146: Turbo Abyss

BOOM!!!

The supreme majesty of the Dragon Seal of the Nation had not yet dissipated over the capital when a thunderous noise, deeper and more terrifying than any before it, erupted from the very center of the Vortex Trap Zone in the Western Hills!

It was not the sound of an impact, but a teeth-grinding roar, like fabric being ripped apart alive.

Immediately after, in the horrified gaze of everyone, the earth in the direction of the Western Hills collapsed.

An unimaginably massive black abyss appeared out of thin air, as if the earth had opened a giant maw to devour everything. Black mist, more than ten times thicker than before, shot into the sky like gushing oil, carrying with it a stench and an aura of evil that could freeze the Soul.

"What... what the hell is that thing!" On the city wall, a sharp-eyed captain pointed toward the abyss, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

From the rift of the abyss, one twisted monster after another was climbing and pouring out frantically.

They were no longer the Yao Beasts purely composed of evil energy from before; they were much larger, some growing eight sharp claws, some with bone wings on their backs, and others simply being a mass of writhing, amorphous flesh. The most bizarre thing was that on their pitch-black bodies, a faint yet holy white luster faintly flowed.

That luster was of the same origin as the will of the "God Lord," yet it was mixed with a more ancient, barbaric aura.

"ROAR!"

A leopard-like demon was the first to rush out of the abyss, its speed so fast it left only an afterimage. It ignored the army of Yao Beasts and charged straight at the light screen of the Nine Palaces Demon Suppression Formation!

"Sizzle—"

A harsh, corrosive sound rang out.

Where the light screen was struck, the golden light dimmed rapidly, and that white luster seemed to possess life, frantically eroding and disintegrating the spiritual power structure of the Formation.

The Cultivator presiding over that Formation eye groaned, feeling the flow of spiritual power within their body instantly become sluggish, as if injected with a mass of cold sludge.

"Not good! Their attacks can interfere with spiritual power!" Wei Zheng's pupils constricted, and he roared immediately, "All units, switch to Shock Talismans and Evil-Breaking Talismans; do not use pure spiritual power to resist head-on!"

Before the order could be fully conveyed, more "divine demons" had already rushed under the Formation's light screen.

The sounds of corrosion, impacts, and explosions merged into one.

What was even more chilling was that mixed in with the demon horde were figures wearing the attire of various Cultivators. Their eyes were blood-red, their faces wore fanatical, twisted smiles, they muttered incantations, and the Spells and Flying Swords in their hands were even more vicious than the demons' claws, with every strike aimed at their former comrades.

"Senior Brother Zhang! You've gone mad! It's me!" A young captain of the Demon Suppression Division cried out, looking at a familiar figure.

"The God Lord is supreme! Purifying you... is a gift!" The Cultivator known as "Senior Brother Zhang" had a crazed expression as a sharp sword light slashed over without mercy.

The defensive line began to collapse at a visible speed in the face of these new enemies.

"THUD!"

With a loud bang, the entire capital city jolted violently.

A giant demon the size of a small hill slowly crawled out of the abyss. It was shaped like a giant ape but had a ferocious Dragon head; with every step it took, the earth trembled violently. The rune Formation on the city wall, which had just stabilized, flickered on and off with its footsteps.

"It's over..." some Cultivators muttered to themselves, barely able to hold onto their Magical Artifacts.

How can we fight this?

"Wei Zheng!" Li Qingxuan's voice sounded, carrying a hint of urgency, "The Imperial Guard's long-range rune cannons are ready, but the power is too great; it might affect the city wall!"

"We can't worry about that now! Fire!" Wei Zheng gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, "Aim at that biggest beast and blast it!"

Just then, that aged figure appeared once more in the main hall of the Imperial Palace.

The Royal Ancestor held a primitive bronze mirror in his hand, its surface as smooth as water; it was the royal secret treasure, the "Haotian Mirror." His expression at this moment was even worse than when he had activated the Dragon Seal of the Nation earlier, and in his eyes, besides determination, there was an unmistakable trace of shock and doubt.

"Evil spawn!"

The Old Ancestor shouted lowly and poured all his spiritual power into the mirror.

HUM—!

A brilliant golden beam as thick as a water bucket shot out from the Haotian Mirror, like a spear of a Heavenly God, striking the mountain-like giant demon with precision.

"ROAR—!"

The giant demon let out a painful roar, and the strange white luster on its body was instantly purified by the golden light, its massive body actually forced back several steps.

Wherever the golden light passed, dozens of small divine demons also turned to ash.

Cheers erupted on the city wall.

But the Royal Ancestor's face grew increasingly pale, and the brilliant light of the Haotian Mirror dimmed rapidly at a visible speed.

This strike had almost drained most of his cultivation.

...

Underground.

Li Dong's consciousness was like a lone boat drifting in a storm.

He could "see" everything outside clearly.

The opening of the abyss, the appearance of the divine demons, Wei Zheng's roar, Li Qingxuan's decisiveness, and... the Royal Ancestor's desperate strike.

"Not right..."

His consciousness, amidst the intense pain, caught a crucial note of discord.

"These demons... the 'Divinity' within them... is not pure!"

In the perception of Li Dong's Spiritual Domain, the white power within these monsters crawling out of the abyss, while having the projection of the "God Lord's" will at its core, was wrapped and merged with another power on the outside. A kind of... power rooted beneath this land of the Vortex Trap Zone, more ancient, chaotic, and filled with primitive predatory nature.

The God Lord, He is not creating an army.

He is... awakening and transforming something that already existed in this land!

This realization made the nature of the entire event instantly become confusing and mysterious.

"So that's it... is this the truth of the Vortex Trap Zone?"

Li Dong's mind stirred, and a faint trace of Spiritual Domain power silently spread out, precisely enveloping a divine demon that was frantically attacking the Formation's light screen.

The demon's movements suddenly froze.

The next moment, the layer of white divine luster on its body, as if encountering its nemesis, was instantly neutralized and decomposed by Li Dong's power of Spirituality. Losing the blessing of divinity, its massive body began to collapse rapidly, turning into a pool of foul-smelling black water.

"It works!"

Li Dong felt a surge of excitement, but immediately after, a strong backlash force transmitted back along the Spiritual Domain, causing his already agonizing Sea of Consciousness to churn violently again.

The consumption is too great!

This divine power is like a laced poison; his Domain can detoxify it, but the process of detoxification itself is a huge burden on him.

Just as he was preparing to withdraw his perception and focus on resisting the God Lord's will in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Hmm?"

In the black water that the demon he had just "killed" had turned into, he perceived a tiny, hard object.

What is that?

Li Dong endured the intense pain, split off a wisp of his mind, and "pulled" that thing out of the filth.

It was a black crystal fragment only the size of a grain of rice.

It floated quietly in Li Dong's perception, looking unremarkable.

But when Li Dong subconsciously went to investigate it, the black crystal in his bosom, obtained from Bone Scythe and which had been dormant all this time, actually emitted a faint... resonance at this moment.