Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

Deep within the battlefield of the Abyss Clan lies the Blood Pool Altar.

Amidst the boiling blood, several blurry phantoms of the Abyss race, exuding an aura far more terrifying than that of Monslan, fluctuated violently.

“Locate… that aura… the 'destruction' tainted with 'impurities'… must be eliminated…”

"Human ants... actually managed to fuse with the aura of the 'Source Crystal Fragment'... blasphemy..."

"Amethyst... Monslan's amethyst has been contaminated... Core stolen... Target confirmed... Coordinates... Southeast of the Swamp of Despair..."

"Dispatch the 'Cleansers'...annihilate...reclaim everything..."

A consensus was reached between the cold, grand will. Several crimson streaks of light shot out from the blood pool of the altar and disappeared into the dark passage.

They are not frontline commanders like Monslan, but rather elite members of the Abyss Clan specifically responsible for eliminating "contamination" and recovering core power. They are ruthless and exist solely to destroy their targets.

The Imperial City of Qingzhou, the Shadow Guard's Secret Palace.

The leader of the Shadow Guard listened to his subordinate's report with a grim expression.

"The Iron Wall Fortress's array core was destroyed, and the Mons Blue Crystal Core self-destructed, severely injuring the target, Yu Changsheng. In the chaos, he was not killed but instead unleashed an abnormal power, seemingly having fused with some kind of terrifying energy. He is currently fleeing into the depths of the Despair Swamp with Lin Hao, Wang Cheng, and the dying Chen Xueqing. Feng Yin has disappeared without a trace, and the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword has also vanished."

"Useless!" Huangfu Hongxuan's voice came through a water mirror, icy cold. "You let the biggest hidden danger escape! What about Feng Yin? Is there any trace of him?"

"There is no definite news yet. However, I speculate that he is seriously injured and has lost the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword and the Mons Blue Amethyst. He is likely hiding near the Despair Swamp to heal, or he may have already fled elsewhere. His poison skills are bizarre, making him extremely difficult to track down."

Huangpu Hongxuan remained silent for a moment, his eyes sharp as an eagle's: "What is the movement of the Yuan Clan's main force?"

"The remnants of Monslan were almost wiped out inside Ironwall Fortress, greatly reducing the pressure on Luoxia Pass. But... a terrifying, pure aura of destruction is emanating from the core area of ​​the Abyss Clan, heading straight for the Despair Swamp at an extremely fast speed, probably aimed at Yu Changsheng."

"Good!" Huangfu Hongxuan revealed a cold smile instead. "Let them fight like dogs! Pass down the order: Luoxia Pass and Iron Wall Fortress are to hold their ground and closely monitor the movements of the Yuan Clan, but they are not to launch any attacks. Send out 'Nether Eyes' from the Shadow Guards to keep a close watch on that destructive aura. I want to know whether Yu Changsheng died at the hands of the Yuan Clan, or... what other 'surprise' he can bring me!"

His gaze fell on Yu Changsheng's unconscious figure in the water mirror, filled with apprehension and a hint of barely perceptible greed. "A body that has fused with alien power... is it more valuable than amethyst?"

On the edge of the Despair Swamp, in a hidden crevice shrouded in poisonous miasma.

Feng Yin huddled in a corner, his severed arm wrapped in strips of cloth soaked in poisonous blood. His body was in excruciating pain and convulsing due to the damage to his very essence. His aura had deteriorated to the extreme.

His eyes were filled with resentment, fear, and disbelief.

"Amethyst shards...backlash...sword spirit...Yu Changsheng...it's all your fault! It's all your doing!"

He growled hoarsely, his voice like a broken bellows.

He sensed the destructive aura of the Abyss Clan that made his soul tremble as it rapidly approached the depths of the swamp, and he vaguely guessed who the target was.

A twisted glee appeared on his face: "Hahaha... Die! Yu Changsheng! Let the Yuan Clan crush you and your dying woman together! So that I won't have to... cough cough..."

A violent cough interrupted his curse, and poisonous blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

But after the pleasure came a deeper fear and weakness.

He looked at his almost ruined left arm and felt the nearly collapsed source of his poisonous power within his body. A crazy idea sprouted in his despair.

"They're all going to die... but the amethyst shards and the power of that sword... are inside that kid! I... must live... I have to live! Only the 'Transformation Pool' of the 'Ten Thousand Poisons Cave' can reshape my poisonous body, and even... go further! I must... go back!"

The will to survive overwhelmed everything. He struggled, like a dying venomous snake, and began to move laboriously toward a distant and dangerous direction in his memory.

On the run.

Lin Hao and Wang Cheng inevitably slowed down. The environment of the Despair Swamp was too treacherous; deathly aura, vengeful spirits, and poisonous miasma constantly eroded their protective spiritual light, consuming their dwindling spiritual power. Although they hadn't yet seen any pursuers behind them, the suffocating, chilling killing intent emanating from the Abyss Clan was like a tangible shadow, drawing ever closer.

"No, if this continues, we'll all be caught up!" Wang Cheng gasped, his eyes bloodshot.

Lin Hao gritted his teeth, looking at Yu Changsheng on his back, whose breathing was still chaotic but who seemed to be slowly trying to control that new power, and then at Chen Xueqing on the stretcher, whose life force, though weak, was stable. He suddenly stopped and carefully put Yu Changsheng down: "Wang Cheng, you take Junior Sister Xueqing and continue forward! I'll stay behind to cover the rear!"

"Are you crazy?! Those are the elite of the Abyss Clan! And you alone..."

"It's better than dying together!" Lin Hao's eyes were resolute, the broken sword in his hand humming. "I'll hold out as long as I can! Remember, keep heading towards 'Soul Valley'! The death aura is densest there, and it might interfere with the Abyss Clan's senses! Hurry!" Wang Cheng looked at Lin Hao's determined face and knew this was the only option. He nodded with tears in his eyes, carried the unconscious Yu Changsheng on his back, used his spiritual power to propel the stretcher carrying Chen Xueqing, and rushed into the deeper miasma without looking back.

Lin Hao took a deep breath, held the broken sword across his chest, and unleashed his remaining sword intent to the fullest extent, blocking the path of oncoming swords like a reef.

He closed his eyes, feeling the approaching, almost soul-freezing aura of destruction, with only one thought in his mind: "Chang Sheng, Xue Qing, this is as far as I can take you..."

The crimson, cold figure of the Abyss Clan's "Purifier" had already revealed its ferocious outline in the thick fog ahead.

"You beasts of the Abyss Clan! This road is blocked!" Lin Hao roared, his voice echoing through the desolate swamp with a tragic resonance.

Instead of defending, he transformed all his power into a resolute and dazzling golden sword rainbow, like a meteor exploding, and deliberately crashed into the most terrifying Qingdaoist in the center!
"Ants. Annihilation." The leader of the Cleansers emitted a wave of emotionless intent, without even making any extra movements. A scarlet energy blade, extremely condensed and seemingly capable of cutting through space, appeared out of thin air in front of it, arriving before Lin Hao's sword rainbow with a silent and stealthy attack.

laugh--!
There was no earth-shattering explosion. The crimson energy blade sliced ​​through Lin Hao's sword rainbow, which was imbued with the radiance of his life, like a hot knife through butter! The powerful destructive energy, undiminished in its force, instantly engulfed Lin Hao's figure!
"Uhh—!!"

Lin Hao only had time to let out a short, agonizing scream filled with endless pain and resentment before his protective aura shattered like paper, his body twisting and disintegrating violently in the crimson light. Flesh and blood were utterly fragile before the pure laws of destruction. The broken sword shattered inch by inch, turning to dust. Only a few drops of scalding blood, carried by the violent energy surge, shot out like arrows, unexpectedly piercing through the turbulent energy flow and splashing far away… One drop landed precisely on the emerald life rune on Chen Xueqing's chest, which was enveloped by Wang Cheng's spiritual energy shield!
hum!
The rune trembled slightly, and the drop of blood containing Lin Hao's last will and indomitable spirit was instantly enveloped and absorbed by the emerald light. The rune's light seemed to solidify for a moment, its flow carrying a trace of imperceptible sorrow and determination, as if bearing the deceased's last will.

Wang Cheng's back stiffened abruptly, as if a knife had been plunged into his heart. He didn't turn around, but Lin Hao's abruptly stopped scream struck him like a hammer blow to the depths of his soul. Tears mixed with sweat and blood blurred his vision. He bit his lip hard, almost drawing blood, channeling all his grief and fear into his last strength. He frantically urged his remaining spiritual power, carrying Chen Xueqing on a stretcher and Yu Changsheng, whose breath was beginning to fluctuate violently despite his unconsciousness, as he rushed towards the densest and darkest core of the swamp—the Valley of Sinking Souls!

Behind him, where Lin Hao had fallen, not even a complete piece of clothing remained; only a patch of scorched earth, sizzling and emitting black smoke, burned by crimson energy.

Three Cleansers hovered silently in place, their crimson compound eyes coldly sweeping across the scorched earth without pausing. Their target was crystal clear—the coordinates carrying the aura of "pollution." The lead Cleanser slightly tilted its head, its compound eyes locking onto the direction Wang Cheng had fled. With a flash, it vanished from its spot, reappearing a hundred feet away! The other two followed closely behind, their speed like three streaks of crimson lightning tearing through the thick fog.

Meanwhile, higher still, above the miasma of the swamp.

A nearly transparent, dim point of light, like the pupil of a ghost, hovered silently. It clearly captured everything that happened below: Lin Hao's tragic death, the ruthless elimination by the Purifiers, and Wang Cheng's desperate escape, transforming it into an invisible stream of information that rapidly transmitted back to distant Qingzhou.

Soul Valley, as its name suggests, is a desolate ravine deep within the Swamp of Despair, perpetually shrouded in a chilling, green miasma. The valley floor churns with stagnant mud, constantly bubbling with decay, half-bubbling with shattered bones. The air is thick with a deadly poison that corrodes spiritual energy, and the wails of the fallen souls. Almost instinctively, Wang Cheng, carrying the weak and feeble Yu Changsheng on his back and cradling the unconscious Chen Xueqing enveloped in a faint green light, plunged headlong into this perilous place.

Behind him, that cold, pure, terrifying aura carrying the power to erase will—the "Purifier" of the Abyss Clan—was relentlessly pursuing him. Like a shadow tearing through space, it ignored the poisonous miasma and the shrieks of the dead, its speed undiminished. Wang Cheng could clearly feel the soul-freezing killing intent locked onto its target; each breath felt as heavy as swallowing death. The blood splattered on Chen Xueqing's heart rune by Senior Brother Lin Hao had not yet dried, and the tragic heroism of his self-sacrificing act still seared Wang Cheng's nerves.

"Senior Brother Changsheng, Senior Sister Xueqing, hold on!" Wang Cheng roared hoarsely, burning his last remaining spiritual power as he stumbled through the slippery, muddy valley.

He dared not stop, much less turn back to look at the figure of the "Purifier." On Yu Changsheng's back, the dark mark that had devoured and fused the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword and the fragments of the Mons Blue Amethyst was now like an unstable black hole, sometimes dormant, sometimes emitting terrifying, chaotic fluctuations that blended destructive lightning, life-giving warmth, and primordial darkness.

Each disturbance caused Yu Changsheng's already cracked body to ooze even more dark golden blood, and his aura fluctuated violently.

The emerald green rune on Chen Xueqing's chest, which originated from the sacrifice of the Colorful Star Deer, flickered under the impact of the dense death aura and resentful spirits of the Soul-Sinking Valley. It stubbornly maintained its last glimmer of life, but it also seemed even more isolated and helpless.

"Whoosh-!"

A silent, purplish-black beam of energy, seemingly draining all light from the surrounding area, grazed past Wang Cheng's ankle like a venomous snake. The sticky mud beneath his feet was instantly evaporated, leaving a bottomless hole with terrifying traces of dissolution at the edges. Wang Cheng broke out in a cold sweat, forcibly increasing his speed once more, the shadow of death already pressing against his back.

"Roar--!"

Seemingly enraged by the chaotic and "polluted" aura within Yu Changsheng's body, the Cleanser let out a low, inhuman roar. No longer content with the chase, a massive and ferocious phantom claw, entirely composed of pure purple crystalline energy, suddenly materialized above Wang Cheng's head, slamming down with a crushing pressure! This strike was enough to flatten the three of them along with the surrounding valley, which stretched for dozens of feet!
Wang Cheng's pupils contracted sharply, and despair instantly overwhelmed him. With his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he was less than an ant before such power.

He wanted to unleash his magical artifact and burn his life force, but under the absolute pressure of that giant claw, even moving a finger became incredibly difficult for him!

At this critical moment.

"Boom!!!"

The dark mark on Yu Changsheng's back suddenly erupted with an unprecedented suction force! It was as if a vortex that had been suppressed to its limit had finally found an outlet. The dense death aura, the resentful spirits and malevolent thoughts that permeated the Valley of Sinking Souls, and even the destructive energy that had escaped from the Purifier's attack, all surged wildly into the rotating dark mark like rivers flowing into the sea!

"Pfft!" Yu Changsheng's body shuddered violently, and he spat out another mouthful of dark gold blood mixed with black mist. But amidst the excruciating pain, his eyes suddenly opened a crack!
The look in his eyes was no longer unfocused; instead, it was filled with a primal ferocity, almost like that of a wild beast, struggling to survive on the brink of destruction! It was the mark of the "Scripture of Ten Thousand Beasts," the instinct of a ferocious beast driven to the brink of despair!
Boom!

A distorted, not fully controlled, chaotic energy shield instantly expanded around the three of them. The shield's color was indescribable, like purple lightning bolts exploding in rolling ink, with a faint, warm emerald green flowing at its edges, full of contradictions and an extremely unstable aura.

boom! ! !
The Sweeper's amethyst claw slammed down on the Chaos Barrier!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only the teeth-grinding "sizzle" sound of energy being frantically annihilated. The chaotic shield trembled violently, cracks spreading everywhere, and the terrifying impact slammed Wang Cheng, along with Yu Changsheng on his back and Chen Xueqing in his arms, flying them away. They crashed into the hard, moss-covered black rocks of the valley wall, sending fragments flying.

*Pfft!* Wang Cheng felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and he coughed up blood.

The cracks on Yu Changsheng's body widened again, his body resembling a porcelain vase on the verge of shattering. Yet, the fierce light in his eyes intensified, fixed intently on the Daoist in the distance. (End of Chapter)