Chapter 1207: Left and Right Guardians

The Eye of Return to the Void? Han Wuxian felt a stir; it vaguely resonated with the concepts such as the "Star‑fall Eye" and the "Silence Extinction Tide" he had learned about in the Tianyuan Realm. Could the ambition of this Gray Mist Yanluo also be linked to them?

"Senior, we shouldn't stay here long!" Zhao Qian urged, "The Yuying Pavilion wields massive power; with this stronghold destroyed, they'll notice soon, and reinforcements may arrive! Our wounds haven't healed; we wish to follow you, seeking any chance of survival!"

Han Wuxian glanced at the frail survivors; taking them along was indeed a burden, yet abandoning them would guarantee their death.

"Xiao Ran, Qinglin, Brother Wang," he turned to the three, "You three escort Elder Zhao and the others out of the Black Wind Desert to find a safe place to settle. I will go alone to explore that Core Mother Nest."

"Impossible!" Xiao Ran immediately objected, "Han brother, those Left and Right Guardians are Refined Void Perfection, and there's also a Terrifying Array; you going alone is too dangerous! I will go with you!"

Qinglin also declared resolutely, "Master, Qinglin is willing to follow you to death!"

Wang Tie, though concerned, knew his cultivation was insufficient and that following would be a hindrance, so he said, "Han Dao‑friend, be careful in all things! We'll handle the outside response!"

Han Wuxian shook his head, his tone leaving no doubt, "The more people, the easier we are exposed. I have my own limits; if something becomes impossible, I will withdraw in time. While you stay here, I cannot act with full force."

He looked at Xiao Ran: "Brother Xiao, I will remember your vengeance. But now, ensuring the safety of these survivors is more important. Moreover, I need you to handle the outside response; if I do not send word within a day, you must immediately take Brother Wang and Qinglin and retreat far away, without looking back!"

Xiao Ran stared at Han Wuxian's resolute gaze, knowing his mind was set, and could only clasp his fists heavily, "Brother Han... take care! If misfortune strikes, I, Xiao Ran, will devote my whole life to crushing the Yuying Pavilion!"

Han Wuxian nodded, saying no more. He produced several specially made jade communication talismans, handing them to Xiao Ran and Wang Tie, and then gave Zhao Qian and the others a few instructions.

Soon, under the escort of Xiao Ran and the two others, dozens of survivors followed the path they came, withdrawing outward with great caution.

Han Wuxian watched them vanish into the gray mist, then turned, his gaze fixed on the bottomless interior passage of the beehive structure. Black fragments burned intensely in his palm, pointing the way to the underground Core Mother Nest.

He inhaled deeply, his surrounding aura fully restrained, like a leopard merging into shadows, silently slipping into the passage.

The passage sloped downward; the walls were no longer rough rock but a kind of warm yet icy black metal, etched with increasingly complex and bizarre runes that exuded a strong Silence Extinction death aura. The deeper it went, the thicker the air, and the greater the suppression on the spirit.

Along the way he encountered several patrols of Yuying Pavilion elite, but Han Wuxian dispatched them instantly with ghost‑like movements and thunderous techniques, without raising any alarm.

After descending roughly a thousand zhàng, the path opened to a vast underground chamber.

At the center of the chamber lay a black blood pool nearly a thousand zhàng in diameter! The pool contained not blood but a viscous, churning soul‑silence liquid formed from pure Silence Extinction death aura and countless tormented souls. Hovering above the pool was an even larger altar constructed from countless skulls—the Ten Thousand Souls Altar!

Seated cross‑legged atop the altar were two elders clad in dark‑gold robes, their faces shrouded in shadow. Their aura was as deep as the sea, surrounded by laws, and both possessed Refined Void Perfection! They were the Left and Right Guardians!

Directly above the altar, at the center of the blood pool, floated a gray giant egg about ten zhàng in diameter, continuously pulsating. Its surface was covered with vein‑like patterns, emitting a heart‑pounding life pulse and… an evil aura sharing the same origin as Yan Buji yet far more pure and massive! Countless life energies conveyed from the beehive to the altar poured into the egg like countless rivers flowing into the sea!

This is the Core Mother Nest! The Gray Mist Yanluo is cultivating or forging some terrifying Existence!

What made Han Wuxian's gaze freeze was that the entire blood pool and altar were enveloped by a massive array covering the whole underground space! The array used countless wailing resentful souls as energy nodes, and its focal point was the Ten Thousand Souls Altar where the Left and Right Guardians stood! The array's light curtain was dark‑gray, and the circulating power gave Han Wuxian a hint of threat—that was the Ten Thousand Souls Silence Extinction Array!

The Left and Right Guardians seemed to sense the intruder, and simultaneously opened their eyes, four cold, merciless gazes instantly locking onto the quietly appearing Han Wuxian!

"Trespasser of the Sacred Nest... die!"

Without any superfluous words, the Left Guardian raised a finger! A gray death light, refined to the extreme, tore through space, bearing the law of annihilation, and shot straight at Han Wuxian's forehead!

The Right Guardian formed a seal with both hands, activating the Ten Thousand Souls Altar beneath! The Ten Thousand Souls Silence Extinction Array flared instantly, countless wailing resentful souls shrieking into solid‑like attacks, swirling toward Han Wuxian from all directions like a raging storm! Simultaneously, a powerful binding force descended, attempting to lock his form.

Facing the combined strike of the two Refined Void Perfection beings and the Terrifying Array, Han Wuxian's eyes finally showed a solemn hue.

He knew the true fierce battle was only just beginning.

And his goal was not only to defeat the Guardians but also to shatter the gray giant egg that was birthing evil, and to destroy this endlessly disastrous Core Mother Nest!

Killing intent surged within the underground space!

The Left Guardian's gray death light, faster than lightning, contained the utmost annihilation law, leaving faint black traces even in space wherever it passed. The Right Guardian's activated Ten Thousand Souls Silence Extinction Array unleashed its full might, the wailing resentful souls turning into invisible sound waves striking the spirit, while solid‑like gray‑mist chains coiled from all sides, and a powerful spatial binding force attempted to pin Han Wuxian in place!

The combined strike of the two Refined Void Perfection beings, together with this Terrifying Array, already approached the threshold of the Great Vehicle Stage!

Facing this lethal situation, Han Wuxian's gaze was as cold as ice of ten thousand ages; he did not retreat, but stepped forward.

The chaotic Return‑to‑the‑Void Qi in his body, depleted by earlier battles and field maintenance, now surged wildly at unprecedented speed! The core of the primal star shone brilliantly in his dantian, supplying endless primordial power!

"Return to the Void... does not only devour."

He murmured softly, his hands tracing a mysterious path before him. The hazy chaotic Return‑to‑the‑Void Qi was no longer merely a spreading field; it suddenly condensed and transformed with his movements!

Above his left hand, the Qi swirled, forming a seemingly rustic gray circular shield with blurred edges; its surface appeared to host countless tiny stars flickering in birth and death, emitting a strange Dao rhythm of "the end is protection".

With his right hand he pointed, the Qi compressed intensely, solidifying into a rustic long sword about three feet tall, half‑real, half‑illusory, wholly gray and seemingly able to absorb all light. The blade was silent, yet exuded an absolute Silence Extinction intent that could freeze the spirit.

Offense and defense merged; the Dao manifested!

Just as the gray death light was about to strike, Han Wuxian slightly lifted his left circular shield.

"Defend."

Dong!

A deep, bell‑like boom rang out! The gray death light slammed into the circular shield; the expected explosion never occurred. The terrifying death light, capable of annihilating ordinary late‑stage Refined Void practitioners, was instead swallowed and dissolved by the ever‑shifting star vortex on the shield's surface, merely stirring faint ripples in space!