Swing the sword at the future female devil

Chapter 463 Mutation
"A map of mountains and rivers?" Zhang Dingyuan's pupils contracted, and his expression turned even more grim. If that were true, finding a spatial entrance in the vast Kunlun Ruins would be like finding a needle in a haystack!
He paced restlessly in the command room, his eyes filled with rage and unease. The longer this dragged on, the greater the uncertainty! Although Qin Shuangjiang was under house arrest, there was no guarantee she didn't have other tricks up her sleeve! Even more terrifying, the "Demon Seed" deep within his soul seemed to sense his anxiety, sending a faint stinging sensation through it!
He dared not delay any longer, immediately dismissed everyone around him, and went to the surveillance room to find Taiqing.

On the monitoring equipment, Taiqing's cold and beautiful figure appeared. When she heard that Duan Huaige and the other two had disappeared, seemingly hiding in a spatial magic artifact, a cold and mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"You're not entirely hopeless, though; you actually managed to find out he possesses the Mountain and River Map. However, this is Kunlun Ruins! It's a graveyard of myriad worlds, where the laws of space are chaotic and disordered. Any external, unstable space here is as fragile as a candle flame in the dark!"

Her blood-red eyes fixed on Zhang Dingyuan, her tone commanding: "Have your men transport the largest fragment of the 'Kunlun Boundary Marker' that they've excavated to the top of the rift valley! Use all your resources to activate it!"

"Even if it's just a remnant, it's still one of the cornerstones of the spatial laws of this world! Once its power is activated, it will attract, interfere with, and even crush all other dimensions attached to this world, just like a magnet!"

A cruel glint of pleasure flashed in Taiqing's eyes: "If Duan Huaige is really hiding in the Mountain and River Map... Hmph! Under the pressure of the Kunlun Boundary Marker, his shabby map will either collapse instantly, or... be forced to reveal itself! He'll have nowhere to escape!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dingyuan's eyes flashed with a fierce light: "Alright! I'll take care of it right away!"

Before long, a tremendous mechanical roar and powerful spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from above the rift. A massive, mountain-sized, broken, black stone tablet fragment covered with ancient and mysterious patterns was laboriously lifted by a huge floating platform and countless traction beams, hovering above the rift!
Immediately afterwards, dozens of highly skilled cultivators on the ground simultaneously activated their array plates, and an enormous array shone with a dazzling light, with a torrent of spiritual energy flowing into the massive boundary marker ruins!

An indescribable, seemingly originating from the very source of the world, immense pressure, like an invisible tsunami, instantly swept through the depths of the rift valley! Space groaned under the weight, and even the distorted, chaotic blocks of color seemed to be briefly smoothed out by this force!

Inside the Mountain and River Map, Duan Huaige was still studying the relationship between the Spirit Nourishing Wood and the aura of Kunlun Ruins when suddenly an indescribable pressure swept over him, causing Duan Huaige's expression to change drastically!
He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood. The two girls next to him were immediately startled and rushed forward to check on Duan Huaige's condition.

"What's wrong, Xiao Duan? Don't scare me!"

The entire landscape space suddenly trembled violently! The gray dome of the sky cracked like a spiderweb, as if it were fragile glass! The cracked earth collapsed at an accelerated rate! The chaotic mist at the edges surged wildly, eroding inward!

"They're from the military?" Yan Qiuxi exclaimed, grabbing Duan Huaige's arm tightly. "They must have used some means to influence your Mountain and River Map!"

As the controller of the Mountain and River Map, Duan Huaige felt it most clearly! A vast, heavy spatial force, carrying a sense of repulsion and crushing, was like an invisible giant millstone, frantically squeezing his small cave!

No, if we stay any longer, the Mountain and River Map will start to crack! Duan Huaige made a decisive move, taking the two girls with him and leaving the Mountain and River Map space. Before leaving, his gaze fell on the Spirit Nourishing Wood that was emitting a signal of longing, and with a determined effort, he decided to take it with him as well!

As soon as Duan Huaige stepped out of the landscape painting, his gaze was drawn to the broken stone tablet rising into the air—the power of the Kunlun boundary marker!
Duan Huaige instantly understood the methods used outside, and his heart turned ice-cold! That Zhang fellow was indeed ruthless! He actually used the very essence of this realm to crush him!

But then another question arises: how did Commander Zhang know that the Kunlun boundary marker could force me, hidden within the Mountain and River Map, to reveal myself? Such an ancient treasure is extremely rare; very few people know how to use it, unless…
Unless Zhang Dingyuan is backed by that female demon Taiqing! Duan Huaige cursed the despicable witch in his heart—no wonder Taiqing hadn't made a move since arriving at Kunlun Ruins. It turned out she had used some method to directly cooperate with or control the high-ranking military officials, thus changing everything.

Previously, Duan Huaige relied on the military's various unique ancient artifacts to suppress and intimidate Taiqing. Now, the tables have turned, and the tables have turned.

"Let's move further in, away from the area covered by the Kunlun boundary marker!"

Duan Huaige planned to leave quietly, but the Spirit-Nourishing Wood did not intend to cooperate.

Under the intense stimulation of the terrifying spatial pressure from the boundary marker ruins and the primordial aura of Kunlun Ruins, the Spirit Nourishing Tree burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant light!
The Spirit Nourishing Wood burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant radiance! It was no longer the warm, jade-white and emerald-green, but had transformed into a deep, mysterious, gray-green that lay between life and death! The dense, almost overwhelming vitality and the equally powerful aura of destruction and annihilation originating from the Kunlun Ruins perfectly and paradoxically merged together, forming a strange pillar of light that shot into the sky!
This beam of light was not dazzling, but it carried a strange fluctuation that shook the very foundations of the world! It ignored the pressure of the boundary marker, pierced through the chaotic spatial dust, and, like the most conspicuous lighthouse in the dark night, instantly illuminated this dim rift valley!

This fluctuation, carrying an ancient, sacred yet contradictory rhythm of birth and destruction, was clearly conveyed!
Even... its slender roots actually began to actively pierce through the black earth of Kunlun Ruins, greedily and recklessly probing towards the chaotic and vast origin of Kunlun Ruins in the outside world!
"It...it's actively absorbing external power?!" Duan Huaige was utterly shocked.

Hey Chao, Ah Cao, what are you doing?

"This is…?!"

Master Qiu's pupils constricted sharply, his face first showing astonishment, then transforming into unbelievable ecstasy! "Such...such pure life essence! No...and...and the annihilation essence of Kunlun Ruins?! The two have actually...actually fused perfectly?! This...this could be the Breathing Spirit Wood! The legendary supreme divine object born from chaos, rooted in the ruins of countless worlds, capable of drawing upon the power of destruction to nourish life!"

He was trembling with excitement! The Spirit Wood! This was a thousand times more precious than any ancient treasure unearthed! Its unique power, a coexistence of life and destruction, had immeasurable value in opening the passage between the two realms and stabilizing the raging spatial forces! Obtaining it would not only be a great achievement but also an unparalleled opportunity!
The greed in Master Qiu's eyes was almost overflowing. He immediately used the communication array, his voice trembling with excitement: "Commander! Commander! Target spotted! They've appeared in the southeast of the Rift Valley! And... and they have a... a legendary 'Spirit-Breathing Wood'!"

On the other end of the communication array, Zhang Dingyuan's voice carried suppressed excitement and a hint of doubt: "Spirit-Breathing Wood? What's that?"

"A supreme divine object! Commander!" Master Qiu spoke rapidly, spittle flying from his mouth. "This wood contains the essence of life and death, and can absorb the annihilation power of Kunlun Ruins and transform it into life! It has miraculous effects on opening up the Heavenly Road! If we can obtain it, it will greatly accelerate the guidance of the boundary marker's power, reduce losses, and may even allow us to complete the passage ahead of schedule! This is a godsend, Commander!"

Commander Zhang remained silent for a moment. If it were before, he would probably have been too excited to speak, but now he was controlled by Taiqing, and all his actions depended on the demoness's mood.

(End of this chapter)