204: Heart of the Town

"What a bunch of lunatics."

She cursed inwardly, yet the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upwards slightly. However, before this smile could fully bloom, it was twisted by the excruciating pain radiating throughout her entire body.

"Revered Master..."

She reached out, wanting to grab Su Lin's sleeve, but was intercepted halfway by a cold hand.

Mu Qingxue expressionlessly tucked Cold Moon's hand back under the quilt and, while at it, tucked the corner of the quilt tight, leaving only her head exposed.

"Don't move around."

Mu Qingxue said calmly, "Second Senior Sister just took apart every bone in your body and put them back together. If you move around and displace them, you'll have to let her take them apart again."

Hearing this, Su Hongling, who was wiping sweat nearby, immediately cracked her knuckles, leaning in with an expectant look: "Did they displace? Where did they displace? Should I loosen them up for you again?"

"No!"

Cold Moon shrank back into the quilt in fright; even as a Female Emperor, she couldn't withstand the secondary torture from this bunch of animals.

She looked at Su Lin, her eyes filled with resentment like a lonely, aggrieved wife. "Revered Master... are you just going to watch them bully me?"

"That's enough."

Su Lin rubbed his brow, took out a Medicinal Pill radiating a gentle starlight from his storage ring, and stuffed it into Cold Moon's mouth.

"Don't act pitiful either; you were screaming so miserably just now, yet your breath was quite strong."

"Since you can't die, get up and get to work."

"Work?" Cold Moon was stunned. The Medicinal Pill in her mouth turned into a warm current, giving her some strength.

"The scar of heaven is still leaking."

Su Lin pointed beneath his feet, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick floor tiles to stare directly into the bottom of the abyss.

"Although you won't die for now, if that hole isn't plugged, your body will eventually be drained dry."

"And..." Su Lin narrowed his eyes, his tone turning cold. "When I was healing you earlier, I discovered that it's not just spatial turbulence in there. There are things crawling out."

"Crawling?" This single word caused the temperature in the room to drop by several degrees instantly.

The disciples exchanged glances, the playfulness in their eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by a heart-palpitating Evil Qi.

"It seems we were too light-handed," Luo Ximei sneered. The Devilish Qi in her hand transformed into a small black comb, and she began to slowly and methodically comb her slightly messy long hair.

"Some blind things think that just because we aren't around, they can come and steal our home?"

"Let's go." Su Lin didn't want to waste words.

He ripped the quilt away, and regardless of the fact that Cold Moon was only wearing a thin undergarment, he picked her up horizontally once again.

"Ah!" Cold Moon let out a cry of surprise, subconsciously wrapping her arms around Su Lin's neck, her face turning bright red instantly.

"M-Revered Master... I... I can walk myself..."

"You can walk my foot." Su Hongling rolled her eyes nearby, humming with great annoyance. "Your legs are shaking; if you get down and walk two steps, you'll probably end up kneeling and kowtowing to those monsters."

"You're the one kowtowing!" Cold Moon glared.

"Hold on tight." Su Lin ignored their bickering and lightly tapped his toes on the ground. "Since the entrance is below, lead the way."

Cold Moon took a deep breath and leaned her head against Su Lin's chest; that long-lost sense of security allowed her to temporarily set aside her airs as a Female Emperor.

She extended a finger, pointing to the huge, broken warm jade bed in the corner of the room. "It's right underneath that. That is where the emperors of past generations suppressed the Formation eye. It is also... the dirtiest, deepest, and darkest place in this palace."

"Boom!" Su Hongling stepped forward, grabbed the ten-thousand-jin broken warm jade bed with one hand, and flipped it away easily, as if lifting a pot lid.

Beneath the bed, there was no floor, but a pitch-black, deep hole emitting a bone-chilling, ghostly wind.

The edges of the hole were covered in dense golden runes; these were the Seals blessed by the lives of the past emperors of the Nanyu Divine Dynasty.

But this Seal was now tattered and broken, with countless black mists seeping out from the cracks like greedy tentacles, attempting to grab everything with life.

"It stinks." Chu Weiwei covered her nose and took a step back in disgust. "A smell of moldy, rotten meat... it's even stronger than that Blood River Ancestor from the foreign realm."

"This is the smell of Void Realm corrosion." Su Lin stood at the edge of the hole, holding Cold Moon in his arms, his expression calm. "This place connects to the Void Realm layer, which is also the sedimentation pool for the ruins of the Upper Realm. Trash from thousands of years has been fermenting here; how could it not smell?"

"Then we still have to go down?" Luo Ximei frowned; she was a bit of a germaphobe and didn't really want to dirty her dress.

"We must go down." Cold Moon said softly in Su Lin's arms. "The Formation eye is at the very bottom. If we don't go down and restart the Formation, we won't be able to reverse the great Formation, and thus won't be able to draw in the Immortal Qi."

"Then stop wasting words." Su Hongling slung her great sword onto her back and was the first to jump down. "I'll go open the path! Whoever dares to block the way, I'll smash them into meat paste!"

"Wait for me!" Although Chu Weiwei was disgusted, thinking there might be some rare Void Realm poisonous creatures, she quickly followed, holding a handful of sparkling fluorescent powder. "Don't be afraid of the dark, I'll sprinkle some powder!"

Luo Ximei sighed, raised a black and white barrier of Devilish Qi around her to keep out the disgusting black mist, and floated down as well.

Mu Qingxue walked last. She formed Seals with her hands, and countless ice crystals paved a crystalline staircase beneath her feet. With every step she took, the surrounding rock walls were frozen over, preventing collapse.

Su Lin held Cold Moon, stepped onto the ice stairs, and descended steadily.

As the depth increased, the surrounding light completely vanished. Only the fluorescent powder scattered by Chu Weiwei, like fireflies, floated faintly in the darkness.

The sound of the wind grew louder. It wasn't ordinary wind, but the screeching of spatial turbulence scraping against the rock walls, like countless vengeful ghosts wailing in one's ears.

"Are you cold?" Su Lin lowered his head to ask. He felt the body in his arms trembling slightly.

"Not cold." Cold Moon shook her head, instead snuggling tighter into Su Lin's arms. "With Revered Master here... it's not cold at all."

She looked up, and through the faint fluorescent light, she looked at Su Lin's sharp jawline, her eyes gradually becoming unfocused.

This was probably the most peaceful moment she had experienced in these hundreds of years. No need to think about how to govern the country, no need to think about how to suppress rebellions, and no need to think about how many days she had left to live. Just being like a useless person, curled up in Revered Master's arms, was enough.

"Revered Master..." she suddenly spoke, her voice very soft. "Hmm?" "If... I mean if."

Her fingers traced circles on the golden dragon imprint on Su Lin's chest. "If we fail this time... if there really is something down here that we can't deal with... will you take the Junior Sisters and run?"

Su Lin's footsteps paused slightly. He lowered his head, looking at the anxiety and probing hidden in those deep eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

"I want to say..." Cold Moon bit her lower lip, a flash of determination in her eyes. "If it really comes to that step, throw me down. I am the Formation eye; as long as I self-destruct, I can trigger the collapse of the national destiny and completely Seal this hole. By then... you take them and leave. Go as far away as possible."

"*Slap!*" A crisp sound of a slap echoed, sounding exceptionally loud in this deep cave.

The three disciples walking in front stopped simultaneously and turned their heads in unison.

"Old Man, why are you hitting Eldest Disciple's butt?!" Su Hongling shouted fussily, "Are you trying to take advantage in the dark?!"

"Shut up." Su Lin scolded coldly, then looked down at Cold Moon, who was stunned from being hit.

"This slap is because your head isn't clear."

"What did Revered Master teach you? If we want to win, we must win beautifully and cleanly."

"Thinking of sacrificing yourself before the fight has even started? Who are you looking down on? Do you think your life is cheap? Or do you think Revered Master can't protect you?"

Cold Moon covered the place she was hit, her cheeks red as if they were bleeding, but her eyes were brimming with tears. "But... but..."

"No 'buts'." Su Lin interrupted her, his tone overbearing and unreasonable. "You are my Eldest Disciple, the Female Emperor of Southern Yu. Your life is ten thousand times more precious than the mud down here."

"Let alone a broken hole, even if the sky falls, Revered Master will hold it up for you."

"If you dare to say such defeatist words again..." Su Lin narrowed his eyes, leaned close to her ear, and threatened viciously, "I will hang you up and spank you in front of everyone in the world. I'll even strip off your dragon robes to spank you."

"Wuu..." Cold Moon buried her face in Su Lin's chest, not daring to speak. But the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl into a big arc. Revered Master... is so fierce. But... I like it so much.

Finally, the group landed at the bottom of the hole.

This was a colossal underground void, as if it were the hollowed-out core of this planet.

The surrounding rock walls presented a dark red, flesh-like texture, still constantly squirming and secreting viscous liquid.

And in the very center of the void, a huge and broken heart was floating.

That was not a biological heart, but a "Formation core" woven from countless broken spatial fragments and Law chains. This was the Foundation of the Nanyu Divine Dynasty—the [Heart of the Realm].

It was also the thing that Cold Moon was nourishing with her life.

But at this moment, the heart was covered in a black, asphalt-like substance. Those substances were constantly squirming and expanding, forming hideous human faces, frantically gnawing at the golden light on the heart.

"That is..." Luo Ximei's heterochromatic eye contracted sharply, her voice becoming grave. "Parasitic Demons. They are not ordinary Yao Beasts; they are living curses. They are eating the Formation! They want to turn this heart into a hatching nest!"

"So disgusting!" Chu Weiwei took one look and almost vomited on the spot. Those black substances were constantly splitting, falling to the ground, and transforming into black soft-bodied monsters with no facial features, only a big mouth, crawling towards the group.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak." The monsters' cries were sharp and piercing, like fingernails scraping a chalkboard, making one's Divine Soul tremble.

"The number... is too high." The Ice Sword in Mu Qingxue's hand condensed, and the cold air spread instantly. The ground was densely covered with these monsters, at least several million of them.

And deep within that core, an even more terrifying aura was awakening. "Peak Body Integration... no, there are at least ten auras of half-step Mahayana."

Su Hongling gripped her great sword tightly; although she didn't say it, her palms were full of sweat. "Old Man, how do we handle this? If we hack at them one by one, we'll be hacking until next year!"

"No need to hack them one by one." Su Lin put Cold Moon down, letting her lean against a relatively clean rock. He stood up, looking at the black monsters covering the mountains and plains, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Since they survive by devouring the Formation, let's add some ingredients for them." He turned to look at the four disciples.

"Hong Ling, you go to the left, use your gravity field to compress this space for me! Don't let them run around!" "Alright! Going to press them into pancakes now!" Su Hongling rushed out, carrying her sword.

"Ximei, you go to the right, open the myriad soul banner to the maximum! These things are curse aggregates, which happen to be great nourishment for you; absorb as much as you can!" "Understood." Luo Ximei licked her lips, her eyes blazing with demonic light.

"Weiwei, you set up a poison Formation on the perimeter. Use the most potent corrosive poison to dissolve all those that slip through the net!" "No problem! I'll dissolve them into water to water my flowers!" Chu Weiwei ran off, excitedly scattering poisonous powder.

"Qingxue." Su Lin looked at the last person. "You stay above and build a lid for me." "A lid?" Mu Qingxue was stunned. "Yes, an ice lid." Su Lin pointed to the ceiling. "Seal this hole for me. Firstly, to prevent them from running out and wreaking havoc on the human world. Secondly..." Su Lin's mouth curved into a cruel smile. "Shutting the door to beat the dog is more interesting." "Understood." Mu Qingxue nodded, her figure floating up, cold air condensing in her hands.

After arranging everything, Su Lin turned around and walked back to Cold Moon's side.

"Revered Master... what about me?" Cold Moon tugged at Su Lin's sleeve, somewhat anxiously, "What can I do?"

"You?" Su Lin crouched down, looking at her pale face. "Your task is the most important." "Most important?" "Yes." Su Lin reached out and pressed on her Dantian. "I need to borrow your body." "Ah?" Cold Moon's face flushed; at a time like this... isn't that inappropriate?

"Don't think crookedly." Su Lin helplessly flicked her. "You are the Formation eye. I want to use your body as a medium to forcibly take over that polluted [Heart of the Realm]. I want to turn you... into a key."

"During this process, you will be in a lot of pain." Su Lin looked into her eyes, his expression serious. "That pain will be ten times more painful than the backlash you endured before. Because I need to force those black things out, bit by bit, through your Meridians. Can you... take it?"

Cold Moon was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled. She smiled extremely brightly, even with a hint of madness. "Revered Master." She tightened her grip on Su Lin's hand, pressing it firmly against her lower abdomen. "As long as it is given by you... even if my Divine Soul is torn to shreds... I can take it."