Baby with Daoist Monarch System

The abyss hung quietly in the air like that, with no one knowing where its bottom lay. One could only see the mist gradually thickening deep within the abyss, resembling an unfathomable black hole, devouring all gazes that tried to peer into it.

It was in such an abyss, forbidden for any living being to enter, that on a blackened and charred rock floating at its center, there sat a blood-soaked figure.

This was a monkey covered in grievous wounds, its fur long assimilated by the mist into a ghastly green hue, and most of it had already fallen off.

Beneath its fur, its exposed skin was riddled with wounds deep enough to reveal bone, each one oozing a dark black blood, showing no signs of scabbing or healing.

Concurrent with this.

Its left foot was tightly shackled by an iron chain as thick as a bowl, the other end deeply embedded into the rock. The chain was wrapped in layers of ancient runes, glowing with a dark red shimmer like congealed blood, in stark contrast to the green mist.

It was the very monkey that the senior brother mentioned, once wanted by the Celestial Court, the unruly monkey— the Great Saint!

Suddenly.

The figure, petrified like stone, moved slightly.

This slight movement instantly stirred the surrounding mist wildly, forming a huge vortex.

Even so, it still remained unaffected in the slightest!

"My avatar is gone?"

At this moment.

A raspy voice rose from within the massive vortex.

With that.

The Great Saint, with its left foot shackled, slightly raised its proud head, its originally dull eyes now flashing with infinite brilliance.

Its gaze focused on the direction of where the Nine-Layered Giant Tower was situated.

At this moment, in its eyes, it was as if the scene of Xu Ran undergoing a trial appeared in its mind.

"I remember my last strand of hair avatar was given to the Heavenly Dao, supposedly as a fail-safe?"

"Now it seems, the fail-safe is activated? The avatar has vanished, meaning I will soon be able to escape!"

The Great Saint’s voice suddenly grew louder, and with the sound of the chain scraping, its previously seated figure, petite but magnificent, stood up on the black rock in the center of the Nether Abyss!

At this moment, the Great Saint stood tall like steel, its eyes as sharp as lightning, and even though it stood there unmoving, it appeared like a War God guarding the abyss.

The originally raging green mist, as it approached within a meter of its body, eerily halted, as if encountering an invisible barrier, rolling and roaring a meter away, yet never getting any closer. Occasionally, the corrosive particles in the mist made a sharp sizzling sound upon touching that invisible barrier, turning into wisps of blue smoke and dispersing without a trace.

But it was just a moment, and the aura on its body faded, then slowly returned to its original position, sitting motionless like a statue.

Simultaneously.

At the other end of the Nether Abyss, a faint, small golden figure was frantically fleeing forward, as if something was chasing behind it.

Suddenly.

All the surrounding mist converged towards the center.

Feeling the drastic change, it returned to its original form, a small Embroidery Bell.

This was a wisp of the Artifact Spirit of the Human Emperor Bell that had escaped from its main body!

"That place... it’s that monkey!"

All at once, this Artifact Spirit of the Human Emperor Bell became lively, as if any movement of that monkey was a great event!

"No way!"

Suddenly.

The Artifact Spirit realized.

"I remember, back then the Heavenly Dao asked this monkey for a hair to place it in the Nine-Layered Giant Tower.

If it made the monkey so excited, it must mean that the hair placed in the Nine-Layered Giant Tower has disappeared!

Which means, that trialist at least defeated the monkey!"

Saying this, the Artifact Spirit stuttered!

"This.... indeed didn’t take long!!"

Bear in mind.

This Human Emperor Bell also had a wisp of consciousness placed inside the Nine-Layered Giant Tower.

Without that trialist in the Nine-Layered Giant Tower, it would still be suppressed by the Nether Abyss, stuck for ages!

However.

Despite nearing the edge of the Nether Abyss, its speed was not slow. Covering the distance of ten thousand miles wouldn’t take long!

Which means, the trialist’s trial progress was as fast as lightning!

In light of this, the Artifact Spirit’s body twitched, and upon closer examination, it was the involuntary shaking of excitement!

Knowing full well, a person who successfully passes through the Nine-Layered Giant Tower, what kind of existence they ultimately are.

The original intention of the Nine-Layered Giant Tower was to find someone who could pass perfectly.

But since the Origin Realm came into being, till now, no one had succeeded.

Now, this opportunity was right before its eyes.

"Once the Nine-Layered Giant Tower is conquered, the problems capable of devastation will first be solved by the Nether Abyss."

With this thought, the Artifact Spirit immediately made a decision.

"I will station outside the Nether Abyss, awaiting the conqueror to arrive, then I can become the guide, perhaps even merge with a physical body at the first opportunity!"

At once, the Artifact Spirit’s speed increased, racing towards the edge of the Nether Abyss.

...

Meanwhile.

Great Wilderness Border Village.

Nine-Layered Giant Tower.

Xu Ran and the bald man crossed the stone gate before them together.

Instantly, a thick scent of blood filled Xu Ran’s nostrils.

Even he couldn’t help but frown.

Meanwhile, the scene before his eyes came into view.

This was yet another gigantic dueling arena.

Eight bronze beast head lamps hung from the dome of the dueling arena, the lamp oil soaked with human finger bones, casting a ghastly green light on the bald man in the center, like coating him in ghostly flames.

In front of Xu Ran, a bald man sat cross-legged on a stone, his back facing him.

The bald man’s back was tattooed with a ferocious Unmoving Bright King, his neck, muscular and twisted, bore a three-inch wide knife scar running slanted from the left ear to the right collarbone, new wounds stacking over old marks, resembling a centipede burrowed into his throat.

A Ghost Head Saber lay crosswise on his knees, the blade three feet long, its edge encrusted with dark brown rust. The hilt wrapped with faded red cloth, embroidered in gold with the word "kill," soaked through with blood, making the character barely discernible!

Seeing the scene unfold, Xu Ran immediately looked to his side.

The bald man who was just beside him, had already vanished at this moment.

"Is the bald man in front exactly that bald man?"

Xu Ran felt a bit puzzled.

However, it didn’t seem like it.

During the previous trial with the bald man, he’d seen his back, exactly identical to how it was now.

Besides, the previous bald man had bronze skin all over.

But this bald man in front of him, bore a bluish iron hue, even his pores!

The entire color of his body matched with the Ghost Head Saber on his knee!

"Could he have polished his skin color using the saber on his knee?"

Xu Ran just finished speaking.

"Draw your blade!"

A powerful and raspy voice came from the front, as if a vocal cord dragged across stone, and following the voice, without realizing, the bald man facing away from Xu Ran had already turned around.

"Shing--"

"Shing--"

"Shing--"

"Shing--"

"..."

At the moment that rough voice resounded, around the arena, suddenly the sound of drawing blades erupted.

It was only then Xu Ran noticed, floating around the dueling arena were dozens of translucent silhouettes clad in ancient armor, black blood seeping from the cracks in the armor.

Each figure had a blade hanging at the waist, eyes hungry and fixated on the center, each figure’s waist carried a badge. Only, the characters etched on it had long blurred, unclear if dyed by blood, or worn down?

"Is it for them to draw their blades, or for me to draw mine?"

Xu Ran frowned, staring at the bald man’s identical face, feeling rather puzzled.

"Even if I were to draw a blade, I don’t even have one?"

From these dozens of figures, it became clear, Xu Ran was about to face the Sword Technique.

Moreover, by the looks of it, a one-against-many battle!

This indeed was no small matter!