43: The Dark Portal appears, and the Stone of Mending the Sky appears.

To the northeast, Evil Qi soared to the heavens. Lin Fan and his group pushed their speed to the limit, streaking toward the canyon indicated by the Elf like meteors tearing through the sky. As they drew closer, the dark energy and chaotic spatial fluctuations permeating the air grew stronger, and a heart-palpitating Aura, as if connected to an endless abyss, pressed down with physical weight.

Finally, a vast, deep canyon that looked like it had been torn open by a demon's claws came into view. The rock walls on both sides were an ominous purple-black and devoid of life, with only twisted dark runes writhing and flickering on the stone like living things. Deep within the canyon, a massive dark portal, thousands of feet high and composed of pure Oblivion energy and twisted spatial Laws, had already begun to take shape!

The portal's frame was built from countless pale, giant skeletons of various forms, clearly belonging to different powerful races, now serving as Materials for this evil gate. At the center of the portal was a swirling dark vortex that devoured light. Within the vortex, the faces of countless Souls could be seen struggling in agony, and wisps of pure dark energy were seeping through from the other side, reinforcing the portal's stability.

Around the portal, at least a hundred Black-robed figures from the Shadow Hall were busy like worker ants, embedding various crystals containing dark energy into the frame while chanting profane, ancient incantations. Even more alarming were the three giants standing directly in front of the portal, dozens of feet tall and constructed entirely from pitch-black metal and bone! Green Soul-fire burned in their eye sockets, emitting a terrifying pressure comparable to the Early Stage of a Realm Lord. These were clearly the Oblivion Colossi, war Puppets guarding this gate!

"As expected, they are constructing a cross-planar teleportation gate!" Mo Yuan's eyes were cold, his killing intent palpable. "Looking at this scale and momentum, once it's finished, even those at the Late-stage World Lord might be able to pass through!"

"It must be destroyed!" Su Zhiqing gripped her sword-shaped jade talisman, her cool face filled with resolve.

Lin Fan expanded his Chaos Domain, enveloping everyone within it to block the detection of the dense dark Aura outside. He carefully observed the dark portal and the defensive forces surrounding it, his brow furrowed.

"The portal has initially stabilized. A direct attack might trigger an energy explosion or even accelerate its connection to the coordinates on the other side," Lin Fan said solemnly. Having integrated the spatial insights from the primordial void dragon crystal, he was particularly sensitive to spatial structures. "Moreover, those three Oblivion Colossi won't be easy to deal with, and with the defensive Formation formed by over a hundred Black-robed figures, the cost of a frontal assault is too high."

"Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch it be completed?" Zi Linger asked anxiously.

Lin Fan's sharp gaze swept over the base of the dark portal, lingering for a moment on the connections between the embedded dark crystals and the skeletal frame, his mind rapidly calculating.

["System," he whispered in his heart, checking in at the site where the dark portal was being built, "Check in at the Oblivion Teleportation Gate Construction Node."]

[Ding! Check-in location detected—Oblivion Teleportation Gate Construction Node (contains vast Oblivion energy and cross-realm spatial Laws). Special check-in conditions met. Check-in successful!]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone (Imitation)!]

A stone about the size of a fist appeared in the System space, shimmering with five-colored light—green, yellow, red, black, and white—and emitting a dense Aura of creation and stability. Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone (Imitation): Refined in imitation of the ancient holy relic used to mend the heavens. Although it lacks the divine efficacy of the original, it contains extremely strong spatial stabilization and energy harmonization properties. It can temporarily repair or stabilize spatial cracks and neutralize violent energy. It also has a certain suppressive effect on Oblivion energy.

A bright light flashed in Lin Fan's eyes! It was exactly what he needed!

"I have a plan." Lin Fan looked at everyone and quickly laid out the tactics. "This gate relies on dark energy and spatial cracks to maintain itself, so its structure is unstable, especially the energy transmission nodes, which are the most fragile. I need someone to perform a frontal feint to draw the attention of those three Oblivion Colossi and most of the Black-robed figures. Mo Yuan, Fairy Su, Buddha Son, Brother Giant, and the Elf—you five are the strongest, so you'll be responsible for this. You must make as much noise as possible."

"Leave it to us!" Mo Yuan and the others nodded without hesitation.

"Linger, Ethereal Moon, and the other two Fellow Daoists, follow me. We'll sneak near the portal's base amidst the Chaos. I will use special means to destroy its energy nodes and try to dismantle this portal from the inside!" Lin Fan continued.

"Understood!" Zi Linger and the others replied.

"Move!" At Lin Fan's command, Mo Yuan, Su Zhiqing, and the other three instantly unleashed their full Aura, charging toward the dark portal like five crashing meteors!

"Enemy attack!!"

"Stop them!"

Shouts immediately erupted from the Black-robed figures, and the defensive Formation was instantly activated, raising a massive dark light screen. The three Oblivion Colossi also activated simultaneously, the Soul-fire in their eyes flaring as they moved with earth-shaking steps, swinging giant arms wreathed in Oblivion power to meet Mo Yuan and the others!

"Demonic Blade Space-Render!"

"Glazed Sword Waterfall!"

"Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist!"

"Nature's Wrath!"

"War God's Roar!"

Five powerful attacks slammed into the dark light screen and the Oblivion Colossi, resulting in an earth-shattering boom! An energy storm instantly swept through half the canyon as light and darkness frantically intertwined and annihilated each other!

The fierce battle on the front lines immediately drew the attention of all the Black-robed figures and the Oblivion Colossi.

Now! Lin Fan restrained his entire Aura and shrunk the Chaos Domain until it only covered himself, Zi Linger, and the other three. Transforming into an almost imperceptible streak of gray light, they moved like ghosts through the shadows along the edge of the canyon, silently circling behind the massive base of the dark portal.

At the base, a dozen or so Black-robed figures were still tensely maintaining the energy transmission nodes, fitting dark crystals into specific grooves.

"Finish this quickly!" Lin Fan barked softly and struck first! He didn't even expand his full Domain; he simply pointed his fingers like a sword, and several condensed Chaotic Star Sword Qi sliced through space like the invisible scythes of a death god!

"Puff, puff, puff." The dozen or so Black-robed figures had no time to react. Their Protective Demonic Astral Qi was like paper as their foreheads were pierced, their Divine Souls extinguished, and they slumped to the ground.

With the obstacles cleared, Lin Fan immediately turned his gaze to the core of the base. There was a complex magic circle several yards in diameter, and at its center floated a pulsating dark core composed of highly concentrated Oblivion energy. Numerous energy pipes connected to the portal frame above like blood vessels. Violent dark energy and chaotic spatial power converged here, emitting highly unstable fluctuations.

"This is it!" Lin Fan didn't hesitate and immediately took out the Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone! He channeled his Chaos power and slammed the stone into the connection between the dark core and the energy pipes!

"Hum!" The Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone erupted with a dazzling brilliance as five-colored currents of green, yellow, red, black, and white coiled around it like spirit snakes! When the violent Oblivion energy came into contact with the five-colored light, it actually seemed to be granted "order," becoming much more docile and peaceful! The twisted spatial cracks also began to slowly close and stabilize under the illumination of the five-colored light!

The power of the Heaven-Mending Stone was forcibly "correcting" the spatial and energy structures that had been distorted by darkness!

"What's happening?!"

"The energy transmission is unstable!"

"There's a problem at the base!"

The Black-robed figures who were busy resisting the fierce assault from Mo Yuan and the others immediately noticed the anomaly. The light of the dark portal began to flicker, and the rotating vortex showed signs of stalling!

"Stop them!" a Black-robed figure who seemed to be the leader roared, attempting to divert some men to reinforce the base.

"You want to leave? Have you asked my blade?" Mo Yuan laughed wildly, his Demonic Blade Domain suddenly expanding to trap his opponents. Su Zhiqing and the others also intensified their attacks, giving the enemy no chance to escape.

At the base, Lin Fan pushed the Heaven-Mending Stone with all his might, continuously pouring Chaos power into it. The five-colored light grew brighter and brighter, like a giant multicolored cocoon, enveloping and isolating the dark core and some of the energy pipes. The portal frame began to emit an overburdened "creak," and fine cracks appeared on the pale skeletons!

"Not enough! Just a little more!" Lin Fan could feel that the power of the Heaven-Mending Stone was being rapidly consumed, but the Foundation of this dark portal was too deep; an imitation alone wasn't enough to completely dismantle it!

His eyes turned sharp as he communicated with the star pagoda in his Sea of Consciousness!

"star pagoda! Help me stabilize space and suppress this gate!"

The star pagoda erupted with vast starlight, and a majestic spatial sealing power was added to the Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone! At the same time, Lin Fan also poured the power of his own Chaos Domain into it frantically!

With the addition of two powerful forces, the light of the Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone surged again! The dark core's pulsation slowed drastically, and its surface even began to show signs of petrification! The connected energy pipes snapped and were annihilated one by one!

"No!!!" the desperate roar of the Black-robed leader echoed from the air.

"Rumble!!!" Deprived of the stable support of the energy core, the massive dark portal collapsed with an earth-shattering sound! The thousand-foot skeletal frame shattered inch by inch, and the central dark vortex exploded like a broken mirror, triggering a spatial storm that swept through the entire canyon! The violent Oblivion energy, now unrestrained, ran wild, devouring and annihilating the Black-robed figures who couldn't escape in time!

With their energy source cut off, the three Oblivion Colossi also became stiff and sluggish. Mo Yuan, Su Zhiqing, and the others seized the opportunity and teamed up to blast them into fragments!

The dark teleportation gate was destroyed! Amidst the violent energy storm, Lin Fan retrieved the Five-Colored Heaven-Mending Stone and the star pagoda, their light much dimmer now. He used his Chaos Domain to protect his companions and quickly retreated.

Looking at the dark portal that had been completely reduced to ruins in the spatial storm, all the Alliance members breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing the joy of victory.

However, Lin Fan's expression did not relax. He looked into the darkness deeper in the canyon, where a more subtle and terrifying Oblivion fluctuation seemed to have been thoroughly provoked by the destruction of the teleportation gate and was slowly awakening... The real challenge had likely only just begun.