The Heartroot Crystal's glow dimmed to a steady pulse as the cleansing ritual ended. The chamber, once choked with corruption, now felt… hollow — as if the darkness had merely recoiled deeper.
[Quest Activated: Root of the Sovereign]Objective: Investigate the Abyss beneath the Rootspire.Status: ActiveRecommended Party: 3+ Cultivators (Minimum Level: 25)Warning: Domain-Level Entities may be present.
Li Shen turned to his allies, his voice calm but firm. "We go down. Now."
Korin smirked, her crimson threads coiling at her fingertips. "Was hoping you'd say that."
Yue Han nodded, already adjusting the windflows around her legs for silent movement.
Jinhai hesitated at the edge of the collapsed stone platform where the crystal had hovered. "There hasn't been a recorded descent into the Abyss since the founding era…"
The silence said the rest. This was uncharted — and deeply dangerous.
Descent Protocol
[System Trigger: Transition to Sub-Zone — Abyssal Depths]Environment Modifier: Abyssal Pressure +35%, Visibility -60%, Spirit Rebound Risk: ModeratePassive Skill Suggested: Root Sense OR Thread Perception (Level 2+)
As they dropped through the narrow shaft behind the Heartroot, thick roots jutted from the walls like skeletal fingers. The light above faded quickly, swallowed by endless darkness.
A map formed in Li Shen's inner view — jagged, shifting, half-rendered.
[New Area Discovered: Forgotten Abyss — Outer Ring]Exploration Progress: 3%
Every footstep echoed as they landed within a ruin overgrown with twisted vines. These were not natural. They pulsed with a dark rhythm, like veins filled with ink.
Suddenly — [Hostile Presence Detected]
Aberrant Root Spawn (x3)Type: Corrupted Beast Level: 27 Affinity: Rot-Qi Weakness: Light/Fire Threads
The beasts emerged, eyeless, bark-skinned, dripping rot. Their snarls sounded like tearing cloth.
Li Shen's hands moved instinctively.
[Skill Activated: Flame-Thread Blade – Tier 2]Qi Cost: 40 Damage Bonus vs Rot-Type: +50%
A whip of green fire-thread lashed through the gloom, searing two beasts instantly. Korin followed up, embedding fiery needles into the last one's core.
[Aberrant Root Spawn Eliminated — +1,750 XP]Thread Harmony: +0.5 % Loot Acquired: Rot Husk x2, Fungal Marrow Core x1
The group moved silently after the battle, deeper still.
Voices in the Veins
The next chamber they reached was a vast hall, lined with shattered spirit totems and fossilised cultivators — some clutching roots that had pierced their bodies from within.
The air grew cold. Yue Han's breath fogged.
[Environmental Threat Detected: Sovereign Echo Field]Passive Spirit Drain: 1% per minuteSystem Advisory: Remain in motion or activate defensive aura.
From the shadows, a voice rose. Not a whisper. Not a growl. A chant.
"…root to root… flesh to thread… Sovereign wakes where faith has bled…"
A malformed humanoid crawled from a pit, its face a hollow mask and its body a nest of shifting tendrils.
[Mini-Boss Encounter: Threadwoken Oracle]Level: 30Class: Cursed EchoAbilities: Spirit Flay, False Prophecy, Parasite BloomWeakness: Dispel or Harmony-Type Skills
Li Shen's system pulsed red. "Form up!"
[Skill Chain Suggested: Moonwoven Harmony → Thread Cage → Flame-Thread Storm]Estimated Sync Bonus: +35% Damage Output
"Do it!" Li Shen commanded. Yue Han and Korin responded instantly.
Light exploded as the three moved like a single web — Moonwoven light binding the Oracle's limbs, firestorm threads tearing through its core, while Yue Han's wind pressure pinned its blooms mid-air.
[Boss HP: 92% → 10% → 0%]XP Gained: 9,000Loot Acquired: Echo Sigil, Oracle's Tattered Mantle, ??? (Sealed)
The body fell — not dead, but dormant, its form dissipating into mist. In its place, a stone pedestal cracked open with a soft hum.
Li Shen approached it carefully. The system recognised it first.
[Quest Progress: 33%]Relic Found: Sovereign's Whisper (Sealed Root Keystone)Requirement: Bound to the Root Trait – MetUnlock Keystone? Y/N
"…Y."
As he touched the keystone, silver threads flared from his hand. The pedestal trembled.
[Keystone Activated — Deeper Passage Revealed]New Area Unlocked: Abyssal Nexus – The Heart BelowWARNING: Threat Level – Ascendant-Class Entity Detected.
Li Shen stood over the open gateway, threads of pale light dancing around his fingers. Below awaited the Abyssal Nexus… and perhaps, the Sovereign's Root itself.
He looked to Korin, Yue Han, and Jinhai — all ready, all silent.
"We press on."
And they stepped into the abyss.