The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1443

Hao Xuan used the brief moment of respite to examine his surroundings as a dull, aching pain spread throughout his body.

His memories were a mess, old and new mixing together in a perfect blend of confusion and chaos, things from a future that should not have been or a past that never was, all coming together once again.

He was seeing and hearing things, things that made no sense. His own youthful figure aimlessly walking through a forest, following an old man and another child to some unknown destination.

He shivered.

Despite standing under the scorching heat he was feeling cold to the bone, as if his mind and body were connected across time and space to another.

This 'dissonance' only lasted for a moment before his senses returned to normal.

He was standing in the middle of two wastelands. On the right was a white sandy desert and on the left a scorched hellscape where nothing grew, but both went on far beyond his vision.

He looked up into the sky but could not find the sun, the very source of all this heat was nowhere in sight.

"Where am I?" he muttered in a low breath.

The frog demihuman had only walked a couple of steps and hearing Hao Xuan's words his ear drums twitched. He immediately stopped, "The abyss," replying without turning around, "The seventh layer to be exact. It is mostly known as-"

Hao Xuan's eyes narrowed as he finished his sentence, "The pits?"

The grin that had just appeared on the frog demihuman's froze, forcing him to turn around and take another look at him.

"Yes...the pits..." he mumbled, "Although not many that end up here are familiar with the name. Have you been down here before?" he cautiously inquired.

His next move was going to depend entirely on Hao Xuan's answer. If he was somehow a denizen of the abyss then most of the tricks up his sleeve would not work on him.

But to his relief Hao Xuan shook his head, "No, first time. But I have...'heard' about it from another person. I...should not be here," he muttered somberly.

The frog demihuman relaxed, letting out a throaty cackle.

"Huahuahua. No, no one should be here! Huahuahua!"

He came closer to inspect the human in a little more detail.

He was completely nude with nothing other than a simple amulet hanging from his neck. His arms were bound by chains that connected to the collar around his neck, an old but efficient method of forcefully keeping a rowdy slave in check.

'Rough calloused hands, body full of old scars, a powerful enough physique to withstand more than twenty lizardmen but...no sign of spiritual energy?'

His eyes narrowed to slits as he focused on Hao Xuan's abdomen and then the answer became clear.

'Aha, he is broken! Most probably a warrior from one of the clans from the fringe territories. Lost in battle, refused to submit so they shattered his energy center and enslaved him. But how did he end up here? Did he try to flee? Surely he understands there is no escape from the owner of that collar...it looks rather sophisticated.'

He circled Hao Xuan while taking mental notes of everything from the old injuries to the protruding muscles. They all told a story and he was listening intently.

'Interesting, how very interesting. He stands in the nude with no weapons to defend himself but there is no fear, not a hint of apprehension anywhere. He stands proudly, wearing only an amulet to remind him of his past life. He is sentimental but not soft, knowledgeable yet inexperienced in the ways of the chasm.'

'He has spilled blood and would not hesitate to do so again. A seasoned warrior valued enough by his enemies to be left alive and enslaved rather than killed. Yes, there is value indeed!' the frog demihuman's eyes twinkled with greed.

And while he was inspecting him Hao Xuan was doing the same in return.

'Its appearance matches the one I saw in the book Lord Yami gave me back then. A race of old beings ruled by their covetousness. It must be the master of these lizardmen then. Are they here to pick up more slaves?' he thought looking at the crowd of other naked humans cowering at the side.

The frog demihuman finished his analysis and stood before Hao Xuan with a puffed chest.

"I am Ogostin of the house Scarle! I am in charge of this little enterprise here. I see you are an educated human of affluence...despite your current state. Would you be so kind as to share your name?" he finished by extending a hand.

Hao Xuan glared at his hand momentarily before shaking it with a firm grip, "Jin. My name is...Jin."

Ogostin bobbed his head up and down, "Ah, I see, friend Jin you are! Which clan did you lead, if you do not mind me asking?"