We evil gods must hide.

Chapter 64 Abyss Creatures Attack

Lynch's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart sank.

In an instant, his consciousness began to operate involuntarily, penetrating the darkness deep within the passage, and the sight made his heart tremble.

The once orderly stone passage is now being eroded by thick, dark abyssal mist. The stone walls are covered with eerie, dark purple patterns, from which thick, black blood seeps out. Upon landing, it turns into a sizzling abyssal slime that corrodes the rocks beneath one's feet, producing a piercing sound.

Even more terrifying, countless pairs of blood-red eyes silently lit up in the shadows on both sides of the passage, and shrieks and roars rose and fell as countless abyssal creatures emerged from the mist.

There were abyssal scythe-clawed beasts covered in black scales and with scythe-shaped forelimbs; there were vengeful spirits floating in the air, exuding a putrid stench; and there were abyssal demon servants with stout bodies, festering skin, and wielding huge stones. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they had lost all reason, rushing towards the Imperial Academy's group driven only by their instinctive bloodlust.

"It's a creature from the abyss!"

"Everyone, form battle formation! Warriors, take charge of defense and protect the damage-dealing mages. Water-type characters, provide healing and purification. Pay attention to your teammates' safety!"

Karen's voice rang in his ears, and the flames around him suddenly surged, transforming into several blazing fire serpents that shot towards the leading sickle-clawed beasts.

The battle erupted instantly.

Flames collided with the abyssal mist, producing a hissing sound, and white steam filled the passage.

The warriors swung their swords at the abyssal creatures, the crisp sound of metal clashing against scales, the shrieks of the abyssal creatures, and the shouts of the trainees intertwined into a chaotic battle.

Eve hastily chanted a spell, and a pale blue water curtain appeared at her fingertips, blocking the impact of a vengeful spirit. However, the corrosive aura of the abyss made her magic flow somewhat sluggish, and the water curtain only lasted for a moment before shattering. If Sera hadn't swung her sword in time to cut off the vengeful spirit, she would probably have been entangled by it.

Catherine held a longsword, her battle aura swirling around her. Her figure was like a silver lightning bolt. With each swing of her sword, sword energy crisscrossed, and each strike could cleave an abyssal creature in two. Yet, the abyssal creatures surged in like an endless tide.

But her expression didn't change at all.

Occasionally, she would unconsciously glance in Lin Qi's direction, but she couldn't see clearly in the darkness—there were just too many monsters in front of her, and she simply didn't have the extra energy to check on Lin Qi's safety.

"Horton, take care of yourself!"

As Catherine slayed the abyssal demon servants in front of her, she shouted towards Lin Qi's direction, her voice drowned out by the sounds of battle, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry.

As the leader of the team, Lynch was naturally the first to come into contact with the abyssal creatures.

Ugly and ferocious creatures, illuminated by fire magic, surged out of the bottomless darkness, their bloodshot eyes fixed on him, filled with madness.

Is the evil god nervous?

That naturally made me a little nervous.

He gripped the dagger tightly, ready to use Oblivion to stealthily escape at any moment.

"Mr. Horton, watch out!"

At Sera's loud warning from a short distance away, Lynch saw three abyssal creatures of different shapes rushing towards him at the same time. The one in front was not large, but its arms were extremely long and its claws gleamed with a cold light. In the blink of an eye, it was already a step away from Lynch.

With all attributes at 100+, Lin Qi was naturally able to see the opponent's movements clearly.

Just as he was about to dodge and counterattack.

[Hint: The creatures of the abyss have forgotten you. Faith +10]

The moment the system notification sounded, the abyss monster stopped what it was doing, its eyes darting around, clearly bewildered.

The next moment, his vision spun around and then plunged into darkness.

Lin Qi sheathed the dagger and flicked off the blood.

The blood of abyssal creatures has a corrosive effect on weapons in the material plane; if it is not removed in time, it will cause great damage to the weapon.

The other two guys were also dealt with cleanly and efficiently by Lynch.

And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

[Forgotten Stealth] activated!

Consuming 1000 faith points, Lin Qi's figure instantly faded.

The abyssal creatures that frantically pounced on the Imperial Academy team didn't notice Lin Qi in the shadows at all. Even when several scythe-clawed beasts brushed past him, they acted as if he were air, charging straight toward the students in front of them without pausing for a moment.

He seemed to have stepped into an unknown void, like a god in the shadows, calmly watching the chaos before him.

He could clearly feel that the abyssal aura was like a red pollution, and it was getting stronger and stronger. The entire dragon domain of the Blue Dragon Fortress seemed to be severely polluted. The original pressure that belonged to the Blue Dragon was assimilated by the decaying aura of the abyss. Even the space inside the fortress began to distort, and unknown beings began to murmur in Lin Qi's mind.

"A demon god of the abyss?"

Could it be that Baal used some terrible evil magic to completely corrupt this space?

Lin Qi guessed.

Just as he was about to turn his attention to the Imperial Academy, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Horton, my messenger, save me!"

...

Eve and the others were clearly not fighting together for the first time. The dozen or so students were extremely well-equipped, with all sorts of classes including warriors, mages, and healers. With the support of two second-tier instructors, they seemed to handle even hundreds of abyssal enemies with ease.

Lynch crossed his arms and quietly became a bystander.

About fifteen minutes passed.

Catherine unleashed a massive sword aura, slaying the last abyssal creature in the center of the passage, allowing everyone to catch their breath.

"Take a headcount and treat the injured students!"

"Soldiers on alert!"

Karen remained calm and composed, as if the intense battle had not taken any toll on him.

The trainees responded and began to count heads. They were all covered in blood and dust, and their faces were full of exhaustion and dishevelment.

Eve leaned against Sera, her face pale and her fingertips trembling slightly, clearly having expended a great deal of magical power. The two sat on the ground, talking in hushed tones.

Catherine stepped past the two and came to the front of the group. Her silver-white knight's skirt was stained with black and red blood. She stared warily at the abyssal mist in front of her, while constantly looking around, searching for something.

"Oh dear, Mr. Horton is missing!"

Upon seeing this, Eve suddenly exclaimed in surprise, hurriedly gulped down the magic potion in her hand, coughed a few times, and barely managed to stand up, peering over to Catherine.

The two women were in a completely dark corridor, where they could not hear a sound.

This stands in stark contrast to the fierce battles that followed.

"Was our thief eaten by some creature from the abyss?"

Humanity is humane.

Catherine's heart tightened.

She gripped her longsword tightly, wanting to continue her search.

"I'm fine."

Just then, Lin Qi's voice rang out from the corner of the wall. Everyone turned their heads. In the corner, his clothes were neat and spotless, without a trace of blood or even a speck of dust on his body, as if the fierce battle just now had nothing to do with him.

His face was calm, without a trace of fatigue, a stark contrast to the disheveled crowd.

"Mr. Horton, where were you hiding just now?"

A young male trainee spoke with a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Abyssal creatures are everywhere,” he said, pointing to the blood and mangled limbs scattered on the ground. “There’s not even a place to put your foot down.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the other students echoed his sentiments, looking at Lin Qi with great curiosity.

"Yes, how could you possibly have escaped unscathed from so many monsters?"

"It seems our Mr. Horton is indeed an excellent thief."

Karen slowly walked up to Lynch.

Lynch shrugged.

"As monster investigators, we naturally need some means of survival to stay alive; combat is not our forte."

Upon seeing this, Catherine immediately spoke up.

"Alright, the crisis is over. Take a 15-minute rest and then move on."

Karen gave Lynch a deep look, the suspicion in his eyes not dissipating, but he did not press further—Catherine had already spoken up to defend him, and if he continued to pester her, it would seem heartless. Besides, he didn't have the extra energy to delve into the matter now.

Aura of the abyss.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Just then, a low hum suddenly came from the depths of the fortress. The originally dense abyssal mist began to slowly dissipate, the dark purple patterns on both sides of the passage gradually faded, and the putrid smell in the air also diminished.

"What happened? Why has the abyssal mist receded?"

Eve asked, puzzled, a look of confusion on her face.

Karen's expression hardened. He looked up into the depths of the passage and said in a deep voice, "Something's not right. This isn't the abyssal aura dissipating on its own; it's more like... it's being suppressed by some kind of force. Moreover, this buzzing sound doesn't seem to come from abyssal creatures; it sounds more like the activation of some kind of magic array."