249: Storms are blades, dances of death

“Madman! He is a complete and utter madman!”

Dragon Emperor Ao Guang stared at the black storm churning with endless destructive Qi, and for the first time, a trace of uncontrollable fear surfaced in his golden Dragon eyes.

What kind of place was that?

The annihilation space storm!

It was a forbidden land of natural disaster, recorded in the annals of the Endless Sea, causing countless living beings to pale at the mere mention of it!

It was filled with billions of fatal Space Rifts, finer than hair yet capable of easily slicing through Dao Artifacts, along with invisible Destruction Blade Currents.

Once sucked in, even existences like them, standing at the pinnacle of the Soul Transformation Realm, would have their protective Domains rapidly ground away.

A slight mistake meant their Physical Body would be pulverized, resulting in an absolute death where not even their Divine Soul could escape!

That kid had exhausted his magic power, damaged his Dao Artifact, and was severely wounded. What difference was there between charging in under such conditions and actively seeking death?

“He was driven to desperation; he’d rather die under the might of Heaven than hand over the Heart of Chaos to us!”

The Demon Path Colossus Ancestor Xuan Ming let out a hoarse and sinister laugh, but the depths of his eyes, flickering with eerie green ghost fire, were filled with lingering apprehension and shock.

The heart of chaos origin was indeed a Heaven-Defying divine item that made him willing to contend for it at any cost.

But compared to his own life, this old Devil Head, who had lived for several millennia, knew exactly what was more important.

This murky water was too deep.

The fates of True Monarch Fu Hai and the Master of the Evil Nether Hall were still fresh in memory.

That young man surnamed Shen was a Devil Head who simply refused to play by the rules!

Who could guarantee that he hadn't hidden some even more insane and desperate trump card inside the annihilation space storm, enough to drag them all down with him?

For a time, the remaining five great experts all halted outside the storm. Even they were filled with hesitation and struggle.

Only the Imperial Uncle of Great Qian Ji Changkong had a frighteningly gloomy expression, the Killing Intent radiating from his body almost freezing the surrounding seawater.

He stared intently at the slowly rotating, pitch-black storm that devoured all light, the rage and unwillingness in his eyes practically solidifying and bursting forth.

“The heart of chaos origin must not be lost!”

“He is at the end of his rope, his lamp oil depleted, and he won’t last long in that storm! As long as we find him before he is completely shredded, the divine item is still ours!”

“This item concerns the Dynastic Fortune for Ten Thousand Generations of my Great Qian Immortal Dynasty, and even more so, the supreme Eternal Great Cause of Immortal Emperor Your Majesty. This Seat must obtain it today!”

Ji Changkong’s voice was sonorous and powerful, filled with the oppressive force of majestic authority.

He was making a stand and forcing the others to choose.

“Hmph! Ji Changkong, that’s easy for you to say!”

Ancestor Xuan Ming was the first to object. He was utterly selfish and would never take risks lightly.

“You know the terror of this annihilation storm! If that boy dies inside, and the divine item is swallowed by a Space Rift and lost in an unknown Dimensional Rift, wouldn’t we all have worked in vain, drawing water with a bamboo basket?”

He certainly didn't want to sacrifice his old life for the illusory Dynastic Fortune of Great Qian.

“The heart of chaos origin is condensed from the World Origin; it is immune to all laws and indestructible. How could a mere space storm damage it?”

Ji Changkong coldly swept his gaze over him, his eyes sharp.

“Xuan Ming, put away your petty, unsavory thoughts! If you don't dare, you can scram now!”

“You!”

Ancestor Xuan Ming’s face instantly flushed red, towering fury raging in his chest, yet he couldn't act on it.

Just at this moment of intense tension, Old Monster Cang Xuan, a Half-step Void Return who had been silent like a dead tree, leaned on his unknown cane, and a hint of unconcealed mockery flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

“A bunch of timid, rat-like trash.”

He spoke hoarsely, his voice not loud, but it instantly made the faces of Ji Changkong and the others extremely ugly.

“A divine item that even This Old Man is tempted by is right in front of you, yet you are scared witless by a mere space storm? Your thousands of years of Soul Transformation Cultivation were truly practiced on dogs.”

As his voice fell, Old Monster Cang Xuan didn't even spare them a glance. His figure flickered, and he calmly, simply, stepped into the pitch-black storm representing absolute destruction.

As soon as the gray, seemingly unremarkable Void Return Domain around him unfolded,

all the Space Rifts and Destruction Blade Currents near him—powerful enough to tear mountains—vanished silently into nothingness the instant they touched the edge of his Domain, like snow meeting the blazing sun.

He walked slowly, his back hunched, yet he gave off a sense of unhurried composure, as if strolling through a courtyard.

That forbidden death zone, which caused Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators to change color, seemed to have become his private garden.

“This…”

Seeing this scene, the pupils of Ji Changkong, Ao Guang, and Ancestor Xuan Ming instantly shrank to pinpricks!

Was this the power of a Half-step Void Return?

Even the annihilation space storm couldn't touch him!

“Damn it! We cannot let this old monster get ahead!”

The alarm bells rang wildly in Ji Changkong’s heart. He could no longer care about anything else and let out a heaven-shaking roar.

“Chase!”

The Human Emperor Dragon Qi on his body burst forth, turning into a dazzling purple-gold divine light, like a Divine Dragon protecting his body. Gritting his teeth, he recklessly plunged into the endless darkness!

“Dammit! I’ll stake it all!”

Ancestor Xuan Ming and Dragon Emperor Ao Guang exchanged glances, both seeing the madness and determination in the other's eyes.

One must seek wealth in danger. If they were outdone by an old monster and a dying junior, where would they put their old faces!

The two let out unwilling roars, each summoning their ultimate Defensive Dao Artifacts. They transformed into two violent streams of light, one demonic and one monstrous, and rushed in right behind!

Finally, only Sword Venerable Ye Gucheng, whose white robes surpassed snow, remained.

He glanced at the bottomless black storm, then at the ancient sword in his hand, which trembled slightly due to its master’s high Battle Intent. A look of anticipation actually appeared on his perpetually icy face.

“Such a Sword Dao, such a desperate situation. If I cannot witness its conclusion with my own eyes, wouldn't that be a great regret in life?”

He murmured, his body merging with his sword, transforming into a pure, sharp, and unstoppable peerless sword light, fearlessly plunging into the destruction capable of swallowing everything... Inside the storm was another world.

Terrifying Tearing Force drilled frantically from all directions and every corner of space, penetrating everywhere, as if trying to grind the bones out of one’s flesh.

Countless unseen black Space Blade Currents emitted a chilling 'hissing' sound that froze the Divine Soul, traversing wildly and cutting everything that dared to enter this place.

“Damn it! The pressure here is even greater than expected!”

Dragon Emperor Ao Guang roared in anger and shock the moment he rushed in.

The dark gold Treasure Armor covering his body, forged from his own hardest Natal Dragon Scales,

was being frantically sliced by countless Space Blade Currents, emitting a teeth-grinding 'creak,' and the Treasure Light flowing over it was rapidly dimming at a visible speed!

He had no choice but to push his vast Demonic Power of the Spirit Transformation Late Stage to the extreme, deploying his Demon Emperor Domain just to barely block the fatal attacks outside his body.

But even so, every impact from a tiny Space Blade Current caused his Domain to shake violently, and his magic power consumption surged out like a floodgate opening!

The situation was largely the same for the others.

Ji Changkong’s Human Emperor Dragon Qi was rapidly depleting, and the phantom of the purple-gold Divine Dragon protecting him had dimmed by a third.

Ancestor Xuan Ming was suffering even more. His Ten Thousand Devils Domain was completely suppressed by this pure destructive force. Countless ferocious Devil Heads within the Domain,

the moment they poked their heads out, were instantly shredded into nothingness by the cutting of the Space Blade Currents, their souls scattered and not a speck remaining.

Each of them deployed their strongest Domain, struggling to resist the endless attacks from all sides, like small boats that could capsize at any moment in this Sea of Death, moving with extreme difficulty.

However, when their Divine Sense, after expending immense effort, finally penetrated the obstruction of the Spatial Turbulence,

and locked onto the green-robed figure ahead—who should have been torn to shreds long ago—everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!

Ancestor Xuan Ming’s strange laughter froze on his face.

Dragon Emperor Ao Guang’s Dragon Whiskers trembled wildly in disbelief.

What were they seeing?

Shen Yuanmo, who they had expected to be unable to move an inch and be instantly ground into a blood mist by the storm,

was now like a Sprite dancing gracefully in the storm!

His figure was erratic, every dodge and shift filled with an inconceivable rhythm, reaching the pinnacle of subtlety!

A massive Space Rift, capable of instantly bisecting a Nascent Soul Initial Stage Cultivator, had just formed beside him.

Yet, Shen Yuanmo's body had already slid sideways half a step ahead, passing dangerously close to the edge of the pitch-black rift, his robes fluttering.

A Destruction Wind Eye, formed by the convergence of hundreds of dense Space Blade Currents, roared overhead, powerful enough to flatten a thousand-zhang mountain.

But his body suddenly sank downward the instant before the Wind Eye formed, perfectly hiding in the sole, fleeting safe zone beneath the eye!

It was as if Shen Yuanmo was not dodging, but dancing with the storm!

He could actually predict every danger that came within the storm!

“No... this is impossible!”

Ancestor Xuan Ming let out a ghost-seeing shriek, his voice distorted by extreme shock.

“How did he do it?! How could he see through the trajectory of the annihilation storm?! This defies common sense!”

This completely overturned his thousands of years of cultivation understanding!

The annihilation space storm was called a Forbidden Land precisely because the energy flow within it was absolutely chaotic and absolutely random!

Let alone them, even a legendary Void Return Mighty Expert who truly controlled the Great Dao of Space would never be able to fully predict every change within it!

Yet, this Half-step Nascent Soul junior in front of them seemed to treat this chaotic forbidden death zone as his own backyard!

Just then, Old Monster Cang Xuan, who had remained silent, shot two terrifying beams of sharp light from his cloudy eyes.

“Wrong! He isn't dodging!”

His hoarse voice exploded like thunder within everyone's Divine Soul.

“He is... utilizing the storm!”

Before his voice faded, everyone discovered with horror that the green-robed figure ahead, who was 'struggling' to dodge, subtly flicked his wrist as he passed through a dense area of blade currents.

Buzz!

A weak but profoundly mysterious Force Field spread out from his wrist.

The Space Blade Currents, which were originally rushing straight and had nothing to do with them, were suddenly nudged, as if an invisible hand had lightly plucked a string, and their trajectory sharply deviated!

Without missing, they changed direction and violently swept toward their location!

“Oh no! How dare that Little Beast!”

Ancestor Xuan Ming was scared out of his wits and instinctively tried to dodge to the side.

But they were already struggling to move inside the storm. How could they be as flexible and unconstrained as Shen Yuanmo?

Pfft!

Ancestor Xuan Ming’s hastily deployed Ten Thousand Devils Domain was torn open by this sudden attack like dry weeds!

Dozens of pitch-black Space Blade Currents instantly surged in, instantly grinding the tens of thousands of Devil Heads that had just condensed within his Domain into nothingness!

Ancestor Xuan Ming let out a painful groan. A blade current sliced across his left arm, leaving a deep, bone-visible wound. Dark demonic blood instantly spurted out, only to be immediately annihilated by the chaotic Spatial Energy in mid-air!

The others were also in a frantic, wretched state, barely managing to block the sudden strike. Their magic power consumption was enormous, and their faces were extremely pale.

They finally understood!

They finally saw clearly!

This junior could not only see through the storm's trajectory, but he had even begun to understand, analyze, and even... attempt to guide this world-destroying Mighty Power of Heaven and Earth!

He intended to use this storm as a blade to slowly bleed them, the so-called hunters, dry right here!

Realizing this, a bone-deep chill rose in everyone's hearts.

What Heaven-Defying Comprehension Ability!

What a monstrous Prodigy!

Meanwhile, the instigator, Shen Yuanmo, finally revealed a cold smile.

His gaze pierced through the layers of the storm, locking once again onto the figure with the most violent and least composed aura.

Dragon Emperor Ao Guang!

The real show has just begun.