At the eighteenth layer of hell.
The Hell of Weighing Scales.
This is the deepest layer in Diyu (Hell). There is no light. No sky. No earth. A place that is only filled with darkness. This is a black land where the most heinous sinners are placed. All their limbs were restrained by a thick chain. One on the neck, each of the two hands, and chains on the two ankles.
Sinners who fell in this land could never rest. They must keep the chains close to them and at a certain distance to avoid the ending of their five limbs being ripped apart from their bodies.
There are cases of sinners giving and ending up dying in such an inhumane way. Plus it wasn't just their vessels that were ripped apart in progress, it also includes their souls torn apart. Most sinners on these layers were tasked to keep the whole Diyu in balance.
There are supposed to be eighteen major sinners ending up in this place. Every sinner that collapses means the destruction of a layer. Each sinner is supposed to bear the weight of a piece of land in this case the territory of every layer.
But in this current punishment world, only one player was chained in the last layer. This player was deemed as the strongest being in the Abyssal world yet at the same time no one knows that this man is also the owner of this star. That person is the soul fragment of Lord God Ye Xiajie.
On the side of humans, he is called Abyss. The most powerful human player in the game world.
While on the side of the Abyss creatures, he is Yan Lou, the king of Hell and the only Evil God that owns this world.
He is also hated by this world as a human yet loved by it in his other identity as the evil god.
Yan Lou who was losing his control over the soul had retained his last consciousness to keep the chains together. He does not fear that he would lose a limb but is instead frightened by the fact that his wife is within those eighteen layers. As soon as he removes the controls on the chain in his body the other layers might crumble which would end with his wife dying.
"This is impossible! Why… Why right now? I don't want to sleep. If I close my eyes at this time the whole hell would get destroyed and my wife who is still within the upper layers would definitely be in danger." mumbled Yan Lou in the darkness.
Only within that black world, his one eye which is originally crimson would glow in the darkness. Becoming the only light in the abyss. Even then, his current state is indeed worrying.
When he first woke up in the darkness, these chains had suddenly attached themselves to him at the moment he opened his eyes. He wanted to destroy the chains at first but was stopped by System Yue who informed him where these chains are connected.
What happened to Yan Lou before he got summoned to the Punishment World.
He heard the world announcement on his way to the green zone to see his wife.
{Times up. Players who died in their games or Shared Group Channel Players who failed to complete the main mission requirements are all mandatory to enter the Punishment Game World. The Massacre Mode is where all your lives are in line and where everyone must complete at least three games to get out of the World of Punishment.
You had signed a shared group contract with Player Hei Anjing, Player An Yuan, and Player Han Ya who were being summoned to the Punishment Game World. In accordance with your contract, it was mandatory for you, Player Abyss to enter in the same Game Mode.
Please get ready for the transition, Player Abyss
We would be teleporting you to the first Death Game.}
Yan Lou halted his running as he suddenly teleported away. He wasn't transferred in the same preparation white room with his teammates as it wasn't the first time he had entered the Punishment Game World, instead of inside the game directly instead.
As soon as he woke up and opened his eyes, Yan Lou felt the huge force pulling on his limbs about to rip apart his body. He reacted on time and circulate his qi all over his body and kept the balance of power inside. The chains on him instantly lighten. He observes himself in the dark, as he had the natural give to see things clearly in the places without light.
Yan Lou saw his wrist covered in thick metals with four chains connected to it. The one on his neck is the same while his ankles were connected to three chains. He spread his qi to the chains trying to see through them. He was dumbfounded to realize that the chain on himself supported the whole Diyu.
Because of this he couldn't move recklessly and remove the chains to himself. Plus he even has to continue pouring his qi to himself as the moment his strength flatters these chains would split up his limbs in all directions and if he is an ordinary player death is the only outcome.
Yan Lou said, "This is the last layer of Diyu. The Hell of Weighing Scales and there is supposed to be another 17 players to be pulled here to suffer with me. How come I am alone in this place?"
[My Lord, have you forgotten that you are currently a Player. One that is deemed the strongest player in Abyssal World as well the player hated by this world as well. So the whole 18th layer was reserved for the Lord.]
"I have indeed done a lot as a player that the Heavenly Consciousness almost no longer allowed me to enter the games. But he now couldn't prevent it as I had signed a contract with my wife. By the way, have you checked? How is my wife? Is he okay?"
[This… There is a good and a bad problem. Which one does the lord want to hear first?]
"The Good one then."
[Lord Hei was transported to the tenth layer of Hell which is extremely compatible with the Bloodline he had awakened. He has the bloodline of Ice elves as a sub-race. So the Icy Hell would be a breeze to him.]
"What is the bad news then?"
[The cave he had been transferred in was murky and muddy. Lord Hei is a clean freak so….]
System Yue's words were suddenly cut off in the middle when a powerful earthquake hit the whole hell. It was worse for Yan Lou as he was the main pillar that supported the whole place, he could feel his limbs tingling from the pressure he had to suffer. This is to prevent Diyu from collapsing.
RUMBLES~ RUMBLES~ RUMBLES~ RUMBLES~ RUMBLES~ RUMBLES~
Of course! He reacted calmly as he expressionlessly gripped the chains in his wrist forcefully keeping the whole place stable. He was like an immovable mountain that set the place. The sudden pressure only lasted for half an hour but it was enough for Yan Lou to use too much qi from himself. Once the quivering of this place halted, only then did Yan Lou minimize the qi circulation in his body and kept it stable.
[Sigh~ finally Lord Hei had calmed down. Phew~]
"I cannot leave this place, can I? Unless my wife comes here to pick me up?" said Yan Lou.
[Well… That's the only way.]
System Yue's real thoughts: [It's not that you can't escape. You only need to temporarily stop the time in this world and place a replacement in your place and you would be able to leave. But Time Magic is something the original you can use and since the main Soul is still asleep the only option is to stay.]
The two decided to wait for Lord Hei to come but who would have thought that Yan Lou would suddenly feel sleepy out of nowhere after a few days of waiting.
Yan Lou mumbled, "No, I can't see. If I fall asleep my wife would be in danger." But even System Yue can sense that his Lord is feeling extreme sleep. This phenomenon is similar. This would only happen when the Lord God had taken full control over his soul fragments. It could only mean that Ye Xiajie is about to wake up.
System Yue panicked for a moment as the whole hell started trembling once again and the chains on his Lord kept clanging mixed with the sound of the land rumbling.
RUMBLES~ CLANG! CLANG! RUMBLES~ CLang! CLANG! CLANG! RUMBLES~~
Before him, System Yue didn't know when Yan Lou had fallen asleep but Zhi Yue who witnessed the whole scene couldn't allow his boss's vessel to be ripped apart. He could only materialize his human form and create four water hands using the water element to stabilize the chain.
Only then did System Yue feel the heaviness of the chains and how powerful the pulling force his Lord had to suffer in this Hell of Weighing Scale.
[Fuck! If I were not a God I would have also died, this kind of force is enough to rip apart anything in all directions. Milord. Milord. Wake up soon please~ before this whole place collapses~]
—
Meanwhile in the Hell of Wrongful Deaths.
Han Ya had not called An Yuan in the end. He decided to take his time the moment they crossed the bridge and checked on him. Whether he is indeed in the fifth layer as Player Hei had said or not.
At this moment, Han Ya and the other five players that he had met in this layer decided to cross the stone bridge. The first half was smooth and no red ghost had appeared before them. But when they reached the center of the bridge all ghosts had either dived or crawled up towards them. They were all coming from all sides. So the group can only defend by fighting or killing the ghosts.
The first layer of the red ghost had finally approached them. All men in the team had parried or killed ghosts that came near them. At the center of the group, Meiling was throwing some talismans they've bought to purify some ghosts. This purification talisman is extremely useful when fighting with ghosts.
Though the talisman is a consumable item, its effects are still powerful. Of course, little Meiling controlled the output of these precious talismans.
Meiling spoke to Aunt Carmel and said, "Aunt, I don't have any more talismans."
"It's okay, dear. Just don't get separated from me. Holy light! The domain of Blessing!" said Aunt Carmel as she finally activated.
Uncle Sid spoke, "Bear it a bit more. We are near the other side!"
"Go away. Go away stupid red ghosts!!!"
Sol wields his axes up here and there just to slay the ghosts before him. His weapon was baptized by holy water and so it was able to slay supernatural things like ghosts and monsters. The sword in Lune's hand is the same thing.
"Can't you shut up! Don't duet with and start screaming as well!"
"Almost there. Almost there!!"
They were about to reach the end of the bridge when suddenly the whole cave quakes. It was an unexpected event that no one thought would happen. The stone bridge isn't one with a wall on the side. The stone bridge under their food started to crumble.
RUMBLES~ CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! RUMBLES~
Among them, Uncle Sid who was in front was able to cross the bridge first. But the stone under him had crumbled already. Sol and Lune had jumped on time too. Seeing the distance widen, Meiling is frightened to death.
Meiling asked in fear, "Aunt, what should we do?"
Aunt Carmel smiled and pushed her towards Han Ya who stumbled as he protected their retreat. Aunt Carmel who was smiling gently at them before had changed to something disgusting. Her face was twisted and full of scorn.
"Eh? Aunt?"
"It's better for me to live than you two right?" said Aunt Carmel as golden wings made of holy elements appeared on her back. This is flight magic for the holy element: it allowed a Saintess to fly for a short period of time.
Han Ya's expression turned colder as he asked, "What's the meaning of this?" his voice turned call with hidden disbelief in his tone.
Uncle Sid's friendly expression from before can no longer be found at all. He looked at Han Ya and Meiling with an unfriendly gaze and said, "Did you guys not know? Only one team or one solo player can leave this Punishment World. It is either us or you."
"Didn't we give you the opportunity to say goodbye? To think you would call another teammate instead of your beloved. What a waste of time~" said Sol. He looks like a maniac at this moment.
Lune spoke, "Stop wasting time and shoot them down. It would be bad if their teammates noticed we are involved."
"Humans are indeed stupid. My live stream had been on since the beginning of the game. They would know what you've done regardless." said Han Ya as he threw his spear over to the priestess of the other team, stabbing her stomach directly, instantly making her suffer.
WHOOSHED!
URG!!!
Aunt Carmel was stabbed through her stomach as she flew with force stabbing towards the top of the elevator.
Sol and Luna yelled, "Aunt Car! You bastard!"
"How dare you!!?" yelled Lune.
Uncle Sid who was eerily quiet the whole time suddenly pulled a gun and shot Han Ya in the heart.
BANG!
Han Ya was caught off guard and failed to avoid the gunshot, "Y-You… I'll… definitely kill…" he fell unconscious as he falls.
He fell on the cliff with Meiling and all the ghosts had followed after him as if they wanted to eat him and the little girl up. Uncle Sid and the rest who looked at him fell off expressionlessly.
"Let's go," said Uncle Sid
Sol asked, "What should we do? Is his live stream all open this time? Then did his teammates…"
"So what!? You've heard him. His teammates split when they entered this game. We can kill them one by one." said Lune. "Thought that Player Hei having a connection with Player Abyss is a bit of bad news," said Lune.
Asked Sol, "Do you think it's real?"
