The Abyssal Altar?!
Ye Lingyuan's face was extremely grim.
The Abyssal Altar was a notorious place of great ill omen, also known as the God-Slaying Pit.
He had read about the Abyssal Altar in ancient texts.
Legend had it that this was once the place where the ancient Merman tribe performed sacrifices to heaven and prayed for blessings.
Later, the Merman tribe angered a powerful enemy, who annihilated most of their people.
To preserve the Merman bloodline, the tribe's chieftain lured the enemy to the altar, attempting to use its power to destroy the foe.
However, the battle was a pyrrhic victory, with both sides suffering greatly. The Merman tribe, using the collective fortune of their entire race, managed to suppress the enemy and seal them within the altar.
The enemy, unwilling to accept defeat, forcibly absorbed the altar's power. A hundred years later, they broke free from the seal and once again wreaked havoc upon the Merman tribe, forcing them to submit and annually offer ten drops of mermaid tears.
To ensure the continuation of their bloodline, the Merman tribe outwardly surrendered but secretly plotted for ten years.
Ten years later, the Merman chieftain once again lured the enemy to the altar, intending to kill them decisively.
Unexpectedly, the enemy proved incredibly formidable. They drained the life force of the entire Merman tribe, imprisoning all their souls within the altar.
Over time, the resentment of these souls grew, transforming them into vengeful spirits who lost their memories of life, leaving only a thirst for bloodshed, thus turning the place into a land of no return.
Gradually, its fearsome reputation spread. Due to the altar and the vengeful spirits, it was named the Abyssal Altar.
Later, the malevolent energy there surged. Several cultivators at the Divine Sovereign realm attempted to cleanse the area to prevent the continent from suffering further, but they all perished there.
After several major battles, the once towering altar subsided into a deep pit. Coupled with the deaths of Divine Sovereign realm experts, it became known as the God-Slaying Pit.
This was why Ye Lingyuan's expression turned grim upon hearing the words "Abyssal Altar."
When Zi Linling heard "Abyssal Altar," images flashed through her mind.
Countless merfolk surrounded an altar, kneeling in a vast expanse.
A merman wearing a crown stood proudly at the center of the altar.
He raised his Obsidian Scepter, chanting incantations.
As his lips moved, a misty light illuminated the surroundings of the altar.
The light rapidly converged above the altar, pressing down on a figure.
The figure roared, reaching out to grab a banner.
As the banner unfurled with a rustling sound, the sky above the altar turned dark with clouds, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
The merfolk below the altar, their eyes filled with fear, unhesitatingly approached the altar's edge and offered a drop of their silver blood.
With each drop of blood they offered, their bodies became more transparent.
Yet, they did so without hesitation.
Wave after wave.
With each wave of merfolk offering their blood, the light on the altar grew brighter, and the darkness in the sky receded slightly.
But as time passed, the light and darkness reached a stalemate.
Slowly, silver blood seeped from the corners of the crowned merman's lips, but he continued to hold the Obsidian Scepter high, chanting his incantations.
After wave after wave of merfolk fell, they could no longer stand.
As the number of merfolk dwindled, the light above the altar gradually weakened.
Deprived of the light's suppression, the dark clouds in the sky thickened, pressing down upon the crowned merman at the altar.
Then, a bolt of lightning shot from the dark clouds, striking her fiercely.
She trembled from the electric shock, her face contorted in pain, yet she gritted her teeth and held the Obsidian Scepter high.
Another bolt of lightning descended, this time striking the crown and then spreading to her body.
She trembled all over and spat out a mouthful of silver blood.
The silver blood hovered in the air, instantly forming the shape of tears.
The silver within the tears grew fainter and fainter, until it became transparent and floated into the air.
With an unwillingness in her eyes, the merman slowly fell backward.
The crown emitted black smoke and rolled aside, and the Obsidian Scepter in her hand clattered to the ground.
The remaining merfolk below the altar let out mournful cries, their eyes turning an eerie silver.
They charged madly onto the altar and self-destructed.
The impact of the self-destruction scattered the dark clouds, and the figure holding the banner fell heavily onto the altar, the banner also severely damaged.
As the dark clouds dispersed, the sky regained its color. The mermaid tears floating in the air became crystalline and transparent under the sunlight.
After an unknown period, the figure holding the banner struggled to sit up, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
He formed hand seals and chanted incantations, collecting the unconscious souls into the tattered banner.
He then fell back to the ground, never to awaken this time.
After another unknown passage of time, a veiled woman appeared.
A five-colored stone flew from her embrace, circled the altar, and finally landed on the belly of the former crowned merman.
The woman frowned, stepped onto the altar, retrieved the stone, and then pulled an egg from the merman's abdomen.
Afterward, she picked up the Obsidian Scepter from the altar and left with the egg.
Sun, moon, stars, and seasons changed; oceans turned into mulberry fields. The once severely damaged banner completely turned to dust, and numerous black vengeful spirits emerged, filling the place with malevolent energy!
Soon, several cultivators appeared, clashing with the vengeful spirits, and were eventually turned into similar beings by them.
A palace descended from the sky and landed on the altar.
The palace gradually enlarged, engulfing the altar, and transformed into a cave, settling within a certain mountain.
Zi Linling's vision abruptly ended, and two lines of clear tears appeared at the corners of her eyes.
So this was the formation of the Abyssal Altar, a process both tragic and helpless.
As Zi Linling regained her senses, the eerie male voice sounded again, "Fine. Seeing as you are the only ones in tens of thousands of years to have passed the identification, I shall grant you a chance to live!"
Zi Linling had not fully recovered, and Ye Lingyuan's attention was focused on her, so neither of them responded to the voice.
The voice seemed somewhat awkward. After a pause, it said, "You will be sent to the Hell Mode challenge levels. Good luck!"
Immediately, a large screen appeared before Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling.