Gu Long didn't know how long he had spent in the Abyss, but apparently, time was skewered here due to some manipulation with the cosmology that the Demons had done... meddling with time on the Universal scale was clear proof that the Abyss had genius Tier 13 Demons.

And very powerful Tier 13 Demons at that, if they were capable of something like this and on the scale of the entire Universe.

He found out about this by accident when he was in contact with his father, only to find out that only a few days had passed in the Leylin's Universe or in the Kadath Universe.

But in the Abyss, he had already spent eight months. The Time Dilation compared to the outside Endless Void was huge and every time such huge Time Dilation appeared in some Universe, it was a sign that it was unnatural and most probably created by a very powerful entity.

For the Dragon Prince, passing through the initial Layers of the Abyss proved to be an even bigger challenge than he initially anticipated. All Layers were relatively well guarded with many powerful demons.

Aside from that, they also employed several magical protection measures against the invaders, and Gu Long also encountered several Demons on Tier 9 who acted as the Gatekeepers to the deeper Layers of the Abyss.

If not for the Embers of Silence, then his trip would have ended prematurely, even sooner than it could have begun. Still, after he crossed through the 11th Layer Molrat, which was a disputed area, an underground land of tunnels in eternal darkness, the situation got better.

While a few Abyssal Layers after that had relatively good security, it was getting laxer and laxer the deeper he reached until it was no problem with crossing from one Layer to another.

From there on, Gu Long passed through a few ownerless Layers where there was no ruler, though he was stuck for some time at the 12th Layer Twelvetrees, which was a sacred site for all demons and was considered a pilgrimage site for demons and was respected by all demon lords.

The Layer had been the site of a vile arcane ritual that involved the sacrifice of twelve astral devas who had been tricked into going to the plane for a peace conference.

The devas were bound to twelve enormous pine trees around an altar in the otherwise desolate Layer, and the ritual infused the entire plane with strong evil energy that amplified the effects of all evil Magic performed there.

The deafening screams of the devas could still be heard throughout the Layer under a permanently cloudy and thunderous sky.

Right now, Gu Long was still stuck at the 12th Layer of the Abyss because leaving this Layer proved to be even more problematic than he initially anticipated.

He was hiding in one of the underground caves carved beneath the mountain range whose name he didn't know as he searched for the Gate to the lower Layers.

While he was crossing through another underground valley, filled with the countless types of Lesser Demons that were swarming every square meter, he suddenly sensed an enormous output of Magic from the deepest parts of the valley.

While he knew that he needed to continue further to the Gateway to the 13th Layer of the Abyss, his own curiosity got over him. Thus, he decided to investigate the source of the powerful Magic, which had already reached the power of Tier 9.

Gu Long carefully descended down, still under the concealment of the Embers of Silence and hidden from the sight of other beings. He wasn't very keen on fighting against the Demons in the Abyss if there was no need.

He was certainly a battle-hungry person, but at the same time, he knew that each Layer contained unending hordes of Demons; no matter how many one person killed, there would always be coming more and more of them.

As he was descending, he noticed swarms of the Nashrou blocking the path to the cave from where he sensed the enormous Magic source.

Nashrous were demons native to the Abyss. They typically stood about 3 meters tall and weighed around 350 kilograms. Their bizarre appearance was utterly nightmarish, a thin, bony thicket of amalgamated spikes and claws covered by a thick coat of glistening chitin.

The creatures had ten limbs: four long, lithe legs well-adapted to jumping and able to rapidly propel them along the ground, and six arms for killing their victims. Two of the arms were massive, able to gore and impale with ease, while the other four were light, swift, scythe-like claws that extended out from the center of forms, that being the location of their cluster of menacing eyes.

"Dammit... I need to tear my way through them..."

While Embers of Silcne was hiding his presence, it didn't make him able to pass through material things, and the entrance was physically blocked by several hundreds of Nashrous ranging from Tier 4 to Tier 8.

There were even a few peak Tier 8 Nashrous that were even bigger than the rest of their kind, standing vigilant over the entrance of the cave, blocking it with their huge bodies physically.

This left Gu Long with only one possibility, which was to slaughter his way in because the source of the powerful Magic was drawing him inside the place. His father always told him to trust his instincts as they were far more accurate than he could even know.

Gu Long then summoned his Dragon Slaying Halberd and dispersed the effects of the Embers of Silence as he mobilized the power in his body and unleashed the Holy Flame on the demons.

The Demon, Fiends and other beings of darkness were typically were weak to the elements of Holiness, Divine and Light, so something like the Holy Flame that he inherited was the most effective weapon against them.

In a split of a second, a tsunami of blinding, scorching hot Holy Flames attacked hundreds of Nashrous who were unaware of their impending doom, as they were all obliterated to the ash in mere moments.

***

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