Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 591 "Ancient Dragon Blacksmith" Mir

The thick, black liquid flowed down from Helmond, the "child of the dragon god".

Smoke rose from it with a hissing sound. Luo Xiu could clearly feel the concentration of spiritual energy around him rising violently at an abnormal speed, making it difficult for him to even make a movement, as if he were drowning.

Although Helmond was bound by divine chains and could not make any large movements, only struggling weakly, the profound spirituality he exuded was such that if a lower-level superhuman stood in front of him, he might be instantly "swallowed" and "corroded" by him, until no trace of his body remained.

Luo Xiu still remembers.

When he first encountered Helmond from the heart of the Devouring Dragon's cocoon, Helmond unleashed a terrifying suction force, which even caused his "Death Intuition" to issue a rare warning.

The current situation is very similar to when they first met Helmond. However, Helmond is now much weaker than he was then, so he cannot unleash his full power of absorption, nor can he cause too much erosion.

Luo Xiu stood before Him, only using the most basic protection he had provided with the shield of Amber, the "Creator of All Things".

He was using his own body to more fully experience the profound aura emanating from Helmond, and this feeling also gave Quesanx a sense of "empathy," allowing Quesanx to discern Helmond's true state.

For Luo Xiu, who had also embarked on the path of the Abyss and was already a "Styx Apostle" of the fifth level of destiny, accepting Helmond's spirituality in this way would not cause any harm.

He only felt a chill, a coldness that spread upwards from his fingers and toes.

"--roar!!!!!"

Helmond was still roaring, and his dragon neck, which had been marked with silver bloodstains by the divine chains, was trembling violently as he struggled forward desperately.

Those dark and deep dragon eyes were still fixed on Luo Xiu's tiny figure.

If it weren't for the divine chains binding Him, Luo Xiu had no doubt that what He would want to do most right now was to rush forward and devour Him alive.

"..."

"Quisanx".

Luo Xiu remained calm, standing before Helmond, the "child of the dragon god."

At the same time, he spoke, addressing Quesanx directly:

"You've already felt it, haven't you... Quesanx?"

"The Helmond of this moment... He is no longer the Helmond you know."

"He is now the 'Primordial Demon,' but he has not yet fully matured. The Devouring Dragon has completely corrupted him, and part of the Devouring Dragon's true name is 'Kingslayer Demon'... You know what that means."

"..."

Luo Xiu said these things to Quesanx.

As he spoke these words, he felt a surge of intense grief rising within him.

That did not originate from himself, but from Quesanx, the "Dragon of Justice" who possessed both consciousness and spirituality within himself.

He had deeply sensed that, before Him, the aura of authority belonging to Helmond had become negligible. Helmond's very essence had been completely consumed by the abyss's depths, and indeed, as Luo Xiu had said, He had no way to save him.

"……Roar."

"...I know, Luo Xiu."

The voice of Quesanx flooded into Luo Xiu's ears—

Our crown prince, the young son of the dragon god, Helmond. He is indeed the 'Primordial Demon'...

[And He didn't seem to recognize me. His spirit was chaotic, like a mad, bloodthirsty beast. But His divinity... the true divinity belonging to 'authoritarianism' remained.]

"I want to stay here a little longer... Rosh. If Helmond... He is still in this state by this time tomorrow. I will, as you said, inherit the true divinity of 'authority' from Him."

【…】

Quesanx wanted to wait a bit longer.

Even though He truly sensed that Hermond was already too deeply immersed in the chaos of the Abyss, He still wanted to wait.

Luo Xiu stared at the dragon before him, at the giant dragon that was still roaring with its gaping maw, and slowly sighed.

"I see."

He said to Quesanx.

Then, he took a step back and raised his hand to release a thick, black fog.

That was “Mist Shadow”—Luo Xiu simultaneously summoned “Eye of Lunar Eclipse” Mist Night and had it condense the pervasive mist shadow into a blurry human figure.

The "real illusion" created by the mist gradually outlined Luo Xiu's appearance. The spirituality carrying Quesanx's consciousness also separated from Luo Xiu and turned to the real illusion formed by the misty night.

But in front of Luo Xiu.

Another "Luo Xiu"—he opened his eyes, and the body was now completely controlled by Quesanx.

He gazed at what lay before him, at "the child of the dragon god," Helmond, and remained silent for a long time.

Luo Xiu stopped looking at Him.

He turned around and walked towards the exit of the [Divine Prison Lock].

Quesanx's consciousness will remain here; He wants to see Helmond again, to see if there is even the slightest possibility—the possibility of a miracle—that Helmond, the "child of the dragon god," can awaken from chaos and ignorance.

Then let Him wait.

As Quesantx said, we shall come to see Him again at this time tomorrow.

By then, regardless of Helmond's condition, Quesanx should be able to make a decision.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

And he had already reached the entrance—the swirling fog gate hovered right in front of him.

He walked out, and his figure disappeared into the interior of the [Divine Prison Lock].

Before long, he returned to the "Sacred Abyss" and then back to the real world.

……

The next day.

At dawn, when Luo Xiu awoke from his lodgings, the daylight outside his window was just beginning to brighten.

Last night, when he summoned Pegasus, the "Golden Pegasus," and returned to Val Fortress from the depths of the Great Rift Valley, he happened to encounter Daveld and Hubbard, who were on a mission, on the outskirts of the fortress.

When they encountered Luo Xiu, they, as usual, "invited" him to handle the tedious tasks with them. It wasn't until around three in the morning that Luo Xiu returned to his residence at the manor and finally managed to fall asleep.

He only rested for about three hours, until he woke up at dawn.

But for Luo Xiu, that was enough. Today, the Saints temporarily residing at Val Fortress would depart from the fortress in batches for the Dark Capital, and Luo Xiu's scheduled departure time was around noon. And before that...

He would first go to the "Dwarf Camp" to get the [Sand Star] that he had completed the enhancement and forging from Mill, and then set off from Val Fortress.

"..."

Luo Xiu was planning all of this.

Before that, he routinely went to the church headquarters and began handling new church affairs in the "archbishop's" tent.

Although the "Acting Bishop" Daveld could handle most affairs on his behalf, there were still some matters that Rosh needed to review and decide upon personally.

After about an hour, Luo Xiu placed the last file in the "completed" stack, stood up from his seat, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"……call."

Completing his work made him feel refreshed—whether in his past life or now, he felt most relaxed not during holidays, but precisely at the moment when his work was finished.

Then he walked out of the tent.

The clergy greeted him respectfully, and he responded gently. Upon reaching the outer perimeter, he summoned Pegasus, the "Golden Horse," mounted it, and galloped off toward the dwarf camp.

……

Outside the Val Fortress, above the Great Rift Valley.

The dwarven camp, which had been stationed there for many days, still had many of the "Sand" tribe dwarves standing by the blazing forges, swinging their hammers with a clanging sound.

The moment the anvil and hammer struck, bursts of sparks flew. The dwarves continued forging; the massive surge in forging commissions at the end of the Judgment War kept them quite busy every minute.

Luo Xiu landed on the outskirts, recalled Pegasus, and headed towards the tent where Mir was.

Along the way, he received warm greetings from dwarves and players, and responded gently to them. As he arrived at Mil's tent, a young dwarf approached him—

"You've arrived, Archbishop."

The young dwarf bowed respectfully to Rahu and greeted him:

"The head chef knew you were coming and is already inside."

"He told me to wait here until you arrive, and then he would invite you in."

As he spoke, the young dwarf walked toward the tent flap, pulled it open, and gestured an invitation to Luo Xiu.

"Ah."

Luo Xiu smiled and nodded, glancing briefly at the young dwarf before him. "Hall Gravel,"
He is the most talented blacksmith among the younger generation of dwarves of the "Gravel" clan, and it seems that he has been taken in by Mil as his apprentice to inherit his mantle, making him a potential master craftsman of the next generation of the "Gravel" clan.

Despite his young age, Hall is already a blacksmith of the "Triple Destiny". He also seems to have successfully forged works of "Epic" quality and is about to advance to the "Quadruple Destiny".

At this moment, the dwarf Hall looked up at the "archbishop," who was twice his height, bared his teeth, and laughed heartily.

He hadn't grown a beard as long as Mil's or the other older dwarves', but only a thick beard covering the lower half of his face, which actually made him look somewhat old by normal human aesthetic standards.

But Luo Xiu could sense vitality emanating from him—the young man possessed the richest passion and energy, and Hall was extremely dedicated and enthusiastic about his forging career. Mil also spoke highly of him; Luo Xiu often heard Mil praise the young apprentice.

After scrutinizing the young dwarf in front of him for a while, Luo Xiu stopped looking at him and walked towards the tent flap where Mir was located.

Upon entering the large tent, his vision first became dim, and then he saw the exquisitely renovated ornaments on the long table in front of him.

【Grit Star】, MIRDIC has completed all the fine steps of strengthening, polishing and encapsulation of it.

In Luo Xiu's panel detection, its name had not changed, but its quality had reached "Legend+", its attribute bonus had been increased to a value that matched the strength of "Sixfold Fate", and its equipment effect had also been increased by about 50%.

That was enough to replace [Quisanx's Protection] as part of Luo Xiu's regular "True Dragon Remnant" equipment set. Its strength met Luo Xiu's requirements, and he was satisfied with the result of the enhancement.

But... I only seem to see the [Grit Star] on the desktop, and not Mir...?
As Luo Xiu was thinking, he heard a rustling sound coming from under the long table in front of him.

A head covered in dust popped out the next moment—it was indeed Mir. He was covered in dust, as if he had fallen into a pile of ash and hadn't had time to wash himself.

But he seemed quite energetic—his bright eyes were fixed on Luo Xiu, and when he stood up from under the table, hands on his hips, he said excitedly:

"I succeeded!"

"Luo Xiu, I did it! I did it! Successfully!"

"I knew you were leaving today, Luo Xiu. And I've already enhanced [Star of Gravel] for you before you left."

"And besides that!"

As he spoke, Mir raised his right hand.

He held a silver-black forging hammer in his right hand, and the moment Mir raised it, the hammerhead turned a dark red. A surge of spirituality emanated from Mir, a spirituality of a higher level and far richer than before.

On Mir's thick arms, neck, and chest, ancient and deep dark red patterns appeared. They seemed to be the totem of an "ancient dragon," and the depths of its patterns contained an equally ancient power.

——“Ancient Dragon Demon Forger”.

The moment Mir raised his forging hammer and unleashed his spiritual power, Luo Xiu knew without even needing to scan his interface that Mir had successfully advanced to the rank of "Ancient Dragon Forger"!
That was the source of Mil's excitement, which led to a significant improvement in his abilities—the bottleneck that had previously stood in his way like a high wall, restricting his further growth, vanished the moment he completed his advancement. It allowed him to see a wider world beyond those walls, and a promising path and a smooth road ahead.

"Congratulations, Mill, my friend."

Luo Xiu smiled and said to Mir:

"You have successfully advanced. Welcome to the realm of 'Sainthood,' Mir. Perhaps you will become the new 'Divine Craftsman,' and I look forward to that day."

"I hope so too."

Mil said with a hint of pride:
“Last night, I completed the enhancement of the [Sand Star] and saw the Obsidian Gate again. I opened it and passed through it.”

"'Truth' has given me new skills and new knowledge. I feel incredibly powerful now, but I haven't announced my promotion yet. You're the first to know."

As he spoke, Mir picked up the [Star of Gravel] from the table, huffed and puffed as he came to Luo Xiu and stuffed the sacred artifact into Luo Xiu's hands.

“With the [Star of Gravel] in hand, let’s set off from Val Fortress, Luo Xiu.”

Mir solemnly said to Luo Xiu:

“Go where you are meant to go, go to the ‘Dark Metropolis’, and take the [Star of Gravel] with you.”

"Go and end this war, Luo Xiu."

"Afterwards, I will lead my people back to Red Maple City."

"I'll be waiting for you in Red Maple City, at my Forging Manor. I hope to hear good news of your triumphant return."

……

(End of this chapter)