Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

The icy, soul-corroding dark river, carrying a chilling, malevolent power, relentlessly washed over Yu Changsheng and his companions, who had just escaped.

The river is not an ordinary stream, but a fusion of the dust and resentment of dead stars that have settled in the Soul-Devouring Sand Sea for hundreds of millions of years, carrying a deadly poison that erodes the soul and vitality.

Gui Yinzi was the first to be hit. His exposed skin was covered with spiderweb-like black patterns, and his breathing was disordered. He groaned and tried to forcefully urge the remaining evil energy to resist, but the effect was minimal.

Wang Chengba's blood was depleted, and the light of his Chaos Bone Arm dimmed. At this moment, he was relying entirely on his powerful physique to withstand the attack, but his face quickly turned ashen.

Mo Heng was already severely injured by the backlash from the Myriad Transformations Returning to the Void Furnace, and now dark red blood was seeping from his seven orifices. The furnace was groaning in his sea of ​​consciousness, unable to bear the burden any longer.

Chen Xueqing's Pure Lotus Light Screen shattered completely when she passed through the spatial turbulence, and her spiritual power was almost exhausted. She struggled to hold up a thin layer of blue light to protect herself and Mo Heng, who was closest to her. Blood kept dripping from the corner of her mouth, staining the blue lotus phantom red.

Ling Wuying's figure flickered uncertainly amidst the quicksand and dark currents. The Lonely Star Cold Iron Shadow Dagger slashed out with streaks of cold light, cutting off the viscous water that tried to entangle him, but the movement was noticeably sluggish, clearly indicating that it had also been corroded.

Only Yu Changsheng's right arm—the "Starry Night Arm," which fused the blood of the Chaos Emperor, the Dao of Star Extinction, the Netherworld Ghost Fire, the power of corrupting marrow, and even a trace of the origin of a star core fragment—became a beacon in the turbid current.

Dark gold, silver-blue, ghostly green, and nebula-like light flowed beneath his skin on his arm. With each wash of water, the soul-corroding Yin energy that caused excruciating pain to others touched Xingji Arm, making a hissing sound like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun. It was forcibly dissolved and refined by the true meaning of annihilation contained within it. Not only did it fail to harm him in the slightest, but a complex yet pure energy was also absorbed by the arm, nourishing him and suppressing the conflict between the two primal sources that were still stirring within his body.

"Hold on!" Yu Changsheng shouted, his voice echoing in the dark underground river cave.

He joined his left fingers like a sword, drawing upon the power of the Star Extinction Dao to create a thin layer of silver-blue starlight shield around himself, attempting to alleviate the pressure on everyone.

But as soon as the protective shield appeared, the Chaos Emperor Blood within him, which had already been stimulated to be even more violent by the Dark River environment, suddenly retaliated. His internal organs felt as if they had been hit by a heavy hammer. He groaned, the protective shield fluctuated violently, almost collapsing, and a strand of dark golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The forced fusion was incomplete; he had to defend against powerful enemies and quell internal conflicts. Even with the unique Star Silence Arm, he had reached his limit.

"Puff puff--"

A series of chilling sounds rang out. From the murky river water, countless viscous black shadows slowly rose. Their forms were twisted, barely maintaining a human silhouette, formed from the decaying matter and malevolent energy deposited at the riverbed. Two eerie green phosphorescent flames flickered in their eye sockets—the very Soul-Devouring Water Puppets that Ling Wuying had previously sensed!

These water puppets silently opened their intangible mouths, emitting shrill cries that only the soul could perceive, creating invisible sonic shockwaves that penetrated directly into everyone's consciousness.

At the same time, they stretched out arms made of mucus, carrying a strong, soul-corroding power, and grabbed at their target.

"Beware of sonic attacks!" Mo Heng endured the excruciating pain. The Myriad Transformations Returning to the Void Furnace flashed above his head, forcibly gathering a wisp of everyone's divine sense to reduce the sonic impact.

But the cracks on the phantom of the furnace deepened even further.

"Get out of my way!" Wang Cheng roared, squeezing out the last bit of his domineering blood power. His chaotic bone arm expanded and swept out with the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

"Boom!" Several of the leading water golems were smashed and exploded, splashing black water everywhere, but more water golems surged forward fearlessly, and the scattered slime quickly reformed in the river.

After Wang Cheng's attack, his aura instantly weakened, and his body swayed. He only managed to stay upright thanks to his willpower.

Ling Wuying's figure transformed into a streak of light that almost blended into the darkness, and the Lonely Star Cold Iron Shadow Dagger precisely struck the ghost fire in the Water Puppet's eye socket.

"Pop pop pop!" The will-o'-the-wisp went out immediately, and the water puppet that was stabbed instantly went limp and dissolved.

His movements remained unpredictable amidst the quicksand and undercurrents. Each flash took the "life" of a water puppet, but the number of water puppets was simply too great, and they kept surging out from the bottom of the river. His space for dodging was rapidly compressed. A sticky substance grazed his shoulder, leaving behind corrosive marks and a chill that penetrated deep into his soul.

Gui Yinzi was in an even worse state. His Yin Sha puppets had all been destroyed during the previous breakout, and now he could only rely on his not-so-top-tier cultivation and Yin Sha techniques to fight back.

He formed hand seals and spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which transformed into blood-red runes, barely forcing back the two water puppets that were close at hand. However, his back was slashed by the sharp claws of another water puppet, leaving three deep wounds that exposed bone and emitted black gas. He screamed in pain, and his aura plummeted.

Chen Xueqing's face was as pale as paper. As she watched her companions being injured one after another, a resolute look flashed in her eyes.

She bit her tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood containing the essence of the Azure Lotus onto the swaying Azure Lotus phantom in front of her.

"Purify the world, cleanse the soul!" The blue lotus shone brightly, and a gentle blue ripple spread out from her center.

Wherever the ripples passed, the soul-corroding Yin energy was briefly purified, and the water puppet's movements, which were grabbing at the crowd, suddenly froze. The slime on its body emitted a sizzling burning sound, and the ghostly fire flickered.

This temporarily alleviated the most critical situation, but Chen Xueqing's body went limp and she completely lost her strength. She was only able to avoid sinking into the river because of the illusory image of the green lotus.

"Xue Qing!" Yu Changsheng's eyes widened in fury.

Chen Xueqing's selfless act was like a spark thrown into a pot of boiling oil, instantly igniting all the power and emotions he had been forcibly suppressing.

The light on Xingji Arm surged, with dark gold, silver-blue, and nebula spinning wildly, and a terrifying and chaotic pressure of annihilation suddenly erupted!

Within his body, the conflict between the Chaos Emperor's Blood and the Dao of Star Annihilation was completely ignited by the external stimulus and the intense pain in his heart!

The two forces, like two ancient ferocious dragons, were tearing and colliding wildly in his meridians, internal organs, and sea of ​​consciousness.

The Guixu Star Orbit Compass spun wildly in the center of his consciousness, attempting to sort things out, but faced with this internal turmoil far exceeding its capacity, the compass's light became flickering.

"Ugh—!" Yu Changsheng let out a pained roar that was not human, and his aura exploded violently outward, shattering several water puppets that were nearby into dust.

But the out-of-control power was also backfiring on him; his skin cracked inch by inch, and dark gold and silver-blue blood seeped out mixed together, making him look like a piece of porcelain about to shatter.

The power of the Starry Arm also became violent and unruly due to the loss of control over its main body. The light on the arm flickered erratically, sometimes stable, sometimes about to explode.

In this desperate situation, beset by internal and external troubles and on the verge of life and death, deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, at the core of the Guixu Star Orbit Compass, which was almost shattered by the violent energy, a long-dormant sense of "silence" suddenly shone forth, like the last flash of an ancient star!

The light was not intense, but it carried an ultimate tranquility that encompassed all things and returned to nothingness.

It ignored the raging Chaos Emperor Blood, calmed the rampaging Star Annihilation Power, and even soothed and restrained the chaotic and violent energy on Star Silence Arm.

A desolate furnace, yet the fire within ignites spontaneously!
That sense of "silence" originating from the core of the Guixu Star Orbit Compass was like a stabilizing needle thrown into a turbulent sea of ​​consciousness.

Instead of forcibly suppressing the conflict, it enveloped both the raging Chaos Emperor's Blood and the Dao of Star Annihilation with an ineffable sense of inclusiveness and annihilation. Yu Changsheng's consciousness, on the verge of collapse, was instantly pulled into a strange inner world.

This place is no longer flesh and blood, but a chaotic, undeveloped void.

Above him was a surging, roaring torrent of dark gold, filled with endless power of creation and destruction. That was the source of his chaotic imperial blood, symbolizing the primordial power that created the world and all things.

Below lies a deep and vast silver-blue sea of ​​stars, dotted with countless cold stars. Each star contains the law of annihilation and end, a concrete manifestation of the Dao of Star Annihilation.

At this moment, these two immense forces, representing the origin of life and the end of the universe, are like two angry galaxies, colliding and tearing each other apart, trying to completely destroy this chaotic void.

Each collision sent shockwaves through Yu Changsheng's soul, causing his body to tremble even more violently in reality, deepening his cracked wounds, and causing blood to gush out like a spring.

However, guided by that state of "stillness," Yu Changsheng's consciousness became clearer than ever before.

He understood the true meaning of the "Desolate Furnace"—it is not about forcibly fusing, but about using one's own Dao heart as the furnace and desolation and nothingness as the catalyst to contain all forces and melt them into one!

"The body is like chaos, the mind a furnace. Nirvana is the fuel, all paths return to nothingness!"

Yu Changsheng uttered a silent Daoist shout from the depths of his consciousness.

In an instant, at the core of the chaotic void, an invisible furnace phantom slowly condensed.

The furnace body is neither gold nor stone, but is composed of the pure concept of "silence". Inside the furnace burns a cold, silver-blue flame that seems to freeze time and space - it is the pure star extinction law fire!

This flame has no temperature, only the power of annihilation that pulls all existence toward its end.

"Take it!" Yu Changsheng thought to himself.

The surging torrent of chaotic imperial blood above, as if finding an outlet, was drawn by an invisible force and roared into the heart furnace!

The torrent of dark gold, upon entering the cold, extinguishing fire, was not extinguished. Instead, it was like boiling oil being poured into water, triggering an even more violent conflict and explosion!
"Boom--!"

The furnace trembled violently, and the furnace walls flickered erratically under the violent clash of energy, as if they might explode at any moment.

Yu Changsheng's consciousness was struck as if by a heavy blow. His body in reality suddenly arched, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with dark gold and silver-blue. His breath was extremely weak, and the light on the Starry Arm also dimmed instantly.

"Senior Brother Yu!"

"Immortality!"

Upon seeing this, Wang Cheng, Chen Xueqing, and the others were terrified and tried to rush over despite their own injuries, but they were blocked by the violent energy turbulence and the water puppets that rushed over again.

Inside the furnace, devastating explosions continued to occur.

The boundless vitality and creative power contained in the blood of the Chaos Emperor, and the end and annihilation represented by the flames of annihilation, are two completely opposite and incompatible ultimate laws.

Forcibly melting it down is as if it's trying to deny existence itself.

But even in the face of utter destruction, a delicate balance was born amidst the chaos of the explosion, a sense of tranquility amidst the chaos.

A trace of Chaos Emperor's blood was burned and tempered by the flames of annihilation, stripping away the violent vitality and leaving behind the purest Chaos Origin; at the same time, a wisp of the flames of annihilation was also enveloped and neutralized by the Chaos Origin, and strangely, a faint but tenacious chance of "new life" was conceived in that cold sense of ending!
At the end of destruction lies rebirth! In the abyss of annihilation lies the glimmer of nirvana!
Yu Changsheng caught this barely perceptible balance point!
He endured the excruciating pain that felt like his soul was being torn apart, concentrating all his will on maintaining this fragile balance, as if walking a tightrope on a precipice.

Inside the furnace, the explosion gradually subsided, and the turbulent energy currents began to slowly rotate around that point of equilibrium.

Dark gold and silver-blue no longer stand in stark contrast, but rather permeate and blend with each other as they rotate.

Within the torrent of dark gold, specks of silver-blue starlight began to emerge, like stars born at the dawn of the chaotic universe; within the silver-blue sea of ​​stars, veins of dark gold also flowed, like the primordial chaos that returned after the stars had vanished.

A tiny, rotating vortex of dark gold nebula slowly took shape in the center of the heart furnace!
It contains both the boundless vitality of chaos and the great power of creation, and exudes the profoundness of the extinction of stars and the majesty of finality.

Two completely opposite principles, under the tempering of the "heart furnace" and the harmonization of the "silence" state of mind, finally found a basis for coexistence and began to transform into a higher level of power!
In reality, the violent and out-of-control aura emanating from Yu Changsheng receded like a tide.

The cracked wound no longer oozes dark gold and silver-blue blood; instead, it exudes a warm, jade-like luster with an inner starlight glow.

On that Starry Arm, the chaotic light completely stabilized, and dark gold, silver-blue, and nebula colors merged perfectly together to form a deep and restrained dark silver. The skin on the arm was covered with mysterious star patterns, radiating a terrifying pressure that brought all things to silence.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a fleeting image of the primordial chaos, the birth and death of stars, flashed through his gaze before finally settling into a profound tranquility.

The barrier of the peak of the Void Refinement Realm was shattered naturally and with a roar during this life-and-death crucible!
A vast and boundless aura, far surpassing the Void Refinement realm, yet carrying a unique aura of annihilation and new life, emanated from his body like a sleeping ancient beast awakening!
This aura is not merely an improvement in realm, but a leap in the essence of life, carrying the inclusiveness of chaos and the majesty of annihilation.

The Fusion Realm! A natural progression!

"Fusion... Senior Brother Yu has broken through!" Mo Heng was the first to sense the aura of qualitative change, and his tired eyes burst with joy.

Wang Cheng's spirits lifted, and his listless demeanor returned somewhat: "Good! Hahaha!"

A blush rose on Chen Xueqing's pale face as she looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure, her eyes filled with joy and pride.

Ling Wuying's figure solidified for a moment in the shadows, her tense nerves finally relaxing. Gui Yinzi also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that the Yin energy that was eroding him seemed to have been suppressed by that newly emerging, vast aura.

However, the energy fluctuations in the world caused by Yu Changsheng's advancement to the Integration Realm were like throwing a boulder into calm, stagnant water!
"Om-!"

The entire Soul-Eating Dark River was boiling violently!
Countless soul-devouring water puppets seemed to be fatally attracted, emitting even more shrill and silent screams, and surged towards Yu Changsheng like a tidal wave. The green phosphorescent ghost fire in their eye sockets burned to the extreme, carrying a greedy desire to devour everything.

Even more terrifying, deep within the riverbed, a will a hundred times more terrifying than all the previous water puppets combined suddenly awakened!

The riverbed trembled, and a colossal water puppet king, over a hundred feet long and formed from countless star remains and resentment, slowly rose! (End of Chapter)