Chapter 1187: Acting Despite All

Han Wuxian needs to learn more about the Silence Extinction tide and Eternal Gloom; the Qingmu secret realm may have other records. Moreover, since he has encountered it, he cannot sit by while the last survivors are exterminated.

Qinglin nods vigorously: "Alright! Follow me!"

Under Qinglin's lead, the two avoid the wandering Silence Extinction beasts and sprint in one direction.

After about half a day, a strange terrain appears ahead. Countless dead, gigantic black trees stand, forming a vast Death Forest. Deep within the forest, a barely perceptible spatial fluctuation entrance is hidden.

"It's inside, follow me." Qinglin forms a hand seal; a green ray pierces the entrance, ripples spread, revealing a slit just wide enough for one person.

The two dart inside.

The sight before him makes Han Wuxian pause slightly in surprise.

Beyond the entrance is not a paradisiacal realm but a cramped, dim space filled with dusk energy. The sky is grayish, the ground cracked; only a small central patch of earth stubbornly bears a few strange plants emitting faint green light, barely sustaining life.

Inside, about a hundred people gather, old and young, all gaunt and weak, their aura feeble, eyes filled with numbness and despair. Their power attributes are mostly similar to Qinglin's, bearing natural vitality, yet long‑term erosion by the dead energy here has left them exhausted.

Seeing Qinglin return, followed by an unfamiliar man whose aura is unfathomable, the survivors instantly stir in panic, looking at them in terror.

"Qinglin sister!" a frail little girl runs over, clutches Qinglin's leg, and timidly looks at Han Wuxian.

"Everyone, don't be afraid!" Qinglin quickly soothes, "This is Daoist Han Wuxian, from the outside world! He destroyed the altar outside; he is here to help us!"

"The outside… outside world?"

"The altar… destroyed?"

The survivors glance at each other, first disbelief in their eyes, then a faint yet genuine light of hope erupts.

An elderly man, white hair and beard, leaning on a wooden staff, trembles forward, scrutinizes Han Wuxian, sensing the vast aura on him that starkly differs from the dead energy; moved to tears, he exclaims, "Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! I, Mu Yan, representing the remnant of the Qingmu clan, thank you, Daoist, for saving my life!"

Han Wuxian bows and replies, "Elder, no need for formalities; it's a small effort. This place is unsuitable for staying; I may have a way to take you away to the world I reside in. Yet that place is also fraught with danger. Are you willing?"

"Yes! Yes!"

"As long as we can leave this cursed place!"

The survivors respond excitedly; they have long endured this desperate cage.

However, after his excitement, Mu Yan shows a hint of hesitation and worry: "Leaving… is naturally good. Yet, Daoist, my people have been long‑term eroded by this realm's Silence Extinction dead energy; though we barely sustain ourselves with ancestral vitality techniques, we have become like walking toxins. Should we enter a vibrant new world, we may instead accelerate the spread of Silence Extinction energy, even pollute your realm's ley lines!"

At his words, the previously excited survivors fall silent, pain and despair flashing on their faces. They almost forgot they are no longer ordinary beings, but fugitives bearing a destructive curse.

Qinglin also suddenly realizes, her complexion turning pale. She had only thought of escape, forgetting this deadly hidden danger.

Han Wuxian hears this, furrows his brow. It is indeed a thorny issue. His spiritual sense sweeps the survivors, detecting dense Silence Extinction dead energy lodged within them, oddly intertwined with their vitality, hard to separate. Forcing them into the Heavenly Barrier Realm would have unimaginable consequences.

Just as the atmosphere sinks back into despair, the Source Star Core in Han Wuxian's dantian gently hums, transmitting a hint of eager intent.

Han Wuxian feels a stir in his heart.

The Source Star Core, the origin of stars, can transmute life and death; perhaps… there is a way?

He looks at Mu Yan and Qinglin, speaking gravely, "Perhaps I have a way to try purifying the dead energy within you. Yet I have never used this method; success is not certain, and it may carry risk. Are you willing to try?"

In a dire strait, even a single straw is enough for one to cling to desperately.

Mu Yan and Qinglin exchange a glance, each seeing resolve in the other's eyes.

"Daoist, go ahead with your action!" Mu Yan declares resolutely, "Even if it fails, it is merely an early release, far better than slowly turning to bone here, or even becoming a Silence Extinction beast! If successful, my Qingmu clan remnant will serve you as master, follow you eternally, to repay your great kindness!"

"We are willing to serve you as master!" all survivors kneel together, their eyes ablaze with the last fire of hope.

Han Wuxian inhales deeply, "Alright."

He has all survivors sit in a circle, their auras linked. He moves to the center and sits cross‑legged.

Within his dantian, the Source Star Core rises slowly, hovering above his head, shedding a chaotic‑hued radiance that envelops everyone.

Han Wuxian closes his eyes, fully driving the Source Star Core while chanting the Scripture of Ten Thousand Calamities Returning to Ruins, refining his own spirit to the utmost, and cautiously probing into Mu Yan's body, the nearest to him.

The process is extremely perilous, like a mortal wielding a blade to carve tofu; one must precisely strip the dead energy tangled with vitality, yet not harm their already fragile origin.

Time passes bit by bit.

Han Wuxian's forehead beads with fine sweat, his complexion turning slightly pale. Purifying hundreds at once drains his spirit enormously.

Yet the effect is evident!

Under the Source Star Core's all‑encompassing, transmuting primordial power, strands of gray‑black dead energy are slowly drawn from the survivors' bodies, then purified and transformed into pure energy within the chaotic radiance, feeding back into them.

The gray, withered aura on the survivors' faces fades at a visible pace, their dried meridians revive with life, and the numb despair in their eyes is replaced by hope and vigor.

A full seven hours pass.

When the final stubborn strand of dead energy is drawn from Mu Yan's body and purified, Han Wuxian lets out a long sigh, slowly ceases his cultivation, and the light of the Source Star Core above his head gradually recedes.

He opens his eyes; though weary, his gaze is bright. He has succeeded!

Looking at the surrounding Qingmu clan members, each has a full aura, rosy complexion; though still slender, the lingering dusk energy and deathly silence have vanished, replaced by vigorous vitality!

"It feels… it feels wonderful!"

"The shackles inside… have vanished!"

"Thank you, benefactor! The grace of rebirth, I will never forget!"

A roar of ecstatic cheers erupts; all Qingmu clan members kneel again, this time with heartfelt gratitude and reverence.

Elder Mu Yan feels the long‑missed ease and vigor within, tears streaming, and bows deeply to Han Wuxian: "Master! From today onward, you are the sole master of my Qingmu clan!"

Han Wuxian helps him up: "No need for that. This place is unsuitable for staying; we must leave quickly."

He senses the faint link to the Heavenly Barrier Realm star gate; though still weak, it is clearer and steadier than before. The altar's destruction likely reduced interference to the passage.

However, just as he prepares to lead the group out of the secret realm

the entire secret realm space suddenly shakes violently!

From the outside, a roar more terrifying and soul‑shaking than the altar's explosion roars; the fury and pressure within far surpass the Refining Void, even imparting a sense of… insignificance before the laws of heaven and earth!

"Not good!" Mu Yan's complexion changes dramatically, staring horrified toward the secret realm's entrance, "It's… it's the Gravekeepers! They've been roused! They… are coming!"

Gravekeepers!

Han Wuxian's pupils contract sharply! The "Gravekeepers" warned by Yu in the jade slip!

They truly exist! And their aura is so terrifying!

"Go!"