88: Chapter 88 Desperate Counterattack, Creation of Chaos

At dusk on the Meteorite Plain, the bloody sunset dyed the battlefield a desolate, vibrant red. Smoke slowly drifted in the evening breeze, mixed with the scent of blood and scorched earth, lingering at the tip of every survivor's nose.

Five hundred elites of the Heavenly Court were orderly cleaning up the battlefield. The wounded were carried to a makeshift medical station, where healers from the Black Tortoise Legion provided emergency treatment. Spoils of war were sorted and piled together; equipment, Medicinal Pill, Talismans, Materials... all shone with various lights under the setting sun, with an estimated value exceeding four million Spirit Stone.

In the center of the star meteorite crater, Lu Ming was leading several Formation Master to repair the foundation of the star guiding altar. Although the Misty Rain Tower had destroyed a portion of the nodes when they retreated, the main body of the foundation remained intact, and the repair work was progressing smoothly. A faint starlight rose from the foundation once again, echoing the stars that had just appeared in the sky.

Qin Ruoxue stood on high ground, the jade plate in her hand displaying real-time dynamics from all parts of the battlefield. Intelligence agents from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion moved like ghosts along the edges of the battlefield, monitoring the movements of the remnants of the three major guilds.

“The remaining one hundred seventy people of the Imperial Dynasty have retreated to twenty miles east of the plain and are currently regrouping,” an intelligence agent reported via voice transmission.

“The remaining two hundred twenty people of the All Under Heaven Society have retreated to the hilly area fifteen miles to the south, their Formation scattered.”

“The Misty Rain Tower suffered the fewest losses; the remaining three hundred forty people have retreated to the stone forest area thirty miles to the west and are establishing a temporary defensive position.”

Qin Ruoxue recorded this quickly, her brows slightly furrowed. Although the three major guilds had been routed, they had not completely exited the Meteorite Plain. According to the rules of the Blood Pact, as long as they were still within the plain, the battle was not yet over.

“What are they waiting for?” she whispered to herself.

Not far away, Lin Ye and Shi Potian stood at the edge of the star meteorite crater, gazing out at the battlefield.

“With this battle, the Heavenly Court has truly established a firm foothold in the Eastern Wasteland,” Shi Potian said, his voice carrying the hoarseness unique to the aftermath of battle. After the Hegemon Blood burning state ended, his aura was noticeably weaker, but his eyes remained sharp.

Lin Ye nodded, but did not relax in the slightest: “But the real trouble has only just begun.”

He held the few Jade Slip fragments he had found in the ruins of the Imperial Dynasty command platform. Although the information remaining in the fragments was scattered, the content revealed was shocking.

Yaoguang Holy Land... heavenly dao fragment... one year Fusion...

The Imperial Dynasty guild leader, Son of Heaven, a leader of a player faction, how could he know these secrets that even most NPCs were unaware of?

Unless, he had guidance from a higher-level existence behind him.

“What are you worried about?” Shi Potian asked.

“Worried about...” Before Lin Ye could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly turned stern, and he turned his head sharply to look toward the east.

Almost simultaneously, Qin Ruoxue’s exclamation exploded in everyone’s ears through the voice transmission Jade Slip:

“Alert! Abnormal energy fluctuations detected from the direction of the Imperial Dynasty remnants! Rank... exceeding the Four Extremities Realm!”

“What?!” Lin Ye’s pupils shrank.

Exceeding the Four Extremities Realm? That was at least the power of the Dragon Transformation Realm (Level 90+)! How could players have this kind of strength at the current stage?

Unless...

“Forbidden artifact!” Lu Ming’s voice came through, carrying a rare gravity, “It is the aura of a forbidden artifact! They are activating some kind of taboo object that exceeds the current version’s limitations!”

Forbidden artifact.

This term made everyone who heard it feel a sinking sensation in their hearts.

In the game setting of the covering the heavens era, “forbidden artifact” refers to special equipment with immense power but harsh usage conditions and severe side effects. They usually come from ancient ruins or forbidden Legacies, with power sufficient to kill enemies across several Realm, but every use requires a huge price—loss of Lifespan, regression of cultivation, or even permanent attribute reduction.

More importantly, the activation of a forbidden artifact often requires special conditions, such as blood sacrifice of a large number of living beings, specific timing, or some extreme environment.

And now, in the east where the Imperial Dynasty remnants were located, a terrifying aura that made one’s heart palpitate was rapidly rising.

That aura was cold, evil, and carried a thick smell of blood, as if countless resentful souls were wailing.

“All units, alert!” Lin Ye shouted sternly, “All wounded, evacuate the battlefield immediately! Combat personnel, form a defensive Formation!”

The order was given, and the Heavenly Court members acted quickly.

Members with lighter injuries helped the seriously wounded to retreat into the depths of the star meteorite crater, where there was a defensive Formation that Lu Ming had set up in advance. The remaining combat personnel of the four major legions quickly assembled and reformed their lines on the north side of the star meteorite crater.

Shi Potian also stood up, his dark golden right eye staring fixedly at the east: “This aura... is a blood sacrifice type forbidden artifact. They are using their own people’s blood to activate it!”

Lin Ye’s face was gloomy.

Using their own people’s blood to activate a forbidden artifact? Was Son of Heaven crazy?

But soon, he understood.

The Blood Pact war declaration stipulated that the loser would withdraw from the Yan State, and all assets would belong to the winner. For an established guild like the Imperial Dynasty, this was almost a catastrophic disaster. Rather than admitting defeat and withdrawing, it was better to fight to the death—using a forbidden artifact to turn the tables, even if the price was the level of most of the guild members returning to zero.

“What a lunatic...” Lin Ye gritted his teeth.

Twenty miles to the east.

The one hundred seventy-plus members of the Imperial Dynasty remnants were currently surrounding a strange circular Formation. In the center of the Formation, Son of Heaven sat cross-legged; the wound on his chest was still bleeding, and his face was as pale as paper, but his eyes burned with a crazy light.

In front of him, a blood-red banner was floating.

The banner was about three feet high, and the flag surface was made of some unknown material, dark red, covered with twisted runes on the surface. The flagpole was made of bone, white as bone, and a fist-sized blood-colored gem was embedded at the top; inside the gem, it seemed as if liquid was flowing. When looked at closely, the liquid was actually painfully twisted human faces.

【Forbidden Artifact: Blood Demon Banner (Incomplete)】

【Rank: Quasi-Sacred Artifact (Current Status: Sealed, Unlock Progress 12%)】

【Effect: Use the blood of living beings as a sacrifice to summon the Blood Demon projection. The Blood Demon projection possesses the combat power of the early stage of the Dragon Transformation Realm (Level 91-93), with the duration depending on the quantity and quality of the sacrifices.】

【Usage Cost: Each use results in a 10-year loss of Lifespan (in-game Lifespan) and a permanent 5% reduction in all attributes for the user. Participants in the blood sacrifice will have their level forcibly reduced by 3-5 levels.】

【Current Status: Activating (Sacrifices: Imperial Dynasty members × 170, including Dao Palace Realm × 142, Four Extremities Realm × 28)】

【Blood Demon projection summoning progress: 47%... 48%... 49%...】

“Guild Leader... do we really have to do this?” an Imperial Dynasty executive asked with a trembling voice, looking at the blood line extending from his arm—that blood line connected to the Blood Demon Banner in the center, continuously extracting his blood and vitality.

Son of Heaven’s voice was cold and crazy: “If we don’t do this, the Imperial Dynasty is finished! Withdraw from the Yan State? Lose all assets? Then what was my hard work for this month for?!”

“But... if we use the Blood Demon Banner, all of us will have our levels regress! Some brothers might drop straight back to the Wheel Sea Realm!”

“Level regression is better than disbanding!” Son of Heaven sneered, “As long as we kill the Night Emperor and destroy the Heavenly Court, the Yan State will still be ours! By then, there will be plenty of resources for you to train your levels back!”

He looked at the one hundred seventy-plus Imperial Dynasty members around him. Most of these people were his old foundation that he had brought into the game from reality, with extremely high loyalty. At this moment, although there was fear and unwillingness in their eyes, no one resisted.

Because they knew this was the only chance to turn the tables.

“Blood sacrifice... continue!” Son of Heaven gritted his teeth and drove the secret technique.

The light on the blood-colored gem on the Blood Demon Banner grew significantly, and the speed of extracting blood suddenly accelerated. One hundred seventy-plus people groaned at the same time, their faces turning pale at a speed visible to the naked eye.

And above the Blood Demon Banner, a huge phantom was slowly condensing.

That was a blood-colored demon shadow ten zhang high, with two horns on its head, a ferocious face, and blood-colored chains wrapped around its body. The demon shadow was not yet fully formed, but the pressure it emitted had already made the air within several miles stagnate, and the gravel on the ground was trembling slightly.

The aura of the Dragon Transformation Realm, even if it was just a projection, was far beyond the Dao Palace Realm and the Four Extremities Realm.

That was a qualitative gap.

In the direction of the star meteorite crater, Lin Ye felt the increasingly powerful and terrifying aura and calculated rapidly in his heart.

In the Heavenly Court’s current state, it was impossible to resist an existence of the Dragon Transformation Realm. Even if it was just a projection, and even if it only lasted for a few minutes, it would be enough to slaughter everyone present.

Although the four major legions were elite, their average level was only around 44. Shi Potian’s Hegemon Body camp was tough, but after the previous battle and the burning of Hegemon Blood, their state was not as good as before.

More importantly, once a forbidden artifact like the Blood Demon Banner was activated, it would not stop until it had absorbed enough blood. Even if they retreated now, the Blood Demon projection would chase them down, and the casualties would be even worse then.

The only way was to destroy the Blood Demon Banner before the Blood Demon projection was fully formed!

But Son of Heaven would definitely use all his power to protect the Blood Demon Banner. One hundred seventy-plus Imperial Dynasty members, even if they were in poor condition, could drag things out for a while if they defended to the death.

And the Formation progress of the Blood Demon projection had already exceeded 50%.

Time... was not enough.

“Night Emperor, what should we do?” Wang Iron Pillar asked in a deep voice. This calm Azure Dragon Legion commander had sweat on his forehead at this moment. The pressure of the Dragon Transformation Realm, even across twenty miles, made him feel difficulty breathing.

Su Qingyue, Chen Hao, Shi Potian, Lu Ming, Zhao Wuji, Qin Ruoxue... the eyes of all the core members were focused on Lin Ye.

Lin Ye closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, they were full of determination.

“All of you, retreat.”

“What?!” everyone was stunned.

“I said, all of you, retreat.” Lin Ye said word by word, “Take everyone and exit the Meteorite Plain. Although the Blood Pact battlefield is closed, the teleportation array that Lu Ming set up should still be usable. Use the teleportation array, and take as many people as you can.”

“And you?” Su Qingyue asked anxiously.

“I will stay behind,” Lin Ye said calmly, “to destroy the Blood Demon Banner.”

“Are you crazy?!” Chen Hao roared, “That is a Dragon Transformation Realm forbidden artifact projection! How can you destroy it alone?!”

“I have a way.” Lin Ye did not explain.

He did have a way.

The second Divine Ability of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body—【Chaos Heaven Opening】.

This was a Divine Ability he had comprehended the prototype of when he broke through to the Dao Palace Realm, but had never fully mastered. It was not that the power was insufficient, but the consumption was too great; with his current cultivation, forcibly performing it would come at a huge price.

More importantly, Chaos Heaven Opening required the “Concept of Heaven Opening”—that was a profound Concept that could only be truly comprehended in a life-and-death desperate situation.

And now, it was a desperate situation.

“No!” Su Qingyue grabbed Lin Ye’s arm, her voice trembling, “If we stay, we stay together! If we die, we die together!”

Lin Ye looked at her, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, but it immediately became firm.

“Qingyue, listen to me.” He held her hand, “I am not going to throw my life away. I am confident that I can destroy the Blood Demon Banner and return alive. But if you stay, I will have to be distracted to protect you.”

He looked at the others: “This is an order. Everyone, retreat immediately.”

“Leader...” Wang Iron Pillar still wanted to say something.

“Execute the order!” Lin Ye shouted sternly.

Everyone was silent.

In the end, Shi Potian was the first to turn around: “I believe in you.”

He looked at the two hundred seventy-plus brothers of the Hegemon Body camp: “Everyone, retreat.”

With Shi Potian taking the lead, others also acted one after another.

Su Qingyue bit her lip, looked deeply at Lin Ye, and turned to leave. She knew that now was not the time to be emotional.

Qin Ruoxue began to direct the Heavenly Secret Pavilion members to activate the teleportation array. Lu Ming quickly adjusted the parameters of the Formation, transforming the small teleportation array originally used for tactical transfers into a large teleportation array that could evacuate in batches.

White lights lit up everywhere in the star meteorite crater, and the Heavenly Court members began to evacuate in an orderly manner.

Lin Ye stood alone at the edge of the star meteorite crater, looking toward the east.

There, the Formation progress of the Blood Demon projection had reached 68%.

And the one hundred seventy-plus Imperial Dynasty remnants were now all sitting cross-legged on the ground, protecting the Blood Demon Banner in the center. They used their final vitality to construct a blood-colored protective barrier; the surface of the barrier had runes flowing, and the defensive power was astonishing.

Son of Heaven stood inside the protective barrier, looking toward the star meteorite crater, his eyes full of resentment and madness.

“Night Emperor... you want to escape? Too late!” he roared, “Once the Blood Demon Banner is activated, it will not stop until it has absorbed enough blood! Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, the Blood Demon projection will hunt you down to the end!”

“However, if you kneel down and beg me now, perhaps I can consider killing only you and letting your subordinates go!”

His voice spread throughout the battlefield via amplification Spells, full of the pleasure of revenge.

Lin Ye did not respond.

He just raised his right hand, palm facing upward.

The myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo appeared, floating above his palm, rotating slowly. The mysterious yellow mother qi flowing on the cauldron body was richer than ever, as if the aura of creating the world was brewing.

His left hand grasped the broken star mirror, the mirror surface facing the sky.

At this moment, night had completely fallen. The starry sky was as bright as diamonds, the Milky Way spanned the horizon, casting down cold starlight.

The star mirror began to absorb the power of the stars, converting it into pure energy and injecting it into Lin Ye’s body.

But this time, Lin Ye did not use this energy to restore Divine Power, but rather... to store it.

Storing it in the five viscera Divine Treasure.

The heart Divine Treasure, the Chaos Fire burning fiercely.

The spleen Divine Treasure, the Chaos Earth as heavy as a mountain.

Although the liver Divine Treasure had not been fully opened, it had already taken shape, and at this moment, it was also forcibly injected with energy, with faint green wood-type brilliance flashing.

The five viscera Divine Treasure, like five bottomless pits, crazily devoured the energy converted by the star mirror.

Lin Ye’s aura began to climb.

It was not an increase in level, but a change at a deeper level.

On the surface of his body, faint Chaos airflow emerged. That airflow was very faint at first, like a thin mist, but it soon became thick, and finally turned into a substantial gray halo, covering his whole body.

Inside the halo, faint phantoms of mountains, rivers, sun, moon, stars, grass, trees, insects, and fish could be seen appearing and disappearing.

That was the scene of Chaos evolution.

Chaos Heaven Opening, what it opens is Chaos, and what it cleaves is the world.

The core of this Divine Ability was not a simple burst of energy, but “evolution”—turning Chaos into order, turning disorder into rules.

And to evolve, one must first have enough “Materials”.

The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body itself was the best Material.

“With my body, I bear the power of Chaos.”

“With my will, I open the beginning of the world.”

Lin Ye chanted in a low voice; it was an ancient incantation, coming from the Bloodline memory of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

As the incantation sounded, the Five Viscera Divine Vaults within his body began to resonate.

Heart Fire, Spleen Earth, Liver Wood (embryo), Lung Metal (unopened), Kidney Water (unopened)—the power of the Five Elements, under the governance of Chaos, began to blend and evolve.

Within the grey, chaotic airflow, five-colored radiance gradually emerged.

That was the color of the Five Elements Origin.

The Five Elements cycled, evolving into the myriad things.

This was the true meaning of Chaos Heaven Opening—not destruction, but creation.

In the extreme of creation, it contained the supreme power of opening the heavens and splitting the earth.

In the east, the Formation progress of the Blood Demon projection reached 85%.

The ten-zhang tall blood-colored demon shadow was already clearly visible, with a ferocious face, blood-red eyes, and chains wrapped around its body clanking loudly.

The terrifying pressure, like a tangible tsunami, swept across the entire Meteorite Plain.

The ground began to crack, and the air wailed.

Some Heavenly Court members who were slow to retreat had their Qi and blood churned by this pressure, nearly fainting.

"Quick! Speed it up!" Qin Ruoxue urged anxiously.

The lights of the teleportation Formations lit up one after another; with each light that ignited, a batch of members was teleported away.

But the Formation speed of the Blood Demon projection was faster than the evacuation speed of the teleportation Formations.

92%... 93%... 94%...

When the progress reached 95%, the Blood Demon projection's eyes suddenly opened.

Those were a pair of eyes composed entirely of blood-colored flames, holding no emotion, only a pure desire for destruction.

"Roar—!"

The demon shadow roared at the sky, the sound waves spreading like a tangible force; wherever it passed, the ground exploded and rocks were pulverized.

The few Imperial Dynasty members closest to it were directly shaken to death by the sound waves, bleeding from their seven orifices.

Their blood was absorbed by the Blood Demon Banner, which instead accelerated the projection's Formation.

96%... 97%... 98%...

The Son of Heaven laughed wildly: "It's done! It's done! Night Emperor, die!"

The Blood Demon projection was fully formed!

The ten-zhang tall blood-colored demon shadow took a step, making the earth tremble.

It did not rush directly toward the Meteorite Crater, but first lowered its head, opened its massive mouth, and aimed at the more than 170 Imperial Dynasty members below—

It inhaled!

"No—!" a high-ranking Imperial Dynasty member screamed in terror, "President, you said you wouldn't..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his body turned into a streak of blood light and was sucked into the Blood Demon projection's mouth.

Following closely were the second, the third...

The final step of activating the Blood Demon Banner was actually to devour all the sacrifices, allowing the projection to obtain a temporary physical body!

"For the Imperial Dynasty... the sacrifice is worth it!" A final trace of madness flashed in the Son of Heaven's eyes as he actively rushed toward the Blood Demon projection, turning into the purest streak of blood light.

More than 170 Imperial Dynasty members, including the Son of Heaven himself, were all devoured by the Blood Demon projection.

And the Blood Demon projection's body gradually solidified from its illusory state, its aura surging once again!

[Blood Demon Projection Complete Form]

[Level: 92 (Dragon Transformation Realm Second Layer)]

[Status: Physical Body (Duration: 3 minutes)]

[Traits: Blood Demon Body (Physical Resistance +60%, Spell Resistance +50%, Life Drain)]

[Skills: Blood Sea Surging, Myriad Souls Heart Devouring, Demon Shadow Multiplicity, Blood Explosion...]

The complete Blood Demon projection was even more powerful than expected.

It turned around, its blood-red eyes locking onto the direction of the Meteorite Crater, locking onto the only person remaining on the battlefield—Lin Ye.

Then, it moved.

Its ten-zhang tall body covered thirty zhang in a single step.

In just three steps, it crossed the ten-mile distance and arrived at the edge of the Meteorite Crater.

The demon shadow was like a mountain, its shadow completely enveloping Lin Ye.

The blood-colored Devilish Qi surged in like a tide; wherever it passed, plants withered and rocks corroded.

Lin Ye looked up, watching the terrifying demon shadow before him, his expression calm.

The Five Viscera Divine Vaults within his body had already stored enough power.

Ninety percent of the Star Mirror's energy had also been extracted, and fine cracks had appeared on its surface.

It was time.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and recalled the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo into his body.

Then, he slowly raised his hands and formed an ancient and complex hand Seal in front of his chest.

The hand Seal appeared simple, yet it contained infinite profundity.

Every bend of his fingers, every adjustment of the angle, secretly aligned with the supreme principles of heaven and earth.

As the hand Seal was formed, the grey, chaotic airflow around Lin Ye began to shrink, compress, and condense inward.

Chaos transforms into the Five Elements, and the Five Elements evolve into the myriad things.

But at this moment, what Lin Ye wanted to do was not to evolve the myriad things, but—

To reverse!

To return the Five Elements to Chaos, and to turn the myriad things back into disorder.

Then, in this extreme disorder, to split open a gap.

A gap... leading to order.

That was, Heaven Opening!

"Chaos... Heaven Opening!"

Lin Ye shouted in a low voice, pushing the hand Seal forward.

There was no earth-shattering sound, no dazzling radiance.

There was only a grey, unadorned saber light slashed out from Lin Ye's hands.

The saber light was initially only three feet long, like the most ordinary Saber Qi.

But after flying three zhang, it suddenly expanded to three zhang, thirty zhang, three hundred zhang!

Wherever the saber light passed, space separated to both sides like torn cloth.

In the separated gap, it was not dark nothingness, but... a scene of Chaos just beginning to open.

The clear and turbid qi separated; the light rose to become the heaven, and the turbid sank to become the earth.

The sun, moon, and stars began to condense, and mountains and rivers began to take shape.

That was the scene of opening the heavens and splitting the earth, a microcosm of the Universe's birth!

The Blood Demon projection's ten-zhang tall body was as small as an ant before this three-hundred-zhang Chaos saber light.

It let out a terrified roar, blood light surging from its body to form a massive blood-colored shield in front of it.

At the same time, it formed hand Seals, summoning a towering sea of blood, attempting to drown that saber light.

But it was useless.

The Chaos saber light slashed into the sea of blood, and the sea of blood churned and evaporated as if boiled.

The saber light struck the massive blood-colored shield, and the shield shattered like paper.

Finally, the saber light struck the main body of the Blood Demon projection.

Without a sound.

The Blood Demon projection's movements froze.

It lowered its head, looking at its own chest.

There, a grey fissure was rapidly spreading, from the chest to the limbs, and to the head.

Wherever the fissure passed, its body disintegrated and dissipated like a weathered sand sculpture.

"No... impossible..." the Blood Demon projection let out its final roar, its voice filled with disbelief, "This... this is... the power of Heaven Opening..."

Before the words faded, the ten-zhang tall demon shadow completely disintegrated, turning into a sky full of blood mist.

Within the blood mist, a tattered blood-colored banner fell.

It was the Blood Demon Banner.

But at this moment, the Blood Demon Banner's flag surface was torn, the flagpole was broken, the blood-colored gem at the top was covered in cracks, and the phantom human faces inside had long since dissipated.

This forbidden artifact at the quasi-Sacred Artifact level was completely destroyed under the single strike of Chaos Heaven Opening.

[System Prompt: You successfully unleashed the Divine Ability "Chaos Heaven Opening", dealing a devastating blow to the target.]

[Destroyed the forbidden artifact "Blood Demon Banner (Damaged)", gained 1,200,000 experience points.]

[Killed Blood Demon projection (Level 92), gained 2,800,000 experience points.]

[Level Up! Current Level: 44 (Dao Palace Fifth Layer)!]

[Divine Ability "Chaos Heaven Opening" fully comprehended!]

[Effect: Consumes 80% of current Divine Power to unleash a strike, Attack Power x 500%, with "Spell Breaking" effect (ignores 50% defense), damage doubled against demonic targets.]

[Cooldown: 24 hours]

[Side Effect: After usage, enter "Weakened State", all attributes -50%, duration 3 days.]

[Current Status]

[Qi and Blood: 92,225/182,450 (50%)]

[Divine Power: 3,174/158,700 (2%)]

[Weakened State: All attributes -50% (Remaining time: 71 hours 59 minutes)]

The saber light dissipated, and the Heaven Opening phenomenon also faded away.

Lin Ye knelt on one knee, gasping for breath, sweat dripping like rain.

The consumption of unleashing Chaos Heaven Opening was far beyond imagination; it not only drained almost all his Divine Power but also reduced his Qi and blood by half.

Even more serious was the Weakened State—all attributes halved for three days.

This meant that for the next seventy-two hours, his combat power would be greatly discounted.

But it was worth it.

The Blood Demon Banner was destroyed, the Blood Demon projection was eliminated, and the Imperial Dynasty's final counterattack was completely crushed.

More importantly, he had fully comprehended the Divine Ability, Chaos Heaven Opening.

Although the cooldown was long and the consumption huge, the power was worth the price—500% attack bonus, 50% defense ignore, and doubled damage against demonic beings.

This would be one of his greatest trump cards in future battles.

In the distance, the last batch of Heavenly Court members evacuated through the teleportation Formations.

Su Qingyue, Shi Potian, and the others remained at the edge of the teleportation Formation, looking at Lin Ye from afar, their eyes full of worry.

Lin Ye barely managed to stand up and waved at them, signaling that he was fine.

Then, he looked at the wreckage of the Blood Demon Banner that had fallen to the ground.

Although this forbidden artifact was destroyed, the Materials should still be useful.

Items at the quasi-Sacred Artifact level, even just the wreckage, were of great value.

Just as he was about to walk over to collect it, suddenly—

A faint blood light shot out from the wreckage of the Blood Demon Banner and entered Lin Ye's body.

[System Prompt: You absorbed the "Blood Demon Banner Remnant Soul", gained special status "Blood Fiend Entanglement".]

[Blood Fiend Entanglement: All attributes -5%, duration 30 days. If not cleared after 30 days, it will transform into a permanent curse.]

[Clearing Method: (1) Kill 1000 evil faction creatures; (2) Find a high-ranking Buddhist monk or Daoist priest to purify it; (3) Use special purification items.]

Lin Ye's expression changed.

He had been careless!

Such evil items as forbidden artifacts, even if destroyed, would have remnant souls that strike back.

His condition earlier was too poor, and he hadn't been able to guard against it in time.

With all attributes reduced by another 5%, added to the 50% from the Weakened State, his actual attributes were now only 45% of his normal state!

Moreover, if this Blood Fiend Entanglement was not cleared, it would become a permanent curse after 30 days, which would be troublesome.

"It seems I need to find a way to clear this as soon as possible..." Lin Ye smiled bitterly.

He forced himself to walk over to the wreckage of the Blood Demon Banner and put it away.

Then, he walked toward the various items left behind after the Imperial Dynasty members died—although most had been destroyed in the blood sacrifice, there were still some remnants.

After collecting the loot, Lin Ye turned around, preparing to leave through the teleportation Formation.

But just at this moment—

At the center of the Meteorite Crater, the pedestal of the star guiding altar that had just been repaired suddenly began to shake violently.

The star runes on the surface of the pedestal lit up one after another, emitting an unprecedentedly brilliant starlight.

The starlight shot into the sky, interweaving into a massive star map in the night sky.

The star map rotated slowly, shedding endless starlight.

Amidst the starlight, a blurry phantom gradually condensed.

It was the phantom of an old man wearing a starry Daoist robe; his hair and beard were white, his face blurry, but those eyes seemed to contain the entire starry sky, deep enough to make one suffocate.

The phantom lowered its head, looking at Lin Ye below.

Then, an ancient and vicissitudinous voice resounded directly in his mind:

"Chaos Body... I have finally waited for you."

Lin Ye's pupils constricted.

This phantom... knows the Chaos Body?!

"Who are you?" Lin Ye asked in a deep voice, while secretly remaining on guard.

"Who I am is not important." The phantom's voice carried endless emotion, "What's important is that you have come. At the right time, to the right place."

"What do you mean?"

"The star guiding altar is not just a Formation to channel the power of the stars." The phantom said slowly, "It is also a key. A key... to open the 'Star Ruins'."

Star Ruins?

Lin Ye had never heard of this name before.

"The Star Ruins is the place where ancient stars fell, the burial ground of stars." The phantom explained, "There, the secrets of the stars are buried, and also... the hope to resist the 'Great Calamity'."

"Great Calamity? What Great Calamity?"

The phantom was silent for a moment, then said: "It is too early to tell you now. When you reach the Four Extremities Realm, come here again. At that time, the star guiding altar will open the road to the Star Ruins for you."

"Why me?" Lin Ye asked.

"Because you are a Chaos Body." The phantom looked at him deeply, "Chaos evolves into the myriad things, and naturally contains the stars as well. Only a Chaos Body can withstand the star Origin deep within the Star Ruins."

"Remember, Four Extremities Realm. At that time, you will know everything."

As the words fell, the phantom began to dissipate.

The starlight also gradually dimmed, and the pedestal of the star guiding altar returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.

But Lin Ye knew that it was not a hallucination.

Star Ruins... Great Calamity... Star Origin...

Another secret had been unveiled before him.

He looked up at the night sky, where the stars flickered, as if telling ancient secrets.

"Four Extremities Realm, huh..." Lin Ye muttered to himself, "Soon."

He turned around and stepped into the teleportation Formation.

White light flashed, and his figure disappeared.

The Meteorite Plain returned to silence.

Only the corpses and battle traces covering the ground told of the tragic battle that had once taken place here.

And at the edge of the plain, several black shadows quietly retreated.

"Chaos Heaven Opening... Star Ruins key... Interesting."

"Let's go back and report to the Holy Master."

The black shadows merged into the night and disappeared.

In the distance, in the direction of the Yaoguang Holy Land, on an observatory tower, an old man wearing a starry Daoist robe slowly opened his eyes.

"The Chaos Body has appeared in the world, the Star Ruins will open... The chaotic era is truly coming."

He looked toward the starry sky, his eyes reflecting the scene of countless stars falling.

"In this era, who can break through the calamity?"

No one answered.

Only the night wind howled and the stars flickered.

And at Chaos Valley, when Lin Ye returned through the teleportation Formation, he was greeted by everyone's cheers and hugs.

Victory belonged to the Heavenly Court.

But Lin Ye knew that this was just the beginning.

The real challenge was still ahead.

He looked at the wreckage of the Blood Demon Banner in his hand, and then at the "Blood Fiend Entanglement" in his status bar.

"First, I must resolve this trouble."

"Then... charge toward the Four Extremities!"

The night was still long, and the road was still far.