Chapter 449 Si Shu Chapter · Su Cheng's Forbidden Abyss Adventure - Socially Anxious Witch in the Apocalypse

"Su Miao, you really got me into this mess..." A bedraggled Si Shu emerged from the Forbidden Abyss. If not for her fusion of multiple powers, she felt she might have perished inside. Reflecting on her recent experiences, Si Shu felt indignant. At that time, outside the Abyss, she sensed an unprecedented crisis and, in desperation, sought help from Su Miao. Su Miao did not disappoint; with just a look, she understood Si Shu's predicament. Then, Si Shu was teleported away. However, Su Miao's teleportation was a real pitfall—it sent her directly into the Forbidden Abyss. Initially, Si Shu was thankful to have escaped with her life. But as time went on, she felt like crying. It was too dangerous here. Si Shu strongly suspected that Su Miao held a personal grudge against her, purposely throwing her into the Forbidden Abyss. ... It was an ancient city, seemingly medieval, with extremely poor conditions. Si Shu had seen many similar cities in the alternate world, so she wasn't much surprised, even if the city was perpetually shrouded in mist with very low visibility. One might mistake this place for a ghastly netherworld or hell, but in reality, it was far more terrifying. Considering she might be influenced by Si Wu if she ventured out, Si Shu decided to linger here for now. She glanced around and found an abandoned vacant lot, where she used her power to construct a bookstore. It wasn't that Si Shu didn't want to leave, but she was injured in the Abyss and needed to recuperate. Moreover, leaving might expose her to Si Wu's influence again, which would be disastrous. Thus, Si Shu needed time to consolidate her powers. As for why such an ancient city would suddenly have a bookstore, it wasn't Si Shu's concern. In the desolate cities of the alternate world, anything was possible. Not to mention, outside there were so many wandering oddities. Initially, some grotesques approached the bookstore, trying to infiltrate and see what this new neighbor was about. However, seeing some grotesques turn into doodled waste paper as they tried to intrude, the observing grotesque lord realized that the inhabitant inside was likely another formidable being like themselves. Out of respect for a fellow kind, the grotesque domain decided to cut Si Shu some slack. And so, Si Shu peacefully passed ten years, successfully healing and consolidating her powers. "Becoming a god, is it truly that simple?" Si Shu felt the changes in her body, grasping the special laws as she fell into enlightenment. A brand-new godhead began to evolve within Si Shu's body. But just as the godhead was about to solidify, Si Shu pressed a hand to her heart, activating her power to guide the nascent godhead out and forcibly interrupt its formation. During this process, she distinctly sensed a foreign will birthed within the godhead—a troubling sign. It was terrifying. If the godhead fully formed, who knew when she might become a puppet, a true toolservant. Gazing at the godhead, Si Shu seized it, refining it into a book. "Heh, turning it into a book means I can read it." As Si Shu opened the book, blood began to flow from her nose and mouth, and she fainted. ... "This is the place. An unspeakable, grotesque god is about to emerge from this city; it must be dealt with." "Are we certain it's a grotesque god?" "No doubt, and a rules-based one at that." "Alright, let's move." Su Cheng clutched the book in her hands, unable to comprehend what the individuals ahead were discussing, but aware of the enshrouding mist, she sensibly decided to follow, as traversing it alone posed unimaginable dangers. The team, including her, totaled eleven members. The leader was a swordsman clad in light armor, around thirty years of age, named James. The deputy leader was an elven mage, her age uncertain but appearing around eighteen, named Lulume. There were two dwarf warriors. Why were there dwarves here? One was named Kadang, the other, Leichui. Kadang sported a red beard, Leichui a blue one; they didn't mind being referred to by their beard colors. Kadang preferred using a battle axe, while Leichui favored a hammer, enchanted with lightning runes, packing quite a punch. [Indeed, why are there dwarves?] Su Cheng looked at her two teammates walking ahead, her heart once more filled with doubt. Yet, as the thought surfaced, it was immediately quashed. Her intuition told her these teammates were trustworthy. Additionally, the team had four rangers—Claire, Luke, Marich, Mabolen—all childhood friends from the same village, boasting impressive prowess. There were two archers. One was an eighteen-year-old girl named Lico, cloaked and often mistaken for an elf, but actually a half-elf. The other was a burly man in his fifties, named Mike, with a messy beard, seemingly living in a stable. In fact, that was his reality—he routinely slept in a stable. Lastly, there was herself. Her role within the team was that of a scholar. Su Cheng accompanied the team into the desolate city, feeling the environs become increasingly familiar. Wasn't this the town she currently resided in? What in the world was going on? Suppressing her doubts, she continued with them. Suddenly, the scene transformed into a hellish landscape. A woman resembling Chi Wanneng appeared, wielding a blood-stained codex, coldly gazing at them. "Stay alert, this is a blood demon, fond of consuming human brains. Very dangerous." "No need to worry, let's take her down." James, the leader, charged first. In a flurry of slashes, he left Chi Wanneng in tatters. Chi Wanneng seemed taken aback, perhaps doubting her own strength. Before she could react further, the teammates swarmed her, finishing her off entirely. "That was close." James remarked. Lulume, the elven mage, stated, "Thankfully, it was an illusion and not reality." "An illusion?" Su Cheng inquired. Lulume nodded, "Yes, the realism of this illusion is terrifying. Had it truly appeared here, we might all have perished." Memories of Chi Wanneng surfaced in Su Cheng's mind as she took a deep breath. She recalled that in the early days of the apocalypse, Chi Wanneng and Da Xi Wang were top targets for the Twelve Divisions' scrutiny. Especially the "Blood Magic" book Chi Wanneng possessed, which was Su Cheng's prime objective. To acquire "Blood Magic" smoothly, the Twelve Divisions once orchestrated a meeting between Chi Wanneng and Da Xi Wang, but some unexpected incidents ensued. Chi Wanneng was killed by the witch Su Miao. Da Xi Wang and Lan Shaokong, the administrator of the Four Seas base, ended up in mutual destruction, both slain by Su Miao. [Why are these memories surfacing in my mind?] [Strange?] Not dwelling on it, Su Cheng continued following the team. Moments later, they arrived at a river. Although the city had long been desolate, its waterways remained unblocked, the river unfaltering in its flow. However, the water was jet black, obscuring the riverbed and depth. "It's dangerous here." Su Cheng instinctively commented, "There's something inside." Lulume warned, "Be cautious, everyone. This river connects to unknown spaces; something's emerging." Boom! As she spoke, eerie gray mist rose from the river. "Retreat!" Lulume swung her staff, unleashing a dazzling light magic that momentarily kept the mist at bay. Something unspeakable was climbing out of the riverbed. "Let us handle this." The four rangers drew their blades. They smeared fresh blood from their palms onto the swords, reciting ancient incantations. In an instant, the swords blazed with fierce flames. Boom! In unison, they slashed at the eerie mist. The mist rippled violently; something inside shrieked, sending waves of terror through their souls. "Fall back." Commanded James, the captain. The team retreated hastily, the gray mist following relentlessly like a malignant shadow. Unnoticed, the entire desolate city became enshrouded in a thick layer of eerie gray mist. "We're trapped." Lulume stated, her gaze filled with dread, as if affected by some disturbance. Su Cheng looked out into the distance, spotting what seemed to be an unspeakable behemoth emerging within the mist. They uttered bizarre syllables, slowly approaching. "They're coming..." Su Cheng shouted. But in an instant, Lulume was gone, James was gone, the dwarf brothers were gone, the rangers were gone, the archers were gone. Everyone had vanished. What happened?! Turning around, Su Cheng suddenly met the gaze of an unspeakable entity. Instinctively, she opened the book in her hands. The world was restored to peace. ... "This is the place. An unspeakable grotesque god is about to emerge in this city; we must take care of it." "Are you certain it's a grotesque god?" "No doubt, and a rules-based one." "Alright, let's move." Su Cheng clutched the book, feeling somewhat puzzled by the conversation ahead, but with mist all around, venturing through it alone would undoubtedly invite unimaginable dangers, so she decided to follow. Including her, the team consisted of eleven people. The leader was James, and the deputy leader was Lulume, the elven mage. There were the red-bearded and blue-bearded dwarves, the four ranger brothers, and two archers. They were all reliable teammates. But why did this all feel somewhat familiar? Suppressing the growing doubts, Su Cheng hurried to keep pace. After a short walk, they encountered a man covered in blood. "Da Xi Wang!" Su Cheng exclaimed. Da Xi Wang turned, gripping a severed head, and looked at Su Cheng with a smile, "You are not her." "Quick, kill him! This is an illusion, we can't let it become reality," Lulume shouted. The team members rushed forward to attack. Da Xi Wang effortlessly dodged James' attack, conjured a curtain of blood to block Lulume's light magic, and with one hand caused the blood within the dwarf brothers to erupt. With another move, two of the ranger brothers perished tragically. The two remaining archers were terrified by the scene. They fired several arrows, each piercing Da Xi Wang's body, but he seemed unperturbed, pulling out the arrows and using them to pierce the remaining two rangers. "Si Shu, what game are you playing?" Da Xi Wang gripped Lulume by the neck and tossed her in front of Su Cheng, "Too weak." Su Cheng held onto the book. Da Xi Wang looked at Su Cheng and remarked, "Boring." Su Cheng opened her book, enveloping Da Xi Wang in light, instantly erasing him. As Lulume had said, Da Xi Wang was an illusion, not reality. Su Cheng stared ahead, not understanding any of it. When she turned back to look at James and Lulume, both seemed exceedingly terrified, fleeing into the ominous gray mist. Shortly after, horrifying sounds of flesh and bones being chewed emanated from the mist. "What is happening?" ... "This is the place. An unspeakable grotesque god is about to emerge in this city; we must take care of it." "Are you certain it's a grotesque god?" "No doubt, and a rules-based one." "Alright, let's move out," said James, the team's leader, taking the lead. Su Cheng clutched the book, feeling somewhat perplexed by the conversation ahead, but with mist all around, venturing through it alone was surely inviting unimaginable dangers, so she sensibly decided to follow. She glanced around; the team comprised eleven members. The deputy leader was Lulume, the elven mage. There were the red-bearded and blue-bearded dwarves, the four ranger brothers, and two archers, all of whom appeared strong and reliable. But why did it all feel slightly off? And why did this desolate city seem so familiar to her? Moments later, they stumbled upon a person amid a field of corpses. "I didn't expect more challengers." Ji Jiu Sheng looked at the adventuring team, stating indifferently, "Can you entertain me?" Before anyone could react, Ji Jiu Sheng charged into the crowd, commencing his assault. Boom, boom, boom! With a single step, Ji Jiu Sheng disrupted the team's formation. After a few moves, the four rangers lay dead, but the two dwarves somehow withstood his attack. Finally, James had the chance to demonstrate his prowess, swinging his greatsword into battle. The archers fired from afar. Lulume began chanting, building up a powerful attack. As it seemed like they might withstand the danger, Ji Jiu Sheng sneered, "Too weak; are you playing games?" "Explode!" Boom! Ji Jiu Sheng erupted with power, blasting the approaching team away. James, along with the red-bearded and blue-bearded dwarves, close to the explosion, disintegrated into a blood mist. The archers fell to their arrows. Lulume shielded herself with magic, collapsing injured at Su Cheng's feet. Puzzled, she looked at Su Cheng, realizing with horror that Su Cheng seemed to be the only one unharmed, a scene too eerie. At this moment, Su Cheng placed her hand on the book. Ji Jiu Sheng cursed, "If you can't play, don't play, damn it!" In the next instant, Su Cheng opened the book, enveloping Ji Jiu Sheng in a blinding light, ending him in a blink. In a daze, Su Cheng heard Lulume's question: "Scholar, who are you?" ... "This is the place. An unspeakable grotesque god is about to emerge in this city; we must take care of it." "Are you certain it's a grotesque god?" "No doubt, and a rules-based one." "..." Su Cheng looked at her teammates, murmuring, "It's starting again. Why did I say 'again'?" As the team prepared to set off, Su Cheng uttered, "Wait a moment." The team members halted, turning their questioning gazes to Su Cheng: "Scholar, what's wrong?" The question came from James, the leader. Lulume, the deputy leader, observed Su Cheng thoughtfully, having heard her earlier mutter but paying it no heed. Su Cheng, clutching the book, warned, "If you proceed, you'll die. My intuition tells me you'll die." James responded, "Scholar, our fate was sealed when we arrived here. Look at the mist surrounding us; there's no retreat. We have no choice." Su Cheng scanned the area, looking at her teammates with an inexplicable sadness. She gazed at Lulume, saying, "Lulume, try saying this to me: 'Scholar, who are you?'" The elven mage Lulume, puzzled, asked Su Cheng, "Scholar, who are you?" In an instant, Lulume seemed to be struck by lightning. In a trance, she witnessed her teammates tragically dying before her eyes. Lulume, terror-stricken, stammered, "No, no, it shouldn't be like this..." She looked at Su Cheng, terror written on her face, asking again, "Scholar, who are you? You aren't a member of our team; you're an anomaly, you are..." Whatever she tried to say further remained unsaid. For, as the gray mist receded, someone approached them on the void. Lan Zhong. He raised a hand, and Lulume exploded into a cloud of blood mist. "Si Shu, how long will you continue to play this adventurer game? Are you prepared to fall here?" "..." Si Shu? Su Cheng stared at Lan Zhong, unable to comprehend for a long moment. As she turned back to her former teammates, they looked shocked, gradually transforming into books that fell to the ground. "How could this be?" Su Cheng looked at the fallen books. She picked up the book titled "Lulume, the Elven Mage," and casually flipped to the last page. "How could this..." She turned to look at Lan Zhong, who was gradually fading. She held onto the book, this time without opening it, instead absorbing all the books that had fallen. Alone, she walked toward the depths of the eerie mist. Soon after, Su Cheng arrived before a temple. It was the only intact structure in the desolate city, naturally the only place with issues. At the heart of the building stood an ancient, mysterious octopus-like statue. From it emanated unimaginable corruption. Any creature tainted by its presence would instantly degrade into grotesqueness. Since coming here, Su Cheng felt her body changing, as if unwittingly sprouting tentacles, quivering in all directions. "Is this what you want?" Su Cheng pulled out the book manifested from the incomplete godhead. "Have it!" Without hesitation, she hurled the godhead-book at the statue, turning to flee without looking back. Boom! The book containing the godhead exploded. The intertwining of six rules of power obliterated the entire temple. The terrifying shockwave swept in all directions, hurling Su Cheng, leaving her severely injured and spitting blood. From the temple area, a giant mushroom cloud rose. Within the mushroom cloud were ear-piercing shrieks, sounding like either profound indignation or extreme fury. Su Cheng couldn't distinguish it, nor did she care to. She watched as the sky started to crack open. The ground split apart. The mist crumbled. At some point, Si Shu suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath. She glanced around to find herself still within the library domain. However, the blood-stained godhead book shattered at this very moment. "It was actually able to corrode my domain..." Si Shu shuddered. She glanced at the pitch-black, desolate city, hesitated for a moment, then promptly retracted her domain, transforming into a jet black butterfly, fleeing into the distance. "Su Miao, just where on earth did you send me?" Si Shu felt like crying, this place was obscenely dangerous. After a while, Si Shu discovered an incredibly frightening bloodstained path. Judging by the traces, a great demon lord had once fought here fiercely; the blood was still wet, and the corpses had not yet revived. The residual powerful aura deterred many taboos from approaching. Without a second thought, Si Shu sprinted down this path to escape. Despite this, she encountered numerous blockades and crises along the way. She didn't know how many crises she had survived or how much blood she had shed, but after a painstaking struggle, Si Shu finally escaped. "The Forbidden Abyss..." Covered in blood, Si Shu stood before a boundary marker, gritting her teeth as she read the ancient script. When she returned to Earth, she was determined to hold Su Miao accountable. "Ouch, ugh..." No sooner had she resolved to do so than her grievous injuries protested against her. She needed to find a place to heal first. This healing process spanned over fifty years. Emerging from a hidden area, Si Shu determined her direction and found a passage back to Earth. "I'm back!" Back on Earth, breathing in the fresh air, Si Shu felt elated. With her formidable consciousness sweeping across the globe, she noticed three World Trees and wondered, "Where did these World Trees come from? Could Su Miao have planted them?" Given Su Miao's fondness for planting trees, it was a possibility not to be dismissed. But no, that wasn't the point. The point was that Earth appeared sunny and prosperous, not at all like an apocalyptic wasteland. Had the apocalypse ended? "Did I miss something?" Standing in the void, Si Shu felt a complex mixture of emotions. Moments ago, when she had spread her consciousness worldwide, she had clearly seen many new cities. This indicated that civilization on Earth was being restored to its former glory. Had the apocalypse truly ended? Suddenly, a bright light flashed. Si Shu instinctively closed her eyes, and reopening them, she saw Lin Jiu Jiu. "Si Shu, welcome back!" Lin Jiu Jiu greeted with a warm smile. Si Shu paused, surprised: "Jiu Jiu, you’ve become a god?" Lin Jiu Jiu replied, "Yes, I didn't quite understand how, but somehow I ascended. However, Sister Su Miao says I'm still weak and need to keep pushing myself." Si Shu's mouth twitched—this was considered weak? Lin Jiu Jiu's aura felt almost stronger than hers. Wait, Lin Jiu Jiu just mentioned Su Miao. She asked, "Where is Su Miao? I have a question for her." [Why did you throw me into the Forbidden Abyss?] Lin Jiu Jiu explained, "You probably won't be able to see her for a while. Sister Su Miao has gone travelling in a parallel world." Parallel world? Travelling? Separately, Si Shu understood the words, but together, they left her bewildered. Luckily, Su Miao wasn't on Earth; otherwise, asking might lead Su Miao to throw her back in again. Si Shu smiled faintly, "Well, next time then." ... (End of this chapter)