50: Whispers of the Abyss, Secrets of the Realm's Heart

The mountain gate of the Feather God Sect was suppressed by a single hand, the Sect Master Celestial Pivot Master's Dao Heart was damaged, and the Sect's Legacy was nearly severed, causing it to fall from a top-tier powerhouse into the dust.

The impact of this battle was profound, completely rewriting the continental structure.

The prestige of the Northern Region's Yun Family and Yun Feng reached an unprecedented peak, and no other force dared to easily challenge his might.

After Yun Feng returned to the Northern Region, he did not indulge in power and prestige; instead, he became even more reclusive.

He was clear that the Feather God Sect was merely a pawn placed in the open.

What truly warranted vigilance were the existences lurking in the shadows of history and the crevices of the rules.

The first thing he set out to deal with were the "unidentified remnants possessing strange auras" that had been intercepted from the ruins of the Feather God Sect.

Following deep analysis by the System, the energy attributes contained within these remnants were markedly different from the mainstream Cultivation Technique of the Demon Spirit Continent, carrying an extreme sense of chaos, decay, and... hunger, as if they could devour all order and vitality.

[Energy Attribute Analysis: Compared against the known database, the highest match is "Power of Abyss Corrosion," which possesses high pollution and assimilation properties.]

"Abyss..." Yun Feng's expression grew solemn.

This term had appeared several times in the fragmented information he had gathered regarding the Great Calamity.

The "Void Realm Devouring" mentioned in the Great Emperor Fengxue's memory fragments was likely inseparable from this "Abyss."

"System, attempt to trace the source of this energy and deduce its correlation with information such as the 'Great Calamity' and the 'world heart.'"

[Tracing... The energy residue is too faint, and the source is shielded by high-level power, making precise positioning impossible.

Correlation Deduction: Based on the existing information model, "Abyss Corrosion" is highly likely to be one of the primary forces triggering the "Great Calamity."

Its objective is to devour the world's Origin, which is the hypothesized "world heart."

Guarding the "world heart" and resisting the "Abyss" is likely the duty of the "Watcher."]

The Origin of the world—the world heart!

Yun Feng finally managed to connect this crucial thread of clues.

The so-called "Great Calamity" was not a natural disaster, but a purposeful invasion and act of devouring by "Abyss" forces originating from outside the world!

And "Watchers" like the Great Emperor Fengxue were the world's defense line.

"The world heart... where exactly is it located?" Yun Feng fell into deep thought.

Something so crucial must be hidden extremely deeply.

Perhaps it resides in some unknown corner of this continent, or perhaps it exists in a unique form.

He recalled the "ancestral phoenix egg" that came from the shattered plane.

The ancient Heavenly Phoenix Origin it contained was extremely high-level—could it also be connected to the "world heart"?

Furthermore, the shattered plane itself, with its deathly silence and desolation, was it perhaps a battlefield that had previously been corroded by the "Abyss"?

The clues were scattered, but Yun Feng vaguely sensed that he was drawing closer to the truth.

Just as he was focused on deduction, Nie Li brought him news.

"Brother Yun Feng, various abnormal reports have surfaced across the continent recently."

Nie Li's expression was solemn.

"Spiritual Qi has inexplicably diminished in many areas, and small-scale 'Dead Zones' have appeared.

Vegetation has withered, and life has vanished.

Unlike typical disasters, it seems as though... vitality has been forcibly drawn out by some power.

Furthermore, scattered witnesses claim to have seen vague, shadowy, wriggling, bizarre existences near those areas."

Upon hearing this, Yun Feng's eyes sharpened.

How strikingly similar this description was to the characteristics of "Abyss Corrosion" he had analyzed!

"Are there any casualties?"

"They are currently restricted to the fringe areas, so casualties are minor, but the spreading trend is unsettling," Nie Li said in a deep voice.

"I suspect this is related to those strange figures behind the Feather God Sect.

Perhaps... it is some kind of precursor."

Yun Feng stood up, walked to the window, and gazed into the distance.

It appeared that the tentacles of the "Abyss" were no longer satisfied with merely manipulating pawns like the Feather God Sect from behind the scenes; they had begun to take more direct action.

"Increase monitoring efforts and focus on those abnormal areas.

Concurrently, issue a warning to the entire continent in the name of the Joint Council of Elders, informing them of the characteristics and dangers of the 'Dead Zones,' reminding all forces to be vigilant, and to report any discoveries immediately."

Yun Feng commanded.

He knew that facing a crisis that could engulf the entire world, working in isolation was not feasible; more people had to be prepared.

"Yes!" Nie Li accepted the order and immediately went to make arrangements.

In the secret chamber, Yun Feng once again brought up the System interface.

[Current Rule Energy: 7650 / 10000.]

His energy reserves were already considerable.

He needed to quickly find clues about the "world heart," or at the very least, acquire enough power to resist the "Abyss Corrosion."

His gaze once again turned toward the spatial node marked beneath the glacier in the Wind and Snow Realm, which led to the shattered plane.

That deathly silent ancient battlefield might conceal more secrets regarding the "Abyss" and the wars of the past.

"It is time to go and take a look there again.

This time, perhaps I will make different discoveries."

He sensed that a storm destined to sweep across the entire Demon Spirit Continent, and perhaps implicate even wider worlds, was slowly beginning to unfold.

And he was already standing at the center of this storm.