48: Chapter 48 The Hall of Five Elements

Lin Wan's calm words were like a pebble thrown into a still lake, sending ripples through everyone's hearts.

His seemingly indifferent gaze swept over them, yet it carried an invisible pressure originating from the depths of his Divine Soul, causing these dozen-plus Golden Core Cultivators, who had just escaped danger and each harbored their own schemes, to shiver inwardly.

This person was not to be trifled with.

Although Lin Wan's aura appeared to be only at the Mid-stage Golden Core, back outside, he had been the first—and only—person to pass through the Guixu Demon Spirit attacks and enter this place unscathed, right before everyone's eyes in a nearly "eerie" manner.

Now, facing the dozen-plus of them (among whom were not a few Late Stage and Great Perfection Golden Core Cultivators), he showed not a shred of fear, instead possessing an indifferent air of controlling everything.

Either he was bluffing, or... his strength far exceeded what was on the surface, making him fearless.

Everyone present had experienced battles and were sharp-minded individuals, so they made a judgment in an instant.

The possibility of him bluffing was extremely low; otherwise, he could not have been the first to break in.

Therefore, there was only one truth—this Genius of the Qingyun Sect, who had been missing for years and rumored to be dead, was not only alive but his strength had progressed by leaps and bounds, reaching a level that made all of them feel wary.

The atmosphere became momentarily stagnant.

"Amitabha." Liao Chen of the Vajra Temple was the first to break the silence. He pressed his palms together, nodded slightly to Lin Wan, and said, "Benefactor Lin's words are very true. The Guixu Sea is filled with unpredictable dangers. The priority is to investigate the situation here and search for Opportunity, not to kill each other. My Vajra Temple is willing to coexist peacefully with you and help each other."

He stated his stance, while simultaneously subtly standing on the side of Lin Wan and the Qingyun Sect.

The Buddhist Sects of the Western Desert had a decent relationship with the Daoist Sects of the Southern Region, and Liao Chen knew well that, facing potential trouble from the Ice Soul Palace and the Xuanming Sect, joining forces with the unfathomable Lin Wan was the wiser choice.

"Hmph, hypocritical bald donkey!" The Great Perfection Golden Core Elder from the Ice Soul Palace, named Han Ming, did not diminish the killing intent in his eyes, but he did not act immediately, only staring fixedly at Lin Wan. "Brat, don't think that just because you have some tricks, you can run rampant here! The grudge of killing our Ice Soul Palace Elder is irreconcilable! Once we leave this place, I will definitely make you pay for it with blood!"

Although he hated him deeply, he was not a brainless person.

The situation here was unclear, and Lin Wan's methods were bizarre. Acting rashly, even if he could win, would likely exact a heavy price, making him do the work for others' benefit.

The black-robed person from the Xuanming Sect, who called himself "You Gu," let out a strange, cackling laugh: "Old man Han Ming, why be in such a rush to fight and kill? Young Friend Lin possesses the Legacy of the Five Elements Sect and has obtained the void five elements token; he is the key person to explore this place. Why don't we cooperate first, find that Five Elements Hall, get the benefits, and then compete for them based on our own abilities, how about that?"

His eyes flickered; clearly, he wanted to use Lin Wan, while also harboring the intention of being the oriole behind the mantis.

Yan Potian remained silent, but the flames on his body flickered on and off, clearly weighing the pros and cons.

The other few unfamiliar Golden Core Cultivators' eyes flickered even more, not daring to state their positions easily.

Han Lingtian and Xu Feng stepped forward and stood side by side with Lin Wan.

Han Lingtian said coldly, "Junior Brother Lin is a Disciple of my Qingyun Sect. If you want to touch him, ask the sword in my hand first." His stance was clear.

For a moment, the scene formed a delicate balance.

With Lin Wan, the Qingyun Sect, and the Vajra Temple on one side, the Ice Soul Palace and the Xuanming Sect as a potential hostile side, and the Skyfire Sect and other Loose Cultivators remaining neutral and watching.

Lin Wan took in everyone's reactions, understanding clearly in his heart.

He had never expected to completely resolve all grievances here. Being able to temporarily maintain a superficial peace, avoid unnecessary consumption, and concentrate on exploring the Five Elements Hall had already achieved his goal.

"Since everyone has no intention of acting for now, let's cooperate as Fellow Daoist You Gu suggested and explore this place. As for our grievances, we can settle them after leaving the Guixu Sea," Lin Wan said indifferently, giving both sides a way out.

Han Ming snorted coldly and said nothing more, effectively agreeing.

You Gu laughed strangely again and again.

"Junior Brother Lin, what are your plans next?" Han Lingtian asked via voice transmission.

"First, we must figure out our current location and the path to the Five Elements Hall." Lin Wan took out the void five elements token. The map on the token clearly displayed the words "Nebula Plains," as well as a winding path pointing toward the deep misty nebula. "According to the map, we are currently at the edge of the 'Nebula Plains.' Crossing this plain will bring us to the 'Five Elements Turbulence Belt,' and after that, we will reach the core area where the Five Elements Hall is located. The journey is not short, and there will definitely be obstacles."

"There is no time to lose; let's set off now," said Xu Feng.

The group reached a (temporary) consensus, with Lin Wan leading the way (he held the map and the void five elements token's sensing ability), and they headed toward the depths of the Nebula Plains.

The Nebula Plains were vast and boundless, with five-colored cloud ground beneath their feet and a rotating nebula overhead. The scenery was magnificent, yet it exuded an eerie tranquility.

The dense Spiritual Qi in the air made one feel refreshed, yet everyone remained highly vigilant.

This place was the former site of the Five Elements Sect; even if it had been abandoned for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, it was definitely not a safe place.

Sure enough, after traveling less than a hundred miles, a sudden change occurred.

The seemingly calm cloud ground ahead suddenly collapsed, turning into a rolling energy swamp displaying five-colored brilliance!

Inside the swamp, it was not mud, but viscous, violent, and varying-attribute Five Elements Spiritual Qi turbulence, colliding and annihilating each other, erupting with terrifying tearing forces and chaotic Law fluctuations.

Furthermore, there were streaks of different colors, "Elemental Spirits" condensed from pure Five Elements Spiritual Qi, dancing like ghosts above the swamp, emitting sharp shrieks and filled with hostility toward the intruders.

"It's the 'Five Elements Swamp'! Be careful; these Elemental Spirits are extremely aggressive toward those who do not use Five Elements Sect Cultivation Techniques, and they can trigger the Five Elements turbulence in the swamp!" exclaimed a Loose Cultivator Golden Core who had some research on the Five Elements Sect.

Before the words fell, dozens of Elemental Spirits in the swamp had discovered them, emitting sharp shrieks and turning into streaks of five-colored light, carrying violent Five Elements Spells (fireballs, ice spikes, gold blades, wood thorns, stone spears) and bombarding them from all over the sky!

At the same time, the Five Elements swamp below also churned violently, and several thick streaks of Five Elements turbulence, like giant pythons, coiled toward the crowd.

"Form a Formation to defend!" "Handle it individually!"

Everyone did not dare to be slow, one after another unleashing their Magic Treasures and performing Divine Abilities to resist the attacks.

However, the power of these Elemental Spirits and Five Elements turbulence far exceeded their imagination, and the attributes generated mutual generation and restraint, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Especially for those Cultivators who cultivated single-attribute Cultivation Techniques, the suppression was particularly obvious.

Han Ming of the Ice Soul Palace used Ice-type Divine Abilities to attack the Fire-attribute spirits, only to provoke an even more intense counterattack.

Yan Potian of the Skyfire Sect also found it quite difficult to deal with the Water-attribute spirits.

Only Lin Wan, facing this attack with all Five Elements present, felt like a fish in water.

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, ten thousand Spells from the same Origin—Defend."

With a thought, his Five Elements Returning to Ruins Sword Domain quietly unfolded, but this time it was not an attack, but rather transformed into a layer of chaotic dark silver light film, enveloping himself.

Those incoming Five Elements Spells and turbulence, once entering the range of the Sword Domain, were quickly decomposed and assimilated by the rotating Five Elements power and the true meaning of Returning to Ruins within, turning into pure Spiritual Qi that fed back into himself, almost unable to pose a threat to him.

Holding the guixu sword, as he swung the sword light, the gray Sword Qi easily extinguished one Elemental Spirit after another that pounced on him, his efficiency far exceeding others.

Han Lingtian and Xu Feng also cultivated Five Elements attribute Cultivation Techniques (the Qingyun Sect's basic Cultivation Technique included the Five Elements), and although they were not as pure and profound as Lin Wan's, they were relatively composed in dealing with them.

Liao Chen of the Vajra Temple had vast Buddhist light, upright and peaceful, which also had a good defensive effect against Five Elements attacks.

The other few Loose Cultivators each showed their own Divine Abilities, barely holding on.

The most miserable were Han Ming of the Ice Soul Palace and You Gu of the Xuanming Sect.

Han Ming was entangled by several Fire-attribute spirits and Wood-attribute turbulence, his Ice-type Divine Abilities restrained everywhere, and he roared repeatedly.

You Gu's Ghost Dao Divine Abilities were also greatly reduced in power in this pure Five Elements Spiritual Qi environment, and he was beaten quite miserably by several Metal-attribute and Earth-attribute spirits.

"Fellow Daoist Lin! Why not help?!" Han Ming roared indignantly; he, a dignified Great Perfection Golden Core, was actually forced into a flustered state by a few Mid-stage Golden Core Elemental Spirits.

Lin Wan glanced at him indifferently and ignored him, continuing to clear the Elemental Spirits in front and opening the path for everyone.

He was not a soft-hearted person; the Ice Soul Palace had a grudge against him, so it was already good enough that he didn't kick them while they were down.

"Old man Han Ming, it's better to rely on yourself than to beg others!" You Gu laughed strangely and suddenly took out a small, pitch-black banner. The banner's surface was filled with ghostly aura. With a sudden shake, several pitch-black phantoms flew out from the banner, pouncing toward those Elemental Spirits.

The phantoms seemed unafraid of Five Elements attacks and, on the contrary, could erode the core spiritual light of the Elemental Spirits, which temporarily stabilized the situation.

Everyone joined forces and spent about half an hour, finally clearing most of the Elemental Spirits in this "Five Elements Swamp" and forcing their way through.

Except for Lin Wan, Han Lingtian, and Liao Chen who seemed slightly relaxed, everyone else had consumed quite a bit and did not look very good.

After this incident, everyone had a more intuitive understanding of Lin Wan's strength and his adaptability to this place, and their wariness of him deepened.

At the same time, they became more vigilant about the journey ahead.

Crossing the Nebula Plains and experiencing several similar Five Elements dangerous areas (such as the "Geng Metal Sword Forest," "Li Fire Flame Domain," "Xuan Water Cold Pool," etc.), everyone finally arrived at the "Five Elements Turbulence Belt" marked on the map.

This was a huge belt-shaped area spanning before them, of unknown width, filled with violent, chaotic, and constantly changing-colored Five Elements Spiritual Qi turbulence.

Within the turbulence, huge Five Elements Spiritual Qi vortexes were generated, collided, and exploded from time to time, emitting a destructive aura.

Deeper inside, spatial rifts faintly flashed, swallowing the surrounding Spiritual Qi and light.

This was the final and most dangerous barrier leading to the Five Elements Hall.

The sensing of the void five elements token penetrated the turbulence, pointing directly to the core area behind it.

"The Five Elements Turbulence Belt... It is said that it not only contains violent Five Elements Spiritual Qi but is also mixed with Law fragments and spatial rifts left over from the ancient great war. It is extremely dangerous; even Nascent Soul True Monarchs would not dare say they could pass through safely," a Loose Cultivator said with a pale face.

"Go around it?" someone suggested.

"We cannot go around it. This place is the only path, and the map shows that only by crossing the turbulence belt can we reach the 'Reception Platform' on the periphery of the Five Elements Hall," Lin Wan shook his head, looking solemnly at the ceaselessly raging Five Elements turbulence.

He could feel that deep within the turbulence, there was something faintly echoing with the void five elements token, seemingly... a reception Formation? Or perhaps, a "test" from the Five Elements Hall for those holding the void five elements token?

"The void five elements token in my hand seems to be able to sense a relatively calm 'node' in the turbulence belt, through which we might be able to pass relatively safely. But the specifics will have to be determined after we enter," Lin Wan said.

The information conveyed by the void five elements token showed that the node was a "Trial Passage" set up by the ancient Five Elements Sect for its Disciples; only those who possessed the void five elements token and had sufficient understanding of the Five Elements Dao could trigger and open it.

"Then let's go in! We've already arrived here; could we possibly turn back?" Yan Potian gritted his teeth, flames rising on his body, and took the lead, turning into a streak of firelight and rushing into the raging Five Elements turbulence.

Seeing this, the others gritted their teeth and followed.

At this point, retreating was no longer possible.

Lin Wan held the void five elements token and followed closely, rushing into the turbulence.

Upon entering, he felt immense pressure.

The violent Five Elements Spiritual Qi was like billions of fine needles, squeezing and cutting from all directions, and there was a chaotic will constantly impacting his heart and mind, trying to make people lose their way.

Various attribute Spell turbulence, like invisible blades, were impossible to guard against.

He opened the Five Elements Returning to Ruins Sword Domain, isolating most of the attacks, while simultaneously sinking his Divine Thought into the void five elements token, sensing the location of that "node."

"This way!"

He gave a low shout to guide the direction, and his figure shuttled through the violent turbulence in a strange trajectory, as if following some ancient rhythm.

Han Lingtian, Xu Feng, Liao Chen, and others followed closely behind.

The Ice Soul Palace, Xuanming Sect, and others also gritted their teeth and followed, not daring to fall behind.

Under the guidance of the void five elements token, the group struggled forward for about a hundred miles, and the chaotic Five Elements Spiritual Qi ahead suddenly became somewhat orderly, faintly forming a narrow, relatively "calm" passage.

At the end of the passage, one could vaguely see an ancient platform floating in the turbulence, several zhang in size, paved with five-colored crystals.

"That's it! The Reception Platform!" Lin Wan's spirit lifted.

Everyone accelerated and rushed toward the platform.

However, just as Yan Potian in the lead was about to step onto the platform—

"Roar—!!!"

A terrifying roar, even more violent, crazy, and filled with pure destructive desire than the Guixu Demon Spirits outside, erupted from the depths of the turbulence below the platform!

Immediately following, a terrifying giant beast—over fifty zhang long, composed entirely of the most violent and chaotic Five Elements Spiritual Qi, with nine ferocious beast heads, each burning with different colored flames, and an aura that had reached the Late Stage Nascent Soul, even touching the threshold of Soul Transformation—suddenly emerged from the turbulence. Its nine giant mouths simultaneously spat out nine Five Elements annihilation beams of different colors, yet each containing world-destroying power, toward Yan Potian in the lead and Lin Wan and the others following closely behind!

A Five Elements Turbulence Beast! And, a terrifying existence comparable to a Late Stage Nascent Soul!

This was not a guardian of the "Trial Passage" at all, but more like a monster that had been eroded and mutated by the chaotic Five Elements Spiritual Qi here and the destructive will left over from ancient times over the long years, becoming completely insane!

"Not good!" "Retreat quickly!"

Everyone turned pale with fright and retreated in a panic.

But the beams were too fast and covered too wide an area. Yan Potian, bearing the brunt, only had time to sacrifice his Lifebound Treasure, the "Red Flame Cauldron," to protect himself before being fiercely struck by a crimson beam!

"Boom—!!!"

The Red Flame Cauldron let out a mournful cry, its spiritual light instantly dimmed, and cracks appeared on its surface.

Yan Potian was struck as if by a heavy blow, spraying blood wildly, his body flying out like a kite with a broken string, his aura instantly wilting, clearly having suffered heavy injuries.

The other beams followed one after another, bombarding Lin Wan and the others.

Facing this terrifying strike that far exceeded their own Realms, everyone could feel the shadow of death.

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, Void as Shield—Sword Domain, Extreme Realm!"

A fierce look flashed in Lin Wan's eyes, and with no more reservations, he unleashed the Void Dao Seed, the guixu sword Spirit, and all his understanding of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins!

That gray Five Elements Returning to Ruins Sword Domain instantly compressed and condensed to the extreme, transforming into a chaotic dark silver shield only a foot thick, yet seeming to contain a small world, with nebulas birthing and dying within, and the cycle of Returning to Ruins, blocking in front of everyone!

At the same time, the guixu sword in his hand erupted with unprecedented brilliant starlight, and he slashed with one sword toward the weakest of the incoming beams.

"Hum—!!!"

The chaotic dark silver shield collided fiercely with the several Five Elements annihilation beams.

There was no explosion, only silent annihilation and confrontation.

The shield vibrated violently, the nebulas on its surface flowing, birthing, and dying rapidly, constantly decomposing and assimilating the destructive energy in the beams.

But the power of the beams was too strong and inexhaustible. The shield quickly became illusory, and Lin Wan's face turned deathly pale, blood seeping from his seven orifices, the Golden Core energy in his body pouring out crazily, and his Divine Soul feeling as if it were being torn apart.

But he gritted his teeth and held on, the silver light of the Void Dao Seed between his brows shining with unprecedented brilliance, frantically drawing in the surrounding chaotic Five Elements Spiritual Qi and Void Realm power to replenish himself.

At the same time, the chaotic dark silver sword light he had slashed out also struck a water-blue beam, deflecting it slightly.

It was this slight deflection that gave the others a glimmer of hope.

Han Lingtian roared, his heavy sword erupting with Sword Qi as heavy as a mountain, blocking one beam.

Liao Chen's Buddhist light shone universally, condensing a Vajra phantom to resist one beam head-on.

Others also used their own methods, resisting desperately.

Even so, two people (Loose Cultivators) still could not dodge in time, were grazed by the beams, and instantly turned into fly ash, their physical bodies and souls destroyed.

"Boom—!!!"

The terrifying aftermath of the explosion sent everyone flying, slamming them against the hard turbulence barrier behind them, leaving them all spitting out blood and in a wretched state. Even the Five Elements Turbulence Beast seemed slightly withered in its aura due to the full-force strike, its nine heads swaying as it emitted a roar of unwillingness.

"Now is the time! Get on the platform!" Lin Wan forced himself to hold his breath and roared hoarsely at the group. At the same time, the void five elements token in his hand erupted with unprecedented light, shooting towards the reception platform.

The platform seemed to be activated; the five-colored crystals suddenly lit up, forming a stable five-colored light barrier that enveloped the platform, temporarily isolating it from the violent turbulence outside.

How could the others dare to hesitate? They scrambled and crawled, rushing towards the platform. Lin Wan grabbed the heavily injured and unconscious Yan Potian and was the last to step into the light barrier.

The moment he stepped into the light barrier, the Five Elements Turbulence Beast seemed to be completely enraged. Its nine heads rose again, ready to spew beams of light.

However, the five-colored light barrier on the platform suddenly shrank, turning into a speck of streaming light that wrapped around everyone on the platform, instantly disappearing from the spot and plunging into the depths of the Five Elements turbulence.

"Roar—!!!"

The Five Elements Turbulence Beast let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar of fury, attacking the spot where the platform had disappeared, but only stirred up even more violent turbulence, all in vain.

...

Light and shadow flowed, and space stabilized.

When Lin Wan and the others regained their footing, they were already in another world.

Under their feet was a white ground, smooth as a mirror and possessing the warm texture of jade, extending into the distance. The air was filled with pure, peaceful, yet supreme Five Elements Dao Rhyme; with every breath, it felt as if one were listening to the sounds of the Great Dao. Looking up, ahead stood a massive, towering, and ancient palace that seemed to support the entire firmament, standing silently there.

The palace appeared entirely in the color of Chaos, as if forged from the most original Five Elements energy. Its height and width were unfathomable; merely glancing at it made one feel as small as dust. The palace gates were tightly closed, and inscribed on them was a huge, slowly rotating phantom of a Five Elements wheel. At the center of the wheel were five slots, identical in shape to the void five elements token.

Surrounding the palace were auspicious clouds, dancing cranes, murmuring spiritual springs, and Spirit Medicine everywhere. There were also countless phantoms of pavilions, towers, and Immortal Caves, appearing and disappearing in the clouds, as if scenes from the heyday of the Five Elements Sect were reappearing. But all of this was shrouded in a faint, eternal, and lonely aura of vicissitudes.

Here, there was no violent turbulence, no dangerous Restriction (at least on the surface), only a supreme majesty that was both comforting and enough to make one involuntarily prostrate in worship.

The Five Elements Hall!

The true core of the Legacy of the ancient Five Elements Sect!

Having endured hardships and traversed dangers, they had finally arrived at this place.

Everyone on the platform, including the heavily injured and awakened, pale-faced Yan Potian, stared blankly at the magnificent palace before them, which seemed to exist only in legends. Their eyes were filled with shock, excitement, greed, and... a trace of confusion.

They had arrived, but what now?

There were five void five elements tokens in total. Yet, here, only Lin Wan seemed to have collected four? What about the fifth one? Without all five, how could they open the palace gates?

Everyone's gaze focused on Lin Wan, especially on the void five elements token in his hand, which emitted a chaotic luster and faintly resonated with the slots on the palace gates.

Lin Wan ignored their gazes. He took a deep breath, suppressing the churning Qi and blood in his body and the fatigue of his Divine Soul, and walked step by step towards the towering gates of the Five Elements Hall.

The void five elements token in his hand was now extremely hot, its light burning bright, as if it wanted to break free and merge with the palace gates. The Void Dao Seed between his brows also emitted a joyful hum, resonating more deeply with the Dao Rhyme of this world.

He could feel that something behind the palace gates was calling to him. It was the Legacy, the truth, the responsibility, and also... unknown dangers.

But he had no way back.

Walking to the front of the gates, beneath the huge phantom of the Five Elements wheel, Lin Wan stopped. He slowly raised his hand and pressed the void five elements token in his hand towards the center of the wheel, into the only slot among the five that was flickering with faint light and perfectly matched the shape of the token in his hand.

"Click."

With a soft sound, it fit perfectly.

The next moment—

"Hum—!!!"

The entire Five Elements Hall shook violently! The phantom of the Five Elements wheel on the palace gates suddenly erupted with blinding five-colored brilliance! The other four dim slots also lit up one after another with faint light, as if responding and waiting.

The void five elements token in Lin Wan's hand shone brightly, turning into a pillar of chaotic light that shot into the sky, connecting with the palace gate wheel. The Void Dao Seed imprint between his brows also manifested, emitting a silver halo that merged with the chaotic light pillar.

A vast, ancient will, as if from the beginning of the creation of the world, slowly awakened and descended upon this world. That will was not a specific existence, but rather more like the Dao and Law, blood and fire, glory and regret of countless predecessors of the Five Elements Sect, condensed into... the soul of the Sect!

"Latecomer... holding four tokens... recognized by the Dao Seed... qualified to... accept the Five Elements Sect's... final Legacy..."

The grand voice resounded directly in everyone's Divine Soul, shaking their hearts.

"However, the five elements token is missing one. The Legacy is incomplete."

The voice paused, and on the huge Five Elements wheel, the four lit slots flowed with light, while the one that remained dim trembled slightly.

"Where is the fifth token?"

Everyone's heart jumped to their throats. Where was the fifth void token? If they couldn't find it, wouldn't all their previous efforts be in vain?

Lin Wan's gaze was calm; he had already sensed that the aura of the fifth token was in this world, or even... inside this Five Elements Hall! It was just that it seemed to be sealed and isolated by some powerful force, making it difficult to lock onto precisely.

Just as he was about to try to use the power of the Void Dao Seed and the four tokens in his hand to forcibly sense and pull the fifth token—a sudden change occurred again!

You Gu of the Xuanming Sect, who had been silently following behind the group with a withered aura, suddenly let out a sharp, ear-piercing, weird laugh!

"Hehehe... The fifth token? Why bother looking for it? Don't I have one right here?!"

In everyone's horrified gaze, You Gu suddenly tore open the black robe on his chest, revealing his shriveled chest underneath. In the center of his chest, beneath the skin, was embedded a palm-sized, pitch-black token that emitted an aura originating from the same source as the void five elements token, yet filled with evil, dead silence—a token!

It was the fifth void five elements token! But this token seemed to have been completely infected and polluted by some evil force, turning pitch-black, and it no longer emitted the grand and righteous aura of the Five Elements Sect, but the Nether Death Qi of the Xuanming Sect!

"You... how could you have the fifth token?!" Han Ming was shocked and angry.

"Hahaha! Didn't expect that, did you? Back then, the Ancestral Master of my Xuanming Sect participated in the siege of the Five Elements Sect, and although he died, he fought to the death to seize this last void token! It's just that this token was backlashed by the Restriction of the Five Elements Sect and infected with filth, making it impossible to use. My Sect spent countless efforts to nurture and erode it with ten thousand years of Nether Qi, and only then could we barely control it. Although we cannot use its true purpose, it is enough as part of the 'key'!" You Gu laughed wildly, his eyes filled with madness and triumph.

"Today, I will use this filthy token, combined with the 'rightful tokens' in your hands, to open this Five Elements Hall! By then, the Legacy and treasures in the hall will all belong to my Xuanming Sect! You all will become the sacrifices to open the palace gates! The orthodoxy of the Five Elements Sect will be inherited and... twisted by my Xuanming Sect! Hahahaha!"

So that was it! The fifth token had actually fallen into the hands of the Xuanming Sect long ago and had been eroded by filth! You Gu had been enduring and waiting, and only now did he reveal his true colors! He intended to use this filthy token, combined with the four rightful tokens, to forcibly open the Five Elements Hall, take the Opportunity to control the palace gates, and perhaps even trigger the Restriction inside the hall to pollute and destroy everyone present, along with the potential Legacy will of the Five Elements Sect!

"Stop him!" Han Lingtian roared, slashing out with his heavy sword.

"Amitabha!" The Buddha light of Liao Chen surged, turning into a giant palm that slammed down. The others also reacted and attacked You Gu one after another.

However, You Gu seemed to have been prepared. The pitch-black void token suddenly erupted with monstrous Nether Death Qi, forming a thick black light barrier that protected him. The attacks of the group landed on the light barrier but were quickly worn down and blocked by the dense, highly corrosive Death Qi.

"It's useless! This 'Nether Ruins Token', although filthy, is essentially a void five elements token and shares the same Origin as the palace gates! Now that the palace gates are about to open, its power has also been triggered; you cannot break it!" You Gu laughed wildly. At the same time, he formed hand Seals and violently pried the pitch-black token from his chest, pressing it hard towards the last remaining dim slot on the Five Elements wheel!

"With the Nether Ruins as the guide, filth as the righteous, open—the—palace—gates!"

"No—!!!"

Under the gaze of everyone with eyes splitting from rage, that pitch-black "Nether Ruins Token" collided with the last slot on the Five Elements wheel with a loud boom!

"Boom—!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying explosion erupted from the palace gates! The pitch-black Nether Death Qi and the five-colored Five Elements spiritual light clashed, annihilated, and polluted each other frantically! The entire Five Elements Hall shook violently, and the Five Elements wheel on the palace gates spun crazily, light flashing erratically, as if two diametrically opposed and irreconcilable forces were engaged in the most intense and fundamental confrontation.

The palace gates let out an unbearable groan, as if they were about to shatter.

And the power of the "Nether Ruins Token," which You Gu had placed high hopes on and believed could pollute and control everything, did not seem to gain the absolute upper hand in the confrontation with the four rightful tokens and the power of the Five Elements Hall itself. Instead, it showed signs of being backlashed and purified. The wild laughter on You Gu's face gradually turned into astonishment and a trace of fear.

"Impossible! The Nether Ruins power that my Sect has sacrificed and refined for ten thousand years, how could it..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the Five Elements wheel on the palace gates, the center of that frenzied energy confrontation, suddenly stopped spinning. In the center of the wheel, countless fine golden cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the pitch-black "Nether Ruins Token"! From within the cracks, pure five-colored spiritual light, which seemed capable of purifying all evil, shot out!

"Purification... backlash?! No—!!!" You Gu let out a desperate roar.

"Bang—!!!"

The pitch-black "Nether Ruins Token" exploded! It turned into black specks of light filling the sky, quickly purified and swallowed by the surrounding Five Elements spiritual light. A pure, yet filled with the aura of rage and destruction, Nether backlash force followed the connection between You Gu and the token, slamming violently into his body!

"Pfft—!"

You Gu sprayed a mouthful of pitch-black blood that emitted corrosive green smoke. His whole body seemed to have been drained of all vitality, instantly becoming shriveled and withered. The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and he fell straight backward, his breath gone. The black light barrier that protected him also dissipated.

You Gu of the Xuanming Sect, having brought this upon himself, was backlashed by the "Nether Ruins Token" and perished instantly!

However, the crisis was not resolved.

The fifth void token was broken! Although it was the filthy "Nether Ruins Token," it was, after all, one of the keys to opening the palace gates. Now that one of the five was missing, could the palace gates still be opened? What would happen to the Five Elements and Nether forces that were frantically clashing and annihilating each other, now that they had lost their balance point?

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty, not knowing what to do—Lin Wan, who had been standing quietly in front of the palace gates, holding the void five elements token fused from the four rightful tokens, with the Void Dao Seed between his brows shining brilliantly, suddenly moved.

In the center of the chaotic energy storm where the "Nether Ruins Token" had shattered, the Nether backlash had erupted, and the Five Elements and Death Qi were frantically clashing and annihilating, he took a step forward.

The void five elements token in his hand, which had fused the four rightful tokens and was currently trembling violently and flickering with light due to the absence of the fifth token and the confrontation, was slowly raised by him, held above his head.

He closed his eyes, no longer looking at the chaotic energy, no longer listening to the terrifying explosions. His mind sank completely into the token in his hand, into the Dao Seed between his brows, into the land of the Five Elements Sect beneath his feet, and into the eternal heroic spirits of the Five Elements Sect that seemed to be wailing and waiting in the ethereal void.

"Five Elements Sect... ancestors... unworthy descendant Lin Wan, today, with the four tokens as proof, with the Dao Seed as the guide, with Returning to Ruins as the intent..."

He spoke in a low voice. The voice was not loud, yet it seemed to contain some strange power, penetrating the explosions of energy, clearly reaching everyone's ears, as well as the palace gates, and the depths of this world.

"...fill, the lack of the fifth token."

As the words fell, the silver Void Dao Seed imprint between his brows suddenly erupted with unprecedented, brilliant silver light that seemed capable of illuminating the eternal darkness! This silver light no longer contained only the power of space, but also fused his every realization of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins, the Star Dao Rhyme inherited from Star Derivation, and the recognition of the Five Elements Sect, the reverence for the ancestors, the desire for the Legacy, and the persistence for the "Dao" that he had carried throughout this journey!

The silver light shot into the sky, turning into a silver pillar of light condensed to the extreme, containing the birth and death of nebulae and the rotation of Returning to Ruins, slamming violently into the violently trembling void five elements token in his hand!

"Hum—!!!"

The void five elements token emitted a clear, long chime that sounded like liberation, and also like a rebirth! On the token, the chaotic light that had been flickering due to the absence of the fifth token suddenly stabilized and became restrained. Immediately, a more profound, vast, and chaotic color that seemed to be able to contain all things and evolve the heavens spread from the core of the token, instantly covering the entire token!

At the same time, on the palace gates, the Five Elements wheel phantom, which was about to collapse and backlash due to the shattering of the "Nether Ruins Token" and the vacancy of the fifth slot, seemed to sense something and trembled violently! The vacant fifth slot position actually began to rotate and twist slowly on its own, and finally, it formed a brand-new slot that perfectly matched the shape and aura of the brand-new void token in Lin Wan's hand, which was emitting a chaotic luster that contained everything!

It was not filling in the fifth token, but... based on the four tokens, using the Void Dao Seed and his own supreme realization of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins as a guide, to re-evolve and condense the missing, and also the final— "Core"! Mending the sky's lack, evolving the ultimate!

"With my Dao, I fill your lack—Open—the—palace—gates!"

Lin Wan opened his eyes suddenly, his eyes interwoven with silver-gray and Chaos, as if scenes of the creation of the world flashed by. He held the void five elements token in both hands, which had already been reborn and transformed into the Origin of Chaos, and pressed it hard against the newly born slot on the palace gates that perfectly corresponded to the token in his hand!

"Clang—!!!"

It was no longer a soft sound, but like a great bell, resounding through the heavens and worlds!

An indescribable, soft, vast, yet supreme chaotic light erupted from the point of connection, instantly filling everyone's vision, submerging the entire Five Elements Hall, and submerging every corner of this world.

In that endless chaotic light, everyone seemed to see the gates of the Five Elements Hall, which had been sealed for endless years and witnessed glory and decline, slowly and silently... opening inward.

Behind the gates, was it deeper darkness, or the... Legacy place that contained supreme opportunities and ultimate secrets?