Under One Person: I Opened the Age of Mythology

Chapter 616

The changes brought about by the gray-white stone pebbles were not all good things.

The StarNet is like a river that has suddenly been connected, with surging power flowing endlessly, but it also brings unexpected "turbulence".

In the Southern Continent, there is a newly established mortal town called "Dize Town" built based on a star network node.

Under the guidance of the craftsmen sent by Mo Yan, the townspeople are attempting to draw upon the faint power of the earth's veins to irrigate the spirit fields.

Initially, the results were remarkable, with the seedlings growing lush and green.

However, a few days later, the craftsman in charge of maintaining the node was horrified to discover that the life force contained in the branch of the earth vein that maintained the node was withering away at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The once lush green hillsides quickly turned gray and withered, the rocks lost their luster, and even the nearby streams became thin and murky.

“Spiritual energy overload!” Mo Yan looked at the glaring alarm displayed on the Mountain and River Compass, his expression grave. “Even with the guidance of the Star Network, a mortal body cannot precisely control the power of the earth’s veins. Draining the pond to catch all the fish… disaster is imminent!”

He immediately ordered the energy output of the node to be restricted and organized people to divert the energy from the nearby ley lines to remedy the situation, leaving him in a state of utter chaos.

This is by no means an isolated case. Under the coverage of the StarNet, reports of unstable ley lines and small-scale depletion have come from many places.

The situation was even more perilous on the desolate plains of Beiju Luzhou.

A wolf demon tribe, which had initially mastered the transformation of malevolent energy into the fire of sincerity under the guidance of Jin, encountered problems during a collective resonance with the Star Network in an attempt to achieve a deeper transformation.

The immense energy transmitted from the Star Network clashed violently with the raging demonic power that had been forcibly suppressed within their bodies!
Several young wolf demons with weaker willpower instantly turned bloodshot, their veins bulging. The wisp of sincere fire that had just gathered at their fingertips was extinguished with a "poof," replaced by an out-of-control surge of crimson demonic power mixed with black energy, violently tearing at the surrounding air.

"Roar--!"

Painful screams rang out, and they turned and lunged at their companions who were still struggling to stay conscious!
Jin's figure instantly appeared in the center of the chaos. The Chaos Affinity transformed into a flexible band of light to bind the out-of-control individuals. He frowned: "The power of the Star Web is vast. Without sufficient mental fortitude and tempering to support it, forcibly converting it will only result in a backlash... An imbalance of demonic power is more dangerous than mere malevolence!"

This warning quickly spread throughout the academy: cultivating the fire of sincerity must be done step by step; for those whose foundation is unstable, the Star Network will not only not be an aid, but will become a death warrant.

Beside the Ascension Platform, the cracks on the Myriad Laws Stele, which had been barely mended, are now quietly seeping out a chilling filth.

This turbid air was neither smoke nor mist, but carried the distorted and mixed sounds of Buddhist chants and Taoist chants, drifting away silently in wisps.

Several newly initiated Buddhist disciples and young Taoist cultivators who were sitting here meditating and comprehending the pulse of the gray-white stone egg were the first to be affected.

A novice monk who was concentrating on sensing the patterns on the lotus flower suddenly turned pale, his peaceful gaze vanished, and a strange jealousy towards the Taoist cultivators flashed across his eyes. On the other side, a young Taoist focused on the mysteries of the fire marks felt inexplicably agitated, and a strong sense of rejection and disgust arose in his heart towards the golden light of the Buddhist cultivators.

Unbeknownst to them, their Daoist hearts had been quietly eroded, turning them into narrow-minded and easily angered individuals.

Beneath the Stele of Ten Thousand Laws, subtle hostility began to fester in the originally harmonious atmosphere of philosophical discussion.

All of this was observed by the Antarctic Immortal, who sat high in the clouds.

Within the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe, the jade talisman that had once been imbued with the essence of the Purple Flame of the Tushita Heaven was radiating a warm yet scorching heat, subtly echoing the primordial turbidity seeping from the stele and the fire marks on the abyss stone eggs.

His gaze was deep, and he lightly touched the jade talisman inside his sleeve with his fingertip. A very subtle fluctuation of thought, carrying the aura of purple fire, spread out quietly like ripples, accurately finding several core disciples of the Daoist sect whose Dao hearts had been shaken by the turbid qi and who had a strong desire for the "Dao Source" contained in the stone egg.

"Buddhism, though influenced by Taoism, is ultimately not the orthodox path... The core of this stone egg belongs to my Tao..."

This thought, like a seed, fell into the soil loosened by the turbid air.

The shadows of the past never truly dissipated; they found new gaps in the glow of the star web.

In the depths of the Netherworld, at the Well of Reincarnation.

The resentful lingering thoughts of the newly appointed King Qin Guang, who had self-destructed, did not completely dissipate. Instead, they quietly merged with the remaining miasma of the Netherworld and the resentful thoughts of benevolent souls that had been temporarily suppressed but not eradicated by the Red Dust Mirror System in the dark corners.

Several indistinct, chilling ghost officials had flames of resentment in their eyes just like those of the former King Qin Guang.

They avoided the rebuilt Senluo Temple and ventured into the darkest tributary of the Reincarnation Well.

"StarNet... Yang Jian... They want to use this net to bind the Netherworld forever and seize our power!"

A ghostly official hissed, conjuring a wisp of foul black energy in his hand and slamming it against a barely perceptible node on the well wall that connected to the star network's light threads.

"Sever its roots! Let the resentment of the dead become the sharp blades that tear apart the Star Web! Abyssal Miasma, rise!"

The foul black mist spread rapidly, corroding the light threads of the Star Network. Deep within the Reincarnation Well, the temporarily appeased souls once again uttered restless whispers filled with resentment, and a "soul uprising" was brewing from within.

The abandoned mining area in the Southern Continent, where the "spiritual plague" once broke out, is now completely shrouded in an ominous gray-black mist, like a festering sore on the earth.

The remaining assassins of the Lin family, dressed in specially made talismanic robes that protected them from the spiritual plague, moved through the area like ghosts.

No longer content with the natural spread of the spiritual plague, they began to mix and refine the collected resentment and malice, which had been rejected by the power of the StarNet, with the essence of the spiritual plague at several pools bubbling with eerie green bubbles.

What was churning in the pool was no longer just simple gray mist, but ferocious Gu worms the size of fingernails, shaped like fleas, and gleaming with a metallic cold light and a soul-devouring ghostly glow.

"The Soul-Devouring Gu...it's done!" The leader of the assassins' voices were filled with wild joy and deep-seated hatred. "Star Network Node? Power of Sincerity? Hmph! Let these poisonous insects gnaw on those shiny threads! Let those fools who believe in the Star Network taste the feeling of having their spiritual power drained and their souls corrupted and devoured! The hatred of the Lin family must be buried with the Three Realms New Heaven!"

Countless tiny Soul-Devouring Gu were secretly released, drifting like deadly dust towards the newly established Star Network energy nodes throughout the Southern Continent.

In the Northern Continent of Lu, within the dense shadows that even the fierce winds of the Extremely Bitter Cold Abyss could not dispel, the phantom of the ancient saber-toothed tiger demon's soul atop its head was more solid than ever before. Its deep roar, like muffled thunder, echoed in the minds of several powerful demon clan leaders who already harbored doubts about the Hua Li Academy's ideals:
"Look! Look at those tamed brats! The Fire of Sincerity? It's nothing but sweet talk to pull out claws and teeth and grind away wildness! We demons, born of heaven and earth, fight against heaven and earth, why have we ever needed to depend on others? The Star Net is the new chain! That stone egg is the bait hanging at the end of the chain! Break free from it! Use your claws and fangs to reclaim the freedom and pride that belong to the demon race! Tear that hypocritical academy to shreds!"

The bewitched tribal warriors' eyes burned with primal savagery and anger at their "bindings." Ancient war drums began to beat, and in the icy abyss, demonic energy soared into the sky. A hostile demon army was gathering, its spearhead aimed directly at the Huali Academy!
Undercurrents surged across the three realms, and invisible smoke filled the air. Those who guarded the balance had no time to catch their breath.

Inside the True Lord's Temple, Yang Jian's third eye opened and closed, its silver light flashing like lightning as it scanned the massive projection of the laws of the Three Realms before him, woven from the divine power of the Heart Scales and the Star Network.

In the image, dozens of points of light representing the ley lines of the Southern Continent are emitting a yellow glow that signals depletion, while several demon strongholds in the Northern Continent are flashing a dangerous red light that symbolizes an imbalance of demonic power. Furthermore, large patches of murky black spots representing the resentment of the dead are spreading from the depths of the underworld, and tiny yet deadly "spirit-devouring" gray dots are quietly appearing on the nodes of the Southern Continent's star network.

"The Star Network is like a boat; if it is overloaded, it may enter treacherous shoals and capsize." Yang Jian's voice was as cold as ice. "The scales of the heart are the measure, and the laws are the rope. Anyone who excessively extracts from the earth's veins and damages the very foundation of mountains and rivers, whether immortal or mortal, will be judged by the laws of heaven! Their right to connect to the Star Network will be stripped, and those who commit serious offenses will be reincarnated and forced to personally experience the suffering of the earth's veins drying up!"

A divine decree imbued with the supreme authority of law instantly spread throughout the Three Realms via the Star Network, like an invisible shackle falling, causing those forces that were trying to exploit the resources to the point of exhaustion to feel a chill.

At the same time, another decree flew to the underworld: "Ten Kings of Hell, heed my command! Place the 'Mirror of Mortal Dust' beside the Well of Reincarnation, not for reflection, but for transformation! Gather the pure essence of the obsessions of good souls, transform it into the power to purify the world, and cleanse the filth in the well! This is your duty, and also the opportunity for rebirth!"

On the edge of Dengxiantai, a newly opened, strange valley is brimming with tranquil vitality.

Yunluo, the first rabbit fairy to ascend to immortality as a demon, is carefully protecting a swaying rice stalk in the valley.

These rice ears are no ordinary things; their roots, stems, and veins are shimmering with star-like light, radiating a gentle and peaceful aura. They are the "Pure Heart Valley" she cultivated using the star-patterned rice ears she obtained when she ascended to immortality.

The lingering negative karma and resentment around the Ascension Platform noticeably thinned out in this valley.

When the Buddhist and Taoist disciples under the Wanfa Stele became agitated and clashed again due to their debate over the Stone Egg Dao, Yunluo gently plucked a bunch of mature Pure Heart Ears and walked towards the center of the conflict.

She remained silent, simply brushing the awns gently across the two sides of the argument.

The warm, pure starlight, accompanied by the fragrance of rice, swept over my heart like cool spring water, instantly extinguishing the anger that was about to erupt and calming the emotions stirred up by the primordial turbidity.

The Buddhist and Taoist disciples stopped in astonishment, looking at the pure-looking rabbit fairy before them, and then at the magical rice stalk in her hand. An indescribable sense of peace quietly arose within them.

Yunluo's existence and the Pure Heart Valley she cultivated became a silent harmonizing symbol on the Ascension Platform.

In the core workshop of the Industrial Construction Bureau in the Hengduan Mountains, Mo Yan's eyes were bloodshot as he focused intently on controlling the "Star Pulse Compass" that floated in the air.

This artifact, formed by the fusion of the Mountain and River Compass and the core data of the Star Network, no longer features simple mountains and rivers on its surface, but rather countless flowing filaments of light, representing the real-time connection between the energy of the Three Realms' earth veins and the Star Network.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, the compass gleaming: "Three hundred miles southwest, the Earth's Venomous Fire is stirring! The third team of the 'Earth Vein Co-construction Alliance' must immediately proceed to guide it towards the backup lava pool! At the junction of the Southern Continent and the Netherworld, the Devouring Spirit Gu is accelerating its erosion! Activate the 'Symbiotic Barrier' to isolate the pollution with the spiritual will of the Earth Veins!"

His instructions were precise and efficient.

Every successful early warning and intervention is a safeguard for the new order.

On the other side, Jin felt the malevolent shockwave from the saber-toothed tiger demon soul coming from the direction of Beiju Luzhou.

He took a deep breath and poured the power of the Chaos Dao Seed within him, which he had obtained from Sun Wukong, into the protective barrier of the Huali Academy without reservation.

The barrier instantly shone brightly, revealing countless profound chaotic runes that formed a resilient barrier of will.

The bewitching voice of the demonic soul struck the barrier, its power greatly diminished as if it had vanished into thin air.

"Hold fast to your true self! The fire of sincerity will burn away all falsehood!"

Jin's voice, transmitted firmly through the barrier, reached the hearts of every student.

Before the tribal camp in Beiju Luzhou, which was about to be engulfed in war, a figure as large as a mountain stood in front of the surging demon army.

It was a bear!

He removed his upper body armor, revealing numerous crisscrossing scars covering his body, each telling a story of the demon race's blood, tears, and despair under the old laws.

He pointed to a charred claw mark that almost pierced through his chest, and his voice boomed: "Look! This one! It was left by the Heavenly Thunder General when he regarded me as a beast! And look at this one! It was pierced by the 'Exorcising Demons and Protecting the Righteous Path' flying sword of the immortal sects! And these... are marks left by our demon race, who killed and devoured each other in order to seek a sliver of survival under the old laws!"

His imposing body trembled slightly, his eyes burning with a painful yet lucid flame: "Freedom? Pride? Ancient glory? Bah! That's nothing but a poisonous dream woven for you by the old order! A mind-numbing potion to make you willingly become cannon fodder! Look at the pulsation of the abyss stone egg! Feel the possibilities brought by the star web! The fire of sincerity is the new path for our race to no longer be slaves and beasts, to stand tall and live in the sunlight! If you cross this line today, you will sever your own future and that of your descendants, returning to that blood-soaked hell of eternal darkness!"

His tearful and blood-soaked questioning, and his imposing figure, struck like a thunderbolt into the hearts of many bewitched demon soldiers, abruptly halting their charge.

The bear serves as a monument, inscribing the evils of the old order and buying precious time for the path of rebirth.

Beneath the abyss, the pulsation of the grayish-white stone egg finally reached a critical point.

The golden lotus pattern and the fire mark on the surface shone brightly, squeezing and tearing at each other, as if two trapped ancient dragons were having their final battle.

The entire stone egg trembled violently, and dazzling cracks spread across its surface, revealing a terrifying energy storm about to burst forth from within!

This conflict, originating from the deepest level of Buddhism and Taoism, was instantly transmitted to the entire Three Realms through the Star Network.

Boom!

The Heavenly Ascension Platform shook violently, and the cracks in the Myriad Laws Stele, which had just begun to heal, exploded, spewing out a thick, asphalt-like "Primordial Turbid Qi" that instantly enveloped the surrounding area. Several Buddhist and Taoist disciples who were unable to dodge in time were corroded by the turbid qi, their Dao hearts shattered, and they screamed in agony as they transformed into monsters that only knew how to destroy!

In the Southern Continent, many Star Network nodes that had been corrupted by the "Spirit Devouring Gu" exploded violently under the impact of the energy reverse flow, like a lit fuse, causing the earth to shake and tear apart!
In Beiju Luzhou, the saber-toothed tiger demon soul let out a deafening laugh: "The time has come! Tear apart the Star Net!"

Driven mad by the turbid air and the explosion, the demon army, now completely enraged, ignored the bears' attempts to stop them and crashed into the chaotic barrier supported by the ashes like a burst dam. The barrier groaned under the strain, cracking everywhere!
Inside the Netherworld Reincarnation Well, the resentment of the dead souls, completely detonated by the remnants of King Qin Guang, mixed with the foul miasma of the Netherworld, formed a huge vortex of filth that broke through the temporary defenses erected by Lu Ziqing and others. The raging resentful souls roared as they rushed out of the well and pounced on the Hall of the Underworld!

The StarNet, the network of light and darkness that carried the hopes of the Three Realms, began to break and dim under the scouring of the reverse energy flow and multiple attacks, like a spider web being torn apart by a tremendous force. The entire structure of the Three Realms emitted a tooth-grinding wail and was once again on the verge of collapse!
(End of this chapter)