85: The dust has settled!
One path is to linger on, eventually dying in endless torment.
The other path is to completely cure the chronic illness, and even have the Opportunity to ascend to the Grand Dao of Soul Transformation!
Does this choice still need to be made?!
“Thump~”
Under the incredibly shocked gazes of everyone, the ancient great demon, as massive as a mountain, slowly prostrated itself before Chen Xu.
Its enormous golden vertical pupils were filled with determination and resolve.
“Good! I agree!”
“As long as Senior can cure me, from now on, this vast sea dragon heart will be Senior’s private possession!”
“I, Xuan Shui, am also willing to follow Senior, serving him diligently and without hesitation, even if it means ten thousand deaths!”
It not only agreed to the conditions but even chose to surrender directly!
Because it knew very well that an existence capable of casually producing a method to cure the Demonic Curse of Annihilation and guiding it to break through to Soul Transformation...
Its own Realm had definitely reached an unimaginable height!
Following such a powerful individual was an immense Opportunity for it!
“Very well.”
Chen Xu nodded in satisfaction.
Subduing an ancient great demon in the Late Nascent Soul Stage to be a mountain-guarding Divine Beast was not bad at all.
“Take us in.”
“Yes, Master!”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle respectfully responded, its massive body slowly retreating.
It opened the gate of the crystal palace.
Its gaze towards Lan Shuyao and the others also became much more polite. After all, these people had come with its “Master.”
Lan Shuyao and the others were still in a state of immense shock, mechanically following Chen Xu as they stepped into the legendary Vast Sea Dragon Palace.
Inside the palace, there was a world of its own.
It was not as resplendent as imagined, but rather filled with an ancient and weathered Aura.
On the walls and pillars, naturally formed Water Dao patterns were carved.
They emitted a soft glow, illuminating the entire palace as if in a dream.
The Spiritual Qi of the water element, so dense it was almost tangible,
Rushed towards them, invigorating everyone.
Led by the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle, everyone passed through a long corridor.
They arrived at the center of a magnificent hall.
As soon as they stepped into the hall, everyone’s gaze was instantly drawn to something suspended in the center of the hall!
It was a heart, about the size of a baby’s fist.
It was entirely a dreamy azure blue, as if crystallized from pure seawater.
“Thump… thump… thump…”
It was slowly beating, like a truly living being.
Each beat seemed to align with the pulse of the entire East Sea, emitting rings of azure light, filled with boundless life force and the essence of the Law of Water.
This was one of the three great Heaven and Earth Wonders of the East Sea — the vast sea dragon heart!
However, just as Chen Dao Xuan and Lan Shuyao and the others were shaken by this Heaven and Earth Wonder,
Chen Xu’s brows furrowed slightly.
His gaze fell into the depths of that azure glow.
He saw that on the pure and flawless vast sea dragon heart,
A wisp of black Devilish Qi had somehow entwined itself!
That Devilish Qi was extremely subtle.
If not for his Purple Pupils of Delusion Breaking, which allowed him to see directly into the Origin, it would have been almost undetectable!
And that Devilish Qi, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, clung tightly to the Dragon Heart, constantly emitting an Aura a hundred times more evil than the Devilish Qi on the Greedy Wolf Demon Envoy before!
“What… what is that?!”
Lan Shuyao, being a Sword Cultivator in the Middle Nascent Soul Stage, quickly sensed that something was amiss.
Her expression instantly became solemn.
Her Phoenix eyes stared intently at that wisp of black Qi.
In an instant, she felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head!
Yes, she could clearly perceive that within that seemingly slender wisp of Devilish Qi,
Contained a terrifying destructive power that made her Divine Soul tremble!
It was as if, if it wished, it could detonate at any moment, reducing this Heaven and Earth Wonder, along with the entire crystal palace, to complete dust!
“This wisp of Devilish Qi is no ordinary Devilish Qi.”
The voice of the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle slowly echoed within the hall.
It was filled with the weariness and vicissitudes accumulated over countless years.
Its enormous eyes stared intently at that wisp of black Qi, filled with apprehension and… helplessness.
“It is a wisp of the Origin Demonic Thought leaked from the demon lord holy embryo that is suppressed deep within the Dragon Fall Sea Trench.”
demon lord holy embryo! Origin Demonic Thought!
These eight words, like a thunderclap, exploded in the minds of Lan Shuyao and Chen Dao Xuan!
They had heard this name from Chen Xu before, but hearing it spoken by this ancient great demon herself, the impact was entirely different!
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle seemed to be lost in distant memories, its voice becoming even deeper.
“Tens of thousands of years ago, a supreme mighty figure passing by this place detected a Demonic Lord’s Divine Thought carrying a Bloodline of its offspring entering this world, plotting for eternity.”
“That mighty figure made a move and fought a great battle with the Demonic Lord’s Divine Thought. Although he eventually repelled it, he could not completely obliterate the already descended Demonic Lord’s offspring, which is what you refer to as the ‘demon lord holy embryo…’”
“In desperation, that mighty figure could only extract the Origin of the East Sea and refine this vast sea dragon heart!”
“He suppressed the demon lord holy embryo deep within the Dragon Fall Sea Trench and commanded my clan to guard this place for generations, to prevent it from breaking the Seal and emerging to wreak havoc upon the common people.”
Hearing this secret, which involved events from tens of thousands of years ago, Lan Shuyao and the two Disciples were already greatly shaken.
Turbulent waves surged in their hearts!
Only then did they understand why the Ancestral Master who founded the East Sea Sword Sect had left behind the prophecy of a sea of blood and the destruction of Dongming.
It turned out that deep beneath the East Sea, where they stood, such a terrifying peerless great demon was suppressed!
“Tens of thousands of years have passed, and the world has undergone immense changes.”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle’s voice carried a deep weariness.
“The Seal left by that mighty figure, after all, began to loosen under the erosion of time. The demon lord holy embryo, which had slept for ten thousand years, also awakened with it…”
“Its power began to erode the vast sea dragon heart, which served as the suppression, from within the Seal.”
“Although I could temporarily suppress its erosion by relying on my Mysterious Water Bloodline and the power of the vast sea dragon heart, it was merely a drop in the bucket and I could not eradicate it.”
“In fact, three thousand years ago, in order to suppress a riot of the holy embryo, I was invaded at my Origin by one of its Demonic Curses of Annihilation, resulting in the undying and unliving injury I now bear.”
“And the goal of those madmen from the Demonic Path is to set up the River of Blood Great Array externally, to stir up the grievances of billions of living beings, and to cooperate with the holy embryo’s Origin Demonic Thought from the inside and outside, to completely demonize this vast sea dragon heart in one fell swoop!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Lan Shuyao’s expression instantly became incredibly grim!
She instantly understood the crucial point and exclaimed in dismay: “Once the Dragon Heart is completely demonized…”
“That’s right.”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle’s massive head nodded heavily.
“Once the Dragon Heart is completely demonized, it will no longer be an object of suppression, but rather… a key to open the Seal!”
“At that time, the demon lord holy embryo will break the Seal and emerge, and boundless Devilish Qi will sweep across the entire East Sea, polluting the Spiritual Veins of heaven and earth!”
“The entire East Sea, and even the land where you humans live, will transform into an boundless Demonic Land suitable for the Demonic Path to thrive!”
“Billions of living beings will become its nourishment for growth!”
Boom!
These words from the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle struck Lan Shuyao’s heart heavily!
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on her body!
Fear!
Only at this moment did she truly understand how naive and ridiculous their East Sea Sword Sect, the entire Righteous Path of the East Sea, had been in their previous estimations of the Demonic Path!
They thought it was merely the infiltration and expansion of Demonic Path Cultivators.
But they never expected that behind it, there was such a terrifying, world-destroying plot!
If not for today’s chance encounter with Chen Xu… if he hadn’t swiftly killed the Greedy Wolf Demon Envoy, forced his way into the Dragon Fall Sea Trench, and compelled the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle to reveal the truth… perhaps their East Sea Sword Sect would have remained in the dark until the ninety-nine eighty-one blood sacrifice arrays were simultaneously activated, until the moment the demon lord holy embryo broke the Seal and emerged!
By then, everything would have been too late!
They would become the eternal sinners of the East Sea!
Just thinking about those terrible consequences, even her Dao Heart, which was as firm as a rock, couldn’t help but feel a chill.
She subconsciously looked at Chen Xu, and in her eyes, besides awe, there was even more gratitude!
This man, imperceptibly, had already saved the entire East Sea!
Unlike Lan Shuyao, who was greatly shaken, Chen Dao Xuan, who was beside her, felt a different kind of impact after hearing all this.
He looked at the vast sea dragon heart polluted by black Qi, listened to the terrifying plot that could destroy the entire world, and what came to his mind were the innocent fishermen sacrificed on Black Reef Island, the bustling Mortals in Wanghai City who toiled for a living… He realized for the first time how fragile and insignificant the fate of ordinary living beings was in the face of these so-called “grand schemes.”
He also, for the first time, profoundly understood the true meaning hidden beneath his father’s seemingly domineering and ruthless way of doing things.
Power is not for standing above all living beings.
But for having the qualification, when darkness descends, to protect all of this behind oneself!
At this moment, Chen Dao Xuan only felt his Dao Heart become clear!
An invisible sharp Aura subtly emanated from him.
“To purify this wisp of Origin Demonic Thought, ordinary demon-breaking Spells, or even Buddhist Divine Abilities, are simply useless.”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle’s voice pulled everyone’s thoughts back.
It looked at that wisp of black Qi, its eyes full of helplessness.
“Because it already involves the level of Origin, unless… one possesses a higher-level Origin power, only then can it be completely obliterated.”
At this point, the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle’s mountain-like enormous head slowly turned towards Chen Xu.
Its eyes were filled with anticipation and hope.
“Master’s purplish-golden power contains a trace of the Origin Aura of extreme Yang and extreme rigidity. Perhaps… it is the only hope in this world!”
“So… Master!”
“I, Xuan Shui, have guarded this place for ten thousand years and am already beyond my capabilities!”
“I implore Master to act, purify the Dragon Heart, and stop this world-destroying calamity!”
“This act will not only save my Xuan Shui’s life, but also… save the billions of common people of this East Sea!”
At this moment, inside the hall, there was complete silence.
Everyone’s gazes converged on Chen Xu.
Lan Shuyao held her breath, her heart in her throat.
Chen Dao Xuan clenched his fists tightly, his palms covered in sweat.
But as he looked at his father's back, his eyes were full of trust!
Chen Xu's gaze shifted from the polluted vast sea dragon heart, swept over the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's pleading face, and then looked at the anxious Lan Shuyao and others.
Clearly, this was no longer just a transaction.
It was also a heavy responsibility...
He took a deep breath, and under the gaze of these people, slowly nodded.
“Hoo...”
Seeing Chen Xu nod, the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle and Lan Shuyao simultaneously let out a sigh of relief.
Chen Xu said no more.
He stepped forward, walking towards the vast sea dragon heart suspended in the center of the great hall.
Soon, he arrived in front of the vast sea dragon heart, slowly raised his right hand, and reached out towards the heart that was emitting a cerulean glow.
However!
Just as his fingertip was about to touch the vast sea dragon heart itself!
An anomaly suddenly occurred!
Buzz~!!!
The wisp of black Devilish Qi, originally slender, seemed to sense the arrival of its natural enemy and instantly surged!
It no longer hid, no longer disguised itself!
Endless black Qi gushed frantically from the vast sea dragon heart.
Those black Qi instantly twisted and condensed in mid-air, forming a gigantic, hideous and terrifying ghost face!
“Jie—!!!”
A silent shriek suddenly exploded deep within everyone's Sea of Consciousness!
This shriek completely bypassed the ears, striking the Sea of Consciousness of all living beings present!
“Not good!”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's head suddenly shook.
Terror erupted in his eyes!
He wanted to warn them, but it was already too late!
The eruption of this Origin Demonic Thought was a hundred times faster than he had anticipated!
“Pfft~!”
The two Disciples of the East Sea Sword Sect behind Lan Shuyao couldn't even let out a scream before their eyes rolled back, and black blood oozed from their seven orifices.
Their Divine Souls were instantly shattered by the impact of this terrifying Demonic Thought, and they fell backward stiffly, their life force extinguished!
“Ah!”
Lan Shuyao also let out a painful groan.
She only felt as if her Sea of Consciousness had been fiercely stabbed by a long sword, wildly churning!
Under the intense pain, her face was ashen, and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.
Even her powerful Middle Nascent Soul Stage Divine Soul nearly collapsed at this moment!
Chen Daoxuan felt as if his head was about to explode on the spot.
If his Dao Heart hadn't just undergone a transformation, his fate would probably not have been much better than the two deceased Disciples of the East Sea Sword Sect!
But even so, his eyes were already bloodshot, he clutched his head tightly, and let out painful roars from his mouth!
And all of this was merely the aftermath of the indiscriminate attack of that Demonic Thought!
Its true target was Chen Xu!
“Jie jie jie jie... Die!”
The hideous ghost face roared in Chen Xu's Sea of Consciousness!
It carried a terrifying Demonic Thought, powerful enough to corrupt a Nascent Soul Divine Soul, and fiercely charged towards Chen Xu's Sea of Consciousness.
It intended to completely tear apart and devour his Divine Soul, turning it into nourishment!
It could sense that this man's Divine Soul was pure and powerful.
If it could devour it, it would be enough to restore most of its power!
“It's over!”
Seeing this scene, the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's eyes were filled with despair!
Master... was ambushed!
Once the Master's Divine Soul was corrupted by this Origin Demonic Thought.
Then everything would be over!
Not just him, not just the vast sea dragon heart, the entire East Sea would be doomed!
However, just as the ghost face was about to pounce on Chen Xu's Divine Soul.
Deep within Chen Xu's Sea of Consciousness, towering waves suddenly surged!
At the same time, in his Dantian Qi Sea, the purple Qi Golden Core, which had been quietly rotating, suddenly vibrated!
Buzz~!
An incomparably brilliant purple-gold Divine Light shot up from within the Golden Core!
It ignored the obstruction of the Physical Body and Sea of Consciousness, instantly descending!
The purple light exploded in the Sea of Consciousness.
It did not condense into any specific form, but instead transformed into a vague, majestic phantom of a supreme Emperor, as if seated at the end of countless ages, overlooking all the myriad worlds!
The Emperor's phantom's face was not clearly visible, but just that outline.
It exuded an unparalleled majesty, as if its words were Law, controlling the life and death of all Dao!
He simply floated there quietly, causing the entire Sea of Consciousness to solidify!
The hideous, roaring, arrogant Demonic Thought ghost face, upon seeing this Emperor phantom, all its movements, all its sounds, came to an abrupt halt!
The sinister smile and malevolence on its face instantly froze, then transformed into boundless horror!
“Hmph.”
A cold snort emanated from the Emperor's phantom's mouth.
The sound was not loud, but it was as if it were a decree of heaven and earth.
“Ah!!!!”
The Demonic Thought ghost face let out a piercing shriek!
It no longer had any arrogance; the enormous ghost face instantly contracted, transforming into a wisp of black smoke, and turned to flee from this Sea of Consciousness that filled it with despair!
However, it was too late.
The Emperor's phantom merely raised his hand indifferently.
Boom!!!
Endless purple-gold Divine Light crashed down!
The wisp of black smoke couldn't even last for a single breath.
It was instantly engulfed, enveloped, and crushed by the purple light!
Under the purification of the purple light, that pure Demonic Thought was forcibly decomposed into Soul energy.
Then, it was swallowed by the Emperor's phantom, transforming into a streak of light.
It flowed back into Chen Xu's purple Qi Golden Core.
The entire process was extremely fast!
From start to finish, it was no more than a single breath!
Outside, Chen Xu's body merely trembled slightly, then returned to normal.
His gaze remained calm.
But if one looked closely, they would find that deep within his eyes, purple lightning seemed to flash, making them even more profound and majestic than before!
After absorbing this wisp of the demon lord holy embryo's Origin Demonic Thought, his purple Qi Golden Core had actually grown slightly!
Although faint, it was a tangible increase!
More importantly, he could feel that his power to restrain Demonic Path Cultivation Techniques and all evil and crooked Dao had become even stronger!
“What a... great gift.”
Chen Xu smiled lightly, muttering to himself.
This demon lord holy embryo, before even being born, had already sent him an Opportunity.
Having resolved this greatest hidden danger, Chen Xu no longer hesitated.
His hand suddenly reached forward.
He grabbed the vast sea dragon heart, which was still emitting faint black Qi!
Refine it instantly!
“Purify... for me!”
A low shout!
Chen Xu's purple Qi Golden Core frantically circulated, and a surge of Primordial Violet Qi, a hundred times more concentrated than before, gushed out along his arm, instantly enveloping the entire vast sea dragon heart!
“Sizzle sizzle sizzle—!”
A harsh sizzling sound echoed within the great hall!
Under the shocked gaze of the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle and Lan Shuyao, the wisp of black Devilish Qi, which even the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle was powerless against, was peeled away and purified inch by inch, finally dissipating into nothingness!
Boom!!!!
The moment the last trace of black Qi was completely purified, the vast sea dragon heart suddenly erupted with brilliant blue light!
A pure and vast power of water Origin, as if containing the Origin of the entire East Sea, surged like a tsunami, filling the entire crystal palace!
Lan Shuyao only felt her body lighten; her Divine Soul, previously injured by the Demonic Thought, was rapidly recovering under the cleansing of this pure life Aura!
She stared blankly at the scene before her, her mind a blank.
That demon lord holy embryo's Origin Demonic Thought, which had left the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle helpless and caused fear in generations of ancestors of their East Sea Sword Sect.
It was just... purified?
Erased so effortlessly... by this man?
Buzz~!
The purified vast sea dragon heart let out a hum.
It transformed into a blue streak of light, actively flying into Chen Xu's hand, spinning in his palm!
Chen Xu could feel that he had established an intimate connection with this celestial wonder, like a Bloodline bond.
With a thought, holding this heart, he felt as if he could mobilize all the water Spiritual Qi within a hundred-mile radius for his own use!
Above this East Sea, he was the undisputed Water King!
“Good stuff.”
Chen Xu nodded in satisfaction, placing the vast sea dragon heart into his storage.
Having done all this, he turned around and looked at the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle, who was completely petrified, his enormous turtle face filled with ecstasy.
“It's your turn.”
Chen Xu's tone was calm, fulfilling his promise.
He once again activated the Primordial Violet Qi.
This time, the purple Qi transformed into a gentle light, slowly descending onto the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's glabella.
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's massive body suddenly shook.
He closed his eyes, without the slightest resistance, allowing that extremely Yang and rigid power.
To circulate within his body.
Wherever the purple light passed, the Origin of the Annihilation Demonic Curse, which had tormented him for three thousand years like a maggot attached to bone, was disintegrated and purified bit by bit... An hour later.
When Chen Xu retracted his finger, the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's massive body.
Suddenly erupted with a heaven-shaking Aura!
The patterns on his body, which had appeared somewhat dim due to the erosion of the Demonic Curse.
At this moment, they re-bloomed with brilliant light!
A terrifying pressure, far stronger than before, swept through the entire Crystal Palace!
“Roar~!!!”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle let out a hearty roar towards the sky!
In this roar, there was no longer any trace of pain or suppression.
Only the joy and excitement of rebirth!
He could feel that the chronic illness that had tormented him for three thousand years had been completely eradicated!
Not only that, but his Cultivation Realm Bottleneck, which had been stagnant for three thousand years due to his injuries, actually showed a hint of loosening at this moment!
The Soul Transformation Realm was no longer a distant hope!
“Master's grace of rebirth, Xuan Shui will never forget!”
“No need for such courtesy.”
Chen Xu smiled lightly, saying.
The next moment, the Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle opened his enormous turtle mouth.
He spat out an ancient Dragon Scale, palm-sized, shimmering with a faint blue water light.
“Fellow Daoist, this is the Immortal Cave token of an ancient friend of mine. With this item, you can open his Immortal Cave where he meditated to death.”
The Xuan Shui Dragon Turtle's voice was filled with sincerity: “That old friend of mine was a true water Immortal in ancient times, with cultivation that reached the heavens and earth. Within his Immortal Cave, there might be what Master needs. Please, Master, be sure to accept it.”
“Besides that, this scale can also command over seventy percent of the sea beasts within this Dragon Fall Sea Trench. I hope Master does not dislike it; consider it a small token of my appreciation.”