Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

A beam of blazing white light pierced through the sky and sea, forcibly closing most of the spatial rifts where the Devouring Mother Nest was located.

The terrifying roar from another dimension was distorted and stretched, and finally, under the forceful stitching of the laws of space, it turned into an unwilling echo, completely disappearing beneath the surging, dark waves of the Burial Star Sea.

Only the torn and forcibly glued void folds, and the turbulent, corrupting energy remaining in the sea, testify to the arrival of that event that nearly destroyed everything.

Yu Changsheng hovered in the eye of the storm of turbulent energy, his body swaying precariously.

The Dao Embryo of the Ruins of the Abyss emitted a mournful cry of unbearable strain within its body. The cracks resembled a volcano about to erupt, and each pulsation brought forth a chaotic energy turbulence mixed with the blood of the Chaos Emperor, the ashes of annihilation, the dark green of the Devouring Void, and the blazing white of the Abyss.

The vortex of the void in his left eye spun slowly, as if it might stop or collapse at any moment; the embers in his right eye had been completely extinguished, leaving only a charred, empty hole like a dormant volcano, with the lingering warmth and deathly silence of destruction.

He forcibly used "Return to the Ruins and Annihilation - Martyrdom of the Abyss", draining his last bit of power and almost pushing his Dao Embryo to the brink of complete collapse.

He weakly lowered his gaze, piercing through the chaotic energy layer, and firmly locked onto the faint yet tenacious emerald-gold halo on the seabed—that was Chen Xueqing, his anchor point, and the only starlight that could keep his consciousness from collapsing at this moment.

The retreat of the Devouring Nest did not bring peace; instead, it left the remaining greed and madness without their final restraint.

Severely injured by the aftershocks of Yu Changsheng's Annihilation Cannon and then directly impacted by the fusion pillar of light, the Xuan Tian Venerable had long lost his venerable dignity.
He was sent flying backward, coughing up blood, and most of the protective sword energy around his body collapsed. Even more fatal was that the forced activation of the power corrupted by the Mother Nest, as well as the annihilation law and the will of return to nothingness contained in Yu Changsheng's attack, were like maggots clinging to his bones, frantically eroding his Dao foundation.

The Zhan Yuan Sword in his hand flashed with a dark green, malevolent light, and the blade groaned under its own weight. Its spirit had been completely twisted and devoured by the filth.

He struggled to lift his head, his eyes still burning with madness and greed, fixed on the direction of the emerald-golden cocoon on the seabed. "The inheritance...mine!"

He roared, disregarding the risk of his foundation collapsing, and forcefully gathered his last evil power, intending to transform it into a filthy sword light that would rush towards the seabed.

However, at the very moment his sword intent surged—

A faint yet pure and utterly annihilating sword intent, like a sigh that transcends the boundary between life and death, silently pierced into the core of his soul!
This sword intent originated from the Burial Abyss Black Sword, carrying the imprint of Mo Yu's last will before his death, and was unintentionally aroused and amplified in the aftershocks of Yu Changsheng's destructive pillar of light.

puff!
The Venerable Xuantian's body trembled violently, and his movements froze instantly.

He looked down at his chest in disbelief—there was no wound there, but the core of his soul, the source of the sword intent that represented "slaying the Dao," was like glass thrown into an abyss of annihilation, silently covered with cracks, and then... shattered with a bang!
The madness and greed in his eyes were instantly replaced by utter emptiness. The corrupted Zhan Yuan Sword let out a mournful cry, shattered inch by inch, and turned into ashes.

The once-great sword master ultimately perished on a path corrupted by his pursuit of ultimate power. His soul was completely erased by the sword intent of annihilation, leaving no trace.

Poisonous Granny was even more tragic than Venerable Xuantian.

Her Myriad Poisons Corroding Spirit Smoke was directly impacted by the purifying power of the merged light pillar, and like ice and snow melting, it instantly dissipated by more than half.

The Daoist rhyme of "Return to the Void: Source Pivot" contained in the pillar of light exerted a fatal restraint on the source of all poisons that she cultivated with resentment, filth, and the power of her blood and essence.

The blood seeping from her seven orifices was no longer ordinary poisonous blood, but rather a foul-smelling, primordial venom that was stained with filth and blackness!
"No...impossible!" she screamed, trying to retract the dissipated poison energy.

However, the bigger crisis comes from within.

Before Mo Yu died, she shattered the Myriad Poisons Returning to Origin Cauldron, triggering the life-and-death and backlash energy of the myriad poisons, which she had been forcibly suppressing.

At this moment, she was severely injured and lost her composure. The violent backlash energy was like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly overwhelming her suppression.

Even more terrifying is that the Blood Fiend Soul Devouring Curse she previously cast on Mo Yu, when mixed with Mo Yu's Annihilation Sword Intent, the resentment of the remaining stars in the Burial Star Sea within his body, and the portion of the myriad poisonous energy overflowing from the conflict with Yu Changsheng's Dao Embryo, formed an extremely bizarre "poison catalyst".

Chi Chi Chi!
Suddenly, countless pustules of various colors and extremely poisonous swelled up on the withered surface of Granny Poison Heart's body.

The abscess burst quickly, spraying out highly corrosive venom. This venom not only corroded her physical body, but also drilled into her meridians, frantically devouring her original poison pill!
Her once-proud body of countless poisons had now become a furnace that backfired on her.

She screamed in agony as her body rapidly decayed and dissolved under the corrosive effects of the poison, resembling a wax figure under the scorching sun. In the end, this old witch, revered for her poison, transformed into a pool of foul-smelling, terrifyingly poisonous pus and blood amidst endless pain and fear, her remnant soul completely devoured and annihilated by her own malevolent aura.

The Ferry of Life and Death, having lost its master, shook violently in the turbulent energy currents, and its hull began to disintegrate.

Elder Qingyi's condition was also extremely poor.

The light of the Pure Lotus dimmed to its lowest point, and the remains of the Lotus Leaf Dharma Boat were almost completely shattered.

A faint golden bloodstain clung to the corner of her mouth, her spiritual aura weak. Her forced burning of her essence blood to protect the cocoon of light and the remnants of the black feather body had severely damaged her very essence.

The impact of the evil sword from the Venerable Xuantian and the final poisonous smoke attack from Granny Poison Heart both exacerbated her injuries.

When she saw the Xuan Tian Venerable's soul perish and the Poison Heart Granny die from the backlash of all poisons, her tense heartstrings finally relaxed slightly, but immense fatigue and injuries instantly surged up.

She mustered her strength and activated the last of the Pure Lotus's power, transforming it into a soft light curtain. It struggled to support the emerald-gold cocoon enveloping Chen Xueqing and Mo Yu's remaining, weak soul fire, which was barely protected by fragments of the Burial Abyss Black Sword. They slowly moved towards the sea area where Yu Changsheng was located.

Her gaze swept over the completely disintegrated wreckage of the Sky Patrol, the collapsed Fuxing Ferry, and the chaotic, energy-ravaged Sea of ​​Burial Stars, her eyes filled with compassion and the weariness of surviving a catastrophe.

On the seabed, the light of the Guixu Furnace Array had dimmed considerably, but the emerald-gold halo at its core was brighter and more stable than ever before.

Inside the cocoon of light, Chen Xueqing's tightly closed eyes trembled slightly. She was not asleep, but undergoing a breathtaking fusion and channeling process. When Yu Changsheng unleashed "Martyrdom of the Abyss," the violent destructive energy not only blasted towards the mother nest, but its aftershocks also crashed against the seabed like a tsunami.

It was she who, at the crucial moment, pushed the Daoist essence of "Guixu Yin: Yuanliu Shu" to its limit, and combined it with the power of the Starry Sky Forger's Inheritance Core (formed from the core crystal of the isolated island) that had just begun to merge, and launched an even more powerful "Guixu Yin: Wanxiang Guiyuan"!
Using herself as a bridge and the emerald golden Daoist aura as a guide, she forcefully guided, sorted, and transformed all the remaining energy on this battlefield. This included the desolate origin of Yu Changsheng's Dao Embryo, which was on the verge of collapse and was overflowing with the corrosive energy of the void, the embers of the abyss, the myriad poisonous evil energies, and the resentment of the stars.

The pure, annihilating sword intent that remained after Mo Yuhun's slash.

Elder Qingyi's protective and purifying power through the Pure Lotus.

The Burial Star Sea itself was disturbed by the great battle, and the violent energy that dissipated even included the filthy fragments left behind after the Devouring Sky Mother Nest retreated.

These energies, which were originally violent and capable of destroying everything, were forcibly stripped of their destructive attributes under the profound Daoist principle of "all things returning to their origin," and transformed into an incomparably pure, emerald-gold primordial torrent containing infinite vitality!
This torrent, partly like the gentlest tentacles, carefully enveloped Yu Changsheng's cracked Dao Embryo, like the most skilled craftsman using the power of origin to perform extremely subtle repairs and stabilization, temporarily sealing the most fatal cracks and preventing it from completely collapsing.

Another part transformed into a resilient barrier, isolating the remaining poison and energy turbulence from the outside world, gently enveloping Mo Yu's flickering soul and the fragments of the Burial Abyss Black Sword, preserving their last glimmer of life; yet another part crossed the sea and surged to the surface, relieving some of the pressure on Elder Qingyi, who was struggling to hold on.

It was this force that caught Yu Changsheng the moment he was exhausted and falling, and slowly pulled him toward the core of the underwater array.

Pfft!
Yu Changsheng crashed heavily into the core of the array, splashing up a dark ripple of runes.

The excruciating pain caused him to groan, but immediately, that familiar torrent of emerald gold, carrying Chen Xueqing's scent, gently enveloped him, like sweet rain on parched earth, nourishing his nearly depleted body and soul.

Although the cracks in the Dao Embryo were still grotesque and its power was still rapidly dissipating, the sense of crisis of being on the verge of complete destruction was temporarily suppressed.

Elder Qingyi also descended with the cocoon of light and the remains of Moyu. She withdrew her protective azure light, staggered, and her face was as pale as paper, clearly at her limit.

The emerald-golden cocoon slowly dissipated, revealing Chen Xueqing's figure.

Her face was also pale, and her spirit appeared somewhat ethereal, clearly indicating that activating "Return to the Origin of All Things" had placed a great burden on her.

But her eyes were exceptionally bright and resolute, containing a profound and powerful quality born from the trials of life and death and the fusion of tradition and heritage.

She quickly walked to Yu Changsheng's side, squatted down, and placed her hands on his chest. Emerald golden Daoist energy flowed continuously, doing her best to stabilize his precarious Dao embryo.

"Chang Sheng... hold on!" Her voice trembled slightly, yet it was full of strength.

Yu Changsheng struggled to open his empty right eye and sluggish left eye, looking at Chen Xueqing, then at the remnant soul of Mo Yu beside him, enveloped in a golden aura, its breath so faint it was almost imperceptible, and finally at the swaying Elder Qingyi. Guilt, anger, lingering fear, and a deep weariness intertwined in his heart. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse and dry: "...Xueqing...Mo Yu...Elder...I..."

"No need for further words." Elder Qingyi waved her hand weakly, glancing in Mo Yu's direction with a hint of regret in her eyes.

“Young friend Mo Yu… your soul fire hasn’t been extinguished, and the Burial Abyss Sword Intent is protecting its master, so there’s still a glimmer of hope. The most urgent thing is to leave this place! After this battle, the Burial Star Sea is spatially fragile and its energy is violently chaotic. We don’t even know if the Devouring Void Mother Nest will make a comeback, or if other covetous beings have been attracted by the battle. We… are already at our last gasp.”

Chen Xueqing nodded, her gaze sweeping over the seabed that had once been the heart of the battlefield.

"The elder is absolutely right. The Longevity Embryo is on the verge of collapse and must be repaired in seclusion in an absolutely safe place immediately; Mo Yu's remnant soul needs a chance to be nurtured and reshaped; and your injuries, elder, also require quiet recuperation. This place... has become a deadly wasteland and is not suitable for staying any longer."

Her gaze finally settled on the dim Ruins Furnace array at her feet, and on the faint but still present crystalline remnant belonging to the core of the isolated island at the center of the array. "Moreover... I sensed that this core remnant seemed to be... 'calling' for something, related to the legacy of the Starry Sky Forger, pointing to a... more distant direction."

Yu Changsheng struggled to sit up. The vortex of the Void in his left eye rotated extremely slowly, painstakingly drawing upon the last remaining essence of the Void from the array diagram to replenish his almost depleted power. He looked into the depths of the Burial Star Sea, at that area, which had been stirred up even more violently by the great battle, and was covered with spatial rifts like a black spider web. "Where...where to?" His voice was still weak, but it held a hint of determination.

Elder Qingyi pondered for a moment, seemingly recalling some ancient record: "The Burial Star Sea is the edge of the Ruins of Return, and legend has it that there is a hidden node deep within it that connects to the 'Ancient Road of Starfall'."

The Ancient Starfall Path is a shattered star trail forged by ancient star-forgers as they explored the heavens and searched for forging materials. It is fraught with dangerous spatial turbulence and lost ruins, but it may also... harbor life and opportunity. More importantly, the spatial laws there are chaotic, enough to isolate most tracking attempts.

She looked at Chen Xueqing, "The core of inheritance you've fused with might be able to sense the entrance to the ancient path?"

Chen Xueqing closed her eyes and sensed for a moment. A wisp of emerald-gold light spilled from her fingertip and wrapped around the core remnant of the isolated island at the center of the furnace array.

The wreckage trembled slightly, emitting a clearer wave that pointed to a very deep and chaotic direction in the Sea of ​​Burial Stars.

“I can sense it! It’s very faint, but the direction is clear! It’s… over there!” She pointed to a sea area where energy turbulence resembled a storm vortex.

"Alright!" Yu Changsheng gritted his teeth and forcibly activated the last trace of Chaos Emperor Blood in his body, stimulating the remaining power of the Guixu Jinyuan Dao Embryo. The vortex in his left eye accelerated, and a faint, dark red spark, seemingly about to be extinguished, was forcibly ignited in the lifeless hole of his right eye.

"I... clear the way! Elder, protect Xueqing and Moyu!"

Elder Qingyi nodded, and with her last remaining strength, she transformed the remaining power of the Pure Lotus into a thin, yet incredibly resilient, cyan-gold light shield, protecting Chen Xueqing, Mo Yu's remnant soul, and herself within it.

Yu Changsheng roared and slammed his hands down on the Ruins Furnace Array diagram beneath him!
"Return to the Ruins: The Abyss Breaks - Burial at Sea!"

This time, there was no earth-shattering beam of light, only a condensed energy beam, a deep, deathly stillness mixed with the final heat of dark red and gray-black, bursting forth from his palm and fiercely piercing the raging energy turbulence and dense spatial rifts in front of him!

Sizzle—!
Like a red-hot iron cutting into ice, the raging torrents were forcibly separated. The fine spatial cracks were briefly "smoothed" or rather "annihilated" by the energy beam containing the primordial will of annihilation and return to nothingness, creating an extremely unstable, narrow passage that could only accommodate a few people! At the end of the passage, a more profound and eerie space with distorted and broken starlight could be vaguely seen.

As the passage was forming, it trembled violently under the pressure of the surrounding raging energy and collapsed rapidly!
"Go!" Yu Changsheng shouted hoarsely, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth again. His arms, which were pressed against the array diagram, trembled violently. Maintaining the passage had almost exhausted his last bit of mental strength.

Without hesitation, Elder Qingyi activated the light barrier, carrying Chen Xueqing and Mo Yu's remains, transforming into a streak of azure-gold light and shooting into the collapsing passage at top speed! (End of Chapter)