Chapter 356

In the deep recesses of the forward outpost fortress on Zhenyuan Star, within a tactical chamber covered in complex star charts and energy-monitoring runes.

The air carried a cold scent mixed of metal, spiritual energy, and a faint preservative. Wang Ping, Xuanji Zi, Qinglin, Leishuo, along with Elder Yanhao of the Xuan Yan Ancient Clan and his three clansmen gathered around a massive star-map sand table displaying real-time dynamics of a portion of the Withered Spirit Star Region. The sand table, formed of pure spiritual light, showed dozens of stars marking the junction of the "Dark Star Belt" and the "Withered Spirit Star Region," nine of which were marked in striking blood-red—known attacked planets.

Elder Yanhao traced the star chart with his finger, his fingertip emitting a hint of scorching breath, leaving a fleeting gold-red trail in the spiritual light: "According to our clan's secret sensing method, and the latest shared 'Regional Death Qi Diffusion Model' from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, over the past twelve hours, in the southeastern quadrant of the Withered Spirit Star Region, designated 'Dingwei Zone,' the spatial background radiation has shown three instances of extremely brief but regularly similar 'Death Qi Peak' fluctuations. The fluctuation source points to the same area—here."

His fingertip halted near a faint grey light point on the star chart, labeled "Mo Yan Seven." It was a known, long-abandoned spirit crystal mining star, depleted of its ore and plagued by harsh environment (surface covered in a special black rock that absorbs spiritual energy), abandoned by miners centuries ago.

"Mo Yan Seven?" Xuanji Zi's clear, cold voice rang out. On the celestial chart she held, the star projection corresponding to that region flickered slightly, adjusting its orientation autonomously: "The chart feedback indicates residual anomalous spatial 'wrinkles' in that area, though weak, the frequency band highly matches descriptions in prior event reports. Moreover, the star's own 'Mo Yan' property has a certain shielding effect on spiritual energy and energy fluctuations, making it an ideal location for a concealed outpost."

Wang Ping stared at the grey star point, rapidly integrating information in his mind: abandoned mining star, Mo Yan shielding, residual spatial wrinkles, newly appearing death qi peaks... all pointed to there very likely harboring an active, or at least recently active, Yin Ming clan outpost!

"Target locked, Mo Yan Seven." Wang Ping made his decision, voice steady: "We need a star vessel capable of stealth approach, resisting possible spatial interference and death qi erosion. Elder Yanhao, can Zhenyuan Star provide one?"

Elder Yanhao nodded: "Already prepared for you all. The 'Shadow Hidden,' one of the latest reconnaissance star vessels deployed by the Alliance here, hull coated with 'Gloom Spirit Plating,' capable of absorbing and distorting conventional divine sense and spiritual energy detection, equipped with an embedded 'Inverted Five Elements Array' to disrupt energy tracking, and fitted with basic spatial stabilizers and death qi filtration barriers. Sufficient for silent ingress into the Dingwei Zone."

No delay—two squads, eight total, immediately headed to the starport atop the forward outpost fortress.

The "Shadow Hidden" quietly docked at its dedicated berth; its shape was not traditional streamlined or spindle-like, but closer to an irregular multifaceted meteorite, about fifteen zhang long, entirely covered in a dark grey, light-absorbing special coating that appeared indistinct even under starport illumination. The hull bore no obvious portholes or gunports, seamless, with only a hatch near the base almost matching the hull's color.

Inside the star vessel, space was more spacious than imagined. The core pilot cabin lay at the prow, filled with crystal panels flashing various runes and control hubs. At the bridge center stood a three-dimensional projected star-map sand table, finer than the tactical room's. Aft were rest areas, storage cabins, and a small emergency alchemy refinement chamber. Overall style was simple and practical, exuding a stern readiness for dangerous missions.

As team leader, Wang Ping naturally took the main control seat. Xuanji Zi sat in the deputy seat, her celestial chart already linked to the star vessel's main detection array, beginning to continuously receive and analyze external stellar data. Qinglin and Leishuo sat to the rear sides, eyes closed, regulating breath to maintain peak condition. Elder Yanhao then brought his three clansmen to the aft cabin; they seemed to have their own coordinated combat method and communication style, not overly involved in forward cabin affairs, but maintaining a posture ready to support at any moment.

"Shadow Hidden, power core activate, Gloom Spirit Plating engage, Inverted Five Elements Array run…… course locked, target: Mo Yan Seven mining star. Estimated voyage: four standard shichen. Depart." Wang Ping issued the command calmly, his voice transmitted throughout the vessel via the array.

The star vessel shuddered slightly, silently sliding out of its berth into the thin atmosphere beyond Zhenyuan Star. Immediately, the stern expelled barely visible pale blue spiritual flames, propelling this "meteorite" into the desolate starry backdrop, racing toward the target zone.

Outside the viewport (internal visible, external not), the landscape of the Withered Spirit Star Region gradually revealed its cruel aspect.

Utterly different from the lush spiritual energy, brilliant stars, frequent sightings of cultivator evasion lights and large law vessels shuttling in the Spirit Realm core star region. Here the starry sky appeared exceptionally "clean," also exceptionally "barren." Starlight mostly dim, as if veiled by a thin grey gauze. Gazing out, it was hard to see spirit-energy-rich nebulae or active stars, only sheets of icy, empty darkness. Occasionally passing interstellar dust bands were also deathly still, devoid of spiritual motion.

As they pressed deeper, the several attacked planets marked on the star chart successively appeared at the edge of the detection array's sensing range. Even at vast distance, through the star vessel's enhanced observation array, they could still see those planets' surfaces displaying that horrifying ashen defeat hue, like ugly scars scattered across the cosmos.

"Spiritual energy readings near zero…… life response none…… surface temperature anomalously low…… atmospheric composition chaotic, death qi residue index exceeding standard by three hundred times……" Xuanji Zi coldly reported a series of data; each item reported made the cabin's atmosphere grow heavier. Behind these data lay the instantaneous demise of millions of beings, the brutal plundering of the planet's very origin.

Qinglin gazed at the lifeless planets beyond the viewport, his gentle face filled with unbearable anger and fury, his body unconsciously exuding richer Yi Wood vital energy, as if trying to dispel the deathly aura permeating the starry void. Leishuo clenched his fists, faint thunderbolts stirring beneath his bronzed skin, eyes like lightning, fixed dead on those planets, as if wanting to drag out the perpetrator of all this and crush him.

Wang Ping silently watched, his heart surging, but his gaze grew ever colder and resolute. This further confirmed the importance and urgency of their mission.

The four-shichen voyage passed amid repression and vigilance.

"Approaching target zone, distance to Mo Yan Seven mining star: three hundred thousand li. Activate deep concealment mode, reduce spiritual energy output, link to Mo Yan background radiation." Xuanji Zi manipulated the chart; the star vessel's Gloom Spirit Plating light flowed, its aura further retracted, like a true lifeless meteorite, slowly approaching that grey-black planet.

Mo Yan Seven gradually enlarged in view. It was a medium-sized solid planet, no atmosphere, directly exposed to starry space. The entire planet presented an uncomfortable deep grey-near-black hue, the color of the globally covering "Soul-Devouring Mo Yan Rock." This rock slowly absorbs and stores contacting free spiritual energy and energy fluctuations, but consequently renders the planetary surface spiritual energy extremely thin, environment harsh. One could see the surface pockmarked with vast ring-shaped craters, deep chasms, and countless abandoned mine pit entrances, like festering sores on the planet's face.

The star vessel chose a spot distant from obvious mine pit entrances, beneath the shadow of a vast ring crater, and landed silently. Hull contacting Mo Yan rock emitted an extremely faint rubbing sound.

"External environment scan: no life signs, no active energy responses. Death qi concentration…… background value slightly above Withered Spirit Star Region average, but not reaching outbreak level. Spatial disturbance index…… has weak residue, pointing southeast 120 li, toward the largest mine pit cluster." Xuanji Zi swiftly reported.

"All personnel check equipment, prepare to disembark." Wang Ping ordered: "Elder Yanhao, please have your squad handle external perimeter watch and response, ready to support at any time. I will lead the Dao Academy squad into the mine pit for investigation."

"Very well." Elder Yanhao had no objection: "I will establish a temporary communication node on the star vessel, maintain contact. If any anomaly arises, I will immediately warn."

The hatch slid open silently; a rush of cold, dry air carrying faint stone dust and a trace of elusive yin chill surged in. Wang Ping leapt first, his feet landing on the hard, cold Mo Yan ground. Xuanji Zi, Qinglin, Leishuo closely followed.

Outside, no light source—only distant starlight casting faint glimmer, and the Mo Yan rock's own absorbed and stored energy slowly re-emitted as an extremely dim grey fluorescence, making the environment seem shrouded in eternal twilight mist. Vision severely impaired, divine sense detection also hindered by Mo Yan's interference and absorption, range greatly reduced.

Wang Ping gestured for Xuanji Zi to lead. The celestial chart in her hand emitted a soft clear radiance, like a guiding lamp, not only indicating the direction of strongest spatial disturbance, but its emitted stellar energy could to some extent dispel the surrounding yin chill, illuminating several zhang ahead.

The four moved in a diamond formation, Wang Ping center for support, Xuanji Zi forward, Qinglin left rear, Leishuo right rear, maintaining high alert, swiftly and silently advancing toward the southeast mine pit cluster.

Along the way, what they saw was shocking. Abandoned mining machinery lay toppled, long rusted into heaps of strange-shaped metal junk. Simple shelters reduced to frames, casting ferocious shadows in the weak light. On the ground, occasionally seen were scattered, lusterless spirit stone fragments, and some…… grey-white powder.

Qinglin crouched, carefully touching the powder with a wisp of Yi Wood spiritual energy. The powder instantly scattered, vanished, leaving only a trace of extremely weak, long-dissipated sentient resentment.

"Bone ash…… utterly annihilated by extreme death qi, along with the soul, leaving only the final residue." Qinglin's voice carried a suppressed tremor. This place had once been where miners lived and worked; now, even corpses could not remain.

As they neared the mine pit cluster entrance, that yin chill death qi grew ever more evident. The air began drifting with extremely faint, nearly invisible to the naked eye grey-black filaments, carrying a soul-discomforting chill.

The largest mine pit entrance, like a giant beast's mouth leading to the earth's depths, pitch black, bottomless. On the rim's rock walls remained rough axe-chisel marks and long-defunct illumination runes. At this moment, from the cavern's depths, ceaselessly emanated that loathsome netherworld death qi, and a trace of even more subtle, but Xuanji Zi's chart clearly warned of, spatial disturbance remnants.

"This is it." Xuanji Zi's chart needle violently trembled, pointing to the cavern depths: "Death qi source and spatial disturbance core are below. Disturbance frequency shows regular intermittence, suggesting…… possibly…… some periodically opened passage or residual array fluctuation."

Wang Ping nodded, producing an "Illumination Crystal" to activate; soft white light illuminated a section of the tunnel ahead. The tunnel sloped downward, wide enough for several to walk abreast, ground scattered with rubble and long-rotted mine cart tracks.

"Maintain formation, watch footing and overhead. Qinglin, ready to purify any encountered death qi erosion. Leishuo, watch for movement ahead." Wang Ping whispered, taking the first step into the dark tunnel.

Inside the tunnel, abnormally quiet—only the four's footsteps and breaths echoing between the empty rock walls, then mostly absorbed by the Mo Yan rock, making it feel especially oppressive. The Illumination Crystal's light, under the Mo Yan rock's devouring, could only illuminate a ten-plus zhang radius; farther lay impenetrable darkness.

As they pressed deeper, the slope grew steeper, death qi concentration gradually rose. Those grey-black filaments became denser, like living mist attempting to entwine upward, but were dispersed by Qinglin's emitted, faint Yi Wood light disc array surrounding the squad. Rock walls began to change, no longer pure Mo Yan rock, but mixed with some special ore flashing dim phosphorescence, and some…… artificial carving traces.

They discovered an abandoned ore chamber, piled with extracted but not yet transported ore—already spirit-energy-depleted Mo Ling crystal raw ore. They also found some crude stone chambers, apparently former temporary dwellings of overseers or high-grade ore cultivators, inside equally empty, only thick dust and omnipresent grey-black powder.

"Three hundred zhang ahead, death qi concentration surges, and there is a clear energy convergence point, not natural." Xuanji Zi suddenly halted, her chart's clear radiance focusingly illuminating a bend ahead.

Wang Ping gestured for the team to halt, restrain breath, and cautiously approach the bend.

Beyond the bend lay a relatively open underground cavern, clearly a vast ore chamber formed by past mining. Yet now, the cavern's sight caused the four's pupils to contract sharply!

At the cavern's center, the ground had been deliberately cleared, and with some dark red pigment resembling dried blood, outlined a complex evil array over five zhang in diameter! The array's lines twisted ferociously; at its core lay several fragmented, death-qi-emitting black bone shards, and some offerings whose original appearance was indiscernible, already thoroughly corroded by death qi.

Around the array lay some items clearly not belonging to miners: fragments of black banners etched with netherworld runes; several peculiar artifacts, neither metal nor stone, likewise entwined with death qi, damaged; and some torn skins inscribed with twisted characters, remnant pages.

On the cavern's four walls and several supporting rock pillars remained more traces of combat or spellcasting—scorched lightning marks, frost-frozen patches, blade-slashed deep grooves…… and, numerous splatter-like stains, long dried and blackened.

"This is a temporary outpost of the Yin Ming clan, and…… combat occurred here, or…… a ritual?" Qinglin murmured, fingertip Yi Wood energy sweeping over those black stains, instantly emitting a faint "hiss-hiss" scorching sound; the death qi residue in the stains was purified, but the evil aura remained nauseating.

Xuanji Zi swiftly stepped to the array's edge, chart lowered, clear radiance enfolding the array lines, brows tightly knit: "Array structure…… very strange. Core is spirit-gathering and blood sacrifice conversion, but linked to several spatial-guideline runes I've never seen…… seems not for summoning, but for…… positioning and guiding? Those bone shards…… contain strong residual spatial coordinate information."

Wang Ping also crouched, carefully examining those black bone shards. The shards were dense, ice-cold to the bone, naturally bearing fine, vein-like grey patterns on their surface; at this moment, these patterns still held extremely weak death qi slowly flowing. He attempted contact with his chaotic divine sense, immediately feeling a strong repulsion and a chaotic, destruction-desire-filled thought fragment rebound!

"The owners of these bone shards, in life at least Yuan Ying cultivators, and were refined by cruel evil methods into…… some kind of…… spatial beacon?" Wang Ping's heart turned cold.

Leishuo vigilantly patrolled the cavern perimeter, hand already gripping a short-handled heavy hammer entwined with purple lightning, muscles tensed like a leopard poised to spring.

Just as Xuanji Zi tried to further parse the array's spatial runes, and Wang Ping prepared to take a bone shard as sample——

Sudden anomaly!

"Om——!"

The seemingly dormant evil array at the cavern's center, without warning, suddenly blazed! Not normal activation light, but an extremely unstable, violently flashing baleful green gloom-light! Simultaneously, dozens of hidden secret runes concealed in rock fissures and shadows on the cavern walls, ceiling, and even the tunnel they came by, were simultaneously triggered!

In an instant, the entire cavern was enveloped by a viscous, yin-chill fog thick with decay and despair, grey-black in color! The fog roiled, emitting mournful wails, as if countless wronged souls were howling. Within the fog, countless ferocious specters—ghost heads, bone claws, even twisted limb phantoms condensed from pure death qi and malice—raged, biting and scratching at the four!

More heart-chilling, this death qi fog seemed alive, not only attacking the flesh, but like a bone-burrowing maggot, frantically trying to bore into the seven orifices, erode souls, melt spiritual power! Qinglin's emitted Yi Wood light domain was abruptly compressed, emitting an overburdened "hiss-hiss" sound, its light rapidly dimming!

"Soul-Corroding Bone-Rotting Array! It's a trap!" Xuanji Zi's usually cold face changed for the first time, she shouted sharply. Her chart spun rapidly, clear radiance surging, forming a hemispherical stellar light shield, barely protecting the four, resisting the first wave's fiercest death qi phantom assault, but the shield itself violently fluctuated, clearly unable to hold long!

At the same time—

"Jie jie jie..."

"Those who trespass the holy ground... die!"

Several figures, shrouded in thick deathly aura, their forms blurred, with only a pair of eyes flashing with mad crimson light, emerged like phantoms from the deepest shadows of the cavern, from places on the rock walls that seemed solid, even from the shattered fragments of banners beneath their feet—seven figures in total, their auras varying in strength, the two strongest having clearly reached the early Nascent Soul stage, while the rest were at late or perfected Golden Core, yet without exception, their bodies were entwined with deathly aura, their spiritual energy fluctuations cold and sinister—these were cultivators of the Yin Underworld Clan!

They had clearly lain in ambush here long before, using the shadow of the ink-rock and the concealment of the formation, possibly even employing some spatial hiding technique, evading the routine detection of the Xuanyi Zi Star Disk, waiting only for someone to trigger this prepared killing trap!

"Qinglin! Maintain the domain with all your strength! Leishuo! Deal with the nearest enemy! Xuanyi Zi! Find the formation's eye!" Wang Ping reacted with extreme speed; the moment the formation lit up and the enemies appeared, his command exploded like thunder in his teammates' divine senses! He himself took a step forward, and his Chaotic Immortal Element burst forth with a boom!

Hum!

A grayish mist, yet heavy as a mountain, seeming able to suppress all things, the Chaotic Domain suddenly expanded from Wang Ping as its center! Wherever the domain passed, the madly invading gray-black deathly aura, as if encountering its nemesis, emitted a "hissing" sound, being forcibly pushed back, neutralized, and even faintly showing signs of being devoured and transformed by the Chaotic Power! Though unable to instantly purify the thick deathly aura of the entire great formation, it greatly eased Qinglin's pressure and weakened the attacking power of the deathly aura illusions.

"Yin Wood Evergreen, Spiritual Domain Blossoms!" Qinglin seized the chance to catch her breath, bit her tongue tip, and spat out a mouthful of essence blood into the surrounding Yin Wood spiritual energy. Instantly, the originally dim Yin Wood spiritual light domain, as if injected with a stimulant, suddenly expanded, countless emerald-green spiritual light flower illusions blooming within the domain, emitting even more vigorous purifying vitality, overlapping with Wang Ping's Chaotic Domain, firmly resisting the erosion of the Soul-Eating Bone-Corroding Formation, and opening for the team a relatively safe zone of about three zhang in radius.

"Evil demons and heretical ways! Taste your Thunder Grandfather's hammer!" Leishuo, long unable to restrain himself, roared angrily, his voice like thunderclaps! Purple lightning burst and flashed around his body, his whole person seeming to transform into a humanoid thunderbolt, ignoring the biting deathly ghost heads rushing at him (these ghost heads exploded upon hitting his protective lightning), like a frenzied barbaric thunder beast, waving a hammer entwined with electric light, carrying the force of wind and thunder, he ferociously smashed toward the nearest, foremost attacker—that early Nascent Soul Yin Underworld cultivator!

That Yin Underworld cultivator's eyes flared with crimson light, seemingly not expecting the opponent to unleash such a fierce and swift counterattack under the formation's suppression; in haste, he crossed his arms, deathly aura condensing into a heavy bone shield to block.

"Boom—!!"

The thunder hammer and bone shield collided fiercely! Blazing purple-black light exploded, violent thunder force and cold deathly aura madly clashed and annihilated! The bone shield instantly cracked, the Yin Underworld cultivator grunted, knocked backward by the immense force, stumbling and retreating, a clear bone-breaking sound coming from his arms!

But the attacks of the other six Yin Underworld cultivators followed in quick succession! Some released mournful green netherworld ghost fire, some hurled bone spikes laced with deathly aura, some directly waved claws condensed from deathly aura, lunging forward, their targets directly pointing at Qinglin, who was maintaining the domain, and Xuanyi Zi, who was calculating the formation's eye!

Wang Ping's eyes turned ice-cold; with a thought, the Overturning Seal had already transformed into a streak of black light flying from his dantian, expanding with the wind, instantly becoming the size of a zhang or so, like a miniature mountain peak, carrying the terrifying gravity that could suppress the four extremes, it boomed down toward the two Yin Underworld Golden Core cultivators attempting long-range attacks on Qinglin! At the same time, he pointed his fingers like swords; a streak of grayish mist, seeming able to cut through the illusory, Chaotic Sword Qi burst from his fingertip, precisely piercing toward the brow of another Yin Underworld cultivator lunging at Xuanyi Zi!

The Chaotic Sword Qi struck first despite being launched later; that Yin Underworld cultivator let out a piercing shriek, deathly aura in front of him condensing into one small shield after another, yet like paper paste, it was layer after layer penetrated by the sword qi, finally leaving a deep, hissing gray sword mark on his forehead, deathly aura dissipating, he screamed and fell to the ground!

And the Overturning Seal then solidly smashed into the two Yin Underworld Golden Core cultivators; the terrifying gravity field distorted space, making their movements instantly stagnate, then they were crushed by the immense power carried by the seal itself, their protective deathly aura shattered, tendons snapped, bones broken, they died on the spot!

In the blink of an eye, seven ambushers, one seriously wounded, three dead!

But the danger was far from over! The Soul-Eating Bone-Corroding Formation continued to operate at full power, thick deathly aura continuously generating new ghost head illusions, madly charging at the dual domains. The remaining four Yin Underworld cultivators (including the early Nascent Soul one repelled by Leishuo) had their eyes blazing with ferocity, seemingly enraged by their comrades' deaths, attacking even more frenziedly and recklessly, among them, the uninjured early Nascent Soul Yin Underworld cultivator, moreover, formed hand seals, began chanting obscure evil incantations, the deathly aura within the cavern seeming to be summoned, surging more violently, faintly about to condense into something even more terrifying!

"Team leader! The core node of the formation is at the base of the northeastern rock pillar! There lies an inlaid 'Netherworld Blood Crystal' providing energy! The southeastern and northwestern auxiliary nodes also have small blood crystals!" Xuanyi Zi's urgent voice rang out; her face was pale, obviously having exhausted greatly under the formation's suppression while calculating, but she had finally found the key!

"Leishuo, entangle the one chanting! Qinglin, hold firm! Xuanyi Zi, mark the node positions!" Wang Ping made a swift decision, his form flickering like a phantom, dodging a netherworld ghost fire, the Chaotic Tribulation Sword already grasped in his hand, the sword body dim gray, only the bright silver thread along the sword edge flowing with the light that cuts through all things!

He first needed to break the main formation eye!