Chapter 515: Hunyuan Abyss, Hun Dun Heart

The four of them stood up at the same time, without excessive words or sentimental farewells. Everyone understood that this might be the last time they would meet, but it could also be a new beginning.

Lin Xuan was the first to walk out of the cave, looking toward the direction of Hunyuan Valley. In the mist-shrouded canyon in the distance, waves of energy could be faintly felt; that was the final battlefield that would determine the fate of the Cultivation World.

Xiao Yuan followed closely behind; her figure was as light as the wind, and she soon disappeared into the mountain forest to the southeast, galloping toward Wangling Ta.

Muerxiu and Lingjizi stood side by side, gazing at the Snowy Immortal Mountain in the north. Snow-capped peaks stood there in rows, and the light of the teleportation array flickered within the clouds.

"Let us go." Lingjizi gently stroked the emptiness left by the cane he had just lost, but there was not a trace of attachment in his eyes, only a firm belief in the future.

The two executed their movement techniques, turning into two rays of light that disappeared into the northern horizon.

Lin Xuan stood alone on the cliff, feeling the surging of the Taiji Three Origin Power within his body and the spiritual connection between him and his three companions. He knew that the coming battle would be the most important one of his life, and perhaps the last.

"Senior Taijizi, Senior Lingjizi," Lin Xuan gripped the Eight Trigrams cane in his hand, "I will not let you down."

Having said that, he leaped, his entire body enveloped in Taiji Cloud Light, and he rushed toward the depths of Hunyuan Valley like a meteor.

Lin Xuan executed the Taiji Cloud Light, rushing into the depths of Hunyuan Valley like a meteor. The deeper he went into the valley floor, the more unsettling the surrounding scenery became. The valley, which should have been vibrant with life, was now deathly still; all vegetation had withered, and even the rocks took on an ominous black-purple hue.

When he finally reached the valley floor, the sight before him made him gasp.

The entire valley floor was covered by a massive Dharma Array, occupying an area of several miles. Eighty-one black stone pillars rose from the ground, each over ten zhang high, piercing straight into the clouds. The surfaces of these pillars were densely carved with ancient Runes; those Runes did not belong to any known writing system, yet they exuded a heart-palpitating evil aura.

Even more shocking was that each stone pillar was constantly emitting purple-black light; these rays of light intertwined in the air to form a massive energy net, shrouding the entire valley floor. Distorted patterns flickered within the light net, as if countless suffering souls were struggling within it.

"This is the Hun Dun Origin Returning Array..." Lin Xuan gripped the Eight Trigrams cane in his hand, feeling the tremors coming from it. Even the Dharma Artifact left behind by Lingjizi showed unease in the face of this evil power.

At the very center of the Dharma Array, Lin Xuan saw Xuanjizi. This highly respected Elder of the Cultivation World was currently trapped in a translucent energy cocoon, his eyes closed and his face as pale as paper. Even more heartbreaking was that the energy cocoon was slowly and steadily extracting his life force; every wisp of golden light pulled from his body weakened his life aura by a fraction.

But this was not the most terrifying part. Around Xuanjizi, there were over a dozen similar energy cocoons, and trapped inside were well-known figures of the Cultivation World—the White-Browed Elder of the Azure Cloud Sect, the Sword-Obsessed Elder of the Heaven Sword Gate, the Flower Fairy of Wanhua Valley... These giants of the Cultivation World, who were usually held in high regard, had now all become energy sources for Helian Chen.

Lin Xuan utilized the perception ability of the "Will Transcendence" realm to deeply investigate the operating principles of this terrifying Dharma Array. His consciousness extended like invisible tentacles, piercing through layers of energy barriers to reach the Core of the Dharma Array.

Soon, he understood the truly terrifying aspect of this array.

This was not merely an ordinary trapping array, but a massive Energy Converter. It extracted the life force, spiritual power, and even the most precious soul power of the trapped cultivators, and then, through a complex process of Zhuanghua, converted these energies—which originally belonged to the righteous path—into pure Hun Dun Power.

This Hun Dun Power did not remain here, but was transmitted to two other nodes through the ley lines. Both the Snowy Immortal Mountain and Wangling Ta were continuously receiving the power transmitted from here.

"No wonder he chose these cultivators with profound cultivation..." A chill rose in Lin Xuan's heart, "Not to kill them, but to extract their power over a long period. The higher the cultivation of the cultivator, the more energy they can provide."

At the very Core of the Dharma Array, Lin Xuan discovered a black crystal the size of a fist. This crystal hovered in the air, rotating slowly, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations. Every time life force was converted into Hun Dun Power, the crystal would flicker, as if it were devouring this pure energy.

"Hun Dun Heart!" Lin Xuan instantly understood the importance of this crystal. This was the Core of the entire plan; as long as it was destroyed, all of Helian Chen's arrangements could be dismantled.

However, approaching that crystal would be no easy task. In addition to the layers of protection of the Dharma Array itself, there were a large number of guards nearby.

Lin Xuan cautiously approached the edge of the Dharma Array, trying to find a breakthrough point. However, the moment he stepped into the sensing range of the Dharma Array, a piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire valley floor.

"Intruder! Someone has broken into the restricted area!"

Following the alarm, dozens of Guixu Sect cultivators dressed in black robes surged out from all directions. The cultivation of these cultivators was all above the Transformation Stage, and the leaders among them had even reached the Integration Stage. Even more daunting was that they all bore obvious traces of Hun Dun Power, their eyes appearing gray-black similar to the Hun Dun Believers, clearly having been deeply eroded by the Hun Dun Power.

"Kill him! Do not let anyone disrupt the Master's plan!" the leading Integration Stage cultivator shouted sternly, launching an attack first.

In an instant, various spells rained down upon Lin Xuan like raindrops. Fireballs, ice spikes, lightning, poisonous mist... dozens of attacks of different attributes struck simultaneously, their power sufficient to instantly destroy a small mountain.

Lin Xuan dared not be negligent and immediately channeled the Taiji Three Origin Power, the three-colored light forming a massive protective shield around his body. However, the attacks of these Guixu Sect cultivators all carried the corrosive nature of Hun Dun Power, and every impact weakened his defense.

"These people are no longer entirely human..." Lin Xuan thought while fighting, "The Hun Dun Power has changed their essence, turning them into a kind of existence between humans and Hun Dun creatures."

Facing such dense attacks, Lin Xuan had to launch a counterattack. He held the Eight Trigrams cane, and the Eight Trigrams pattern at the top of the cane began to rotate, releasing powerful Taiji Power. This power merged perfectly with his Taiji Three Origin Power, doubling its might.

Lin Xuan's figure flickered, weaving through the enemy crowd like the wind. Wherever the Eight Trigrams cane passed, the Taiji Power formed arcs of energy blades, forcing the besieging cultivators to retreat.