Chapter 1209: Avatar

In the deepest part of the Hive Demon Cavern, there is not the luxurious palace imagined, but a bizarre space entirely composed of solidified gray energy. Here there is no up, down, left or right, only endless, slowly drifting gray mist, as if it is the source of all desire and Silence Extinction.

At the center of the space floats a vague figure. It is not a solid body, but formed from denser gray mist, its features indistinct, with only a pair of deep eyes like black holes open, within which countless worlds seem to sink in desire and end in Silence Extinction. It is the Gray Mist Yanluo, an important divine‑thought avatar of Yan Buji!

At this moment, the gray mist of this avatar, which had been flowing smoothly, begins to ripple violently. Through deep connection with his main body, he clearly perceives the destruction of the core mother‑nest, the shattering of the Ten Thousand Souls Silence Extinction array, and especially the terrible news that the "Silence Extinction Sacred Fetus" he had poured much effort into has been completely annihilated!

However, the anticipated raging fury does not appear.

In those black‑hole‑like eyes, the initial turbulence quickly settles, replaced by an extreme cold and… interest.

"Silence Extinction Sacred Fetus… was actually destroyed?" Yan Buji's divine thought whispers through the gray‑mist space, its tone indistinguishable between joy and anger, "To resolve the left and right guardians so cleanly, to break the Ten Thousand Souls array, and even to annihilate a Sacred Fetus that contains a trace of my origin… The intruder's strength is at least a top existence within the Refining Void Perfection, and even… has brushed the edge of the Great Vehicle Stage?"

He does not rage because the plan was thwarted. At his level, he has already seen through gain and loss. A Sacred Fetus being destroyed is certainly a huge loss, but if this suddenly appearing variable can be identified, perhaps… it is a greater opportunity.

"Heavenly Barrier Realm, Nan Ting Mountain Region… recently there seem to be no such figures emerging. Which reclusive ancient monster? Or… an outsider?" Yan Buji's divine thought, like the most precise spider web, begins to swiftly backtrack and analyze every fragment of residual information transmitted from the site where the mother‑nest was destroyed.

He "sees" the trace of that clean, all‑annihilating gray power.

He "feels" the Dao resonance that surpasses ordinary Silence Extinction, bearing a sense of ultimate return.

He even captures a sliver of an extremely faint yet fundamentally high… Stellar Source Power?

"This power… is not mere destruction, but more like… a return and an end? Interesting, truly interesting!" a hint of surprise surfaces in Yan Buji's divine thought, quickly turning into a strong curiosity: "This person's Dao, while seemingly akin to my 'Way of Desirelessness', subtly has a restraining effect… If I could obtain its secret, perhaps I could mend the last flaw in my Dao techniques, and even… glimpse the true realm of 'Return to the Void'!"

He no longer feels sorrow for the Sacred Fetus, but instead concentrates all his attention on this mysterious destroyer.

"The left and right guardian spirits are both annihilated, making soul‑search impossible. Yet when the Sacred Fetus was destroyed, its core seal briefly contacted that power…" Yan Buji's divine thought focuses on that most primordial trace of opposition, like the most astute detective, beginning to unravel it thread by thread.

He avoids that destructive primary force, concentrating on its peripheral, more subtle "breath".

"Hm? This sword intent… sharp, pure, bearing an unyielding edge… seems somewhat familiar?" Yan Buji's divine thought pauses slightly, a sealed memory stirred, "Hundreds of years ago… Dongxing Sea Region… Xiao Ran?"

He immediately rejects it: "No, although Xiao Ran is a natural prodigy, it is impossible for him to reach such a realm in such a short time. Moreover, the nature of this power is entirely different from his."

Continue deeper analysis.

"Besides the sword intent, there is also a… vibrant wood‑spirit qi? Though weak, its quality is extremely high, seeming to be some ancient bloodline…"

"And… a highly obscure soul vibration, vastly different from cultivators of this realm…"

Yan Buji's divine thought, like the most precise instrument, pieces together one subtle clue after another.

"It is not a single individual… but a squad? With sword cultivators, a wood‑spirit bloodline, and also a… leader whose soul trait is peculiar?"

In his mind a vague outline gradually forms: a complex‑composition squad led by unfamiliar strongmen, whose clear goal was to destroy his mother‑nest.

"Why do they target me? To save someone? Or… also for the 'Eye of Return to the Void'?" Yan Buji's thoughts flash, "If they can pinpoint the mother‑nest core, perhaps… they possess some kind of guiding object?"

He thinks of the destroyed sub‑altars, and of the possible fish that slipped through the net.

"Relay the orders." Yan Buji's divine thought ripple spreads beyond this gray‑mist space, reaching the minds of some surviving, higher‑ranking stewards around the Hive Demon Cavern, "Thoroughly investigate all recent information on those who have opposed the Shadow Pavilion, especially those adept at using gray Silence Extinction power, or whose teams include sword cultivators and wood‑spirit bloodlines! Prioritize checking all abnormal spatial fluctuations and traces of unfamiliar strongmen near the Black Wind Desert area!"

"Also, activate 'Dark Child', investigate the recent movements of the Flowing Cloud Alliance and the remnants of Xunfeng Valley, to see if they have contacted unknown forces!"

Commands are issued silently, and an invisible great net begins to spread toward Zhong Tian Zhi Yu.

Having done these, Yan Buji's divine‑thought avatar once again immerses itself in deep analysis of that residual power.

"No matter who you are… destroying my Sacred Fetus, obstructing my Dao… you have successfully drawn my attention." In those black‑hole eyes flashes a hint of greed and cold, "Your power… will soon be mine. Perhaps you will be a more perfect 'Key' than the Sacred Fetus…"

He not only does not become angry over the failure, but feels a trace of… pleasure at having discovered a potential, stronger "prey".

A true hunter often appears in the form of prey.

Yan Buji knows deeply that clashing with such a figure is itself an opportunity. What he now must do is find them, understand them, and then… devour them!

In the gray‑mist space, dead silence returns, with only those all‑seeing black eyes silently flashing calculating light.

And at this moment, Han Wuxian, long removed from the Mist‑Hidden Ghost Ruins and recuperating in a secret valley, does not know that he has already been marked as the number‑one target by a terrifying Great Vehicle Stage demon lord.