Virus King - Chapter 179

Chapter 179: Reload! I’m Really Pressed for Time!

TL: YYang

Above the boundless river, it seemed to flow endlessly.

Even the weakest grain of sand seemed incapable of swimming against the current of this mighty river. It could only be swept away by its ceaseless torrent, carried wherever the flow dictated.

And yet, for anything caught within this river, it appeared as though the stream would never come to a halt.

This river was known as the River of Time.

It was the embodiment of time itself, the supreme rule of the universe—possibly the most absolute of all.

However, within this river…

Within this seemingly eternal, unyielding current, something suddenly changed. The torrent began to slow dramatically, and in the next instant, the flowing waters began to reverse, inching backward.

It was as if a video had been played in reverse, the “rewind” button pressed. Everything, in that moment, seemed to retreat to the past.

A phantom-like figure emerged within the boundless expanse of the river, seated atop a small boat, steadily moving upstream against the reversing flow.

“Huff…”

Chen Bai gasped deeply for air.

The mysterious experience of treading the boundary between life and death contained an unfathomable profundity. To return to life through such an ordeal was something no one could truly fathom.

But Chen Bai had experienced it.

An infinite darkness seemed to engulf everything before his eyes.

This was the Abyss. This was the Abyssal Well.

Everything about it was hauntingly familiar, like an endless nightmare that one could never wake up from.

A perpetual cycle, continuing eternally without respite.

The confusion in Chen Bai’s eyes gradually faded.

However, the lingering fear brought by his journey between life and death still rippled within his heart, refusing to dissipate.

[Trialist’s state restored to its peak. Trial initiated!]

[Current 1st Layer Abyss Demon Lord: None. Extracting a past Demon Lord’s mark. Condensing a level 10 projection. Trialist, prepare yourself!]

The 1st layer…

As Chen Bai stared into the pitch-black darkness he knew so well, he finally snapped back to his senses. He hurriedly refocused his consciousness, merging it back into his own soul.

The illusory Time Hourglass reappeared in his hand, crystal clear and unmistakably vivid.

The hourglass, still as flawless and exquisite as ever, appeared to be the most perfect work of art in existence.

Chen Bai’s gaze locked firmly onto the hourglass’s unique ability:

[Return to the Past: Allows the user to return to any chosen point in the past (but cannot return to a time before entering the Abyssal Well). All gains obtained in the erased timeline will be completely nullified! (Cooldown: none)

“Huff…”

Chen Bai exhaled a long, deep breath, fully releasing all his concerns and anxieties.

As expected, this ability—which felt like exploiting a game-breaking glitch—had once again been restored!

It reactivated right after the Abyssal Will determined that all his abilities had been restored to their peak state.

Chen Bai ignored the familiar 1st Layer of the Abyss that had reappeared before him, as well as the same Demon Warrior, Balhe, who had materialized once again.

His entire focus was on the scene that had just played out moments ago!

Upon his death, he had immediately activated Time Reversal. But immediately afterward, he was slain again—utterly, with no chance of survival!

Shadow Sword Demon?!

What kind of profession was that?

And that Demon Lord from the 100th Layer—what exactly was that bizarre Imp?

However, Chen Bai was now one hundred percent certain that the Imp, that Demon Lord of the 100th Layer, had to be a level 70 or higher Lord!

In other words, the Lord of the 100th Layer of the Abyss was already on par with Pukashumi, the Plague Bishop who had sacrificed his own life for Chen Bai during their encounter!

In the later generations, across the myriad realms, beings who reached this level—those who completed the Third Awakening—could already be referred to as Saints.

In his previous life, Chen Bai’s power had precisely been at this stage and realm.

That was a Saint-level Demon Lord. Even though the Abyssal Will’s trial didn’t pit him against a true Saint, facing an opponent of the same level with the power of a Third Awakening profession was already too much for Chen Bai to handle.

That eerie speed, and the bizarre assassination techniques that emerged from the shadows—how were they even possible?!

Damn it. At this moment, Chen Bai actually found himself missing Demon Lords like Balhe.

They were chatty, weak, and there wasn’t a better opponent than him.

That strange Demon Lord, Gilbert, had made Chen Bai truly understand what it meant to “talk less, hit harder.”

No, correction—what it meant to be a demon that talked less and hit harder!

Shadows…

Chen Bai furrowed his brows. How could he counter such an unpredictable and undefendable technique?

Shadow Sword Demon—what kind of Third Awakening profession was that?

If he could figure out its previous profession paths, he might gain some insight into its abilities. If that were the case, Chen Bai might be able to come up with a way to counter it!

After all, in the entire God and Devil Trial Grounds, and across the myriad worlds, there were countless professions. Each profession had multiple viable options for its Second Awakening, not to mention the variety of possible paths for the Third Awakening. There could be several branches for just one base profession.

How could Chen Bai possibly know every single profession?

However, even if he didn’t know them all, it seemed he still had a chance to experiment!

He glanced once again at the slowly vanishing Time Hourglass. Chen Bai couldn’t help but marvel once more at its heaven-defying power.

Returning to the past—it truly meant returning to the past.

Time reversal, this godlike ability, actually existed.

Moreover, the combination of the Abyssal Will and the Time Hourglass created an effect that was practically a game-breaking glitch. Every time Chen Bai returned to the past, his state was fully restored to its peak. In other words, with the Time Hourglass, he could attempt death an unlimited number of times!

The gods weren’t lying when they said that no creature—not even the gods themselves—might be able to pass this trial.

Because this was just the trial of the 100th Layer, and it was already this difficult!

If he ventured deeper, he would encounter beings who possessed divine rank. Even if they were still level 10 like him, he would struggle to be their equal!

Without the Time Hourglass and its loophole-like mechanics, Chen Bai couldn’t even imagine how many times he would have already died. Not to mention this time—he had died completely, utterly beyond saving.

But with the ability to reload and retry, it seemed that was enough for him!

“What’s going on!? Wasn’t this king already dead?! How could I come back to life again?! The great Abyssal Will…”

Balhe’s excited roars echoed, sounding strangely familiar and oddly comforting at this moment.

But Chen Bai’s figure burst into action in an instant. With lightning speed, he evaded Balhe’s attack and plunged his weapon directly into the demon’s heart!

In his first battle, it had taken him nearly half an hour to bring Balhe down. This time, it was over in less than ten seconds.

As he watched the disbelieving Balhe fade into a phantom shadow, Chen Bai listened to the familiar prompts of the Abyssal Will in his ears and spoke aloud:

“Sorry. I’d really love to chat with you for a while longer. Honestly, I’ve just realized how much I appreciate talkative Demon Lords like you. But sorry, I’m really pressed for time!”