Status: Infested by the Abyss. Vitality critically low. Consciousness impaired.
(Warning: Life force nearing collapse. Immediate restoration advised.)
Luo Chuan smacked his lips thoughtfully as he scanned the data.
The status column alone had over a dozen red warning prompts.
If it were any other lifeform, it would've already kicked the bucket ten times over.
Luckily, this was the World Tree—a primordial being of overwhelming vitality.
But still...
Abyss Infestation?
What was that supposed to mean?
He furrowed his brow and raised the question aloud.
"System, what exactly is the Abyss?"
The system's response was cryptic as ever:
"The Void is supreme. All originates from the Void."
Luo Chuan blinked.
"…Huh?"
Was that supposed to mean something?
"System," he sighed, "could you say that again, but this time like I'm five?"
There was a pause.
An uncomfortable silence.
And for some reason, Luo Chuan got the distinct impression the system was... judging him.
Then came the simplified version:
"The host may understand it like this: the world was born from the Void—an embodiment of order."
"...And the Abyss?"
"The Abyss is the opposing force. It seeks to drag all order into chaos and destruction."
Luo Chuan slowly nodded, his fingers rubbing at his temples.
"So what you're saying is... the Void represents structure and life, while the Abyss represents entropy—returning all to nothingness."
"Correct."
A headache bloomed behind his eyes.
These scattered fragments—ancient ruins, mysterious relics, long-lost beings—all seemed to be pulling together, woven by invisible threads.
As if he were standing at the edge of something far, far greater.
Something old.
And very, very dangerous.
"Boss!"
A sudden shout shattered his thoughts.
He looked up.
From a distance, a wave of beasts and cultivators surged toward his direction.
Startled, Luo Chuan blinked at the crowd approaching through the mist-covered ruins.
That many people?
He had no idea they'd gathered like this.
And then—
They saw it.
The towering World Tree that loomed across the skyline like a spear thrust into the heavens.
Gasps filled the air.
"Holy—look at that thing!"
"Is that… even a tree?! There's no way something like this actually exists!"
"Could it be the core of this entire ancient ruin…?"
Disbelief and reverence painted every face.
Even without knowing its origin, just seeing the World Tree gave them the unshakable feeling that they had stumbled upon something truly transcendent.
"I can't even sense its roots… It stretches through space itself..."
"I feel like an insect in front of it..." a cultivator murmured, his voice trembling.
The aura it emitted was suffocating.
Not malicious—just... overwhelming.
The kind of presence that crushed egos and demanded silence.
Despite their combined strength—the many who had ventured into these ruins wielding the power of Pathseeker, Eminence—they felt utterly insignificant.
In other regions of the ruins, fearsome beasts were struck down by skyborne lightning for simply moving too loudly.
But here—
Here was something far beyond.
And its time… was running out.