203: Anchor Point Scramble

The deeper one walked into the valley, the thicker the air became, as if immersed in some gelatinous malice.

The rune stone pillars set up by the Demon Suppression Division stood one after another, their light growing increasingly dim, like candles flickering in the wind.

Lin Yue walked at the very front, stepping with extreme caution at every step.

She warned without looking back, "The core is just ahead; we call it the Heart of Corruption. Do not look, do not listen, and guard your mind, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, you will hear it whispering in your ear, promising you eternal life and supreme power, and then turning you into a puddle of rotting flesh covered in eyeballs." Li Dong finished the sentence for her, his tone as flat as if he were commenting on the nice weather.

Lin Yue was choked off mid-sentence; her footsteps faltered, and she glanced at him sideways.

Li Dong shrugged, "I've heard this sales pitch many times; it's nothing new."

Passing through the final fragile barrier composed of a rune light screen, the scene before them suddenly opened up.

This was a massive underground cavern.

In the very center of the cavern, an indescribable "heart" was suspended.

It was as tall as a three-story building, its surface made of dark red flesh tissue, covered in pulsating blue-black veins.

Every pulsation caused the entire space to tremble, sending ripples of invisible pollution spreading outward, crashing against the cavern walls and inciting waves of eerie hissing.

Countless twisted illusions manifested and dissipated around the "heart"—heaps of wealth, stunningly beautiful men and women, and thrones atop the pinnacle of power.

Tempting whispers resonated directly within the depths of one's mind.

"Is this your big trouble?" Li Dong scrutinized the "heart" as if he were picking out a pig's heart at a wet market.

"Focus!" Lin Yue's voice was tight. "The Elder Council has already approved your request, but if you show any signs of being corrupted, we will immediately initiate the final contingency plan and destroy you along with this place!"

The several Demon Suppression Division Cultivators following behind her all wore grave expressions, their hands already resting on some kind of detonation device at their waists.

"Got it, got it, don't be so nervous." Li Dong waved his hand impatiently and strode toward the giant heart, "Acting like a bomb disposal expert."

As he walked closer, those illusions and whispers—enough to drive a Golden Core Cultivator mad—seemed non-existent to him.

The black crystal stone Nascent Soul in his Sea of Consciousness sat cross-legged, runes circulating around its body; any spiritual erosion was crushed into the purest energy before it could even get close, becoming a snack for the Nascent Soul.

"This thing... actually smells quite good." Li Dong stopped in front of the "heart".

He reached out his hand.

"Stop!" Lin Yue shouted sternly.

Li Dong's hand did not pause for a second, pressing directly onto the pulsating "heart".

It felt sticky and cold to the touch, possessing the elasticity unique to living tissue.

The next second. Boom—!

Beneath his palm, a miniature Void Vortex suddenly appeared, erupting with unimaginable suction.

The pulsating veins on the surface of the "heart" instantly went taut, and strands of extremely pure divinity core energy, like tap water from a burst pipe, transformed into a visible black-red torrent, crazily surging into Li Dong's body.

Awesome!

An unprecedented sense of comfort spread through his entire body.

This energy was purer and richer than all the "peppermints" he had devoured before combined!

The black crystal stone Nascent Soul within him hummed with excitement, opening its small mouth to greedily swallow this energy feast.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred! Buzzing—!

Around the cavern, all the rune stone pillars set up by the Demon Suppression Division erupted with ear-piercing alarms at this moment!

The entire Seal Formation trembled violently, and silver runic chains shot out from the stone pillars, wrapping around the "heart" in an attempt to suppress its abnormal movements.

"Oh no! The Seal is out of control!" A Cultivator screamed in terror.

"He is devouring the core's power! This has triggered the Restriction!"

Lin Yue was shocked and furious; she could never have imagined that Li Dong's so-called "weakening" was actually this kind of simple and crude "eating"!

"Quick! Stabilize the Formation!" She roared, and together with the other Cultivators, they exerted their full power to activate their techniques, attempting to stabilize the crumbling Seal.

A massive backlash of energy erupted simultaneously from the Formation and the "heart," slamming heavily into Li Dong.

Li Dong's figure didn't even sway.

What difference was there between this force and a tickle?

Not only did he not stop, but he actually increased the power of the Void Vortex.

The divinity core within him bloomed with unprecedented light, like an engine running at full power, rapidly analyzing and converting the divinity energy he had swallowed.

"Is this all you've got? Boss?" Li Dong grinned, as if speaking to the air. "Your branch manager had more guts than you."

As soon as he finished speaking, an indescribable, freezing, and magnificent will crossed endless space and suddenly descended into this cavern!

That giant "heart" was its coordinate!

This will had only one target: Li Dong!

Carrying pure destruction and rage, it slammed fiercely toward Li Dong's Sea of Consciousness.

"Finally willing to show yourself?"

In Li Dong's Sea of Consciousness, the silent ancient stone slab and black crystal stone suddenly shone brightly.

The archaic runes on the ancient stone slab and the deep light of the black crystal stone intertwined, forming an insurmountable barrier.

The magnificent will slammed into the barrier, unable to stir even a ripple before being instantly shredded to pieces.

Furthermore, Li Dong's divinity core took the opportunity to extend a wisp of suction, drawing another small sip of "sauce" from the shattered will.

It had quite a kick.

"Roar—!!!"

A silent roar, originating from the level of the Soul, exploded in Li Dong's mind.

The "Boss" was thoroughly enraged.

It discovered that not only could it not destroy this audacious thief, but its own property was being rapidly emptied out!

Since I can't destroy you, then we'll go down together!

The next moment, the giant "heart" began to expand rapidly, the energy within it becoming extremely unstable, and spatial fissures appeared out of thin air around it.

It was going to self-destruct!

It was going to detonate this anchor point, blow the entire space into nothingness, and completely banish Li Dong!

"Trying to flip the table?" Li Dong sensed the other party's intention. "Sorry, I've already taken over this shop."

In the blink of an eye, the divinity core in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly flew out, transforming into a strangely shaped black crystal key.

With a speed the naked eye couldn't track, it pierced with a squelch—precisely into the core energy node of the "heart"!

One insertion, one twist. Click.

It was as if an invisible switch had been turned off.

The connection between the "heart" and the "Boss" in the distant Void Realm was instantly and completely severed!

The rapidly expanding "heart" suddenly stalled, and then, the massive, uncontrolled energy collapsed inward with a roar!

Rumble—!!!

The entire underground cavern shook violently, giant rocks from the ceiling fell like raindrops, and the Seal Formation that the Demon Suppression Division had guarded for a hundred years crumbled in an instant; all the rune stone pillars exploded into a sky full of rubble!

Lin Yue and the other Cultivators were blown away by the violent aftershocks of the energy, slamming heavily against the distant cavern walls, vomiting blood, and staring in horror at the center of the storm.

The dust settled.

Li Dong stood in place, unscathed.

The once arrogant "heart" had vanished, replaced by a fist-sized, crystal-clear black-red crystal floating in his palm.

He could feel that the black crystal stone Nascent Soul within him had condensed to the extreme, with a faint, higher-level aura circulating around its body.

He was only one step away from that so-called "Soul Transformation Stage".

He casually put away the crystal, turned his head, and looked at Lin Yue, who was struggling to climb up in the distance.

"It seems I've solved a big problem for you."