After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 68.1

“Haha, long time no see. Surprised, Brother Xiu?”

Justin rubbed the back of his head, looking youthful, and walked over with a smile.

Xiu Si felt like he was dreaming, staring at him in a daze.

“You…Little Brother Justin, is it really you?”

“Haha, it’s me. Didn’t expect it?”

Upon truly seeing his old friend, Justin couldn’t help but feel his eyes sting.

Unlike him, the other hadn’t changed at all, exactly the same as before, with eyes like water, gentle and calm.

“I heard you went missing. I wanted to find you. Are you okay?”

Xiu Si felt a bit dazed. Seeing Justin standing before him in the flesh, he could hardly believe it. He couldn’t help but take a few quick steps forward, excitedly hugging Justin. After confirming it was real, he finally relaxed, grabbing the person excitedly and saying, “It really is you!”

Justin held Xiu Si’s hand and nodded, saying, “Yes, yes, it really has been a long time, though it doesn’t seem that long for Brother Xiu.”

“Haha, it’s not that extreme. During those 8000-plus years, I could still feel time passing. It just felt like I was stuck in one place, unable to experience or go through anything.”

Xiu Si answered reflexively, but after speaking, he realized Justin knew about his situation?

Justin smiled and said, “The children told me.”

“By children, you mean…”

Xiu Si paused, immediately thinking of his cubs.

Justin nodded, “Mm, it’s Them. They found me for your sake, then brought me to see you.”

“I see.”

Xiu Si suddenly understood, murmuring, “They’ve been sleeping lately… so this is what They were doing.”

Justin laughed heartily, saying, “Yes, They’ve been looking everywhere for uncles and aunts. Brother Xiu, your children are really capable.”

Too capable. Conquering the continent and the universe behind their old father’s back, creating quite a bit of dark history over the years, still wanting to get away with it, and now rushing to rewrite history. Who could have imagined?

Really, I was shocked when I found out.

“So that’s how it is, for my sake…”

Xiu Si felt touched inside, dispelling the doubts he’d had these past days.

Justin slowly said, “The first to find me was Aelioge. He’s really amazing.”

Xiu Si’s tone couldn’t hide his pride as he said, “He’s always been the more attentive child. I thought He was just sleeping all this time.”

“Unexpected, right? You underestimated Their abilities. In these 8000-plus years, They’ve grown quite a bit.”

Justin almost let something slip.

Xiu Si smiled and said, “They’ve been clever since They were little.”

The two couldn’t help but chat as soon as they met, but fortunately, Xiu Si remembered that something big seemed to be happening outside.

“Wait, outside—”

“Nothing’s wrong outside. I just came in from out there. The children are watching the door. What could happen?”

Justin interrupted Xiu Si, his smiling appearance not seeming false.

Xiu Si was a bit surprised. The Justin in his memory wasn’t like this. Justin should have been introverted, prone to overthinking. Now he was carefree, as if he’d come to terms with everything.

Justin seemed to know what he was thinking. A complex expression flashed across his face, “After 8000-plus years, people change, right? Before coming here, I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me.”

He recognized him, but he felt unfamiliar. Xiu Si looked into Justin’s eyes, various emotions welling up. His gaze darkened, and he suddenly said heavily, “All these years, you all…”

He almost asked if they had been living very difficult lives, but that question was truly unnecessary. As heroes, bearing such great responsibilities, how could it not be difficult? An ordinary person would have collapsed who knows how many times already.

Justin was silent for a few seconds, then said frankly, “Brother Xiu, suffering and joy are normal parts of life. It’s all just personal choice. I don’t feel it was identity kidnapping or moral kidnapping, even though many people indeed designed us that way.”

Xiu Si paused, “Kidnapping…”

Justin lowered his gaze and said earnestly, “People always can’t escape a kind of social identity, right? You shared a story before, didn’t you? I still remember it. It was about a person who hated modern life and wanted to go to a place with no people and untouched by human pollution. He finally went to the wilderness, then encountered various accidents, and was eventually devoured by wild beasts. I remember you said its core was about humans encountering the crisis of modernity, trying to resist it, and ultimately becoming lost and helpless, moving towards an inevitable self-destruction.”

Justin recalled. “I once went through such a period. I leveled up to the max, upgraded all skills to the highest tier, and got all proficiencies to 100%. I had almost reached the pinnacle of my profession.”

Xiu Si listened quietly. This was no different from what he had seen in history.

Justin continued. “At that time, the otherworlders revered and worshipped me as a hero. But suddenly one day, I grew tired of the hero identity. I thought, why not find some peace in subspace? As I searched, I nearly fell into nothingness like the protagonist of that story, almost devoured by the Otherworld God Numbered 010.”

“…”

Xiu Si sensed the danger in those words.

Justin lowered his gaze and said. “I almost died, but at the last moment, I remembered that story you once told. Didn’t you say afterwards? It would be too regrettable for a person to die like that. One should always find something as a spiritual support, whatever it may be, abstract or concrete, conceptual or tangible.”

“I did seem to say that…”

Xiu Si remembered. Back then, after defeating monsters, they would gather and casually share some stories they had read. The story Justin mentioned was from a movie he had watched before. His memory was fuzzy, and he wasn’t sure if the original movie was like that.

Back then, having crossed over to another world, facing unfamiliar cultures and various unbelievable worldviews and values, they needed something to stabilize their mental world, to remember who they were and where they came from.

So he had suggested it.

— “Why don’t we share some of our own stories, or stories we’ve read? We seem bored anyway, and this world doesn’t have smartphones yet. Why don’t we find some topics to chat about?”

He was always making various suggestions, trying to liven up the team atmosphere. Because in that era of conflict, they needed spiritual pillars and stress relief more than in peaceful times.

That suggestion was unanimously agreed upon. Later, they really set aside time after battles to share stories, gradually turning it into a habit, even a ritual.

They always spoke freely around the campfire, sometimes laughing, sometimes arguing. The shared stories were both true and false, and often led to contradictions, like differing views on a story, unconsciously escalating to more abstract conflicts.

He had watched plenty of movies and anime in reality, so most of his shared content came from these, along with some work-related matters and funny stories about company friends.

He hadn’t expected that after so long, Justin would still remember the specific content.

Regarding the influence he had on his friend, Xiu Si felt both happy that the other had taken his words to heart, and somewhat complex, because didn’t this mean that after his apparent death, his friends were greatly impacted?

Seeing his heavy expression, Justin put a hand on his shoulder and smiled calmly. “Don’t mind it, Brother Xiu. It’s all in the past. Aren’t we both still alive?”

Back in the day, Xiu Si was usually the one comforting them. Who would have thought he’d be the one being comforted now?

Xiu Si had a feeling that was hard to describe, not knowing if it was being moved or feeling melancholy.

Justin said seriously, “Those who should die, be they human or god, will die. We have our own way of living. Actually, towards the end, I didn’t care much about the hero identity either. It was Luo Jie who couldn’t let it go. He always cared too much about others’ opinions, even if he didn’t show it. But now he’s retired. We’re all just ordinary people now. Isn’t that nice?”

He smiled again after speaking, his eyes showing the calmness and composure refined by the years.

“I see…”

The stone hanging in Xiu Si’s heart slowly settled. He was genuinely happy for his friend’s return.

“It’s so good that you could come back.”

“Did you miss me?”

“Miss you? I missed you to death!”

****

By this time, several rounds of fighting had already taken place outside.

They fought from the present world to the buffer zone, then to subspace, fighting until space shattered and rules were erased.

Beast heads were eliminated one after another.

The ten heads ultimately couldn’t withstand the group assault. They retreated miserably, with most of them destroyed. Only one dragon head escaped pathetically back to the Divine Kingdom of Destruction.

The great star region in subspace was in ruins, with fragments of broken satellites and planets everywhere.

It had been a long time since They had unleashed Their true forms. This served as a warm-up, invigorating Their muscles and bones.

“Too weak. Looking closely, aren’t they just the Beast God’s kin with the Evil Dragon God’s powers? Since when do kin dare to declare war on us?”

Vassago was extremely impatient, casually tossing away a head.

Beelzebub echoed. “Third Brother is right. They’re too arrogant! They even said they came to kill Father. Wow, what audacity!”

In the shadow of the stars, Celerios watched His brothers and sister clean up the scene, feeling both admiration and envy. He wanted to join but didn’t dare. Watching the ten heads get violently beaten and leave, He suddenly realized He might be next!

Celerios trembled in fear, turning to try to escape, but it was too late. He was fixed by three gazes.

Bwwlzebub sneered. “Celerios, you did this to us, and you still want to run?”

Celerios turned pale with fright, hurriedly trying to explain, but choked up. “I-I didn’t…”

Before He could speak, His shoulder was suddenly patted. Looking left, Beelzebub popped up with a smile, saying, “Ah, little brother, do you know your mistake?”

Celerios’s whole body shook, nearly sliding to His knees on the spot. In Father’s memories, this was the best way to apologize! But damn it, this was the sky, there was no floor!

Aelioge glanced over, saying wearily, “Forget it, forget it. Stop scaring Him. He did release us in time, and didn’t call for Big Brother.”

Celerios nearly cried, looking pitifully at Aelioge with tears in His eyes. “Wuu, Fifteenth Brother, you’re so kind.”

Vassago swept a glance at Them. “Don’t bother me if nothing’s wrong. Let’s go back.”

Four demons and one god remained. The little black bird hadn’t lifted a finger, watching the spectacle with great enthusiasm, just short of bringing out something to munch on.

After confirming that subspace and the present world were fine, and that there were no enemies left, Beelzebub immediately said to Aelioge. “Aelioge, let’s go find the Goddess of Wisdom and ask about the Goddess of Harmony’s situation.”

After speaking, He looked at Beelzebub, “You and Celerios are responsible for guarding Father. Beelzebub, you can’t use your loudspeaker anymore. You can’t let other siblings know.”

Beelzebub nodded confidently, “Leave it to Sister!”

Aelioge didn’t quite believe it, but letting Beelzebub do the investigation would be even more disastrous. He looked at Beelzebub and nodded. “Let’s go.”

He glanced at the present world, His eyes flashing with a trace of obscurity, His hands subtly clenching into fists under His sleeves. In the end, He still left.

Regarding the Goddess of Wisdom’s location, He had already marked it long ago.

****

A few minutes later.

The imperial city of the Great Oedipus Empire returned to normal, as if the crisis had passed, while people still looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what had happened.

“Who saved us?”

“It must be the number one ranked human! That person finally took action!”

“Ten enemy leaders, all max level, and that person solved it in an instant? Isn’t that too strong?”

Discussions were endless in the streets and alleys.

Many people were still shaken, fearing the Divine Kingdom of Destruction might send something else.

In the palace, Levin was initially confused, but then lowered his head, his eyes filled with excitement. He almost shouted out loud.

Mr. Yi Xiusi was indeed invincible, instantly defeating the great enemy threatening humanity!

Mr. Yi Xiusi, I love you!

Others didn’t understand Levin’s excitement, assuming he was just happy the crisis was over.

A few officials who happened to be present and witnessed the whole event couldn’t help but see Levin in a new light.

They originally thought he was just a useless king who got lucky, but how many kings could have performed like he did?

When the ten leaders came to attack the Great Oedipus Empire, how many people fled, and how many stood their ground?

Everyone exchanged glances, seeming to arrive at the same conclusion.

The Great Oedipus Empire should be reorganized from top to bottom.

“However.”

An old general said, “I never expected the number one ranked human to really be in our imperial city, and to be powerful enough to fight ten max-level divine kin simultaneously.”

One wonders, could the current second-ranked Norman Till do this?

Even if he could, wouldn’t it take a long time?

“Truly worthy of being humanity’s number one ranked.”

The old general marveled inwardly.

This news spread to the Great Hammurabi Empire and the Continental Human Alliance in less than a few minutes.

Everyone was shocked and amazed.

Hilton and Eve were originally discussing war matters. Upon hearing this news, both were stunned.

If those ten leaders had attacked the Great Hammurabi Empire, wouldn’t they be facing national destruction by now?

But this crisis of national destruction seemed to be nothing to humanity’s number one ranked, solved in the blink of an eye before they could even react.

Eve had been preparing to organize a team to aid Oedipus, but now that was completely unnecessary.

“Let’s… focus on matters here for now.”

“I agree.”

****

Almost simultaneously, in the Prime Minister’s mansion, two demons confronted the Goddess of Wisdom, cutting straight to the chase with their questioning.

“It’s not Harmony.”

The Goddess of Wisdom answered calmly, “She has many aspects that make you suspicious, but I don’t think it’s Her.”

Beelzebub impatiently said, “Are we doing Rashomon here? Regardless of whether it is or isn’t, tell us where She is. We’ll question Her ourselves.”

The Goddess of Wisdom shook her head. “I don’t know either.”

Aelioge, who was usually calm, became annoyed at this point and said directly, “You are Wisdom, how could you possibly not know?”

The Goddess of Wisdom confessed frankly. “I died once, and after that my divine rank dropped, my powers weakened, and the things I could know became increasingly limited.”

The little black bird following the two demons was both surprised and unsurprised, because It had experienced the same thing.

Beelzebub stared at the Goddess of Wisdom, his tone almost fiery, “Are you serious?”

The Goddess of Wisdom’s face was expressionless as she suddenly said, “I only know that Harmony was devoured by an otherworld god.”

“What did you say?”

She suddenly dropped a major piece of news. If this were to get out, it would shake the entire continent thrice over.

Harmony was no ordinary god. For so many years, She had never been devoured. Who had devoured Her?

The two demons and one god were stunned.

The Goddess of Wisdom lowered her silver eyelashes, her thin lips moving as she answered, “Otherworld God No. 001.”

The two demons’ expressions changed. Because this otherworld god was extremely troublesome, how could Harmony have been devoured by Him for no reason?

And coincidentally, one of the main suspects, the Primordial God of Humans, was also devoured by Otherworld God No. 001.

But the Goddess of Wisdom didn’t seem to be lying, and she continued, “You can go look for Him if you want, but I don’t know the location of Otherworld God No. 001.”

Stuck again, huh. The two demons frowned.

But even if they found Him, Otherworld God No. 001 wasn’t easy to deal with. The gods He had swallowed, could you really make Him spit them out?

Beelzebub had always been self-confident, believing there were few beings in or outside the continent that He couldn’t match, but Otherworld God No. 001 was one of the rare exceptions.