205: Chapter 205 The Descent Point of the Wasteland
When Lin Qingzhi and I led an "elite exploration team"—composed of the thirty most elite disciples from Ice Phoenix Palace along with the two "War Generals," King Kong and Thunder Shadow—and arrived at the target area located in the deepest part of the Taklamakan Desert...
We were all shocked by the scene before us, which was filled with "violence" and "chaos."
The sky was no longer that endless, clear blue.
Instead, it was completely shrouded by a layer of visible, constantly twisting and wrinkling space ripples!
The air was filled with turbulent spatial currents so violent they were enough to tear an Essence Rank expert into pieces in an instant!
One after another, pitch-black miniature Spatial Rifts only as thick as a hair appeared and disappeared out of thin air without any warning!
They were like countless invisible razors wielded personally by the God of Death!
"Slaaa—"
An unobservant early-stage Demon Rank [Sand Vulture] accidentally collided with a newly appeared Spatial Rift.
It didn't even have time to let out a scream!
Its massive body, which was as tough as steel, was silently split in two as if it had been precisely sliced by the sharpest laser!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror!
"Hiss—!"
Seeing this eerie and terrifying scene, the group of fledgling Ice Phoenix Palace disciples behind me couldn't help but gasp!
Just then, Lin Qingzhi's cold voice rang out.
"Everyone, activate your Body Protection True Essence!"
"Follow me closely!"
"Do not fall behind under any circumstances!"
After saying that, she took the lead and stepped into the death dunes that were completely shrouded by violent spatial energy!
Almost the instant we stepped onto the dunes!
"Rustle... rustle..."
A series of scalp-numbing sounds, like countless venomous snakes crawling across the sand, rang out from all directions!
Immediately following—
"Puff! Puff! Puff!"
One by one, giant scorpions about half a meter in size, their bodies composed of a strange translucent crystal-like substance, suddenly burst out from beneath the scorching yellow sand!
They surrounded us completely!
[Space Crystal Scorpion]!
The guardians of the first floor of the ruins!
"Form the [Profound Ice Sword Formation]!"
Li Xun let out a roar filled with vigilance and determination!
The thirty Ice Phoenix Palace disciples quickly formed a small sword formation filled with a murderous aura!
However—
Just a second before their sword qi, which was enough to freeze all things, could strike those crystal scorpions!
"Buzz—!"
The figures of all the Space Crystal Scorpions actually turned into blurred afterimages at the same time!
They vanished into thin air!
"What?!"
Li Xun and the others were startled!
In the next second, those vanished scorpions unexpectedly appeared behind them without any warning!
Their crystal stingers, flashing with a grim cold light, carried terrifying power capable of tearing space as they stabbed fiercely toward several disciples at the edge of the sword formation!
Spatial Flicker!
This was the lethal signature move that these Space Crystal Scorpions were most famous for!
"Watch out!"
Lin Qingzhi's expression changed abruptly!
She pointed her fingers like a sword, and several streaks of Ice Phoenix Sword Qi shot out!
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Although several disciples were saved by her in time,
two disciples still had their arms slashed by the crystal stingers because they couldn't dodge in time!
No blood flowed from the wounds.
There was only a pitch-black crack that was constantly expanding!
It was as if their flesh and blood were being banished to another dimension by an invisible force!
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, I could no longer hold back!
Against this kind of "flickering" enemy that could ignore physical distance, ordinary attacks were simply ineffective!
Someone had to be able to predict their next appearance point in advance!
And looking at the entire team, the only one who could do this was... me!
"[Domain Perception], activate!"
I shouted, pushing my [Spatial Perception] ability—which had long since fused with the [chaos demon core]—to its limit!
"Buzz—!"
In an instant, the whole world changed in my eyes!
That violent, chaotic spatial energy turned into countless clearly visible silver threads in my perception!
And every time those constantly "flickering" [Space Crystal Scorpions] moved, they would leave an extremely faint but clearly visible "ripple" on these "threads"!
I "saw" it!
I saw all the points where they were about to appear next!
"Left rear, three o'clock direction, five meters away!"
"Directly in front, overhead, ten meters!"
"Watch your step!"
My figure turned into a blood-colored phantom!
I no longer used any large-scale attacks.
I simply condensed my indestructible "Chaos Demonic Power" at my fingertips!
Each time, at the exact moment those [Space Crystal Scorpions] had just completed their "flicker" and were still in a brief state of "stiffness," I struck their fragile heads with precision, like the scythe of the God of Death!
Puchi!
Puchi!
Puchi!
One after another, the [Space Crystal Scorpions]—which seemed like an "unsolvable bug" to the Ice Phoenix Palace disciples—were like stationary puppets before me!
I picked them off one by one!
In less than ten minutes!
Over a hundred Space Crystal Scorpions were completely wiped out!
And just as I breathed a sigh of relief!
Boom—!!!
The entire desert beneath our feet suddenly shook violently!
A super BOSS, the size of a small mountain and composed of even larger and purer "space crystals," suddenly burst out from beneath the quicksand!
Its form was very similar to the [Ancient Desolate Dragon Lizard] I had encountered in the Desolate Ruins before!
Except, it was composed of pure "spatial energy"!
[Crystal Carcass Tyrant]!
A King Rank, space-attribute demon beast!
The final guardian of the ruins!
"Roar—!"
It let out a silent roar filled with anger and tyranny!
A terrifying energy, enough to make space itself twist, gathered frantically in its mouth!
In the next second, a pitch-black energy beam, as if it could completely swallow heaven and earth, blasted down toward us!
"Not good! Scatter, quickly!"
Lin Qingzhi let out a cry of alarm and anger!
However, it was already too late!
That beam of light that distorted space had already completely blocked all our paths of retreat!
In this critical moment of life and death!
An unprecedented madness suddenly erupted in my crimson eyes!
There was no way to dodge it!
In that case...
...I'll just eat it!
"[Devour]!!!"
I let out a hysterical roar, pushing my [chaos demon core], which could swallow anything, to its extreme!
I opened my mouth and charged fiercely toward that pitch-black beam of light that was enough to instantly annihilate even a King Rank expert!
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
Under the shocked and disbelieving gazes of everyone, that world-destroying pitch-black beam was swallowed by me in one gulp!
[Ding! Warning! Warning! High concentration of 'Space Origin' energy intrusion detected! Your body is about to collapse!]
[Ding! The 'chaos demon core' has urgently initiated the 'Self-Protection' procedure! Beginning forced analysis and fusion of this energy!]
"Ugh... Aaaaaah—!!!"
An indescribable, terrifying pain, as if it would completely tear my body along with my soul into pieces, exploded within me!
But in that endless pain, I also clearly "saw"...
I saw the deeper laws hidden behind "space"!
[Ding! Congratulations Host! Your comprehension of the 'Space Law' has deepened!]
[Ding! Your skill [Domain Perception] has evolved into...]
And just a second before I was about to completely lose consciousness.
Boom...
After exhausting all its power, the [Crystal Carcass Tyrant]'s massive crystal body collapsed!
Then, it turned into a sky full of brilliant spots of light, merging into the scorching earth beneath our feet.
Immediately following—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire desert began to shake violently!
That magnificent Crystal Temple, buried for eons, slowly rose amidst a series of deafening roars...
...from beneath the quicksand!