327: Chapter 325 Turned to Ashes in a Snap, Traces Hard to Find

Above the ruins, a gloomy wind swirled with scorched black dust, and the oppressive feeling in the world was suffocatingly heavy.

Yun Ming was covered in burns of varying depths, his clothes torn and charred, his skin cracked and bleeding. Three days of sleepless defense, coupled with forcibly activating the pure Yang power of the fusang divine tree to repel Dao Lord Fuhun, had completely depleted his spiritual energy. His Meridians were damaged, his Qi and blood were in decline, and his cultivation was less than three-tenths of its peak. His current state had fallen to the worst of his life.

Yet, he still stood ramrod straight.

Facing the eight Soul Transformation Yao Cultivators with their chilling aura and the two Void Refining grand powerful beings whose presence shook heaven and earth, Yun Ming showed no sign of retreat.

He slowly raised his right hand.

Crack!

Tiny yet fierce purple-gold lightning suddenly erupted in his palm. Violent electric arcs coiled around his five fingers, leaping wildly and tearing through the air. The dazzling lightning illuminated his side profile, stained with blood and ash, and also the unyielding stubbornness in his eyes.

An Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator confronting eight Soul Transformation experts and two Void Refining grand powerful beings.

This was an absurdly lopsided duel. The outcome was already decided, with no chance of victory. Any ordinary Cultivator would have had their Divine Soul collapse and knelt in submission, but Yun Ming refused. Even when trapped in a desperate situation, with his spiritual energy depleted and his Physical Body broken, he still intended to fight.

The lightning in his palm grew even more intense, as purple-gold divine lightning surged, poised to unleash this fatal strike.

Just at this critical moment, this hair-trigger instant, the white-clad woman moved.

There was no breaking of the air, no Void Realm explosion, no spiritual energy roar, not even the surrounding airflow stirred in the slightest. Her movement surpassed the limits of speed, without any warning. One second she was standing far away in the Void Realm, the next she silently appeared within a foot of Yun Ming.

So close, there was no avoiding it, no blocking it.

The woman's plain white long dress was spotless, her beauty peerless. A faint smile played on her lips, and her demeanor was gentle and soft, seemingly devoid of any murderous intent. Yet, in her clear, water-like eyes, there was an indifference that overlooked ants. She looked at Yun Ming, who was desperately preparing for battle, as if watching a child who overestimated himself and acted recklessly, with a hint of condescending incomprehension and disdain.

She gently shook her head.

With just this subtle movement, the killing intent was set.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, no devastating attacks. A bizarre, invisible force, directly targeting the Origin, instantly locked down Yun Ming's entire body. This was a Void Refining grand powerful being's Origin technique; it didn't attack the Physical Body or cleave the Divine Soul, but rather directly erased the traces of a living being's existence.

The next moment, Yun Ming's entire being suddenly disintegrated.

It wasn't shattered by lightning, incinerated by fire, or torn apart by external force. It was a complete dissolution from the inside out, from flesh, Meridians, and bones, to spiritual energy, aura, and Divine Soul, utterly returning to nothingness.

There was no scream, no struggle, no hint of pain. He didn't even have time to perceive the arrival of death before his body and Divine Soul completely dissipated. The Lightning Humanoid who had been standing in the wind, gathering lightning for a desperate battle just a second ago, was now utterly gone, leaving only a handful of light, pale gray ash quietly settling on the broken ground.

The wind gently blew, and the ashes subtly stirred.

The white-clad woman lowered her gaze to the thin pile of ash, her gentle brows slightly furrowed, a clear trace of incomprehension flashing across her face.

She knew her secret technique best—precise and domineering, never failing. Erasing a mere Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator should have been a snap of the fingers, leaving no trace, yet the current result was bizarre.

Yun Ming was dead, yet nothing was left behind.

There were no scattered spiritual energy fluctuations, no fragmented Divine Soul remnants, no Nascent Soul left behind, no Golden Core Origin. His map of mountains and rivers, fusang divine tree, cauldron of all things mother qi, cicada wing sword, and all his storage Magical Artifacts and personal treasures had vanished without a trace.

A Cultivator of such stature, with all his foundation and Opportunities, seemed to have never existed. Only the ordinary Physical Body ash on the ground proved that he had indeed stood there just now.

The woman leaned down slightly, her slender fingers gently picked up a pinch of ash and brought it to her nose to sniff, while simultaneously spreading out her vast Divine Sense to repeatedly search the entire area several times.

The result was no surprise.

This was just the most ordinary Physical Body ash, clean and pure, without any spiritual energy residue or Divine Soul aura, utterly unremarkable, with no abnormalities to be found.

She slowly stood up, withdrew her gaze, and turned to look at the blood-robed man not far from her side.

“He’s not dead.”

Her voice was soft and calm, yet it carried absolute certainty.

The blood-robed man was none other than the renowned Demon Void Refinement Divine Monarch. His crimson robe seemed stained with ancient blood, and violent bloody Qi surged around him, causing the chill of the entire heaven and earth to condense under this murderous aura. Hearing the woman's words, his stern brows suddenly furrowed, and a hint of surprise and contemplation flashed in his crimson eyes.

He did not question it. As a fellow Void Refining grand powerful being, he knew that the other party's methods and perception would never be wrong.

Silence spread in the Void Realm for a moment before he spoke in a deep voice, hoarse and cold, with the arrogance of one who overlooked all living beings: “If he’s not dead, then so be it. A mere Nascent Soul ant cannot escape this Xuanhuang Small World. Once we thoroughly refine the Small World’s Origin, and the entire world falls under our control, no matter how deeply he hides, he will ultimately not escape death.”

The white-clad woman did not respond, her gaze returning to the ruined Teleportation Array below.

The grand array was already severely damaged, its intricate formation patterns all dimmed and ineffective. The vast spiritual energy that once connected two realms was completely gone, leaving only the heavy, ancient array foundation still in place, quietly dormant within the ruins. The most crucial core crystal had long since vanished, completely severing all clues for tracing the array's Origins.

Her Divine Sense unfurled from her brow, a gentle yet immensely vast Divine Sense spreading along the broken formation patterns, delving deep, inch by inch exploring the array's residual imprints, tracing the direction it once connected, the power it bore, and the beings it teleported.

This matter was of great importance.

This Teleportation Array had sent a group of people away. If it connected to a great world outside, or exposed the coordinates of the Xuanhuang Small World, attracting the prying eyes of powerful beings from beyond the domain, their Cangmang Demon World's invasion plan would be completely exposed, leading to endless troubles.

A moment later, she slowly withdrew her Divine Sense and gently shook her head.

“The grand array is too thoroughly damaged, the core is missing, and the residual information is incomplete. It cannot be traced for now. It will require time for slow deduction and investigation.”

Her voice paused slightly, a hint of solemnity flashing in her eyes as she added: “But one thing is certain: the construction craftsmanship of this Teleportation Array is definitely beyond the control of the native Cultivators of the Xuanhuang Small World.”

“Behind those demonic Cultivators and this group of resistors, someone is orchestrating, someone is backing them.”

As these words fell, the blood-robed man's expression suddenly turned grim and cold. The violent bloody Qi around him instantly surged, compressing the surrounding air with sizzling sounds, and the cracks in the earth once again spread and expanded.

“Investigate.”

He uttered only one word, his killing intent sharp and unquestionable.

The white-clad woman nodded slightly, then turned and gestured to the Void Realm with a raised hand.

The eight Soul Transformation Yao Cultivators immediately responded, dispersing and taking on their respective duties. Some landed on the array foundation, concentrating on deducing the trajectory of the broken formation patterns; others soared into the air, overlooking the entire layout of the ruins to reconstruct the complete design of the grand array; still others took out various ancient detection Magical Artifacts, their spiritual light scattering as they repeatedly swept over every inch of the ruins, searching for any lingering clues.

Above the Void Realm, the blood-robed man stood with his hands behind his back, his crimson eyes gazing at the distant wasteland scorched by the pure Yang golden light of the fusang divine tree. The ground was charred everywhere, and the residual pure Yang aura, though faint, was stubborn, still suppressing the surrounding sinister Demonic Qi.

This extremely Yang and rigid aura reminded him of the confrontation in Tianyuan City in the past.

When Tianyuan City was destroyed, leaving thousands of miles of scorched earth, the The Old Emperor of the Human Race's Zifu Immortal Dynasty, at the cost of his nearly depleted Lifespan and burning his Divine Soul, fought him to the death in a confrontation on the Nine Heavens. In that battle, mountains and rivers collapsed, and winds and clouds shattered. He had the upper hand but failed to completely crush and kill the opponent, ultimately ending in a stalemate. That The Old Emperor is still alive to this day.

The man withdrew his gaze and looked at the woman. “What about Ming Luo? Any news?”

The woman was investigating by the array foundation. Hearing his words, she looked up. “He went to the Endless Sea. He believes that the Xuanhuang Small World cannot have only one Void Refining expert, and a half-dead one at that. He wants to investigate thoroughly.” She paused, “I also find it strange. The Origin of this Small World is not weak. Our Cangmang Demon World sent half of our Void Refining experts here, expecting a tough battle. Yet, only one Void Refining expert, who is almost dead, has appeared. This is not normal.”

“He suspects there’s a hidden Void Refining grand powerful being?” The blood-robed man’s eyes deepened slightly.

“More than just suspicion.” The woman straightened up, raising a hand to brush off a speck of dust from her sleeve, her eyes filled with deep thought. “This time, our Cangmang Demon World dispatched half of our Void Refining powerful experts, believing this Small World had a profound foundation and that a fierce battle was inevitable. Yet, to this day, only one dying Void Refining expert has emerged, with the rest being merely Soul Transformation and Nascent Soul Cultivators. This is too abnormal.”

“Either there are top-tier powerful experts hidden, observing the outcome; or, someone has set up a grand scheme in advance to lure us into a trap.”

The Void Realm fell into a brief silence.

The blood-robed man pondered quietly, his eyes churning with murderous intent. If there truly were hidden Void Refining experts lurking, what exactly was their purpose? Were they enduring and accumulating strength, or waiting for reinforcements from outside the domain, or had they already reached the end of their Lifespan and were unable to appear?

A moment later, he suppressed the doubts in his heart and said coldly, “First, investigate the Teleportation Array. As for other variables, we will decide after Ming Luo returns.”

The woman nodded in agreement and once again bent down to focus on investigating the array foundation's patterns.

The night was deep, and the cold wind whimpered and swirled, carrying the fine, pale gray ashes from the ground, slowly dispersing into the dark night.

The spot where Yun Ming once stood was completely empty.

It was as if that desperate confrontation, that divine tree incinerating evil, that three-day defense, had never happened. Only the widespread ruins, the scorched earth, and the faint ashes scattered by the wind silently bore witness to the life-and-death struggle that had just occurred.