Chapter 9 Ninth Level of the Dark Abyss

"Congratulations to everyone for reaching the ninth level of the Dark Abyss. The rules for this round are the same as the last, with only 256 participants allowed to enter a higher level of the abyss." A grand voice echoed in the sky, and Xu Jingming and the others began to search for weapons.

Although he had a dagger in hand, Xu Jingming still hoped to obtain a more suitable weapon!

For example, a sword or spear would definitely be more powerful than a dagger! Of course, a long spear was the most coveted.

"That hooded girl must be an eighth-order Starry Sky lifeform." Suddenly a voice rang out, and a silver-haired man pointed at the somewhat bewildered petite girl, Tata. Of course, Tata's actual age was much greater than anyone else present.

"I'm an eighth-order Starry Sky lifeform?" Tata pointed at the silver-haired man and chuckled, "There are only two eighth-order Starry Sky lifeforms in this competition. Are you so confident that I'm one of them?"

The surrounding participants immediately began to move away, keeping a sufficient distance from Tata.

"Because during the team battle before, I was on the same team as you," the silver-haired man said. "I'm quite skilled in mental aspects, but I discovered that my mind was being influenced without me realizing it! After screening and eliminating possibilities, I determined that you were the one influencing my mind! Among seventh-order Starry Sky lifeforms, my mental techniques are top-notch. To be able to influence me silently, you must be an eighth-order Starry Sky lifeform."

"Keep making things up," Tata pouted.

"There's another way to verify it." As soon as the silver-haired man finished speaking, he attacked Tata, a rapier in his hand.

He transformed into a phantom, forcing his way close to Tata, the rapier in his hand already disappeared, only streams of light enveloping Tata.

This scene shocked the participants present.

Xu Jingming was also secretly surprised: "This silver-haired man's strength is far greater than mine. In the Blood Rain World, he would be considered a top-tier expert."

Faced with such terrifying swordsmanship, Xu Jingming reckoned he would be killed in two or three moves.

And the petite and adorable girl, Tata, was empty-handed, without a single weapon. She let out a sigh: "You have a good eye."

As she spoke, she dodged all the rapiers in a bizarre manner.

At the same time, she ran towards the tall man holding a large hammer. The tall man panicked and dodged, while also using his hammer techniques to defend.

Whoosh.

The two figures crossed paths!

The tall man's eyes widened, a hole already in the center of his brow. The large hammer he originally held was now in the hands of the cute girl, Tata.

The approximately 1.5-meter-tall Tata, holding a meter-long hammer, held it in one hand. Tata looked at the silver-haired man and smiled, "Since you discovered me, then I'll satisfy you."

With that, Tata wielded the hammer and charged.

"Everyone, attack together." The silver-haired man retreated, and other participants also surrounded her.

Everyone could see that this girl was terrifyingly strong!

Anyone who wanted to win first place in the competition wanted to eliminate this eighth-order Starry Sky lifeform!

There were more weapons on the ninth level of the Dark Abyss. At this moment, a full five top-tier experts charged to the front, wielding weapons. Even though it was their first time working together, their coordination was perfect as they besieged the girl, Tata.

Tata wielded a large hammer, but she possessed a towering aura, like a demon god. When she used her hammer techniques, she combined speed and power, her skill reaching an incredible level.

On the field, Tata was fighting five opponents, yet she was gaining the upper hand.

"One!" Tata suddenly shouted, the hammer erupting with swift force. Amidst the siege, it still passed through the obstructions in a bizarre manner, the edge of the hammer sweeping across a participant's abdomen, directly obliterating him.

"Retreat!"

"Scatter and run!" Seeing this, the other four top-tier experts scattered without hesitation, fleeing in all directions. As they fled, they also took the opportunity to attack other participants.

Tata held a large hammer, but she stared at the silver-haired man and gave chase!

"You can't escape," Tata said with a smile as she pursued him.

"How is this eighth-order Starry Sky lifeform so strong? I was reckless! We should have waited for everyone to obtain weapons before besieging her." The silver-haired man was filled with regret. The main reason was that Tata had only shown the terrifying aspect of her mind before, not her actual combat strength.

The silver-haired man himself was also a top-tier expert. Among the seventh-order Starry Sky lifeforms, he was considered quite good. He thought that cooperating with others would be enough to deal with an eighth-order Starry Sky lifeform.

Who would have thought…

Tata far surpassed the strength of ordinary eighth-order lifeforms.

As the top experts fled and killed, the battle on the field became even more chaotic.

"Get to the eighth level as soon as possible! Otherwise, none of us will be able to stop her," a participant shouted.

The silver-haired man's speed was ultimately inferior to Tata's. After being caught up by Tata, he was killed by just three hammer strikes.

"Haha…" Tata, carrying the hammer, smiled as she scanned the other participants. None dared to approach her.

The other participants quickly slaughtered each other, and soon only 256 people remained! Xu Jingming, holding a dagger, had once again survived successfully. After all, holding a weapon was a great advantage. When other participants couldn't figure out the situation, they were unwilling to fight experts with weapons.

"Buzz." Beams of dark red light descended, enveloping every living participant.

Xu Jingming became even more serious: "Entering the next round, the next round will definitely be crazy."

…

On the eighth level of the Dark Abyss, only these 256 people remained out of the million universe citizens who had originally participated in the competition!

The 256 people stood on the vast land.

"Congratulations on reaching the eighth level of the Dark Abyss. Each of you can choose any weapon. In this round, only 128 people will enter a higher level." A voice echoed from the sky. Everyone's body was protected by a halo of light, and everyone was choosing their weapons.

Xu Jingming also put away his dagger and chose a spear, three meters long!

"I exposed myself in the last round," Tata said to the millions of viewers in her livestream. "The probability of me getting through this round is less than 10 percent! Because all the participants will choose the weapons that suit them best. And the top experts among them will definitely join forces to eliminate me first! Because they know very well that in the later stages, they won't be able to stop me."

There were still quite a few participants now, so they could still deal with Tata.

But if only twenty or thirty participants were left in the last few rounds! It would be almost impossible to eliminate Tata.

"Concealing my strength still doesn't work," Tata said, already throwing away the large hammer in her hand and replacing it with a pair of larger, hexagonal hammers.

These hexagonal hammers had larger heads and sharper edges.

Tata held one in each hand, exactly the weapon she was most skilled with.

"It's Tata!"

"Twin Hammers Tata!"

Many participants immediately recognized her.

After all, in the entire Hunter Cosmic Sector, Tata was a top 100 star streamer in the 'Escape from the Abyss' livestreaming category! When she took out her signature hexagonal hammers, many participants who regularly watched 'Escape from the Abyss' knew who she was.

"It's actually Tata."

"Surround and attack her."

"With her strength and mental skills, once she reaches the fifth level of the Dark Abyss! None of us will be able to stop her, and she will definitely take first place."

Although the later stages of Escape from the Abyss would greatly affect the mind! Tata's mental strength was famously strong!

"Wahahaha… my fans, come on, I'll send you on your way." The moment the protective halo around each participant's body dissipated, Tata wielded her twin hammers and launched the first attack!

"My only chance of survival is to rush into the crowd of participants," Tata also explained to the audience in her livestream.

"Attack."

"Surround her."

At this moment, all the participants had obtained weapons. For a time, archers shot arrows, and there were also concealed weapons attacks, all besieging Tata.

Moreover, of the 256 participants, almost all of the twenty or so experts who had reached the top-tier level joined in the siege!

"My fans are too enthusiastic." Tata changed her stance, dodging the arrows and hidden weapons, her twin hammers also defending. The many top-tier experts had already surrounded her, their moves coordinated! Not giving Tata a chance to breathe.

Tata used her hammer techniques, her person and her twin hammers becoming one, with a strange rhythm.

Xu Jingming, in the distance, only felt as if Tata's figure had disappeared, leaving only two hammers colliding and attacking in all directions! With the cooperation of the two hammers, they were unpredictable, attacking in all directions! Causing the siege formation of the twenty or so top-tier experts to be torn apart again and again.

But these top-tier experts immediately made up for it, even though their formation was torn apart.

Each of them was a top genius in actual combat! With their cooperation, they also made Tata feel suffocated.

After half a minute, the two hammers, crazily colliding and fighting, were finally completely submerged in the siege.

Tata was killed! Eliminated from the game!

Under her terrifying counterattack, three top-tier experts died, and other top-tier experts were also injured.

"How terrifying, twenty or so top-tier experts besieging her, and there were also archers and hidden weapon experts cooperating in the attack. She still killed three top-tier experts? According to the rules of Escape from the Abyss, everyone has the same physical qualities." Xu Jingming was shocked.

With Tata's death, the top-tier experts who had besieged her naturally separated and attacked other weaker participants.

They wanted to ensure their advancement! They were unwilling to fight other top-tier experts to the point of mutually assured destruction. After eliminating Tata, these top-tier experts were already among the strongest.

…

Xu Jingming also encountered a strong enemy, a three-eyed man wielding a shield and axe attacking Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming held the spear in one hand, staring at his opponent.

The three-eyed man charged fiercely, and at the moment when they were less than ten meters apart—

Swish!

A cold light suddenly shot out from Xu Jingming's sleeve. They were too close! The concealed weapon was too fast! The three-eyed man's left-hand shield was habitually blocking his upper body, but this cold light shot towards the alien's calf.

His left-hand shield immediately pressed down, and at the same time, he forcibly changed his footwork! Actually, within a distance of ten meters, they were about to engage in close combat. Forcing a change in footwork at this moment… also caused the three-eyed alien's footwork to become somewhat chaotic.

At the same time as Xu Jingming flicked out the dagger, he had already charged out, a swift spear thrust!

While the opponent was dodging the dagger, Xu Jingming sensed the opponent's state, seizing the moment when the opponent's footwork was chaotic, and thrust out the spear! Chi! At the same time as the spear touched the axe, it slightly spun, then changed direction and pierced through the three-eyed man's shoulder, tearing! An arm flew up.

"Ah."

The three-eyed man cried out in pain, holding the axe in one hand and hurriedly defending.

With the cooperation of the shield and axe, he might have been able to fight Xu Jingming, but after losing an arm, his defense was obviously much weaker, and Xu Jingming's spear technique, incorporating the mysteries of the *Flowing Water Volume* and *Space-Time Volume*, became more and more fierce with each strike. After only five consecutive strikes, he pierced through the three-eyed alien's chest.

"If I didn't have the dagger, the outcome would have been difficult to predict." Xu Jingming killed his opponent and also breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long after killing his opponent, dark red light descended!

128 people had survived.

…

"Congratulations on reaching the seventh level of the Dark Abyss. You are getting closer and closer to escaping the abyss. The rules for each round will be different from now on. The rules for this round: Kill one person to enter a higher level." A voice echoed in the sky.

Xu Jingming held a spear in his hand. Just as he finished listening to the voice, he saw a woman wielding twin blades charging towards him.

"It's her?" Xu Jingming's heart trembled. This woman was among the top-tier experts who had besieged Tata.

The twin blades woman had cold eyes. She understood who the top-tier experts were, so avoiding these people would allow her to easily enter the next round. She had only chosen a participant who was relatively close to her.

With two flashes, she had already reached Xu Jingming's vicinity.

Xu Jingming used his spear technique, wanting to force some distance.

"Clang."

With one strike, she broke through Xu Jingming's spear move. Xu Jingming immediately pulled back his spear, wanting to defend! But the woman was already close, twin blades whistling. Xu Jingming barely blocked one blade with a roll of his spear, and the other blade brushed past Xu Jingming's body.

Xu Jingming's body turned into an illusion.

"I was gone after only three strikes?" Xu Jingming was somewhat dumbfounded. The gap between the two sides was too great.

Xu Jingming was eliminated!

He ultimately stopped at the seventh level of the Dark Abyss!

"Oh."

"Very impressive."

"He escaped all the way to the seventh level of the abyss."

"One of the 128 people."

Director Zhou and the other Blue Star executives also breathed a sigh of relief, having been quite nervous while watching the battle earlier. They all praised Xu Jingming, his results were very excellent.

"Xu Jingming has only been training for a short time after all. Looking at the vast universe, there are still too many people stronger than him. Being able to reach the seventh level of the Dark Abyss is already very rare, and this is still the result of the game officials favoring him." The Blue Star executives were also very clear about this. New players were usually very lucky the first time they played. Of course, being able to escape to the seventh level required not only luck but also strength.

At the same time, the Blue Star executives also felt a sense of powerlessness in their hearts.

Xu Jingming was already the highest level of military force on Blue Star! The highest level of evolution on Blue Star was currently sixth-order Starry Sky lifeforms.

As the highest level of military force on Blue Star, he seemed very mediocre in the 'Medium' Escape from the Abyss activity!

From this, it could be seen how weak the overall strength of Blue Star was on the path of evolution!

"In half a year, the protection period for new civilizations will end, and we will truly face the storms of the universe." The Blue Star executives felt more and more pressure.

…

Eliminated.

Xu Jingming appeared in a void, dark place.

"Xu Jingming, you started from the 20th level of the Dark Abyss and escaped all the way to the 7th level, although you ultimately failed to escape. But your outstanding performance can still earn you a considerable bonus."

"Based on the current amount in the prize pool, you can receive a bonus of 25.39 million universe coins! Because this 'Escape from the Dark Abyss' is still continuing, the total amount of the prize pool is still increasing. You can withdraw 25.39 million universe coins first, and the game officials will make up the remaining amount later. You can also choose to receive the total amount in one lump sum after Escape from the Abyss ends."

Xu Jingming lightly clicked: "Withdraw."

Immediately, 25.39 million universe coins were immediately credited to his account.

"Reminder: Please spend cautiously. According to the regulations of the Universe Human Alliance, every universe citizen is required to pay corresponding taxes at the end of each universe year."

Seeing this scene, Xu Jingming sighed inwardly.

The Universe Human Alliance collected taxes from every universe citizen.

Based on your spending and income during the ‘universe year,’ the corresponding tax would naturally be calculated! No one even thought about evading taxes, even the high-ranking members of the Universe Human Alliance Council did not dare to evade taxes.

"After the Universe Human Alliance collects taxes, it also distributes some of the tax revenue to the 'Star Alliance'," Xu Jingming thought. "I heard that one's home civilization also has the right to collect taxes."

For example, Blue Star civilization had the right to collect taxes from the ‘universe citizens’ of its civilization.

"But Blue Star civilization is temporarily exempting universe citizens from taxes." Xu Jingming sighed inwardly, he knew the reason very well. This was very common in the universe. Many weak civilizations exempted their ‘universe citizens’ from taxes! They did not dare to levy taxes because… they were afraid! They were afraid that the universe citizens would immigrate.

The immigration of universe citizens was a very simple matter. Many powerful civilizations welcomed the immigration of ‘universe citizens.’ Looking at the entire Universe Human Alliance, only the ‘immigration’ of universe advanced civilizations had many restrictions.

Others, including universe intermediate civilizations, welcomed the joining of ‘universe citizens.’

Weak civilizations mostly exempted universe citizens from taxes but would advocate that ‘universe citizens’ donate to their home civilization.

"This time, I actually got more than 20 million universe coins." Xu Jingming was very excited. "I really made a fortune! But my luck was really good, three team battles, I won every time! I didn't encounter any experts nearby in the early stages."

Obviously, when the game officials placed the participants, there were no powerful experts around Xu Jingming in the early stages, taking care of this ‘newbie’ participating for the first time in every way, making his gaming experience very great!

"Escape from the Dark Abyss, limited to five times a day?" Xu Jingming clicked on the interface and glanced at it. "Calm down, calm down. This time I was just lucky. I can't become addicted."

…

However, after earning a huge bonus once, how could he resist trying again?

Over the next half a month, Xu Jingming played a total of ten more times! Each time was a 'Medium Escape from the Abyss' activity. These ten times, the game officials no longer favored him and started to be fair and just. Xu Jingming's starting position was also in the middle of the crowd, with participants all around him.

As a result, he didn't pass the third round four times! He often encountered ‘first-rate experts’ nearby, and occasionally he encountered ‘top-tier experts.’

Twice he only passed the third round! Earning the registration fee.

And four times… he stopped at the seventh round at most!

"Ten times, none passed nine rounds. Cumulatively, not bad, I still made a small profit." Xu Jingming reviewed the past, "This is just a universe game after all. I heard that the 'Dark Abyss' main storyline is the real struggle in despair, it's for tempering one's state of mind."

"However, my focus in the early stages of cultivation is in the Blood Rain World."

…

Time passed, and finally, the time agreed upon with the Fei family arrived.

"Blood Rain World." Standing inside the spaceship, Xu Jingming lightly clicked and descended once again upon that vast world—the Blood Rain World.