271: Rage burns to the heavens, though we are so close, we feel worlds apart.
"Void Abyss... you're looking for death!"
A cold killing intent, almost tangible, spread from Ye Chen's surroundings, causing the temperature in the ruined palace to plummet and even the wailing of the void turbulence to freeze! The dark gold vortex mark on his chest heated up slightly, and the Sword of Metamorphosis in his hand let out a low hum, intertwining with the tragic images of the Emerald Forest Realm's destruction coming from the unknown, igniting a monstrous rage in his chest like never before!
Elder Mu Huan's honest and determined face, the backs of the Green Vine Guards as they charged to their deaths, the mournful wail of the ancient tree of life, Qing Lin's decisiveness in sacrificing herself to save him... scene after scene flashed through his mind. The Emerald Forest Realm was no longer just a temporary resting point; it was a place with comrades-in-arms and hope that needed to be protected!
The Abyssal Lord's actions had undoubtedly touched his reverse scale!
"Fellow Daoist Ye Chen..." Qing Lin felt the terrifying aura emanating from Ye Chen, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, as well as the desperate scenes of the Forest Realm transmitted through their Soul connection. Her face instantly turned as pale as snow, her delicate body swayed, and her eyes were filled with endless pain and anger. "The Forest Realm... my people..."
Ye Chen supported her and infused her with a force containing the soothing power of order and the vitality of Chaos, forcibly stabilizing her agitated mind. His eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice, but his voice carried a heart-stopping calmness: "Calm down. It's trying to force us out, to walk right into its trap."
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to kill his way back immediately, and turned his gaze once more toward the faint green thread derived from the void, pointing toward the "creation" source core. The sensation was slightly clearer than before, but still distant and blurry; clearly, that source core was located in an extremely remote or hidden place.
"We must find the 'creation' source core as quickly as possible!" Ye Chen said in a deep voice. "Only when the three cores are gathered and the Ancient Path Law is redefined can the crisis truly be resolved. Otherwise, even if we rush back now, it would only result in more casualties and play right into its hands!"
Qing Lin understood the logic, but her people and home were being devastated, and the heart-wrenching pain almost suffocated her. She bit her lower lip hard, tears falling from her emerald eyes, but she nodded forcefully: "I understand... but..."
"There are no buts." Ye Chen interrupted her, his tone resolute. "Trust me, and trust your people! They won't just sit and wait for death! What we need to do now is find the last source core at the fastest speed!"
He no longer hesitated, fully activating the dark gold mark on his chest and the long sword in his hand. The powers of the source core of silence and the order origin core resonated within his body, and the green sensing thread suddenly brightened several times, its direction becoming much clearer—it pointed not toward any known area of the Ancient Path, but deep into the more chaotic and dangerous Chaotic Sea of Time and Space!
"Let's go!"
Ye Chen gave a low shout, grabbed Qing Lin's waist, and the power of dark gold Chaos, return to silence, and order erupted around him. He transformed into a streak of light, violently breaking through the already fragile spatial barriers of the ruined palace and charging into the bizarre, destruction-filled Chaotic Sea of Time and Space outside!
Upon entering the Sea of Turbulence, spatial storms, time rifts, and energy vortexes far more violent than those in the Thousand Illusions Maze swept in from all directions! There was no direction here, no rules, only eternal Chaos and annihilation! An ordinary Law Realm expert would likely have their Divine Soul destroyed within moments!
But Ye Chen was no longer the same as before!
Dark gold light flowed around him, forming a stable shield that protected him and Qing Lin. Spatial fragments capable of tearing apart stars crashed into the shield, making ear-piercing grinding sounds, yet they could not advance an inch! The chaotic flow of time tried to corrode their Lifespan, but was forcibly corrected and smoothed out by the power of order! When violent energy vortexes approached, they were silently neutralized and swallowed by the power of return to silence!
He was like an exceptional starship, breaking through the waves in this ocean of destruction, guided by the green thread! His speed was far greater than when he previously used Void-breaking Talismans and Void Evasion!
However, the Chaotic Sea of Time and Space was vast and boundless, and its danger far exceeded imagination. Even with the guidance of the source core's sensing, trying to find the target in a short time was still like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Moreover, the Abyssal Lord clearly wouldn't give them that time!
"Hmph! Stubborn resistance!"
A cold thought, like a maggot on a bone, once again penetrated layers of spatial obstacles and locked onto Ye Chen. Clearly, Ye Chen's move of not returning to the Emerald Forest Realm immediately but instead going deep into the Chaotic Sea of Time and Space made the Lord even more certain of the "creation" source core's importance and its approximate location!
In the next moment, the scene of the Sea of Turbulence in front of Ye Chen twisted and changed violently! Countless grayish-white mists emerged out of thin air, carrying the Soul-devouring power unique to the Thousand Illusions Maze, attempting to slow his speed and interfere with his perception! Several Dark Shackles spanning tens of thousands of miles, composed of pure void energy, condensed from the void and coiled like giant pythons, winding and strangling toward the streak of light that was Ye Chen!
The Lord could actually project its power directly into this Chaotic Sea of Time and Space to perform a long-range interception!
"Get lost!"
A fierce look flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, and he suddenly swung his long sword! A Dark Gold Sword Astral, refined to the extreme and containing the three Origin powers of Chaos, return to silence, and order, tore through the Sea of Turbulence and slammed into those Dark Shackles!
"Chiii—!"
There was no earth-shattering explosion. The Dark Shackles, which were enough to imprison stars, had their constituent Laws forcibly dismantled and snapped by the more fundamental powers of return to silence and order the moment they touched the Dark Gold Sword Astral! The sword astral's momentum remained undiminished, slicing through the grayish-white mist ahead and purifying a brief passage!
The power of a single sword strike had actually reached such a level!
Having fused two major source cores and stepped into the Peak of the Law Realm, Ye Chen's strength had undergone a qualitative leap! Although he was still not a match for the Lord's true body, he was no longer something that could be easily handled by its casually projected power!
"Hmm?" From deep within the distant Thousand Illusions Maze came the Lord's cold snort, tinged with surprise. It clearly hadn't expected Ye Chen's strength to have increased so dramatically.
But immediately afterward, more attacks followed! Giant Dark Palms, Destructive Magic Light, Soul Screams... all sorts of terrifying attacks were constantly projected by the Lord across endless spacetime, frantically bombarding Ye Chen, trying to stop his progress or even leave him in this Sea of Turbulence forever!
Ye Chen fought while moving, his long sword dancing as Dark Gold Sword Astrals dominated the area, slashing and neutralizing each attack. His speed was inevitably affected, but the green sensing thread was becoming clearer at a slow but steady pace!
He could feel that the "creation" source core was just ahead! It wasn't far now!
However, the desperate scenes of the Emerald Forest Realm transmitted through the green thread were also becoming clearer! The aura of the ancient tree of life was rapidly declining, the sound of the barrier shattering seemed to be right by his ear, and the wails of the Wood Spirit Clan members intertwined with the roars of the monsters... Qing Lin gripped Ye Chen's arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh. Tears had long blurred her vision, but she gritted her teeth hard and didn't make a sound, fearing she would distract Ye Chen.
Ye Chen's heart was also bleeding, but he knew he couldn't turn back now! Turning back would mean losing everything! Only by moving forward and finding "creation" would there be a glimmer of hope for a reversal!
"Faster... even faster!" he screamed inwardly, ignoring the cost as he pushed the three Origin powers to their limits, increasing his speed to the maximum. Under the Lord's storm-like long-range obstructions, he struggled and persisted toward the goal!
At the end of that green thread, a hazy, emerald-green radiance filled with endless life aura was already faintly visible deep within the chaotic Chaotic Sea of Time and Space!
The creation source core was right there!
Hope was right before their eyes!
But at the same time, the terrifying pressure belonging to the Lord behind him was also getting closer, like a maggot on a bone! It seemed... to be forcibly crossing spacetime in some way, closing the distance with its true self!
The true race between life and death had reached its most critical moment!