Chapter 63: The Abyss Plane's Trump Card? The Crimson Domain?
Elsewhere, the wisp of energy that Lei Chen had separated, carrying a sliver of his consciousness, traversed the cold, silent depths of the cosmos. Like a weary bird returning to its nest, it silently merged back into his main body, which sat cross-legged at the very core of the Plane Origin Sea.
The Sea of Origin, shimmering with a kaleidoscope of flowing light, rippled gently. Lei Chen slowly opened his eyes, which had been tightly shut. Within those eyes, deep as the starry sea, a trace of imperceptible gravity now flickered.
The brief exchange just now with the Tian Shen's avatar, though consisting of only a few words, contained far more information and hidden contention than what appeared on the surface.
"Something's not right..." Lei Chen murmured softly, his voice echoing in the empty vastness of the Sea of Origin.
Although the prior exchange was brief, he had still discerned many clues. The strangest among them was the attitude the Tian Shen had just displayed—a confidence that bordered on certainty, an extraordinary self-assurance.
When facing Lei Chen, a fellow Plane Master who was also a First-Rank Deity, the Tian Shen's demeanor was far too composed.
Especially after Lei Chen explicitly expressed his intention to "merge into one" and his desire to counter-devour the Abyss, the Tian Shen's reaction was not one of furious indignation at being provoked, nor cautious deliberation after weighing the pros and cons. Instead, it was a kind of... cold indifference tinged with mockery and pity?
It was as if he had long anticipated Lei Chen's reaction and was utterly unconcerned by it, as if all of Lei Chen's struggles were within his calculations, and he had absolute certainty that he could subdue the protagonist.
This abnormal confidence undoubtedly put Lei Chen on high alert.
Wars between Planes are like battles between colossal beasts, where scale is often one of the key factors determining victory.
Based on Lei Chen's perception and judgment, the Douluo Plane he currently controlled, having undergone the fusion with the Undead Demi-plane and the continuous strengthening of its Life Origin, should have a slightly greater overall scale and developmental potential than the Abyss Plane, which was filled with an aura of destruction and chaos.
And the scale of a Plane directly correlates to the strength of its Lord.
Logically, when facing an opponent of the same level while not having an advantage in scale—or even being at a slight disadvantage—the Tian Shen should not act so presumptuously, even if he didn't show fear.
"Where does he get such confidence?" Lei Chen sank into contemplation, his fingers unconsciously tapping the void, sending out faint ripples of law. "Could it be... the Abyss Plane is hiding some trump card unknown to me?"
His thoughts racing, Lei Chen began carefully reviewing all the information he knew about the Abyss Plane.
The Tian Shen, a First-level God, wielded the Super Divine Artifact, the heavenly saint abyss splitting halberd. This halberd possessed extremely formidable attack power and the ability to ignore defenses, posing a significant threat.
Under his command were over a hundred layers of the Abyss, each guarded by an Abyssal King. The strength of these Kings roughly ranged from the human Limit Douluo level to the semi-divine level. They were numerous and formed the core force.
But aside from this, the Abyss Plane seemingly had no other divine-level entities on the surface.
"While these forces are not to be underestimated, with Electrolux, a Second-Tier God, aiding me and the internal power of the Soul Masters being rapidly integrated and armed, they are not insurmountable."
"Even if the Saint Lord can contend with me using the heavenly saint abyss splitting halberd, once Electrolux finishes clearing out the Abyssal Kings, he can join me to surround the Saint Lord. The odds of victory would still be in my favor." Lei Chen assessed coolly. "So then, what is the variable that allows the Saint Lord to be so brazenly confident?"
A single term flashed through Lei Chen's mind like lightning—the Crimson Domain!
The Abyss Plane was not born from nothing. It was a subsidiary Plane formed when the higher-level Plane, the "Crimson Domain," separated out roughly forty percent of its energy.
Tracing its roots, the Tian Shen's power was intricately connected to the Crimson Domain.
If the Abyss Plane's invasion this time was not a solo endeavor, but had the covert support of its parent entity, the "Crimson Domain," or even... if the Crimson Domain was lurking nearby, then the situation would be completely different!
A Crimson Domain capable of separating forty percent of its energy to create a First-level God and a vast Abyss Plane—how powerful must its true form be? If the Crimson Domain truly was backing him from behind, then the Saint Lord's confidence made sense.
With the existence of the Crimson Domain as his backing, the Saint Lord naturally had the confidence to disregard the Douluo Plane's slight advantage in scale, viewing Lei Chen's resistance as a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Just contemplating this possibility made even Lei Chen, with his steady Spiritual state, frown slightly.
With his current strength, facing the Abyss Plane one-on-one, he had over a seventy percent chance of victory, counter-devouring it and causing the Douluo Plane's foundation to surge.
But if he had to add the Crimson Domain to the equation... forget counter-devouring; even protecting the Douluo Plane under the assault of two Planes would become an uncertainty.
"The Crimson Domain... if it truly intervenes, then the nature of this war will be completely different." Lei Chen's gaze grew razor-sharp. The flow of kaleidoscopic light around him seemed to accelerate, revealing the turbulence within.
However, this gravity did not last long. Lei Chen's gaze seemed to pierce through layers of spatial barriers, landing on that Dragon Valley Small World attached to the main Douluo Plane, emanating a faint draconic might.
There, the Silver Dragon King was immersed in a deep slumber, repairing the Dao wounds accumulated over countless ages.
"However, when it comes to trump cards, it's not only your Abyss that possesses them." A cold arc slowly curved at the corner of Lei Chen's mouth.
The Silver Dragon King was one half of the Dragon God. Even if her strength had not recovered to its peak, she was far beyond comparable to an ordinary First-level God. She was Lei Chen's greatest reliance, the foundation of his confidence to look towards the Divine Realm and plan for the future.
If it truly came to a crisis of survival, with the Abyss and the Crimson Domain joining forces to press the attack, forcing him to resort to his ultimate measure, then awakening the Silver Dragon King would be the key to breaking the deadlock.
Lei Chen plus the Silver Dragon King, facing the Tian Shen and the Mother of the Crimson Domain—it was not a fight they couldn't win. In fact, if they could seize the opportunity and completely annihilate these invading enemies, the benefits gained from devouring their Plane Origins would far exceed those from the Abyss Plane alone.
The moment he remembered that behind him stood the Silver Dragon King, an absolute trump card capable of overturning the entire battlefield, the gloom that had just risen in Lei Chen's heart dissipated greatly. His tense spirit relaxed accordingly.
Let soldiers come, we have generals to block them; let water flow, we have earth to dam it. Regardless of what trump card the Abyss might be hiding, whether the Saint Lord was bluffing or truly had the Crimson Domain as his backing, at worst, they would simply have to fight it out with real blades and spears!
"Enough, overthinking is useless." Lei Chen closed his eyes again, sinking his consciousness into the operation of the Plane Origin, accelerating the progress of various internal plans.
"The energy of the Abyss Plane, I will devour it! If that Crimson Domain insists on getting involved... then I'll devour it along with the Abyss!"
A fierce fighting spirit, mingled with the supreme majesty of a Plane Master, quietly began to permeate the Sea of Origin.
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