48: The fierce halberd stirs strangely, annihilating the homeland.

Liu Qingtian was immersed in the pain and improvement of tempering his Physical Body with void turbulence. Every inch of his tree body hovered between destruction and Rebirth, and his adaptability to spatial power grew day by day.

He planned to stabilize his Early Kaishan Realm cultivation here, and after tempering his Physical Body to its current limit, he would leave this dead, dilapidated realm to look for the clues Lin Feng mentioned about the "Gatekeeper," or try to find other star key fragments.

However, just as he was preparing to end this session of Cultivate and retract the roots he had extended into the Void Realm—

The burying netherworld, which had been quietly stuck to the side without any movement, suddenly began to hum without warning!

On the body of the halberd, the previously dim purple-black gloomy light suddenly flared up. It was not the fierce and domineering aura from past battles, but instead revealed a kind of... indescribable longing and... resonance?

The humming sound grew louder and more urgent.

The next moment, the burying netherworld shot up from the ground, not to attack, but like a living bolt of purple-black lightning, instantly flying to the center of this dilapidated world, to the area where the Annihilation Qi was densest, and then—it fiercely plunged deep into the earth!

Boom!

The moment the halberd entered the ground, the entire dilapidated world seemed to tremble slightly!

Immediately after, a shocking scene occurred.

Centering on the point where the burying netherworld was inserted, countless fine purple-black lines spread rapidly across the surface like living things, instantly covering an area of thousands of miles!

These lines emitted Annihilation Qi of the same source and quality as the burying netherworld, greedily and crazily absorbing the Death Qi of the end of all things that permeated this world!

Beneath the earth, something seemed to have been activated. More dense and pure Annihilation Qi was extracted from the depths of the earth's veins, pouring into the body of the burying netherworld like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

The burying netherworld was like a bottomless pit, crazily devouring these powers. The light on the halberd became brighter and brighter, those tiny damages seemed to be repairing at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the pressure it emitted was also steadily increasing!

Liu Qingtian's giant tree eyes suddenly contracted, and a stormy sea surged within his tree soul!

He clearly felt that the Annihilation Qi absorbed by the burying netherworld was almost identical in essence to its own Power of Annihilation! Same source, same root, as if they were originally one!

A shocking guess flashed through his tree soul like lightning:

Could this dead, completely ruined and perished world... be the one that the "Original Owner" of the burying netherworld personally destroyed in some era?!

That was it! Only such an existence could possess such pure Power of Annihilation, completely reducing a world to deathly silence, and even converting the Origin of the world into nourishment for annihilation, which had not dissipated even after endless years!

The anomaly of the burying netherworld at this moment was not without cause. It had returned to its "hometown," to the source of its power! It was instinctively absorbing the power belonging to its Original Owner that remained in this world to repair itself!

This guess sent a chill down Liu Qingtian's spine.

That supreme existence of the future had means that were simply unimaginably terrifying. Destroying a world was not simple destruction, but completely converting it into a "land of annihilation" that fit their own Dao!

As their weapon, the burying netherworld could naturally resonate with and absorb these residual powers.

Liu Qingtian watched silently as the burying netherworld absorbed the Annihilation Qi like a whale, his heart filled with complex emotions. The Origin and power of this fierce halberd refreshed his understanding time and again. Getting involved with such an existence was unpredictable in terms of fortune or misfortune.

At the same time, he also realized that this was an Opportunity!

With the burying netherworld absorbing this Annihilation Qi and recovering its power, it was a stronger trump card for him in the short term. Although the debt was heavy, at least the "creditor" was stronger, so he didn't have to worry about it being snatched away or failing for the time being.

Moreover, the residual Annihilation Qi here was a deadly poison to others, but for him, who cultivated the "Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter," had a wisp of Annihilation Qi in his body, and had even been tempered by the Power of Annihilation, perhaps... it could also be utilized?

Liu Qingtian tried cautiously to guide a wisp of pure Annihilation Qi that had been attracted by the burying netherworld but not yet fully absorbed, integrating it into himself.

Hiss—!

Extreme cold and death intent surged in instantly, even more terrifying than void energy, as if it wanted to freeze his tree soul and annihilate his vitality.

Liu Qingtian hurriedly operated the "Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter" with all his might. The spiritual ripple vortex spun crazily, the Qi of Life and Death desperately converted, and the wisp of Annihilation Qi in his body also trembled slightly, ruling over this foreign, same-source power like a king.

The process was still painful and difficult, but he successfully refined this wisp of Annihilation Qi, converting it into pure energy, and even deepened his insight into the Nirvana by a fraction!

It was indeed feasible!

Liu Qingtian was overjoyed. Although the efficiency was far inferior to the burying netherworld, this was undoubtedly a shortcut to rapid improvement! And it could deepen his understanding of the Nirvana, which would be of great benefit to his future cultivation of the "Silent Origin Spirit Transformation Secret Chapter" and dealing with the "debt" of the shadow of annihilation.

He no longer hesitated. While continuing to temper his tree body with void turbulence, he carefully separated a portion of his roots, like stealing, to absorb and refine the pure Annihilation Qi attracted by the burying netherworld.

Time passed rapidly during his cultivation.

The devouring by the burying netherworld lasted for a long time, until the Annihilation Qi in this core area became much thinner. Its humming gradually subsided, the light on the halberd's body was restrained, and it seemed much more satisfied. Its pressure was even greater than before as it stuck there quietly, like a sleeping primordial demon god.

Liu Qingtian also benefited greatly. Not only did he thoroughly stabilize his Early Kaishan Realm cultivation, but his Physical Body strength reached a higher level, and his comprehension of the Nirvana also deepened significantly. Although there was still a distance to the Peak of the Early Stage, his progress was rapid.

He looked at the burying netherworld, his eyes even more complex. This fierce halberd was both his greatest debt and trouble, and it seemed to have become the "Opportunity" for his rapid improvement at the moment.

Fortune lies in misfortune, and misfortune lies in fortune.

It was time to leave.

Liu Qingtian's giant tree body slowly lifted off the ground. This time, he felt it was much easier to control the power of the star key, and his speed was much faster.

He took one last look at this dilapidated world shrouded in annihilation, and another deep look at the burying netherworld stuck in the earth.

Subsequently, he chose a direction, and his massive tree body turned into a stream of light, breaking through the Realm wall and plunging into the boundless Void Realm again.

The next target: finding clues about the "Gatekeeper," or the next star key fragment!

And not long after he left, the burying netherworld stuck in the earth trembled slightly, and an extremely blurry, almost imperceptible shadow flashed by, seemingly "looking" in the direction Liu Qingtian had left, before completely falling silent again.

In the Void Realm, Liu Qingtian shuttled continuously. With the strength of the Kaishan Realm and stronger adaptability to space, his speed in the Void Realm was much faster and much safer.

By constantly sensing the faint guidance of the star key, he adjusted his direction.

I don't know how long it had been, but a faint point of light appeared in the depths of the Void Realm ahead.

As the distance closed, the point of light gradually grew larger, revealing not a complete world, but a huge—Shattered Continent floating in the Void Realm!

On the continent, countless magnificent yet dilapidated ancient buildings were vaguely visible, with strange styles that did not belong to any civilization he knew. A desolate, ancient, and an inexplicable aura of "guardianship" permeated from that Shattered Continent.

At this moment, the star key imprint sent a tremor of unprecedented clarity!

The direction it guided was exactly that Shattered Continent!

Liu Qingtian's tree soul shook.

Could this place... be related to the "Gatekeeper"?