Chapter 88
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Chapter 88: Title
“Ta?”
Ji Lang fell silent for a moment, his fingers absently tracing the scabbard as if weighing his words.
“Senior Ji Lang, please speak freely,” Xi Ning said, performing the Ancient Ceremony with raised hands—a ritual resurrected after the Awakening of Spiritual Energy, though mostly preserved by ancient practitioners. Nowadays, only Special Bureau personnel regularly employed such gestures, given their frequent interactions with those steeped in tradition. While ancient practitioners adapted to modern society, the Bureau maintained diplomatic courtesy through these inherited formalities.
“‘It’ refers to the Bronze Door within the valley.”
Xi Ning consciously avoided dwelling on Ji Lang’s withheld secrets, aware of their own selective transparency. Still, the anthropomorphic pronoun for the Bronze Door startled him. He mentally shrugged—so a sentient door existed? Post-Awakening, even the old prohibition against “sentience after national founding” had crumbled. The Special Bureau housed not only spirit cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm but also Blue Star’s native beings.
“Are you suggesting the Bronze Door possesses intelligence, like Miss Youyang’s Flowing Water Zither?” Xi Ning ventured.
“Comparable, yet distinct.”
Integration into modern society required little beyond mastering phones, a lesson Ji Lang learned when Leng Xingwen hand-delivered one shortly after his dealings with the Bureau began. Though unfamiliar with Youyang personally, he’d studied Spiritual Network records—the famed zither “Flowing Water” had gained sentience during the Awakening, its name derived from the legend of “High Mountains and Flowing Water” in search of a true confidant.
“The Bronze Door won’t develop self-awareness. It merely seals the spatial passage to the abyss. However… residual memories tied to the abyss might linger within it.” Ji Lang glossed over specifics, focusing on the Door’s purpose.
An attendant beside Xi Ning transcribed every word while cameras archived the exchange—materials soon bound for the Analysis Department’s scrutiny. The Bureau’s tactical retreats always served strategic advances.
“Your insights are appreciated, Senior.”
“Unnecessary. The abyss concerns my duty.” Ji Lang exited the monitoring room, sword carrying him toward the valley.
The transformed landscape now hosted two-story prefabs—the newly erected “Mystery Abyss” military outpost. Ye Linlang maintained meticulous role distinctions. To the Bronze Door, Ji Lang remained a low-ranking gatekeeper granted disproportionate reverence.
Channeling spiritual energy through the Door’s fifty-meter-high lock, she—as Ji Lang—closed her eyes in communion. Below, Xu Li glanced up from his notes.
“What’s Senior doing?”
His teenage master Feiran cuffed his head. “Focus on your studies!”
“Master, you’ll dent my brilliance! Then you’ll need a replacement!”
“Another fool like you would end me.”
Feiran’s youthful face—a modern high schooler’s visage—clashed with his gravely authoritative tone.
Every time Xu Li saw it, he couldn’t help but find it hilarious—though he’d never dare laugh openly before his master.
"Master, I’m really not that slow-witted," Xu Li countered with suppressed mirth, hastily crouching to inspect the patterns.
Any longer, and he’d burst out laughing.
Feiran glared at his squatting disciple, regretting how Leng Xingwen’s persuasive words and his own momentary appreciation for raw talent had led him to adopt this seemingly hopeless apprentice.
After a pause, Feiran narrowed his eyes at the distant figure hovering mid-air.
Senior Ji Lang spent his days in mountain-top meditation, perpetually guarding the ancient Bronze Door.
The recent abyssal disturbances had triggered the Jiuzhou barrier’s activation, forcing the senior to cleanse Kunlun’s perimeter of invading abyssal creatures until dawn’s return.
Though the Special Bureau dubbed this valley "Mystery Abyss", not a single gray crack manifested above it during the invasion—as if the abyssal creatures consciously avoided the area.
Post-invasion analysis revealed the nearest fissure had appeared dozens of kilometers away, conspicuously sparing the valley.
Coincidence seemed too convenient an explanation.
As Feiran turned away, a flash of sword light streaked across the sky, the hovering figure vanished.
Xi Ning had been awaiting Ji Lang’s return with mounting anxiety.
Perceiving his urgency, the senior dispensed with formalities.
"The Bronze Door’s memories confirm multiple abyssal passages existed."
Dread coiled in Xi Ning’s chest. "Where might the others lie?"
"Most were obliterated. Two remain—indestructible, only sealable."
Relief softened Xi Ning’s features. "Does the other passage have similar safeguards?"
"If sharing the Bronze Door’s protections, could its seals be failing like before?"
Ye Linlang arched a brow internally, though her expression remained unshaken porcelain.
"Different circumstances," Ji Lang’s voice gained gravitational weight.
"You oversimplify, Deputy Director Xi. This situation diverges fundamentally."
Though phrased as conjecture, Ji Lang’s words held tectonic significance regarding the abyss—Xi Ning treated them as prophecy.
"No mortal hands could disturb the abyss restrained in hell’s prison."
"—Hell’s prison? You mean the actual Underworld?" Xi Ning shot up from his chair, tea forgotten.
A single nod.
"So the breach originates from hell’s sealed passage…" Xi Ning’s brow furrowed canyon-deep. "But don’t deities govern that realm? How could—"
"I only just learned this myself," Ji Lang interjected.
"Millenniums guarding the Bronze Door left no energy for communion. Our recent discourse revealed… what hell contains isn’t a passage."
The senior’s voice dropped octaves. "It’s the primordial wound from the abyss’ first invasion—where we entombed an abyssal deity’s avatar."
"Deities? The abyss has gods?"
"Unclear." The answer hung like sword-struck ice.
"Senior, what are your thoughts on the potential consequences following this recent abyssal disturbance?" Xi Ning sought to glean more insights from Ji Lang. The Special Bureau possessed scarce information regarding either Hell or the Abyss.
Their inability to enter the Abyss due to insufficient power – where even entry risked death or transformation by abyssal creatures – meant all current knowledge derived solely from Ji Lang’s accounts.
Regarding Hell, their limited data came compiled from Western nations’ official channels. No reports of eastern-bound demons had surfaced yet, leaving intelligence gathering impractical.
After contemplative silence, Ji Lang responded, "Whether Hell realizes the turmoil in its suppressed Abyss remains unclear. My gravest concern ties this incident to the imprisoned abyssal deity."
"Is this deity mightier than Western Heaven’s sovereign?" Xi Ning ventured a comparative measure.
"The Abyss holds only one deity. What Hell contains is an avatar imbued with fragments of the True Form’s essence," Ji Lang clarified tersely.
"Unknowable."
"Deities of such tier transcend mortal comprehension," he concluded.
Xi Ning’s chest constricted. Having witnessed Ji Lang’s tier seven power capable of leveling cities effortlessly, the unimaginable divine hierarchy loomed darker. Should this abyssal deity rank among the potent ones, humanity’s prospects grew precarious.
Post-discussion, Xi Ning dispatched teams to collect detailed Hell-related intelligence, swiftly obtaining Lin Jing’s latest analysis.
The report speculated connections between the disturbance and Hell’s contained deity, though immediate human concern seemed unnecessary. Hell’s containment suggested any uprising would’ve been quelled already – potentially explaining the limited abyssal creatures during this invasion.
Given the Bronze Door’s historical yields, a liberated deity’s avatar should’ve unleashed tens of thousands rather than mere thousands.
After skimming the report, Xi Ning dialed Lin Jing immediately. "Reviewed your findings. The international intelligence exchange proposal will be escalated."
"The high-tier abyssal analysis goes to Liang An for Spiritual Network dissemination."
"Other nations might covet our extraordinary individuals lending program, but confirmations await. Coordinate with Divisions 5 and 6 regarding Martial Sciences implementation – prioritize safety and stability."
In Lin Jing’s office, the hung-up phone prompted a smirk towards his visitor. "Deputy director wants Division 3 handling Martial Sciences."
Comprehensive Section 5 Chief Tang Tong glared icily. "This nationwide nonsense was your brainchild."
"I merely polished crude foundations. One weekly Spiritual Practice class proves insufficient. Students need classical studies and physical conditioning before cultivation."
"Under-sixteens require fundamentals, not reckless practice. This corrects past errors."
Lin Jing wagged a finger, smile sharpening as he coined the dreaded student mantra: "Three years of texts, five years of drills" for Spiritual Practice basics.
"Haste breeds failure."
"Charming." Tang Tong acknowledged the logic while resentfully eyeing her multiplied workload.
