Revised Version
“Is this… the original structure?” Wu Wei murmured in awe as he gazed at the Abyss Hatching Pool before him.
“From Level 1 units all the way to Level 100, all can be recruited here,” he marveled. “And this is only a Level 1 building. If I upgrade it further, just how powerful would its recruitment become?”
He sighed, shaking his head. “But the cost is exorbitant.”
The price for the Abyss Hatching Pool was set at 10,000 resource points, while the Abyss Altar and Gate of the Abyss required 100,000 and 20,000 points respectively. Like his territory itself, buildings within it could be bought and upgraded, each presenting distinct benefits.
Unlike territory upgrades, which unlocked new building options such as the Heroic Spirit Altar for recruiting racial heroes, the Mage Tower for training and housing spellcasters, or advanced upgrades like the Forging Workshop for higher-tier equipment, standard building upgrades had a different focus. They typically enhanced unit recruitment options, reduced resource consumption, or shortened training times.
But the Abyss Hatching Pool broke all these conventional rules. It could summon all its units directly, without the usual requirements or recruitment constraints. As long as Wu Wei had the necessary resources, he could endlessly recruit from it.
“Wait… I need to activate it first.”
Wu Wei suddenly realized that the Abyss Hatching Pool was still in an inactive, “dry” state. In fact, it wasn’t just the Hatching Pool—the entire Abyss realm seemed dead and stagnant.
For hours, he hadn’t seen any sign of life: no animals, no plants. Everything was eerily silent. Only the vortex above the sky continued its endless rotation, making the abyss feel like a lifeless husk, devoid of vitality.
“The whole plane seems to be… dried up,” Wu Wei mused. The term applied not only to the Hatching Pool, covered in shriveled black tentacles, but to the entire Abyss itself.
“Still, whatever the condition of this plane, it has nothing to do with me. I need to focus on how to activate the Abyss Hatching Pool.”
Determined, Wu Wei sat on his Abyss Throne and looked up the activation method.
The solution was surprisingly simple:
[Activation Requirement: Invest 500 souls.]
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Seeing this, Wu Wei let out a sigh of relief. This was a manageable demand.
Ordinary souls, also known as Soul Stones, were sold in the Heavenly Dao Mall at a rate of 1 resource point per stone. With his initial 1,500 resource points—thanks to the 1.5x multiplier he received during selection—this would be a trivial expense.
“So, the ‘dry state’ can be resolved with Soul Stones. It makes sense; after all, this is an initial structure. If it were too challenging to activate, no one would be able to start using it.”
Wu Wei glanced at the dormant Hatching Pool and then turned to a nearby, gate-like structure.
“This should be the Gate of the Abyss,” he muttered. Curious, he accessed its information.
[Gate of the Abyss: Ignores any plane crystal wall rules and opens a two-way, indestructible but cancellable teleportation channel.]
“Ignore plane rules? Indestructible? Two-way teleportation?” Wu Wei’s eyes widened. He reread the description several times to make sure he wasn’t misunderstanding it.
“Could this be… a basic building?”
Portals were usually highly advanced structures, typically unavailable until at least Level 3. Their cost was immense, and they were fragile, prone to destruction. Yet, portals were indispensable for rapid expansion and resource gathering. Most lords required a functioning portal to access the Trial Continent and accumulate enough resources to pass their assessments.
The lord trials demanded one of two criteria: either establish a Level 10 territory, ensuring it could withstand any attacks, or gather 100,000 resource points by the end of the trial. The latter requirement was daunting, as few territories had rich enough surroundings to generate such wealth through traditional means like farming or mining.
The Trial Continent, however, was a game-changer. Created by the Heavenly Dao system, it was a one-time event filled with an abundance of resources. Most new lords would establish colonies there through portals, gather what they needed, and return. Yet, this strategy carried risks—other lords would not hesitate to raid your portal, steal your resources, and obliterate your efforts.
To succeed, a lord needed more than just peasants or civilian units. They needed a strong army capable of defending their outposts and maintaining control of resource sites.
Wu Wei, however, already had a portal in place from the beginning. He couldn’t decide if this stroke of fortune was good or bad. On the one hand, his starting environment was devoid of resources, but on the other, he hadn’t even begun, and already he had a complete set of war structures ready to deploy.
“Wait, I get it…”
Wu Wei’s gaze shifted between the Abyss Altar, the Abyss Hatching Pool, and the Gate of the Abyss, slowly piecing it all together.
“This place was a war machine.”
He looked up at the swirling vortex above, a realization dawning on him.
The vortex seemed to respond to his gaze, the eye-like center staring back.
“The Endless Abyss isn’t designed to produce resources—it was never meant for that.” He glanced at the barren landscape stretching for miles, dotted with the skeletal remains of ancient beasts. “It exists solely to wage war!”
“It’s a living engine of conquest, thriving on plunder and endless battles.”
“Supporting war with war, provoking continuous conflict—this is the true nature of the Endless Abyss.”
Wu Wei’s eyes gleamed with clarity. He finally saw the design behind this place. It wasn’t a traditional territory. It was a ruthless mechanism meant to devour and conquer.
His previous doubts and frustrations dissipated. This was what he was meant to command—a war machine!
With renewed vigor, Wu Wei stepped forward, exchanging 500 resource points for 500 Soul Stones. He dropped them, one by one, into the Abyss Hatching Pool.
“Boom!”
The instant the Soul Stones made contact, the shriveled black tentacles around the Hatching Pool recoiled, and the entire Abyss rumbled with a deep, eerie roar—a roar of a war machine awakening from its long slumber.
“My favorite conflict, the one I’ve always craved—an endless war…”
Wu Wei looked up at the sky, his gaze locking with the ominous, swirling vortex above.
“Is it finally about to begin?”
A wild grin spread across his face. The yearning he had suppressed for so long was finally given a chance to be unleashed.