Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

Situ Xuan's face froze with the last trace of a maniacal grin, his withered fingers crushing the cracked, dimmed core rhomboid crystal of the Annihilation Cannon in his palm!
"Annihilation...eternity!!!"

boom--!!!
An indescribable tide of destruction suddenly erupted.

There was no sound, only absolute annihilation.

At the point where the core shattered, a singularity so pale it could freeze one's soul instantly expanded. Wherever it passed, the massive, mountain-like stellar remains of the Sky Surveyor began to melt and decompose silently, like a block of wax thrown into a furnace of nothingness, turning into the finest particles of dust.

Space was violently distorted, presenting a terrifying scene of being completely crumpled and forcibly torn apart. Countless dark purple spatial cracks spread wildly like a spider web, greedily devouring everything around them.

The pale light expanded into a huge, energy-devouring sphere of death, carrying the aura of the law that annihilates all things. It expanded rapidly, and the first thing to be hit was the powerful seal that had locked onto it and was exuding the power to end order—the Return to Origin Abyss Seal!

"Retreat!" Elder Qingyi roared, her Pure World Azure Lotus halo surging, layers of lotus petal phantoms enveloping Chen Xueqing's emerald-gold cocoon and the remains of Mo Yu's body, transforming into a streak of azure light as she retreated rapidly. Poison Heart Granny was utterly horrified, her body writhing in poisonous miasma, desperately burning her life essence, a blood-red rainbow of foul energy streaking towards the edge of the battlefield in a desperate flight.

Only Yu Changsheng, instead of retreating, advanced! The Flame of the Abyss in his right eye burned to its extreme, no longer a flame, but a flowing, boiling molten lava-like law! From the cracks in the Void Origin Armor, the Chaos Emperor's Blood surged like a river, resonating with the Flame of the Abyss, emitting a deep roar like billions of volcanoes simultaneously brewing an eruption.

"Return to the Void! Furnace!" he roared, and the Void vortex in his left eye spun wildly, unleashing an unimaginably massive force of absorption! The target was not the core law of destruction of the white sphere of annihilation itself—that was too pure and violent, and forcefully devouring it would destroy the Dao embryo—but rather the remains of all things, chaotic energy, and spatial fragments around the white sphere that had been crushed by the law of annihilation!
Rumble—!
The shattered metal of the Sky Patrol, the scattered aftershocks of artillery fire, the torn spiritual energy, and even the pervasive blackish-purple spatial rift fragments... all the tangible and intangible "residues" were swallowed up by the terrifying vortex of the Returning Ruins, like rivers flowing into the sea!

Yu Changsheng's body trembled violently, and every inch of his cracked source armor burst forth with a stream of light mixed with ash, deathly silence, and dark golden sharpness. The newly formed Guixu Jinyuan Dao Embryo in his dantian let out a mournful cry of unbearable burden, and cracks spread rapidly on the star-shaped embryonic body.

Within the "waste" of the law of annihilation that crushes all things, there are fragments of the most extreme destructive aura. Although it is not a complete law, its destructive power is enough to tear stars apart!

"Longevity!" Within the emerald-golden cocoon, two lines of clear tears flowed from Chen Xueqing's tightly closed eyes.

Ignoring the fact that her own spiritual essence was teetering on the brink of collapse under the impact of the Mother Nest's will, she forcefully pushed the "Return to the Void: Origin Pivot" to its limit! The emerald-gold Daoist patterns broke free from the light cocoon, ignoring the chaotic spatial barriers, and instantly imprinted themselves on Yu Changsheng's violently trembling Daoist core.

It was as if an indestructible dam had been built in the midst of a raging torrent of destruction, forcibly guiding the fragments of destruction to the outer edge of the Dao Embryo, where they were subjected to the most brutal forging and smelting around the core of the Ember Abyss Fire!

The Origin of Ashes Seal and the Annihilation White Sphere collided with a deafening roar!

Om-!
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

There was no earth-shattering explosion. Only a ring of gray and white ripples of destruction silently swept across the vast expanse of sea at a speed beyond comprehension.

Wherever the ripples reach, the seawater doesn't evaporate, but simply "disappears," revealing the deep, dark seabed.

The suspended, isolated island and giant rocks turned into dust that filled the sky, then were swept away by ripples and returned to nothingness.

The point of contact between the seal and the white sphere formed a brief but extreme annihilation singularity. The immense power of the Origin Abyss Seal, representing end and order, fiercely tore, neutralized, and annihilated the pure, indiscriminate laws of destruction at the core of the Annihilation Cannon! The power level was so high that space itself exhibited a strange crystalline state, like frozen glass, yet filled with terrifying cracks on the verge of complete shattering.

A stalemate! An absolute, suffocating stalemate!

But this stalemate lasted less than a breath.

The core that Situ Xuan detonated was ultimately an incomplete object, but the Guiyuan Jinyuan Seal, supported by Yu Changsheng's devouring of all the remains of things and his forced melting with the Guixu Furnace, and guided by Chen Xueqing's source flow Dao rhyme, saw its power level subtly rise!
Click!

A faint yet resounding crack echoed through the soul. A tiny crack finally appeared on the smooth, mirror-like surface of the annihilated white sphere! Immediately afterward, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the entire pale sphere! The spread of the destructive ripples abruptly ceased.

"No...impossible..." Situ Xuan, who was only half a body in the distance and was being swept away by the aftershocks of annihilation and was rapidly dissipating, let out a final desperate cry before turning into nothingness.

Boom!!!

This time, the earth-shattering explosion finally rang out! The Origin Abyss Seal completely crushed the last resistance of the Annihilation White Sphere. The remaining Annihilation Law energy, like an out-of-control torrent, was forcibly swept up by the Origin Abyss Seal and slammed into its original target behind it—the giant claw of the Devouring Mother Nest that had just been severely injured by Mo Yu's sword and was roaring in pain!

roar--!!!
The Devouring Mother Nest, filled with a frenzied and greedy will, let out a deafening roar of pain!

Its original will node had been precisely pierced by Mo Yu's Annihilation Sword Intent, and its defenses had long since crumbled.

At this moment, it was hit head-on by this terrifying attack that combined the order of the Void, the fire of the Abyss, and the remaining laws of the core of the Annihilation Cannon!
puff!

Like a red-hot iron pressed into the rotting flesh of a colossal beast, the front half of that massive, mountain-like claw, covered in a viscous, filthy carapace, was instantly annihilated by the destructive stream of light, a blend of gray, white, and gold!
The foul-smelling, greenish-blue pus and blood gushed out like a burst dam, only to be evaporated into a highly toxic fog by the destructive energy.

The remaining giant claws convulsed wildly, retracting into the abyss-like rift in the mother nest's main body, spewing out foul blood that stained the surrounding sea a nauseating dark green. A temporary deathly silence enveloped the chaotic battlefield.

Only a vast, despairing void remained on the sea surface, the pitch-black abyss exposed, steaming with the scorching aura of turbulent spatial currents.

Only the gray-white afterglow emanating from the Returning Origin Abyss Seal, like a beacon of the apocalypse, illuminated the horrified faces of the remaining forces.

"Good...good enough, Guixu Dao Embryo!" Poison Heart Granny appeared in the distance amidst the foul air and blood rainbow, her face as pale as paper, her withered hand tightly clutching her chest, clearly indicating that her desperate escape had come at a great cost.

She stared greedily and warily at Yu Changsheng's figure, which was covered in cracks but still stood like a god or demon. Her gaze then swept over the emerald-golden cocoon protected by Elder Qingyi, and the faint, almost extinguished remnant soul of sword intent beside the cocoon—Mo Yu!
A deeper glint of resentment and greed flashed in his eyes, "The Heavenly Mandate Inheritance... the Annihilation Sword Bone... the Nine Revolutions Profound Pill may be destroyed, but if I could obtain these two..."

On the other hand, the situation of Venerable Xuantian was even more tragic.

Half of his body was annihilated, and the remaining remains were enveloped by a faint sword aura that barely held together, floating in the boiling seawater.

The Abyss Sword hovered in front of him, its spirit wailing, and its light dimming.

He watched as Yu Changsheng withstood the Annihilation Cannon and shattered the giant claw of the Mother Nest with overwhelming ferocity. He also watched as the Origin Abyss Seal, suspended in the air and exuding an aura of annihilation, floated in the air. His resentment almost solidified, while his greed gnawed at his remaining soul like a poisonous insect that gnawed at his bones.

"The Dao Embryo of Returning to Nothingness... the inheritance of the Source Pivot... should have been mine! Mine!!"

Elder Qingyi did her best to maintain the light wheel of the Pure World Lotus, protecting the light cocoon and the ink feather. She looked at Yu Changsheng's bloodied figure, her eyes filled with both amazement and deep worry.

Chen Xueqing's spiritual essence was eroded by filth and poison, and weakened by the overloaded operation of the Source Flow Hub; Mo Yu burned out his last true spirit, leaving only a wisp of remnant soul clinging to the Burial Abyss Sword, which could completely dissipate at any moment in the Burial Star Sea shrouded by the will of the Mother Nest.

In the deep sea, the core light patterns of the Ruins Furnace Array had dimmed considerably. Maintaining Chen Xueqing's emerald-gold cocoon was now extremely difficult.

The greatest threat was not yet eliminated! After a brief silence, the surging darkness within the abyss-like rift in the mother nest became even thicker and deeper. A terrifying will, far surpassing anything before, utterly enraged and accompanied by the venomous wails of billions of souls, swept out like a tangible tsunami.
The entire sea of ​​the Burial Star Sea began to swirl violently, and a gigantic vortex, dozens of times larger than before, was forming wildly beneath the original site of the isolated island! At the center of the vortex was the abyssal rift!
"Whoosh—Buzz—"

A deep, chaotic, soul-tearing hum resounded once more, emanating from the depths of the rift.

This time, it was no longer a simple shock to will; it was more like some kind of terrifying existence, so large that it was unimaginable, dragging its broken body and forcibly squeezing its essence into the spatial structure of this sea area!
At the broken end of the giant claw shattered by Yu Changsheng, the filthy green pus and blood no longer flowed. Instead, it twisted and rapidly multiplied into countless wriggling, entwined dark red flesh buds and pale white bone spur rudiments. A nauseating healing and mutation was taking place!
Yu Changsheng hovered in the lingering glow of the Returning Origin Abyss Seal, breathing heavily. Each breath was accompanied by a tearing pain emanating from his cracked Dao Embryo.

Forcibly absorbing the remnants of the Annihilation Cannon's collapse was like detonating countless destructive stars within his body. If it weren't for the emerald gold imprint firmly maintaining the clarity of his core and the Source Flow Pivot Dao Rhyme guiding the torrent of destruction, he would have already exploded and died.

The Flame of the Abyss burned within the core of the Dao Embryo, greedily forging those fragments of destruction. Each leap of the flame deepened the cracks in the Dao Embryo, yet from the ashes of destruction, a purer and more domineering edge of the Returning to Nothingness stubbornly sprouted.

He stared at the rapidly multiplying fleshy buds and bone spurs in the abyss, at the gigantic vortex that filled his vision, and at the terrifying hum that tore at his will. An unprecedented sense of dread washed over him like ice water.

Situ Xuan's frenzied self-destruction and the bombardment of the remaining laws of the Annihilation Cannon not only failed to severely damage the core of the Mother Nest, but instead seemed to break some kind of shackle, stimulating this terrifying beast that had fallen into slumber, causing it to truly begin to "awaken"! It wanted to break free from the last spatial constraints and descend completely!
"I must... interrupt its descent at its core..." The thought flashed through his mind. The Void Vortex in Yu Changsheng's left eye began to spin faster again, locking onto the point at the core of the abyss rift where the buzzing will was most concentrated and the space was most violently distorted!
The light of the Returning Origin Abyss Seal condensed once more, though it had dimmed considerably, but its will to end everything was even more refined and pure.

However, just as he was about to strike again!

"Ugh—!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so shrill it was inhuman, suddenly came from below!

It is Venerable Xuantian!
His remaining half of his body was completely enveloped by an invisible, viscous, asphalt-like filth and darkness! That darkness did not come from the crack in the mother nest, but rather from the depths of the boiling seawater around him, silently seeping into the dim sword energy protecting him! His only remaining eye was instantly filled with madness and chaos, and the abyss-like reflection of the Devouring Mother Nest was reflected deep within its pupil!

“Power…devour…the Dao Embryo of Return to Nothingness…” He uttered a broken roar of incomprehensible meaning from his throat. His remaining arm suddenly rose up, not to attack the Mother Nest or Yu Changsheng, but with his five fingers spread wide, carrying a strange sword aura that was twisted and mixed with the aura of annihilation and the filth of the Mother Nest, he fiercely grabbed at the natal divine sword that was floating beside him and connected to his lifeblood—Zhan Yuan!
puff!

The filthy, corrupted arm pierced the blade of the Zhan Yuan Sword as easily as inserting it into tofu! The sword spirit let out an extremely mournful cry, the blade trembled violently, and its dazzling light flickered wildly, seemingly resisting its master's corruption. But the filthy darkness emanating from the remains of the Xuan Tian Venerable was like a living thing, surging wildly along his arm and into the sword!

"Slay...the abyss...annihilation...and make it my weapon!"

The flesh and blood on the remains of the Xuan Tian Venerable were visibly shriveled, as if all the essence had been drained, while the light of the Zhan Yuan Sword became even more eerie under the infusion of filth! The originally clear sword light was stained with a layer of viscous dark green and pale white evil light, and the ancient patterns on the sword were covered with twisted, dark red tumor-like patterns, like the shell of a mother nest! A terrifying sword aura, evil, chaotic, filled with devouring greed and carrying the sharpness of annihilation, suddenly erupted!
Chant—! !!
No longer was the clear and melodious sound of a sword, but a piercing demonic sound like billions of abyssal worms gnawing on metal! The corrupted Zhan Yuan Sword broke free from his hand and transformed into a dark green and pale demonic rainbow that tore through space. Its target was not the Devouring Void Mother Nest, but rather—Elder Qing Yi, who was trying her best to stabilize Chen Xue's Qing Guang Cocoon and heal Mo Yu's remnant soul!
A look of wild joy and cruelty flashed in Granny Poison's eyes! "Good! Old Ghost Xuantian, you died a worthy death!" With a flick of her withered claws, the "Ten Thousand Poisons Corroding Spirit Smoke" that had been gathering power transformed into nine filthy poisonous dragons, silently swirling towards Elder Qingyi from the side and rear, sealing off all her escape routes! This created a deadly situation with the corrupted demonic sword!

"Fellow Daoist Qingyi!" Yu Changsheng's pupils constricted sharply! Venerable Xuantian had been completely corrupted and eroded by the will of the Devouring Void Mother Nest, becoming a claw of the Mother Nest's descent! The corrupted Abyss-Slaying Sword had fused Venerable Xuantian's remaining cultivation of the Annihilation Sword Dao with the Mother Nest's tainted will, making its power far greater than before! With this attack, Elder Qingyi herself would be in dire need of protection, let alone the fragile Light Cocoon and the remnant soul of Ink Feather!
Protect them! We must protect them! (End of Chapter)