12: The Immortal Pool's Desolate Realm, Blood Draws a Cold Light

The icy Immortal Essence chain tore through the air, carrying the sharp clang of metal and the will to bind all things, like a venomous python lunging at its prey. In an instant, it had wrapped within three inches of Su Wanzhao's glabella! The cold, sharp aura pierced Chen Feng's shattered soul, making it tremble!

"Peel it away?!" The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's cold and greedy words were like an ice pick, harshly striking Chen Feng's heart! Peel away the shattered Sword Seal at Su Wanzhao's glabella—the only thing sustaining her last thread of life? How was this any different from murder and soul-snatching?!

No! Absolutely not!

Chen Feng's eyes were bloodshot! Su Wanzhao had burned her essence to carve out a path of survival. If, at this moment, this high-and-mighty Immortal Envoy stripped away her final mark, her soul would truly scatter, leaving no possibility of recovery! A flame mixed with fury, unwillingness, and boundless malice ignited explosively in his nearly depleted Sea of Consciousness! Even if his cultivation realm had fallen, his foundation was destroyed, and his soul was torn, he had to fight!

"Get lost!"

A beast-like roar rolled out of Chen Feng's throat! He couldn't spare a thought for the consequences or mobilize any spiritual energy. Relying only on the desperate, crazed will of someone pushed to the edge, he violently swung his right arm, covered in foul blood and spatial scars, grabbing fiercely at the golden chain wrapping toward Su Wanzhao's glabella!

This grab was as fragile as a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

"Hmph! Does an ant dare block my path?" A golden light flashed in the Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's eyes, his cold mockery almost tangible. He didn't even bother to mobilize his Immortal Essence; the chain's speed toward Su Wanzhao remained unchanged. However, a trace of binding Immortal Might naturally emanating from the chain struck Chen Feng's outstretched arm like an invisible heavy hammer!

Crack!

A sickening sound of cracking bone clearly rang out! Chen Feng's swinging right arm instantly twisted into a grotesque angle, the bones shattering inch by inch! The intense pain submerged him like a tsunami. His body was violently flung back by the rebound force, smashing heavily once more onto the edge of the icy Immortal Transformation Pool. He spat out mouthfuls of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs!

"Pfft—!" He collapsed onto the ground like a pile of mud, his vision engulfed by blood and darkness. The agony throughout his body nearly caused him to faint. The weakness from his fallen realm, the dizziness from his severely damaged soul, plus the excruciating pain of his shattered arm bones, completely pushed him into the abyss of despair. He could even clearly feel that his already broken meridians, under the impact of the Immortal Might, were being ground into dust, like beans tossed into a millstone!

It's over... it's completely over... Boundless despair submerged him like an icy tide. He didn't even have the strength to move a finger. He could only watch helplessly as the golden Immortal Essence chain, like the Grim Reaper's scythe, wrapped around Su Wanzhao's cold, smooth forehead. The sharp Peeling Rune at the chain's tip had already touched the faint blue crack at her glabella!

Su Wanzhao, even in a coma, seemed to sense the fatal threat. Her translucent body trembled violently, and the faint starlight within the faint blue crack on her glabella flashed wildly, like a death struggle, yet it couldn't stop the golden chain's wrapping and erosion!

"Peel!" The greed in the Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's eyes intensified. His finger twitched, and the golden chain wrapped around Su Wanzhao's glabella suddenly tightened! The Peeling Rune on the chain burst into bright light, transforming into countless dense golden light needles. Like living things, they viciously stabbed toward the faint blue crack, attempting to force their way in and seize the core essence of the shattered Sword Seal!

Sizzling—!

The anticipated smooth peeling did not occur! The moment the golden Peeling Needles, containing the Laws of the Immortal Realm, pierced the faint blue crack and touched the faint starlight deep within!

A sudden change occurred!

That faint ice-blue starlight, like an utterly enraged Primordial Ferocious Beast, suddenly erupted with terrifying, heart-stopping radiance far exceeding its appearance! An Ultimate Sword Intent—cold, aloof, and seemingly capable of freezing eternal time and space—burst forth with a supreme majesty stemming from the source of her bloodline!

"Clang—!!!"

A clear, resonant sword cry, seemingly originating from beyond the Ninth Heaven and piercing through eternity, suddenly echoed throughout the entire silent Immortal Transformation Pool space! This sword cry was not a physical sound but a direct vibration on the soul level! The coldness on the Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's face instantly froze, and for the first time, undisguised horror appeared in his eyes!

The golden chain wrapped around Su Wanzhao's glabella bore the brunt of the attack! That powerful Immortal Essence chain, capable of binding a True Immortal's Primordial Spirit, instantly disintegrated and melted inch by inch under the impact of this cold, aloof Source Sword Intent, like ice and snow under the blazing sun! The Peeling Runes condensed on the chain let out a wail and exploded into golden light specks filling the air!

"Pfft!" The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's body violently swayed, his face slightly pale! The chain was connected to his mind; its sudden destruction caused him some backlash. He stared intently at the crack on Su Wanzhao's glabella that was erupting with brilliant ice-blue light. The greed in his eyes was instantly replaced by deep apprehension: "Guanghan... Palace?! This aura... is the Guanghan Palace's Body-Protecting Source Sword Seal?! How could a lowly servant from the Lower Realm possibly..."

Before he could finish his sentence, an even more astonishing scene occurred!

The Source Sword Intent erupting from Su Wanzhao's glabella seemed to have completely triggered a strange reaction within the Immortal Transformation Pool! The milky white immortal mist, which had been flowing slowly and heavily like mercury, now violently churned like a lake hit by a massive stone! The mirror-smooth "floor" of the pool lit up with countless dense, ancient silver runes emitting a faint moonlight glow! The massive Immortal Spiritual Qi permeating the entire Immortal Transformation Pool space converged frantically toward Su Wanzhao's body, as if summoned by some supreme power!

However, this was not nourishment!

The pure and vast Immortal Spiritual Qi, the moment it touched Su Wanzhao's body, generated a fierce conflict with the erupting, cold and aloof Guanghan Source Sword Intent within her! Immortal Spiritual Qi represented the assimilation and reshaping of this realm's rules, while the Guanghan Sword Intent represented an incompatible, higher-level source of majesty!

Boom!

It was like the collision of ice and fire! Su Wanzhao's translucent body instantly became the battlefield for the clash of two terrifying forces! On the left side of her body, dazzling Immortal Light, full of rejection and assimilating will, shone. On the right, cold, aloof, and defiant azure Sword Radiance burst forth! The two lights frantically intertwined, tore at each other, and annihilated one another!

"Ah—!!!"

Su Wanzhao, still unconscious, let out a heart-wrenching, indescribable shriek! Her already collapsing body, under the conflict of these two supreme forces, instantly became covered in spiderweb-like cracks, like fragile porcelain! Skin, muscle, bone... everything was disintegrating into the finest particles at a visible speed! The faint blue crack on her glabella expanded wildly, and the faint starlight representing her last chance of life rapidly dimmed under the combined assault of the Immortal Light and Sword Intent, about to be completely extinguished!

Annihilation of body and spirit! It was right before his eyes!

"No!!!" Chen Feng's eyes were bloodshot as he let out a desperate roar! He struggled to crawl over, but his shattered body felt like it was filled with lead; he couldn't move an inch! He could only watch helplessly as Su Wanzhao was torn between the Immortal Light and Sword Intent, heading toward complete destruction!

The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's expression also changed drastically. He hadn't expected that forcefully peeling the seal would trigger such a terrifying backlash! The Guanghan Palace's Source Sword Seal was so domineering that it would rather perish along with the rules of the Immortal Transformation Pool than submit! A flicker of heartache crossed his eyes; if the shattered Sword Seal was destroyed, its value would be greatly diminished!

In this crucial moment, just as Su Wanzhao was about to turn completely into dust!

Another sudden change occurred!

A mouthful of vital blood, spat out by Chen Feng due to extreme grief, indignation, and despair, mixed with shattered internal organs and dark golden mineral marrow energy fragments, scattered like bloody rain. Just a few drops of the scalding blood, carrying his faint Soul Imprint and strange mineral marrow aura, splashed onto Su Wanzhao's cracked chest and... onto the ancient silver runes glowing with moonlight beneath her!

Sizzle—!

Like cold water dripping into boiling oil! The few drops of blood, containing Chen Feng's Soul Imprint, fragmented mineral marrow energy, and fierce, unwilling resolve, acted like pebbles tossed into a calm lake the moment they touched Su Wanzhao's chest and the ancient runes below, instantly shattering the terrifying balance of the frantic clash between the Immortal Light and Sword Intent!

When the cold, aloof, and defiant Guanghan Source Sword Intent within Su Wanzhao came into contact with the faint but incredibly familiar Soul Imprint in Chen Feng's blood (originating from the mutual infusion of bloodline spiritual energy within the spatial passage earlier), the violent defiant will actually showed an extremely faint... hesitation?

Meanwhile, the ancient silver runes flowing with moonlight below, upon contact with the fragments of violent energy in Chen Feng's blood—which originated from the Dragon Severing Ravine's Earth Vein Mineral Marrow—suddenly brightened! An ancient aura, homologous to the Guanghan Sword Intent but even vaster and more primordial, seemingly carrying the weight of countless ages, burst forth explosively, like a sleeping giant being awakened!

This ancient, primordial aura instantly suppressed the assimilating Immortal Light of the Immortal Transformation Pool's rules! It acted even more like an invisible bridge, forcibly connecting the Guanghan Source Sword Seal within Su Wanzhao, which was on the verge of extinguishing, with the "pool bottom" flowing with moonlight runes beneath her!

Buzz—!

A column of moon-white light, condensed to the extreme and flawlessly pure, suddenly shot up from the ancient runes beneath Su Wanzhao, instantly enveloping her collapsing body!

The violently conflicting Immortal Light and Sword Intent were forcibly smoothed out under the cover of this pure moon-white light column, as if by an invisible hand! The assimilation of the Immortal Spiritual Qi was isolated, and the self-destruction of the Guanghan Sword Intent was soothed! Su Wanzhao's cracked body stopped disintegrating, the wildly expanding faint blue crack on her glabella ceased spreading, and the faint starlight stabilized with difficulty under the nourishment of the moon-white light column. Although still weak, it was no longer extinguishing!

"Guanghan Reception?! This... this is impossible!!" The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy stared at the pure moon-white light column shooting into the sky, feeling the ancient, primordial aura within it that made his soul tremble. For the first time, uncontrolled horror and fear appeared on his face! It was as if he had seen something that absolutely shouldn't exist! "How could the bottom of this Immortal Transformation Pool... have an Ancient Reception Array leading directly to the Guanghan Ruins?! This lowly servant's blood... and that ant's blood..."

His gaze suddenly turned toward Chen Feng, who was paralyzed in a pool of blood, filled with unbelievable shock and a trace of... deeper greed! That ant's blood could actually activate the Ancient Reception Array of the Guanghan Ruins?!

However, before he could react—

The moon-white light column enveloping Su Wanzhao suddenly contracted! A spatial suction force so powerful it was irresistible instantly formed!

Swoosh!

Su Wanzhao's cold, collapsing body, along with the patch of ancient moonlight runes glowing beneath her, instantly vanished from the spot! Only a slowly rotating, miniature spatial vortex remained, emitting soft moonlight but infinitely deep within!

She was... sucked away by the moon-white light column?!

The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy watched helplessly as Su Wanzhao vanished into the spatial vortex, his face ashen, his eyes filled with fury and unwillingness! The duck he had caught slipped away! And it flew right into the "Guanghan Ruins," a place even he was deeply wary of!

"Good! Good! Good!" The Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy laughed in extreme rage, his icy killing intent tangibly locking onto Chen Feng, who was lying weak and paralyzed on the ground. "Ant! You certainly gave this old man a huge 'surprise'! Since that lowly servant ran off, you'll bear the brunt of my fury! Soul Search and Spirit Refinement—I want to see what secrets are hidden in your filthy Lower Realm bloodline!"

He stopped wasting words. His withered, claw-like right hand lifted, fingers spread. Golden light condensed in his palm, and a rotating, dark golden vortex, emitting terrifying suction and refining will, slowly took shape—he was going to perform a direct Soul Search!

The coldness of death once again completely enveloped Chen Feng. Su Wanzhao had been mysteriously received and taken away, her fate unknown. As for himself, facing the enraged Foundation Establishment Immortal Envoy, he had completely lost all ability to resist. It seemed his only path was to be subjected to Soul Search and Spirit Refinement, resulting in the annihilation of his body and spirit.

However, just as the Soul Search Vortex in the Gold-Robed Immortal Envoy's palm was about to press down onto Chen Feng's skull—

Buzz!

In his Sea of Consciousness, the silent, dimmed, and cracked gray cosmic destiny plate, stimulated by the spatial fluctuations triggered by Su Wanzhao's disappearance and the dense Immortal Spiritual Qi of the location, vibrated extremely faintly... once more!

A fragmented stream of information, yet one that made Chen Feng's soul tremble, was transmitted with difficulty:

[Detecting... high concentration... Immortal Spiritual Qi...]

[Detecting... homologous... Spatial Beacon... transferred...]

[Host Status: Dying... physical body disintegration accelerating...]

[Activating... Emergency Protocol...]

[Protocol: Guiding Immortal Spiritual Qi... Reverse Flushing... Restructuring...]

[Target: Using Immortal Spiritual Qi as the hammer... using the shattered physical body as the embryo... drawing Earth Fiend Mineral Marrow as the guide... recasting... Chaos dao foundation...]

[Success Rate: 0.00001%...]

[Cost: Enduring Immortal Spiritual Qi Infusion... Soul Annihilation Risk 99.99999%...]

[Do you... pay the remaining Source Soul Essence... (10%)... to activate...?]

[Yes / No]

Chaos dao foundation?! Immortal Spiritual Qi Infusion for Recasting?!

Looking at the success rate, which was even slimmer than before, and the almost certain death cost, Chen Feng's bloodied lips curled into an arc of ultimate madness.

"Old thing..." His bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the descending dark golden vortex above his head, which emitted a soul-refining aura. Using his last shred of strength, he let out a hoarse roar:

"You want to search this old man's soul?"

"Then... let's die together!!!"

His will fiercely pointed toward—[Yes]!