Chapter 552: , the stone egg has taken root and sprouted

At the moment the stone egg cracked, it was as if the most ancient taboo hidden in the depths of the universe had been unveiled; countless eerie symbols surged forth like a fountain, dancing wildly in the sky and weaving into countless invisible nets that blanketed the entire Tianji Shengyu.

These symbols emitted a deep, obscure light; they were ancient and mysterious, each containing a power that made the heart tremble, as if they were fragments of law that had existed since the world's creation.

As the symbols danced, they began to gather in the air, forming a huge diagram.

This diagram was eerie and complex, filled with twisted lines and symbols that interconnected and influenced each other, constituting a terrifying entity that devoured everything.

That great formation was like a living monster, greedily devouring all negative emotions of every living being in the Tianji Shengyu.

Fear, despair, anger, sorrow… these negative emotions, as if pulled by some mysterious power, surged from all directions toward the formation and were absorbed by its black light.

As the negative emotions continued to gather, a black light actually sprouted on the stone egg, like a seed germinating, growing, and gradually becoming stronger on this land of despair.

The cultivators of the Tianji Shengyu witnessed all this, their hearts filled with shock and panic.

They gazed at the black light on the stone egg, as if beholding an omen of the apocalypse—an indescribable fear that made their scalps tingle and left them speechless.

They knew that once this power was fully unleashed, the entire Tianji Shengyu would face a catastrophe of annihilation.

This terror was not merely a bodily threat, but also a quivering deep within the soul.

The stronger the cultivator, the heavier the sense of oppression they felt, as if an invisible giant hand tightly gripped their heart, making it hard for them to breathe.

"What is happening?! Why can't my soul leave this place?!" a cultivator of high cultivation level shouted in terror, his face drenched in cold sweat, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Good heavens, my soul is trapped! What terrifying power lies hidden within this stone egg?" another cultivator roared in despair, his body trembling, his magic implement unconsciously dropping to the ground.

"It's over, everything is over…" a cultivator knelt on the ground, clutching his head, his voice choked with sobs, "Unable to return to the real world, must we wait here to die?"

"No, impossible! My family is waiting for me—I can't just give up!" a female cultivator said, tears in her eyes, her voice trembling, "We must find a way to break this barrier and escape!"

"Escape? Where to? The power of this stone egg is too great; how could we possibly resist it?" an old cultivator shook his head and sighed, his face full of helplessness and sorrow.

"Are we just going to sit and wait for death? No, I won't accept it!" a young cultivator clenched his fists, his eyes burning with unyielding fire, "Even if I die, I will fight until the last moment!"

As the black light on the stone egg grew stronger, the seed-like thing began to sprout, growing countless tendrils that danced in the void, as if drawing something in.

The cultivators horrifiedly discovered that these tendrils were devouring negative emotions, which acted like nutrients, making them unprecedentedly ferocious; countless eerie blood-red symbols drifted about, transforming into endless wandering phantoms of lonely souls and wild ghosts.

"Look, what is that?! It's devouring our emotions and growing!" a cultivator pointed at the stone egg in the sky, his voice full of panic.

"It's nothing short of a nightmare—my emotions have actually become its source of power!" another cultivator said in despair, his eyes losing their former luster, leaving only deep fear.

"We must stay calm and not let this monster succeed!" a leader-like cultivator stepped forward, his voice hoarse yet powerful, "If we remain calm, we can diminish its strength."

However, these words had little effect, for fear and despair had already taken root and sprouted in the cultivators' hearts.

They watched the black light on the stone egg grow ever brighter, while the fear in their hearts continually swelled.

"What should we do? Who will save us?" a cultivator knelt on the ground, wailing toward the sky, hoping for divine salvation.

"No, we cannot rely on others; we must save ourselves!" a cultivator in battle armor stepped forward, his eyes flashing with resolute light, "Join forces, use magic treasures and divine abilities, and break this barrier!"

The cultivators began to respond, knowing this was their only hope.

Those cultivators began to gather together, preparing to launch their strongest attack, attempting to shatter that intangible wall.

"Everyone, hear my command!" the armored cultivator shouted loudly, "Gather all your strength at one point, and with will and power, break this barrier!"

The cultivators nodded in agreement, began to mobilize their power, and the light of their magic treasures and techniques converged in their hands, forming a brilliant beam that shot straight to the heavens.

"One, two, three, release!" At the armored cultivator's command, all cultivators simultaneously unleashed their power; that brilliant beam, like a sword, pierced toward the barrier in the sky.

However, the barrier seemed impregnable; the brilliant light, upon contacting it, vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, causing no ripple.

"No, this is impossible!" the armored cultivator stared at his own hands in disbelief; though his power was considered top-tier in the Tianji Shengyu, it now appeared utterly feeble.

"Do we really have no hope left?" a cultivator asked in despair, his voice filled with endless sorrow.

"No, we still have hope; as long as we stand united, we will surely find a way!" a female cultivator declared firmly, her voice weak yet like a beam of light in the darkness, giving everyone a glimmer of hope.

"Exactly, we cannot give up; we must keep trying!" another cultivator echoed, his eyes reigniting with fighting spirit.

The cultivators began trying every method, exhausting all their magic treasures and techniques, yet that barrier remained as solid as a rock, showing no sign of being broken.

As time passed, the black light on the stone egg grew ever brighter, and the terrifying aura it emitted intensified.

The cultivators' fear and despair continued to mount; they began to feel their vitality slowly draining, as if being devoured by the monster within the stone egg.

"Are we really going to die here?" a young cultivator gazed at the sky, his eyes full of reluctance.

"No, we cannot just give up like that; we still have family and friends waiting for us to return!" a middle-aged cultivator gripped his magic implement tightly.

"Let us join forces once more, using our lives and souls to break this barrier!" an old cultivator stepped forward, his voice hoarse yet powerful.

The cultivators gathered again, began to mobilize all their power, and prepared to launch a final assault.

"Break!" the old cultivator shouted loudly, "Gather all your strength at one point!"

The cultivators nodded in agreement, began to mobilize all their power, and the light of their magic treasures and techniques converged in their hands, forming an even more brilliant beam that shot straight to the heavens.

All cultivators simultaneously unleashed their power; that brilliant beam, like a sword, pierced toward the barrier in the sky.

This time, the barrier finally showed a faint ripple; though only a tiny fluctuation, it was a tremendous encouragement to the cultivators.

"It's absolutely doable!" a cultivator shouted excitedly, his eyes flashing with hopeful light.

"Don't stop; keep attacking until the barrier is completely broken!" the old cultivator shouted, his voice filled with resolve.

The cultivators continued to launch attacks, their power surging like tide after tide, relentlessly striking the barrier. As time passed, the fluctuations on the barrier grew ever more violent; finally, after a fierce assault, a crack appeared in the barrier.

"A crack, a crack has appeared!" a cultivator shouted excitedly, his eyes brimming with excited tears.

"Success! We have broken the barrier!" another cultivator shouted loudly, his voice filled with joy.

The cultivators cheered and leapt for joy, finally seeing the dawn of hope.

In the sky above the Tianji Shengyu that day, within the crack of the split stone egg, ferocious darkness like a mouth devouring all spread, exuding a suffocating terror.

Some cultivators, in despair, saw that narrow crack and regarded it as the sole escape route, recklessly rushing toward it, hoping to flee this place reeking of death.

"Hurry, charge through! That is our only hope!" a cultivator shouted loudly, his eyes flashing with the desire to survive, his body turning into a stream of light that shot straight toward the crack.

However, the situation inside the crack was far more complex and dangerous than they had imagined.

Inside the crack, a void storm raged—a terrifying phenomenon formed from spatial rifts and chaotic energy flows; any substance entering it would be mercilessly torn, stirred, and ultimately pulverized.

"No—!" a cultivator who had just rushed into the crack was instantly devoured by the power of the void storm.

His body twisted and deformed in the storm, eventually turning into countless fragments that were swept away by the storm, not even a speck of ash left behind.

This scene was seen by all the cultivators preparing to escape; their faces grew gloomy, their hearts filled with fear and despair, for even the seemingly sole escape route was a trap leading to death.

"Why has this happened?" a female cultivator's voice trembled with sobs, her eyes brimming with tears, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"There must be another way!" an elderly cultivator, despite his hoarse voice, still tried to boost everyone's morale.

As more cultivators attempted to escape and failed, the negative emotions within Tianji Shengyu began to spread rapidly.

Fear, despair, anger, sorrow… these emotions spread like a plague, infecting the heart of every cultivator.

And these negative emotions are exactly the nourishment that the dark light on the Stone Egg craves.

On the Stone Egg, those negative emotions began to coalesce, forming a strange existence—the Calamity Demon Shade.

Its silhouette gradually became intensely focused, as if it were a solid entity formed from countless negative emotions.

Its eyes were like two black holes, deep and terrifying; a single glance could make one feel the fear of their soul being devoured.

"Look, what is that?!" a cultivator pointed at the Calamity Demon Shade on the Stone Egg, his voice filled with panic.

"That…! it is formed from our negative emotions, absorbing our feelings and growing stronger!" a learned elderly cultivator exclaimed in terror, his face full of disbelief.

The presence of the Calamity Demon Shade filled all cultivators with deep despair; as long as negative emotions persisted, the Shade would keep growing, possibly eventually destroying the entirety of Tianji Shengyu.

"We must control our emotions and not let it grow stronger!" a cultivator shouted loudly, his voice trembling, still trying to rally the others.

"Exactly, we cannot let fear and despair control us!" another cultivator echoed, his eyes flashing with determined light.

The cultivators began to try various methods, attempting through meditation, chanting scriptures, encouraging each other, and so on, to control their emotions and reduce the generation of negative emotions.

However, the power of the Calamity Demon Shade was too great; it could not only devour negative emotions but also influence the cultivators' minds, making their fear and despair even stronger.

The cultivators felt their minds becoming increasingly hard to control, their will began to waver, and some even started to break down.

"No!" a young cultivator clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with unyielding light; although his heart was full of fear, he still tried to remain calm.

"Let's face this demon together!" a female cultivator stepped forward, her voice trembling yet her eyes filled with resolve, "We cannot let it succeed, we cannot let it devour our emotions and then turn around to harm us!"

The cultivators began to unite, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, together facing the threat of the Calamity Demon Shade.

Boom—rumble, in the sky of Tianji Shengyu, the Calamity Demon Shade was like a chaotic storm, bearing endless darkness and despair, as it burrowed into the crack of the Stone Egg.

This scene was strange and terrifying, as if the order of the entire world had been twisted, consumed by this indescribable force.

The Stone Egg violently vibrated in the void, as if alive, and began to take root and sprout.

What grew from the crack was not an ordinary plant, but a terrifying demonic sprout, seeking to cleanse the entire world in an unimaginable way.

These demonic sprouts were black as ink, their surfaces flowing with strange runes; their growth speed was astonishing, almost covering vast tracts of land in an instant.

All the cultivators were startled, not knowing what mark those black sprouts were, only feeling an unprecedented fear welling up from their hearts.

These demonic sprouts were not merely plants; they were more like living devils, devouring the hope and vitality of all living beings.

"What kind of monster is this?! How could it have grown from the Stone Egg?!" a cultivator shouted in terror, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Quick, look at those words on the demonic sprouts… they're moving! They're devouring our power!" another cultivator pointed at the demonic sprouts, his voice filled with extreme panic.

"We must stop them! Otherwise the entirety of Tianji Shengyu will be destroyed by them!" a cultivator shouted loudly.

As the demonic sprouts continued to grow, the cultivators of Tianji Shengyu felt a deep sense of helplessness; their strength seemed paltry before the sprouts, as if no matter how hard they tried, they could not prevent this disaster from occurring.

"What should we do? Are we just going to watch Tianji Shengyu be devoured by these demonic sprouts?" a young cultivator asked, his voice tinged with trembling.