The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle

"But I still have to tell you," Bei Shenxing looked at Su Qi, "I'm joining you as a personal choice, but I won't get involved in the affairs behind you all."

They didn't distinguish between evil and righteousness, jumped chaotically, did as they pleased, self-centered, viewing the world.

"You're backing down?" Su Qi stroked his chin, "Not thinking about making a name for yourself, just being a little broadcaster here?"

Bei Shenxing let out a light laugh:

"It's the surge of history, the destructive impact that devastates heaven and earth, the vast vortex that can't be resisted."

"The strength of a single person is merely a drop in the ocean, even those you call 'Venerable.'"

"When the ancient strength revives, and a great many traces burst in this surge, anyone less than extraordinary is but weak dust."

Bei Shenxing added another sentence, "Of course, I'm an exception."

Su Qi calmly said, "Alright, we know you're capable, stop bragging, we're here."

He looked ahead.

At the end of the corridor before them stood a massive door, exuding a heavy presence with its thick structure. The patterns on it were damaged, stained with various forms of corrupt black blood, yet there was a faint, golden glint shimmering through, as if it were forged of gold.

"This door requires three keys to open," Bei Shenxing observed the lock above.

"Luckily, to prevent such situations... I've kept three spares."

He inserted the three keys into the lock, one by one.

Boom!

The whole door began to move with a clack! A layer of mist similar to the one before appeared inside!

"Just from the number of these keys and the strange aura on this door, I can tell that this time the challenge is even greater."

Bei Shenxing softly said, "Of course, it's also possible we'll encounter more people."

"Let's go."

He stepped directly into the mist.

Su Qi hesitated for a moment, then taking a glance at the patterns on the door, followed.

As he stepped through, hundreds of keys simply vanished.

After all,

He was carrying a bunch of people on his back, and the entry fee was not small. Of course, that was irrelevant — the rewards for exploiting bugs would naturally be astonishing.

As he stepped into the mist,

Su Qi felt an indescribable discomfort, as if moving from flowing water into a stagnant pool.

This was the... nonexistent space inside the Ancient Gate.

After entering, Su Qi's senses were deprived, as if he were being transported and twisting. After an unknown length of time,

He slowly... opened his eyes.

"Sir."

"Sir?"

A polite voice rang in his ear; Su Qi slowly opened his eyes to see a blond woman in a business suit.

She apologized:

"Sorry to disturb you, you've been sleeping in our lounge for an hour, but there's half an hour left until closing time."

Su Qi realized he was in a grand bank, people around him adorned in gold, luxurious and extravagant, casting disdainful and scornful glances at him.

While he lay sprawled on the sofa in the lounge. He calmly got up, "Is that so? I thought it was only four o'clock. Which capitalist allows you to close so early?"

The blond female employee, "?"

She forced a smile while still maintaining professional composure, "I apologize, sir, this is the legally mandated closing time in Golan City, after all, the city's nights are quite chaotic."

She was beginning to lose her patience. The people who entered this bank were all wealthy, with assets over ten million. This young man in his simple attire had appeared suddenly in the lounge; someone had already reported him to the manager.

She had come to inquire.

Seeing the manager gesture to her now, she chose not to say more, looking at Su Qi with disdain before turning to leave.

Su Qi sat up, leaned back on the soft sofa, and observed everything around him.

He didn't see... Bei Shenxing, it seemed they had all been scattered after passing through the door.

Moreover... unlike the previous school encounter which was a small area,

This time it was an entire city.

And.

"That female staff member just said... Golan City will be very chaotic at night?"

Su Qi caught a whiff of an unusual scent from the tip of his nose.

At this very moment,

people who had entered through various Gates were gradually waking up in parts of the City and beginning to explore it.

Among them... there were the presence of powerful Venerables and Abyss believers, as well as all kinds of top forces.

And the people of the Abyss, with several Venerables looking at the City with cold indifference, were collecting information.

"This City seems to have some abnormality; the Dark Scripture guides us here, stating there's a Divine...but we do not yet know what identity or how to unleash it, to open the exit's door."

They were exploring without revealing any identities, fully aware that...many others had also made their way here, including quite a few Heavenly Destiny People.

Thus, the Abyss believers were dispersing throughout the City, with several Venerables and some followers...biding their time, waiting for news.

However,

soon someone came knocking, pushing open the door of the quiet bar they occupied and heading straight for them.

Five Venerables and their followers' expressions turned cold, revealing a hint of murderous intent.

Unexpectedly, the person lifted their head slowly, revealing those abyssal eyes filled with black pupils:

"Descendants of the Abyss, little fellows."

The person in front of them wore a strange smile, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Meanwhile, on another front,

numerous top forces also began to move, including Heavenly Destiny People gathering through the World Tree Withered Leaf.

"Gentlemen, upon entering here, the World Tree Withered Leaf immediately sensed intense pollution, and likely Venerables from the Abyss have also entered."

"For now, we have no idea what the situation is inside this Gate World; I suggest we take it one step at a time."

Nevertheless,

while they were discussing their strategy,

a large number of vehicles and helicopters had already appeared.

Likewise, a person in a gray coat stepped off the helicopter with decisive steps, their eyes sharp, watching the crowd.

"Gentlemen."

"I am the director of the City Security Bureau; now please...follow me to the Bureau; there is something important I need to discuss with you."

And amidst them,

many forces were mixed in, seemingly already monitored and in the process of being contacted by various dispatched individuals.

Including Su Qi.

At this very moment,

in another corner of the bank, a young man in a suit silently pressed a hidden earpiece, calmly drinking coffee.

"Target identified, but..."

He calmly looked at the pocket watch in his hand, which wasn't displaying a clock but black and white liquids.

"I'm having some trouble telling if this person is Heavenly Destiny or Abyss—the pocket watch shows he seems to have traces of both."

From the earpiece came a calm voice,

"Keep observing for a while; if the opponent is a descendant from the Abyss, there must be others who have come here as well."

"Understood, thanks."

The young man slowly pocketed the watch; honestly...he found this person quite odd.

According to the information passed down,

everyone who had entered the Gate World, who was surveilled, was acting with extreme earnestness and decisiveness, using various means to immediately gather all information about this place.

Yet the person before him...was lying there, with snacks and fruits on the table in front of him, treating this lounge like home?

"Moreover," the young man glanced at the pocket watch's display, "I've never seen a person with black and white... distributed like this."

Others apparently had already made contact with each Heavenly Destiny Person and the Present World's top forces, naturally judged by the traces; the more one interacted with the Abyss, the more traces would accumulate, and the pocket watch would display black.

They relied on this to make immediate contact with those from later generations.

And it was the same for the Abyss side.

"Forget it, I'll make contact first." the young man muttered calmly:

"If he's a Heavenly Destiny Person, that's best; if he's from the Abyss...then I'll just have to take care of him."