88: Chapter 88 Two Realms Mountain, Spatial Rift

It was not merely the turbulent energy of shattered space, but an evil will originating from a higher dimension that seemed capable of "negating" all existence and returning all things to "nothingness." The edges of the rift were pitch-black, constantly twisting and extending, devouring the surrounding light and Spiritual Qi; even space itself seemed to be slowly "digested" and assimilated by it. Inside the rift, dark red lightning, like congealed blood, flickered in the viscous depths of darkness. Each flash was accompanied by eerie shrieks and whispers that struck directly at the Divine Soul, filled with madness, Chaos, and a pure, unadulterated malice toward living beings and "existence" itself.

"Patrol Envoy, this rift... is too sinister!" Yue Lingfeng followed closely behind Lin Wan, his face pale. Even with the protection of Lin Wan's Chaos Dao Rhyme, he still felt restless, and his Sword Infant trembled faintly within him, as if it had encountered a natural enemy. He could feel that if he dared to approach the rift, he would likely be eroded by that terrifying evil force within moments, transforming into a monster that knew only slaughter and destruction, or be directly devoured and annihilated.

"Indeed, this rift is completely different from ordinary 'Heavenly Rift' branches." Lin Wan's expression was grave. His Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit operated at full power, and Chaos brilliance swirled in his eyes as he attempted to see through to the essence deep within the rift. "The 'the end' will contained within it is more Origin-based, and also more... 'ordered'? No, not ordered, it is more... 'Advanced'! It is as if... some terrifying entity with a complete consciousness, or perhaps a kind of 'collective will,' is trying to tear open the barrier of our world and extend its tentacles inside!"

He recalled the description of "the end" in the Five Elements Dao Venerable Legacy—it was not a simple destructive natural disaster, but a terrifying phenomenon possessing a "collective will" that constantly eroded, corrupted, and assimilated the myriad worlds, dragging all "existence" into its eternal, cold, and chaotic "nothingness." The rift before him seemed to fit this description.

"Could it be... the vanguard of 'the end' erosion? Or is it some kind of... entity that shares the same source as 'the end,' but is more concrete and more 'corporeal'?" Thoughts raced through Lin Wan's mind, but his feet did not stop for a moment.

Finally, the two arrived at the "Liangjie Mountain" region.

Liangjie Mountain was originally a rugged mountain range at the border between the Central Plains and the Southern Region, where Spiritual Qi was chaotic and space was relatively weak. It often experienced small-scale spatial turbulence and was a dangerous place for exploration and training, but it had never witnessed such a terrifying sight.

At this moment, above the main peak of Liangjie Mountain, the black rift, a hundred miles long, hung across the sky like an ugly, pus-oozing scar, tearing the blue sky in two. Below the rift, the once towering mountain peak now appeared as if it had been twisted and squeezed by an invisible giant force, presenting a strange, wax-like form. The surface of many mountains was covered with a layer of pitch-black, viscous, constantly squirming "moss" that seemed alive, emitting a thick aura of decay and death. Further away, the earth cracked and magma surged, but it eerily displayed an interwoven color of dark red and pitch-black, and the air was permeated with sulfur, the smell of blood, and an indescribable stench.

The several teams sent earlier to investigate had long since vanished, leaving not even a scrap of remains. Clearly, they had met with misfortune.

"Patrol Envoy, look there!" Yue Lingfeng suddenly pointed to a relatively "peaceful" mountain hollow below the rift.

In that mountain hollow, there was actually a... crude, yet eerily atmospheric camp?! The camp was built from pitch-black Materials that seemed to be a mixture of some kind of biological bone and rock, with a hideous style. In the center stood a "Totem Pillar" several zhang high, pitch-black throughout, with a twisted crystal embedded at the top that constantly rotated and emitted a dark red glow. In the camp, shadows flickered, and dozens of figures were moving about.

Those figures were of various forms; some were like elongated, twisted humanoids, some were monsters pieced together from various Yao Beasts, and others were simply clumps of shadows or viscous liquids constantly changing shape. But they all shared one common point—their bodies all emitted a thick, evil aura originating from the same source as the rift, and their eyes pulsed with mad, chaotic light. Moreover, they seemed to be... "working"? Some were collecting a kind of pitch-black "debris" that fell from the rift like snowflakes and throwing it into a "pool" made of dark red magma in the center of the camp that was bubbling eerily; others were using those pitch-black Materials to reinforce the camp, carving twisted runes; further away, there seemed to be "patrol" squads roaming within the range of the rift's influence.

"What... is this?!" Yue Lingfeng gasped. These monsters were definitely not any known living beings of the Tiannan Continent! Their very existence radiated sickening evil and Chaos.

"They are the minions of 'the end,' or rather... servants." Lin Wan said in a deep voice, cold light flickering in his eyes. Judging from the forms, auras, and behaviors of these monsters, they clearly possessed a certain, twisted "intelligence," and seemed to be serving the "master" of that rift, collecting, converting, and utilizing the power of "the end" leaking from the rift. They might even be... attempting to establish some kind of "outpost," expanding the range of the rift's influence to usher in even more powerful entities!

"We must destroy them and attempt to seal this rift!" Lin Wan no longer hesitated and said to Yue Lingfeng, "You stand guard here and monitor the movements of those monsters. If there is any abnormal activity, sound the alarm immediately. I will go in and take a look."

"Patrol Envoy! It is too dangerous for you to go in alone!" Yue Lingfeng said anxiously. Even looking at that rift caused his heart and Soul to tremble; going near it?

"It is fine, I have my own measure." Lin Wan patted Yue Lingfeng on the shoulder and said no more. With a movement of his body, he transformed into a faint stream of Chaos light and silently snuck toward the direction of the monster camp below the rift.

He was not being reckless. The Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit had a certain degree of suppression and "affinity" toward the power of "the end." He could feel that although this rift was dangerous, it seemed that because it had just formed or was being repelled by the Laws of this world, its power was not fully "unfolded," and there seemed to be some kind of "weakness" or "node" inside. If he could find it, he might be able to use thunderous means to seal it temporarily, at least to stop it from continuing to expand and ushering in stronger entities.

Moreover, he also wanted to personally investigate where the depths of this rift led to and what exactly was hidden behind it.

With Lin Wan's Soul Transformation cultivation base, combined with the concealment ability of the Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit, those monsters moving inside and outside the camp, most of whom were at the Golden Core to Nascent Soul level, could not discover his tracks at all. Like an invisible ghost, he quickly passed through the outer "patrol" circle and approached the core of that eerie camp.

The closer he got, the stronger that evil, chaotic, and sickening aura became. On the Totem Pillar in the center of the camp, the constantly rotating dark red crystal emitted powerful mental pollution, attempting to erode the sanity of anyone who approached. In that pool of dark red magma, bubbles constantly rose, churning with some kind of viscous, pitch-black liquid that emitted a strong stench and an aura of destruction, as if it were "refining" something.

Lin Wan lurked in a shadow, his gaze like lightning as he swept across the camp. He discovered that in the camp, besides those monsters of various forms, in the largest "nest" built of pitch-black bones in the very center, near the Totem Pillar, there faintly radiated a more powerful, more condensed, and more "intelligent" evil aura; its intensity likely reached the Soul Transformation level! It must be the "leader" of this group of monsters.

"To capture the bandits, first capture the leader. If I can use a thunderous strike to kill this leader and destroy the Totem Pillar and the magma pool, I might be able to temporarily disrupt the power of the rift and find an opportunity to seal it." Lin Wan decided on his plan.

He no longer hesitated, communicating with the chaos dao sword through his mind to adjust his state to the optimum. The Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit operated at full power, forming an invisible layer of Chaos Dao Rhyme armor on his body surface that could isolate and purify the erosion of evil forces.

"Now!"

A cold light flashed in Lin Wan's eyes, and his figure rose from the shadows like a ghost! His target was aimed directly at the largest pitch-black nest!

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins—Instant Shadow!"

His speed was fast to the extreme, almost like teleportation. He instantly crossed a distance of several hundred zhang and appeared at the entrance of the pitch-black nest! At the same time, the chaos dao sword was already in his right hand, and without hesitation, he thrust it toward the entrance of the nest with one strike!

"Who goes there?!"

"Enemy attack!!"

Inside the lair, that evil existence at the Soul Transformation stage was clearly no ordinary foe. In the instant Lin Wan erupted into action, it sensed him and let out a mental roar filled with shock, rage, and madness!

At the same time, an even denser, more viscous, pitch-black evil power—one that seemed capable of freezing and corroding space itself—erupted from the lair. It transformed into countless hideous, tentacle-like black shadows that swept toward Lin Wan and his incoming chaos dao sword light!

"Boom—!!!"

The chaos dao sword light and the pitch-black evil tentacles collided violently! A piercing sound of energy annihilation, as if capable of tearing apart the Soul, exploded forth! The entrance to the lair was instantly shredded by the violent energy, revealing the scene within.

Deep within the lair, coiled a terrifying monster three zhang tall with an even more bizarre form. It seemed to be forcibly fused together from countless twisted, painful faces of living beings, possessing several pairs of constantly flailing tentacles covered in barbs and suckers. Where its head should be was a massive, single eye that occupied half its face, constantly dripping with black pus and burning with dark red flames!

"Soul Transformation Middle Stage?!" Lin Wan felt a jolt in his heart. The aura of this monster had actually reached the Soul Transformation Middle Stage! Moreover, the purity and condensation of its evil power far exceeded any enemy he had encountered before, and it carried an erosive force that pointed directly at the Origin of "existence"!

"Intruder! Destroying the Holy Mark! Die!" The one-eyed monster let out a crazed mental roar. More tentacles erupted from its body, with countless phantom faces of painful wailing appearing upon them, emitting even more terrifying mental pollution and devouring power as they engulfed Lin Wan!

At the same time, the dark red flames in its massive single eye suddenly contracted. Immediately, a destruction ray—condensed to the extreme, interwoven with dark red and pitch-black, and seemingly capable of incinerating the Divine Soul and corroding all things—shot toward the center of Lin Wan's brows!

"Well come!"

Lin Wan was not alarmed but delighted, his Battle Intent soaring. He had been wanting to test just what this Soul Transformation Middle Stage minion of "the end" was capable of!

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, Chaos Guixu Domain—Open!"

"Hum—!!!"

With Lin Wan at the center, the Chaos Guixu Domain, which he had long since mastered but never fully unleashed in actual combat, expanded with a boom!

The vast Domain, a hundred zhang in diameter, presented a chaotic hue, containing scenes of nebulae birthing and dying, the Five Elements rotating, and the silence of Returning to Ruins. It instantly enveloped the entire lair, and even more than half of the monster camp!

Within the Domain, Lin Wan was the Dominator! The Dao Rhyme of Five Elements Returning to Ruins permeated the area, forcibly suppressing, twisting, and assimilating all "non-self" power within the Domain!

The countless tentacles attacking from the monster, the terrifying mental pollution, and that destruction ray—the moment they entered the Chaos Guixu Domain, their power was weakened and slowed layer by layer. The evil power contained within them was continuously decomposed, assimilated, and devoured by the Chaos Dao Rhyme!

"What?! This is... a Dao Domain?!" The one-eyed monster emitted a shocked mental fluctuation. It felt its power being greatly suppressed and eroded within this bizarre Domain! It felt as if it had fallen into the opponent's home field, constrained at every turn!

"Correct! It is a Dao Domain!" Lin Wan laughed aloud. The chaos dao sword shone even brighter, and taking advantage of the moment the opponent was suppressed by the Domain and its mind was shaken, he struck with his sword!

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins—Dao Severing!"

This sword strike was no longer just a physical and energy attack; it contained Lin Wan's insights into the "Great Dao of Five Elements Returning to Ruins," his preliminary control over the Law of "the end," and the supreme sharpness of the chaos dao sword!

Within the sword light seemed to be contained the supreme Concept of opening heaven and earth, while also causing all things to return to ruins. It struck directly at the root of the one-eyed monster's "Dao" of existence, the core node where the evil power within its body circulated!

"No—!!!"

The one-eyed monster roared crazily, the dark red flames in its single eye burning wildly as it attempted to cast some forbidden secret technique to block this fatal sword strike. But under the suppression of the Chaos Guixu Domain and the "Dao Severing" strike that pointed directly at the Origin, its struggle appeared so powerless.

"Chi—!"

The chaos dao sword light, like a hot knife through butter, instantly sliced open the thick layer of evil power defending the one-eyed monster's body, cut into its head, and struck right into the center of that single eye burning with dark red flames!

"Puff!"

The single eye shattered, and the dark red flames instantly extinguished. The terrifying Sword Qi and the "Dao Severing" Concept surged madly into its body through the shattered eye, shredding and annihilating its evil power core and Divine Soul Origin entirely!

"Awoo—!!!"

The one-eyed monster let out one final, shrill howl filled with unwillingness, resentment, and a trace of inexplicable longing for "nothingness." Its massive body collapsed with a boom, and then, like ignited paper, it rapidly burned and disintegrated, turning into sky-filling gray-black, foul-smelling dust, which was finally completely purified and devoured by the Chaos Guixu Domain, leaving nothing behind.

After its fall, a pure, dark golden crystal that exuded a cold, ending aura, resembling a miniature "the end" mark, fell from where it had dissipated. Lin Wan was quick-eyed and nimble-handed, snatching it into his hand. Sensing the fragment of the Law of "the end" within it—which was purer and more primal than that "death" fragment from the Nether Palace—his heart stirred, and he stowed it into his Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit to be refined at a later date.

Once the leader died, the other monsters in the camp fell into Chaos, letting out terrified howls and fleeing in all directions. Some even began to attack and devour each other, falling into complete madness.

Lin Wan no longer paid attention to these small fries, turning his gaze toward the totem pole in the center of the camp and that pool of dark red magma.

He could feel that this totem pole and magma pool seemed to have some direct energy connection with the massive rift above. They were constantly drawing, converting, and storing evil power from the rift, and likely played the role of "anchoring" and "stabilizing" the rift.

"Destroy them!"

Lin Wan did not hesitate, swinging the chaos dao sword again. Two sharp Chaos sword beams slashed toward the totem pole and the magma pool respectively.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

The totem pole was severed at the waist, and the dark red crystal at its top exploded, unleashing a powerful shockwave of evil power, but it was quickly quelled and purified within the Chaos Guixu Domain. The magma pool was also split open by the sword beams; its viscous liquid splashed everywhere, emitting "sizzling" corrosive sounds, but it was also quickly evaporated and purified by the power of the Domain.

With these two key nodes destroyed, the massive pitch-black rift above seemed to tremble slightly. The speed at which its edges were spreading and expanding slowed down significantly, and the dark red lightning flickering within and the howls coming from it also seemed to weaken a little.

"It's effective!" Lin Wan's spirits lifted. It seemed that this camp and the rift were indeed "one." Destroying its "anchor point" on "this shore" could interfere with and weaken the power of the rift.

"However, this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. The true source is deep within that rift..." Lin Wan looked up at the terrifying rift that resembled the maw of a giant beast, a flash of determination in his eyes.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Since he had come, and since he was an "Inspector" burdened with the mission of resisting "the end" and the Legacy of the Five Elements Dao Venerable, then this rift, which might be where the vanguard of "the end" was descending, had to be investigated thoroughly, and he had to attempt... to seal it!

"Yue Lingfeng!" Lin Wan used Divine Thought to transmit his voice to Yue Lingfeng, who was keeping watch in the distance. "I have slain the person in charge here and destroyed their camp. The power of the rift has weakened slightly, but the source has not been removed. I need to enter the depths of the rift to investigate. You are to remain here and keep watch. If I have not returned in one day, or if the rift changes, you are to immediately return to Tiandu and report the situation here in detail to the Alliance headquarters and His Majesty Emperor Yan!"

"Inspector! You mustn't!" Yue Lingfeng was shocked and wanted to dissuade him.

"No need for more words, execute the order!" Lin Wan's voice was resolute, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"...Yes! Inspector... take care!" Yue Lingfeng knew he could not change Lin Wan's decision, so he could only grit his teeth and agree, his heart filled with worry and respect.

Lin Wan did not hesitate any longer, taking a deep breath to adjust his state to the best. The Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit shone brilliantly, forming a solid layer of Chaos light armor on his body. Holding the chaos dao sword, he took a step forward, transforming into a brilliant streak of Chaos light, and resolutely charged toward that massive space rift that spanned the sky and exuded an aura of endless destruction and evil!

Like a moth to a flame, or a warrior swimming against the current.

His figure was instantly swallowed by that viscous darkness.