Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

The moment the Soul-Destroying Blood Scythe struck, time seemed to freeze. It was no ordinary weapon; what clung to it was not physical sharpness, but a cursed power that condensed endless abyssal resentment and was specifically designed to tear apart the very essence of the soul.

Before the blood scythe even arrived, a terrifying will that could freeze souls and annihilate life had already descended, completely engulfing Yu Changsheng and the other two, along with the hope they had just gathered.

"puff--!"

Yu Changsheng was the first to be hit. Forcibly fusing the six beasts to recreate the rudimentary form of the Chaos Origin Beast was already like forcibly adding pressure to a broken piece of porcelain. At this moment, the impact of the Blood Scythe's will was like a heavy hammer.

His vision went black, and liquid mixed with chaotic gray mist and golden-red blood gushed from all seven orifices. The barely maintained phantom of the chaotic source beast trembled violently, emitting a silent wail, before collapsing instantly. Six withered beams of light flew out and entered his body, bringing an even more violent backlash.

He felt as if his soul was being torn apart by countless fine saw teeth, every inch of his consciousness screaming and shattering. The light of the chaotic mark on his back dimmed completely, and even spiderweb-like cracks appeared, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.

"Immortality!" Chen Xueqing screamed shrilly.

The life shield she and the Rainbow Deer jointly erected crumbled like fragile glass under the impact of the Blood Scythe's will, cracking open with a "crack".

Her newly stabilized life force flickered violently like a candle flame in a storm, her face instantly turned ashen, and she spat a mouthful of blood onto the tortoise shell in front of her. The powerful life force bestowed by the emerald roots was suppressed and could hardly flow.

The colorful deer let out a mournful cry, and the halo on its antlers dimmed.

"Roar!" Wang Cheng roared, his domineering golden body surging wildly, attempting to withstand the invisible soul attack head-on. However, his domineering body primarily focused on physical cultivation, and its defense against soul attacks was far inferior to that of cultivators of the same level.

The Blood Scythe's will, like an invisible poison needle, easily pierced through the golden light on his body and went straight for his sea of ​​consciousness. His massive body stiffened abruptly, his eyes instantly turned bloodshot, the cracks on his domineering body that had just healed burst open again, golden blood gushed out, and his aura rapidly weakened like a punctured balloon.

The newly broken-through mid-stage Nascent Soul realm seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

Yuan Shou's figure solidified at the entrance of the passage. He was clad in armor as dark as night, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, revealing only a pair of eyes burning with eerie green flames, cold, greedy, and with a playful, cat-and-mouse-like quality.

The Soul-Destroying Blood Scythe in his hand trembled slightly, emitting a humming sound as if thirsting for souls.

“Chaotic Origin Power…the Law of Life…and a trace of the Primordial Overlord Body…” Yuan Shou’s voice was hoarse and low, like sandpaper rubbing together. “What an unexpected gain. Hand over the Chaotic Origin Beast and the Origin of the Law of Life, and I’ll leave you with your corpses intact.”

He didn't rush to attack again, seemingly enjoying the sight of his prey struggling in despair. The escape route opened up by the stone tablet star map had become extremely dim under the aftershock of the blood scythe's strike, and the space at the edge of the route rippled like water, on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

The shadow of death has never been so heavy.

Yu Changsheng knelt on one knee, his hands gripping the cold Xuanwu tortoise shell tightly, panting heavily, each breath accompanied by the burning pain of fragments of his internal organs.

The excruciating pain in his soul almost robbed him of his ability to think, but Chen Xueqing's cries of grief and Wang Cheng's roars were like steel needles, piercing into the depths of his chaotic consciousness.

I can't die... I can't fall here... Xueqing... Wang Cheng... and... that source of filth...

The vast aura emanating from the Xuanwu remains became their only refuge, barely resisting the denser ghostly death energy and battlefield malevolence from the outside world, and also slightly weakening the terrifying pressure of Yuan Shou.

The ancient runes on the tortoise shell seemed to flow even more obscurely under the soaking of the three people's blood.

"Dream on!" Wang Cheng struggled to stand up, his golden aura flickering on his body, but the ferocity in his eyes remained undiminished. "Even if I die, I'll knock out a few of your teeth!"

Chen Xueqing bit her lower lip, ignoring her own injuries, and frantically poured her remaining life force into the Rainbow Star Deer. The Rainbow Star Deer let out a low cry, and its antlers glowed faintly green again, laboriously repairing the most serious wounds on Chen Xueqing and Wang Cheng's bodies, trying to stabilize their collapsing life force.

She looked at Yu Changsheng, her eyes showing no fear, only determination and a hint of indescribable tenderness.

Yu Changsheng felt her gaze, and he also felt Wang Cheng's indomitable fighting spirit. A deeper obsession, surpassing the pain of the body and the tearing of the soul, erupted in his heart like molten lava from the earth!

guard!

This thought was crystal clear.

He suddenly looked up, his bloodshot, chaotic gray eyes fixed on Yuan Shou.

"All beasts return to one... Chaos Guidance..." He let out a beast-like growl, ignoring the warnings of broken meridians and shattered internal organs, and once again forcibly activated the core method of the "Myriad Beasts Heavenly Scripture".

This time, the goal is not to fuse with the six beasts, but to frantically absorb the vast and boundless primordial energy from the Xuanwu remains beneath him!

"Om-!"

The entire underground space trembled violently! The stone tablet in the center of the tortoise shell burst forth with an unprecedented earthy yellow radiance, and the Xuanwu carvings on it seemed to come alive, emitting a deep roar.

A primordial power far purer and more profound than before surged forth like a burst dam, flowing wildly into Yu Changsheng's collapsing body through his palm!
"Ugh—!" Yu Changsheng let out a bloodcurdling scream. The power of the Xuanwu was so domineering and powerful that it instantly clashed terrifyingly with the remaining chaotic source power, the death energy of the Netherworld, the battlefield killing intent, and his own mixed energy within his body!

His body was like a furnace about to explode, his skin cracking inch by inch, blood gushing out mixed with gray mist and golden light, and his bones groaning under the unbearable weight.

But at the same time, the almost extinguished chaotic mark, under the impact of this violent power, was like stubborn iron thrown into a furnace, with cracks on its surface flashing wildly on the edge of destruction and rebirth! Deep within the mark, a faint source of chaos was forcibly activated, and began to devour and transform the surging primordial power in a way that was almost self-destructive!
"You're courting death!" Yuan Shou's eyes flashed with a ghostly green flame, clearly not expecting Yu Changsheng to dare to absorb the power of Xuanwu so frantically even when he was so seriously injured.

Without further hesitation, he raised the Soul-Destroying Blood Scythe once more. This time, a dark red blood light, refined to its extreme, condensed on the blade, locking onto Yu Changsheng's head! This strike contained his true killing intent, enough to completely annihilate the soul of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!
A crimson light tore through space, arriving in an instant!

At this critical moment!
"Roar--!"

A majestic, ancient roar, seemingly from the beginning of time, suddenly erupted from Yu Changsheng's body! It did not come from him, but from the flickering chaotic mark on his back!

Immediately afterwards, a blurry yet incredibly solid beastly shadow roared out from the mark! It was not the nascent form of the Chaos Origin Beast formed by the fusion of the six beasts, but rather a more ancient, majestic, and imposing phantom of a giant tortoise bearing the weight of the vast earth—the Shadow of Xuanwu!
This phantom was not summoned by Yu Changsheng, but rather a protective force manifested by the Xuanwu remains themselves, which sensed his frantic absorption of the source and his near-destruction, as well as a trace of the same origin in the chaotic mark!

"Boom!"

The dark red light slashed fiercely at the Xuanwu phantom!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only visible shockwaves, imbued with the laws of destruction and protection, silently spreading out. The entire underground space trembled violently, like water rippled by a thrown stone, with rocks falling from the dome.

The phantom of Xuanwu trembled violently and became somewhat transparent, but it did not shatter! It withstood Yuan Shou's deadly attack!
"What?!" For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on Yuan Shou's face beneath his hood. The protective will remaining on the Xuanwu remains was so tenacious!
Just as the Xuanwu phantom blocked the Blood Scythe, the destructive conflict within Yu Changsheng's body finally showed a glimmer of hope under the relentless devouring and transformation of the Chaos Mark!
A wisp of extremely pure new power, which combines the primordial origin and the characteristics of chaos—let's call it "Primordial Chaos Qi"—was born with difficulty in his shattered meridians!
Although it was only a trace, it was like the first clear spring gushing out in a dry desert!
"Now!" Yu Changsheng roared inwardly, enduring inhuman pain, and frantically poured this sliver of new life power, along with his remaining will, into the crumbling escape tunnel!

"Buzz!"

The originally dim star map passage suddenly burst into dazzling light after receiving this power that combined the will of chaos, primordial chaos, and the guardian will of Xuanwu!

The passage instantly solidified, becoming even more solid than before!

"Go!" Yu Changsheng roared with his last bit of strength, grabbed Chen Xueqing and Wang Cheng who were swaying beside him, and shoved them hard toward the entrance of the passage!

"Immortality!" Chen Xueqing exclaimed.

"Boss Yu!" Wang Cheng roared.

"Go! I'll cover your retreat!" Yu Changsheng's eyes were bloodshot as he abruptly turned to face Yuan Shou once more. His body was completely empty, and his injuries were beyond repair; he could barely stand, but his back remained ramrod straight. The newly generated chaotic primordial energy, though weak, gave him a sliver of confidence to face Yuan Shou—or rather, a resolute determination to die.

Yuan Shou watched Chen Xueqing and Wang Cheng about to disappear into the passage, his eyes blazing with dark fire. "Trying to run?" He flickered, about to bypass the Xuanwu phantom and give chase.

"Your opponent is me!" Yu Changsheng roared, forcefully activating that wisp of primordial chaos energy to once again communicate with the Xuanwu remains! This time, he wasn't absorbing it, but guiding it!

"boom!"

On the tortoise shell, countless ancient runes suddenly lit up, weaving into a huge net of light that instantly enveloped the core area of ​​the entire underground space, trapping Yuan Shou and Yu Changsheng inside!
This is the last protective restriction on the Xuanwu remains, which was forcibly activated by Yu Changsheng using the primordial chaos energy as a catalyst!
Yuan Shou's figure crashed into the light net with a muffled thud, and he was briefly blocked! He angrily swung his blood scythe at the light net, which shook violently and the runes disappeared, clearly unable to hold on for long.

"Insect! You're courting death!" Yuan Shou was completely enraged, locking onto Yu Changsheng with his Soul-Destroying Blood Scythe, his terrifying killing intent almost tangible.

A blood-stained, almost maniacal smile tugged at Yu Changsheng's lips. He had succeeded; Xue Qing and Wang Cheng should be able to escape. As for himself… He glanced at the massive Xuanwu remains beneath him, then at the ancient stone tablet in the center of the tortoise shell.

The source of filth... sealed...

An extremely risky, almost suicidal idea flashed through his mind like lightning.

Just as Yuan Shou's blood scythe was about to fall again and the light net was on the verge of shattering, Yu Changsheng made a move that even Yuan Shou did not expect—instead of retreating, he used his last bit of strength to pounce on the stone tablet with the Xuanwu pattern engraved in the center of the tortoise shell!
"With my crippled body, I draw upon the power of the primordial chaos! Senior Xuanwu, aid me!"

He roared and poured all the remaining chaotic primordial energy, along with his shattered divine soul and will, into the stone tablet without reservation!
“Buzz——!!!”

The stone tablet erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant yellow light! The entire Xuanwu remains seemed to awaken completely at this moment! A vast, desolate, and boundless primordial power, carrying endless tragedy and a protective will, erupted like a volcano that had been dormant for thousands of years!

The target is not the Abyss Hunt, but... the depths beneath where the remains are suppressed!

"No—!" Yuan Shou seemed to realize something, letting out a roar of shock and rage. He ignored Yu Changsheng and slashed his blood scythe wildly at the ground, trying to stop him!

But it's too late!
"Crack... Rumble—!"

The entire Burial Ruins seemed to have experienced a magnitude 12 earthquake at that moment!
Under the guidance of the stone tablet's power, the tortoise-shell-like ground beneath Yu Changsheng's feet suddenly cracked open, revealing a bottomless, enormous fissure! Deep within the fissure was not rock or soil, but a turbulent, boiling, viscous, dark red substance exuding an aura of endless evil, filth, and depravity!
It resembled congealed blood or rotting entrails; the mere aura it emitted was enough to make even a powerful figure like Yuan Shou feel a pang of fear and... disgust!
This is precisely the source of filth that the remains of Xuanwu have suppressed for countless ages!
In the face of dire straits, Yu Changsheng actually chose to loosen a seal slightly, releasing a wisp of the source of the filth!

He wanted to bring the deepest terror of this ancient ruins of the burial of gods into the battlefield!

"Roar--!!!"

An indescribable roar, filled with endless resentment, greed, and destructive desire, faintly echoed from the depths of the rift. The dark red filth writhed like a living thing, and a cold, evil intent, seemingly capable of corrupting everything, instantly locked onto Yuan Shou and Yu Changsheng, who were closest to them!

Shifting the blame eastward! Let's all perish together!
In the last moment before his body was corrupted by the filthy aura and his consciousness was completely plunged into darkness, Yu Changsheng saw Yuan Shou's eyes, burning with eerie green flames, reveal for the first time an expression of "fear," and his disheveled figure as he unhesitatingly abandoned the pursuit, turned around, and tore through space in an attempt to escape.

"Heh..." Yu Changsheng's lips curled into a blurry smile as his body, like a kite with a broken string, plummeted into the dark red abyss that exuded endless filth and evil.

Darkness completely engulfed him.

Icy.

Sticky.

It was as if I had fallen into a stagnant swamp that had been putrid for millennia, or as if I had been soaked in a pool of blood from the condensed resentment of millions of living beings.

Yu Changsheng's remaining consciousness floated in the boundless darkness.

He couldn't feel his body's existence, or rather, his body was being frantically eroded and dissolved by an indescribable evil force. It wasn't physical destruction, but a deeper, more fundamental form of pollution.

His meridians, flesh, bones, and even the primordial energy and fragments of his soul that constitute his existence were being assimilated and devoured by that dark red filth.

Pain? No, it transcended the realm of pain. It was a sense of despair where existence itself was denied, distorted, and dragged into an endless abyss. Countless chaotic, insane, and malicious whispers echoed deep within his consciousness, attempting to erode his last vestiges of clarity, tempting him to abandon resistance and completely merge into this filthy ocean.

Give up... join us... become a part of us forever...

Do you hate? Do you resent? Destroy it... let everything return to filth...

Protect? Ridiculous... What you protect will ultimately be devoured...

These whispers, like maggots clinging to bones, seep in everywhere. (End of Chapter)