Chapter 1047 Lower Abyss Domain
"Interesting… How very interesting… To think there are many tribes thriving down here… So this is where the spirit energy goes," Leon uttered thoughtfully.
If the region of tree roots and vines around the Celestial Wood Spark was considered the middle abyss domain, then they were currently in the lower abyss domain.
The situation in the lower abyss domain was quite different from the upper abyss domain.
There were bountiful amounts of plants, water, and life in the lower abyss domain.
Ignoring the western jungle, the lower abyss domain could be said to be more flourishing than the rest of the Dark Abyss Continent.
"What did you find out, Master?" Rainshine asked curiously.
"There are several races that live down here. It's not just a world of insects. Furthermore, these races are quite specialized in their crafts," Leon stated.
After connecting his consciousness to the earth, Leon also found out that although the abyss didn't reach the core, it extended down to the mantle layer.
Furthermore, the subterranean world was home to some powerful insect races at this depth in the abyss.
Besides ants, Leon also found centipedes, worms, beetles, and spiders among the other myriads of insect races in the subterranean world.
However, these insects listed left the most impression on him due to their sheer size. They were enormous. And with such sizes usually comes with matching strength.
And among the listed insects, the ants appeared to be the most prominent. Perhaps, the whole abyss was just one big ant hole.
Nevertheless, Leon didn't doubt that these incredibly giant insects that reach the size of six-story buildings and possibly bigger were all Paragons.
Despite that, the dark elves and dwarven races still managed to thrive down here.
"Is it really possible for people to live down here, Master?" Rainshine frowned with doubt.
Forget whether it was possible to live in the abyss. Who would want to live in such a dark and gloomy place anyway?
"Of course, it is possible," Leon asserted.
"Have you forgotten all about the plants we passed? The Celestial Wood Spark allows plants to thrive, even in a lightless world like this, and provides air for everyone to breathe. There is also plenty of food and water down here."
Nevertheless, the overabundance of air, food, and water only allowed the dark elves and dwarves to live in the abyss.
What allowed them to survive against the hordes of powerful insects was their mastery of runes and formations, which relied on the spirit energy they extracted from all the plants.
"Let's go and meet the dark elves first. Hopefully, they are friendly and capable of communication," Leon added.
In the present abyss region, there were numerous cave entrances much bigger than the ones found near the surface. In fact, they were multiple times bigger—big enough for the Paragon-level ants to pass through.
Roughly six thousand feet deeper from their present location was one of many such cave entrances. However, this one was sealed off by a smooth metal gate filled with runic engravings.
Despite the complete darkness in the abyss, the metal gate had a soft silver shine and slightly illuminated the area.
One of the dark elves' settlements lies on the other side of the silver gate.
Just as Leon descended on the platform ground before the silver gate and stepped into the light, a rumbling sound was suddenly heard from another cave entrance seven hundred feet away.
It was the rapid movements of a giant ant.
"It seems like our presence has already attracted some attention," Leon casually commented as a Paragon-level Black Ant rushed out of the cave entrance—or rather, it was an ant tunnel.
After the first Paragon-level Black Ant came out, a second one appeared, then a third, a fourth, and a fifth.
The Paragon-level Black Ant didn't come alone. It came in a squad of five.
However, the other four black ants were noticeably smaller and weaker. Evidently, the Paragon-level Black Ant was the squad leader.
Moments later, the black ants locked onto Leon and Rainshine as if they were looking at food. At the same time, Leon stared back at them as if he was looking at quality materials.
Their carapaces would make great armor and weapons.
Shortly after the Paragon-level Black Ant made crackling sounds to signal its squad members to attack, the whole squad charged right after.
"Hmph!" Rainshine snorted.
"Leave them to me, Master. There's no need for Master to personally make a move against these insects. I alone am enough!"
After throwing out those words, Rainshine hopped off Leon's shoulder and dashed towards the black ant squad crawling along the rocky wall towards them.
"Be careful not to lose your footing," Leon warned.
The ground platform was not small, but the space was still limited. If Rainshine loses her footing or is even flung off by the black ants, it would be a straight plunge down the deep abyss for her.
Within moments, Rainshine clashed with the squad of black ants.
Screech!
A high-pitch screech sounded as Rainshine swiped at the Paragon-level Black Ant in front with her sharp claws.
However, contrary to Rainshine's expectation, she failed to tear the Paragon-level Black Ant's hard head apart and only left a long white scratch on it.
The sight immediately startled her.
At the same time, the Paragon-level Black Ant counterattacked, snapping back at Rainshine with its giant mandibles.
Snap!
The Paragon-level Black Ant snapped at the empty air as Rainshine evaded its attack.
Although she was caught off guard by the Paragon-level Black Ant's defense, her nimbleness allowed her to easily escape the clutches of the Paragon-level Black Ant's giant mandibles.
Nevertheless, the other four Rank 2 Transcendent-level Black Ants quickly followed up, forcing Rainshine to retreat back to the ground platform.
At the same time, Leon's eyes beamed.
He was well aware of the Winter Cat's sharp fangs and claws. And yet, the Paragon-level Black Ant's carapace was strong enough to withstand it.
Its defense was certainly impressive and all the more desirable.