Chapter 003: The Abyssal Sea of Blood

“Yes, the Fang of the Abyss…” Du Fan nodded. “And from Ganon’s appearance, I guess he’s also quite afraid of this place. But we don’t need to worry too much. Even the two of us can’t die. With Ganon’s abilities, there definitely won’t be any problems. As long as he’s here, leaving this place shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Ringne remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
“Well… that’s about it.” Seeing her state, Du Fan touched his nose and smiled bitterly. “I originally thought that since those two were fighting, we wouldn’t be involved. But I never expected that Spartitus to be such a freak. In the end, he even wanted to get rid of us too. Otherwise… heh heh…”
“What do you mean?” Ringne sat up straight and looked at Du Fan.
Du Fan sneered. “Although Ganon and Spartitus talked nonsense nonstop, and I didn’t understand many things due to the lack of context, heh heh… I did understand one thing.”
“What is it?”
A half-smile appeared on Du Fan’s face as he said calmly, “I figured it out… That legendary Demon God isn’t only a woman, but… heh heh… she’s probably also a breathtakingly beautiful woman!”
Ringne was stunned. “Why do you say that?”
Du Fan hummed. “Didn’t I already tell you their conversation? Ganon’s intention to save that Demon God is relatively pure. After all, he’s an archangel under her, so he has no ulterior motives. As for that Desire Angel, Spartitus… if I’m guessing correctly, that guy probably doesn’t have good intentions toward her either. Ganon carefully planned for so many years, only to end up being used as a pawn. It’s kind of funny.”
Ringne sighed softly but said nothing.
Du Fan looked at her and smiled. “What… you can’t figure it out?”
Ringne shook her head slightly. “It’s not that I can’t figure it out, I just can’t imagine it… In our Kara people’s legends, whether it’s angels or gods, they’re all supreme… But now I see two living angels fighting in front of me… seeing two mythological figures fighting like this, while talking about those secrets of the heavens… it’s… somewhat strange.”

Du Fan sighed, stood up, and said, “Alright, stop overthinking it… No matter what those two angelic lords plan, we still need to get out of here… I’ll just look around for a passage.”
Reine smiled faintly, with a hint of sadness, and said, “Young Master Du Fan, there’s no need to look. If there were an exit from this Abyssal Sea of Blood, it wouldn’t be called an abyss… This is endless darkness. Look, those trees over there have turned into fossils—probably sucked into this abyss ages ago… Over there are ancient buildings, too, unknown in age… According to legends, countless people have been drawn into this abyss over the years, including many strong ones, but none have ever managed to escape. Do you really think we have a chance?”
Du Fan snorted and said, “So what if that’s the case? Are we supposed to just wait for death here?”
Reine sighed but said nothing more.
Du Fan shook his head slightly and said, “You rest… It’s better if I go look around nearby. After all, this place doesn’t seem suitable for staying long. Since it’s called an abyss, who knows what’s in this sea of blood? I certainly don’t want to run into those abyssal creatures…”
With that, Du Fan stood up, summoned a few small fireballs, and got ready to search.
But suddenly, Reine coughed, her expression complex, and said, “Du… Young Master Du Fan… I still have a few things to say to you!”
Du Fan turned to look at her and asked, “What?”
Reine sighed deeply, her expression complicated, and said, “Young Master Du Fan… Initially, after what you did to me, I thought I would hate you no matter what…”
“But along the way, we’ve shared life and death. Although you forced me at first, it’s not your fault… You’re right—I was the one playing with fire. I should have been prepared for the consequences… Along the way, I’ve wanted to kill you countless times… But I’ve never been able to bring myself to do it. I used to hate you, but now I don’t even have the strength to hate you… If I die, it’s fine… But if I survive, I only hope I’ll never see you again!”
“What?” Du Fan smiled. “Don’t you want to take revenge?”

“I do,” Reine smiled weakly, her beauty resembling that of a withered flower. “But what’s the point? All these years, the teacher… Gannon’s words have been the only thing in my life. But now, that sole purpose has long been lost. Young Master Du Fan… tell me, what’s the meaning of all this?”
Du Fan tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, “I can’t answer that question. But I can tell you this… I don’t want to die, and you shouldn’t die either. We must be able to get out alive. If you don’t want to return to your Kara tribe after we get out, come with me. I don’t know when you might want to seek revenge on me, but in Gannon’s words… you’re already my woman… so naturally, it’s me who decides!”
“Your woman?” Reine’s gaze grew even more vacant. “Perhaps this is just another kind of life.”
She neither refused nor affirmed, leaving Du Fan unsure of how to feel. No matter what she did to him, he wouldn’t feel pain even if he died a hundred times. But after all, she was an eighth-level powerhouse and a stunning beauty. His position in the Gavin Empire was unstable, and he didn’t even have a truly reliable subordinate. If he could take this woman back, he’d at least have an extra fighter. But women… could one really subdue them just through emotion?
At this thought, Du Fan couldn’t help but sigh bitterly. He couldn’t even handle his current situation properly, yet he was still thinking about such long-term things. To say he was reckless wouldn’t be an overstatement!
The two of them stood in silence. Du Fan didn’t know what else to say and could only search around in the blood-soaked area.
The darkness seemed endless; no matter where he went, he couldn’t see any sign of an exit. After circling a few times, Du Fan’s heart grew colder. But he still had some sense, and he didn’t dare leave Reine’s side. In this place, if they got separated, it was possible they might never meet again in their lives.
Du Fan circled a few more times. Aside from the vast amounts of blood, there were also various huge buildings. Judging from the traces on the buildings, most of them, like him and the others, had been swallowed by that giant mouth… But hadn’t Spalitis always been in stone form, guarding the entrance to that demon temple? How could it have come out and started devouring things again? Moreover, Reine said that countless people were drawn into this abyss every year. What exactly was the reason?

After thinking for a moment, Du Fan couldn’t help but slap his head. If he couldn’t figure out these problems, he feared he would never be able to leave this place again. After searching around a few more times, Du Fan simply couldn’t hold on any longer and returned to the large rock where Ringtone was. After summoning a few small fireballs to provide light and warmth, the two didn’t know what to say. Over the past few days, they had only eaten a few fruits. Though not very hungry, they were extremely thirsty. Although there was an abundance of blood around, they didn’t dare drink it even if their lives depended on it, so they could only sit there. As they sat, Du Fan suddenly frowned slightly and stood up without hesitation. Ringtone looked up at him and asked, “What’s wrong?” Du Fan turned to look behind him and said in a low voice, “It seems something is approaching us… Hmph… It looks like we’re in trouble this time.” Ringtone’s expression changed instantly. She formed seals with her hands, but her body hadn’t recovered from the blood sacrifice yet. With that movement, she broke into a cold sweat. Du Fan frowned for another moment before suddenly waving his hand lightly and saying, “Don’t worry. This feeling… It seems our old acquaintance has finally found us!” Ringtone was stunned and asked, “Is it him?” Du Fan nodded. “It is him.” “Young Master Du Fan,” a cold voice came through. “It seems… you two deliberately waited for me here!” Along with that voice, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness. Du Fan stared intently. Gannon’s robe was torn, his leather pants on the lower half were covered in blood, and the demon axe he had been holding was nowhere to be seen. His body was covered in wounds, and his once-pale skin had turned frighteningly white, with the veins beneath almost clearly visible. Seeing him in such condition, Du Fan was shocked inwardly and couldn’t help but say, “Lord Gannon, it seems you’ve suffered a lot here!”