Facing the Abyss as a Demon Cultivator

Chu Xiu's tense body suddenly relaxed.

"Seriously? It's just a delivery, did you have to make such a scene?"

He couldn't help but laugh bitterly. It dawned on him that this blood-colored giant was nothing more than a courier! Here to deliver his Blood Moon reward!

"The problem is, your courier is a bit too scary, don't you think?"

To be honest, he had been scared witless just now, thinking he had encountered one of those incredibly rare, almost negligible, emergencies in the abyss.

However, once the crisis was resolved, another problem arose: he didn't want to expose the fact that he had received the Blood Moon reward.

It was his oversight. He had instinctively assumed that the Blood Moon reward, like previous task rewards, would be directly sent to his storage space. He hadn't expected such a grand spectacle.

If he had known earlier, he would have ventured out longer and returned to the stronghold after the ritual was over.

But Chu Xiu quickly thought of a solution.

He jumped up and shouted, "If this continues, we're all going to die! You guys hide, I'll lure this thing away!"

Without another word, Chu Xiu turned and sprinted away!

Then, under the shocked gazes of everyone in the stronghold, the blood-colored giant seemed to be truly attracted by Chu Xiu and chased after him!

"!!!"

The group, who had believed their deaths were certain, stared wide-eyed in a mixture of shock and joy!

It wasn't until the blood-colored giant had completely disappeared that the immense relief of cheating death washed over them. Wu Xinyi and Yun Lu covered their mouths, tears streaming down their faces. Shen Zhuo and the other boys collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.

Even Guan Ke, who always prided himself on his composure, leaned against the wall, his back drenched in cold sweat, his face etched with the joy of survival.

But as the joy subsided, a complex wave of emotions surged within them.

"Chu Xiu, he..."

They stared blankly at the empty doorway.

They never imagined Chu Xiu would sacrifice himself to save them!

For a time, sadness, guilt, gratitude, and a myriad of other emotions intertwined, leaving them all speechless.

However, a discordant voice broke the silence.

"Um... shouldn't we go out and help him?" Yun Lu whispered.

Silence descended upon them as they exchanged glances.

After a long moment, Wu Xinyi chuckled dryly, "Chu Xiu did this so we could live. Let's not let his sacrifice be in vain."

Yun Lu simply replied with an "oh" and curled up in a corner, hugging her knees. Awkwardness filled the air, but everyone tactfully avoided the topic.

Ordinary people were like that. They could be moved and inspired by the actions of others, but when it was their turn, they would invariably shrink back.

Meanwhile, the "good samaritan" Chu Xiu observed the motionless blood-colored giant kneeling before him, refraining from attacking, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Only after coming outside could he fully appreciate the creature's appearance.

It was a humanoid being. Aside from its horrifying, skinless appearance, the most bizarre feature was a phantom "blood vessel" dangling from its neck like an umbilical cord, extending towards the sky, seemingly connected to the bewitching Blood Moon.

"These things..."

The blood-colored giant gave him a strange feeling. It seemed to lack complex thought processes, like a puppet controlled by the Blood Moon, or a giant infant tethered to its source by an umbilical cord.

Shaking his head, Chu Xiu dismissed the thought and reached out to take the pitch-black object from the giant's chest.

As soon as the object left the giant's grasp, the creature rose into the air, its massive body gradually turning translucent.

Chu Xiu paid it no more attention, focusing instead on the strange object in his hand.

It was a dark, nondescript lump.

But the moment he laid eyes on it, a piece of information appeared in his mind: for ordinary abyssal creatures, the Blood Moon's reward was a level up for all. But for Awakened, it was a special item. This information was only visible to the recipient of the reward.

Chu Xiu concentrated, and soon the item's information unfolded before him.

[Rasputin's Tongue]

[Rank: F (Upgradeable)]

[Quality: Perfect]

[Attribute 1: All Attributes +3]

[Attribute 2: Significantly increases persuasiveness when worn]

[Attribute 3: Unlocks a secret every morning at dawn while within the Blood Tide's territory]

[Evaluation: A pitiful soul dismembered for his loose lips, yet unable to change even in death. Every dawn, he chatters incessantly, revealing secrets unknown to man.

[Satisfy his desires, and he might even divulge the location of the Blood Arena.]

[Hidden Quest Triggered: Seek the Mysterious Blood Arena]

[Description: The Blood Arena changes location within the Blood Tide's territory at regular intervals. Fail to arrive within the time limit, and you will permanently lose access.]

[Time Remaining: 23 Days]

The sheer amount of information contained within the item's description left Chu Xiu stunned.

Perfect quality equipment! Upgradeable! Blood Tide! Hidden quest! Blood Arena!

"Hiss..."

He drew a sharp breath, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

This item made all his previous risks worthwhile!

The All Attributes +3 alone was incredibly powerful, not to mention the two additional support attributes!

Although they seemed somewhat bizarre at first glance, Chu Xiu was certain that both attributes were incredibly potent and would prove immensely useful in the future.

Moreover, the upgradeable attribute meant that this equipment had the potential to advance to D-rank, or even C-rank!

Although he didn't know the specific requirements for advancement, it was a tantalizing prospect nonetheless.

Most importantly...

He had triggered a hidden quest!

Hidden quests were special tasks that could only be triggered by those who possessed a deep understanding of the current world's lore. Generally speaking, the rewards for hidden quests were outrageously generous!

This was why some wealthy and resourceful heirs of conglomerates would force weaker classmates to act as cannon fodder, exploring different areas in search of potential opportunities!

The fool who had soared to prominence after obtaining a Legendary quality item in the Awakening Trial, only to be killed and robbed later, owed his brief moment of glory to a lucky encounter with a hidden quest!

Needless to say, Chu Xiu was determined to conquer this quest!

The only question was, how?

He glanced at the time limit for the hidden quest, which was synchronized with the challenge and world quests.

And judging from the item's description...

"Perhaps the clues will reveal themselves when this tongue starts spilling secrets."

Dawn had already passed, meaning he would have to wait until his next visit to this world to properly investigate.

With that in mind, Chu Xiu didn't dwell on it. He found an empty room and settled down to rest and recover.

Although the three consecutive battles tonight hadn't lasted long, they had taken their toll on him. The high-intensity use of the Elusive Steps had depleted a significant portion of his energy.

He had originally planned to spend the remaining time before his departure grinding his level to 9.

Unfortunately, the previous night's Blood Moon ritual had decimated the ordinary ghouls. Those that remained were high-ranking, adept at concealment, and incredibly formidable.

In the end, Chu Xiu only managed to kill two Level 6 ghouls, gaining a meager amount of experience.

As noon passed, his body began to fade, and the system's mechanical voice echoed in his ears.

[Awakening Trial Complete. Evaluating Performance...]

[Evaluation Complete. Your performance in this trial is: Extraordinary (+400%)]

[Special Achievement Rewards: Hundred Slayer (+50%), Elite Killer (+120%), Blood Moon Hunter (+150%), Superiority Slayer (+250%)]

[Calculating Rewards...]

The first instance had come to an end.

Whenever there's a change in the instance, the number of readers drastically drops, even for top authors.

I understand this completely, as I experience the same thing when I'm reading. However, all the recommendations during the new book period are based on the number of readers, especially an extremely important recommendation coming up in a few days.

Therefore, I implore all my dear readers to please continue reading instead of stockpiling chapters. In return, I will be updating three chapters daily for the next few days, with a total of eight thousand words today.

Although these chapters are mainly setting the stage, it's still the free period, so please bear with me.

Lastly, please keep reading! Thank you for your support!

(End of Chapter)