The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 330. Encounter with Abyss Hunters

Some small snakes slithered across the surface of a vast, dark lake. The lake itself stretched endlessly, as large as a sea, its black waters hiding countless unknown monsters beneath the surface. Occasional ripples hinted at predatory creatures shifting below—some sharp-finned, others long and serpentine. The air above was misty, filled with the faint scent of minerals, rot, and wet decay.

Yet, amidst that eerie stillness, a strange procession was underway.

In the heart of the lake, a series of wooden planks, fastened together in a long formation, floated like a funeral raft. Upon them rested a massive, snake-like creature—its body easily spanning over a hundred meters, its scales shimmering with an ethereal blue light that glowed even in the oppressive darkness. Despite its majestic appearance, the beast was long dead. One of its enormous golden eyes was pierced through by a massive black spear, the wound still emanating faint traces of abyssal energy.

Around the corpse, dozens of slaves labored silently. Each of them had a strange lamp hanging from their necks, but instead of candles, glowing luminous butterflies flapped their wings within the glass casings, radiating soft light. The butterflies pulsed gently, making sure the Abyss Energy won’t corrode them.

As the floating platform slowly moved across the lake, many of the native monsters fled in fear. Even dead, the aura of the serpent dragon instilled instinctual dread in lesser creatures.

Far away from the center of the lake stood a small island—roughly a hundred and fifty meters in diameter. It was barren, desolate, nothing but cracked stone and dust. At its center stood a large, weathered rock, shattered in many places, bearing signs of having been struck repeatedly by immense force. This was no ordinary island—it was a scar on the land, a remnant of some ancient battle or unknown ritual.

Above the island, a spatial crack shimmered into existence—unstable, jagged, rippling like torn fabric. One by one, figures fell through, descending from the rift like shooting stars.

Tyler and his group had arrived.

As they landed, the ground trembled beneath them, another crater forming on top of the many that already marred the island. The sound of impact echoed across the lake, briefly disturbing the surrounding silence.

"Scan the moons," Tyler commanded without hesitation.

One of the Grandmasters nodded, soaring into the sky. His Divine Sense spread far and wide, piercing the heavy fog above. A few moments later, he returned, his expression serious.

"There are countless moons," he reported.

Tyler let out a breath of relief. "Good... That means we’re not on the deepest floor."

The others also relaxed slightly at his words.

Tyler took out a compass from his robes—an intricate artifact with multiple rotating rings and glowing runes. The needle kept wobbling back and forth, unable to settle. Still, Tyler picked a direction and began walking.

But then, his steps halted. His eyes narrowed.

"...Huh?"

His blood surged—an uncontrollable resonance that made his skin tingle and his veins pulse.

"Something’s over there," he muttered, pointing toward a distant stretch of the lake’s edge.

"I can’t sense anything," one of the Grandmasters frowned, scanning the area.

"I don’t know what it is, but my blood is... boiling. It’s like there’s a powerful opportunity waiting," Tyler said, his tone more serious now.

"Should I go take a look?" asked another Grandmaster, the one who wielded a Lava Domain.

"That might be dangerous," Tyler said cautiously.

"I’ll just scout and come right back. Don’t worry," the Grandmaster insisted, already preparing his flight talisman.

"Alright, we’ll wait here on the island," Tyler agreed after a moment.

As the Grandmaster took off, another one scoffed. "Why is he so eager? Reckless idiot."

Tyler just shrugged. "Let him be. He’s strong. He’ll manage."

Meanwhile, the Lava Domain Grandmaster flew swiftly through the mist, a smug grin forming on his face. As he soared, he quietly activated a Concealment Talisman, veiling his aura.

"Heh... I didn’t expect to sense a dragon presence in the Abyss," he thought to himself. "It resonated with my Lava Dragon Bloodline. That means there’s either a real dragon or some dragon-related treasure down there... How fortunate."

His eyes gleamed. "Tyler must have a dragon bloodline too, if he sensed it. But I didn’t feel anything from him. Must have some kind of hidden method."

His thoughts were interrupted as he approached the lake’s edge. Then, he froze mid-air.

His eyes widened at the sight before him.

Floating on wooden planks was a massive dragon corpse. Its sheer size and the faint draconic aura it emitted made his blood roar in excitement. He gulped, overwhelmed by the desire to claim it.

"But... to kill such a beast... and drag it across the lake with so many slaves..." he muttered, eyes narrowing, "Whoever did this must be no ordinary group. An Abyss Hunter faction, most likely."

He hesitated, calculating. "If I bring Tyler and the other Grandmasters, we might stand a chance to—"

His thoughts were abruptly cut short.

A massive shadow rose silently from the water behind him. Before he could react, an 8 foot Giant man swung his fist at him, his clenched fist slamming directly into the Grandmaster’s chest like a boulder.

The Grandmaster was hurled through the air like a broken doll.

He tried to stabilize midair, coughing blood, but the giant vanished in a blur and reappeared above him—its body crashing down with a thunderous body slam.

A wave exploded outward, creating small tsunamis across the lake. Water surged in all directions, crashing onto distant shores.

The Grandmaster roared in pain and fury, activating his Lava Domain instantly. Lava gushed from beneath the water, illuminating the surroundings with fiery orange light. He leapt upward, trying to escape.

A massive hand, webbed and clawed, reached from the water and grabbed his leg mid-air. The moment it did, his domain cracked like fragile glass, shattering with a loud shriek.

"No—!"

The giant seized him with both hands and delivered a brutal headbutt.

Boom!

The Grandmaster’s head cracked violently, blood spurting out on impact.

"This is our prey. No one’s stealing it," the giant growled.

He slammed his head forward again—this time, with such force that the Grandmaster’s skull bursted like a watermelon.

A soul flew away from Grandmaster’s body. It’s his Nascent soul. But the giant easily grabbed it and crushed it.

The Grandmaster was dead.

"What are you doing? The thief is right here!" A seductive fox lady flew toward the giant, casually holding the corpse of a humanoid wolf in her hand.

The giant scratched his head in confusion and glanced at the headless body he was still holding. "Then... who’s this?"

"How should I know? Ask the headless corpse yourself." She rolled her eyes. "Stop killing people at random—we need more slaves, not fewer."

She tossed the corpse she was holding aside as if she hadn’t just killed someone herself.

The giant looked down at the headless body in his grasp and muttered, "So... who are you, then?"

---

Back on the island—more precisely, beneath the island—lay a massive concealed space hidden from the surface world. A translucent dome-like barrier encompassed the area, forming a giant bubble under the rocky terrain. The interior was laced with powerful concealment arrays, ancient runes glowing faintly along the edges of the dome.

Within the protective bubble, Tyler and his group waited patiently. The concealment array was so potent that even those beneath the Immortal Realm wouldn’t be able to detect a trace of their presence.

"I mean... if he provoked some powerful existence, just being careful." Tyler said, arms folded across his chest.

The others nodded in agreement. In Abyss, It wasn’t uncommon to encounter bizarre or dangerous entities that defied logic—or reason.

"Hmm... he’s taking too much time," one of the grandmasters muttered, casting a glance toward the barrier edge, where an exit portal shimmered faintly. His brows furrowed. "It shouldn’t have taken this long."

"Should we send another scout?" Tyler asked.

All heads turned toward him briefly before shaking in unison.

Tyler sighed. "Alright, then we should—"

He paused abruptly, his voice cutting off mid-sentence. His expression darkened as his head snapped to one side, eyes narrowing.

"Someone’s coming," he said in a low voice.

The group tensed immediately.

The grandmasters exchanged glances, startled at first—then serious. They quickly retracted their divine sense and went completely still, masking their presence even further. No one spoke. The air in the bubble turned heavier, filled with anticipation and wariness.

How did he sense it before us? one grandmaster thought silently, slightly impressed despite the situation. Tyler was only at the Master level, yet his senses were keen—sharper than even those of cultivators many realms above him.

A moment later, a faint fluctuation rippled above the island’s surface.

Outside the bubble, a figure streaked across the sky—elegant, fast, and graceful. It was a fox woman, her long tails flowing behind her like trails of ethereal mist. Her eyes gleamed as she scanned the area, hovering mid-air and sweeping her gaze across the island.

Her presence was overwhelming, oppressive even at a distance.

"Divine Seeker Realm..." one of the grandmasters whispered, voice barely audible.

"Definitely," another muttered, his expression grave. "That aura... she’s not someone we want to mess with."

The fox woman lingered in the air for a moment longer, seemingly sensing something faint—but ultimately, she turned away, her elegant figure soaring into the distance like a phantom in the wind.

Everyone inside the bubble released a collective breath.