204: showdown

The collapse of the underground cavern came faster than expected.

The rock strata overhead crumbled like biscuits crushed by a giant, falling with a rustling sound, while the ground beneath emitted groans of unbearable strain.

The foundation stones of the century-old Seal array turned to powder in the energy frenzy, and that sickening aura of pollution that had occupied this place was dissipating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lin Yue propped herself up with her blade, barely managing to stand, and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

The few Cultivators from the Demon Suppression Division behind her were in an even worse state; their faces were deathly pale, and they looked at the man at the center of the storm with expressions too complex to describe.

That man, Li Dong, stood there as if taking a leisurely stroll, as if the energy collapse that had just occurred—capable of tearing apart a Nascent Soul Cultivator—was nothing more than an insignificant fireworks display.

He had solved the "Heart of Corruption" in a way they could not understand, or even dare to imagine—he ate it.

"I've cleaned up your mess."

Li Dong weighed the newly acquired black-red crystal in his hand as if gauging the weight of a heavy silver ingot, then casually stuffed it into his pocket, saying, "I'll take this as my consultation fee."

Just as Lin Yue was about to say something, the air in the entire space suddenly stagnated.

An indescribable pressure descended from the sky—no, it was pressing in from all directions.

Boom! Boom!

Two figures tore through the crumbling space barrier and appeared in the field as if teleporting.

They wore black robes with the ancient tower emblem of the Demon Suppression Division embroidered on the cuffs, their spiritual power as vast as the sea, and their aura was so strong that Lin Yue and the others instantly felt difficulty breathing.

Late Stage Nascent Soul! Two Grand Elders of the Demon Suppression Division!

Following closely behind, several more streaks of light landed; they were all high-ranking members of the Demon Suppression Division, each with a grave expression.

"Lin Yue! What happened here? Why has the Seal of the 'Number One Nest' collapsed!"

One of the Grand Elders, with hair and beard standing on end and a majestic face, scanned the chaotic scene with eyes like lightning, finally locking his gaze onto the only "outsider," Li Dong.

His voice was like a great bell, making the entire space hum.

"Reporting to Elder Huo, the Seal..." Lin Yue began to explain.

"Shut up!" Elder Huo interrupted her sharply, stepped forward, and looked directly at Li Dong, "Who are you? Why are you here? Did you destroy the divinity anchor point here?"

The other, relatively composed Elder Wen did not speak, but his gaze was equally sharp, scanning Li Dong back and forth as if trying to see through him completely.

"It was me." Li Dong admitted readily, even digging his ear, "Keep it down, old man, I can hear you."

"You!" Elder Huo laughed in anger, "Good, a fine 'it was me'! Do you know what terrible consequences unauthorized movement of a divinity anchor point can cause? The entire Northern Region could turn into a wasteland because of this! What is your motive?"

The pressure on him suddenly intensified, directed squarely at Li Dong: "Speak! What is your relationship with that Evil God? Why do you have an aura that devours divinity on you?!"

This accusation was made quickly and accurately.

In the understanding of the Demon Suppression Division, anyone who could be associated with divine power, other than themselves, was an enemy.

And someone like Li Dong, who could "eat" divinity, was unheard of, making him the prime suspect.

"Elder! That's not it!" Lin Yue hurriedly stepped forward, blocking them, "Fellow Daoist Li is here to help us! He is the one who purified..."

"Purified?" Elder Huo sneered, "I only see a mess on the verge of losing control and an unknown madman! Lin Yue, you brought an outsider into the Forbidden Ground; I will settle this with you later!"

Watching the farce before him, Li Dong yawned, a bit bored.

Explaining things to these people seemed like a bit of a hassle.

"Alright, stop arguing." He reached out and pushed Lin Yue aside, meeting Elder Huo's gaze, which seemed ready to spit fire, and said calmly, "Your understanding of that thing is like a monkey looking at the sky—you only know the sky is blue."

"What did you say?!" Elder Huo was so angry his beard stood on end.

Li Dong ignored him and just extended a finger, pointing to the center of his forehead.

There, what was originally just a vague mark now seemed to come alive.

It was no longer the shape of any rune or snowflake, but a miniature, deep black vortex that seemed to suck in all light.

An aura of the Void Realm, pure to the extreme, mixed with some kind of overwhelmingly domineering Law of devouring, was released without reservation.

At the same time, the "universal key" inside his body, which had evolved from the divinity core, vibrated slightly, emitting a wisp of power that had been parsed and transformed.

It was a strange energy that contained the Origin of divinity, yet had been completely tamed and branded with Li Dong's mark.

Two completely different auras intertwined, forming an unprecedented and eerie force field.

All the high-ranking members of the Demon Suppression Division present, including the two Late Stage Nascent Soul Grand Elders, all changed their expressions.

What power was that?

That black vortex made their Divine Soul palpitate, as if one more glance would suck them in, along with their cultivation, memories, and even their very existence, all to be completely erased.

And the other power, they were intimately familiar with—it was the scent of the Evil God! But... it wasn't right!

This power lacked the crazy, chaotic, polluting characteristics; instead, it had become pure and refined, like a top-tier metal with all Impurities removed.

The power of devouring, the power of purification, and the power of the Void Realm that made them feel alienated to their very bones... all contradictory characteristics were perfectly fused into one person.

"Monster..." Elder Wen finally spoke, his voice dry, "What... exactly are you?"

This was not an insult, but a question from the bottom of his heart.

"Elder Huo, Elder Wen, Fellow Daoist Li really has no ill intent." Lin Yue seized the opportunity and quickly summarized what had happened, including how Li Dong stepped in to save the contaminated Cultivators, how he killed the monster with a single finger, and how he proposed to "weaken" the core.

But the more she said, the deeper the suspicion in the two Elders' eyes grew.

Immune to pollution? Devouring divinity? This sounded like high-level stuff sent by the Evil God's side.

"Enough." Li Dong seemed a bit impatient, "It's really boring to waste my breath on you bunch of old fogeys who view the sky from the bottom of a well."

He looked at the two Grand Elders and said word by word, "First, the 'Evil God' you speak of is just a worker. Second, these so-called 'nests' you guard are not the source; at most, they are a processing plant."

"What worker? Processing plant? Nonsense!" Elder Huo shouted.

"Don't understand?" Li Dong curled his lip, "Then let me put it another way. There is a huge parasite that has its eye on your world. But its main body cannot come over, so what does it do? It plants several 'straws' in your world, which are what you call 'anchor points'. Then, it sends some small foremen, which are the so-called 'Divine Lords', to use these straws to suck away your world's energy, Laws, and even the Souls of living beings, processing them into nutrients it can eat."

"Your Demon Suppression Division has been suppressing things for a century, but in reality, you are just struggling with the valves of a few straws. And I," Li Dong pointed to himself, "am here to settle the score with that parasite boss."

This shocking statement left everyone present stunned.

Parasite? Straws? Boss?

This line of reasoning completely overturned the worldview they had built over the past century.

"Absurd! Do you think you can overturn the century-old understanding of my Demon Suppression Division with just your one-sided words?" Although Elder Huo scolded him, there was already a hint of wavering in his eyes.

"Proof?" Li Dong smiled, "Fine, let me open your eyes."

As his voice fell, the black crystal Nascent Soul in his Sea of Consciousness opened its eyes.

A surge of massive Mental Energy poured out, forcibly stripping away a small portion of the memory fragments he had obtained from that ancient giant beast's finger bone.

The next moment, with Li Dong as the center, an invisible Spiritual Domain spread out.

All the Cultivators from the Demon Suppression Division covered by the Domain had a piece of "memory" that did not belong to them suddenly poured into their minds.

It was not a clear image, but a chaotic, vast, and ancient torrent of perception that was suffocating.

They "saw" the boundless sea of stars, with each star as small as dust.

They "felt" a giant beast that could not be described in words; its body was larger than a galaxy, and every breath could stir up a cosmic storm.

Then, they "saw" that "void".

A pure, absolute "nothingness" that devoured everything.

It had no physical form, no sound, but its very existence was a negation of the entire Universe.

The giant beast was roaring, the Laws were shattering, and the stars were extinguishing. A war that exceeded the limits of their understanding flashed through their minds.

Finally, there was the giant beast's unwilling fall, and the eternal, cold hunger of the "void".

"Pfft—"

A slightly weaker Early Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot, his spirit withered and his eyes glazed over.

Even Elder Huo and Elder Wen staggered back half a step, their faces pale as paper, and their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

"What... what was that..." Elder Wen's voice trembled.

"My boss." Li Dong retracted the Domain, his tone calm, "Now, do you still think what you are facing is just an Evil God that can be 'sealed'?"

Inside the entire collapsing cavern, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by that ancient, cross-dimensional terror, unable to speak for a long time.

The achievements they had been proud of for a century seemed as small as a joke in front of such an existence.

After a long time, Elder Huo finally found his voice. He looked at Li Dong, and the arrogance in his eyes was gone, replaced only by deep shock and wariness.

"What... do you want to do?"

"It's simple." Li Dong spread his hands and revealed a smile that could be called amiable.

"I want your Demon Suppression Division to tell me the location of all the 'straws'. I will be responsible for pulling them out, and you will be responsible for watching."

"Are you going to take this deal or not?"