126: Chapter 126 The Bottom of the Burial God Abyss, the Secret of the Ancient Battlefield

The deeper they went into the "Bone Wasteland", the harsher the environment became. Eventually, the Death Qi and resentment permeating the air almost materialized, turning into a thick gray fog so dense that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. In the fog, illusory demonic shadows and twisted resentful souls drifted by silently from time to time, letting out wails that made one's Divine Soul tremble. The ground was no longer covered in white bones, but was instead blanketed by a thick layer of grayish-white bone powder, which made a crunching sound when stepped on, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Although Elder Xingshu, Mingyue, and the others were protected by Lin Wan's Chaos aura, they still felt immense pressure. Sharp pains shot through their Divine Souls from time to time, forcing them to operate their Cultivation Techniques to guard their minds. Only Lin Wan remained completely unperturbed. The faint gray light of Chaos surrounding his body seemed capable of swallowing and purifying all negative energy. Wherever he went, the gray fog dispersed and resentful souls were annihilated, carving out a safe passage.

Blood Bone was even more trembling with fear. Although he cultivated the Dao of "Corruption" and had some adaptability to the deathly and resentful aura here, the resentment and Battle Intent contained deep within this place were mixed and violent, which also had an eroding effect on him. Had it not been for the protection of Lin Wan's Chaos aura, his mind would have likely been driven mad by the impact of the resentment here long ago. This made him revere Lin Wan even more, not daring to harbor any disloyalty.

After traveling like this for about two days, the gray fog ahead suddenly became sparse, but the deathly silence and oppression permeating the air abruptly intensified. Huge cracks began to appear in the earth beneath their feet, like hideous scars that were bottomless, with faint green phosphorescent fires flickering within them. On the edges of some cracks, broken Formation Flags, shattered fragments of divine weapons, and skeletal remains of unimaginable scale could still be seen, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure, as if recounting the tragic intensity of that ancient war.

"Senior, another hundred miles ahead is the edge of the 'Abyss of Buried Gods'." Blood Bone stopped in his tracks, pointing to an area ahead covered in an even denser gray fog, his voice carrying an imperceptible tremble. "There... it is very dangerous. Not only are the Death Qi and resentment more concentrated, but there are also some surviving, strangely mutated war souls and ancient corpses. They are incredibly powerful and completely fearless of death. Moreover, the space inside the 'Abyss of Buried Gods' is extremely unstable, with spatial cracks and turbulent flows frequently appearing. Sometimes... one can even hear the residual sounds of slaughter from the Ancient Battlefield, which can directly strike the Divine Soul, making it difficult for even a Void Refining Cultivator to withstand. It is said that at the bottom of the abyss, there are still desperate lands and perilous zones formed by the collapse of Dao Laws after the fall of gods and demons during the great war back then. Even a Void Refining Peak Cultivator entering would have a slim chance of survival."

Lin Wan's gaze penetrated the layers of gray fog, looking toward the direction of the "Abyss of Buried Gods". In his perception, there indeed existed an extremely chaotic and violent energy field. Death Qi, resentment, residual Dao Law fragments, chaotic spatial forces, and an even older, deeper aura of "Corruption" intertwined to form a forbidden zone for living beings. Even the "corruption heart stone" in his hand was throbbing violently at this moment, emitting a scorching aura of corruption that pointed directly toward the depths of the abyss.

"It matters not, let us continue forward." Lin Wan's tone was flat, but it carried an unquestionable firmness. He had to find the "corruption heart key" and stop the blood sacrifice of the "Temple of Decay". Furthermore, the remains of Elder Xingshu's ancestor and the "star-moon divine mirror" were also there. Since it concerned the "Corruption" evil entity, he could not ignore it. Most importantly, he faintly felt that deep within this "Abyss of Buried Gods", something seemed to be attracting the "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit" and the "samsara mirror" fragments inside his body.

Seeing that Lin Wan's mind was made up, Blood Bone did not dare to say more and could only brace himself to lead the way. Elder Xingshu and the others also braced themselves, following closely behind Lin Wan.

Upon entering the range of the "Abyss of Buried Gods", the environment indeed became even harsher. The gray fog turned into a viscous black mist that seemed almost alive, interspersed with specks of sickly green phosphorescent fire, like countless eyes peering out. Large patches of dark red began to appear on the ground—bloodstains dried over countless eons. Even though an eternity had passed, they still emitted a heart-palpitating Evil Qi.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a low, violent roar echoed from the black mist ahead. Immediately after, a Skeleton General standing ten chang tall, covered in dark gold bone armor and wielding a shattered giant axe, rushed out from the black mist to block their path, ghostly green soul fires burning in its eye sockets. This Skeletal General possessed a powerful aura, having surprisingly reached the Peak of the Early Stage of Void Refining. The dense Death Qi and Evil Qi swirling around its body were several times stronger than those of the undead creatures they had encountered before.

"It's a 'Skeletal General' formed from the remains of an ancient warrior! Its strength is comparable to the Middle Stage of Void Refining!" Blood Bone's face paled as he cried out in alarm. Although he had been placed under a Restriction by Lin Wan, he still instinctively felt terror when facing such a ferocious creature.

"Vile creature, how dare you block my path!" Lin Wan snorted coldly. Without even deploying his "Primordial Chaos Qi", he simply pointed a finger. A wisp of Reincarnation magic power fused with the power of "Purification" shot out from his fingertip, turning into a beam of pure white light that instantly pierced through the forehead of the Skeletal General.

"Chii!"

The ghostly green soul fires in the Skeletal General's eye sockets instantly extinguished like ice and snow doused in boiling oil. Its massive body stiffened slightly before crashing down, turning back into a pile of giant bones scattered across the ground. The Death Qi and Evil Qi swirling around its body were also instantly dispersed by the power of Purification.

Annihilating a Skeletal General comparable to the Middle Stage of Void Refining in the blink of an eye! Such methods shocked Elder Xingshu and the others once again. Blood Bone was even more thankful that he hadn't tried to resist or flee earlier, otherwise his end would certainly have been no better than this Skeletal General's.

As they continued deeper, they encountered similar situations several more times. There were rotting giant corpses dripping with pus and blood and emitting a foul stench; there were malicious ghosts formed entirely of resentment that could directly attack the Divine Soul; there was even an undead army composed entirely of skeletons maintaining a certain battle Formation. Yet, before Lin Wan, these ferocious creatures were like clay chickens and pottery dogs, easily destroyed at will. He did not even pause his steps; wherever he passed, all undead and evil creatures were completely reduced to ashes.

Finally, after traveling another few dozen miles, a massive, bottomless abyssal crack appeared ahead. At the edge of the crack, space was distorted, and small black spatial tears flashed and vanished from time to time, making "chi-chi" sounds. A darkness so dense it could not be dispersed wafted up from the bottom of the abyss, as if it could swallow all light and Divine Sense. A heart-palpitating, terrifying aura that seemed to originate from the primordial eons faintly wafted up from the bottom of the abyss, causing Elder Xingshu and the others' breathing to hitch.

"Senior, this... this is the 'Abyss of Buried Gods'." Blood Bone pointed at the massive crack before them, his voice dry. "The place where the 'corruption heart stone' has the strongest reaction is right at the bottom of this abyss. The other two teams from the Temple have probably already gone down."

Lin Wan walked to the edge of the crack and looked down. With his vision, he could only see a few hundred chang down. Further down was endless darkness, and when his Divine Sense probed inside, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, swallowed by the dense darkness and chaotic energy fields.

"Wait here, set up a concealment Formation, and do not act rashly," Lin Wan instructed Elder Xingshu. The situation at the bottom of the abyss was unknown; bringing them along might instead make them a burden.

"Senior, my ancestor's remains and the 'star-moon divine mirror' are also below, this old man..." Elder Xingshu pleaded.

"Rest assured, if I find anything, I will keep an eye out." Lin Wan nodded, then looked at Blood Bone. "You, come down with me."

"Yes, Senior." Blood Bone's face fell, but he did not dare to disobey and could only comply.

Lin Wan spoke no further. With a flash of the gray light of Chaos around his body, he wrapped up Blood Bone and leaped down into the abyss. Elder Xingshu and the others, following instructions, found a relatively hidden crevice in a nearby bone mountain, set up a concealment Formation, and waited anxiously.

The process of falling was far longer than imagined. All around was endless darkness and silence, save for the howling wind and the occasional flash of light from spatial cracks. The further down they went, the stronger that terrifying aura originating from the bottom of the abyss became, mixed with an extremely dense concentration of Death Qi, resentment, and a... more ancient, purer Dao Rhyme of "Corruption".

In this environment, the "Primordial Chaos Qi" inside Lin Wan's body actually began to flow slightly on its own, as if harboring a sliver of desire for that pure Dao Rhyme of "Corruption", yet also carrying an instinctive repulsion and desire for Purification. Meanwhile, the "samsara mirror" fragment in his Sea of Consciousness also vibrated slightly, seemingly entering a faint resonance with some existence at the bottom of the abyss.

After falling for an unknown amount of time, they finally felt solid ground beneath their feet. Lin Wan and Blood Bone landed on a cold, hard earth.

This place seemed like another world entirely. The sky was an eternal darkness, devoid of sun, moon, or stars. The earth presented a bizarre dark red color, as if soaked in blood for countless ages. The air was thick with the smell of blood, burning, and the stench of all things rotting. As far as the eye could see, the ground was littered with broken weapons, armor fragments, and various colossal, incomplete skeletal remains. Some skeletons were as massive as mountains; even though they had died an eternity ago, they still emitted a heart-palpitating pressure, with unextinguished divine light still flowing upon their bones. However, most were covered and eroded by a black, moss-like substance, emitting a dense aura of corruption.

"Is this... the core of the Ancient Battlefield of Gods and Demons?" Lin Wan's gaze swept across the surroundings, his heart shaking slightly. He could feel that buried beneath this earth were far too many powerhouses. Their wills, their resentment, and their Dao Law fragments had not completely dissipated; instead, over the long years, they had combined with the Death Qi and corruptive aura here, breeding all kinds of bizarre existences.

"Senior, look over there!" Blood Bone suddenly pointed into the distance, his voice carrying a hint of terror.

Lin Wan looked in the direction he pointed. In a relatively open area covered in dark red soil in the distance stood dozens of massive, pitch-black stone pillars covered in bizarrely twisted runes. The stone pillars formed a circle, appearing to be an ancient altar. In the center of the altar was a pool of blood, the blood within viscous and slowly bubbling like lava, emitting an extremely dense, bloody, and evil aura. Around the altar, over a dozen corpses lay in disarray, and judging by their attire, they were actually people from the "Temple of Decay"! Furthermore, judging by their residual auras, there were even two Void Refining Middle Stage and several Void Refining Early Stage Cultivators among them!

These corpses had died in a horrific manner, their flesh entirely withered as if all vitality and essence blood had been drained, leaving only a layer of skin wrapping their bones, with extreme terror and pain still etched on their faces. Their corpses were also covered in that black, moss-like substance, being slowly eroded and corrupted.

On the other side of the altar, over a dozen black-robed "Temple of Decay" Cultivators, led by two withered old men whose auras were clearly stronger than the others and had reached the Late Stage of Void Refining, were surrounding the altar, seemingly performing some bizarre ritual. They chanted incantations as thick black corruptive Qi emanated from their bodies, pouring into those pitch-black stone pillars around the altar. Under the infusion of the black corruptive Qi, the bizarre runes on the stone pillars were slowly lighting up with a crimson glow.

The blood pool in the center of the altar boiled along with it, and the blood within seemed to come alive, condensing into twisted bloody tentacles that flailed in the air, emitting a sickening, bloody, and filthy aura. At the bottom of the blood pool, a hazy black light emitting a dense aura of corruption could be faintly seen slowly floating upward, as if something was about to be summoned.

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"That is... a blood sacrifice summoning ritual! They are trying to summon, or awaken, some kind of existence suppressed beneath the altar! Those corpses are the two teams that came here to explore earlier! They have been used as sacrifices!"

Blood Bone's face turned deathly pale as he cried out, his body trembling slightly with fear.

He could feel that the thing about to emerge from the bottom of the blood pool was exuding a terrifying aura that made even him palpitate with fear—it absolutely surpassed the ordinary "King" level!

It was highly likely to be the thing the "Temple of Decay" had been trying to find, related to the "corruption heart key", or... simply a part of the "Lord of Decay"!

Lin Wan's eyes narrowed. He also sensed the terrifying aura emanating from the bottom of the blood pool.

That pure "Corruption" Dao rhythm, which seemed capable of corrupting all things and ending everything, was even older and deeper than the "King of Calamity" he had encountered before!

The bottom of this "Abyss of Buried Gods" truly suppressed something extraordinary!

Furthermore, he saw several items scattered at the edge of the altar.

There was a skeleton wearing an ancient Daoist robe embroidered with sun, moon, and star patterns; its flesh had long since decayed, leaving only a skeleton as translucent as jade.

In the skeleton's hand, it was still tightly gripping a dusty, yet clearly extraordinary, ancient bronze mirror—that should be the "star-moon divine mirror".

Not far from the skeleton, there was also a fist-sized, pitch-black crystal that pulsed slightly like a heart and emitted a dense aura of corruption.

It was floating quietly in mid-air, resonating strongly with the "corruption heart stone" in Lin Wan's hand—that was the "corruption heart key"!

The "corruption heart key" was indeed here!

Moreover, it seemed to have some connection to the skeleton suppressed by the "star-moon divine mirror" (which was very likely the ancestor of Elder Xingshu) and this eerie altar.

"Deal with these small fry first, then take the 'corruption heart key'!"

A flash of killing intent crossed Lin Wan's mind.

He absolutely could not let the people from the "Temple of Decay" complete the ritual and summon the terrifying existence beneath the blood pool.

However, just as Lin Wan was preparing to strike, the two withered old men at the Void Refining Late Stage seemed to sense the arrival of Lin Wan and Blood Bone.

They stopped the ritual and slowly turned around.

Their eye sockets were deeply sunken, their skin resembled withered tree bark, and their bodies emitted a dense, nauseating aura of decay and Death Qi, like thousand-year-old corpses that had just crawled out of a grave.

Their gazes first swept over Lin Wan, lingering for a moment on his appearance of being at the Soul Transformation Middle Stage, revealing a hint of disdain.

But when their gazes fell upon Blood Bone behind Lin Wan, they immediately turned gloomy and sharp.

"Blood Bone? Shouldn't you be patrolling the outskirts of the wasteland, intercepting any potential interrupters? Why have you come here? And who is he?"

The withered old man on the left, holding a bone staff, spoke in a hoarse and dry voice, like two bones rubbing against each other.

His cold, venomous gaze locked onto Lin Wan.

"I... I..."

Blood Bone was subservient in front of Lin Wan, but facing these fellow Temple Elders whose status and strength were superior to his, especially under the terrifying pressure of their Void Refining Late Stage, he was instantly too scared to speak.

"Hm? On you..."

The old man on the right, holding a decaying long saber, twitched his nose slightly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"There is the aura of an outsider, and also... a Restriction? You have been controlled? Damn it, you dare to betray the Temple and bring an outsider here?!"

Before the words had even finished, the killing intent in the saber-wielding old man's eyes surged violently.

He shook the decaying long saber in his hand, and a blade aura as black as ink, emitting a dense aura of decay, tore through the air and instantly slashed toward Lin Wan and Blood Bone!

This strike was unadorned yet vicious and sharp, containing the full-force blow of a Void Refining Late Stage Cultivator; it was clearly intended to kill both Lin Wan and Blood Bone together!

"Senior, be careful!"

Blood Bone was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, subconsciously wanting to dodge, but his body seemed to be locked by that terrifying decaying Saber Intent, leaving him unable to move.

However, facing this strike that would make even an ordinary Void Refining Late Stage Cultivator prepare for a serious fight, Lin Wan simply extended a finger, Chaos gray light swirling at his fingertip, and gently tapped against the incoming pitch-black blade aura.

"Pfft!"

Like a hot knife through butter, that blade aura containing terrifying power of decay, the moment it made contact with Lin Wan's fingertip, was like encountering its nemesis.

It disintegrated and annihilated inch by inch, not even causing a ripple before it completely vanished.

"What?!"

The pupils of the two withered old men constricted abruptly, and for the first time, expressions of gravity and shock appeared on their faces.

Having been able to Cultivate to the Void Refining Late Stage, their discernment was naturally extraordinary.

The power contained in that seemingly casual finger from Lin Wan made them feel a hint of palpitations!

That was not power that should belong to the Void Refining Middle Stage!

Even an ordinary Void Refining Late Stage Cultivator could never dissolve their full-force strike so lightly!

"Who exactly are you?!"

The staff-wielding old man shouted sternly, slamming his bone staff heavily against the ground.

A colder, more vast aura of decay spread out in all directions like a tide, with him at the center.

The surviving Temple Cultivators around the altar who were presiding over the ritual also stopped their actions, turned around, and surrounded Lin Wan and Blood Bone, their eyes flashing with cruel and bloodthirsty light.

"The person who will take your lives."

Lin Wan slowly lowered his finger, his gaze calmly looking at the two withered old men and the dozen or so black-robed Cultivators around them, who were at least at the Soul Transformation Peak and mostly at the Void Refining Early Stage, as if looking at a group of ants.

"Arrogant! No matter who you are, daring to trespass into the Temple's Forbidden Ground and ruin our Temple's grand plan, today we will ensure you never return, becoming the nourishment to awaken the 'Heart of Corruption'!"

The saber-wielding old man roared, exchanged a glance with the staff-wielding old man, and both erupted into action simultaneously!

"Domain of Corruption, descend!"

"Withered Bone Demon Saber, slash!"

The two Void Refining Late Stage Elders clearly had tacit cooperation, and their first move was a fatal strike.

The bone staff in the staff-wielding old man's hand erupted with monstrous black light, and a Domain power containing a dense "Corruption" Law instantly expanded, shrouding Lin Wan, Blood Bone, and the surrounding hundreds of zhang of space completely!

Within the Domain, all things withered, vitality was extinguished, and even the space itself seemed to be decaying and collapsing!

Meanwhile, the saber-wielding old man merged with his saber, transforming into a pitch-black blade light that tore through the heavens and earth.

He merged into the Domain, and with the help of the Domain's power, his might multiplied, aiming directly for Lin Wan's head!

"Ants shaking a tree, ignorant of death."

Lin Wan shook his head.

Facing the full-force strike of two Void Refining Late Stage Cultivators, he didn't even move his feet.

He simply slowly raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and in his palm, that wisp of "Primordial Chaos Qi" slowly rotated.

"Chaos first opens, all Laws return to the void."

"Chaos Seal—Suppress!"

As Lin Wan's indifferent voice sounded, a palm-sized, entirely Chaos gray, mysterious Dao Seal that seemed to contain a miniature Chaos Universe emerged from his palm and slowly flew out.

Once the Dao Seal appeared, a supreme will that suppressed the heavens and calmed all Laws permeated the area.

Wherever it passed, the enveloping "Domain of Corruption", like mist encountering the scorching sun, made "sizzling" sounds and rapidly melted and disintegrated!

All the Corruption Laws and negative energy within the Domain were mercilessly purified, devoured, and assimilated by the Chaos gray light emitted by the Dao Seal!

"This is impossible!!"

The staff-wielding old man let out a terrified shriek.

He could feel that his "Domain of Corruption", which he had painstakingly cultivated for countless years, was so vulnerable before that Chaos Dao Seal!

That gray light was like the nemesis of all Laws and all energy!

And the pitch-black blade light transformed by the saber-wielding old man, the moment it touched the Chaos Dao Seal, was like crashing into an insurmountable barrier of Chaos.

It let out a shrill, mournful cry and shattered with a bang!

The saber-wielding old man spat out blood wildly, his figure flying backward out of the blade light, and the decaying long saber in his hand snapped inch by inch!

"No!! What is this power?!"

The saber-wielding old man's eyes were filled with boundless fear and disbelief.

He had never seen such a terrifying, overbearing power that so effectively countered the power of "Corruption"!

This completely exceeded his cognition!

"Die."

Lin Wan softly spat out one word.

That Chaos Dao Seal blazed with light, its rotation speed suddenly increasing.

An invisible, terrifying power that seemed capable of annihilating everything exploded instantly, enveloping both withered old men at the Void Refining Late Stage, as well as the dozen or so black-robed Cultivators around them!

"No! The Holy Lord will not let you off!!"

In a desperate roar, the two "Temple of Decay" Elders at the Void Refining Late Stage, along with those dozen elite Cultivators, together with all the Magic Treasures and protective spiritual light on their bodies, under the illumination of the Chaos gray light, were like ice and snow under the scorching sun, rapidly melting and disintegrating, eventually turning into the most fundamental particles, absorbed by the Chaos Dao Seal, and completely disappearing from this world.

Silence descended once again.

Around the altar, only a ground of withered corpses (the previous sacrifices) remained, and the churning blood pool was still making "gurgle, gurgle" sounds.

Behind Lin Wan, Blood Bone was already scared into a heap on the ground, his face bloodless.

His gaze toward Lin Wan was as if he were looking at a Demon God who could open up the heavens and the earth.

He had originally thought that the rumors of Lin Wan killing the "King of Calamity" might have been exaggerated, but now, seeing it with his own eyes, he understood that the rumors were not only not exaggerated, they might even have been underestimated!

In the snap of a finger, suppressing and killing two Void Refining Late Stage Cultivators and over a dozen Void Refining and Soul Transformation Cultivators—what kind of terrifying strength was this?!

Lin Wan ignored Blood Bone.

He waved his hand to put away the Chaos Dao Seal, his gaze falling upon the "corruption heart key" and "star-moon divine mirror" at the edge of the altar, as well as that translucent, jade-like skeleton.

Having dealt with the small fry, the next step was to collect the spoils of war, and... deal with this eerie altar and blood pool.

However, just as Lin Wan was about to step toward the altar, a sudden change occurred!

At the center of the altar, because it lost the infusion of decaying black Qi from the "Temple of Decay" Cultivators, the black light ball that was originally about to emerge seemed to have been stimulated, and the blood pool suddenly began to boil violently!

The viscous blood in the pool shot into the sky like a fountain, condensing into a huge, blurry humanoid figure composed entirely of blood!

The humanoid was a hundred zhang tall, and its face could not be seen clearly, only a pair of scarlet, violent eyes filled with endless desire for corruption and destruction could be seen!

A terrifying aura, more than ten times stronger than that of the two "Temple of Decay" Elders from before, erupted from the blood figure!

This aura was already infinitely close to the Void Refining Peak, and even... faintly carried a trace of "King" level pressure!

Moreover, the "Corruption" Dao rhythm contained in this aura was purer, older, and more heart-palpitating!

"Roar—!!!"

The blood figure let out a silent roar toward the sky, and the substantial sound waves, mixed with a dense aura of blood and decay, instantly swept across the entire bottom of the abyss!

The ground shook, gravel fell down with a rustling sound, and those huge skeletons in the distance all trembled slightly in this roar!

"Is this... a part of the will of that thing in the blood pool waking up? Or was a trace of power awakened in advance by that blood sacrifice ritual?"

Lin Wan's eyes narrowed, and he stopped his steps, Chaos airflow slowly swirling around his body.

He could feel that although this blood figure before him was only a temporary body condensed by some existence using the power of the blood pool and the altar, its power was already not to be underestimated, sufficient to pose a threat to an ordinary Void Refining Peak Cultivator.

"Humble ant... how dare you... disturb My slumber... destroy My followers... you must use your blood and soul... to atone..."

Intermittent, filled with endless resentment and madness, the thoughts emanated from the blood figure and resounded throughout Lin Wan's Sea of Consciousness.

Immediately, the huge blood figure raised its giant palm, condensed from blood, and with a monstrous aura of blood and decay, slammed it down fiercely toward Lin Wan!

Before the giant palm arrived, the terrifying pressure had already caused the surrounding space to emit an unbearable groan!