Chapter 205: Dragonblood Restricted Area

Yu Xian met Xiao Cheng at an antique-style teahouse in Yanjing, and the two sat facing each other. Soon, the server brought their tea.

Xiao Cheng lifted his cup. "Are you really leaving?"

Yu Xian firmly replied, "Yes. I have to go to the Abyss. Beyond Star rank are Void rank, Galaxy rank, Hegemon rank, and Cosmic rank. Even the weakest at each rank has Power a hundred times greater than someone at the peak of the previous rank. If a Void-rank powerhouse ever comes through the Abyss and disaster strikes, I don't want to regret that I didn't work hard."

Recalling Yu Xian's battle to the death against Edward a year earlier, Xiao Cheng nodded. "Then which restricted area are you planning to use to enter the Abyss?"

Many restricted areas throughout Huaxia contained suppressed Abyssal Rifts. These rifts led to different locations within the Abyss, and the environments on the other side varied enormously.

Some restricted areas contained unbearably high temperatures, while others were bitterly cold. Some were even filled with strange flesh, making it seem as though one had entered the intestines of some enormous creature.

Likewise, the danger posed by each restricted area differed. Most supernatural beings entered the Abyss through relatively safe rifts. ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.

Yu Xian answered, "I'm planning to enter through the Dragonblood Restricted Area."

Xiao Cheng frowned. "Even we still haven't figured out what lies beyond the Abyssal Rift in the Dragonblood Restricted Area. It's too dangerous. Why not choose another one?"

"Deputy Director, I've already handed the method for refining Star Divine Artifacts over to headquarters, and I assume you've read it. The Dragon Shield can no longer keep up with my rank. I need to gather enough dragon materials from the Dragonblood Forbidden Zone to refine it into a Star Divine Artifact. That's why I have to go there."

The Dragon Shield was supposedly built around a fragment of Divine Core obtained from the Abyss. In reality, it was merely the magic core of a demonic beast. ℯ𝐥.𝒄ℴ𝓶

Back then, Huaxia did not even know about the concept of Star rank. Its researchers had calculated the shield's defensive power entirely according to the "Insect, Ant, Bee, Sparrow, Serpent, Eagle, Wolf, Tiger, Dragon, and God" ranking system. That was why they had mistakenly concluded that the Dragon Shield would always remain five ranks above Yu Xian.

Had Yu Xian tried to defend against Edward's attacks with the Dragon Shield during their battle, Edward would have destroyed it with a single strike. To a Dragon-rank supernatural being, a Shield Dragon's reverse scale was nearly indestructible. But to a Star-rank powerhouse, its hardness was nothing remarkable. It was not even qualified to serve as material for refining a Star Divine Artifact.

Therefore, Yu Xian had to find better materials and completely overhaul and upgrade the Dragon Shield. Only then could it continue accompanying him instead of becoming obsolete.

Entering the Abyss through the Dragonblood Restricted Area would lead him to an Abyssal Rift inhabited by large numbers of dragons. Dragons were almost always synonymous with power, which made this Abyssal Rift the most dangerous of all within Huaxia. Its exploration had remained extremely limited, as no one dared venture too deeply. However, if Yu Xian wanted to upgrade the Dragon Shield, the dragons within that Abyssal Rift truly were the most suitable source of materials.

Xiao Cheng helplessly nodded. "All right. I'll keep your position open. No matter when it may be, you'll always be welcome back."

"Mm. I'll always be one of Qilin's own. Remember to send my regards to the director."

Xiao Cheng smiled. "I will. Have a safe journey."

Although he was reluctant to see Yu Xian leave, he knew Yu Xian was right. As the Blue Planet's strongest combatant, Yu Xian could not afford to remain stagnant. His exploring the Abyss held far greater significance than it did for anyone else, and he also had a much better chance of bringing back all kinds of advanced knowledge.

***

At Central Huaxia, deep within a valley surrounded by mountains stood a solitary peak. Semicircular reinforced-concrete bunkers were embedded throughout the cliffs there. Weathered by time, these defensive structures were covered in twisted, withered vines, yet their cold military presence was unmistakable.

At the foot of the mountain, a thirty-meter-high wall encircled the peak. Honeycomb-like firing ports covered its surface, making it narrow on the outside and wide on the inside. Countless soldiers stood guard, with various missiles aimed at the entrance.

According to rumors, even nuclear warheads were stored within the innermost section of the fortifications. If a monster too powerful to contain ever showed up in the surroundings, they would deploy the nuclear weapons at the critical moment and destroy everything.

This was the Dragonblood Restricted Area. The Abyssal Rift lay directly beneath the mountain. A single, winding passage carved down through the mountain's core to three hundred meters underground, where one had to navigate layer upon layer of defenses to reach the Abyss.

Yu Xian stepped out of a spatial bubble. General Zhao Yi, responsible for guarding the area, came forward and shook his hand. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhao Yi led Yu Xian into the passage within the mountain. Passing through numerous checkpoints, they arrived at their destination, with an enormous superalloy door sealing the way ahead.

Zhao Yi marveled at the door. "The Abyssal Rift is right behind this door. Ever since we acquired the crafting technique for Star Divine Artifacts, my job has been a whole lot easier."

Although the door itself was not a Star Divine Artifact, it had been constructed using some of the same technology.

A year earlier, Zhao Yi had to stand guard beside the Abyssal Rift at all times, killing every monster that crossed through. Now that this specially designed alloy door had been installed here, his duties were far less demanding. All he needed to do was open the door periodically and clear out the abyssal creatures that had crossed over into their world.

Under Zhao Yi's authorization, the door slowly opened. A swarm of small abyssal creatures resembling Compsognathus surged through the opening. Before they could scatter, however, their bodies exploded one after another.

Zhao Yi's ability was called the Reference Frame of the Microscopic and the Macroscopic. It was said to possess the greatest destructive power among all Dragon-rank abilities. These small abyssal creatures had been killed by collisions with microscopic dust particles in the air.

After dealing with those creatures, Zhao Yi gave Yu Xian a long, meaningful look and spoke solemnly. "All right, you can enter now. May fortune favor you in battle, and may you remain undefeated!"

Yu Xian nodded and smiled. "Thank you for the kind words, General. I also wish you continued growth in strength and lasting good fortune."

The two exchanged smiles before Yu Xian turned and walked toward the alloy door. Yu Xian had once imagined an Abyssal Rift as a literal, enormous crack, one that radiated red light and gave the impression that anyone entering it would fall straight into magma. In reality, however, an Abyssal Rift was more like an invisible point of distortion.

Yu Xian stepped through the alloy door just as an abyssal creature resembling a plesiosaur appeared out of thin air. He grabbed it by the neck and applied a little pressure, making its eyes roll back and its long tongue loll out. Glancing at the little creature with a smile, he carried it with him into the distortion.

Outside the door, Zhao Yi watched Yu Xian disappear into the Abyssal Rift. After a long while, he murmured, "I hope you make it back safely."

Then he stepped forward, closed the alloy door, and turned to leave.