Chapter 557: Staring at the Malice, All Provinces Arrive

Holding an eighth-rank Malice Crystal in one hand!

This scene, which defied all reason, appeared just like that before the Director of the Imperial Observatory and Shen Xin.

Their bodies froze, and their brains crashed in an instant.

There was no way they wouldn't crash.

That was, after all, an eighth-rank Malice Crystal.

Chen Yu's red lips parted, and she was already staring in a daze.

Watching from afar, she could already feel the terror of that Malice Crystal.

Yet such a dangerous object was being held in the palm of her own older brother.

Not to mention, within the world of consciousness, the red-skirted Ji Yannan felt her soul trembling.

"Kill me... uh...!"

Before Chen Yan, Ke Qingxuan had already been eroded by the Malice Crystal into a charred corpse the size of a withered infant.

Her last shred of consciousness was still begging the Director of the Imperial Observatory to kill her.

An incomparable darkness and chaotic terror were about to completely tear apart her sanity.

But when Chen Yan forcibly plucked the Malice Crystal from her physical body.

Ke Qingxuan's body suddenly shuddered, and she let out an extremely arduous shriek.

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes; after he grasped this Malice Crystal, his Immortal Will was actually suppressed by this eighth-rank Malice Crystal.

His physical body had already begun to show signs of cracking.

This was something that happened in just a single instant.

Is this what a true Malice Crystal is?

Chen Yan's pupils constricted.

Sss, sss, sss!

The pitch-black Malice Crystal was like a black hole, with countless black tentacles flowing out from it.

The pitch-black filth intertwined and twisted in the void, turning into countless strands of black hair, with what looked like dismembered human faces wailing at the ends.

In an instant, it seemed as if countless dark and twisted visions emerged deep within Chen Yan's mind.

Constantly squirming cuneiform, pitch-black eyes occupying the firmament, broken human bodies splattered with black liquid...

Until a certain moment.

Woo!

The outline of a blood-red great sun appeared in Chen Yan's pupils.

Layer upon layer of sticky, countless whispers resounded in Chen Yan's ears.

That blood-red great sun continuously approached Chen Yan, as if it had instantly swept across an endless ocean, traveled through a turbid and endless land of darkness, and crossed time and space that could no longer be defined.

It appeared before Chen Yan.

There was no high temperature; instead, a coldness that could not be described by temperature diffused into Chen Yan's heart.

The blood-red great sun was like an embryo still growing; through the red mucous membrane, Chen Yan saw, at its very center...

A naked infant slowly raised its head and looked toward him.

Those were bloody pupils within which red willow catkins drifted.

The Malice gazed at Chen Yan!

Sss, sss, sss!

Tendrils of pitch-black tentacles flowed out from the Malice Crystal, clinging to Chen Yan's physical body, as if wanting to instantly devour this beautiful body that it could not even describe.

With a *snap*.

Chen Yan threw the Malice Crystal in his hand far away.

Just in that instant, the Malice Crystal had polluted his consciousness, causing him to be unable to throw it away for a moment.

Danger!

Extreme danger!

"Suppress!"

A grand voice erupted from the mouth of the Director of the Imperial Observatory; he took a step forward, and it seemed as if the universe revolved beneath his feet.

Behind him emerged a golden Buddha spanning the Huo Yu.

Buddha hands slowly opened like a fan, so numerous and dense that they were like golden stars filling the fiery firmament.

As the Director of the Imperial Observatory slapped his hand down toward the Malice Crystal.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Ten thousand Buddha hands swept across the Huo Yu, falling in unison in an instant.

The Huo Yu was shaken by this powerful force; the earth cracked, and magma overflowed.

A golden Buddha slowly condensed where the Malice Crystal was, hands pressed together, with a solemn and precious appearance.

Suppress!

Dong!

A layer of brilliant golden Buddha light instantly diffused outward.

"Ha!"

The white-robed Director of the Imperial Observatory's face turned pale, and his energy flow became somewhat turbulent; suppressing an eighth-rank Malice Crystal had clearly exhausted his own vital energy and blood for a moment.

Woo!

The mournful cries of fire beasts resounded.

All the fire beasts within the surrounding Huo Yu sensed the aftershocks of this Malice Crystal and erupted with terrifying roars at this moment.

That is the apex of the biological chain, the convergence of all darkness and distortion.

"Incredible."

The Director of the Imperial Observatory looked at Chen Yan with a deathly pale face; as an eighth-rank powerhouse, he found it so strenuous to suppress this crystal of malice that he dared not even approach it.

Yet just moments ago, Chen Yan had actually grabbed that crystal of malice with his bare hands.

And yet, the other party was only sixth-rank, and yet, the other party seemed to be in no great trouble.

It's absurd.

If the Director of the Imperial Observatory was like this, Shen Xin was even more incredulous.

"Brother, are you... alright!"

Chen Yu was terribly nervous and wanted to approach Chen Yan, but was blocked by Shen Xin.

Chen Yan's physical body was now damaged; his state was no different from an ancient god-beast of the Creation Realm that had suffered heavy injuries, and the terrifying malice overflowing from the crystal of malice still lingered upon his flesh.

"I am fine."

Chen Yan said quietly; in that instant just now, he felt as if something of extreme terror had locked onto him.

When he touched the crystal of malice, the illusions he saw did not seem fake at all, but truly existent...

In that embryo like a blood-red sun, what was the infant being nurtured?

Chen Yan's expression tightened slightly, then he closed his eyes to recover his own power of will.

After the eighth-rank crystal of malice was suppressed, his Immortal Will began to revive.

High-rank malice can suppress his Immortal Will.

This was something Chen Yan had known since his battle with the ancient god-beast of dreams.

This is a hidden danger.

Chen Yan knew that he must excavate the third realm of the Path of Will as early as possible: Breaking the Realm.

To break the shackles of the ancient gods!

If his Immortal Will could be suppressed, then the Path of Will could not be called invincible.

"Chen Yan, can you repair your own physical body?" The Director of the Imperial Observatory was somewhat nervous.

Being heavily injured by malice, ordinary medicinal treasures for healing are useless.

Now, Chen Yan's Immortal Will might also be damaged.

Shen Xin's expression was ugly; at this moment, he was a bit flustered, not understanding why Chen Yan had grabbed that crystal of malice with his bare hands just now.

"I can." Chen Yan nodded.

"Hm?" The Director of the Imperial Observatory was stunned.

He was bewildered.

Is the Immortal Will truly that invincible?

"Do you see any chance for me to enter the Path of Will?" The Director of the Imperial Observatory asked Chen Yan; Chen Yan should be one of the few people with the most authority regarding the Path of Will.

"Naturally, you can." Chen Yan smiled:

"Devour a seventh-rank crystal of malice, and if you don't die, you certainly can."

The Director of the Imperial Observatory stopped talking.

"I am serious." Chen Yan looked at the Director of the Imperial Observatory:

"The first realm of the Path of Will amplifies a martial artist's combat power; an eighth-rank combat power is amplified to two times. Director of the Imperial Observatory, do you dare to imagine your combat power after entering the Path of Will?"

The Director of the Imperial Observatory's expression tightened:

"I understand."

"You can go find Chen Min; he has already entered the Immortal Will and can devour and extinguish malice. Of course, for the seventh-rank crystals of malice in this world, he can almost never manage to completely extinguish them," Chen Yan spoke again.

In the current situation of the Great Xia, if the eighth-rank combat power is not increased, it will only become increasingly disadvantageous.

There is only one Summer Sovereign Sword.

But the number of eighth-ranks among the five clans is far greater than that of the Great Xia.

Shen Xin was also deep in thought, looking at the Director of the Imperial Observatory:

"I have a seventh-rank crystal of malice there."

"I know, I know..." The Director of the Imperial Observatory glanced at Shen Xin, his eyes revealing dissatisfaction.

"This Ke Qingxuan..." The Director of the Imperial Observatory looked at Ke Qingxuan, shook his head, and extended one hand, preparing to dissipate this physical body.

It had reached this point; it was surely beyond saving.

"If she is destined to be on a path to death, why would I go to extract that crystal of malice?"

Chen Yan spoke indifferently; he extended his left hand, and streams of golden-red light flowed out from his hand, under the extremely surprised gazes of the Director of the Imperial Observatory and Shen Xin.

Sss, sss, sss...

The charred corpse made a sizzling sound in the golden-red mist, and the golden-red flowing light coiled around her spine like a living creature.

Pop, pop, pop!!!

On Ke Qingxuan's physical body, holes were torn open, and worms covered in tiny, fine eyes flowed out from these holes in her body.

Merely by being touched by the eighth-rank crystal of malice for an instant, her physical body seemed to have become a nest, giving birth to these things.

If more time had passed, Ke Qingxuan's body would no longer be a human physical body.

Chen Yu's face turned deathly pale as she watched; this scene was truly hard to accept.

A perfectly fine person had actually turned into this.

Ke Qingxuan's physical body began to crack, and within the bloodstains, black flesh masses curled into pupa shapes were revealed, only to be immediately corroded and exhausted by Chen Yan's Immortal Will.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

A shrill, miserable scream suddenly rang out, as if suffering indescribable pain.

Ke Qingxuan finally regained the right to shriek at this moment.

"Kill... me, kill... me..."

Her body trembled, and she wailed.

Her consciousness, twisted by malice, slowly awakened, and she was constantly begging for mercy.

She became aware of the darkness, aware of the filth and fear; this was the most painful process of all.

It was as if she were a living being struggling and shrieking in a cauldron of oil, praying to die sooner.

Death was the most luxurious thing of all.

But it was also at this moment.

Ke Qingxuan's body shuddered, and she felt something grand and warm.

A presence like sunlight was soothing her terror, flowing into her body, and reviving her physical form.

What is this?

She felt with astonishment that the malice within her body was being expelled, being brutally devoured and extinguished.

This was almost an impossible thing to happen.

It was as if light could not appear within the abyss, as if a greenhouse that could resist the frying of the Avici Hell could not appear within it.

But it appeared just as miraculously, warm, great, and indescribable.

This was a great miracle belonging to the world.

When she felt the existence of her eyes, and when she slowly fluttered her eyelids, a peerlessly handsome face entered her sight.

"Chen..."

She was still covered by a blanket, and at this moment, she grabbed the blanket and sat up.

Looking at Chen Yan again, looking at the golden-red light overflowing from his hands, her eyes widened at this moment.

"Tomorrow is the Five Clans Struggle; recover your strength this morning."

Chen Yan said indifferently; there were still scars corroded by malice upon his own body, but Chen Yan did not want to repair these scars for the time being.

Repairing Ke Qingxuan's physical body had cost him a full fifteen hours.

Tomorrow was the Five Clans Struggle, and today, Great Xia needed to sign the final contract with the five clans.

Once the contract was established, the Soul of the Fate Chapter would be thrown into the Five Clans Struggle.

Yesterday, Xia Hanzhou slaughtered in all directions, but the final battle did not break out.

Everyone understood that the time that would decide the future was today.

"I... I... Ke Qingxuan is not worth you doing this..."

Tears flowed from her eye sockets, and countless emotions enveloped her.

In the distance.

The Director of the Astrological Bureau and Shen Xin stood quietly; they looked at each other, unable to speak for a moment.

"Director, this is a fine item that Shen has kept for a long time." Shen Xin took out a seventh-rank Malice Crystal.

The Director of the Astrological Bureau swept a glance at him, his eyes narrowing: "I have one too; keep it for yourself."

Shen Xin nodded, and the next moment his expression turned fierce, and he swallowed that Malice Crystal into his body in one gulp.

Boom!

Terrifying malice instantly erupted from his physical body.

"You!" The Director of the Astrological Bureau was stunned, utterly astonished:

"Chen Yan!"

"No need!"

Shen Xin let out a terrifying roar:

"Shen will... try; please, Director of the Astrological Bureau, inform King Xia Yue of my intent; my position can be taken over by my subordinate, Shen Lianxin."

With a boom, Shen Xin flew directly toward the Huo Yu above.

"It hurts!!!"

His roar resounded.

The Director of the Astrological Bureau was shocked, thinking to himself: Has Shen Xin gone mad?

The next instant, he flew directly toward where Shen Xin was.

…………

"Great Xia is without the Dao, Jizhou shall be established!"

"Great Xia is without the Dao, Jizhou shall be established!"

"Great Xia is without the Dao, Jizhou shall be established!"

Jizhou, Imperial City.

The crowd surged like a black tide, and banners written with blood-red characters were held high by people.

The Jizhou living beings, each and every one of them shouting, roared in anger.

The streets and alleys were all like this.

"Shameless Xia Hanzhou, caused the death of one hundred thousand of our Jizhou martial artists, cruel and excessive; such a Great Xia must suffer Heaven's condemnation!"

An old man had blood-red eyes, his blood-stained hands held high.

"If the five clans do not destroy Great Xia, Heaven's law will not tolerate it!"

Someone wailed and roared with blood-stained tears.

"Principal Ji Haiyi sacrificed himself just like that, an eighth-rank fallen; this is the shame of our Jizhou!"

"Great Xia is without the Dao, Jizhou shall be established!"

"The Great Xia is without Dao, Ji Province shall rise!"

…………

Roars and protests echoed throughout the entire Ji Province.

Atop a skyscraper, Ji Chuxi watched the scenes below with an icy expression, terrifying killing intent surging within their eyes.

"Principal Haiyi..."

Ji Haiyi looked up toward the sky, a line of tears flowing out.

"Chuxi, don't do anything foolish."

A figure appeared behind Ji Chuxi; it was their father, Ji Chuli.

"I understand." Ji Chuxi nodded, the cold light in their eyes churning.

With the outbreak of yesterday's events, the entire Five Clans began to propagate rhetoric about the Great Xia being without Dao.

The increasingly surging public opinion was almost drowning the entire Five Clans.

Many youths of Ji Province ran directly to the border of Moshan Pass, roaring as they detonated themselves.

Everyone could see that the entire Ji Province was like a powder keg.

Above Chuli Pass.

Roar!

A golden lion traversed the void, with powerful figures standing upon it.

Lu Jianxia, dressed in golden robes, looked at the terrifying sword scar within Chuli Pass, their expression trembling slightly.

"The Xia Sovereign Sword, the world's number one divine artifact, tsk tsk."

A golden-haired youth appeared beside Lu Jianxia, but their eyes were looking in the direction of Moshan Pass:

"Chen Yan was wounded by an eighth-rank malice crystal; I wonder if he will still enter the Five Clans Conflict.

If the Great Xia does not enter, then the Soul of the Fate Chapter is destined to have no connection with the Five Clans."

The golden-haired man's voice fell.

The Creation Realm powerhouses from Ji Province atop the golden lion narrowed their eyes one by one.

"Are we valuing Chen Yan too much?"

A purple-haired man carrying a sniper rifle frowned and spoke:

"Even if Ji Province wants to kill Chen Yan so badly, they should at least wait until after the Great Xia hands over the Soul of the Fate Chapter.

In the eyes of Ji Province, could Chen Yan be more important than the Soul of the Fate Chapter?"

His voice fell; some were puzzled, others were grave.

Many people knew that the assassination of Chen Yan was not merely the idea of Ji Province, but a decision made by the lords of each province after the entire Five Clans had deliberated.

But this decision was chilling.

After all, the Great Xia had not yet handed over the Soul of the Fate Chapter; if Chen Yan died, the Great Xia would certainly not bring out the Soul of the Fate Chapter.

The Soul of the Fate Chapter can assist an eighth-rank in sensing the ninth realm, to ascend to the ninth rank.

This represents the existence of a powerhouse capable of shaking the world's situation.

The Five Clans value Chen Yan too much, even surpassing the Soul of the Fate Chapter.

"The point is not Chen Yan, but the Xia Sovereign Sword." The golden-haired man said with a faint smile:

"What the Great Xia is looking for is an existence that can truly master the Xia Sovereign Sword; don't look at how fierce Xia Hanzhou was when he held the Xia Sovereign Sword.

But Xia Hanzhou holding the Xia Sovereign Sword is different from Lu Xunyang holding the Xia Sovereign Sword.

Think about it, if Chen Yan enters the eighth rank, would it be Xia Hanzhou or Chen Yan who wields the Xia Sovereign Sword?"

His voice fell, and the expressions of the crowd changed slightly.

So that was it.

Chen Yan ascending to the ninth rank is a distant prospect, but for him to ascend to the eighth rank, perhaps it won't take many years.

If the one wielding the Xia Sovereign Sword in the Great Xia really becomes Chen Yan.

Then the world's landscape after that would truly be different.

"It's just that I don't know to what extent Chen Yan's injuries have reached." The golden-haired man said, looking at Lu Jianxia:

"Little sister, what do you think?"

"Ah?" Lu Jianxia's voice trembled slightly, clearly having been lost in thought just now:

"What did you say?"

The golden-haired man laughed:

"I said, to what extent do you think Chen Yan's injuries have reached?"

Lu Jianxia's expression tightened slightly, and she shook her head:

"I don't know, however, we will know in a moment."

Lu Jianxia lowered her eyes to gaze at the direction of Moshan Pass, her eyelashes casting butterfly-wing-like shadows on her silver eyes.

Her vermilion lips parted slightly as she said:

"The contract is to be signed in a moment; the Great Xia is going to test the combat power of the gate-guarding puppets.

If Chen Yan's injuries are serious and he cannot defeat the puppets, the Great Xia will likely not continue to sign the contract."

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for the Great Xia's attitude.

The Five Clans Conflict requires passing the trials; this is where the Five Clans are most likely to tamper.

Before the Great Xia tests the difficulty of passing, they will absolutely not hand over the Soul of the Fate Chapter.

The only one testing the difficulty of passing is Chen Yan.

Anyone can see that the Great Xia took out the Soul of the Life Chapter specifically for Chen Yan.

The Five Clans Struggle is a furnace, an eighth-rank forging furnace.

The current lords of the various provinces all shone brilliantly during the Five Clans Struggle, achieving the pinnacle.

In the Five Clans Struggles of past generations, even the worst session produced three eighth-rankers.

The most dazzling generation produced seven eighth-rankers.

Seven!

This is power sufficient to completely overturn the world.

The Five Clans are waiting for the Five Clans Struggle to lay the foundation for their victory.

The Great Xia is also worried about the Five Clans Struggle; now, they have even taken out the Soul of the Life Chapter to participate in the Five Clans Struggle.

As for the attitude of the Five Clans, they are both covetous of the Soul of the Life Chapter and worried that Chen Yan of the Great Xia will rise completely during the Five Clans Struggle and become unstoppable.

They would even risk the Great Xia's fury to severely injure Chen Yan.

Both sides are calculating against each other.

The entire world is incomparably anxious.

Furthermore, there is now an unknown and powerful existence.

The Master of Will.

Everything is developing in a treacherous and unpredictable direction.

Even the lords of the various provinces must be cautious.

At the same time.

On the other side of the clouds.

Whoosh!

Profound ice, like glazed chains, hung down from the sky, accompanied by crimson magma that turned into a blood-colored waterfall, intertwining with it.

Ice and fire combined in this way, yet they did not erode each other; instead, they converged in a bizarre manner.

A painted pleasure boat sailed across the long river of ice and fire, and on its deck, existences with powerful auras stood silently.

The person in the lead was a man in white, his entire body overflowing with mysterious yellow aura.

On the ground, the Military Guards of Moshan Pass watched from afar.

"Chi Province and Lu Province have also arrived."

"That is Chi Xue, the eighth-rank seed of Chi Province; so strong!"

"The golden-haired one is Lu Wuyi of Lu Province, the eighth-rank seed of Lu Province, at the peak of the Creation Realm."

Someone recognized the identities of those from the Creation Realm of Chi Province and Lu Province, and everyone's expressions varied.