A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6747

Elder Nether nodded and tapped his fingers lightly against his knee, producing a series of faint clicks.

Ancient weariness entered his voice, as though he had carried an unbearable weight for far too many years. "That fissure... appeared 10,000 years ago.

"It lies at the boundary between the seventh and eighth levels of the Nether Abyss, as though the void itself split open without warning.

"At first, it was no wider than a finger, but it expanded a little at regular intervals."

"And after that?"

"We eventually discovered that unless we periodically sent... a living person into the fissure, it would begin disturbing the nether energy throughout the abyss.

"The energy would surge out of control, and the entire Nether Abyss would convulse violently," Elder Nether said, lowering his voice.

"If the sacrifices stopped for too long, the disturbance would continue to spread until... the whole Nether Abyss collapsed."

Jared frowned. "Has no one ever gone inside to investigate?"

Elder Nether shook his head. "We have tried. Over the past 10,000 years, the Ghost Clan has sent more than a dozen teams of elite cultivators into the fissure.

"Every team consisted of experts from the clan.

"The outcome was always the same. They entered and never returned."

"So you never stopped the sacrifices?"

"We did once," Elder Nether replied, bitterness entering his voice.

"Three thousand years ago, a newly appointed Abyssal Lord refused to accept the old superstition. He banned the sacrifices and tried to find another way to suppress the fissure.

"In less than three days, the Nether Abyss's energy erupted and continued raging for half a month. Every structure on the seventh level and above collapsed, and nearly 1,000 Ghost Clan cultivators died.

"The Abyssal Lord suffered terrible injuries during the upheaval and succumbed to them half a month later."

Silence filled the cavern for a long time.

The mineral in the ceiling burned quietly with dark red light, stretching both men's shadows across the floor.

Jared studied Elder Nether's weary, aged face, the deep hollows around his eyes, and the tight line of his mouth. Complex feelings rose within him.

For generations, this old man and those before him had borne a secret 10,000 years old. Year after year, someone in his position had to decide which clan member would be sent into the fissure.

Year after year, he watched familiar faces vanish into darkness, yet he still had to remain in his seat and preserve the Nether Abyss for everyone else.

"Elder Nether," Jared said, "have you ever wondered what the fissure actually is? Why did it appear in the Nether Abyss? Where does it lead? What exactly does this so-called sacrifice satisfy?"

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