Chapter 339

The thought that came from deep within the formation hub was like a stone dropped into the lake of his mind, stirring up violent ripples in Wang Ping's sea of consciousness.

The lingering will of the Chaos Immortal King!

This was not clear words, but a torrent of thought carrying vicissitudes, fatigue, relief, and an endless sense of heavy responsibility. It was not conveyed through language, yet it allowed Wang Ping to instantly comprehend many things.

He "saw" a hazy vision: in the twilight of antiquity, the celestial realm collapsed, the firmament wept blood, and several figures who stood heaven-high as Immortal Kings, amidst the storm of shattered laws, used immense divine power to tear away that writhing "darkness." The Chaos Immortal King looked back at the shattered mountains and rivers and the wailing myriad beings behind him, his eyes resolute, and voluntarily carried the preliminarily sealed "Primal Source of Disorder" into the spacetime rift leading to this place of exile. He was not forced to suppress it, but willingly became the cornerstone and guardian of this eternal prison.

He "felt" the hardship the Immortal King endured when laying the formation: using his own immortal Dao fruit as kindling, burning the primal source, turning his lifetime's understanding of "Chaos Order" into the thirty-six stone pillars and every rune on the altar. At the moment the formation took shape, the Immortal King's flesh merged with the hall, while his consciousness became the faint instinct sustaining the formation's operation, silently opposing the erosion of the "Primal Source of Disorder" through endless ages, gradually wearing down.

He also "received" the Immortal King's final hope and warning: this formation is named "Dampen Source," intended to suppress the core of the "Primal Source of Disorder" and delay its spread. But the seal is ultimately not a solution, for "Disorder" is like a bone-deep ulcer, constantly eroding everything of "Order," including the formation itself. Only by truly understanding the balance truth of "Order" and "Chaos" within "Chaos" can one possibly find the faint hope of "transforming" or "returning to the abyss" this thing. Successors, if you can draw forth deeper power from this formation, you may briefly activate my lingering wisp of "Chaos Source Fire" here—this fire is the final essence condensed from my Dao fruit, containing a trace of "purification" and "renewal" opportunity, which may help you stabilize the seal, even…… but remember, activating the source fire will also provoke the fiercest backlash from the "Disorder," extremely perilous……

As the thought transmission reached this point, it gradually faded, leaving only that faint sensation regarding the "Chaos Source Fire," like a remnant candle in the wind, pointing toward the deepest part of the altar, to a position nearly merged with the "Primal Source of Disorder."

Wang Ping abruptly opened his eyes, a flash of chaotic light vanishing in the depths of his pupils. He understood what he must do now, and clearly saw the terrifying backlash he would face next.

"Everyone!" Wang Ping's voice, transmitted through the formation's resonance, clearly reached Yunhao, Cangxuan, Yuliuli, and others in the nine directional outposts, as well as the lurking shadow consciousness on alert: "I have sensed the Immortal King's last resort left behind—the 'Chaos Source Fire'! This fire may help us stabilize the seal, even bring a glimmer of hope! But activating the source fire will inevitably provoke the fiercest backlash from the 'Primal Source of Disorder.' Next, I will attempt to draw forth deeper changes in the 'Chaos Containment Seal Technique,' aiming to activate the source fire! Everyone must firmly hold your positions, no matter what happens, keep one thought in mind, and sustain the formation's operation!"

Wang Ping's words shocked everyone's hearts and minds. Chaos Source Fire? The Immortal King's last resort? The light of hope ignited, but the following words "fiercest backlash" made everyone's nerves tense to the extreme. They were now like a small boat struggling to stay afloat in stormy waves, and a more violent storm was coming—its outcome uncertain.

Yet no one retreated.

"Wang brother, rest assured—where the sword heart points, myriad calamities cannot break!" Cangxuan's voice rang with the sound of metal and stone, his posture ramrod straight, his sword intent though somewhat dimmed from exhaustion, that unyielding sharpness became all the purer.

"Liuli will do her utmost, using immortal tones to protect everyone's hearts and minds." Yuliuli replied softly, her pale hand gliding over the immortal tone bell, the bell body trembling slightly, emitting a rhythm that calmed the heart.

"Survivor warriors, duty bound, death before retreat!" Yunhao growled low, exchanging a glance with Qingyu and the others beside him, seeing the same resolve in each other's eyes. Their damaged armor and ancient weapons in hand now seemed infused with new light.

The shadow uttered no sound, but Wang Ping could feel that the icy killing intent and vigilance in the hall's shadows had risen to an unprecedented degree.

"Nine'er……" Wang Ping finally looked toward the faint glow at the edge of the formation hub, his heart aching, but his eyes grew more resolute, "Wait for me."

No longer hesitating, Wang Ping gathered all his mind and spirit, driving the resonance between his own consciousness, the formation hub beneath his feet, and the entire "Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Chaos Dampen Source Grand Formation" to the extreme. He was no longer merely sharing the burden, but began attempting to use his own Chaos Nascent Soul as a guide, with insights from the "Chaos Immortal Classic" as foundation, actively to "communicate," to "summon" that wisp of deep-hidden "Chaos Source Fire" indicated in the Immortal King's residual thought.

The scripture of the second volume of the "Chaos Immortal Classic" flowed in his heart, the vague insights on "Source Beginning," "Creation," and "Purifying the World" elevated to their peak. Wang Ping raised his hands, slowly and heavily forming an ancient, extremely complex seal—this was not what he originally learned, but naturally surfaced in his mind after resonating with the Immortal King's residual will and deeply connecting with the grand formation, a seal belonging to one of the core seals of the true "Chaos Containment Seal Technique"!

"Chaos is boundless, dampen source and set order, with my Dao I bear, summon the fire of the source beginning!"

A low, resonant chant issued from Wang Ping's mouth, each word seeming as heavy as a mountain, vibrating with the hall's chaotic Dao rhythm. The pattern beneath his feet on the formation hub suddenly burst forth with unprecedented light! That light displayed the purest, most primal chaotic hue—neither black nor white, encompassing all colors, yet seeming to transcend color itself.

Om——!

The entire altar, the thirty-six chaos stone pillars, all trembled at once! The countless runes carved on the pillars seemed to come alive, beginning to wander and combine along mysterious trajectories. The seal light net enveloping the altar blazed brightly, no longer pure gold, but stained with a layer of deep chaotic luster, becoming more dense, more substantial, emitting a terrifying aura as if it could suppress myriad ages and still the earth, water, fire, and wind.

The chaotic light radiance surged like a tide, taking the formation hub as center, rushing toward the altar above, especially toward the three stone pillars just repaired and still appearing fragile. Wherever the radiance passed, the light of the "Mending Heaven Formation Patterns" on the pillars was rapidly sparked and strengthened, fusing more deeply with the pillars' own chaotic substance; those minute, not yet fully healed cracks, under the nourishment of the chaotic light, began to further heal and reinforce at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The "Chaos Containment Seal Technique" was activated at a deeper level! This was not merely repair, but drawing forth the grand formation's source power for repair and suppression!

However, just as the chaotic radiance enveloped the altar and began to display its mighty power——

At the top of the altar, that tumbling mass of "Primal Source of Disorder," as if thoroughly enraged, or as if sensing the appearance of power capable of threatening its "existence," suddenly plunged into unprecedented frenzy!

Without sound, but an intangible, formless yet reality-distorting "undulation" more than ten times stronger than before exploded outward from that dark mass!

This was not an energy impact, nor physical destruction, but a more essential, more malicious assault—Disorder Contamination Wave!

It ignored the partially strengthened seal light net, like the most insidious miasma, seeping and spreading out, instantly enveloping the entire central hall, especially sweeping fiercely toward Wang Ping at the formation hub position, and the crowd on the nine auxiliary formation positions!

The target of this "contamination wave" was the most fundamental "order" of living beings—mind and consciousness, and the operation of spiritual power!

Wang Ping bore the brunt!

He only felt an icy, sticky, substance filled with endless chaos and nihilistic meaning violently drill into his sea of consciousness! The world before his eyes seemed to instantly fade and twist, the sturdy hall walls becoming like flowing filth mud, the solemn chaotic symbols writhing into screaming ghost faces, even the sensation of formation support from beneath his feet became unstable and insubstantial. Worse, he felt his control over spiritual power rapidly slipping away, his originally obedient Chaos Nascent Soul power becoming sluggish and chaotic, his five-element foundations showing signs of instability, the cool vitality from the Fusang seed transmitted becoming shrouded in a yin chill. Various mad, self-negating, all-destroying thoughts like weeds grew wildly in his heart: "Give up…… return to nothing…… everything is meaningless…… order is shackles…… chaos is eternal……"

"Hmph!" Wang Ping grunted, blood seeping from all seven orifices, his face instantly turning as pale as paper. But the light in his eyes never dimmed; instead, under extreme pressure it burst forth with even greater resolve!

"Five-Element Chaos Domain—Open!"

He held nothing back, madly burning the spiritual power he had just barely recovered from driving the grand formation, the Five-Element Chaos Domain expanding fully with him as center! This time, the domain did not seek range or change, but was extremely condensed, tightly wrapping himself and the formation hub beneath him, forming a grayish misty light cocoon endlessly flowing with five-colored light. Within the domain, the intent to encompass and evolve was pushed to the extreme, attempting to "encompass" that all-penetrating contamination and "evolve" away its chaotic nature.

Zizi zi……

The contamination wave and the Five-Element Chaos Domain violently collided and annihilated, emitting a grating sound. Wang Ping's body trembled violently, the domain's light cocoon flickering unstably, as if it would shatter at any moment. He felt himself like a leaf in a storm, liable to be torn apart at any time. But he gritted his teeth hard, driving the "Refine Spirit Decree" to activate the "Will Stars" and the "Suppress" divine character in his sea of consciousness, firmly guarding the last point of mental clarity, while at all costs maintaining his connection with the formation hub, continuing the seal to summon the "Chaos Source Fire"! His hands split and bled from the immense pressure, blood dripping from his fingertips onto the formation hub pattern, yet strangely absorbed by the pattern, becoming a thread of weak assistance.

At Cangxuan's eastern formation position, the cyan-gold sword intent light pillar struck by the contamination wave instantly dimmed by half.

Cangxuan only felt his vision blur, as if placed in an endless sword graveyard, but every sword was twisted and ferocious, reflecting his own shattered, Dao-heart-collapsed terrifying image. Endless demonic sounds rang in his ears, vilifying his sword way, mocking his persistence, tempting him to fall into the abyss of slaughter and destruction. His pure stellar sword essence also became restless, as if wanting to break free of control and backfire upon himself.

"Futile!" Cangxuan roared low, his eyes suddenly bursting with piercing silver light—this was not spiritual light, but the light of an unobscured sword heart! He cultivated the "Law Sword," whose core is "cut through falsehood, see truth." Now he sank all his mind and spirit into the sword heart, ignoring all terrifying illusions before him, also ignoring the abnormal agitation of his spiritual power within.

"My heart is like a sword, I would rather break than bend! Where the sword heart points, is truth! Break!"

A formless yet peerlessly sharp sword intent issued from his brow, not cutting outward, but cutting inward! Cutting those phantoms and demonic sounds invading his mind, cutting the sprouts of chaos growing in his spiritual power! This was the ultimate tempering and purification of his Dao heart! Where the sword light passed, phantoms shattered, demonic sounds vanished, the agitated spiritual power returned to control. Cangxuan's mouth corner bled, his face as pale as paper, his breath suddenly dropped, but his sword intent light pillar before him restabilized, and became even more condensed and pure, faintly carrying a resolute intent to cut through all obstacles.

At Yuliuli's southern formation position, the seven-colored sound wave shield struck by the contamination wave violently surged, nearly dispersing.

Yuliuli felt her soul as if plunged into boiling oil, or as if pierced by countless fine needles. Innumerable mournful wails, resentful curses, mad howls directly exploded in the depths of her soul, attempting to pollute her pure immortal soul, undermine her foundation of communicating with heaven and earth through sound and soothing hearts. The immortal tone bell itself wailed mournfully, the light on its body flashing rapidly.

"Immortal Soul's Light, illuminate my true self!" Yuliuli firmly guarded her mind and spirit, operating the Fallen Immortal clan's secret method to the extreme. At her brow, a point of moist, jade-like, pure and flawless white light gradually brightened—that was her condensed "Immortal Soul's Light," representing her soul's most origin, most pure imprint. Though weak, the light spread steadily, enveloping her sea of consciousness, isolating and purifying the invading negative emotions and spiritual pollution.

At the same time, she lightly touched the immortal tone bell with her bare hand, no longer trying to emit bright or purifying sounds, but playing an ancient, simple, yet directly pointing to the source of life "Requiem for the Soul." The bell's sound was no longer clear, but carried a deep soothing and embracing, like a mother's murmur, the earth's breath. This bell sound resonated with her own "Immortal Soul's Light," not only protecting herself, but also becoming rings of soft white ripples, quietly spreading, slightly reducing the spiritual pressure borne by nearby formation positions like Yunhao's. But each bell toll dimmed her brow's Immortal Soul's Light a little, her face growing ever paler.

The formation positions of Yunhao, Qingyu, and other survivors likewise bore immense pressure.

They did not have Wang Ping's Chaos Domain to hard-resist, nor Cangxuan's sword heart to cut falsehood, nor Yuliuli's Immortal Soul's Light for protection. They relied on the bloodline power passed down through generations, sharing origin with this immortal palace, and their damaged yet still extraordinary inherited immortal artifacts in hand!

"Ancestors' blessings! Power of the Immortal Palace, hear my command!" Yunhao bellowed hoarsely, the strange weapon in his hand, the "Broken Abyss Halberd," bursting forth with piercing cyan-gray light, the halberd's body revealing blurred phantoms of the Immortal Palace and ancient sacrificial patterns of the forefathers. He sprayed his own essence blood onto the halberd, forcefully activating this inherited immortal artifact's source power, forming a solid cyan-gray light curtain enveloping himself and the two warriors he led.

Qingyu held a damaged bronze ancient shield, which now also hummed and vibrated, the black tortoise totem on its shield face coming to life, emitting a heavy earth-yellow light halo, conducting defense.

Other survivor warriors, some offering damaged swords, some throwing ancient seals, each activating the residual might of their inherited immortal artifacts, combined with their cultivation methods inclined toward guarding and stabilizing—the survivor methods—formed a simple joint defense.

The contamination wave's impact on these light curtains and the residual might of the immortal artifacts produced a "hissing" corrosive sound. The immortal artifact light rapidly dimmed, the survivor warriors' bodies all violently trembled, blood from mouth and nose, especially the weaker warriors, their faces like gold paper, swaying on the verge of collapse. But the belief in their eyes was unshakably firm, that responsibility engraved in their bloodline, guarding for countless ages! They howled, burning essence blood and lifespan, pouring their last strength into the formation positions, maintaining uninterrupted energy transmission.

The entire central hall fell into a silent yet extremely cruel tug-of-war.

Chaotic light radiance continued to envelop the altar, repairing the pillars, and probing deep for the "Chaos Source Fire."

The "Disorder Contamination Wave" raged madly, eroding everyone's mind and spirit and spiritual power, attempting to interrupt the ritual, pollute the formation's eye.

Wang Ping stood at the storm's center, bearing the greatest pressure. The light cocoon of his Five-Element Chaos Domain was already covered in cracks, his consciousness alternating between clear and blurred, entirely sustained by an unyielding will and the foundation of the "Refine Spirit Decree." The seal to summon the "Chaos Source Fire" was already more than half complete; he could feel that in the altar's depths, nearly overlapping with the core of the "Primal Source of Disorder," a point of extremely weak yet extremely pure, warm, seeming able to dispel all yin chill and chaos spark, was being gradually "dragged" by his thought and the formation's power, attempting to draw it out from the "Disorder"'s wrapping!

This was undoubtedly snatching food from the tiger's mouth!

The "Primal Source of Disorder" became even more violent, that dark mass contracting and expanding violently, releasing contamination waves of renewed intensity! The hall's ceiling began to shed fine chaotic crystals, the ground cracked with more fissures, the entire space groaned under unbearable strain.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

Successive spitting blood sounds rang out.

The light of the Azure Profound Sword Heart dimmed once more. He leaned on his sword, kneeling on one knee, his breath weakened to the extreme, yet the pillar of light transmitting sword intent never broke.

The immortal soul light at Yuliuli's brow had already grown as faint as a candle flame, the chimes of the Immortal Sound Bell became intermittent, and fresh blood continuously trickled from the corner of her mouth, soaking her collar.

The "Broken Ruins Halberd" in Yunhao's hand showed new cracks, Qingyu's bronze ancient shield had nearly completely dimmed, and a remnant warrior fainted outright, his life sustained only by desperate infusions of spiritual power from his comrades.

Youying's figure fluctuated violently several times within the shadows, clearly also suffering immense spiritual erosion, yet he remained like the most silent reef, never revealing his form nor allowing any external object to interfere with the ritual at the core area.

Wang Ping's condition was the worst. Fine beads of blood seeped from his entire skin, turning him into a blood-man. The Five Elements Chaotic Domain finally could not hold, shattering with a boom! The violent pollution wave directly struck his flesh, eroding his meridians and polluting his Nascent Soul. The light of the Chaotic Nascent Soul dimmed, its rotation nearly stalled, the Five Elements halo fell into disorder, and the Fusang seed seemed to be covered by a layer of gloom.

Agony! Chaos! Emptiness! All kinds of negative feelings engulfed him.

"Am I going to fail…… Jiu'er…… everyone……" A thought surfaced uncontrollably.

Just as his consciousness was about to sink into darkness—

At the edge of the formation hub, that faint glow belonging to Jiu'er, so weak it was almost invisible, suddenly twitched!

Immediately after, a thread of weak yet incomparably pure, warm, and brimming with limitless vitality breath, following the faint connection between Jiu'er and the Immortal Palace Pill Hall, crossed space and flowed over, gently circling around Wang Ping.

This breath was so weak, compared to the violent pollution wave, it was utterly insignificant.

But the moment it appeared, Wang Ping's nearly stagnant Chaotic Nascent Soul jerked violently! The gloom on the surface of the Fusang seed was dispelled by a thread, and coolness began to seep out again. That warm vitality, like a single spark in a cold night, though unable to bring warmth, pointed the way and ignited Wang Ping's last unwillingness and fighting spirit!

"Ah——!!!"

Wang Ping let out a sound not like a human voice, his collapsing consciousness forcibly dragged back! His eyes burst forth with terrifying light, no longer minding his bodily wounds, no longer resisting the pain of erosion, pouring all, every bit, of his remaining mind and strength—including that thread of warmth and vitality drawn by Jiu'er—into the final hand seal, pouring it all toward the sensed "Chaotic Source Fire"!

"With my Dao, I bear the Immortal King's will, I summon thy name—Chaotic Source Fire, appear!"

Crack!

As if something had shattered.

Deep within the altar, at the place overlapping with the dark core, a point of weak, chaotic-colored spark suddenly broke free of its invisible bonds and leapt out!

Though weak, though tiny, the moment it appeared—

The entire core hall, the frenziedly rampant "Disorder Pollution Wave," as if seized by an invisible hand at the throat, suddenly stalled!

An indescribable, as if existing since the dawn of creation, gentle yet supreme "Order" and "Purification" intent, quietly spread with the appearance of that spark.

The spark slowly drifted downward, falling toward Wang Ping's position at the formation hub.

At the same time, that "Disorder Origin" emitted the "clearest" reaction yet—it was not a sound, but a kind of instinctive tremor mixed with violence, fury, and a hint of…… an indescribable "palpitation"! It no longer released wide-range pollution waves, but instead gathered almost all its power, contracting and condensing into a pitch-black, ink-like thin ray that seemed able to swallow all light and existence, silent yet swift as lightning, shooting straight toward that drifting spark of Chaotic Source Fire, and toward Wang Ping beneath it!

This strike was condensed to the extreme, and also dangerous to the extreme! It abandoned area erosion, pursuing ultimate point-to-point destruction!

The ritual had reached its most critical moment, also the final life-or-death showdown!

Could the Chaotic Source Fire successfully be drawn in? Could Wang Ping, while bearing this ultimate strike, complete the final step of the ritual? Everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

In the hall, time seemed to solidify. Only that point of chaotic-colored tiny spark, and that ray swallowing everything, in silence drew their lethal trajectories, about to collide.

And below, was Wang Ping, his oil exhausted and wick dry, yet his eyes blazing fierce as fire.