Soul Devouring and Boundary Breaking: I Embark on the Path to Immortality in the Era of Demon Chaos

Almost at the same instant the spirit herb left the ground, an ominous hissing sound came from the blazing wall of fire behind them! The flames dimmed and shrank at a visible speed—the three-headed Profound Spider Guards, disregarding the intense pain and depletion of their demonic power caused by the scorching Yang Fire, forcefully rammed their bodies against the wall and spit out large amounts of cold, sticky liquid from their mouthparts, tearing several hideous gaps in the wall of fire! Their scorched, wispy figures, their compound eyes burning with mad fury, burst forth from the embers of the flames once more, even faster than before! Clearly, the theft of the spirit herb had completely ignited their most primal ferocity.

An even more terrifying threat comes from behind the hill.

The Purple-Striped Spider Queen, who had been lying motionless like a mountain, coldly observing, suddenly contracted its massive, swollen abdomen inwards! A deep, rumbling screech, yet sharp and piercing to the very soul, erupted from its ferocious mandibles! Accompanying this screech was a terrifying demonic aura, ten times more powerful, vast, and chillingly violent than the three Spider Guards combined, like a ferocious beast awakened from its slumber of millennia, soaring into the sky and causing the phosphorescence above the nest to flicker violently! This terrifying demonic aura, like the most precise shackles, crashed down, completely enveloping and locking onto Lin Yan, who had just obtained the spiritual herb and hadn't even had a chance to turn around!

Their escape route had been completely blocked by the enraged spider guards.

Ahead lay the awakened Spider Queen, radiating overwhelming killing intent.

Backed by the chilling, deathly mass of white bones, one hand clutched a cool, life-saving herb, the other held a blood-stained longsword still humming and gleaming. Lin Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, the breath seemingly carrying the poisonous miasma and blood of the swamp. The ancient mark on his chest became exceptionally hot as his mind focused and his fighting spirit reached its peak. A restless yearning for powerful life essence and intense battle, stemming from his Soul-Devouring Body, surged like long-suppressed magma, mingling with anxiety over Su Qingyao's dying breath, grief over his companions' tragic deaths, and a chilling killing intent towards the desperate situation and formidable enemy before him. Finally, all these emotions converged into the two points of piercing, yet unfathomable, dark light in his eyes, like cold stars.

Since there is no way to retreat or avoid it.

Then, he would fight his way through! He would use the essence of the demons in this filthy land as a stepping stone to break through to a higher realm!

His gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the three spider guards: the one with the most violent aura, an obvious old injury on its left foot, currently charging at the forefront, and covered in the most scorch marks.

"Let's start with you!"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Yan's body was released like a taut bowstring, and he charged forward! This time, he no longer hesitated or tested the waters, choosing the most savage, direct, and powerful way to unleash his killing intent—a head-on confrontation!

He swiftly shoved the spirit herbs into his inner pocket with his left hand, then firmly gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands. His dark gray-black Devouring Spirit Essence surged forth with unprecedented ferocity, pouring entirely into the longsword! The blade trembled violently, emitting an excited hum, and the condensed dark gray-black blade light surged again, its color deepening and becoming even darker, reaching a length of three feet. Like a demonic blade from the depths of the netherworld, it trailed a mournful afterimage and a darkness that devoured light, slashing down with tremendous force towards the charging spider guard! The force of the blade seemed to cleave the corrupt heavens and earth in two!

The spider guard clearly hadn't expected that this human, after being cornered, would dare to advance instead of retreat, launching such a desperate counter-charge. A fierce glint flashed in its compound eyes, and it let out a hiss, neither dodging nor avoiding, raising its two thickest forelimbs, like giant scythes, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, crossing them into a cross, and charging headlong into the attack! It intended to use its hardest parts to meet the arrogant human's sharp edge head-on, shattering him and his weapon together!

"clang--!!!"

Instead of the clang of metal against metal, a terrifying roar, like a bronze bell exploding or a mountain collapsing, suddenly erupted! Visible gray-black and dark green shockwaves, centered on the point of impact between the blade and the spider limb, spread out in a ring, blasting away and shattering all the mud and bones within several feet! The ear-piercing sound waves, like tangible awls, pierced the eardrums, causing a buzzing in the head.

Lin Yan's arm muscles bulged as he felt the immense, mountain-like force emanating from the blade. His arms went numb and a tearing pain shot through his tiger's mouth. But his eyes remained sharp. Although his blade's momentum was halted, the dark gray Devouring Spirit True Essence, like a leech, clung to his bones, frantically spreading, eroding, and penetrating along the point of contact between the blade and the spider's limbs!

The spider-guard's two forelimbs, which were crossing to block, showed several fine, spiderweb-like, grayish-black cracks on the surface of their carapace where they came into contact with the blade! For the first time, an undisguised look of horror and disbelief flashed in its compound eyes—this human's true essence was so bizarre that it could not only directly confront its demonic carapace but also erode and destroy its structure?!

It was that moment of shock and hesitation!

Lin Yan suddenly twisted his blade, changing from a straight slash to a diagonal cut. The blade sliced ​​into the joints of the spider guard's forelimbs with the agility and swiftness of a swimming fish! At the same time, his free left hand, with its five fingers curved like the claws of an eagle, its fingertips swirling with the same deep gray-black true essence light, carried a devouring aura that made living beings tremble instinctively. It viciously grabbed at the junction of the spider guard's head and its broad breastplate—where the carapace was relatively thin, the compound eyes were dense, and it was the key hub for the flow of demonic power and the perception of the soul!

"Soul Devourer!"

A deep, cold voice, like a chilling wind from the depths of hell, was squeezed out from Lin Yan's throat.

The five fingers of his left hand, like five red-hot iron shovels tempered a thousand times, pierced with deadly gray-black light, precisely into the gaps in the spider guard's carapace! The terrifying devouring power was no longer a trickle, but erupted like the Styx River bursting its banks!

"squeak--!!!"

A piercing, unbearable scream, seemingly emanating from the deepest recesses of its soul, erupted wildly from the spider guard's ferocious mandibles! It could clearly feel its demonic core, forged through centuries of arduous cultivation and the devouring of countless lives, along with the surging demonic energy and blood energy throughout its body, being frantically drained away by an irresistible, insatiably greedy, and icy force! That force not only devoured energy but also carried a deathly stillness and annihilation intent that froze its very soul, causing it to tremble in fear! Its demonic core was shrinking, its blood energy was depleting, and even the fundamental consciousness that constituted its existence was being forcibly stripped away and shattered!

Seeing their companion suddenly find himself in such a terrifying situation, the other two spider guards let out furious hiss and rushed to his rescue. Dark green venom gushed forth like a waterfall, sticky spiderwebs descended once more, and sharp, segmented limbs stabbed from treacherous angles!

Lin Yan, however, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and ears everywhere. His feet moved swiftly, his [Swiftness] talent combined with the small amount of energy he had just absorbed was used to its fullest potential. He didn't engage the two spider guards in a direct confrontation, but instead used the spider guard in his hand, which was convulsing violently and whose demonic power was draining like a flood, as a human shield and a human shield, performing exquisite maneuvers and evasions within a small space. Most of the venom landed on the spider guard's carapace, making a sizzling, corrosive sound; he skillfully dodged the spider webs; and he cleverly blocked and deflected the sharp claws that stabbed at him with the spider guard's body or by wielding his sword.

And the devouring never stops for a moment!

A vast, chilling, and corrosive demonic power, filled with the chaotic will and fragments of the fear and resentment of countless dying beings, surged into Lin Yan's meridians like a burst dam of the Styx. This power was more than ten times more violent, impure, and evil than the wood-attribute spiritual energy he had obtained from devouring the tree demon! An ordinary cultivator, even one at the Profound Realm with a solid foundation, would suffer severe damage to their meridians, contamination of their true essence, and impaired sanity if they rashly absorbed such highly toxic and negatively charged demonic power. At worst, they would suffer a qi deviation, the demonic poison attacking their heart, and their body would explode in death!

But Lin Yan's Soul-Devouring Body seems to have been born to devour and transform all the energy in the world!

The ancient mark on his chest now radiated intense heat, like the core of an inextinguishable furnace. The gray-black Devouring Spirit True Essence surging through his meridians transformed into the most efficient and domineering furnace fire, forcefully suppressing, enveloping, and refining the surging, highly poisonous demonic power! Those violent destructive wills, fragments of resentful lingering thoughts, and even the corrosive toxicity contained within the demonic power, before the Devouring Spirit True Essence's ability to devour, decompose, and assimilate everything, were like ice and snow thrown into a raging fire—rapidly stripped away, melted, and purified, turning into wisps of foul-smelling black mist, forcibly expelled and dissipated from Lin Yan's pores. Meanwhile, the purest and most primal demonic power and life essence were rapidly tempered and purified, transformed into pure True Essence of the same origin as Lin Yan himself, flowing like a hundred rivers into the sea, into his already nearly saturated and restless dantian!

In just seven or eight breaths, the spider guard in his hand, at the early stage of the Profound Realm, visibly shriveled and withered, its once hard, cold, and powerful body completely extinguished, leaving it empty and lifeless. Its eight strong limbs hung limply, its carapace losing its luster and becoming gray and fragile. A [Demon Spider Core], about the size of a walnut, dark green and translucent, seemingly containing a slowly flowing, viscous venomous liquid and radiating a rich, chilling, and toxic energy, slid from its shriveled chest and abdomen, and was caught firmly in Lin Yan's left hand. It felt cool and slippery to the touch, yet heavy, containing a formidable amount of energy.

The first Xuanxuan Spider Guardian has been slain!

Under the frenzied infusion of this pure primordial energy, Lin Yan's true essence expanded and surged violently, like a boulder thrown into a deep pool! A clear, throbbing pain emanated from his meridians, a sign that their capacity was being forcibly expanded; his dantian was churning incessantly, a vortex faintly forming at its center, frantically absorbing and compressing the newly generated power. The once incredibly solid, invisible barrier between the early and middle stages of the Profound Realm began to vibrate and shake violently under the continuous and intense impact of this new power, emitting subtle, dense cracking sounds that only Lin Yan himself could clearly perceive!

But he had neither the time nor the need to stop and consolidate his impending breakthrough. The other two spider guards were already close by, launching a furious barrage of attacks! Su Qingyao's injuries, the safety of his companions, and the impending deadly situation did not allow him any respite.

"Perfect timing!"

Lin Yan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Far from showing any fear, he forcefully merged the power he had just devoured and refined, which had not yet fully subsided, with his own powerful true essence! A stronger, more solid, and more aggressive aura suddenly rose from his body! He swung the withered spider guard corpse in his hand backhand and hurled it like a stone at the spider guard that was spewing the most venomous venom, disrupting its vision and attack rhythm.

With a swift movement, his [Swiftness] talent, after absorbing a portion of the first spider guard's essence, seemed to have gained a subtle yet real boost, making him even faster. Like a ghost, he pounced on the other spider guard, which was brandishing its claws and attempting to engage in close combat!

This time, he didn't even parry or probe with his longsword first.

The left hand, which had just finished devouring and whose fingertips still seemed to be surrounded by a faint gray-black aura of devouring, shot out again like lightning! With a terrifying aura that made the demon's soul tremble instinctively, as if it could devour the life force of all things, it grabbed with perfect precision the core area between the spider guard's chest and abdomen where the demonic power fluctuations were most active!

"The second one!"

The power of devouring erupts a second time! More skillful and more domineering than the first time!

A more piercing, desperate scream instantly echoed throughout the nest shrouded in firelight, phosphorescence, and death. This spider guard's struggle was far more frantic and desperate than the first one. Its eight segmented limbs lashed wildly, whipping at the mud and bones, spitting venom relentlessly, even attempting to reverse its demonic core and detonate in a mutual destruction. But under Lin Yan's tyrannical, all-consuming Soul-Devouring Power, which seemed capable of swallowing even space itself, all resistance appeared pale and powerless. Its demonic power, blood essence, vitality, and even some remaining violent consciousness, like rivers flowing into the sea, were mercilessly drawn away and devoured by the gray-black vortex, flowing into Lin Yan's seemingly bottomless meridians and dantian.

"boom--!"

When the second dark green, cold, heavy spider core, whose internal venom seemed to flow more slowly, fell into Lin Yan's palm, the already precarious and cracked bottleneck barrier in his body was finally completely overwhelmed and shattered by this new, pure, and powerful force!

Within the dantian, the liquid lake of true essence seemed to have been thrown into a blazing meteorite, violently boiling, churning, and expanding! The vortex at its center suddenly accelerated its rotation, frantically absorbing and compressing the continuously surging pure energy. Amidst the persistent swelling and pain, the meridians throughout the body were once again forcibly widened and strengthened, becoming even broader, more resilient, and more elastic, capable of accommodating an even larger, faster, and more violent torrent of true essence.

A powerful aura, several times stronger, more solid, and more agile than before, erupted from Lin Yan's body, like an ancient ferocious beast that had been sleeping in the abyss awakening and breaking free of its last shackles, shooting straight into the swampy night sky shrouded in filth and death!

At the mid-stage of the Profound Realm, success came naturally, and a leap was made in one step!

The dark gray true essence, no longer flowing uncontrollably from every pore of his body, erupted forth. It was no longer a thin layer clinging to his skin, but solidified like a burning flame, rising a full three feet high! The color of the true essence seemed to have become even deeper and darker, as if it could devour all light and energy around it. Illuminated by the leaping embers of the flame and the phosphorescent glow of the eerie green nest, it appeared both eerie and powerful. With a slight thought, the true essence surged and circulated through his newly expanded meridians at nearly twice the speed of before! That feeling of power filling his entire body, as if he could control his own limbs, agile and boundless, a sense of control that seemed capable of stirring up the wind and clouds with a mere gesture, made Lin Yan want to let out a long roar.

He clenched his fist slightly, compressing the air in his palm and producing a soft, sonic boom. The longsword in his hand, which had drunk countless lives and accompanied him through life and death, seemed to sense the leap in its master's life level and the surge in power. The blade trembled slightly, emitting a deep and joyful hum, and the gray-black blade light that flickered on its edge became even more condensed and dazzling.

There is only one Tongxuan Spider Guard left.

This spider guard witnessed firsthand how two companions of equal strength were drained of their life force and had their demonic cores stolen by this human in such a bizarre and terrifying manner within a mere dozen breaths. The rage and ferocity that had filled its eight compound eyes had been replaced by an undisguised, deep-seated fear. It hissed, its voice sharp yet trembling, ceasing its attack. Its eight legs frantically paddled through the mud as it slowly retreated, even involuntarily casting its fearful compound eyes backward—towards the Purple-Striped Spider Queen, whose aura was twisted with rage, seemingly poised to unleash a world-destroying fury. The queen appeared to be begging for the protection of her sovereign, or perhaps seeking refuge in an even more powerful shadow.

But how could Lin Yan let go of this excellent "resource" that was delivered right to his mouth, which could consolidate his realm and replenish his energy? Having just broken through, his power had surged, and he needed real combat to familiarize himself with and control this new level of power. He also needed more energy to stabilize his realm and make up for the huge consumption of energy from the continuous fierce battles and the use of supernatural powers!

He took a step forward, and the muddy ground beneath his feet, soaked in blood and poison, exploded, creating a shallow crater. Mud droplets shot backward like arrows. His enhanced physical strength and speed after the breakthrough, combined with his improved [Swiftness] talent, made his movements so fast that he left a clear, lingering afterimage in his wake!

"Trying to escape now? Too late!"

The cold words, like the final pronouncement of death, were devoid of any emotion.

The blade flashed once more. This time, the blade's light was condensed like a solid black crystal, dark and profound, with edges so sharp it seemed capable of cutting through space. Its length remained a stable three feet, echoing the true essence flames rising from his body, flickering and undulating.

The last spider guard let out a desperate screech, spitting out its last remaining venom and spraying out its last sticky web, waving its legs in futile attempts to block.

However, all resistance seemed so pale and powerless in the face of absolute power, speed, and realm suppression.

A flash of light, and the sticky spiderweb, like frost under the blazing sun, was instantly eroded, torn, and evaporated by the gray-black true essence clinging to the blade. Before the venom could even get close, it was burned and purified by the three-foot-high flames of true essence surrounding Lin Yan. The blade precisely seized the opening in its frantic parry, the dark blade light cutting through its relatively weak flanks like tofu, swiftly slicing into its body, accurately locating the frantically throbbing demon core that was trying to escape.

Lin Yan's left hand reached out for the third time. The gray-black devouring light on his five fingers was more solid and deeper than the previous two times.

The devouring, the third arrival, is also the end.

As the third dark green spider core, its luster seemingly dimmed, settled into Lin Yan's palm with its familiar cool, slippery touch, the three-foot-high gray-black true essence flames surrounding him began to slowly recede and subside, like the receding tide returning to his body and flowing through his now wider and stronger meridians. However, the powerful aura belonging to a mid-stage Profound Realm cultivator—solid, profound, and imposing yet containing boundless explosive force—was like a divine weapon drawn from its sheath and saturated with blood, clearly and fiercely present in this filthy, blood-soaked, death-filled swamp nest, no longer able to be concealed.

He slowly turned around, his movements steady and composed. His gaze passed over the ravaged remains of the spider guards and their withered carapaces, over the embers and scorch marks of the dying fire wall, and finally, pierced through the hazy phosphorescence and pervasive poisonous miasma, like two invisible swords, fixing firmly on the purple-striped spider queen behind the mound of bones and mud—her aura already at its most violent and frenzied, her eight dark golden compound eyes flashing with a boundless killing intent that seemed to incinerate everything, and a hint of… barely perceptible solemnity?

The three-headed Profound Spider Guards were all killed, becoming his resources and stepping stones for breaking through to the mid-stage of his cultivation realm.

Now, it's time for the true...master of this swamp hunting game.

The night remained as deep as ink, and the aura of slaughter and death in the depths of the Corpse Swamp grew ever stronger. But the balance between hunter and prey seemed to have silently and irreversibly shifted.