Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The tremors of the stone altar grew more violent, and the baleful energy gushing from the cracks, like ink, soaked the sky, completely obscuring the sunlight from Lingxian Valley, plunging the world into darkness. Lin Yan slumped to the edge of the stone altar, the innate fire in his palm nearly extinguished, his spiritual energy depleted like a dried-up spring, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth down his chin, splashing onto the spiritual light of the stone altar, creating tiny ripples. He stared at the increasingly clear, enormous figure in the crack, his fingers clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms without him even noticing—that crushing pressure was far more terrifying than Blood Shadow and the three guardians combined; it was the true form of the Bone Demon, which had finally awakened.

Shen Qinghan landed on his sword beside the stone altar, blood still seeping from the wound on his shoulder. His moon-white Daoist robe was already stained and mottled with baleful aura and blood, but there was no sign of retreat in his narrow eyes. The long sword in his hand still gleamed with a chilling sword aura: "Lin Yan, quickly regulate your breathing to recover your spiritual energy. We'll handle the Bone Demon's main body!" Before he finished speaking, he once again mounted his sword, the sword aura condensing into a dazzling sword rainbow, slashing towards the figure in the rift. But as soon as the sword rainbow approached the rift, it was instantly torn apart by the dense baleful aura. The backlash from the aftershocks caused Shen Qinghan to groan, staggering back several steps, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Su Wanli arrived with the remaining disciples of the Water Moon Pavilion. Her body was surrounded by the spiritual energy of the water veins, and her face was as pale as paper, clearly indicating that she had also suffered severe depletion of her spiritual energy. She stared at the baleful aura that was constantly rising from the cracks, her icy blue eyes filled with solemnity. She raised her hands to form a hand seal and silently chanted a spell: "Water as shield, spiritual veins as guide, condense!" Countless streams converged from all parts of the Spirit Immortal Valley, condensing into a huge water shield in front of the stone altar. However, as soon as the water shield was formed, it was corroded by the baleful aura, hissing and cracking rapidly, its surface in danger of shattering at any moment.

Elder Xuanzhen remained steadfast in the center of the stone altar, his hand seals growing ever more rapid. His spiritual light was nearly exhausted, and the white hair at his temples was disheveled by the baleful aura. His voice was hoarse yet resolute: "Everyone, once the Guixu Seal is broken, the cultivation world of the East Sea will have no hope of survival. Even if it costs us all our strength, we must protect this place!" As soon as he finished speaking, he connected his own spiritual veins to the Guixu Seal. A surge of powerful spiritual energy flowed from his body and into the seal. The dim spiritual light on the stone altar instantly brightened, temporarily blocking the erosion of the baleful aura.

Chen Dagang and Ye Qing led the remaining disciples, desperately resisting the endless stream of evil cultivators around them. Chen Dagang's rock armor was already shattered, his arms were covered with wounds of varying depths, and his stone hammer had been corroded by the evil energy, losing its former luster. Yet, he still struck with all his might every time, smashing the evil cultivators to pieces. Ye Qing's Green Wood Illusion Array had collapsed, and his body was covered in the poisonous mist of evil spirits, his face turning bluish-purple. Yet, he still used his own spiritual energy to generate vines, tightly binding the evil cultivators who approached the stone altar, doing his best to buy Elder Xuanzhen and Lin Yan time to recover.

"Hehehe—" A piercing, sinister laugh echoed from the rift, and amidst the surging malevolent energy, a colossal figure slowly rose from it. The figure was covered in jet-black scales, etched with dark red, malevolent patterns, radiating a corrosive and bone-chilling aura. Its head was grotesquely skull-like, its eyes flickering with ghostly green flames, and its body was surrounded by the mournful howls of countless wronged souls. Each breath unleashed a dense wave of malevolent energy, pressing down on the disciples of the three sects, making them feel suffocated and breathless. This was the Blood Fiend Sect Master, the true form of the Bone Demon, who had slumbered for centuries, finally breaking free of his shackles and awakening in the world today due to the death of Blood Shadow.

"A bunch of ants, how dare you obstruct my plans?" The Bone Demon's voice was like metal scraping against stone, harsh and unpleasant. His ghostly green eyes swept over the crowd on the stone altar, full of disdain and violence. "I have been planning for a hundred years to use the power of the Ruins of Return to the Void to devour the spiritual energy of the entire East Sea cultivation world. Today, no one can stop me!" As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his giant hand covered with black scales, and a dense, ink-black aura condensed in his palm. The aura contained countless fragments of wronged souls, and he slammed it fiercely towards the Ruins of Return to the Void seal on the stone altar.

"Not good!" Elder Xuanzhen's expression changed drastically. He desperately tried to activate the remaining spiritual energy within his body, but his own spiritual energy was already mostly depleted, and the sealed spiritual light dimmed again, becoming almost transparent. Ignoring their injuries, Shen Qinghan and Su Wanli attacked simultaneously. Sword energy and water dragons intertwined and formed a barrier of spiritual light, crashing towards the Bone Demon's giant hand. However, the moment they made contact, they were instantly shattered by the baleful energy. The spiritual light scattered, and Shen Qinghan and Su Wanli were both blasted away, crashing heavily onto the edge of the stone altar, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Their spiritual energy was in disarray, and they could no longer get up.

Lin Yan struggled to get up, but his spiritual energy was depleted, and he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand. The inkstone on his shoulder trembled slightly, its dark spiritual light as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, as if echoing the unwillingness in his heart. He watched as the Bone Demon's giant hand was about to strike the Guixu Seal, and a strong obsession surged in his heart—he was the successor of the Laoshan Guardian Lineage, the guardian of the Guixu Seal, and he could not let the Bone Demon succeed, he could not let the cultivation world of the East Sea fall into an irrecoverable catastrophe.

At this critical moment, the inkstone bead in his arms suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light. The light penetrated his robes and flowed into his body like a warm current. A warm and powerful surge of Guixu spiritual energy instantly swept over his entire body, rapidly nourishing his depleted spiritual veins, and the blood at the corner of his mouth gradually stopped. The inkstone bead and the inkstone were originally of the same origin, both spiritual objects nurtured by Guixu. Now, sensing the fatal crisis of the Guixu seal, the two resonated strongly, unleashing all their power, which continuously poured into Lin Yan's body.

Lin Yan suddenly opened his eyes, a dazzling spiritual light flashing within them. His body was enveloped in a denser, hotter intertwined dark spiritual light and golden alchemical fire, burning away even the malevolent aura around him. He slowly stood up, his inkstone soaring into the air, resonating with the inkstone bead. The spiritual light surged, enveloping the entire stone altar and forming a solid barrier of spiritual light. "Bone Demon, you dare destroy my Guixu and disrupt my cultivation world! I, Lin Yan, will never forgive you!" His voice was no longer weak, but filled with immense power, resounding throughout the entire Spirit Immortal Valley, even silencing the Bone Demon's sinister laughter.

The Bone Demon looked down at Lin Yan, a hint of surprise flashing in its ghostly green eyes, before it regained its extreme ferocity: "Oh? A mere successor of the Guardian Vein can actually extend his life by borrowing the power of the Void Spiritual Object? However, he is still just an ant!" It raised its giant hand again, its murderous aura becoming even more intense and swift than the previous strike, carrying a world-destroying power as it slammed down on Lin Yan, determined to crush this troublesome ant completely.

Lin Yan showed no fear. His hands moved swiftly, forming hand seals and drawing upon the full power of the inkstone and its beads. His spiritual veins were completely connected to the spiritual energy of the Void Realm, and his body blazed with spiritual light, transforming into a massive phantom of light that clashed violently with the Bone Demon's giant hand. A deafening roar erupted as spiritual light and malevolent energy collided violently. The shockwave swept across the entire Spirit Immortal Valley, instantly blasting away the remaining evil cultivators who vanished into wisps of black mist. The disciples of the three sects were also thrown to the ground, but they all struggled to raise their heads, their eyes fixed on the center of the battlefield, filled with anxiety and anticipation.

The spiritual light and malevolent energy locked in a stalemate, eroding each other. Lin Yan felt his bones creaking under the strain, his spiritual energy being consumed far faster than before, his forehead covered in cold sweat. Yet, he gritted his teeth and persevered. The innate fire at his fingertips grew increasingly intense, constantly scorching the bone demon's malevolent energy and disintegrating the giant hand's power. The golden spiritual light from the inkstone bead continuously nourished his spiritual veins, while the dark spiritual light from the inkstone constantly devoured the bone demon's malevolent energy. One attacked, the other defended; one devoured, the other burned, gradually turning the tide and gaining the upper hand.

The Bone Demon's roar grew increasingly fierce, its ghostly green eyes filled with disbelief. It never imagined that a mere successor of the Guardian Meridian could withstand its full-force attack. Unwilling to accept defeat, its malevolent aura surged once more, countless vengeful spirits erupting from it, rushing towards Lin Yan, intent on utterly crushing him. But at that moment, the Guixu Seal suddenly burst forth with a dazzling spiritual light. The ancient runes on the stone altar lit up, and an immense, unparalleled power of Guixu surged from the seal, continuously merging into Lin Yan's spiritual light.

"No—!" The Bone Demon roared in despair. He had never imagined that the Void Seal would respond to a human cultivator and lend him its power. Lin Yan seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, concentrating all his power at his fingertips. Ink-colored spiritual light and golden alchemical fire intertwined and merged, transforming into a massive spiritual sword. The sword was engraved with Void Runes, carrying the power to destroy evil and annihilate spirits, and slashed towards the Bone Demon's giant hand. The sword light flashed, incomparably sharp, and the Bone Demon's giant hand was instantly severed. Black, evil blood gushed out, emitting a pungent, putrid stench. Where it spilled, even the rocks were corroded and began to smoke.

Severely wounded, the Bone Demon staggered backward, its eerie green flames filled with resentment and unwillingness. It roared hoarsely, "Lin Yan, this demon will not let this go! The Rift of Return to Nothingness has opened, and soon more evil spirits will descend. You will not be able to stop them!" As soon as it finished speaking, it transformed into a dense aura of malevolent energy and hurriedly entered the rift. The rift gradually contracted, but it did not completely close. A faint aura of malevolent energy continued to emerge, lurking beneath the Spirit Immortal Valley like a hidden danger.

Lin Yan's body went limp, and he slumped back onto the stone altar. The spiritual light of the inkstone and ink bead gradually dimmed, slowly settling back onto his shoulders and palms, losing its former brilliance. He gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. His spiritual energy was completely exhausted; he almost lost the strength to even lift his hand. A few drops of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, falling onto the runes on the stone altar, where they were gently absorbed by the rune's spiritual light. He didn't speak immediately, but closed his eyes, forcing himself to circulate the last remaining trace of spiritual energy within his body, guiding the not-yet-exhausted spiritual energy in the ink bead and inkstone to slowly nourish his depleted spiritual veins. Wisps of faint golden and black spiritual light seeped into his body through his fingertips. His previously stiff limbs gradually regained feeling, his disordered breathing slowly calmed, and the intense pain in his chest eased somewhat—though not fully recovered, he could barely manage to converse with someone. In the weariness in his eyes, the unwavering determination of a guardian of the veins remained.

Shen Qinghan, Su Wanli, and Elder Xuanzhen walked forward with difficulty. Gazing at the gradually closing rift, their expressions were solemn, yet also tinged with relief at surviving a calamity. Elder Xuanzhen, leaning against the stone altar, spoke in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with praise: "Lin Yan, we owe you a great debt this time. Otherwise, the Guixu Seal would have been broken, and the cultivation world of the East Sea would have been doomed. But the Bone Demon has not been completely annihilated, and the rift has not fully closed. This crisis is not truly over yet."

Shen Qinghan nodded slightly, raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a solemn and firm tone: "Although the three sects have old grudges, after this battle, they should truly put aside their differences, work together to strengthen the Guixu seal, prevent the Bone Demon from making a comeback, and protect the foundation of the cultivation world in the East Sea."

Su Wanli nodded slowly, her icy blue eyes losing their usual sharpness and sarcasm, replaced by a hint of agreement and solemnity: "The spiritual veins are interconnected, and we are all interdependent. Past grudges can be temporarily set aside in the face of the survival of the cultivation world. From now on, Shuiyue Pavilion is willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with Laoshan and Qingyun Sect, jointly guarding Guixu and protecting the peace of the cultivation world in the East Sea."

Lin Yan slowly opened his eyes, nodded slightly, and gazed at the not-yet-fully-closed rift. He knew in his heart that the threat of the Bone Demon still existed, and more evil spirits might be lurking on Black Abyss Mist Island, waiting for an opportunity to return. He slowly raised his hand, stroking the inkstone on his shoulder. The inkstone's dark light flickered slightly, as if responding to his thoughts. They had won this battle temporarily, but not forever. Strengthening the Guixu Seal, completely eradicating the Bone Demon, and protecting the spiritual veins and the cultivation world still had a long and arduous road ahead. And he, as the successor of the Laoshan Guardian, would shoulder this heavy responsibility, forging ahead without hesitation, never retreating.