Chapter 12: Three Descents into the Abyss

A long, black-green mucus-covered tongue swept towards him like a sharp sword.

Shred!

The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the air.

Qin Shu formed his fingers into a blade, channeling metallic sword qi that materialized as a windslash, slicing diagonally to the right rear and cleaving the tongue in two.

“Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! …”

The chorus of frog calls filled the swamp.

As dozens of Five Poisons Horned Frogs, each as large as a millstone, emerged from the mire, Qin Shu let out a laugh. “Quite the welcoming committee, aren’t we?”

These creatures were instantly recognizable: first-rank communal demonic beasts known for their bony horns resembling those of dragons. Their backs were covered in fist-sized blister-like protrusions capable of firing venomous darts, while their tongues themselves served as formidable weapons.

In an instant, the blisters on the frogs’ backs burst simultaneously, launching hundreds of toxic projectiles hurtling directly at Qin Shu.

The air was soon thick with a pungent, acrid scent.

“Rise!”

True energy erupted within Qin Shu as he activated Aerokinesis, creating a massive tornado around himself—a barrier to deflect the incoming shower of poison darts.

Within this vortex, a cyan sword lotus blossomed.

In a flash, the tornado turned azure before explosively dispersing.

Above Qin Shu’s head, a three-meter-wide Cyan lotus burst forth with boundless radiance.

The explosion was utterly silent.

The dissipating tornado merged with the Cyan Lotus sword qi, transforming into an endless barrage of sword glares that erupted in all directions.

Each Five Poisons Horned Frog was sent flying by the impact, effortlessly pierced through by the streaks of sword qi.

Upon landing, their mutilated corpses rapidly decomposed, dissolving into nothingness.

These dozens of Five Poisons Horned Frogs are equivalent to one Foundation Establishment monster, Qin Shu thought. With nine more waves like this, I should be able to activate my teleportation ability.

He rose on his sword, soaring into the sky, and gazed out over the vast landscape.

Before him stretched a boundless marshland, its edge blending with the horizon.

“Looks like I’ll have to plant it here,” he mused.

The infant-fist-sized Dao Seed of Cyan Lotus descended, swiftly taking root and sprouting in the swampy soil.

Compared to its previous incarnation, this transformed lotus seed had grown over ten times larger.

As a result, its growth rate had also accelerated significantly.

In no time, the bud broke through the earth’s surface.

Beneath the mire, roots rapidly absorbed power, evolving into rhizomes.

This fragment of the Abyss World reacted even more violently than the last.

Even the void itself began to tremble.

In the distance, unknown monsters were rushing towards them at full speed.

Qin Shu’s spiritual soul detected a massive presence lurking beneath the swamp.

“Come at me!” he challenged.

His hands coalesced around a condensed ball of wind, which he thrust towards the creature’s location.

The wind orb, coalesced from true fortune essence, shimmered with a faint azure hue, almost tangible in its density.

With a thunderous boom, it plunged into the swamp, blasting the creature skyward.

“Go!”

The Qingping Sword Pill flew forth, its power amplified by the nourishing true fortune essence.

In an instant, it pierced through the monster’s skull.

Upon closer inspection: “Mud-armored Swamp Dragon.”

A second-rank beast, resembling an alligator with a lizard-like head, its body sheathed in thick keratinized mud plates, stretched eight meters long.

Drawn close to the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed, the Mud-armored Swamp Dragon was absorbed into the Fortune Force field, disintegrating into nutrients for the lotus’s growth.

Having assimilated an entire Mud-armored Swamp Dragon, the lotus seed sprouted, rapidly unfurling into a sturdy stem.

The stalk, now as thick as an adult’s arm, continued to grow thicker and longer.

The Fortune Force field expanded, reaching ten meters in diameter.

Within this domain, Qin Shu breathed deeply, inhaling the Fortune Force. He swiftly converted it into true fortune essence, replenishing his own reserves.

The Qingping Sword Pill circulated around the Cyan Lotus stalk, its sword energy undiminished.

Beneath the swamp, some rhizomes began to swell, signaling the imminent formation of lotus roots.

These nascent lotus roots emanated a soft white glow, enabling the Cyan Lotus to more efficiently absorb the marshland’s vital energy.

In an instant, a pool of clear water emerged within a radius of ten meters, rapidly spreading outward.

The lotus stem began to branch out into five separate stems.

The lotus leaves unfurled, transforming into five circular leaves, each with a diameter of five meters, representing the Five Elements Lotus Leaves.

Five beams of light flew out from these leaves, merging into Qin Shu’s forehead.

The Five Elements Great Escape allowed one to control the powers of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. When cultivated to perfection, it enabled the practitioner to embody these elements, achieving supreme mastery over the quintessential energies that permeate the cosmos.

If used against enemies, this technique could unleash the full potential of spells based on the five elements.

When employed for escape, it was akin to spatial teleportation—a truly divine ability.

Qin Shu had only just begun his journey with this art, his proficiency roughly equivalent to mastering Destiny Manipulation.

However, there was a key difference: while Destiny Manipulation required attachment to a cyan lotus, the Five Elements Great Escape could be activated independently.

No hand seals were needed; no incantations had to be chanted.

By projecting his divine sense and channeling true essence through his body, he could wave his hand to gather the earth element’s vital energy from the surrounding environment.

With a casual flick towards the swamp, the condensed earth element exploded, solidifying the ground for hundreds of meters ahead.

At that moment, hordes of monsters approached from all directions.

Standing firm on the newly formed terrain, facing the surging abyssal creatures, Qin Shu ignited an explosion of Destiny True Essence within him.

The Qingping Sword Pill split into five, harnessing the quintessential energies of the cosmos to form petals in shades of white, azure, black, scarlet, and earthy brown—a magnificent display of elemental lotuses blossoming in battle.

The Cyan Lotus Sword Art - Five Elements Sword Qi.

He had just comprehended its mysteries through the Five Elements Great Escape technique.

“Go!”

Above the Cyan Lotus, five lotus blossoms of different colors rapidly spun and bloomed, transforming fine sword qi into an endless radiance.

The multicolored sword qi pierced downward into the swamp, instantly restoring deathly silence over a radius of several kilometers.

Exhausted, utterly drained.

In that moment, Qin Shu had released all the true essence within his body, resulting in such immense destructive power.

Outside the hundred-meter-wide pool of lotuses, the swamp floor sank by a meter as if by sorcery.

Some monster bodies were exposed to the air, swiftly decaying and dissipating.

Qin Shu sensed the aura of the God Soul Continent, ready for instantaneous teleportation back home.

Alas, the Dao Seed of the Cyan Lotus was still undergoing transformation and rebirth, necessitating his temporary stay here.

Deep within the muddy pool bottom, a plump lotus rhizome had ripened, appearing tender and white.

After absorbing the fortune force and recovering to his peak state, Qin Shu focused his thoughts, causing one section of the lotus rhizome to break off.

Fortune force surged into it, activating the power of destiny.

The lotus rhizome began to change shape, forming into a child-sized figure with features resembling his own.

“Go!”

Qin Shu split off part of his divine consciousness and attached it to the lotus rhizome clone, which opened its eyes.

“You stay here and guard the Cyan Lotus. I’ll go ahead and explore.”

“Yes, this venerable one!” The lotus root incarnation sat cross-legged on a jade-green leaf, peering around vigilantly.

Qin Shu rose on his sword, flying into the distance.

In the blink of an eye, he had soared kilometers away.

Before long, he sensed an immense presence rapidly approaching him from within the swamp below.

“Stop!”

Without hesitation, Qin Shu mobilized his true essence, coalescing earth elemental energy in his palm.

A yellow orb materialized as he pointed his finger downward, unleashing the earth elemental force.

The swamp transformed into solid ground beneath him.

Alas, it was of little use; the makeshift surface shattered instantly under the colossal impact. A blood-red maw loomed before him, its overwhelming power bearing down mercilessly.

This was the force of devouring, accompanied by a putrid stench that filled the air.

An enormous serpent emerged—a behemoth with a body exposed above the swamp spanning twenty meters. Its girth alone measured no less than two meters across, and its cavernous mouth dripped venom from two fangs of staggering proportions.

Before such a colossus, Qin Shu felt like naught but a tiny insect, struggling desperately against the crushing force of its voracious appetite.

“Rise!”

With a single thought, his true essence erupted, channeling the Cyan Lotus Sword Art to its fullest extent. He became one with the blade, transforming into a streak of sword light that barely managed to escape the clutches of the devouring force.

A wave of fear washed over him as he realized the gravity of the situation.

Core Formation stage? This is like encountering a boss-level adversary.

The Cyan Lotus Sword Pill, now in the hands of its lotus root avatar, sensed it was no match for this colossal foe. Qin Shu swiftly mobilized his true essence, harnessing the metallic qi from the heavens and earth around him.

The protagonist seemed to have lost his composure.

Before him materialized an enormous white sword.

“Go!”

The giant blade descended upon the massive snake.

“Ao~~!”

The serpent’s roar echoed like that of a dragon, causing the swamp to rupture once more. Its colossal tail whipped up and struck down with devastating force.

“Boom!”

The giant sword shattered, dispersing into countless strands of sword energy that pierced the great snake’s body. Yet, they merely served to polish its scales, proving utterly ineffective against such formidable armor.