The system's hunger never slept. Dawn's chime rattled the throne hall like abyss laughter.
"Ding! Daily Ascension Quest 5: Conquer Shadow Abyss (Abyss Demon Lord, Peak Divine Lord Realm). Infinite shadow legions spawn. Reward: 1,800,000 EXP, Shadow Abyss territory, new abyssal follower. Time limit: 36 hours. Fail: Abyss consumes the north realms."
I rose, Divine Lord, early in warping air, Eternal Sovereign's Fang screaming void-song. "Abyss calls. Pantheon—shadows end today."
Yue Zhilan's early Heavenly Emperor spear was void-black and ready. Zoltar's thunder-cracked hammer. Seraphine's phoenix wings shadowed. Lirael dragons are abyssal-scaled. Glacia's iced floors are eternal. Kael's blood pooled eagerly. Lu Din marked void-rifts: "Shadow Abyss—endless darkness beneath Phoenix Mountains. Demon Lord Nyxthar rules infinite spawns."
No light wasted. Pantheon descent: me vanguard, Yue Zhilan, Zoltar Thunder Core, Kael Blood Support, and Glacia Ice Binds. Lian led mortal shadows (Dao Refining thunder cloaked). Old Wei hauled Vulcan abyss-slayers.
Rifts tore Phoenix peaks—void portals sucking light. We plunged into endless dark, Nereia tidal lanterns glowing faintly. Infinite shadows swarmed—endless demons clawing eternally.
First waves crushed. Zoltar's Thunder Legion (30,000 titans) lit the abyss with electric bolts, chaining spawns infinitely. Lirael dragons breathed abyss-fire, melting hordes. +250k EXP.
Deeper, Nyxthar loomed, a colossus—the Peak Divine Lord, body writhing with infinite shadows, eyes void black holes, claws birthing endless demons. "Taxless light offends eternal dark! Infinite legions consume!"
Kael countered perfectly—the Crimson Legion (20,000 blood demons) flooded shadows, syphoning infinite spawns' vitality. Blood rivers steamed void. Seraphine's phoenix rebirth countered spawn waves—15,000 warriors resurrecting endlessly.
Yue Zhilan blurred the duel, the Early Heavenly Emperor's spear piercing Shadowheart. Nyxthar tendrils warped space—silver armour void-cracked, but Heavenly qi mended it instantly. Glacia froze spawn pools eternal—ice locking infinite birth.
Mortal flanking's ingenuity shone: Lian's thunder-chained arms were colossal. Old Wei abyss-slayers shattered claw joints. Academy grads wove light nets, mortal piercing dark.
Nyxthar raged: "Mortals illuminate abyss?!" Claw-swept ridge —Lian dodged Dao's thunder-spear, countering core-deep. +300k EXP.
I leapt heart-high, Fang Divine Lord qi exploding. Tendrils flash-devoured—fate-edge shattered, void defiant. One slash severed the spawn gland, shadows halting briefly. +450k EXP.
Pantheon converged. Zoltar's thunder pierced the eyes' black hole. Kael drained demon-core. Lirael dragons pierced joints. Seraphine crushed ribs rebirth. Yue Zhilan speared the throat shadow.
Nyxthar staggered infinitely. "Unity... pierces dark..."
Final plunge—Fang plunged core eternal. Fate-edged imploded abyssal heart. Infinite spawns crumbled dust. Quest Complete! 1,800,000 EXP Gained! Divine Lord Early → Divine Lord Peak! All Followers: +2 Major Realms!
Pantheon godded: Yue Zhilan Early Heavenly → Peak Heavenly Emperor. Zoltar Early Divine Lord → Divine Lord Peak. Seraphine Celestial Peak → God Peak. Lirael God Peak → Divine Lord Early. Glacia Celestial Early → God Peak. Kael Celestial Early → God Peak.
Abyss quieted. Void rifts stabilised, revealing Shadow Abyss—infinite shadow mines birthing darkness artefacts, with abyssal tribes kneeling in awe. Territory claimed.
Core swirled umbral. A figure emerged—towering obsidian skin rippling with controlled shadows, four claw-tendril arms, and a crown of void thorns pulsing. Eyes abyssal wisdom deep.
"New Follower: Abyss Demon Lord Nyxthar. Cultivation: Peak Divine Lord (now Half-step Heavenly Emperor post-boost). Loyalty: 93%. Innate: Infinite Shadow Legion (50,000 eternal shadows). Techniques: Void Birth Arrays, Darkness Eclipse."
Nyxthar knelt void, voice echoing infinities. "Lord Ling Chen... illuminator of dark."
"You know me?" Shadows danced, feet controlled.
He bowed four arms. "Void Collapse Eternal—realms crushed in infinite dark, my abyss dying starved. You—soul through voids—shared light qi anchor, whispering, 'Darkness protects when harnessed.' I vowed, "Fate calls; infinite shadows shield you eternal."
Abyssal tribes screeched loyalty. Shadow mines fuelled darkness-rich void cloaks and eternal eclipse pills.
Lu Din marked abyss maps ecstatic: "Infinite resources. Trade dark eternal."
Lian clasped Nyxthar's claw: "Mortals shadow with you."
System previewed tomorrow: "Sky Phoenix Matriarch (Peak God Realm). Daily Quest 6." Wait—no, escalating: "Heavenly Overlord Citadel Assault".
EXP snowballed to 8M+. Abyss knelt thunder. Pantheon emperor.
Sovereign pierced dark. Followers void-godded.
Abyss breathed shadow-rich. Dragons circled rifts.
Dawn called heavenly citadels next.