Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

"Xue Qing...where is she..." He forced himself to stay awake, using his last remaining will to urge the small beast in his chest. The emerald green antlers on the head of the Chaos Origin Beast cub once again glowed with a soft halo, merging with Yu Changsheng's remaining soul power, transforming into an invisible ripple that penetrated the viscous waters of the River Styx and spread into the endless depths of deathly silence.

Time loses its meaning here. It's unclear how much time has passed; it feels like an eternity, yet also like a fleeting moment.

The small beast on the chest suddenly let out a sharp whimper! The green light on the deer antlers abruptly pointed to a location deep within the River Styx!
Yu Changsheng's gray pupils suddenly contracted!

over there!
A dim, almost imperceptible ball of soul light, nearly merging into the undercurrents of the River Styx, was slowly sinking. At its core was Chen Xueqing's blurred face! However, the edges of the supposedly pure soul aura were entwined with strands of extremely glaring deep purple! That purple, filled with a violent, chaotic, and devouring will, like vicious vines, was tightly binding her soul, frantically drawing out its already faint radiance, attempting to completely blacken and assimilate it!
Amethyst contamination in Mons Blue!

Yu Changsheng instantly understood the root of the problem. In order to unleash "Blood Phoenix Burning Heaven" and severely injure Meng Silan, Xue Qing had forcibly burned her life essence, which had been corrupted by the power of the Abyss Clan! At the moment of her fall, her soul core had already been eroded by the violent aura of that amethyst! This filthy power, even after her death, was rapidly devouring her remaining true spirit!
"Get out of my way!" Overwhelming rage and heartache instantly overwhelmed the weakness of his soul and the corrosive influence of the River Styx! Yu Changsheng roared and reached out to grab the falling ball of soul light without regard for anything else!
"No!" The gray-mist humanoid figure, which had been silent as a stone, suddenly spoke, its voice carrying a cold rebuke, "The River Styx has its own laws for the souls to be cast into the river. If you forcibly take it, you will suffer a backlash and your soul will be scattered!" At the same time, a powerful binding force instantly enveloped Yu Changsheng, rendering him unable to move.

Just as the soul light ball wrapped in purple energy was about to sink completely into the depths of the River Styx, to be swallowed by endless darkness and tyranny!
"Roar--!!!"

The Chaos Origin Beast cub, which had been curled up at Yu Changsheng's collar, let out its loudest and furiest roar since its birth! Its strange eyes (the left eye was deep and dark, the right eye a bright purple star) instantly shone brightly! Its small body suddenly leaped up and hovered outside the bone boat, above the River Styx!

hum!
A primordial aura, originating from the beginning of chaos and encompassing the essence of all things, burst forth from its small body! The few gray feathers on its back, like sharp swords, stood upright, bursting forth with a sharp silver light that could tear through yin and yang! The pair of emerald green antlers on its head suddenly turned from a soft green light of life into a blazing inferno, like burning jade!

Three forces—the all-encompassing chaos, the sharpness of sword intent, and the burning of life—resonated within the little beast at this moment, achieving an unprecedented harmony! It transformed into a streak of light interwoven with gray, silver, and green, and charged fiercely toward the soul entangled in purple aura within the River Styx!

puff!
There was no earth-shattering collision. The stream of light transformed from the small beast, like a pebble thrown into water, silently merged into Chen Xueqing's dim soul light!
In an instant, a miracle occurred!
The deep purple contamination that clung tightly to the edge of the soul's light, like maggots clinging to a bone, seemed to have met its nemesis! The source power, containing the chaotic "unity" characteristic, enveloped it, no longer annihilating it, but rather "embracing" and "decomposing" it! The sharp sword intent transformed into an invisible carving knife, precisely peeling away the stubborn purple energy that was trying to erode the core, bit by bit! Meanwhile, the burning green light of life gently and firmly protected the very core of Chen Xueqing's soul, ensuring its immortality, while simultaneously burning away the contaminated purple energy that had been peeled away!

Sizzle... sizzle...

Subtle sounds, like cold water dripping into boiling oil, resounded densely on the soul level. Wisps of malevolent purple energy were forcibly stripped away, and under the combined effect of chaotic source power and the green light of life, they turned into wisps of green smoke and dissipated into the deathly aura of the River Styx.

With a flash of light, the little beast reappeared on Yu Changsheng's shoulder. But its condition caused Yu Changsheng excruciating pain! Its once bright eyes were now dull and lifeless, the fine gray scales covering its body had lost their luster, and the pair of emerald green antlers on its head were completely withered, as if they had lost all moisture. It lay limply on Yu Changsheng's shoulder, wearily licked his neck, let out a barely audible whimper, and then fell into a deep sleep. Its body also became somewhat weak, its vital energy greatly depleted!
In the River Styx, the ball of soul light finally shed all its purple aura, becoming pure and fragile. The gray-mist humanoid figure seemed to slightly raise its hand, and an invisible force enveloped the pure ball of soul light, gently bringing it back to the bone boat and into Chen Xueqing's cold body.

"The fare has been paid, the soul has been transferred. Time... has come." The cold announcement rang out, leaving no room for argument. The gray-mist humanoid held a lamp made of pale white finger bones in its hand, with a ghostly green flame flickering within. It flicked its finger, and a point of green flame shot into Chen Xueqing's heart.

The next moment, an irresistible and enormous repulsive force suddenly acted on Yu Changsheng and Chen Xueqing!
Soul Valley, the Silent Altar.

The spatial rift, like a monster's wound, convulsed violently after spitting out Yu Changsheng and Chen Xueqing's bodies. With a piercing "hissing" sound, it quickly closed and disappeared.

The altar was shrouded in deathly aura. Yu Changsheng fell heavily onto the cold black stone, still holding Chen Xueqing tightly in his arms.

"Cough cough... Pfft!" Another mouthful of black blood, thick with gray mist and an aura of death, spurted out, staining the rocks beneath him. The emptiness of his soul stripped of its "guardian" obsession, coupled with the final erosion of the Styx aura, weakened him to an unprecedented degree. He struggled to lift his head, a large chunk of the fervent human emotion that once belonged to him seemingly forcibly ripped from his gray eyes, leaving only a deep, well-like weariness and...coldness. The Chaos Source Beast cub still slept weakly on his shoulder.

His gaze fell on his arms.

Chen Xueqing's body was still ice-cold, but a faint, yet real, warmth was slowly spreading from her heart. The heartbeat was initially so weak it was like the fluttering of a dragonfly's wings, almost imperceptible, but with each beat, it grew stronger.

“…Xueqing?” Yu Changsheng’s hoarse voice was as dry as sandpaper rubbing against stone.

Her eyelashes trembled very slightly, like a butterfly struggling to spread its frozen wings in the dead of winter.

Then, there was another one.

Finally! Those eyes, which had been tightly closed for who knows how long, slowly and with great difficulty, opened a crack.

She was devoid of spirit, only a blank, gray expanse, as if covered by a thick layer of dust. She seemed still sinking into the boundless silence and coldness of the River Styx, without any focus, just instinctively and weakly breathing.

"Hoo... Uh..."

A faint, mosquito-like groan escaped her bloodless lips. She seemed to try to move a finger, but ultimately only curled up weakly.

A clearer warmth seeped through his thin clothes and reached Yu Changsheng's cold chest. It was no longer an illusion, but a signal that the flame of life had been rekindled! Though faint and flickering, it was undeniably real! It was the glimmer of light, bought with the help of the Colorful Star Deer, the Chaotic Beast, and countless sacrifices!
"She's alive...she's alive...Miss Chen...she's alive!" Wang Cheng had somehow managed to get up and lean against the cold altar wall. Watching this scene, his lips trembled violently, and he spoke incoherently, tears mixed with blood smearing his face.

Yu Changsheng did not respond to Wang Cheng. Instead, he extended his hand, which had distinct knuckles but was trembling violently at the moment, and very slowly and carefully touched Chen Xueqing's cold cheek with the warmest part of his fingertips.

A drop of scalding liquid landed on Chen Xueqing's pale forehead, spreading into a small, slightly damp patch. It wasn't a tear, but something seeping from Yu Changsheng's eye, a mixture of gray mist and blood. Just then!

"唳——!!!"

A piercing eagle's cry, sharp and shrill like metal scraping against stone, suddenly exploded above the Valley of Sinking Souls! The sound wave, like a tangible shockwave, instantly tore through the thick miasma of death!

Immediately afterwards, a cold will far purer and more vast than the previous "Purifiers," like a surging sea of ​​stars, descended with an absolute killing intent as it locked onto its target! It instantly locked onto Yu Changsheng and Chen Xueqing on the altar!
Almost at the same time!

Another cold, sticky, and scheming perception, like a venomous snake, crept in from another direction like a maggot clinging to a bone! This perception carried the unique, cold sense of order of the Huangpu family of Qingzhou, like the precise turning of gears!

The supreme hunter of the Abyss Clan!
The spying eyes of Qingzhou!
Yu Changsheng abruptly looked up! The faint fluctuation that had just appeared in his deep gray pupils due to Chen Xueqing's resurrection was instantly frozen, replaced by a chilling aura, emanating from the very source of chaos and mixed with violent killing intent, sweeping out like an Arctic wind. The gray, cracked mark on his back, stimulated by the double threat of terror and the faint heartbeat of his lover in his arms, suddenly shone with a blinding, chaotic light!
The wind in the Valley of Sinking Souls suddenly became mournful, like the wailing of ghosts.

A desperate situation! A double, insurmountable desperate situation!

Yu Changsheng's brain was on the verge of excruciating pain and pressure. The power that had just merged was already on the verge of going berserk, and now, stimulated by the two great wills, it was like an out-of-control torrent, raging wildly through his shattered meridians and internal organs.

The chaotic mark flickered violently, like a vortex that could explode at any moment. Chen Xueqing groaned, her body trembling violently. The dim life rune on her chest lit up with a faint emerald light in response, but it was like a candle flame in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment in the face of these two wills.

"Cough...!" Yu Changsheng forced down the metallic taste rising in his throat, his chaotic, gray eyes fixed on the invisible source of oppression in the sky.

He can't die! He just rescued Chen Xueqing from the River Styx, just grasped a sliver of the true meaning of "All Beasts Return to One," and just gained a Chaos Origin Beast companion by blood...

He cannot fall here! The sacrifices of Huang Xiren and Lin Hao must not be in vain!

He suddenly looked down at his chest.

There, the sleeping Chaos Origin Beast cub seemed to sense the threat of annihilation, its small body twitching uneasily.

In order to purify Chen Xueqing's soul orb, it forcibly unleashed three primal powers, and is now in the deepest slumber to recover, unable to provide powerful assistance for a short time.

Our only hope lies within ourselves!

Right here, the chaotic source energy is on the verge of collapse!

This is the mark that contains the potential of "all beasts"!

"Roar--!"

A low, inhuman roar escaped from deep within Yu Changsheng's throat.

It's not about confrontation, it's about calling for action!

It is a call to all the power within the body, and even more so a call to the endless death energy, resentful spirits and malevolent thoughts contained within the Soul Valley itself, a deathly wasteland!
He recklessly pushed the forbidden technique of the "Scripture of Ten Thousand Beasts"—"Return of Ten Thousand Beasts to One: Chaos Guidance"—to its extreme with his remaining willpower!
hum!
The chaotic mark on his back erupted with a terrifying suction force, no longer passively absorbing, but actively devouring! Its primary target was the eerie altar where they were located! This altar had been silent for many years, devouring countless souls and death energy from the Valley of Sinking Souls, accumulating unimaginable and boundless netherworld power!
Rumble!
The altar trembled violently! Countless twisted runes appeared on the gray-black rock surface. These runes were ancient and sinister. Now, under the forceful absorption of the Chaos Mark, they were like activated blood vessels, filled with the death energy, resentment, unwillingness, and curses accumulated over countless years... like a black torrent that had been unleashed, surging wildly towards Yu Changsheng's back!
"Ughhhhhh—!" Unimaginable pain instantly engulfed Yu Changsheng's entire body. This was not a gentle energy replenishment, but rather the forced infusion of the highly poisonous, filthy, and chaotic Styx source into his already riddled body! Every inch of flesh, every remaining meridian, even his soul, was being torn apart, corroded, and burst by this filthy torrent!
"Chang Sheng!" Chen Xueqing, who had just woken up, let out a weak and terrified cry. She could feel that the flame of Yu Chang Sheng's life was rapidly dimming in this terrifying devouring!

However, the chaotic gray in Yu Changsheng's eyes shone with an astonishing light! He abandoned his resistance to the destructive force of this torrent, and instead opened himself up! He regarded this torrent of foul death energy, capable of instantly destroying an ordinary peak expert, as fuel to temper himself! He would use the "death" accumulated over billions of years in the Soul-Sinking Valley to ignite the chaotic "life" within himself!
"Death's End... Gate of Life... Path to the Netherworld... From Nothingness Comes Something..." The fragmented texts of the Myriad Beasts Heavenly Scripture exploded once again in his shattered sea of ​​consciousness.

This time, it was no longer a jumble of whispers, but a clear direction!
The dark power of the altar is the key to the "Gate of Death and Life"!

He looked at the Chaos Origin Beast cub. The little creature, with its telepathic connection, immediately understood his intention. It let out a low growl, its four hooves treading on the void, and an invisible ripple of chaos spread outwards.

Wherever the ripples passed, the dense death energy and resentment of the Soul Valley seemed to have encountered their natural enemy, retreating and dissolving, forcefully opening up a relatively "clean" passage ahead!

A gate of light illuminated above the altar!
I don't know where it leads!

"Let's go!" Yu Changsheng picked up Chen Xueqing, and following the path cleared by the Chaos Origin Beast, his figure moved like lightning. He grabbed Wang Cheng beside him and they entered the portal together, disappearing into the Valley of Sinking Souls! (End of Chapter)