Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

It was as if a hole had been torn open in the sky, and the fierce, desolate winds, carrying coarse sand and gravel, rushed in instantly!

The long-awaited sunlight stung everyone's eyes.

The massive body of the Chaos Black Tortoise was the first to burst through the breach, crashing heavily onto the wasteland littered with metal debris, causing the earth to tremble.

Yu Changsheng, Wang Cheng, and Chen Xueqing followed closely behind, like three streaks of light darting out of the collapsing abyss of death, landing beside the Xuan Turtle and stirring up clouds of dust.

Choking!

Wang Cheng's broken sword was deeply embedded in a huge, black metal fragment resembling an animal bone beside him. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, his golden body flashing erratically, clearly indicating that the extreme burst of power he had just unleashed had consumed a great deal of energy.

Chen Xueqing landed slightly unsteadily, but immediately steadied herself. The Life Gem hovered in her palm, its emerald light flowing like water over her body, quickly calming the churning blood and soul within her. At the same time, she warily scanned the desolate and dangerous metal wasteland.

Yu Changsheng stood tall like a pine tree, his Guixu Sword pointing diagonally at the earth.

On the sword, the dark purple patterns that had devoured the filth and remnants slowly writhed and struggled like living things, gradually being worn away, devoured, and purified by the sword's own primordial chaos light. His expression was cold, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping across the battlefield ruins that had buried countless gods and demons, finally fixing on a distorted spatial node hundreds of feet away.

There, the space was like the surface of water tossed with a stone, rippled violently.

The dark purple, foul aura was so thick it was almost tangible, forming a constantly swirling vortex. At the center of the vortex, a broken and twisted figure was slowly coalescing and taking shape.

The figure still vaguely retained the outline of Yuan Shou, but it was already unrecognizable.

The remaining dark gold armor was stained a purplish-black by filth and riddled with corroded holes. The right arm, which should have been wielding the Soul-Destroying Blood Scythe, was severed at the shoulder, with disgusting dark purple flesh writhing at the break.

His left arm had mutated into a grotesque shape resembling a giant bone blade, swirling with foul smoke and fine arcs of blood-red electricity. Most chilling of all was his head; one half of his face retained the twisted fear and resentment of Yuan Shou before his death, while the other half was covered by a constantly multiplying, viscous, dark purple tumor. A compound eye, entirely composed of foul energy and filled with madness and hunger, was fixedly "staring" from the center of that tumor at the Guixu Sword in Yu Changsheng's hand!
A mad impulse of destruction, chaos, and the ability to devour everything surged and spread from that twisted body like a tidal wave.

“Heh…heh…chaos…source…sword…mine!” A hoarse, broken, inhuman voice squeezed out from Yuan Shou’s twisted throat, each syllable carrying a sticky malice and a nauseating greed.

His remaining compound eyes greedily locked onto the Guixu Sword, which shimmered with light in Yu Changsheng's hand, as if it were his only salvation after falling into the abyss, and also the source of even greater power.

"Brother Yu..." Chen Xueqing whispered, the light of the Life Gem instinctively contracting, dimming slightly under the pressure of the corrupt will. Wang Cheng suddenly drew his broken sword, took a step forward, and his powerful body once again ignited with dark golden battle flames, blocking Chen Xueqing's path, his teeth clenched: "This damn thing is even more sinister than before!"

Yu Changsheng did not respond; his entire focus was on the Guixu Sword in his hand and the twisted monster in front of him.

The hilt of the sword felt cold and steady. Inside the blade, the corrupting power that had been devoured was being frantically refined by the Chaos Origin, which instead stirred up a primal urge to fight and devour even stronger energy.

"It has been completely corrupted by filth, reduced to a puppet. The claws of the abyss, though dead, do not fall." Yu Changsheng's voice was calm, yet carried a chilling edge that pierced through the evil wind. "Perfect, with your tainted blood, I will offer sacrifice to my Guixu Chujian!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved.

There was no earth-shattering display, only a long, elongated, dark yellow afterimage across the wasteland. Its speed surpassed the limits of the naked eye, as if space itself were shrinking beneath its feet! The Guixu Sword was thrust out smoothly at breakneck speed, its tip aimed directly at the core of Yuan Shou's crazed compound eye.

"Roar--!"

The Filthy Abyss Hunter let out a piercing shriek, its mutated bone blade left arm crackling with crimson arcs of electricity that tore through space, carrying a dense aura of filthy purple, as it slashed fiercely at the incoming sword light! Where the bone blade passed, even the baleful winds that permeated the wasteland seemed to be polluted and frozen.

clang--! ! !
The sword blade clashed violently with the bone blade!
The anticipated energy explosion did not occur. The moment the Guixu Sword's blade touched the bone blade, the chaotic, primordial light on its surface suddenly collapsed inward, transforming into a barely perceptible yet all-consuming black singularity!

"bite!"

Yu Changsheng uttered a single word.

scoff!

The monstrous bone blade, powerful enough to cleave mountains and wreathed in filth and blood-red lightning, was like ice and snow encountering the blazing sun. From the point of contact with the Guixu Sword, it visibly crumbled, annihilated, and turned into the finest dust! Not only that, the filthy purple aura and blood-red arcs of electricity clinging to the bone blade were also frantically absorbed into the pitch-black singularity at the tip of the sword, like rivers flowing into the sea!
"Ugh—!" Abyss howled in pain and rage, the backlash from the destruction of its bone blade causing its massive, filthy body to tremble violently. Its compound eye blazed with even greater madness, and its remaining right arm plunged fiercely into the filthy tumor in its chest, tearing it out with a brutal thud!
A pulsating "heart," entirely condensed from viscous, dark purple, filthy energy, its surface covered with faces writhing in agony, was forcibly ripped out! That filthy heart emitted a terrifying aura that could freeze one's soul, and without hesitation, it slammed this "heart" hard against the tip of the Guixu Sword, which was frantically devouring it—it actually wanted to use its own core filthy essence to forcibly corrupt and even burst this newly born chaotic divine weapon!
"You're courting death!" Wang Cheng's eyes widened in fury. How could he allow this monster to continue harming his comrades? A furious roar echoed across the wasteland, "Bloodthirst - Ninefold Collapse!"

boom! boom! boom! boom! …

No longer a single punch, but nine punches stacked in an instant! Each punch condensed all the power of Wang Cheng's current mid-stage Nascent Soul Body. The nine dark golden fist energies were like nine roaring golden dragons, striking first after being launched later. They were not aimed at Yuan Shou's main body, but rather struck the severed arm from which Yuan Shou had unleashed the Filthy Heart with unparalleled precision!

Bang! Click!

Under the combined onslaught of the Ninefold Blood Fist, the tainted arm of the Filthy Abyss Hunter shattered and exploded like rotten wood! The Filthy Heart, which was about to touch the Return to Nothingness Sword, suddenly lost its support and tumbled off course.

The opportunity is fleeting!
"Judgment—Wither!" Chen Xueqing's clear, cold voice was like heavenly judgment. She held the Life Gem in her hands, and a beam of gray-green light, condensed to its extreme, struck the core of the churning, filthy heart with unparalleled precision, arriving after her attack!
There was no explosion, no impact. That gray-green beam of light contained the ultimate antithesis of the laws of life—the will to wither, decay, and end. The wailing faces on the surface of the filthy heart enveloped by the beam instantly froze, and the viscous, dark purple light visibly faded and dimmed, even beginning to crack and crumble! The terrifying, foul energy emanating from it was forcibly suppressed and weakened!
"Return to Nothingness—annihilation!"

At this moment, Yu Changsheng's voice drowned out the howling wind of the wasteland and the wailing of the filth, like the Dao sound that established the universe at the beginning of chaos!

The Guixu Sword moved.

It was no longer a simple thrust, but a sword that moved with the body, tracing a profound and exquisite trajectory, like a gazelle's horns hanging from a tree. This sword strike seemed to stir up the ancient, silent aura that had accumulated deep within the Burial Ruins of Gods for millennia.

Wherever the sword's edge pointed, space silently collapsed and annihilated, forming a death trajectory that devoured everything. It instantly sliced ​​through the twisted, enormous body of the Filthy Abyss Hunter, as well as the Filthy Core that had been temporarily suppressed by Chen Xueqing's "withered" beam!

There was no earth-shattering collision.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The next moment, the massive body of the Filthy Abyss Hunt, along with its beating, filthy heart, disintegrated and vanished silently from the point where the sword had struck, as if it had been thrown into a sandcastle in the boundless void. There was no flying blood or explosion of energy, only utter annihilation. The filthy energy that constituted its existence, the lingering resentment, and the mutated matter were all devoured and decomposed by the annihilating sword intent of the Return to Nothingness Sword, transforming into nourishment for the most primordial chaos, which then replenished the sword's body.

The Xuanhuang sword light flashed and disappeared.

Yu Changsheng stood three zhang behind the spot where Yuan Shou had vanished. His Guixu Sword pointed diagonally at the earth, its blade shimmering with light, its dark yellow hue even more profound and restrained, faintly radiating a desolate, annihilating light that seemed capable of ending all things. The sword's cry was clear and resonant, piercing the heavens, as if it had just feasted on a sumptuous blood meal, feeling utterly refreshed. Only a narrow, long spatial rift remained on the wasteland, its edges slowly collapsing and fading, proof that the filthy monster had once existed.

Wang Cheng maintained his punching posture, his body radiating golden light like burning lava, his aura fluctuating violently. Yet, at the very moment he unleashed the Ninefold Collapse at his limit, he touched an incredibly tough barrier!

Late stage of divine transformation!

That unstoppable, domineering fist intent that shattered all filth became the final blow to break through the bottleneck! At this moment, the blood and qi in his body surged and roared like the Yangtze River, and the golden light of his domineering body became even more condensed and heavy. With every move he made, it seemed as if he could shake mountains and the universe. A brand new and more powerful force was growing wildly in his blood!

Chen Xueqing also breathed a sigh of relief. The Life Gem floated in front of her, its radiance warm and flowing, even more vibrant and profound than before.

The "Withering Judgment" she just made was her profound understanding of another aspect of the laws of life. At the core of the gem, a gray-green pattern representing "end" and "purification" quietly condensed, forming a perfect balance and cycle with the original powerful life force, reflecting the light of wisdom and perseverance in her eyes.

Yu Changsheng slowly turned around, the Guixu Sword in his hand emitting a satisfied low hum, its tip worn smooth.

The last trace of foul purple energy was completely refined and devoured by the chaotic source power. His gaze swept over Wang Cheng, whose aura was surging, and Chen Xueqing, whose treasure light was flowing, and he understood. Having experienced the corruption of the abyss, fought the dragon-armored beast, escaped the collapse of the earth veins, and now killed the Foul Abyss Hunter, all three of them had completed a crucial transformation and breakthrough on the edge of life and death.

However, before the joy of this breakthrough could settle in their hearts, a sudden change occurred!
Rumble——! ! !
The core area of ​​the entire Burial Ruins suddenly trembled violently!

It was as if the entire spatial structure of the ancient battlefield was groaning and wailing.

The solid metal wasteland beneath their feet was instantly covered with huge, spiderweb-like cracks, bottomless, from which thick, suffocating dark purple filth spewed forth, accompanied by ear-piercing shrieks and maddening whispers.

Immediately afterwards, the sky suddenly changed color!
The thick, leaden clouds, seemingly covered in ancient blood and rust, were violently churned and torn apart by an invisible, immense force. From the gaps in the clouds, not sunlight streamed, but a thick, blood-red glow, like foul blood flowing from a gaping wound!

In the center of this crimson sky, an unimaginably huge dark purple vortex is rapidly taking shape. The core of the vortex is as black as ink, emanating a terrifying suction force that devours everything, and... a pure and evil will that would make even the true gods tremble!

That cold, twisted will, filled with absolute malice towards all life, was like a colossal beast that had been sleeping for millennia, slowly opening one of its eyes!
“The source of the filth… the seal has loosened!” Chen Xueqing stared at the dark purple vortex that seemed to connect to the core of the Nine Netherworlds. Her voice trembled slightly, and the light of the Life Gem instinctively contracted to resist the all-pervasive evil pressure.

Wang Cheng gripped the broken sword tightly, his domineering golden light stubbornly flickering under the corrupt heavenly might. He licked his chapped lips, but his eyes burned with an even more intense fighting spirit: "Damn it, the big one is coming? Let's get it!"

The chaotic mark on Yu Changsheng's back suddenly became scorching hot, emitting an unprecedentedly rapid buzzing sound, like the most intense alarm bell! The Guixu Sword also trembled and rang in his hand, its blade pointing directly at the huge filthy vortex in the sky, radiating intense excitement and... thirst! As if it couldn't wait to drink the primordial blood of that source of filth.

Just as this terrifying pressure, signifying the collapse of the heavens and the impending doom, enveloped the entire land—

hum!
A faint yet incredibly pure silver beam of light, seemingly projected from beyond the starry sea, pierced through the thick, filthy, blood-red clouds without warning. Like a beacon of salvation, it shone with unparalleled precision on the summit of a majestic metal mountain, shaped like a broken giant sword, which was jutting out from the wasteland not far from the three of them!

Where the beam of light landed, the space rippled like water.

A phantom light gate, its entire body condensed from starlight, with flowing runes, and exuding an ancient and sacred aura, slowly emerged and solidified amidst the distorted ripples of space!
Within the portal, one could vaguely see the swirling stars and floating immortal mountains, a world of tranquility and peace, completely different from this deathly land of gods.

“That is…” Chen Xueqing’s beautiful eyes narrowed. From the starlight gate, she felt a familiar yet unfamiliar primal aura, exactly the same as the star map illusion projected by the ancient stone tablet in the Xuanwu Remains space!
"A way out?" Wang Cheng was stunned, then looked at the filthy vortex that almost covered the entire sky. The immense pressure made it difficult for him to breathe. "Or... another pit?"

Yu Changsheng remained silent. His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept rapidly between the world-destroying vortex of filth and the starlight portal. The Chaos Mark issued a frantic warning, the Guixu Sword yearned for battle, and that starlight portal… the prophecy of the Xuanwu remains, the warning of the stone tablet, the mission of the Chaos Origin Beast… countless fragments of clues collided and combined in his mind in an instant.

He abruptly looked up, his gaze piercing through the filthy, blood-red clouds, as if trying to see the true nature of the vortex's core. His voice was resolute, carrying a do-or-die determination:
"The calamity of the abyss's defilement has appeared. This gate is the only chance of survival, and also the entrance to the battlefield! Let's go!" (End of Chapter)