The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 57

A fissure a hundred zhang wide spanned from north to south, and beneath it was an abyss so deep it seemed bottomless. Bai Meng looked down, but all he saw was endless darkness. Even when bathed in moonlight, one could barely make out the dim, swirling mist inside.

“Are you f*cking insane?! What kind of joke is this?!!!” Lan Wei cried out in shock and anger, trying to sit up. “Who the hell do you think you are?! You—”

“I’m the captain.”

Bai Meng’s expression was calm, instantly rendering Lan Wei speechless.

Whenever Bai Meng took something seriously, his face always carried a stern and profound look. No matter how brash or carefree he might usually be, once he made a decision, no one could change his mind.

“…Crazy…” Lan Wei clutched his hair in anguish, thoughts in disarray.

“I’m not going to die,” Bai Meng patted Lan Wei’s shoulder in comfort, but his hand was angrily slapped away by the other party.

“Not going to die, not going to die… And how the f*ck is this any different from going to die?!”

“Of course it’s different~” Bai Meng’s lips curved slightly. “The ones who go to die don’t return, but I’ll be back before you know it.”

Lan Wei: “……”

Lan Wei suddenly fell silent. Though he said nothing, Bai Meng could clearly read the expression on his face. It practically screamed, “Stop spouting utter bullshit.”

“Hey, hey, why do you all have so little faith in me…” Bai Meng groaned, covering his face in anguish.

“…If Little Captain has truly decided to go…” Mo Jiuge looked at him, his handsome face soft with warmth. “Then take me with you.”

Bai Meng was stunned. “…Jiuge, this isn’t—”

“I know,” Mo Jiuge cut him off. “But I forgot to mention, I happen to have a talisman on me that can conceal our presence. Avoiding the demons won’t be a problem.”

Bai Meng: “……”

“You’re from the Black Panther clan of the Richi Hall?” Lan Wei raised an eyebrow slightly, eyeing him with interest. Then he turned his gaze to Bai Meng. “Shorty, it seems the heavens haven’t abandoned us after all. Let Mo Jiuge go with you.”

“Lan Wei, don’t joke around…”

“I’m not joking,” Lan Wei said, his face relaxing into a casual expression. “Your vice-captain is something else.”

“Hm?”

“The Black Panther clan has a unique tradition. When their children are born, their fathers make talismans using the umbilical cord blood from the mother. Because the children are blessed by the Beast God, these talismans also carry protective powers and can conceal one’s presence from demons. The only catch is they can be used only once, and each beastman has only two in their lifetime… But due to that accident more than ten years ago, the Black Panther clan is rarely seen now…”

“But this is perfect,” Lan Wei pulled out a pile of items and handed them to Mo Jiuge. “You go with him, and use these to blow those bastards in the abyss to hell!!!”

Bai Meng: “……”

Bai Meng turned his head and stared straight at Mo Jiuge. The latter merely gave him a gentle smile. “Little Captain, you can only bring me with you.”

Bai Meng: “……”

I object to this kind of coercion and bribery.

……………

The canyon was a place untouched by light, and thus it harbored and nourished dark forces and demons. Beastmen yearned for light and refused to fall into darkness, yet the existence of the abyss was the darkest place in the world. If one merely stood on the cliff’s edge and looked down, the gale that blew up from the abyss felt like a pair of icy hands trying to drag them into the depths of darkness.

“Just wear this,” Mo Jiuge gently tied a triangular, thickly folded talisman with one of his own long hairs, then softly hung it around Bai Meng’s neck.

“……” Bai Meng touched the talisman at his neck. Looking into Mo Jiuge’s gentle eyes and features, he asked in a daze, “Will… Will this fall off?”

“It won’t.” Mo Jiuge blinked at Bai Meng. His eyes were clear and shallow, and the tea-brown irises gleamed with light. Bai Meng lifted his eyelids; the surrounding environment was dim, and he couldn’t clearly see the expression on Mo Jiuge’s face. All he could make out were those bright, shining eyes, filled with an unending gentleness. But in the next moment, Mo Jiuge covered Bai Meng’s eyes.

“Stop staring. If you keep looking, I’ll be letting the Hall Master down…”

Bai Meng, suddenly blindfolded: “???”

Bai Meng and Mo Jiuge stood at the edge of the cliff for a moment, then leapt together into the abyss, which stretched thousands of zhang deep.

Lan Wei: “……”

The others: “……”

Why does this scene feel… a bit off somehow?!

Only by being inside the abyss could one truly feel the cold, piercing winds that cut like blades, slicing skin inch by inch. The chill seeped into the bones. Countless demons let out shrill, wailing cries. Those cold and jarring sounds slithered into the ears like serpents and pierced deep into one’s senses. Wails of ghosts echoed all around—mournful, piercing, sharp. Anyone lacking a strong mind would likely have their soul pulled away and remain here forever.

With a sudden whoosh, a swarm of black creatures flew up from below, biting at Bai Meng’s skin. Fortunately, the talisman was working, and they only managed to bite his arm without causing major harm. However, moments later, Bai Meng felt a searing pain erupt from his arm. The bitten area throbbed with burning agony, while a cold, sinister energy began to seep into his body.

Bai Meng: “……”

What the hell, why does this feel so dizzying?! Do the demons in this abyss even have venom in their saliva?!

Completely caught off guard, Bai Meng hadn’t expected the creatures of the Abyss of Yu to be so bizarre. Gritting his teeth, he endured and drew out his massive, pure black Xuan-Tie sword. He swung it downward with brute force, cleaving the bat-like black creatures into halves. They tumbled to the ground in a flurry of flaps.

Bai Meng continued swinging, scattering the chilling wind that clung to him. Then he leapt downward, accelerating, stepping on his Xuan Iron sword as if it were a flying sword, soaring further into the depths.

The two landed at the bottom, surrounded by darkness. Bai Meng narrowed his eyes. In the distance, a faint light was being tossed around by a group of demons. Amid the gloom, their movements were starkly visible.

“Looks like a group of high-level demons…”

Bai Meng’s lips curved slightly. His pale, slender fingers gripped his sword hilt tightly, preparing to strike.

“We’ll split up,” came Mo Jiuge’s voice from the darkness, strangely hoarse and fatigued. “Little Captain, you go grab the pearl. I’ll stay here and blow up the demons. Once you hear the explosion, leave with the item immediately. We’ll meet back at the top…”

“But—”

“Little Captain, do you not trust my strength?” Mo Jiuge chuckled softly, his voice gentle. “Go.”

Bai Meng was silent for a moment, then ultimately did as Mo Jiuge said. As he released his grip, Bai Meng felt something sticky on his hand, but he didn’t pay it much attention. He channeled his Sheng energy beneath his feet and sped off.

Suddenly, a faint whisper from Mo Jiuge floated in on the wind, soft and rustling. But before Bai Meng could make it out clearly, massive explosions erupted one after another behind him. All he could do was accelerate and charge toward that lone glowing pearl in the abyss…

“…Little Captain… When we return, there’s something I want to tell you…”