The Steel Sky, a colossal ship thoroughly enhanced by the Light Vein Runes and resembling a mobile sacred fortress, did not proceed with the caution of an ordinary vessel. Instead, it charged straight toward the twisted and torn rift in the Howling Abyss with an almost tyrannical and terrifying force that seemed to declare its sovereignty!

The core emblem on the bow of the ship, which resembled a miniature sun, suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly intense light. The pure power of the light veins condensed into an extremely solid spear of light, which pierced the rift first!

"Sizzle—!"

The laws of light and shadow collided violently at the entrance of the rift like never before, producing a tearing roar as if the world had just been created!

Those shadow energy tentacles that had been hovering around the rift for years, trying to erode reality, melted and retreated rapidly under the impact of this extreme light, just like ice and snow encountering the blazing sun!

The distorted and uncertain boundaries of the crack itself were temporarily "expanded" and "solidified" under this powerful light pressure!

At that very moment, Linde in the control room had a flash of purple light in his eyes, and the long-dormant [Shadow Abyss Aura] quietly activated.

In stark contrast to the intense light energy emanating from the ship's exterior, a cold, deathly aura, carrying an aura of absolute nothingness and devouring, emanated from Linde's body, precisely integrating into his control over the rift.

This is not confrontation, but "guidance".

He forcibly opened a path and stabilized the passage with the power of the light veins, and then used the [Shadow Abyss Aura] to simulate the "frequency" of the Shadow Abyss itself, as if showing a pass to tell this chaotic dimension: this is "of the same kind", and allows it to pass.

A massive, relatively stable, dark portal, large enough to allow passage through the steel sky, suddenly opened deep within the rift amidst the interplay and collision of light and shadow!

The steel sky did not slow down in the slightest. Countless light vein runes on the ship's hull operated at full power, supporting an indestructible "reality stability field." Like a cold-blooded god, it boldly entered the tunnel leading to the other side of the world!

There was no turbulence or distortion caused by the violent spatial transformation; the ship's voyage was incredibly smooth.

Only the rapidly changing, indescribable torrent of bizarre colors outside the window indicated that they were traversing a dimensional gap unimaginable to ordinary people.

After a short voyage, the view ahead suddenly opened up!

A terrifying scene, boundless, deathly silent yet clamorous, rushes towards you!

The Steel Sky has officially entered the Shadow Abyss.

There is no sky, no earth here; or rather, the traditional concepts of time and space lose their meaning here.

As far as the eye could see, there was a chaotic darkness, where countless twisted, indescribable shadow creatures spontaneously generated, wriggled, devoured and annihilated each other in the void, emitting subtle hissing and howling that directly affected the soul and drove people mad.

In the distance, a "mountain range" seemingly composed of frozen despair and fragments of memory drifts slowly; deeper still, a "sea" composed of the final sedimentation of all things, a silent and noisy expanse, exudes an eternal attraction and coldness.

The scene here was exactly the same as when Linde observed it through the small crack last time; it was still that ultimate void that could drive any living being insane.

However, amidst this absolute silence and chaos, one entity reacted in a completely different way—

Weiss.

That singularity life form, nurtured by the forces of Shadow Abyss and Reality within a specially designed cabin, and "revitalized" by Lind.

The instant the steel sky broke through the rift and officially entered the Shadow Abyss, two faint points of light suddenly lit up in her previously empty eye sockets, like a dormant volcano suddenly awakening!

Her slender body, seemingly composed of the purest shadows, began to tremble slightly, not from fear, but from an indescribable excitement and longing, like a prodigal son finally returning home, or a hungry traveler smelling the aroma of a feast.

She even unconsciously stretched out her pale little hand, pointing towards the hatch.

A sound pierced through the thick hull and reached Lind's ears.

“Father, I can feel that thing deep inside… His sigh…”

Linde's voice rang out directly in her mind through the magic network, calm and undisturbed: "Come to the bridge deck."

Soon, Weiss arrived at the bridge entrance.

Linde turned around and his gaze fell on her.

Here, in the Shadow Abyss environment, Vice's presence became exceptionally strong. The Shadow Abyss aura that naturally emanated from her body resonated strongly with the outside world, as if she were a part of this void sea.

However, the deck of the Steel Sky was covered with light vein runes used to resist the corruption of the Shadow Abyss. These runes were like scorching hot irons to Vice, making her instinctively uncomfortable and repulsed, and she dared not easily set foot on them.

She stopped at the edge of the deck, pacing anxiously, looking at Lind and making a wronged sound.

As Linde looked at her, who seemed to want to get closer but dared not, a very faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation seemed to flash in his cold eyes.

He stepped forward slowly, unexpectedly bent down, reached out, and picked up the petite and light-footed Weiss in his arms.

Weiss's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed.

She even instinctively shrank closer to Lind, as if seeking warmth, pressing her cheek against his chest—even though there was only a cold, hard crystalline shell there.

Linde held the "daughter" born of nothingness and chaos as if she were holding a weightless shadow, and once again cast her gaze toward the boundless, eerie, and magnificent Shadow Abyss beyond the bridge.

Weiss in his arms quieted down. She tilted her head and looked out at the homeland that had nurtured her and almost swallowed her. Her empty eye sockets flickered with an uncertain light, as if she was thinking about something or following some kind of instinct.

"Vise, are you hungry?"

Weiss nodded obediently.

"Father, I'm hungry..."

Linde smiled, condensed a "candy" from his crystal skeleton, and handed it to Weiss.

Viss was delighted with the candy and put it in her mouth to absorb it.

Linde, however, turned to look into the distance.

Linde's mental power merged with the sensors of the Steel Sky, spreading like an invisible giant net across this desolate sea.

He was not aimless.

Based on the knowledge he gained from the Land of the Fallen, and the faint guidance from the small fragment of Nocturnus in his palm, he could sense that in the deepest part of this Shadow Abyss, at the bottom of the ocean where all things eventually settle, lay his goal—

Lord of the Shadow Abyss, the place where Nocturnus fell.

"Set course, coordinates depth 74 to Alpha." Lind's voice rang out in the control room, cold and firm. "Full speed ahead. Let's go... to 'pay homage' to this ancient 'remains'."

The steel sky emitted a deep, almost swallowing hum. The light vein runes on the ship's hull adjusted slightly, creating a stable force field. Like a sharp blade cleaving through the black tide, it resolutely sailed towards the endless, deep, unknown, and dangerous final core of the Shadow Abyss.

Weiss, nestled in his arms, seemed to sense the immense, yet equally profound, call from the deepest depths, her eyes fixed on the profound darkness.