Chapter 58: Gauging Combat Strength, the Abyss Must Be Destroyed!
Within the Undead Space, as the light of the purple sun in the sky gradually converged, the vast infusion of energy also slowly subsided. Electrolux hovered quietly, the oppressive aura radiating from his body now firmly stabilized at a whole new level—that of a Second-Rank Deity.
He clenched his fist slightly, feeling the divine power surging and flowing within his body—vastly more immense and pure than before—and the incredibly clear, intimate connection between his divine soul and this Undead Space. A powerful sense of wielding laws, of words shaping reality, spontaneously arose.
Now, he was the undisputed master of this Undead Space; his will was the will of this land.
Lei Chen looked at Electrolux, whose aura was as deep and boundless as the sea, and nodded with satisfaction.
A complete Second-Rank Deity was undoubtedly a crucial strategic asset for the current Douluo Plane.
"Your divine rank has stabilized. Congratulations, Electrolux," Lei Chen spoke calmly. "Now that your strength is fully restored, even surpassing your former self, you are the second strongest existence in this plane, second only to me."
Electrolux withdrew the divine light surrounding him, faced Lei Chen, and performed an elegant bow, his tone sincere: "All thanks to the Plane Master's assistance. Without your full support, Electrolux would never have reached this day."
Lei Chen waved his hand dismissively, then shifted the topic: "However, your current situation is rather similar to mine not long ago."
A flicker of thought passed through Electrolux's eyes.
Lei Chen continued: "Although you now possess the divine power and rank of a Second-Tier God, you lack a divine artifact that matches you and can perfectly unleash your strength. Crushing lower-tier beings with your higher rank is naturally effortless. But when facing enemies of the same level or stronger, lacking a suitable divine artifact would inevitably put you at a disadvantage."
Upon hearing this, Electrolux immediately understood. As a grandmaster of Alchemy, he naturally knew full well how crucial a divine artifact perfectly attuned to oneself was for enhancing combat power.
Not only did his expression show no difficulty, but a confident smile, belonging to a top-tier alchemical master, appeared on his face: "Forging a divine artifact is no difficult matter for me."
He paused, a glimmer of recollection flashing in his eyes: "In my home plane, at the peak of my power, I once personally forged creations known as 'great divine artifacts.' Their might was not far from that of a true Super Divine Artifact."
"Now that my divine soul and physical body are fully restored, and with the foundation of a Second-Tier God's rank, I am fully confident in forging a divine artifact suitable for my current use. It will just require some time to gather appropriate materials and complete the forging process."
Hearing Electrolux's words, Lei Chen also nodded in understanding.
He naturally had no worries about Electrolux's artifact-forging capabilities, so he said directly: "That's good then. You may forge the divine artifacts you need on your own. If you have any material requirements, you may also mobilize the plane's resources."
"Thank you. I will begin preparations shortly," Electrolux nodded in agreement.
Seeing that matters with Electrolux were properly arranged and required no further attention from him, Lei Chen did not linger. His figure flickered and dissipated on the spot like a gentle breeze, leaving the Undead Space.
...
Returning to the Plane Origin Sea, Lei Chen's focus once again turned towards the Abyss Plane, filled with greed and destructive aura, constantly approaching through the depths of cosmic space. With a powerful enemy imminent, he needed to calmly assess the strength comparison between his side and the opponent.
As far as he knew, the top combatant of the Abyss Plane was undoubtedly the Abyssal Saint Lord, whose strength was unquestionably at the level of a First-level Deity.
Moreover, the Abyssal Saint Lord wielded a Super Divine Artifact—the heavenly saint abyss splitting halberd. This halberd possessed terrifying offensive power with the characteristic of ignoring defenses, ranking among the strongest offensive Super Divine Artifacts.
Looking at his own side, Lei Chen himself was the Plane Master with the rank of a First-level Deity. He also possessed a Super Divine Artifact, the Life Guardian Divine Armor. Although primarily defensive, its nature as a Super Divine Artifact was sufficient to withstand the Sharpness of the heavenly saint abyss splitting halberd.
On the offensive front, he had the growth-type Nine Heavens Thunderstrike Sword. Although currently only at the level of an ordinary divine artifact, its potential and compatibility with himself were extremely high.
"From this perspective, at the apex of combat power, a rough equilibrium can be formed between me and the Abyssal Saint Lord. He has First-level God cultivation plus a Super Divine Artifact for offense; I have First-level God cultivation plus a Super Divine Artifact for defense. Neither can gain an advantage over the other in a short time."
Lei Chen analyzed coolly in his heart.
However, a balance at the apex did not equate to stability in the overall battle.
The most terrifying aspect of the Abyss Plane lay in its vast mid-tier forces and endless hordes of Abyss Creatures.
Based on Lei Chen's perception and inferences from existing information, within the Abyss Plane, there were at least several dozen Abyssal Kings possessing strength equivalent to the human Limit Douluo level. The number of Abyss Creatures was counted in billions upon billions.
Looking at the Douluo Plane's side, the number of those currently confirmed to have reached the Limit Douluo level of strength, even including Soul Beasts, could be counted on one's fingers—less than ten top-tier combatants capable of facing the Abyssal Kings head-on. The numerical disparity was simply too vast.
In other words, once Lei Chen and the Abyssal Saint Lord were locked in a stalemate, mutually restraining each other and unable to intervene in the lower-tier battles...
Then, those several dozen Abyssal Kings at the Limit Douluo level, leading the endless Abyss legions, would be sufficient to slaughter the Douluo Plane's high-tier combatants in a short time, and subsequently devour the life force of the entire plane.
This was undoubtedly a fatal vulnerability.
No matter how powerful he, the Plane Master, was, if the plane's lifeforms were slaughtered and devoured, damaging the plane's origin, he would become like a tree without roots, his strength greatly diminished.
"However..." Lei Chen's gaze sharpened, "now, we have Electrolux!"
Electrolux's existence was undoubtedly the greatest variable to overturn this disadvantage!
A Necromancer Saint God in perfect condition, possessing the strength of a Second-Rank Deity, held extraordinary significance.
In Lei Chen's projections, when he and the Abyssal Saint Lord formed a stalemate at the highest level, Electrolux would be free to act.
A Second-Tier God intervening in a First-level God battle might be beyond his capability, but dealing with those Abyssal Kings, whose peak strength was only at the Limit Douluo level, would be absolute suppression!
He absolutely had the ability to clear the field in a short time, resolving all those several dozen Abyssal Kings along with the armies they led.
"Thus, at the high-tier combat level, I am on par with the Abyssal Saint Lord. At the mid-tier level, with Electrolux as this crucial piece, we can reverse the situation."
"Even... if we can seize the opportunity, there is a great possibility of counter-devouring the Abyss Plane."
Thinking of this, a gleam of light instantly flashed in Lei Chen's eyes.
The very reason he had spared no expense in consuming origin power to help Electrolux fully recover the moment he sensed the Abyss Plane heading this way was precisely because he recognized his immense value as a strategic variable.
With Electrolux, the Douluo Plane's chances of victory against the Abyss invasion had risen from a fifty-fifty split to over seventy percent!