Chapter 132

Chaos Tribulation Domain, Thunder Silence Returns to Ruins.

The blue-gray domain was like a giant inverted bowl, shrouding five hundred zhang of sea and sky. Within the domain, light was twisted and dim, as if covered by a layer of time's dust. The space became viscous and sluggish; ordinary escape techniques were nearly ineffective here. Most heart-palpitating was the omnipresent "End" Dao rhyme—magic treasures' spiritual light would spontaneously dim, protective spiritual power would quietly drain away, and vitality would accelerate its decay, as if all things were being forcibly pushed toward their destined "end" by an invisible hand.

And those leaping, flickering gray-purple annihilation thunderbolts were like the sharpest executioners on this "stage of the end," precisely seeking, entangling, and purifying all "anomalies" and "evil spirits"—for demonic creatures, this thunder was heavenly punishment!

"Ah—!"

Screams rose one after another. The few early-stage Nascent Soul Demon Generals who first broke into the Tribulation Domain bore the double terror of immense pressure. The demonic energy on their bodies dissolved rapidly like ice under a scorching sun, and their tough demonic bodies became withered and fragile at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if they had endured thousands of years of wind erosion. Even more fatal were those gray-purple arcs of electricity; once they touched the body, they were like maggots on rotting bones, crazily burrowing into the body, scorching the demonic essence, tearing apart the demonic soul, and bringing extreme pain and annihilation.

Two Demon Generals with weaker cultivation bases lasted less than ten breaths before, amidst desperate wails, their demonic bodies disintegrated inch by inch, turning into fly ash. They could not even leave behind their purest demonic cores, being completely swallowed and returned to ruins by the Tribulation Domain.

The remaining Demon Generals were horrified, crazily driving their demonic essence to resist, attempting to escape this terrifying domain. But under the suppression of the viscous space-time and the omnipresent "End" Dao rhyme, their movements were as slow as if trapped in a quagmire, making escape exceptionally difficult.

"Roar! A mere domain, break for this commander!"

The Bone-Scythe Demon Commander was both shocked and furious. After all, it was a mid-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator with vast demonic essence. Although it felt extremely uncomfortable within the Tribulation Domain and its demonic essence circulation was sluggish, it was not as pathetic as the low-rank Demon Generals. It roared wildly, and the pale bone scythe in its hand erupted with monstrous demonic flames, forcibly splitting the viscous space. A black scythe shadow, more condensed and containing the law of tearing, slashed directly at Lin Xuan in the center of the domain!

With this strike, it used a portion of the Spirit Transformation stage's laws, its power greater than before. Wherever it passed, even the gray, misty airflow within the Tribulation Domain was briefly torn open!

However, Lin Xuan, located at the core of the Tribulation Domain, seemed to have merged with the entire domain. His expression was calm; facing the scythe shadow that tore through the laws, he merely raised his hand and gestured vaguely.

"Tribulation power like a tide, all laws return to ruins."

Within the Tribulation Domain, the omnipresent "End" Dao rhyme suddenly converged, like an invisible tide, surging layer upon layer toward that black scythe shadow. The tearing law contained within the scythe shadow, under the scouring of this "End" power targeting existence itself, rapidly became blurred and faded. At the same time, countless gray-purple thunderbolts within the domain were drawn in, like a school of piranhas smelling blood, swarming over and entangling the scythe shadow, erupting with blinding purifying light!

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—!"

A teeth-grinding sound of dissolution resounded through the domain. The aggressive law-infused scythe shadow, under the dual strangulation of the tribulation tide and the annihilation thunder, saw its forward momentum rapidly decay, its volume constantly shrinking. Finally, when it was still three zhang away from Lin Xuan, it completely collapsed, reverting to chaotic demonic energy, and was immediately swallowed and digested by the Tribulation Domain.

"How is this possible?!" The Bone-Scythe Demon Commander's scarlet eyes widened, and a stormy sea surged in its heart. Its strike, which contained a rudimentary application of the laws of heaven and earth from the Spirit Transformation stage, had been forcibly worn down and disintegrated by the opponent's domain power in a way it could not understand at all (the concepts of returning to ruins and ending)! This had already exceeded the confrontation of power levels and involved the deeper essence of the Great Dao!

"This domain is strange! Cannot be fought head-on! Scatter! Bombard the boundary of the domain from a distance!" a calmer late-stage Nascent Soul Demon General shouted sharply. It saw that the core of this domain was Lin Xuan in the center, and its range was limited.

The remaining Demon Generals heard this and immediately endured their discomfort, one after another unleashing long-range demonic arts, either spitting demonic flames, throwing demonic artifacts, or condensing demonic light. From all directions, they bombarded the edge of the Tribulation Domain, attempting to break the situation with sheer volume, forcibly exhausting or shattering this bizarre domain.

The Bone-Scythe Demon Commander also reacted, no longer attempting a close-quarters assault. Instead, it brandished its bone scythe, slashing out torrents of demonic energy from a distance that contained various negative laws such as death, corrosion, and chaos, pouring down like a rainstorm toward the Tribulation Domain, especially toward Lin Xuan's physical body.

Facing this saturation-style long-range strike, Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Maintaining such a large-scale Chaos Tribulation Domain was no small drain on him. Moreover, although the domain could weaken and transform attacks, facing such dense bombardment containing different law characteristics, it was impossible to digest them without any damage.

His thoughts turned rapidly. Behind him, the Chaos Star Dharma Idol held its hands in a void embrace, forming a seal of "containment" and "transformation."

"Tribulation Sea Vortex, absorb!"

At the center of the Tribulation Domain, the gray, misty airflow suddenly accelerated its rotation, forming a huge vortex. Within the vortex, faint phantoms of the beginning of chaos and the birth and death of stars emerged, emitting a vast intent of swallowing all things and containing all laws.

Most of the incoming demonic energy, demonic flames, and demonic light, after being weakened upon touching the outer edge of the Tribulation Domain, were attracted and pulled by this huge tribulation power vortex and plunged into it. The vortex rotated slowly, like an efficient digestive organ, forcibly decomposing and shattering these complex and violent demonic energies. The pure destructive energy within was absorbed by the Tribulation Domain, used to maintain the domain's operation or even nourish itself; while those chaotic, corrosive, and other negative laws and impurities were repelled and erased, turning into nothingness.

This was precisely another characteristic of the Chaos Tribulation power—with chaos as the foundation, it can contain all power; with tribulation luck as the guide, it can transform all laws!

Although a portion of the attacks still pierced through the vortex's pull and struck the domain boundary, causing ripples and making Lin Xuan's face turn slightly pale, overall, the Tribulation Domain was as stable as a rock, receiving and digesting all attacks!

This scene once again made all onlookers inside and outside the battlefield sway in their hearts.

"This... what kind of divine ability is this? It can actually turn the enemy's attacks to its own use?" Star Palace's Elder Beichen's hand gripping the sword tightened slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief. Star Palace's techniques also emphasized borrowing the power of stars, but such a domineering method of directly decomposing, absorbing, and transforming the enemy's power was unheard of!

"Good lad! That's powerful!" Giant Spirit Sect's Elder Yangang laughed heartily while brandishing his twin hammers to smash a demonized giant whale, his eyes full of appreciation. "This domain is tough enough! And wicked enough! I like it!"

Profound Ice Pavilion's Elder Lingshuang gazed at the blue-gray Tribulation Domain, a strange brilliance appearing in her cold eyes: "Chaos... Tribulation... Silence and rebirth... This person's Dao actually has a bit of the wonder of the Great Dao leading to the same destination as the 'Profound Ice Silence Dao' I cultivate."

Eunuch Wei breathed a long sigh of relief, his heart settled, and he became more focused on commanding the Sea-Suppressing Guard to eradicate the outer beast tide.

On Star-Fragment Island, the Bibo Sect Master and other defenders were even more stirred, their morale greatly boosted.

And the Demon Generals trapped in the Tribulation Domain saw their moods plummet to the bottom. Their strongest long-range bombardment methods were like clay oxen entering the sea; not only did they fail to break the domain, but they seemed to... strengthen the opponent? This feeling of frustration and powerlessness made them nearly go mad.

The Bone-Scythe Demon Commander's face was so gloomy it could drip water. It knew it could not go on like this. This human lad bearing the bizarre Chaos Tribulation power was far more troublesome than expected. If it did not take him down today, not only would the mission fail, but it might even fall here itself.

A flash of ruthlessness and determination crossed its eyes. It bit the tip of its tongue fiercely, spitting out a mouthful of dark purple demonic blood exuding a rich aura of origin, which landed on the pale bone scythe in its hand.

"With my demonic blood, I sacrifice my soul! Respectfully invite... my master's will projection!"

The bone scythe suddenly erupted with blinding dark purple light. A terrifying will, far more ancient, vast, and evil than the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander itself, seemed to be summoned from the infinitely distant void and descended here!

The Bone-Scythe Demon Commander's aura withered instantly, but the bone scythe in its hand seemed to come alive, emitting an excited buzzing sound. Above the scythe, a blurred phantom, carrying an indifference that looked down on all living beings and endless greed, slowly emerged. Although it was only an extremely minute thread of will projection, its level was so high that it had already surpassed Spirit Transformation and reached Refining Void or even higher!

The will of the Ruins Abyss demonic consciousness itself! Although far less powerful than the one that descended during the battle at the imperial capital, it was still heart-palpitating!

The phantom's gaze locked onto Lin Xuan in the center of the Tribulation Domain for the first time, emitting a blurred but blasphemous and longing intent fluctuation: "Chaos... Tribulation... Delicious... Swallow..."

Locked by this gaze, the hair all over Lin Xuan's body stood on end, and a huge sense of crisis stemming from life's instinct instantly enveloped his whole body! The Chaos Tribulation Crystal trembled violently, and the Tribulation Domain fluctuated along with it.

"Finally... couldn't help but use your trump card?" Lin Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the agitation in his heart, his eyes becoming incomparably sharp. He knew the real test had arrived.

Just as the bone scythe phantom was about to swing, releasing an irresistible demonic might—

"Hum!"

A light yet exceptionally clear sword hum sounded from the smaller warship behind the allied fleet.

This sword hum was not high-pitched, but it carried a strange power that pierced through the heart, as if it could sever confusion and pierce through falsehood. The moment the sound rang out, the omnipresent demonic roars and beast tide howls on the battlefield seemed to dim for an instant.

Lin Xuan, who was preparing to deal with the demonic consciousness projection with all his might, felt a slight movement in his heart and swept his spiritual sense over.

He saw Zhao Yuan standing up on the deck of that warship at some point. He gripped the pitch-black broken sword "Silent Shadow" tightly with both hands. His originally calm face was now covered in fine beads of sweat, but his eyes were as sharp as an unsheathed blade, staring fixedly at the bone scythe in the distant Tribulation Domain that was emitting terrifying demonic might.

On the broken sword "Silent Shadow," that dark golden fine line, which had originally only spread for an inch, was now spreading upward by a full three inches as if it were a living thing! Although the dark golden light was not dazzling, it was exceptionally solid and tough, as if an unyielding law brand had been inscribed on the pitch-black sword body.

Even more strangely, the broken sword itself began to emit a faint yet incomparably pure intent of "severing"! This was not aimed at a physical entity, but seemed as if it could sever energy, sever connections, and even... sever some kind of "summoning" and "descent"!

Zhao Yuan himself seemed to be in a strange state. He felt an unprecedentedly close connection with the broken sword in his hand, as if he could hear the faint yet resilient "heartbeat" coming from deep within the sword body. A cold, sharp power, full of protection and determination, was feeding back into his body from the sword, blending like water and milk with his own dark and gold dual-attribute spiritual power.

This power did not cause his cultivation base to skyrocket, but it gave him a unique ability of "insight" and "locking on." In his perception, there existed an extremely minute yet incomparably important "causal line" or "summoning channel" between the bone scythe and the phantom in the distance. It was through this "line" that the terrifying demonic consciousness will was able to project and descend!

Almost instinctively, Zhao Yuan was struck by a flash of inspiration. He injected his entire newly fused spiritual power, which carried the "severing" characteristic, into the "Silent Shadow" broken sword without reservation, and with all his might, he slashed remotely at that invisible "line"!

There was no earth-shattering sword energy, not even an obvious fluctuation of spiritual power.

Only a barely perceptible dark golden fine line, between reality and illusion, shot out quietly from the tip of the broken sword. It ignored spatial distance, instantly crossed the battlefield, and plunged into the Chaos Tribulation Domain, precisely "cutting" between the bone scythe and that terrifying phantom!

"Ssh—!"

It was as if a hot knife had cut through butter, or as if a lute string had snapped.

That invisible channel that maintained the descent of the demonic consciousness projection was actually forcibly severed by this sudden sword strike, which contained a strange "severing" law!

On the bone scythe, that demonic consciousness phantom, which had just condensed and had not yet fully exerted its power, trembled violently and let out a blurred hiss full of shock and anger. Then, like a kite with a broken string, it instantly became extremely unstable, its light and shadow flickering, and it rapidly dimmed!

"No—!" the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander let out a desperate roar. The will projection of its master, which it had only managed to summon by sacrificing its origin, had actually been... severed by a human Golden Core lad it hadn't even taken seriously, using a broken sword?!

This sudden turn of events not only caught the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander off guard but also made Lin Xuan's eyes flash with brilliance!

A good opportunity!

He did not hesitate at all; strike while the iron is hot!

He drove the power of the Chaos Tribulation Domain to the extreme. The tribulation power vortex rotated crazily, sucking and suppressing the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander, whose aura had plummeted due to the interruption of the projection, firmly in place! At the same time, he pointed his fingers like a sword, the gray-purple annihilation thunder tribulation power at his fingertips condensed to the extreme, transforming into a slender thunder tribulation sword beam that seemed capable of piercing through everything and ending everything!

"Annihilation Lei Jie Sword—Break Void!"

"Whoosh!"

The thunder tribulation sword beam was faster than spiritual sense could capture. It arrived first despite being launched later. In the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander's horrified eyes, it ignored the layers of demonic energy defenses it had hastily deployed (which had already been greatly weakened within the Tribulation Domain) and precisely pierced into the location of its demonic core between its brows!

"Ah—!!!"

A scream, indescribably shrill, resounded through the sea area. Gray-purple thunder light erupted from within the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander's body, and the tribulation power, containing the dual forces of annihilation and returning to ruins, crazily destroyed its demonic body, demonic essence, and demonic soul! The bone scythe in its hand let out a mournful cry, lost all its spiritual light, and fell from the sky.

The mid-stage Spirit Transformation Bone-Scythe Demon Commander was actually caught by Lin Xuan in this fleeting window of opportunity and severely wounded to the point of death with one strike!

Having lost their supreme commander and witnessing the Demon Commander's miserable state, the remaining Nascent Soul Demon Generals completely collapsed, having no more will to fight, and one after another attempted to flee in all directions.

"Leave none alive!" Lin Xuan's cold voice echoed in the Tribulation Domain.

The Tribulation Domain contracted, thunder light erupted, and in coordination with Eunuch Wei, Elder Beichen, Elder Yangang, Elder Lingshuang, and others who had reacted, as well as the high-morale Star-Fragment Island defenders and the Sea-Suppressing Guard, they launched the final eradication of the remaining Demon Generals and the beast tide.

The overall situation was settled.

After Zhao Yuan slashed out that sword, he knelt on one knee on the deck as if exhausted, his face as pale as paper, gasping for air. The light of the "Silent Shadow" broken sword in his hand also dimmed, but in his eyes, an unprecedentedly bright flame was burning. That sword strike not only severed the descent of the demonic consciousness projection but also seemed to sever the last trace of confusion and shackles in his heart.

In the sea area of the Star-Fragment Archipelago, the bloody waves gradually subsided, and the demonic energy slowly dissipated. Sunlight pierced through the cloud layer again, spilling onto the islands that were full of scars but finally stood tall and unfallen.

Lin Xuan put away the Chaos Tribulation Domain, his figure landing back on the bow of the main warship. His aura fluctuated slightly, but his eyes remained clear and deep. He glanced at the falling corpse of the Bone-Scythe Demon Commander in the distance, then looked at the young figure standing with a sword on the warship behind him, the corners of his mouth slightly curling into an imperceptible arc.

"Shadow Gold, Sinking Iron Sword... Silent Shadow... Interesting."