Chapter 1091: Evil and Heretical

Han Wuxian's silhouette moved soundlessly through the dim cavern, like a shadow merging with the stone. The light Dao marks flowed around him, not only perfectly concealing his aura but also letting him, in this natural illusion‑mist‑filled environment, feel as clear as a fish entering water. The startled, angry shouts of the pursuers behind him and the chaotic attack sounds from those trapped in the illusion were gradually weakened by the thick rock walls and layers of mist, becoming distant and muffled.

"I've temporarily shaken them off." The tense string in his heart loosened slightly, but his vigilance did not lessen. This Falling Star Abyss is strange everywhere; the cave hidden within is certainly no safe place. The heavy pressure that had clung to him since stepping into the mouth did not weaken; instead, it grew clearer as he went deeper, carrying an ancient, barbaric tone that weighed heavily on his chest.

He followed the subtle sensation of the Star Derivation Technique, sneaking toward the core of the pressure. The cavern was not a straight drop but twisted and winding, sometimes narrow enough for only one person, sometimes opening into a vast underground chamber. Thick moss emitting a faint blue‑green light covered the stone walls, the sole light in this eternal darkness, illuminating jagged rocks and hanging stalactites, light and shadow shifting, adding a touch of gloomy mystery.

After an unknown amount of time, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

An unimaginably vast underground space unfolded before his eyes. The ceiling stretched upward, lost in deep darkness. At the center lay a massive subterranean lake! The water was not an ordinary hue but a viscous, deep dark purple, its surface constantly churning with fist‑sized bubbles that, when they burst, released extremely faint ripples of spiritual power tinged with sulfur and decay. The whole lake resembled a gigantic, diseased heart, beating slowly in the depths below.

What was even more heart‑pounding was that in the lake's central region, a vast, suffocating Earth Vein Qi was forcibly bound and twisted. It should have been a pure, mighty source of life, but now it was entwined and eroded by the murky black qi emanating from the lake. That black qi, like living tendrils, greedily sucked the essence of the Earth Vein Power and transformed it into a nauseating, chaotic, violent energy. It is precisely this polluted, twisted core of the Earth Vein that radiates the heavy pressure outward and causes the disorder and decline of the Earth Vein Qi throughout the Falling Star Abyss!

"Now I understand!" Han Wuxian's pupils contracted slightly; he instantly grasped the truth. The abnormal blockage and chaos of the Falling Star Abyss's Earth Vein Qi originate right here! This polluted lake and the black qi coiling around the Earth Vein's core are like a vicious shackle, sealing the land's spiritual pivot.

He swept his sharp gaze over the lakeshore. On the side closest to the polluted Earth Vein core, in the shadow beside the rock wall, a person sat cross‑legged!

He wore a voluminous black robe that almost blended with the stone beneath him. His frame was emaciated, his exposed wrists like bark‑covered dead branches, and his face was hidden beneath a pallid mask lacking features, etched with strange, twisted runes that reflected an ominous cold light in the faint glow of the blue‑green moss. Black qi identical to that polluting the lake surrounded him, his aura cold and lifeless yet resonating with a strange, mighty power attuned to the subterranean filth. Countless black‑qi filaments, slightly thicker than hair, extended from under his robe like a spiderweb, densely linking to the churning dark‑purple lake below, seemingly drawing the lake's filthy energy continuously while feeding his own power back, sustaining the erosion of the Earth Vein's core.

"A demonic cultivator!" Han Wuxian's heart jolted. The black‑robed masked figure was obviously using this naturally formed polluted earth lake to practice some extremely vicious demonic art, while contaminating the Earth Vein core with evil methods, using it as both nourishment and a shield for his cultivation! His cultivation was unfathomable; though not a Spirit Severing Cultivator, with the advantage of the local terrain the dangerous aura he emitted was no weaker than that of the Spirit Severing cultivators outside the cave.

At the very moment Han Wuxian spotted the black‑robed demonic cultivator, the strange runes etched on his mask flickered ever so faintly.

A bone‑chilling icy malice, like a solid poison needle, instantly crossed space and precisely stabbed toward Han Wuxian's hidden position! That malice carried a strong will of "discovery" and "expulsion".

"Not good!" Han Wuxian reacted like lightning. Despite his full‑power concealment via the light Dao marks, the opponent locked onto him with merely a trace of being sensed! This demonic cultivator's control over this place far exceeds imagination!

Without hesitation, he shot his body violently backward behind a huge stalactite pillar to the side!

Almost as soon as he left the spot, the ground where he had stood hissed, and several thick, tar‑like black‑purple tentacles reeking of stench burst from the earth, writhing wildly in a strangling frenzy! The tips split open, revealing mouths bristling with sharp teeth that emitted a silent hiss.

The black‑robed demonic cultivator remained seated, unmoving, as if the attack had merely been an unconscious reflex. Yet the black qi surrounding him suddenly grew denser, and the countless black lines linking to the lake surface trembled slightly. The atmosphere of the cavern instantly solidified, the invisible pressure surging like icy cold water pressing from all directions, seeking to crush the intruder.

Han Wuxian leaned against the cold stone pillar; the Star‑Shattering Blade slipped silently into his hand, the sword humming as starlight flowed along its edge. He drew a deep breath, suppressing his surging blood and qi and the dread in his heart. The Star Derivation Technique ran at full throttle, the light Dao marks flickering across his body as he struggled against the omnipresent filthy pressure.

The true crisis had only just arrived. Before him lurked a mysterious demonic cultivator, unfathomable and master of the terrain; behind him, in the lingering mist, the pursuers could at any moment break through the illusion‑fog barrier. Alone, he had fallen into an unprecedentedly perilous predicament!

At the cave entrance, the pervasive illusion‑mist churned violently.

"Get out! Demon!" a Nascent Soul early‑stage cultivator shouted, his eyes blood‑red, seeming mad, waving his magic treasure and hacking wildly at the air before him, as if fighting an invisible foe. His protective spiritual light was corroded by the illusion‑mist, flickering on and off, his face alternating between extreme terror and frenzied rage.

"Hold your mind! This is an illusion! Guard your spirit platform!" the lead Spirit Severing Cultivator bellowed, a layer of solid cyan light encircling him and pushing the nearby illusion‑mist back a few feet. Yet the shield's surface, as if corroded by strong acid, emitted a soft sizzling, fine ripples continually spreading—clearly not easy to withstand. His face turned iron‑blue; the former greed and confidence had vanished from his eyes, leaving only solemnity and a barely perceptible anxiety.

He never imagined that the cavern's natural illusion‑mist would be so fierce, far surpassing ordinary restrictions. The mist not only confuses the five senses but can directly erode spiritual power and soul! In a short time, of the four Nascent Soul cultivators he brought, two had completely fallen into the illusion, their spiritual power running wild as they attacked each other; had he not intervened in time to suppress them, they likely would have perished together. The remaining two were also teetering on collapse, only barely staying conscious thanks to his divided attention sustaining them.

"Sir… this mist… is too evil! My spiritual sense can't pierce it at all!" the sole remaining Nascent Soul late‑stage cultivator said, his face ashen as paper, cold sweat beading on his forehead, his voice trembling. The copper‑mirror magic treasure in his hand glowed dimly, its surface covered in fine cracks.

The Spirit Severing Cultivator's eyes darkened as he swept his gaze over the chaotic underlings and the viscous, almost‑living mist. That damned rogue cultivator Han Wuxian obviously knew this place was dangerous and had deliberately lured them in!

"Hmph! Trivial tricks, you think they can trap me?" A flicker of pain crossed his eyes; he gritted his teeth and pulled something from his storage ring.

It was a pigeon‑egg‑sized, wholly round crimson pearl. Inside, a small cluster of golden flames seemed to be sealed, emitting a pure, scorching aura—the Evil‑Breaking Fire Pearl! This is a one‑time treasure for breaking formations and obstacles, extremely precious, containing a thread of pure‑yang evil‑breaking power, specifically designed to counter yin‑filth illusion arts. Had he not been driven to desperation, he would never have dared to use it.