171: Dark Ruins!

"Not good! He is going to self-destruct!"

Immortal Venerables Mochen and Yichen reacted the fastest. Their natal Immortal Artifacts, nurtured for tens of thousands of years, instantly erupted with brilliant aurora light, the sword light thrusting toward Zera's head and heart like a shooting star chasing the moon.

They wanted to destroy Zera's core before the self-destruction to prevent this catastrophe.

However, that destructive power had clearly been brewing for a long time. Before the sword light could get close, a hideous grin appeared on Zera's face. Dark purple flames ignited on its body, and the surrounding space began to crumble inch by inch at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In an instant, the surrounding Void Realm began to collapse with it as the center, forming an ever-expanding black vortex.

"Boom!"

A heaven-shaking roar echoed through the deep space. The Star Cage Formation shattered upon impact, and countless starlight fragments splashed, forming a domain of destruction spanning a thousand miles in the Void Realm.

Violent energy turbulence swept in all directions. The Immortal Venerables hurriedly mobilized their immortal power to protect their bodies, yet they were still shaken, their blood and Qi surging, as they fled the edge of destruction in a sorry state.

"My Star Disk, my Hunyuan Formation Talismans..."

Immortal Venerable Xuanji clutched his chest, watching the fading spirit light of the Formation in the Void Realm, his voice trembling with heartache.

Those two sets of Immortal Artifacts used for the Formation were his life's work, yet they had turned to ashes in the self-destruction of a Peak Golden Immortal Rank entity, nearly causing this Formation-obsessed Immortal Venerable to lose his composure.

"Don't mention it."

Immortal Venerables Mochen and Yichen turned pale. The light of the Immortal Artifacts in their hands had dimmed, and there were even faint cracks on the blades.

Both of them wore bitter smiles. "The impact of this beast's self-destruction was too strong. Both of our Flying Swords are severely damaged; I fear it will take a hundred years of hard work to repair them."

The quality of their Flying Swords was far superior to the Star Disk, but because they were at the center of the self-destruction, the damage was even more severe.

This hunt, which had lasted for over a decade, was truly not worth the loss.

Immortal Venerable Clear Ripple coughed lightly, a deep sense of regret flashing in her eyes. She rubbed the feixia bell with her fingertips, thinking to herself, 'What a pity.'

The eighth-order demonic core inside Zera contained pure spatial Law, which was a rare treasure for her, as she Cultivated the Dao of space.

But looking at everyone's losses, these words ultimately remained unsaid.

While the others were still lamenting their losses, only Immortal Venerable Qimeng kept her eyes fixed on the distant land of annihilation where the Law was in Chaos, her gaze solemn and her brows tightly locked.

She was skilled in Divine Soul perception and could detect abnormal auras that others could not.

"Not good!"

At a certain moment, Immortal Venerable Qimeng was suddenly shocked, her voice trembling slightly. "The barrier of the Void Realm has been shattered by the self-destruction, and the aura of the Dark Ruins is emerging!"

Before she had finished speaking, everyone saw wisps of gray mist seeping out from the black vortex at the center of the destruction domain. Wherever the mist passed, even the starlight was swallowed, emitting an eerie aura that made one's heart palpitate.

"The aura of the Dark Ruins?!"

As soon as Immortal Venerable Qimeng's words fell, it was like a thunderclap exploding in the ears of the Immortal Venerables. Everyone's expressions changed drastically, their eyes filled with unbelievable horror.

The two words "Dark Ruins" were synonymous with disaster for all civilizations and races in the Star Sea!

Almost reflexively, everyone summoned their natal Spirit Treasures and Flying Swords, and brilliant immortal light instantly enveloped their bodies.

At the same time, they extended their immortal consciousness, surging like a tide toward that land of annihilation where the Law was chaotic.

"It really is the Qi of the Dark Ruins! That bone-eroding dead silence and sense of annihilation—there is no mistake!"

A moment later, Immortal Venerable Mochen withdrew his immortal consciousness. His expression was so solemn it could drip water, and his voice carried a faint, imperceptible tremor.

The Dark Ruins were like a mirror reflection of the Star Sea, but filled with endless Chaos and destruction.

Countless eerie and unpredictable powerful creatures resided there. Bloodthirst, coldness, and cruelty were merely the most basic traits.

They seemed born for destruction, taking pleasure in devouring all life and crushing all civilizations. They were the common mortal enemy of all intelligent races in the Star Sea.

Wherever they passed, stars were extinguished, and all races were plunged into misery!

"There is no time to delay!"

Shenwu Immortal Emperor was the first to recover from the shock. With a solemn expression, he issued orders in a deep voice, his speed of speech fast yet steady. "Xuanji, immediately set up the Evil-Suppressing Formation to suppress the Void Realm rift!"

"Clear Ripple, use the feixia bell to confine this area with all your might. Do not let the aura of the Dark Ruins leak out!"

"Other Fellow Daoists, follow me and act as Protectors to suppress the power of annihilation!"

His gaze swept over everyone, his tone extremely grave. "If this place is breached by Void Decay Creatures, it would be one thing if the Jinhun Realm were destroyed, but if it brings down the wrath of the Immortal Court, none of us can bear such monstrous consequences!"

"We obey the Immortal Emperor's command!"

The Immortal Venerables responded in unison, not daring to delay for even a moment. Their figures turned into streams of light, shooting toward the center of the self-destruction like arrows released from a bowstring.

For a time, immortal power surged, and Formation patterns flickered.

The seven-colored light of the feixia bell intertwined with the golden runes of the Evil-Suppressing Formation, attempting to firmly lock the constantly expanding Void Realm rift.

...

I do not know how much time had passed when three powerful auras arrived from the deep space in the distance. They were precisely the three Immortal Venerables—Lingtian, Lieyang, and Shuyang—who had received the message and rushed to support.

With the nine Immortal Venerables joining forces, their power became even more formidable.

Under everyone's full suppression, the power of annihilation that had originally been spreading outward finally slowly receded back into the shattered Void Realm, and the trend of the rift expanding gradually ceased.

Seeing that a catastrophe was about to be eliminated, Shenwu Immortal Emperor's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and beads of sweat slid down his forehead.

"Everyone, this incident is no small matter. The Dark Ruins rift concerns the safety of the Star Sea. We must immediately report to the Immortal Court and ask the Immortal Court to make the final decision."

Shenwu Immortal Emperor looked around, his gaze falling on the face of each Immortal Venerable, his tone carrying a bit of helplessness and determination. "In this case, the chaotic war of the seven nations in the Jinhun Realm will likely not be able to continue. Why not call it off and concentrate our strength to guard this place?"

"Although there is still time left in the term, matters have their priorities, so it can only be this way."

Immortal Venerable Lieyang sighed slightly and nodded in agreement.

The aura of flames from his journey still lingered around him, but at this moment, his face was full of solemnity.

Compared to the conflicts of interest between the Sects, the threat of an invasion by the Dark Ruins was undoubtedly a hundred times more fatal.

Although the other Immortal Venerables were unwilling, they knew the gravity of the matter, and no one refuted it.

The barrier of the Void Realm had been broken, and this place had become a weak point in the defense of the Star Sea. A large army must be dispatched to guard it for the long term.

For at least a thousand years, multiple Immortal Venerables must be stationed here, on guard day and night, to prevent Void Decay Creatures from seizing the opportunity to break through the barrier, intrude into the Star Sea, and incite a catastrophic disaster.

"Since that is the case, let me, Brother Lieyang, Brother Lingtian, and Brother Xuanji be the four to temporarily station here."

Immortal Venerable Shuyang thought for a moment before speaking first, taking the initiative to accept this arduous task. "After all, guarding this place requires Brother Xuanji to preside over the Formation."

The safety of the Jinhun Realm concerned the common interests of the Seven Great Sects, and every Immortal Venerable had an inescapable duty.

Among those present now, only the three of them had not participated in the previous fierce battle to kill the Void-Rending Monarch and were in good condition, so naturally, they were the most suitable for the task.