Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

At this moment, as the two outer bone towers were destroyed, the runes were lighting up faster, and the sleeping skeletal golem began to tremble slightly. In its empty eye sockets, a chilling, ghostly green soul fire slowly condensed.

The withered and annihilated Dao Dao permeated the air, so dense as to be almost tangible, forming a viscous gray mist that constantly tried to penetrate Yu Changsheng's pores and erode his Dao foundation.

The purple-gold battle patterns on his body flickered, and the power of the Annihilation Sword formed a thin gray halo around him, which he struggled to resist.

Each breath felt like swallowing razor blades, and a sharp pain emanated from the cracks deep within his Dao Foundation.

But his pace did not slow down. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, piercing through layers of bone forest and gray mist, locking onto the very center of the bone domain. There, a vast, ancient, cold, and ominous will, like a dormant abyss, was awakening rapidly amidst the surrounding commotion.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

Ahead, on a clearing formed by countless intersecting ribs, resembling a natural altar, lay a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Three towering bone towers, dozens of feet high, are larger and have more complex and malevolent runes than the two towers in Deadwind Valley and Rotten Spring. They stand in a triangle around the altar, with gray beams of light shooting from their spires intertwining to form a slowly rotating dark vortex in the sky above the center of the altar, seemingly capable of swallowing all light.

Below the vortex, at the center of the altar, there was not nothing.

There was something floating there—the upper half of the remains of the Burial God that Yu Changsheng had seen deep in the ruins of Rift Sky City!

At the point where the headless neck was broken, massive ribs crisscrossed like shattered mountains, forming a hollow.

But at this moment, the state of the wreckage is completely different from before!

The size of the wreckage seemed to have shrunk, but the annihilating pressure it emitted had increased more than tenfold!
Its entire body was covered with a layer of flowing, dark black light, like living metal, and countless fine, dark red lines, like blood vessels, spread and pulsated on the surface of the skeleton.

The most horrifying thing is its only remaining severed arm!

Those five enormous bone fingers that once supported the sky are now deeply embedded in the altar ground. Centered on the bone fingers, countless dark red energy veins spread out in all directions like a spider web, connecting the three outer bone towers and all the skeletal golems that are awakening in the entire Burial God Bone Domain!

Vast and pure streams of annihilating energy are flowing through these channels, converging from the Bone Domain, countless skeletal golems, and the three withered bone towers, and frantically pouring into the core void of the remains!

But at the center of that hollow space where ribs intertwined, there was not nothing. A mass of "chaotic primordial matter," whose "color" and "shape" could not be described in words, was constantly twisting and writhing, and was coalescing!
It exudes an aura that is of the same origin as the core of the false gods and demons, but is ten thousand times purer and more evil!

It was like an embryo, a heart, an egg about to hatch into ultimate terror!
At this moment, the Annihilation Sword in Yu Changsheng's hand emitted an unprecedented, violent tremor, almost a mixture of greed and fear!
The projection of the Guixu Star Orbit Compass appeared uncontrollably in front of Yu Changsheng, and the star map representing the path of the "key" on it flashed wildly, pointing directly to the core of the chaotic source matter!
"As expected... the leader of the Sky-Splitting Clan!"

Yu Changsheng's gaze passed over the remains of the Burial God, which were being forcibly recharged and were about to become the true "handle of the key," and landed behind the altar on a throne made of countless huge skulls, exuding a chilling imperial aura.

On the throne, a figure was shrouded in a billowing, lifelike gray-black cloak, with only two blood-red eyes visible piercing through the shadow of the hood.

His withered hand, covered in dark gold scales, was pressed on an intricate bone array on the armrest of the throne, clearly controlling the entire ritual.

With his other hand, he held a strange ball of light that was constantly spinning, seemingly containing countless stars that were being born and dying, yet enveloped in a dense stillness. The aura emanating from that ball of light faintly echoed the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass of Yu Changsheng's Extinction Sword, but it also carried a completely different, domineering power of control and pollution!
The core of the Burial God Bone Domain was deathly silent, like solidified ink. The gray-white skeletons piled up like mountains outlined a hideous silhouette against the dark sky. The two scarlet eyes of the Rift Sky Leader, like will-o'-the-wisps burning in the abyss, pierced through the surging gray-black cloak and were fixed on Yu Changsheng.

"Hehehe..." A laugh that sounded like the friction of withered bones scraped through the depths of Yu Changsheng's mind, carrying a biting mockery and an almost manic fervor.

"Yu Changsheng...you've finally come."

Dragging this broken imperial body, gripping a shattered weapon, I storm into this desolate graveyard prepared for you.
That's... courting death!

The leader of the Sky Rift slightly raised the hand that was holding the "chaotic primordial light sphere".

Inside the sphere of light, the scene of countless stars annihilating was enveloped by an even denser gray and deathly silence, and the pollution and dominion emanating from it crashed into Yu Changsheng like an invisible tide.

The Sword of Annihilation emitted a mournful tremor, and the projection of the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass at the hilt spun wildly, with countless star orbit runes flickering and fading, struggling to resist the erosion that originated from the same source but was filled with malice.

"Witness it for yourself!" The leader of the Sky Rift suddenly raised his voice, carrying an undeniable authority.

"Witness the final shaping of this 'Handle of the Gate'! Using the bones of the buried gods as a guide, drawing upon the power of the annihilation of all spirits, open the gate to the supreme void! This is the culmination of the Heaven-Splitting Alliance's millennia-long plan! The descent of the Chaos Origin Core, the return of all heavens to annihilation, is the only eternal destiny!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his withered hand pressed down hard on the bone array plate of the throne!
“Buzz——!!!”

The entire Burial God Bone Domain trembled violently!

The three giant bone towers arranged in a triangle on the outer perimeter burst forth with a blinding gray-red light, and the viscous energy flowing around the towers surged wildly toward the central altar like a lit fuse.

Countless dark red energy veins connecting the skeletal golem instantly shone like branding irons. The overwhelming and suffocating death energy was forcibly extracted and squeezed from every inch of land and every skeleton in the Burial God Ridge, turning into a tangible gray-black torrent that surged and roared along the veins, continuously pouring into the shrunken but even more terrifying remains of the Burial God at the center of the altar!

"Roar--!!!"

The wreckage emitted an inhuman roar, not a sound, but a shockwave that directly impacted the soul! The dark black light covering it surged and undulated violently like boiling, living metal. At the center of the hollow formed by the intersecting ribs, the constantly twisting and writhing "chaotic essence" expanded and solidified at a visible speed!
Its form rapidly transformed from a blurry embryonic shape into a slowly pulsating "heart" covered in strange patterns! Each pulsation caused the entire space of the Bone Domain to undulate and collapse! An ultimate will of annihilation, ten thousand times more terrifying than the core of a pseudo-god or demon, powerful enough to shatter the Dao heart of a true immortal, slowly opened its cold eyes like a primordial beast awakening! The purple-gold cracks on Yu Changsheng's body instantly erupted with dazzling light!

An excruciating pain erupted from the deepest part of his Dao foundation, as if millions of red-hot steel needles were stirring his primordial spirit!
The Sword of Annihilation struggled wildly in his hand. From the huge crack on the spine of the sword, the dark red divine runes twisted like a dying venomous snake, emitting a shriek that was almost like crying!
It both yearns to devour the nascent chaotic primordial core and instinctively fears the ultimate annihilation it contains, which exceeds its current limits!
"The key... is almost complete! The door... will finally open!"

The leader of the Sky Rift was filled with destructive fanaticism, his scarlet gaze piercing through the cloak, locking onto Yu Changsheng and the sword in his hand.

"And you, Yu Changsheng, you ant who stole the fragments of annihilation, you fool who tried to stop the torrent of the Void! Your blood, your soul, and this broken, deadly weapon in your hand are the final and most perfect sacrifice offered to the 'Handle of the Gate'! By devouring you, the key will be completely perfected!"

Boom!

The leader of the Sky Rift suddenly swung out his other hand, and the bone array plate on the armrest of the throne shone brightly!
Around the altar, the tips of the three bone towers simultaneously shot out a thick, pillar-like dark red beam of death light. It did not shoot towards the core of the Chaos Source, but rather, like three ferocious chains, tore through space and instantly wrapped around the Annihilation Sword!
"Chichichichi——!"

A piercing corrosive sound erupted! The already dim dark red divine runes on the Annihilation Sword struggled and flickered wildly, the sword groaned under the strain, and cracks visibly spread!
A cold, domineering force, filled with predatory intent, frantically extracted the essence of the Annihilation Sword along the three chains of light! The projection of the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass at the sword's edge flickered violently, and the pulsation of the core gray dot became chaotic and rapid!

"Ugh!" Yu Changsheng groaned, his arm holding the sword bulging with muscles, and purple-gold Chaos Emperor Blood gushed out from the crack, trying to pour into the sword to resist the terrifying suction force.

However, the power contained in those three chains of light was too great. It not only extracted the source of the Annihilation Sword, but also triggered the cracks deep within his Dao Foundation that were closely connected to the Annihilation Sword!

The double pain caused his vision to be instantly covered in blood, and his knees buckled, almost causing him to kneel on one knee!
"Emperor!"

Deep within the Purple Mountain Fortress, Mo Heng's withered face instantly drained of all color! The bone domain image projected by the core of the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass distorted violently, and the light representing the Sword of Annihilation was dimming at an alarming rate! He roared hoarsely, "The leader is forcibly extracting the source of Annihilation! The Emperor's foundation is in grave danger!"

"Brother Yu!" Chen Xueqing was terrified. The illusory image of the Pure World Green Lotus burst forth with an unprecedented emerald light, recklessly projecting its purifying power along the threads of Qingzhou's fortune, attempting to soothe the shock to Yu Changsheng's Dao foundation and isolate it from the erosion of the Annihilation Sword.

However, the level of annihilation will contained in that dark red death light was too high. As soon as the emerald light of the Pure World Lotus came into contact with it, it was quickly polluted and annihilated like ice and snow melting away!
"General Wang! The Emperor is in danger! We must act immediately..." Mo Heng's roar echoed through the formation onto the battlefield of Broken Ridge Cliff.

"Roar—! You old dog, Rift Sky! How dare you harm my master!"

Amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood at Broken Ridge Cliff, Wang Cheng, covered in blood, forcefully tore apart the head of a Burial God Guard commander with his newly formed Chaos Bone Arm!
The moment he heard the message, his eyes widened in fury, and his raging blood boiled within him like magma! He stomped his foot on the ground, and the solid cliff beneath his feet shattered with a deafening roar!
"Slay the Demons! Return to the Void! All War Puppets! Bone Domain Core! Charge! Charge! Charge!"

He no longer cared about casualties or formations. The crimson-gold giant blade formed from his chaotic bone arm burst forth with light that tore through the sky, like a mad, savage beast, launching a desperate charge toward the direction of the Burial God Bone Domain!

They attempted to use the most violent impact to shake the outer skeleton golem defenses, even if it could only buy the Emperor a moment!
However, the leader of the Sky-Splitting Clan's crimson gaze merely swept coldly across the direction of the Broken Ridge Cliff, carrying a hint of disdain.

"The struggle of an ant."

With a thought, several runes on the bone array plate lit up.

Outside the Burial God Bone Domain, dozens of newly awakened, hundred-foot-tall skeletal demon statues suddenly turned around, their eerie green soul flames in their eye sockets locking onto the direction of Wang Cheng's charge.

Their enormous bony hands rose, and in their palms condensed a gray-white sphere of light powerful enough to annihilate space! Wang Cheng's charge was instantly enveloped by an even more terrifying shadow of death!

Bone Domain Core Altar.

"Give up the struggle, Yu Changsheng." The voice of the leader of the Rift Heaven was like a death knell, once again tolling in Yu Changsheng's sea of ​​consciousness.

"To merge into this great torrent of annihilation and become the cornerstone of opening the eternal void—this is your destiny! Look, even your sword yearns for it..." He deliberately guided the suction force of the three chains of light, and indeed, the mournful cry of the Annihilation Sword contained a trace of morbid longing for that chaotic essence!
"Fate?"

Yu Changsheng suddenly raised his head!

Beneath his disheveled white hair, in those bloodshot eyes with dark red cracks deep within the pupils, the stubborn purple-gold light not only did not extinguish, but under extreme pain and pressure, it burst forth with unprecedented brilliance, like a star being tempered!
The intense pain, like a furnace, forged his shattered will into something even stronger!
The Chaos Emperor's Blood roared and surged within the cracks, instantly resonating with the power of the Extinction Sword—the instinctive analytical and anchoring force originating from the core of the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass—that guided the "key" and the "door"!
His gaze pierced through the dark red chains of death light, through the boiling black light of the remains of the buried god, and locked onto the core of the chaotic source matter that was about to solidify completely. On the surface of that strangely patterned heart, amidst the scene of countless stars being born and dying, he saw it!
A fleeting, extremely brief star map!
The trajectory of that star chart was so complex and mysterious that it was impossible to understand, but the shape and trajectory of the ever-changing, profound singularity at its core were exactly the same as the core gray point of the Returning to the Void Star Orbit Compass on his Extinction Sword Blade!
No, they're not the same! The core gray dot on the compass is more like... a faint projection of the singularity at the core of this star chart!

A tattered copy!

The intelligence that Ling Wuying risked her life to bring back.

The statement that "the larger source of remains deep within the ancient ruins is the key" was completely confirmed at this moment!

The remains of the buried god beneath Rift City are the "handle".

The chaotic primordial core that is being activated at this moment represents the "Source Point"! It is the true core of the key!

Only by combining the two can we reach that ultimate "door"!
All the leader of the Sky Rift did was to forcibly merge the "source" and the "handle" to create a complete key!
The rotating ball of light held in the hands of the leader of the Sky Rift... the scene of the birth and death of stars shrouded in deathly silence at its core, and some subtle aspects of its internal structure, even have a certain... eerie similarity to the Guixu Star Orbit Compass?
Are they two branches born from the same source? One leads to absolute annihilation and pollution, while the other leads to the anchoring and analysis of chaos?
This insane idea cleaved through the chaos like lightning!

A sudden realization flashed through Yu Changsheng's shattered sea of ​​consciousness! (End of Chapter)