72: The desolate black domain, where laws collide.

That roar from Yun Shan, filled with venomous malice and madness, sounded like the horn calling for the final battle.

The gray-black energy swirling around him completely boiled over, transforming into countless ferocious ghost shadows that bared their fangs and claws, letting out ear-piercing shrieks!

The terrifying pressure of a Peak Five-Star Dou Zong, mixed with the unique cold, deathly stillness of the Hall of Souls, pressed down on Li Ao and Medusa like a tangible tsunami!

The sky instantly dimmed, as if splattered with thick ink.

The Cloud Mist Sect Disciples below trembled under this pressure, finding even the circulation of their Dou Qi sluggish and difficult.

“Medusa, those small fries are yours,” Li Ao said calmly to Medusa beside him, his gaze constantly locked on Yun Shan, whose Aura had drastically changed.

He could feel that Yun Shan's power essence was now twisted and ominous; he had to be dealt with quickly.

A cold light flashed in Medusa's multicolored eyes, and she nodded.

She gently raised her jade hand, and the massive Seven-Colored Dou Qi transformed into rays of light covering the sky, enveloping Yun Ling and the other Elders, as well as the many elite Disciples attempting to form a battle array below, like a net cast from heaven!

Although her injuries had not fully healed, dealing with these Dou Kings and Dou Spirits was still more than enough for her.

“Stop her!” Yun Ling cried out in alarm and fury, joining forces with the other Elders to activate the remaining Cloud Mist Sect battle formation.

A huge azure sword Qi shot up into the sky, meeting the seven-colored radiance!

The great battle erupted simultaneously in the sky and on the ground!

And now, high above, Li Ao and Yun Shan had already collided fiercely!

Yun Shan struck first.

There was no emotion in his dark pupils, only pure desire for destruction.

His withered hand shot out suddenly, and the surrounding space instantly collapsed, condensing into a gigantic claw—the Nether Ghost Claw!

It was a hundred zhang wide, composed entirely of twisted space and gray-black energy.

Where the claw wind passed, even light was swallowed, and it lunged towards Li Ao with a shriek that seemed to tear at the Soul!

The power of this claw far surpassed the Great Compassion Wind Tearing Hand from half a month ago!

Li Ao's expression was solemn, but instead of retreating, he advanced!

The power of the Late Stage of the second layer of the Black Iron Hegemon Body erupted, and dark golden vital Qi and blood shot up like wolf smoke, making him look like a golden War God!

He did not draw his blade; instead, he clenched his five fingers into a fist.

Dark golden vital Qi and blood interwoven with silver-gray Annihilation Rule covered the tip of his fist, and he punched out towards the incoming Nether Ghost Claw!

“Hegemon Fist—Return to the Ruins!”

The punch was silent!

But everywhere the fist passed, space seemed to be plowed open into an eternal ravine!

The Nether Ghost Claw, powerful enough to crush mountains, instantly met its nemesis upon contact with the Return to the Ruins punch.

Its core gray-black energy and spatial structure emitted a mournful sound of annihilation, then disintegrated and vanished inch by inch!

Breaking skill with sheer power, breaking the Nether with Annihilation!

“What?!”

A hint of astonishment flashed in Yun Shan's dark pupils.

He hadn't expected his full-power strike, enhanced by the strength of the Hall of Souls, to be so savagely broken by his opponent!

“Your power is impure and messy; it only has the form!”

Li Ao's cold voice rang out.

After shattering the claw, his figure moved like lightning, instantly closing in on Yun Shan.

He pressed his fingers together like a blade, his dark golden fingertips wrapped in heart-palpitating Annihilation Qi flow, stabbing straight for Yun Shan's glabella!

“Audacious!” Yun Shan roared, crossing his arms to block.

Dense gray-black energy condensed in front of him into a thick shield covered in carved ghost faces!

“Hiss—!”

There was no loud crash, only a grating sound of corrosion and annihilation!

The seemingly sturdy ghost-face shield lasted only a breath before the Annihilation Finger Blade pierced a hole through it!

The Finger Blade's momentum did not slow, heading straight for Yun Shan's face!

Yun Shan was so frightened that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

He sharply threw his head back while the gray-black energy around him erupted furiously, creating a powerful thrust that pushed him backward!

“Pfft!”

Although he avoided the vital spot on his glabella, Li Ao's Finger Blade still sliced open a deep, bone-visible wound on his left cheek!

No fresh blood flowed from the wound; instead, it displayed a strange, gray pallor, which was rapidly spreading, eroding his flesh and vitality!

“Argh! Annihilation Rule!!”

Yun Shan covered his cheek, letting out a roar of shock and rage, frantically mobilizing his power to suppress the Annihilation corrosion that clung to him like maggots on bone, only to find the effect negligible!

Li Ao, having gained the advantage, showed no mercy.

The Thunder Sound Steps exploded beneath his feet, and his figure followed like a shadow, closing in again!

He held nothing back, and the dark, heavy long blade on his back finally left its sheath!

“Clang—!”

The blade's cry shook the heavens!

With the long blade in hand, Li Ao's entire Aura transformed again; the will to sever everything solidified, as if he had become the Incarnation of a Blade Emperor wielding Annihilation!

“Nether Soul Devouring Wave!”

Yun Shan went completely mad.

Ignoring the wound on his cheek, he violently pushed his hands forward!

A torrent of gray-black energy, compressed from countless twisted Souls, capable of polluting Dou Qi and eroding the Soul, surged toward Li Ao like a breached River Styx!

This was a secret technique bestowed by the Hall of Souls, utterly vicious!

Facing this malicious Soul attack, Li Ao's eyes were icy.

Gripping the blade with both hands, he poured all the power in his body into it!

On the blade, the dark gold and silver-gray light intertwined to the extreme, seemingly transforming into a black hole that swallowed everything!

“Annihilation—Slash!”

A silver-gray blade Qi, spanning the heavens and earth, silently slashed forth!

Where the blade Qi passed, the surging gray-black Soul torrent wailed mournfully, like snow encountering a scorching sun.

The Soul fragments and malicious energy within it were rapidly purified and annihilated!

The blade Qi's momentum remained strong, slicing through the torrent and cleaving straight towards Yun Shan!

Yun Shan's pupils contracted violently as he sensed a fatal crisis!

He roared wildly, no longer dodging, but instead forming a strange hand seal with both hands, drawing upon the power of the spatial rift behind the mountain!

“By my Soul, draw the power of the Nether! Descend!”

He violently spat out a large mouthful of vital blood containing his Soul Origin, splashing it onto the spatial rift!

“Buzz—!”

The spatial rift trembled violently, and a surge of gray-black energy, far purer and more terrifying than Yun Shan's own, burst forth from the rift like the breath of a demonic god from the depths of the Nine Hells, pouring into Yun Shan's body!

Yun Shan's Qi instantly soared, forcefully achieving a Breakthrough past the Five-Star Dou Zong limit, reaching the Six-Star level!

The energy condensed around him caused the entire Yun Lan Mountain to shake violently, and the mountain body began to crack!

“Li Ao! To force this Sect Master to sacrifice his Soul Origin and draw upon the Venerable Envoy's power, you can be proud!”

Yun Shan's voice became grating, like metal scraping.

He raised the hand completely enveloped in gray-black energy and fiercely clenched it towards the incoming Annihilation blade Qi!

“Nether... Annihilation... Palm!”

A huge gray-black palm print, seemingly condensed from countless suffering Souls, carrying an intent of Annihilation that was homologous to Li Ao's Annihilation Rule but far more sinister and tyrannical, slammed out fiercely!

On one side was Li Ao's Origin Annihilation Slash, condensed from vital Qi and blood, Rule, and will!

On the other side was Yun Shan's Nether Annihilation Palm, which sacrificed his Soul Origin and drew upon the power of another realm!

Two terrifying powers, both touching upon the Annihilation Law but heading toward different extremes, violently collided at the Peak of Yun Lan!

“Sizzle—!!!!!”

There was no explosion, only a sound of annihilation, as if the heavens and earth were first opening, and all things were returning to the void!

At the center of the collision, a tiny, pitch-black point that swallowed all light suddenly appeared, then expanded wildly!

Space shattered inch by inch like fragile glass, forming a massive, constantly twisting and expanding void black hole!

Terrifying suction emanated from the black hole.

The Peaks, buildings, and even some Cloud Mist Sect Disciples who couldn't dodge in time were mercilessly torn apart and swallowed, turning into nothingness before they could even scream!

Even Medusa, Yun Ling, and the others who were fiercely fighting had to temporarily cease their conflict, retreating in horror and mobilizing all their strength to resist the terrifying suction force!

Li Ao and Yun Shan, however, were at the very center of this destructive black hole, enduring the most direct and violent Law backlash and energy impact!

This was the collision of Annihilation and Nether!

It was a contest between two different Rules of death!

Ultimately, who would be able to walk out alive from that dead, black domain that swallowed everything?