Chapter 00500: The Ink River's Poison
# The Ink River's Poison
Chapter 500
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 500: The Ink River's Poison
The square-faced man examined Lan Xiaobu's storage ring with disdain before tossing it back.
"I've never seen a cultivator as poor as you. I can't fathom how you managed to join the Ink River Void exploration fleet. If you weren't cultivating with divine essence, I'd swear you were some immortal who just ascended from the lower realms."
Lan Xiaobu gave an awkward chuckle, knowing silence was the best response.
The man waved a hand dismissively.
"You're practically useless to our fleet, offering no real value."
Lan Xiaobu braced himself, expecting to be dismissed.
He planned to secretly mark the ship with a divine sense imprint and track it later.
But the man smirked.
"No major help, but you can still be of minor use. Take him to the lower deck to control the ship."
From start to finish, no one asked for Lan Xiaobu's name or origin.
"Move it, kid," a burly cultivator barked, his aura pressing down on Lan Xiaobu.
It was clear—any resistance would mean instant death.
Control the ship? Lan Xiaobu didn’t buy it for a second.
The ship had only two levels: the upper deck and the lower hold.
As soon as Lan Xiaobu stepped into the lower deck, he saw dense arrays covering every surface—all of them defensive formations.
The burly cultivator led him to a narrow opening barely a foot wide.
"Go in. Someone inside will tell you what to do."
Lan Xiaobu hesitated.
His divine sense couldn’t penetrate the opening—it was sealed by restrictions.
"Hurry up! If you delay our journey to the Ink River, you’re finished!" The man shoved Lan Xiaobu forward.
A sinking feeling settled in Lan Xiaobu’s chest.
He was just a random traveler—killing him shouldn’t have been necessary.
But with so many powerful cultivators aboard, resistance was futile.
The moment he stepped inside, a sharp click sounded behind him—the entrance had been sealed.
The chamber was pitch-black, but Lan Xiaobu’s divine sense quickly mapped the space.
It was small—about fifty square feet—lined with countless restrictions and arrays.
In one corner stood a sealed array gate, impervious to divine sense probing.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t dare scan the formations yet—he’d inspect them later.
Inside the cramped hold, twelve skeletal figures sat listlessly, their hollow eyes brimming with despair.
Their bodies were emaciated, as if all flesh had been stripped from their bones.
Among them, one slightly built man still carried a faint trace of vitality.
Lan Xiaobu approached him with a cupped fist.
"Friend, may I ask what we’re doing here?"
The man glanced at him with pity.
"You don’t know?"
Lan Xiaobu shook his head.
"No. I got lost in the Ink River Void and boarded this ship for directions. Next thing I knew, I was thrown in here."
The man chuckled darkly.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Lan Xiaobu retrieved a Mist Jade Immortal Fruit from his Cosmic Dimension Matrix and handed it over.
"Here, take this."
The man snatched it and devoured it in one bite, exhaling deeply.
"Good stuff..."
Then he froze, eyeing Lan Xiaobu suspiciously.
"Wait—how do you have a ninth-grade immortal fruit? They should’ve confiscated this."
Lan Xiaobu lowered his voice, casting a soundproof barrier.
"I hid it in my pocket. They only checked my ring and found nothing valuable."
"Clever."
The man gave a thumbs-up.
Lan Xiaobu grinned.
"I’m Lan Xiaobu. And you?"
"Pang Bulin. People call me Pang Pang—‘Fatty Pang’—because I used to be chubby. You can call me that too."
Lan Xiaobu stared at the skeletal figure before him. If this is ‘fat,’ then the entire universe must be obese.
Pang Bulin laughed bitterly.
"I’ve only been here two years, but it’s aged me a lifetime. If I hadn’t been fatter before, I’d be dead already. Brother Lan—"
"Just call me Xiaobu," Lan Xiaobu interjected, aiming to build rapport.
Pang Bulin nodded.
"Xiaobu and Xiaopang—fate must’ve brought us together. Do you know where this ship is headed?"
"Enlighten me," Lan Xiaobu said.
Pang Bulin frowned.
"Wait, you should know this."
Lan Xiaobu whispered, "I told you—I’m lost. They didn’t even question me properly."
"Ah… then your luck is truly terrible."
Pang Bulin sighed.
"This ship is bound for the Ink River, where they mine Ink Gold—the rarest forging material. Some even use it for cultivation. A fist-sized chunk can fetch a hundred low-grade divine crystals. For ordinary cultivators in the divine realm, nothing rivals its value."
So this really is the divine realm, Lan Xiaobu noted.
Pang Bulin continued, "To reach the Ink River, we must cross the Ink River Void. I don’t know how you ended up here, but look at us—this is what the void does. The ship needs to filter out Ink Poison during transit, and we’re the ones who clean it..."
"Hold on," Lan Xiaobu interrupted.
"I’ve flown through the Ink River Void for years and never encountered any poison."
Pang Bulin smirked.
"You must’ve used an immortal-grade flying artifact."
Lan Xiaobu nodded.
He had used one—though before that, he’d ridden the Cycle Cauldron.
"Immortal artifacts don’t attract Ink Poison. Only divine-grade vessels do. And this isn’t even the worst of it—wait until we cross the Ink Poison Abyss. The toxin will be so thick it’ll make your scalp crawl."Look closely at our ship.
The exterior is covered in diversion arrays meant to channel the poison down here.
Our job is to filter it out.
Do this long enough, and you’ll end up like us.""Then we die?"Lan Xiaobu’s heart sank. If death was certain, why bother? Pang Bulin shook his head."Not necessarily.
If we survive until we reach the Ink River, there’s a chance to live.
It’s an unspoken rule—everyone must be given a sliver of hope.
Otherwise, no one would agree to this.
But even if we survive, advancing further in cultivation will be near impossible.
Once Ink Poison seeps in, it never leaves."Lan Xiaobu scanned the lower deck’s barriers with his divine sense. If he tried to force his way out... Regardless, he began carving array runes—he refused to die from poison. Why not just use immortal-grade vessels instead of divine ones? Is it because they’re slower? Noticing Lan Xiaobu’s silence, Pang Bulin asked,"Xiaobu, which divine court are you from?""The Great Abyss Divine Court,"Lan Xiaobu answered offhandedly. Pang Bulin’s eyes widened. He lowered his voice."Xiaobu, the Great Abyss Divine Court was annihilated! Its territories were divided among the nine other divine monarchs.
How can you still claim allegiance?"Lan Xiaobu chuckled."We’re about to be poisoned to death—why hide it? What about you?""I’m from the Jingfang Divine Court.
Ever heard of Monarch Fang? He’s one of the nine divine monarchs, ranked in the top three."Pang Bulin grinned."Then why risk coming here?"Lan Xiaobu frowned. From what he’d heard, divine courts offered protection—even if the divine energy was sparse, survival was possible. Pang Bulin sighed."You think everyone under Jingfang gets to cultivate with divine energy? My Pang Clan sacrificed much for a tiny plot of land.
And even that was stolen.
They didn’t just take it—they slaughtered my entire clan.
Seven hundred thirty-six lives, gone.
I was the only one who escaped because I wasn’t home.""Aren’t you afraid of leaking this?"Lan Xiaobu asked. Pang Bulin scoffed."What’s the difference between living like this and dying? Besides, you didn’t hide your origins—why should I?"Before he could say more, a voice boomed through the hold:"Prepare for the Ink Poison Abyss crossing! All poison filters to their stations—now!"A hidden door slid open, revealing another muscular cultivator. Lan Xiaobu was stunned. There were others here—ones untouched by the poison, clearly the overseers. The man’s gaze locked onto Lan Xiaobu before pointing at him and Pang Bulin."You two—filter duty.
Move.
If a single speck of poison enters the cabin, don’t bother coming back."
(End of Chapter)