"W-why is the Statue of the Seven hanging upside down like this?"
"And, if I recall correctly, the statue should be holding a precious orb in his hand."
The upside-down Statue of the Seven was indeed holding a bead emanating a dark purplish-black abyssal aura, and Venti's appearance on the statue… was very strange.
"It's so oppressive, I have a very bad feeling about this!"
Paimon looked at the person kneeling before the statue: "And that 'Great Treasure Hoarder' isn't moving at all. C-could it be that he's already…"
Paimon stepped forward and asked:
"Hey, are you alright?"
No sound came, nor was there any breathing.
Paimon bravely glanced at the 'Great Treasure Hoarder's' face, and seeing his seven orifices bleeding like a demon, she shrieked and ran to Lumine's side.
"He, he's dead!"
Paimon's small face turned pale:
"Lumine, let's get out of here quickly. I feel so uncomfortable, like something bad is about to happen."
The sense of oppression in Lumine's heart grew stronger, and she no longer hesitated.
"Paimon, let's go, leave this place!"
---
Livestream chat:
: "Scared… "
: "Creepy, am I really not playing a horror game?"
: "Nice, this kind of plot is exciting, not lacking in thrills amidst the calm."
: "Actually, it's nothing much, just the atmosphere and music are a bit scary. We haven't even seen the 'Great Treasure Hoarder's' full face."
: "The Anemo Archon's statue is actually hanging upside down like this, and the statue's facial expression looks very bizarre. The hidden secrets behind it are truly terrifying to think about."
: "Am I the only one who thinks the upside-down Anemo Archon looks a bit lewd?"
: "...You're invincible, friend."
: "..."
---
In the Domain.
Just as Lumine and Paimon were about to leave, the entire platform seemed to come alive, with a large amount of Abyssal power pouring out from underground. The bead held in Venti's hand also released a massive amount of Abyssal power at this moment.
Lumine felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. She endured the discomfort and fled out of the ruins at an extremely fast speed.
Paimon followed closely behind Lumine, glanced back at the Abyssal power-emitting orb, and then sped up even more.
After Lumine and Paimon left, the 'Great Treasure Hoarder' kneeling in front of Venti's statue suddenly underwent a bizarre transformation, quickly twisting into a two-and-a-half-meter-tall monster.
This was the new, malicious avatar designed by Jiang Mumu. He was just a tool, so he would simply be called "Malice".
Malice was generally similar to an Abyssal Herald but had some differences. Most of his body was covered in Abyssal matter, and his facial expression was very ferocious and full of violence.
Anyone even slightly familiar with the Abyss would know that this guy definitely came from the Abyss.
Malice, having revealed his true form, directly extended his right hand towards the orb in the inverted statue's hand. The immense Abyssal power from the statue began to pour into Malice's body.
This scene looked extremely bizarre.
Lumine and Paimon naturally couldn't see it, but the players were given a partial view of this angle.
---
On (Guojia) Chen Xiyao's game screen.
When Lumine and Paimon left the platform, the screen remained at the platform.
When she saw the 'Great Treasure Hoarder' twist and transform into a monster, her eyes widened:
"What the heck is this, the mastermind?"
The screen didn't show the front of Malice, only his back, but that back alone brought immense shock to the players.
: "Abyssal Herald? The one Dain is pursuing?"
: "He's absorbing the energy from the orb. I feel like something big is about to happen."
The screen shifted back to Lumine, but that short scene alone sparked intense discussion in the livestream chat.
---
After Malice finished absorbing the energy from the orb, his body grew another circle, reaching over three meters tall.
From this perspective, it truly felt different.
Suddenly, Malice's hand, gripping the orb, exerted force.
With a bang, the orb on the statue shattered instantly.
At the same time, Venti, who was drinking wine under the great tree in Windrise and watching Ruola train her elemental power, seemed to sense something. He put away his usual carefree expression and looked in a certain direction.
Ruola keenly noticed Venti's movement and was surprised.
He could even sense that?
Under the tree, Venti merely pondered for a moment before dismissing it. The feeling was very faint, and perhaps he was mistaken.
However, Venti's expression was no longer as relaxed as before.
---
Unlike the wailing groundhogs in a certain livestream, Lumine's agility in the Domain was excellent, and she quickly led Paimon out of the bottom of the ruins.
Just as they were about to leave the ruins, a figure appeared, blocking their path.
It was an Abyssal Herald who blocked them.
After some exchange, Lumine and the Abyssal Herald fought, while Paimon found a place to hide.
Finally, the Abyssal Herald was defeated, and also, through Lumine's power, he learned his identity and no longer obstructed them, leaving the place.
Seeing the Abyssal Herald leave, Paimon flew back:
"Are you alright, Lumine."
"What a strong enemy. It turns out there are such powerful monsters in the Abyss Order."
Lumine didn't speak. She looked in the direction they had come from, which was the bottom of the ruins.
"Paimon, did you feel it?"
"What?"
"Over there, something seems to be watching us."
Paimon looked in the direction Lumine pointed. It was a dark lower level, and she couldn't see anything.
Recalling everything that had happened before, Paimon's small face turned pale:
"Wah, what is it? Paimon didn't feel anything! Lumine, don't scare me."
Lumine withdrew her gaze:
"Let's go, let's get out first."
"Mhm, mhm, let's go, let's go! Paimon doesn't want to stay here at all!"
---
Bottom of the ruins.
The Abyssal Herald, sensing the changes here, did not leave but instead went downstairs.
"Here…"
Seeing the statue devoid of Abyssal power, he was furious.
Suddenly, he sensed an aura rapidly approaching and immediately turned around: "Who!"
"Ugh ah~"
The Abyssal Herald was gripped by a large hand by the neck. He struggled violently but to no avail.
Restrained by this hand, the power within his body could not be mobilized at all.
"Damn it, who… are you?"
Malice brought his face close to the Abyssal Herald, and seemingly sensing a similar aura, he released his hand.
The Abyssal Herald regained his freedom and immediately counterattacked.
But he was no match for Malice, and for some reason, the Abyssal power within him was suppressed. He was quickly slapped into the wall by Malice.
Malice slowly approached the Abyssal Herald. The latter wanted to open the door to leave but found that the door, which usually opened easily, now had no reaction.
Just as he silently awaited death, Malice merely glanced down at him, then transformed into a cloud of gray mist and vanished.
The Abyssal Herald waited for a while and didn't see Malice. He then realized that he could mobilize the energy within his body again, and he immediately opened the door.
"That guy, is he also from the Abyss?"
"I must go and report to His Highness the Prince!"
.
.
.
_