648: Chapter 648 What the hell is this thing?

Then, he smiled.

This was an extremely rare smile, appearing on the face of this giant who had lived for countless ages, appearing within those eyes filled with stars.

The smile was faint, with only the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, but even such a subtle expression caused the entire starry sky to brighten.

It was not relief, not satisfaction.

It was—admiration.

Yes, admiration.

A Great Accomplishment Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, who had lived for countless ages, suppressed an era, and witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations, revealed a smile of admiration toward a little girl who was only at the Soul Transformation Stage.

Because he knew that in this world, people who could resist the temptation of power were far fewer and far harder to find than those who could obtain power.

"Good."

He only said one word.

But within this one word, it carried the weight of countless ages. Within this one word, there was his recognition of her, his appreciation for her, his expectations for her, and a kind of—relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"I have lived for countless ages and seen countless Prodigies. Those who can remain clear-headed in the face of such temptation can be counted on one's fingers."

His voice echoed in Luo Xiaojiu's mind, carrying a sense of vicissitudes and emotion, as if he were remembering those Geniuses who had once stunned time itself.

Some chose shortcuts and ultimately stopped halfway; some lost themselves in power and finally fell into the Demonic Path; others, although they reached the Peak, lost themselves along the way.

"And you, little girl, you are the first... to make me feel that my waiting for countless ages was not in vain."

His voice carried an indescribable sense of relief.

This was the lightness after putting down a thousand-jin burden, the satisfaction after completing a lifelong wish, and the relief after finding a successor for his Legacy.

He had waited too long, so long that he had almost forgotten what he was waiting for.

But now, he had finally waited for it.

Waited for someone worth entrusting it to.

Just at this moment—

Boom!

The altar suppressed by the Four-Direction Giant Tripod suddenly began to tremble violently.

This vibration came without warning, like a primordial giant beast sleeping deep underground suddenly waking up, violently slamming against the cage that imprisoned it.

The entire ruin was shaking, the ground cracked open with huge fissures, gravel fell rustling from the dome, and the air was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

That towering altar cracked open with many fissures.

These fissures, like spider webs, spread upward from the bottom of the altar, becoming more numerous, denser, and deeper.

From within the fissures, strands of strange gray force crawled out, like countless venomous snakes, winding their way toward the Four-Direction Giant Tripod.

These gray forces—

Were not ordinary gray.

It was a color that made one feel nauseous, sick to the stomach, and caused the Soul to tremble just by looking at it.

It was not pure gray, nor was it dull gray, but rather—a living gray.

It seemed to have its own life, its own will, its own desires, twisting, wriggling, and crawling in the air; wherever it passed, even the air became viscous and rotten.

They carried an Aura that Luo Xiaojiu instinctively loathed.

It was not Devilish Qi.

Although Devilish Qi was evil, it was at least still a part of this world, a distorted manifestation of the Heaven and Earth Laws.

Devilish Qi could be purified, transformed, and restrained.

It was not Demonic Qi.

Although Demonic Qi was strange, it at least still had traces of life, being a mutated form of all living creatures.

Demonic Qi could be tamed, communicated with, and understood.

It was not Ghost Qi.

Although Ghost Qi was eerie, it was at least still the residue of a Soul, a form of existence after death.

Ghost Qi could be transcended, suppressed, and destroyed.

This was not any kind of Aura she had ever seen.

This was something more essential, more pure, and more terrifying.

This was something—that should not exist in this world.

The gray force slammed against the Four-Direction Giant Tripod, emitting a harsh sound like metal grinding against metal.

This sound was sharp and grating, as if thousands of needles were piercing into one's ears at the same time, or like fingernails scratching across a blackboard, making goosebumps rise all over one's body.

The Aura of the Four-Direction Giant Tripod, which had originally been shining with brilliant golden light, was actually slowly weakening.

Those golden lights—those golden lights representing divinity, justice, light, and order—were being nibbled away, devoured, and corroded by these gray forces bit by bit.

The edges of the golden light began to blur, began to develop gaps, and began to be eroded by gray spots.

It was like a perfect painting that had been splashed with a basin of dirty water, slowly being ruined.

These gray forces were devouring the power of the Giant Tripod.

They were like a swarm of starving locusts, greedily gnawing at every wisp of golden light emitted by the Giant Tripod.

With every bit they devoured, they grew stronger, while the devoured golden light became a part of the gray, turning back to attack the Giant Tripod itself.

They were corroding the golden light of the Giant Tripod.

That once indestructible golden light, under the erosion of the gray force, began to become fragile, began to show cracks, and began to emit painful groans.

The Giant Tripod was trembling and wailing, like a dying warrior still putting up a final resistance.

They were attempting to break free from this suppression of countless ages.

The vibration of the altar became more and more intense, the fissures larger and larger, and the gray forces more and more numerous.

They were like an army crawling out of Hell, swarming toward the Four-Direction Giant Tripod, attempting to drown, devour, and destroy it.

Blood Butcher, who was still climbing the steps, saw this scene and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

This was a white that had lost all color, as if someone had drained all the blood from his body in an instant.

His lips were trembling, his pupils were contracting, and his body was shaking uncontrollably.

He instinctively retreated, stumbling, almost rolling down the steps.

He reached out to grab the railing beside him, but his fingers turned white from excessive force, and his knuckles cracked.

His eyes were filled with fear.

This kind of fear was not the fear of facing a strong opponent.

Facing a strong opponent, one could at least resist, run away, or find a way to maneuver.

Even if one couldn't win, at least one knew what one was facing.

It was not the fear of facing death.

Although death was terrifying, it was at least the final destination of every living creature, a foreseeable end.

Even those who were most afraid of death knew what death meant.

It was a deeper, more primitive fear, carved into the depths of the Soul.

It was the fear of prey facing a natural predator.

This kind of fear was not Acquired, but Innate, carved into his genes.

Just like a rabbit seeing a hawk, like a mouse seeing a cat, like a lamb seeing a wolf—no need to think, no need to judge, the body had already reacted: Run! Run fast!

The fear that welled up from within made his heart tremble.

This fear transcended life and death, transcended Reincarnation, transcended cognition.

This was an alarm from the deepest part of the Soul—this thing should not exist!

This thing would destroy everything!

Including you!

Including this world!

Including everything!

"What... what on earth is this?"

Blood Butcher's voice was trembling.

He had fought all his life, killed countless enemies, and seen countless horrors, but never had anything given him this feeling.

His hands were shaking, his legs were shaking, even his voice was shaking; his whole person was like a sieve, shaking uncontrollably.

These gray forces seemed to exist naturally just to devour everything.

Wherever they looked, even light became dim. Those golden lights that had once illuminated the entire ruin became dim and lusterless under the radiance of the gray forces.

The light seemed to be absorbed by something; the closer it got to those gray forces, the darker it became—not ordinary darkness, but a void-like darkness, as if even darkness itself had been devoured.

Wherever they touched, even space was dissolving.

Those spaces touched by the gray forces began to twist, deform, and dissolve, revealing the pitch-black void behind them.

This scene was like a canvas that had been burned with a hole, revealing the blank space behind the canvas.

And this blank space was a complete, absolute, and eternal—void.