Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

Grayish-black fragments of star rock, cold and hard, floated in the absolutely silent void.

There was no light, no wind, only a bone-chilling cold and an omnipresent, suffocating suppression of the spirit.

This place seems to be a corner forgotten by the universe, where even the faint light of stars is reluctant to shine.

"Cough...cough..." Yu Changsheng lay on the cold rock, each cough aggravating the horrific wound on his back.

The damage caused by the Annihilation Vision of the Patrol Envoy was far beyond imagination. An ominous dark light flickered at the edges of the wound, constantly eroding his newly formed Body Integration Realm Dao Body like a living thing.

The small, dark purple star core fragment clutched in his palm was emitting a faint warmth and vitality, stubbornly neutralizing the annihilation power, which allowed him to barely maintain a sliver of life and avoid being completely disintegrated.

But the brilliance of the crystals also gradually dimmed to the naked eye.

Chen Xueqing knelt beside him, the Pure Lotus floating in her palm, the cascading light curtain thinner than ever before.

Her face was as pale as snow, and her lips were bloodless. She had burned her own essence and blood to purify the Yin Sha of the Dark River, and then she had done her best to suppress the backlash from Yu Changsheng's worsening wounds, which almost exhausted her strength.

The light of the blue lotus struggled to envelop the wound on Yu Changsheng's back, slowing the spread of annihilation, but unable to eradicate it.

Mo Heng's situation is equally bad.

He carefully held the Myriad Transformations Returning to the Void Furnace in his arms. The furnace body was covered with a spiderweb of cracks, and many places even showed signs of collapse. The original flowing trajectory of the stars inside the furnace had almost stopped.

His dried blood from his seven orifices mingled with fresh beads of sweat. Each attempt to activate the furnace for the most basic deduction brought a sharp, needle-like pain to his sea of ​​consciousness and a faint cracking sound from the furnace body.

At this moment, he closed his eyes tightly, using all his remaining spiritual power to nurture this precious treasure, trying to hold onto its last trace of spirituality. This was his only means of perceiving the environment and planning his survival.

Wang Cheng sat cross-legged a little further away, with his back to the others. The cracks on his Chaos Bone Arm had not been completely healed by the aura of life force from the Star Core; they had only stopped expanding.

His domineering blood aura was almost completely depleted, as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

He braced himself, watching warily at the impenetrable darkness beyond the Star Rock. His duty was to be on guard, and even with his strength nearly gone, his will to protect his companions remained as strong as steel.

Every tiny ripple in the void that brushed past his taut nerves caused his muscles to tense up involuntarily.

Ling Wuying was in slightly better condition, but her aura was still unstable.

He held the Lonely Star Cold Iron Shadow Dagger in his hand, his entire being seemingly merging into the shadow of the star rock itself, silent and still.

His spatial severance injury was largely healed by the life force of the star core, but the strange spiritual suppression in this place greatly reduced the effectiveness of his Shadow Cloak technique, forcing him to rely on his most primal senses and combat instincts to remain vigilant.

His gaze was like that of a hawk, constantly scanning every corner of Star Rock and every inch of its edge where it met the void.

Gui Yinzi lay not far behind Chen Xueqing, still unconscious.

The life-giving aura of the star core temporarily stabilized his near-death injuries, but his body, which had been eroded by Yin Sha and severely damaged by his essence and blood, was extremely weak. His face was shrouded in a faint layer of black aura, and his breath was as faint as a wisp of smoke.

Time passed in deathly silence, each breath feeling exceptionally long. An atmosphere of despair, like solid ice water, enveloped everyone.

"Mo...Mo Heng..." Yu Changsheng raised his head with difficulty, his voice hoarse and weak, "Can...can he sense anything? Is there any way out?"

Mo Heng opened his bloodshot eyes, his pupils revealing deep exhaustion and a faint, almost extinguished glimmer of his analytical ability.

He slowly shook his head, the movement unusually heavy.

"No...cough...the spiritual suppression here...far surpasses even the Dark River...and even the Star Graveyard...the Furnace...is almost...unable to operate...forcibly activating it...will likely cause it to collapse completely..."

He paused for a moment and took a breath.

"I can only vaguely sense... this star rock... is like... like a small piece of a larger object that has collapsed... The surrounding void... is deathly... unusually silent... There's... a feeling of being 'watched'... everywhere... but... I can't find the source..."

"Again... the Patrol Envoy?" Wang Cheng's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger and a hint of barely perceptible fear.

The chaotic bone arm clenched its fists unconsciously, producing a faint sound of bones bearing pressure.

No...it doesn't look like it...

Mo Heng closed his eyes again, trying to capture that elusive sensation.

"The aura of the Patrolman... is a destructive lock-on... a will of 'annihilation'... this... is more like... a cold... observation... indifferent... like... a dead object... but... it also carries... a certain... primal... hunger..."

"Hungry?" Ling Wuying's voice suddenly rang out beside Mo Heng like a ghost, startling everyone. He had already stealthily approached Mo Heng without anyone noticing, his brows furrowed.

"Void creatures?"

“I can’t… be sure…” Mo Heng smiled bitterly.

"Information... is too scarce... the furnace... has reached its limit..."

at this time!

"Ugh..." Gui Yinzi, who had been unconscious, suddenly let out a painful groan, and her body convulsed violently.

The black aura on his face suddenly surged, as if something alive was struggling inside.

"Ghost Yinzi!" Chen Xueqing sent out a faint wisp of her divine sense to probe.

The moment Chen Xueqing's divine sense touched the black aura on Gui Yinzi's body.

hum!
A cold, viscous intent, filled with endless resentment and greed, erupted without warning from the endless void beneath the Star Rock, like an invisible tsunami, instantly engulfing the entire Star Rock fragment!
This intention is not a direct attack on the soul, but more like a declaration of "existence".

"Ugh!" Wang Cheng was the first to be hit, letting out a muffled groan. His domineering blood aura was completely dispersed, and he staggered back several steps as if he had been hit hard, with a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

His already fragile health was further aggravated.

Chen Xueqing's delicate body trembled violently, and the already barely maintained Pure World Lotus light screen flickered violently, almost going out.

She groaned, forcibly swallowing the blood that surged to her throat. Her face instantly turned from white to gold, and she swayed precariously.

The force that was suppressing Yu Changsheng's wound suddenly became unstable, and the annihilation black light on Yu Changsheng's back suddenly surged!
The furnace in Mo Heng's arms emitted a teeth-grinding "crack...crack..." sound, and a new crack appeared at the bottom of the furnace. He himself was struck as if by lightning, his deduction state was forcibly interrupted, and the excruciating pain in his soul made his vision go black, almost causing him to faint.

Ling Wuying groaned, staggering out of the shadows, nearly dropping the Shadow Dagger. The intent not only assaulted his soul but also carried a chilling aura that seemed to freeze space, making him feel as if he were trapped in quagmire, his movements stiff and sluggish.

The only one who reacted slightly better was Yu Changsheng!
Just as the mental attack was about to hit him, the dormant Guixu Star Orbit Compass in his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly trembled, and the dark golden nebula vortex in his dantian accelerated its rotation on its own. An aura that combined the inclusiveness of chaos and the true meaning of the annihilation of stars burst forth from his body, forcibly resisting the core of this mental attack.

However, the excruciating pain from the wound on his back intensified as a result, and the annihilating black light became even more active, like a venomous snake.

The one most deeply affected by this thought was Gui Yinzi!

The black energy around his body surged and condensed wildly, forming a distorted and blurry phantom above his head. This phantom carried a greedy aura that was of the same origin as the thought below but was even purer, as if it had been strongly summoned!

Guiyinzi suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, his pupils filled with a chaotic, dark green light. He sat up abruptly and let out a howl that was not human.

"Hungry...so hungry...I want to...swallow...you all!"

He was temporarily controlled by that malicious intent from the void, and like a puppet, he was surrounded by surging Yin Sha black energy and suddenly pounced on Chen Xueqing, who was closest to him and had the weakest aura!

The withered, claw-like fingers, wreathed in a corrosive black light, plunged straight into Chen Xueqing's back!
"Xueqing, watch out!"

Wang Cheng's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He roared and, disregarding his own injuries, unleashed the last bit of his domineering blood power from his Chaos Bone Arm. He forcefully pushed it forward and smashed it down on Gui Yinzi's waist and ribs like half a rotten giant tree!
He's planning to use the siege of Wei to rescue the siege of Zhao!

Ling Wuying reacted even faster. The instant Gui Yinzi made his move, the Shadow Dagger, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, carried the unique icy and desolate aura of the Silent Star Cold Iron, and stabbed at Gui Yinzi's wrist as he grabbed Chen Xueqing, attempting to disable his attack!

Mo Heng endured the excruciating pain and tried to activate the furnace to disrupt the energy around Gui Yinzi, but the furnace only let out a mournful cry and the cracks deepened, having almost no effect.

In the blink of an eye, just as Gui Yinzi's ghostly claws were about to touch Chen Xueqing's back, Wang Cheng's bony arm and Ling Wuying's shadow dagger were also about to strike at the same time!

A close call!
"Suppress!" A deep, resounding shout, carrying an unquestionable will, exploded in everyone's minds like a thunderclap!

It's Yu Changsheng!

He had somehow managed to prop himself up on one side, his left palm forming a sword shape with his fingers together, and a faint, dark golden starlight suddenly shone from the tip of his finger! This starlight was not an attack, but rather a Daoist imprint that he had forcibly condensed, incorporating his own "Silence" essence!
The mark instantly entered the wildly twisting black phantom above Guiyinzi's head!
laugh--!
Like boiling oil poured on snow, the phantom formed from yin energy and malicious intent let out a silent shriek, twisted and struggled violently, and then suddenly collapsed!

The dark green light in Guiyinzi's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by extreme confusion and pain. His movement toward Chen Xueqing came to an abrupt halt, and his body slumped backward.

Wang Cheng's bony arm and Ling Wuying's shadow dagger also stopped in front of him with great difficulty.

The crisis has been temporarily averted, but at a huge cost!

After Yu Changsheng pointed that finger, his face instantly turned ashen. The annihilating black light on his back, having lost most of its suppression, spread out like a beast breaking free of its restraints!
He could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to the ground, blood gushing from the wounds on his mouth and back, staining the star rock beneath him red.

The light from the star core crystal fragments in his palm dimmed considerably once again.

"Chang Sheng!" Chen Xueqing disregarded her own weakness and rushed to Yu Chang Sheng's side, activating the Purifying Lotus with all her might. The light barrier once again enveloped his wounds, attempting to suppress the rampaging annihilation power. Tears silently streamed down her face.

Wang Cheng and Ling Wuying also quickly retreated, guarding the two of them and the unconscious Gui Yinzi with extreme solemnity.

Mo Heng also struggled to get closer, his eyes filled with despair as he looked at Yu Changsheng's terrible injuries and the nearly broken furnace in his arms.

The terrifying intent emanating from the void seemed to become even clearer and more furious after the phantom above Guiyinzi's head was shattered.

The darkness surrounding Star Rock began to slowly ripple like viscous ink, and a slippery, cold sensation seemed to emanate from the rock.

Countless tiny, imperceptible "gazes" converged from all directions, firmly locking onto the few "delicious" prey on the star rock.

“It…is coming…” Mo Heng’s voice trembled like never before as he stared intently at the writhing darkness below.

“Not just one… it’s… a swarm… it’s… ‘Void-devouring worms’! They’re… gnawing at space… and we’re… on the edge of their… nest!”

Void-devouring worm!

A terrifying void creature that exists only in ancient records, feeding on spatial fragments and free energy, possessing extremely strong stealth and devouring power, its group consciousness is cold and greedy, and wherever it goes, everything is reduced to ruins!

No wonder the spiritual suppression here is so strong, and the space is unusually silent!

They actually escaped to the vicinity of a nest of Void-Eating Worms!

The mental shock just now was merely the swarm of insects instinctively releasing feeding signals after being startled by the presence of these "foreign objects" and "living creatures"!

The Yin energy and weakened state within Gui Yinzi's body acted like a beacon in the darkness, attracting the first attack!

"Prepare for...a desperate battle..."

Wang Cheng took a deep breath. The cracks on his Chaos Bone Arm seemed to have multiplied, but the fighting spirit in his eyes reignited, though the flame was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

His bloodline has dried up, only his indomitable will remains!
He slowly assumed a defensive stance, standing at the forefront of everyone. He knew that his bony arms and body would be the last vulnerable barrier.

Ling Wuying's figure blurred again, as if merging into the shadows and folds of the star rock itself. He gripped the Silent Star Cold Iron Shadow Dagger tightly, his aura restrained to the extreme, like a lurking venomous snake, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, scanning the crouching edge of darkness, searching for any possible opening or primary threat.

Mo Heng looked at the crumbling furnace, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood containing a faint trace of divine soul essence onto the furnace!

The Wanhua Guixu Furnace let out a dying cry, and the cracks on the furnace wall seemed to be filled with blood light, briefly illuminating a very weak and unstable halo.

He would use these last embers to forcefully perform a calculation, even if it meant the furnace would be destroyed and everyone would perish, he would fight for a glimmer of hope for his comrades! "Calculate it for me!"

He roared, and blood gushed from his seven orifices once more.

Chen Xueqing bit her lower lip tightly, and blood seeped out.

The Pure Lotus floated above her head, its petals falling one by one, transforming into the purest life force and merging into the lotus platform.

Her hands formed a mudra, her face radiated an almost transparent, divine glow, and her voice carried an ethereal yet resolute power.

"Protect!"

As the last word fell, an unprecedented pure radiance erupted from her body, which, though not large in area, firmly enveloped the core area of ​​the Star Rock Fragment!
This radiance carried a powerful force of purification and repulsion, causing the surrounding writhing darkness to momentarily pause! She was burning her last vestiges of essence and life force to buy time for her companions, even if only for a fleeting moment! (End of Chapter)