Bai Pu certainly knows that the Dark Abyss is a perilous place.

He knows more than Dongbo Chengzhi.

The so-called "Dark Abyss" is essentially the boundary between the world of the Heart Demon: Oath and the real world—the entrance to the Demon Abyss!

Some mindless Demon Ghosts and frenzied Demons occasionally fall into the Dark Abyss and enter the Demon Abyss Boundary Land.

Most are eliminated by the Awakened of the Superstar Alliance, with a few entering reality through the Boundary Land, becoming wanderers in the Wilderness Area.

Even the strong of the Guardian Camp cannot return from the Demon Abyss.

Of course, the strong of the Guardian Camp can communicate and have complete thinking abilities. For such Spirit Realm powerhouses, major forces tend to cooperate unless there is no value to utilize, in which case they would consider killing to extract the last bit of benefit.

Bai Pu cannot disclose any information about the real world to Dongbo Chengzhi, nor can he reveal that he is from the otherworld, otherwise he would face severe punishment from the Spirit Realm Will.

Even if Bai Pu spoke, it would be of no use. Such language, which might expose the existence of the real world, would be "encrypted" by the Spirit Realm Will, turning into gibberish when heard by the Natives.

Natives must come to realize the existence of the real world on their own, breaking the "World Mystery"!

Those who independently realize the existence of the "Otherworld" and break the "World Mystery" see the world differently from other Natives.

For example, Qin, upon seeing an Awakened returning to the real world, would see the true scene of white light flashing and figures blurring. This is because she has long realized the existence of the real world (otherworld).

But Gan Ning from the Three Kingdoms: Chibi scene, upon seeing the Blood Spider returning to the real world, cannot see the real scene; instead, he sees the death of the Blood Spider, and even a real corpse! This is because he hasn't broken the World Mystery and is naturally deceived by the Spirit Realm Will.

Dongbo Chengzhi, like Gan Ning, also doesn't know about the existence of the otherworld.

Unless Bai Pu could turn Dongbo Chengzhi into his servant, making him "one of his own," he would then break the World Mystery... though even with the barest consideration, it's impossible.

Bai Pu could only offer Dongbo Chengzhi another explanation:

"Even you wouldn't expect us to head to the Dark Abyss, so those demons would never expect it either. Walking this path allows us to bypass the ambush circle of demons. By then, we'll progress alongside the Dark Abyss, head northwest to leave the Black Swamp, and won't take long to reach the Basalt! There, we'll be safe."

Dongbo Chengzhi still showed some concern between his brows: "What you say makes some sense, but we have to traverse the central area of the Black Swamp, possibly passing through the territory of more than one Demon General... the risk is significant."

"With the Hundred-eyed Demon's mental scan, we won't wander into demon nests; we just need to be cautious. Any unavoidable demon, we'll consider it unlucky."

Bai Pu said with confidence, "Along the way, you can focus on recovering. If we encounter demons, I'll handle them... it also serves as exercise in honing battle skills. When I need your assistance, I'll let you know."

Bai Pu's confidence stems from Dongbo Chengzhi's strength. Even with only half his strength, Dongbo Chengzhi is a formidable supporter!

Opportunities to sweep the Black Swamp with such backing are rare, traveling together can also build rapport, increase goodwill, and even gain Dongbo Chengzhi's guidance... the benefits are countless!

Although it's true the Demon Lord that Dongbo Chengzhi kills rarely drops Spoils Treasure Chests, and even if there is a chest, its value would be significantly diminished, but the corpse of a Demon Lord is tangible, and handed over to the Demon Lord's Skull for devouring, the Demon Power Value would surely soar!

Dongbo Chengzhi nodded slightly, saying, "Then I'll be relying on you. However, as a Ghost Warrior, I cannot stay long in the Demon Qi Area, so leaving sooner is preferable."

Main Quest 2: Escape the Black Swamp

Mission Objective: Protect Dongbo Chengzhi and ensure he leaves the Black Swamp alive.

Mission Difficulty: S-level

Mission Deadline: 48 hours

Mission Rewards: Guardian Camp Merit (determined by completion); One box of Evergreen Ointment (8/10)

Failure Penalty: Exile

No wonder he is a World Protagonist; even a slightly formal commission triggers Main Quest 2, at a terrifying S-level difficulty.

Bai Pu furrowed his brow. S-level difficulty indicates the worst-case 20% probability he anticipated has manifested—in this mission, he and Dongbo Chengzhi not only face Ghost Leather, but are highly likely to confront other Demon Generals!

Main Quest 2 has only a 48-hour time constraint. This should be related to Dongbo Chengzhi's mention that "Ghost Warriors cannot stay long in the Demon Qi Area."

As for the second item of mission rewards: Evergreen Ointment (8/10), it is actually what Bai Pu already has in hand, gifted to him by Dongbo Chengzhi.

However, it cannot currently be taken out of this world.

Bai Pu estimates that after completing Main Quest 2, the box of Evergreen Ointment should be able to be taken out of this world.

Mission rewards and loot extraction, these two ways to gain Spiritual Items, are generally returnable to reality.

"The sudden increase in mission difficulty isn't necessarily a bad thing... crises always come with both danger and opportunity."

Bai Pu squinted, pondering, deducing, "If I'm correct, the Demon General faced in this Main Quest may become my opportunity!"

...

Black Swamp, central region, Lankao Plain.

According to the data provided by the Hundred-eyed Demon's spiritual connection, Lankao Plain is not under the rule of Demon General Ghost Leather, but is instead the territory of another Demon General, Haogui.

The Demon Spider Lady personally witnessed, and can testify, that Demon General Haogui was one of the three Demon Generals who besieged Dongbo Chengzhi at the time, and he is considered Ghost Leather's neighbor.

Haogui's domain is very close to Ghost Leather; if time drags on, not only could it alert Demon General Haogui, but even Demon General Ghost Leather might track down and pursue.

Roar!

A gigantic demon, resembling a wild boar with spines all over its back, strong and robust, fell with a thud.

Dongbo Chengzhi slowly sheathed his sword, softly coughed a few times, and said, "The power of this Pig Demon Leader was just passable. However, its thick skin and flesh, coupled with an ability to charge like a boar, made it time-consuming to tackle."

To save time, Dongbo Chengzhi took the initiative. After killing the Pig Demon Leader, he proceeded gracefully, walking at the very front.

Bai Pu unobtrusively collected the Pig Demon Leader's corpse, placing it into the Storage Space, nearly filling it to capacity.

This conspicuous act of making the corpse of a huge Demon Leader disappear would certainly arouse suspicion from the Natives. However, Dongbo Chengzhi, not having broken the World Mystery, cannot perceive this change; he only sees the real landscape remaining undisturbed.

In the Storage Space, the Demon Lord's Skull is continuously devouring the Elite Level demon corpses, with the Demon Power Value gradually climbing, now at 810/1000!

Clearly, when the Demon Power Value reaches 1000, it will reach Tier Three.

Viewing it by tier: once it reaches Tier One, it is considered Ordinary; when it reaches Tier Two, it attains the status of Elite; at Tier Three, it's considered a Leader; and so on.

Feeding it the 4th-level Pig Demon Leader's corpse now seems wasteful.

Bai Pu decisively fed the Demon Lord's Skull with all the Elite-level demon materials collected along the way, such as the tendons of the Ghost Frog, the soft skin of the Ghost Frog, the Pig Demon's tooth, and so on.

With the devouring completed, the Demon Power Value finally increased, reaching 1400/3000 (Tier Three).

The corpse of this Level 4 Pig Demon Leader provided an increase of 400 Demon Power Value.

Bai Pu couldn't help but fantasize that once the Demon Power Value reaches 1000, it might reach Tier Three.

Observing the change, Bai Pu decisively fed all the dropped Elite-level Demon materials collected along the way to the Demon Lord's Skull, including Ghost Frog tendons, Ghost Frog hide, Pig Demon tooth, and other Elite Level materials.

It even attained a noticeable change in appearance, the entire skull now glowing with a faint golden shimmer, with two thick bull horns growing on the top and two blood-red bull eyes emitting an ominous aura.

Clearly, once the Demon Power Value reached 1000, it became Tier Three.

According to plan, this translates to substantial rewards.

Given the possibility of receiving Dark Gold Equipment, the dangers are acknowledged, but the rewards could be significant. A gathered force from the Guardian Camp is a reward determined by the extent of completion; additionally, a box of Evergreen Ointment (8/10), is already in Bai Pu's possession as a gift from Dongbo Chengzhi.

But now it cannot be brought out of this world.

Bai Pu assessed the situation, his mind continuously working through scenarios, "The increase in mission difficulty could also be an opportunity. This crisis always accompanies both danger and opportunity."

Further contemplation led Bai Pu to believe that a Demon General faced in this main quest might present an opportunity disguised in the form of the provoked dangers.

As Bai Pu pondered, a huge Demon Leader's corpse had vanished into thin air from the scene, a conspicuous act that would certainly arouse suspicion among the Natives. However, Dongbo Chengzhi, not having broken the World Mystery, cannot see this and is naturally blinded by the Spirit Realm Will.

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