38: Chapter 38 Deduction Results

He was one of the first failures driven out from the depths of the abyss. For ten years, he struggled on the outermost layer, countless times on the brink of death, yet each time he managed to hold on at the final moment.

That day, standing at the edge of the abyss, watching the pale gray mist drifting down from above, a mad thought suddenly occurred to him.

Since he couldn't block out the Yin Qi, why not try to absorb it?

He was a Shadow Demon.

Shadow Affinity.

Yin Qi and shadows were fundamentally connected.

He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and facing that drifting mist, inhaled sharply.

The pale gray mist surged into his body.

Excruciating pain instantly spread throughout his entire being.

He felt his soul being torn apart, his body being burned. He let out a scream, collapsing at the edge of the abyss, convulsing, wailing, as if he would die the next second.

But he did not die.

Ten days later, he woke up.

He opened his eyes and found they had changed.

Their original deep blue had now turned a pale gray.

The exact same pale gray as the Yin Qi.

He stood up, moving his body.

The shadow energy within him was still there, but completely different from before. That energy was now mixed with vast amounts of Yin Qi, making his power stronger and more bizarre.

He had succeeded.

He had become the first Shadow Demon to fuse with Yin Qi.

When the news spread, the entire abyss was shaken.

Those Shadow Demons still struggling flocked to Shadow Blade, asking him for the fusion method.

Shadow Blade did not keep it to himself.

He told everyone his method.

Thus, from the twentieth to the fiftieth year, became the most frenzied period for the Shadow Demon race.

Countless Shadow Demons attempted to absorb Yin Qi; countless Shadow Demons died in agony.

But even more Shadow Demons survived the pain.

Their eyes changed from deep blue to pale gray.

Their bodies transformed from pure darkness into a bizarre existence somewhere between darkness and Yin Qi.

Their power became stronger, more bizarre, more elusive.

By the fiftieth year, the Shadow Demon population had dropped to its lowest point.

Three thousand two hundred.

But every one of these surviving three thousand two hundred had fused with Yin Qi.

They were no longer pure Shadow Demons.

They were mutants of the Shadow Demons.

They were the Shadow Demon Realm's first native inhabitants.

The surviving three thousand two hundred Shadow Demons began to establish a new order.

An order that could unite the entire race to collectively resist the erosion of Yin Qi.

The first to propose this idea was Shadow Blade.

After fusing with Yin Qi, his power and wisdom had reached unprecedented heights. He became the most powerful being among all Shadow Demons, revered by his kin as the Prophet.

That day, he gathered all Shadow Demons, standing on that black rock at the deepest part of the abyss, and spoke these words in a low voice:

"We were once Shadow Demons."

"But now, we are no longer."

"We are the Shadow Demons of the Shadow Demon Realm."

"Our enemy is not each other. It is this land itself."

"If we continue to fight amongst ourselves, continue to slaughter, continue living by the rules of our homeland, we will all die."

"Every last one of us."

"Therefore, I will establish new rules."

His gaze swept over the face of every Shadow Demon.

Those pale gray eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

"First: Fratricide is forbidden. Violators will be exiled from the abyss."

"Second: All resources are allocated according to need. The strong protect the weak; the weak contribute energy. Violators will be exiled."

"Third: Every newborn must undergo the Yin Qi Fusion Ritual. Failure is fate; success is rebirth."

"Fourth: The Prophet is the supreme leader, holding absolute power in wartime. In peacetime, decisions are made collectively by the Elder Council."

A deathly silence fell over the abyss.

The Shadow Demons looked at each other, their eyes filled with complexity.

Some were defiant, some skeptical, some furious.

But most chose silence.

Because they knew Shadow Blade was right.

Their homeland was gone. Most of their kin were dead. If they continued to fight amongst themselves, only extinction awaited them.

The first Shadow Demon stepped forward, walked up to Shadow Blade, and knelt on one knee.

"I am willing to obey the Prophet's command."

A second, a third, a tenth, a hundredth.

All three thousand two hundred Shadow Demons knelt before Shadow Blade.

The new order was thus born.

After the establishment of the new order, the Shadow Demon race entered a period of stable reproduction.

One generation every six months, with hundreds of newborns each generation.

Every newborn, within the first month of birth, had to undergo the Yin Qi Fusion Ritual.

It was a cruel ritual.

The newborns were placed at the edge of the abyss, left to the erosion of Yin Qi. Some died in agony, some survived the pain, some mutated in the torment.

The survival rate for the first generation of newborns was only thirty percent.

Those who survived had eyes that were pale gray from birth. Their bodies were naturally in affinity with Yin Qi, not needing to endure the painful fusion process like the older generation.

The second generation saw the survival rate rise to fifty percent.

The third generation, seventy percent.

The fourth generation, ninety percent.

By the fiftieth generation, the two hundred and fiftieth year, the survival rate of the Yin Qi Fusion Ritual was close to one hundred percent.

These newborn Shadow Demons were perfectly adapted to the environment of the Shadow Demon Realm from birth.

They were now completely and utterly natives of the Shadow Demon Realm.

As for the older generation of Shadow Demons, those survivors who had endured the painful fusion, they had now lived over two hundred years. Their power was unfathomable, their wisdom far surpassed their peers; they were revered by their kin as 'Elders'.

Shadow Blade remained the Prophet.

His strength had reached an entirely new level.

Tier Four.

He became the first Tier Four Hero unit of the Shadow Demon race.

By the three hundred and fiftieth year, the Shadow Demon Abyss had completely changed its appearance.

The once-dark abyss was now shrouded in pale gray mist. That mist was no longer an erosive enemy but a resource upon which the Shadow Demons depended for survival.

Countless caves were carved into the abyss walls. Each cave was a Shadow Demon's home, with comfortable nests built from shadow energy inside, illuminated by Yin Qi crystals.

At the deepest part of the abyss, a massive structure was erected.

It was a hall built from black rock and Yin Qi crystals. At its center rested a massive black rock—the very one Shadow Blade had stood upon that day.

This was the Elder Council.

The power center of the Shadow Demon race.

The middle layer of the abyss was the common residential area. Tens of thousands of Shadow Demons lived, reproduced, and worked here. Their young chased and played between the caves; their elderly spent their twilight years peacefully in their nests.

The upper layer of the abyss was the training grounds. Young Shadow Demons learned combat techniques here, learned how to use their new abilities fused with Yin Qi, learned how to protect their kin in future campaigns.

The Shadow Demons developed their own writing, their own art, their own religion.

They used shadow energy to carve murals on the rock walls, recording the migration history from the Shadow Demon Realm to the Shadow Demon Realm, recording that brutal Yin Qi fusion, recording the moment Shadow Blade established the new order.

They carved Yin Qi crystals into various shapes—some resembling beasts, some resembling flowers and plants, some resembling legendary deities. These carvings were placed at cave entrances, used to decorate homes and to worship ancestors.

Their religion revolved around the 'Prophet' and 'Fusion'.

They believed Yin Qi was not an enemy but a divine gift that granted them rebirth. They believed Shadow Blade was the Prophet chosen by the gods to lead them out of despair and into rebirth.

They believed that as long as they remained united, nothing could make them extinct.

In the three hundred and fiftieth year, the Shadow Demon population grew from three thousand two hundred to fifteen thousand.

The five hundredth year, the final day.

Time flow adjustment concluded.

The Shadow Demon Abyss gradually sharpened from blurriness, reappearing before Su Bai's eyes.

But it was no longer the same abyss from five hundred years ago.

The abyss walls were carved with countless caves, dense and layered, like a massive underground city. The cave entrances were filled with crafts carved from Yin Qi crystals, shimmering with a faint light in the pale gray mist.

At the deepest part of the abyss, that massive Elder Council hall stood imposingly. Atop the hall, a silver banner fluttered and snapped in the Yin Qi.

In the middle layer of the abyss, tens of thousands of Shadow Demons were busy. Some were carving new caves, some were nurturing the young, some were training combat skills.

At the edge of the abyss, a group of young Shadow Demons stood in a row, undergoing the Yin Qi Fusion Ritual. Their eyes were pale gray from birth; their bodies were naturally in affinity with Yin Qi. For them, the ritual was merely a formality.

Before the fissure at the deepest part of the abyss, Shadow Blade's figure stood quietly.

He knelt.

Behind him, thirty thousand Shadow Demons knelt simultaneously.

Watching this scene, information about him surfaced in Su Bai's consciousness.

[Shadow Blade (Hero Unit)]

[Tier: Four]

[Rank: Four Stars]

[Skills: Shadow Fusion (Passive), Liquid Yin Qi Control (Active), Silver Moon Slash (Active), Prophet's Aura (Active), Space Folding (Active)]

[Description: The Prophet born from five hundred years of evolution of the Shadow Demon race, perfectly adapted to liquid Yin Qi, possessing the ability to command the entire race. Can absorb any form of Yin Qi through Shadow Fusion, can manipulate Yin Qi in combat through Liquid Yin Qi Control, can perform short-distance teleportation through Space Folding.]

Thirty thousand Shadow Demons.

A Tier Four, Four-Star Hero.

Daily Power Of Faith output: 50 points.

The corner of Su Bai's mouth lifted slightly.

Five hundred years of evolution was worth it.

So worth it.

He stood up, turning his gaze to the other four maps.

Stone-skin Wasteland.

Ghostly Mist.

Shadow Jungle.

Extreme Cold Ice Plains.

Your turn.