If he wanted to break free from the predetermined path of the prophecies, he needed the capital to stand against the two schools.

Otherwise, he could only be a puppet. Even if he was not captured, he would still have to obediently act in line with the two Great Prophets’ predictions.

“According to the information the prophecies revealed earlier, the Direct Vision prophecy says that an ancient existence that fell beneath the earth will, because of my coming, revive and be reborn.”

“The Multivision School’s prophecy is that this ancient being that fell beneath the earth, seeking resurrection, will be annihilated again because of my arrival.”

“If the prophecies are correct, then the demonic sacrificial ritual deep in the Abyss is meant to resurrect an ancient god. Perhaps in the Abyss, by using the secret ritual of resurrecting a god, I can find an opportunity to rapidly increase my strength.”

Thinking this far, Lin Xun helplessly realized that after going around in a huge circle, he still had to head to the Abyss in the end.

[…]

[You do not kill the undercover sage before you. Instead, you spare his life and lie that you plan to head to the Imperial Capital immediately…]

[After saying this, you ignore him and head straight back into the association building…]

Borrowing the identity of the Multivision Great Sage, Lin Xun hurriedly swept through the entire association building from top to bottom.

He discovered that this Multivision Branch Association really was rather poor. Compared to the mountains of magical materials piled up at the Direct Vision School, this place could practically be called a slum.

After looting for ages, what he gained was not even one tenth of what he had gotten from the Direct Vision Association.

“No wonder even the Vice President let himself be bought out as an informant. There are reasons for that.”

Once he finished ransacking the place, Lin Xun wasted no time in getting out.

He left the association building and took the Refined Copper Carriage toward Ramsey Abyss Cave.

[…]

[As the carriage ride changes from smooth to increasingly bumpy, you know that you have left the urban area of the auxiliary capital and arrived in the wilderness outside the city…]

[You recall the information and memories related to Ramsey Abyss Cave…]

[Ramsey Abyss Cave was not discovered long ago. It is a newly discovered cave leading to the Abyss in recent years.]

[Scholars require eyeballs and various magical materials from mysterious creatures. Whether they are demons or starborn beings, they can all be said to be treasure troves in and of themselves.]

[However, after the God Wars, the spirits of the stars vanished together with the evil star gods, leaving only the Abyss and the outer seas still harboring a large number of demons and mysterious creatures.]

[Every time a new abyssal cave is discovered, for scholars it is no less than discovering a new treasure vault.]

[When Ramsey Abyss Cave was first discovered, countless scholars surged in to explore, seek treasure, and hunt…]

[Like a swarm of locusts passing through, the scholars quickly mapped out the entire cave and captured all the rare types of demons within. Some were used to extract magical materials, some were caged for breeding, and some were used in experiments to cultivate new demon species…]

[In short, Ramsey Abyss Cave is no different from any other cave.]

[After the initial wave of exploration fervor, and due to regulations from both schools, Ramsey Abyss Cave entered a five-year period of exploration prohibition.]

[Only after the young demons within continued to reproduce and ecological balance was restored to a certain degree would the exploration ban be lifted so that scholars could begin the next round of harvesting.]

[Not only Ramsey Abyss Cave, every abyssal cave has a prohibition period. Only in this way can there be sustainable development and the continuous production of precious magical materials…]

[…]

[The fragmented memories end here.]

Lin Xun could not help but sigh.

Scholars truly were the most powerful faction in this world, perched at the top of the food chain. In their eyes, powerful creatures like demons were no different from livestock and were nothing but leeks to be harvested.

Seen from this angle, it was no wonder the evil star gods were unwilling to accept defeat and become domesticated animals, secretly plotting to make a comeback.

[After a long wait, the carriage finally stops…]

[The carriage door opens. You are in a deserted wilderness. Through the mist ahead, you can see the outline of a mountain ridge, and Ramsey Abyss Cave lies at the foot of that mountain.]

[You move deeper into the mist and quickly catch sight of the cave entrance.]

[There is a layer of light membrane over the entrance, visible to the naked eye.]

[Upon closer inspection, the membrane is a magical barrier formed by countless tiny characters and can block anyone from entering.]

[Do you wish to enter Ramsey Abyss Cave?]

Lin Xun knew that he would probably have to resort to brute force, destroying the magic formation that sealed the cave entrance before he could enter.

[Just as you are about to approach the entrance and cast a spell, the Multivision Branch Association President Badge you carry flickers with light.]

[The light membrane over the cave entrance splits open, revealing a passage…]

[You can now enter the cave unobstructed…]

[The prohibition of the exploration period is, on the surface, aimed at all scholars. However, as President of the Branch Association, you naturally possess certain privileges that seem unknown to the public yet are actually common knowledge…]

[Entering the abyssal cave during the prohibition period is one of your many privileges.]

Lin Xun twitched the corner of his mouth. No matter what world it was, class privilege existed.

Ramsey Abyss Cave did not differ much from the abyssal cave he had explored in the fourth major volume. Inside was the same winding, gloomy scene.

The only real difference was that the demons in Ramsey Abyss Cave were lower in rank and not as numerous as he had imagined.

Carrying two top demigod level mage shells, Lin Xun had no difficulty at all dealing with groups of low-ranking demons. His sweeping, invincible mowing of enemies could practically be called one-click clearance.

However, he did not let his guard down. According to the intelligence he had obtained from the Polar Star Society,

Somewhere in a corner at the deepest part of the cave was the site where the demons conducted their sacrificial rituals.

There, demons of the Demon Overlord level, which was top demigod level, would appear.

Since the Starrealm Envoy in his Shell Slots had not participated in the Abyss expedition, and his colleagues and superiors had not brought him along to fight as a team, his memories contained no specific knowledge of where the sacrificial ritual took place.

Lin Xun could only search one branching passage after another.

Fortunately, the monsters here were not strong, and he could summon several creatures such as Valkyrie and Nine-Tailed Fox to search separately.

After spending most of the day, he finally found something.

[…]

[Led by the shikigami Snow Woman, you pass through one branching tunnel after another and arrive at the unusual place she discovered.]

[The narrow passage ahead suddenly opens up…]

[On the open ground in the near distance, there are many bright red markings and lines.]

[These markings and lines, arranged according to some pattern, form a huge circular magic formation.]

[You know that this is the magic formation demons use to conduct their sacrificial rituals.] 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

[You step into the magic formation, crouch down, and touch the bright red markings with your fingertip.]

[The blood left by the demons is still fresh. You do not know whether this is due to some special effect of the magic formation, or because the demons have recently held another sacrificial ritual.]

[You linger here for a long time and do not discover any other abnormalities.]

[Do you wish to go back the way you came?]

Ignoring the option, Lin Xun opened the Inventory and clicked on that particular item.

[Abyss Horn (Special Item): A rough horn made from a gigantic horn. It carries a strong primitive style and seems not to have been crafted by humans.]

[Blow this horn at a specific location and something you never expected will occur.]

According to the previous information, that demigod level Demon Overlord had blown the horn here and then been teleported away.

[Do you wish to blow the Abyss Horn here?]