Immaculate Realm.
The unexpected self-destruction of Gui Wu put Shu Han on high alert. An array covering the entirety of the Immaculate Realm—how terrifying that must be!
Huang Chendong was taken aback as well. He couldn't fathom why this demonic cultivator would choose to self-destruct. But all he cared about now was the Heavenly Creation Fluid on Shu Han.
Gathering his magic power on the Fire Cloud Fan, Huang Chendong was resolved not to give Shu Han any opportunity to escape. He planned to kill him on the spot and extract the Heavenly Creation Fluid from his body.
However, at that moment, silver runes, centered around the teleportation array, began to spread across the ground of the Immaculate Realm. From within the runes, a dark hand reached out, grabbing Huang Chendong from below. Alarmed, Huang Chendong struggled with all his might, but he couldn't free himself from this grasp.
Both the main body and the external incarnation of Shu Han were similarly seized by the dark hand, rendered immobile.
"What is this?"
Suddenly, to their horror, the silver runes began to manifest on their bodies too. Both Huang Chendong and Shu Han were petrified. They knew that if these runes covered them completely, they'd meet the same fate as Gui Wu.
Panicking, Huang Chendong quickly sat down in a meditative position, exerting all his strength to suppress the spreading runes. However, these runes weren't simply an invasive force. He felt powerless to resist them and could only watch helplessly as they climbed to his chest and crawled toward his crown.
Seeing this, Shu Han's heart raced. He quickly recited the Golden Light Divine Incantation. It proved effective. Under the protective golden light that enveloped him, the silver runes began to recede.
Huang Chendong, witnessing this, cried out in desperation, "Fellow Daoist! Save me! I don't want to die!"
Yet, in the midst of his plea, the silver runes eventually enveloped him completely.
Boom!
Huang Chendong exploded in mid-air, turning into a cloud of blood mist, which was swiftly absorbed by the runes spread across the land. Not only the cultivators but all living beings within the Immaculate Realm, including plants and flowers, were covered with these runes. Once the runes engulfed them, they exploded on the spot, and the energy was absorbed by the formation laid across the Immaculate Realm.
Witnessing such a horrifying scene, cold sweat dripped down Shu Han's forehead. This was the Blood Soul Tracking Formation! His mind wavered for a moment, and the silver runes surged forward once more.
Shu Han quickly concentrated on reciting the Golden Light Divine Incantation. However, the incantation was depleting his magic power at an unprecedented rate, indicating that it was countering a force far beyond his capability to handle.
The Jade Rabbit sprang out from its jade pendant, seeking refuge directly within Shu Han's protective golden light.
Shu Han was horrified to find the silver runes creeping over the rabbit. The Jade Rabbit, trembling with fear and letting out anxious squeaks, seemed to sense the looming danger. It nestled close to Shu Han, too frightened to emerge. A buzzing noise filled Shu Han's head, making him wonder, if even the protection of the jade pendant was compromised by this formation, then...
In haste, he brought out the slumbering Shangguan Ruolin and found the silver runes creeping on her as well. Though the runes spread slowly, they were steadily encroaching, eventually aiming for her crown.
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"This..."
Panicking, Shu Han tried to wake Shangguan Ruolin. But she was completely submerged within her Golden Core and couldn't be awakened. He gasped for breath and hurriedly channeled his golden light to protect her too.
The consumption rate of his magic power for the Golden Light Divine Incantation increased unimaginably, almost draining Shu Han within moments. Desperately, he took out a pile of medium-grade spirit stones, hoping they'd help, but the rate at which the incantation consumed magic power was far greater than the rate at which he could harness it. Even with a mountain of spirit stones, the silver runes continued to spread inexorably.
Out of options, Shu Han watched helplessly as the silver runes began to overtake his golden protection. Despair filled his heart.
What should he do?
...
By now, the silver runes had spread to the peak of the Immaculate Mountain. The cultivators here also noticed the anomaly. One by one, the runes began to engulf them. At first, they were oblivious to the threat. But after witnessing a lower-ranked cultivator explode upon being covered by the runes, terror struck them all.
In an instant, all the cultivators hidden around the mountain peak emerged.
Fan Zheyan looked around and saw that not just his own Purple Sun Sect and the Rainbow Light Sword Valley, but other major sects remained, curious about the Green Thunder Sect's intentions.
His eyes clouded as the silver runes crawled up to his chest. He looked at his fellow sect members, their faces a tapestry of despair. Eventually, the runes moved past Fan Zheyan's eyes and converged at the top of his head.
Boom!
Explosions echoed continuously around the mountain peak.
Below, a cultivator from the Green Thunder Sect smirked, "Struggle all you want; it's all in vain."
At that moment, the runes from all directions converged on the divine stone atop the mountain, merging with the runes that spewed from the stone. Soon, every inch of the Immaculate Realm, whether in the sky or on the ground, was blanketed by these mysterious silver writings.
All beings in the Immaculate Realm were now affected. The illusory dragon crystal ginseng rolled around on the Earth Goddess Celestial Soil. But no matter how much it rolled, it couldn't shake off the runes that eventually covered its entire form.
An hour later, every living being in the Immaculate Realm met a tragic fate, being transformed into a blood mist by the silver runes and absorbed by the grand formation. Only the cultivators of the Green Thunder Sect remained unaffected, being the sole survivors in the Immaculate Realm.
Finally, the central chaotic pillar of light, along with the other six blood-colored pillars, dissipated. The destructive power that once tore everything apart faded, replaced by a terrifying surge of energy enveloping the Immaculate Realm.
The power of the beings consumed by the silver runes converged rapidly at the mountaintop, forming a colossal shadow that towered over the Immaculate Mountain. The behemoth's shadow covered almost half of the mountain, and no matter where one stood in the Immaculate Realm, one could clearly see the giant's outline.
The giant had two heads and stood halfway up the Immaculate Mountain, staring intently at the sacred pond at the peak.
Green Thunder Sect's cultivators immediately prostrated themselves, chanting in unison, "Welcome to the Immaculate Realm, Sect Leader and Senior Devil Music!”
One of the heads spoke, "We've finally bypassed the rules to enter this Immaculate Realm. Devil Music, are you ready? Our power is limited; we cannot waste a single bit.”
"Enough talk, Green Thunder. I've waited for this moment for three hundred years! Let's do it!”
Both heads controlled a massive hand each, emanating a vast magic power. The hands plunged into the pond at the mountain's peak, aiming for the heart stone at the center, trying to uproot it entirely.
Whoosh!
Blinding white light erupted from the cracks of the collapsing pond. The divine stone seemed to resist the overwhelming force of the blood-colored giant. However, as the silver runes flashed across the stone, with a deafening roar, the giant successfully uprooted the divine stone. Instantaneously, the majestic Immaculate Mountain started crumbling from the top.
The entire Immaculate Realm began to quake and fracture due to the dislodgment of the divine stone. The spatial planes began to collapse, the land of the Immaculate Realm shattered, and total annihilation seemed imminent.
It was then that the silver runes came into play. They spread rapidly, restructuring the collapsing planes of the Immaculate Realm. Much like the patterns seen in artifact refining, the runes contracted and reshaped the entirety of the Immaculate Realm.
Near the teleportation formation of the Purple Sun Sect in the Immaculate Realm, a black jar wobbled. Eventually, a ray of light shot out from the jar, revealing Shu Han, re-emerging in this collapsing world. He had narrowly escaped the previous destructive force. Yet now, he found himself in a world on the brink of disintegration.