Abyss Summoner-Chapter 253 - 248: A Web of Conspiracies

Things have become a bit troublesome.

The inverted pentagram is clearly the Devil’s mark.

Compared to the summoning pentagram of the Demon, the Devil’s inverted pentagram, when viewed directly, resembles the head of a black goat.

A top-ranking expert in the whole of Bridge East turned out to be a follower of the Devil; this is practically a fairy tale, making people feel somewhat incredulous.

But the facts are right before our eyes. On Li Chuan’s thigh indeed lies a prominent mark, no, it doesn’t seem like it was tattooed on, more like it grew naturally on Li Chuan’s body, with the surrounding red lines constantly pulsating, giving a bizarre illusion of a sea of blood.

Chen Feng, driven by a mysterious impulse, placed his hand on it.

"Ah!"

A terrifying force invaded Chen Feng’s brain, like the feeling of water and fire not mixing, directly erupting with frightening destructive power. More bizarrely, Chen Feng couldn’t remove his hand, the skin of the other tightly adhered to his, unable to move.

"Not good!"

This force followed his palm, attempting to invade the consciousness in his mind. If it succeeded, his thoughts might turn to chaos, becoming a true wastrel.

At this critical moment, Chen Feng transformed into his Flame Demon form without hesitation, with massive flames sweeping over him, only then extinguishing these negative energies, allowing him to escape danger.

After Chen Feng broke free, his body was wracked with pain both internally and externally, especially in his chest, the pain nearly causing him to faint. No one could have anticipated that the tattoo would possess such terrifying power.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

Chen Feng took out royal jelly and gulped down a large mouthful, with his chest only slightly easing.

Although the previous scene was unbelievably soul-stirring, Chen Feng could finally confirm that this was not a pattern drawn on Li Chuan without reason but truly the power of the Devil. This also explained why Chen Feng felt aversion upon first meeting him.

Generally speaking, Demons follow the Law of Chaos, respecting the strong. They disregard promises, betray at any time, ignore honor, change their intentions at any time, and kill without rules.

Whereas Devils belong to Lawful Evil; this faction still retains the pride and confidence of the strong. They value honor and promises, are self-disciplined and emphasize discipline, with rank ascension needing accumulation of achievements, without needless slaughter.

Due to their naturally different factions, from the moment of their birth, they are in a state of opposition.

The first layer of the Abyss, the Wanyuan Plain, is the only exit for both sides to the main Material Plane. To vie for this exit, both sides are constantly at war. This is the origin of the Blood Battle. Also, there are visitors from the Material Plane, such as humans, Beastmen, Halflings, etc., who come here for mercenary work for profit.

From the Wanyuan Plain to the Material Plane, there still live some natives, like Black Elves, Minotaurs, Dwarves, etc. These natives are also sometimes hired to join the Blood Battle.

The battle between Demons and Devils has lasted hundreds, even thousands of years; the hatred between them has long flowed into their marrow.

Why does Chen Feng loathe Li Chuan?

His power stems from the Flame Demon, acquiring the ability to transform into a Demon, indicating some gene changes have occurred; so when confronted with the Devil’s tattoo on Li Chuan, he feels repulsion.

The Devil is restless in Bridge East. Not long ago, Chen Feng heard about some skinning incidents; now, the Devil’s follower lay dead at his feet, theoretically, he should feel somewhat relieved.

But at such a time.

Chen Feng’s brow slightly furrowed.

If...

Aversion is proof of the Devil’s identity, Li Chuan has been confirmed, then what about Hong Jiuling?

If not mistaken, his aversion towards Hong Jiuling is multiple times stronger than towards Li Chuan; what does this signify? Stronger? Or more purely devoted to the Devil?

A master of Silver Peak turning out to be a follower of the Devil is already somewhat unbelievable, but Hong Jiuling, supported by tens of thousands of people as the conservative leader, possibly colluding with the Devil, that’s truly baffling.

The conservative faction, ordinary people, the anti-war movement, the strange disappearances following the insect tide, all these events link together, forming a picture like a puzzle piece, slowly outlining itself in Chen Feng’s mind.

"The conservative faction ultimately gained control of the city, even abolished most of the dark sentries, then focused on searching nearby survivors, starting to recuperate, but the good times didn’t last long. The Insect Race’s arrival was too sudden, not to mention the lack of dark sentry scouting, and by the time people reacted, the bugs had already gathered under the city. In less than half a day, Bridge East was breached, countless survivors were slaughtered, tens of thousands injured or dead, blood flowed like a river..."

Although Chen Feng lived in Bridge East for a long time, after all, it’s memories of a past life, inevitably some details might be missed, so he pushed himself to recollect the situation after Bridge East was breached.

"Wait!"

Chen Feng suddenly recalled something, murmuring to himself: "Countless survivors slaughtered, tens of thousands injured or dead, blood flowed like a river... Blood..."

He emphasized a word, his pupils dilating, a term suddenly appearing in his mind.

[Blood Sacrifice!]

Everything is becoming strange.

It’s not just Demons who love Blood Sacrifices; Devils equally enjoy gaining power from them.

Could there truly be such coincidences in the world? After the Insect Horde erupted, Hong Jiuling disappeared mysteriously, leaving no trace, as if buried by the swarm of insects.

Unusual events often have supernatural causes.

All signs indicate that the destruction of Qiaodong is closely linked with Hong Jiuling.

Chen Feng does not believe Hong Jiuling can control the Insect Race; most of the time, he acts as an accomplice, trapping everyone in the camp under the guise of recuperation, allowing the monsters to fight and grow stronger in the wilderness.

No!

Rather than recuperation, it is more like captivity; the survivors of Qiaodong in Hong Jiuling’s eyes are just a bunch of meat; he doesn’t mind the identity of the butcher, whether it be zombies, insects, or even some Dimensional Creatures; his only concern is that after the city falls, it will become a Bloody Hell.

Devils are skilled at controlling minds.

Choosing to confront Feng Zhiyong head-on is bound to have missteps, and this control over minds gradually heightens anti-war sentiment, like a frog being boiled slowly, pulling the entire Qiaodong into endless Hell.

Hong Jiuling exploits precisely Feng Zhiyong’s benevolent heart, having already discerned Feng Zhiyong’s weakness, knowing that for the survivors of Qiaodong, Feng won’t tear faces with him, otherwise the casualties of a battle between the two sides would be unimaginable.

At this moment, Chen Feng finally pieces together a complete picture in his mind.

"This world is fraught with dangers, and ordinary people cannot reach this level of contest; what I rely on is merely the Demon Bloodline, otherwise, I couldn’t have discovered Hong Jiuling’s true face."

The heights are so cold.

This is Chen Feng’s first thought upon understanding.

Above ants are frogs, and beyond that are birds, eagles, and other fierce birds; different positions lead to distinct encounters and situations.

Like ordinary Warriors, they do not even have the chance to come into contact with Hong Jiuling, let alone expose his identity; they can only wait until the insect horde erupts, pick up weapons, and act as pawns.

How sad.

And perhaps this is the ultimate reason why Chen Feng worships power.

......

Something’s wrong!

Xu Hongzhuang, panting heavily, rushed forward; obviously, she had completed her mission, successfully intercepting or capturing the Zombie Commander.

Along the way, her mind was uneasy, with only one purpose: to hurry back to the battlefield and see how the situation had developed.

Feng Zhiyong had always instilled a philosophy focused on the bigger picture among his subordinates, and Xu Hongzhuang adhered strictly to it; even if there were instances of others taking credit, she would only chastise them briefly, never truly breaking with the conservatives for the sake of Qiaodong.

And this is the reason she hurried back; she genuinely did not wish to see casualties when unnecessary.

But upon finally returning, she saw Chen Feng standing there; from his composed face, it was clear he felt no pressure at all.

Seeing all this, Xu Hongzhuang’s heart turned ice-cold, filled with a premonition of disaster.

"Gasp!"

Xu Hongzhuang did not dare hesitate, continuing to rush forward, finally seeing Chen Feng’s face and the corpses of Li Chuan and a group of confidants lying in pools of blood.

Including people and Corpse Demons, the squad of more than thirty was completely killed, not a single survivor!

"Dead... All dead? Did you really kill Li Chuan? He was Hong Jiuling’s confidant, with a status similar to mine. Such an important person dead, the conservatives will not let this pass easily, what should we do?"

Despite her bravery, Xu Hongzhuang was young and inevitably flustered when faced with such circumstances.

At this point, with a startled expression, she quickly asked Chen Feng, unknowingly placing herself in a low position.

"Major Xu, the dead are not the main point; I have something important to tell you." Discovering such an important secret, Chen Feng’s face remained expressionless, his tone devoid of negotiation, more like ordering.

"I..."

Seeing Chen Feng’s cold gaze, Xu Hongzhuang swallowed her questions, losing any semblance of strong presence, obediently standing before Chen Feng, listening to his recount.

...............