Chen Changqing's steps abruptly stopped, his face changing drastically! A tremor from the depths of his soul, cold and deathly still, like the gaze of an ancient abyss, suddenly descended! It wasn't an illusion, but the mark of the Curse of the Final Dharma, which had entangled his rebirth, was violently shaking!
This was no ordinary agitation, but a… resonance! Like a sleeping serpent awakened by the scent of its own kind, the curse power within him was producing an unprecedented and intense response with an unknown presence deep within the Spiritual Realm of Earth Veins! The attraction from this resonance was so overbearing that it almost surpassed the gentle water essence emitted by the Sea Stabilizing Pearl, chilling him to the bone and making his hairs stand on end. His gaze was drawn by that pull, and he involuntarily looked towards the depths of the realm's ruins. That was where the blurry outline from the Karma Heavenly Eye's fleeting glimpse had been!
Karma Heavenly Eye, open! Divine light flowed through his eyes, and this time, the scene was no longer blurred. With the initial recognition of the Sea Stabilizing Pearl and the resulting increase in control, the Karma Heavenly Eye's insight also increased. His vision pierced through the layers of ruins and the chaotic spiritual energy currents, directly reaching the end of the area shrouded in dense, deathly still aura—a huge black Altar stood there, imposing!
The Altar was entirely made of some unknown black stone, its surface covered in twisted and grotesque bas-reliefs. They were neither human nor beast, but more like struggling souls that had been solidified onto it, making one's heart uneasy to look at. It wasn't a dead thing; it seemed to be "breathing," each rise and fall exhaling thick, deathly still black qi. This black qi entangled with the surrounding chaotic spiritual energy, forming an even colder, more corrosive, and more bizarre energy, constantly polluting this dilapidated realm.
What shocked Chen Changqing even more was that at the top of the Altar, there was not nothing. An extremely vague figure, almost merged with the darkness, sat cross-legged upon it. He couldn't make out the face, nor could he discern the form, only a sense of deathly stillness and despair from the ancient times, surging and spreading like a tide, forming a perfect resonance with the Curse of the Final Dharma within him! That figure was simply the embodiment of the Curse of the Final Dharma, or even one of the sources of the curse!
"So that's how it is…" Chen Changqing murmured, his heart suddenly opening, followed by a deeper sense of weight. He understood the root cause of this realm's decay; it wasn't just due to time or war. The key lay in this bizarre Altar and the mysterious figure on it! This Altar was definitely not built by the Water God; it might have been erected by an even older being to suppress evil. But as time passed and things changed, the object of suppression not only didn't disappear but instead connected with the Curse of the Final Dharma, nourishing each other, and eroding this place into a dead zone.
This Altar was a tumor of the realm, an amplifier of the curse! Without removing it, repairing the realm would be futile, and might even aid the enemy! More importantly, Chen Changqing sensed that this place might hold the key to unlocking some of the secrets of the Curse of the Final Dharma!
"It seems I have to go." He made up his mind. Although the future fragments predicted by the Karma Heavenly Eye were filled with ominous signs, and the scene of black flames engulfing everything was still fresh in his mind, "hiding" was not simply avoiding. When risk and opportunity coexisted, and it concerned the very core, necessary risks were also a form of stability, provided—he was fully prepared! He adjusted his breathing and began to mobilize the power of the Sea Stabilizing Pearl, while continuing to repair and purify other areas, cautiously approaching the Altar.
The closer he got, the more intense the deathly stillness became, a chilling cold that threatened to freeze his very bones. The scene of the ruins grew more bizarre. Dark red spots, like dried bloodstains, appeared on the broken walls and remnants. More and more dry bones littered the ground, some even covered with a thin layer of black frost. Just as he stepped within a hundred feet of the Altar, a sudden change occurred!
Whoosh! A sharp, ear-piercing sound erupted. Several translucent shadows, carrying intense resentment and violence, emerged like ghosts from the shadows of the ruins, lunging towards Chen Changqing! These shadows took various forms: ancient soldiers wielding broken weapons, cultivators in tattered robes, and twisted monsters. Black Qi swirled around them, their eyes hollow, filled only with the desire to kill.
"Altar guardians?" Chen Changqing's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly understood. These beings had long been corrupted by the Altar's power, becoming Wraiths that knew only how to kill, the Altar's natural barrier! Moreover, they weren't weak; the first few to attack had auras comparable to the early stages of Foundation Establishment! He didn't dare to be careless. With a thought, the Sea Stabilizing Pearl's blue light blazed, and sheets of water-blue light immediately condensed around him, layering like waves, firmly protecting him. With muffled thuds, the water screens violently shook, rippling, but ultimately, relying on the Sea Stabilizing Pearl's power, a water-element treasure, it withstood the first wave of attacks.
"Just what I needed to test my gains." After obtaining the divine pearl and its inheritance, his strength had soared, and he needed actual combat to verify it, as well as to experience firsthand the power that shared an origin with the Curse of the Final Dharma. He no longer remained defensive. With his left hand maintaining the water screen, he pointed his right hand like a sword, channeling true essence from the Great Purity Water Essence Scripture, and a condensed water-blue sword aura shot out!
Chh!
The sword aura slashed through, severing a soldier Wraith at the waist. Black Qi surged from the break, trying to reassemble! "Indeed, troublesome, difficult to harm physically." He shifted his thoughts, changing his sword technique, infusing the purification power of the Great Purity Water Essence Scripture into his sword finger.
Whoosh!
Another sword aura shot out, containing pure water-element power, and struck a cultivator Wraith directly. This time, the effect was remarkable! Amidst a shrill scream, the black Qi around the Wraith melted away like snow meeting the scorching sun, and finally vanished into nothingness, completely annihilated!
Effective! Chen Changqing's spirits lifted, his confidence soaring. He moved swiftly, dodging the attacks of several Wraiths. His fingertips flickered, releasing sword qi with each strike, each imbued with the power of purification, hitting with precision. The battle was intense. In the ruins, the number of Wraiths gradually increased, their strength rising, with several powerful individuals emerging, comparable to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. They were fearless, cooperating seamlessly, with black qi, death curses, and resentment assailing him with bizarre and ever-changing methods.
Chen Changqing remained calm, adhering to the principle of "stability". Relying on the sturdy defense of the Sea Stabilizing Pearl and the foresight of the Karma Heavenly Eye, he avoided direct confrontation, always narrowly escaping fatal blows while precisely killing them with purifying sword qi. This grueling battle was both a crisis and a trial. His understanding of the purification, resilience, and change of the water element within the Great Purity Water Essence Scripture deepened, and his application became more refined.
At the same time, he continuously sensed and analyzed the deathly stillness within the Wraiths, searching for a way to counter it. His True Essence was being consumed, but also tempered and purified under pressure. The bottleneck of the middle stage of Qi Refining faintly loosened. "It's time to end this." Taking advantage of a split second opening in the Wraiths' attack, Chen Changqing held nothing back. "Four Seas Tide Rising!" With a low shout, the Sea Stabilizing Pearl's light surged to its limit!
At his center, the vast and boundless power of water erupted, transforming into a towering tidal wave that furiously swept outwards in all directions! Whoosh—! The giant wave surged, and everywhere it passed, all the Wraiths were engulfed, issuing desperate and mournful wails. The pure essence of water transformed into supreme purifying divine light, frantically washing away the black qi and resentment on their bodies. The weaker Wraiths dissolved instantly, their cries cut short. Even those few powerful Wraiths at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, under the repeated onslaught of the giant wave, saw their auras quickly decline, and eventually dissipated completely, unwillingly!
One strike, and the field was cleared! The water receded, and the ground was washed clean, and the surrounding deathly stillness was thinned. Chen Changqing panted slightly, his face somewhat pale, but his gaze was sharp and intimidating. The harvest was not small. He didn't linger, stepping towards the Altar. Looking up close, he could feel the Altar's ancient and sinister nature even more. The distorted bas-reliefs seemed to writhe in his peripheral vision, emitting a heart-palpitating malice. The deathly stillness in the air was as thick as substance; each breath brought a tearing, icy pain.
At the top of the Altar, the blurry black shadow still sat cross-legged, and a formless but malicious gaze was cast down from it, firmly locking onto him. Chen Changqing ignored that gaze, circling the Altar, and soon found a hidden entrance sealed by even more concentrated black qi on one side. "The core secret must be within." He understood in his heart, no longer hesitating. He activated the Sea Stabilizing Pearl, a water-blue light shield protecting his body, and then stepped towards the black qi entrance.
Zzzt—!
Upon contact, a piercing corrosive sound was produced, like hot oil being poured on snow. The protective light shield flickered violently, as the power of water and the black qi of deathly stillness frantically eroded and annihilated each other. An extremely chilling force attempted to penetrate his body, to freeze his blood, and to erode his soul! Relying on the protection of the Sea Stabilizing Pearl and the restraint of the Great Purity Water Essence Scripture, he endured the corrosion, and with difficulty, passed through the black qi seal and entered the interior of the Altar.
The scene before him suddenly opened up. The space inside the Altar was far more expansive than anticipated. The four walls were covered in bizarre runes and murals, depicting scenes of incomprehensible bloodshed and despair. In the center of the space, instead of the expected evil creature, was a giant… Light Cocoon?
A Light Cocoon, ten feet tall, was bound by countless thick, black chains. A thin, yet extremely pure, dark radiance flowed across the surface of the cocoon. The black chains, like hideous venomous pythons, tightly bound it, the other ends deeply embedded in the walls and the ground. The runes on the chains were complex and profound, flickering with a ghostly light. They seemed to be both drawing power from the Light Cocoon and desperately trying to suppress it.
Even with such a tight seal, Chen Changqing could still sense a terrifying aura emanating from the Light Cocoon—an indescribable, pure darkness capable of devouring all light in the world! This aura was purer and more soul-stirring than the deathly despair emanating from the shadow at the top of the Altar!
"What… exactly is this?!"
He activated the Karma Heavenly Eye with all his might, trying to see through the essence of the Light Cocoon. However, the moment his gaze touched the dark radiance flowing across the cocoon's surface, a surge of overwhelming backlash crashed over him! He groaned, and his vision was instantly swallowed by darkness, his soul in agony! He quickly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, two lines of bloody tears streamed from the corners of his eyes.
Just one glance resulted in such a backlash! The terror of the thing sealed within the Light Cocoon was beyond imagination!
He was certain that this thing was inextricably linked to the root of the Curse of the Final Dharma! It might even be the core of the decay in this place, the cause of the mutation of his own curse! A difficult choice lay before him: should he risk investigating, even attempting to break the seal, and seek clues about the curse? Or should he retreat immediately, maintain the status quo, and leave this terrifying thing for later? The former was a gamble with a slim chance of survival, while the latter, though seemingly safe, was a superficial solution, and the seal might not last forever.
He looked around; the murals were gruesome, the runes flickered, and the chains were cold. He was unable to make a decision.
Just at that moment—
Crack!
A faint cracking sound, yet like a thunderclap in the silent space! Chen Changqing suddenly looked up, his pupils contracting! Among the countless chains binding the Light Cocoon, one near the top had its runes suddenly become chaotic and dim. A tiny crack slowly began to spread!
The seal… had loosened?!
Before he could react, a dark aura, far more concentrated, pure, and evil than before, found an outlet and surged out of the crack! Boom! The entire interior of the Altar violently shook, the runes on the four walls flickering wildly, as if unable to bear the strain! What made Chen Changqing's hair stand on end was that a low, hoarse voice, filled with endless temptation and reaching deep into his soul, resounded in his mind:
"Come… closer… feel this great power…"
That voice came from the depths of the Light Cocoon, carrying seduction, the whisper of death. It was as if it had crawled out of the darkness of eons past, directly piercing his soul, forming the most evil resonance with the violently beating curse mark within him!
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