Small World Ruins
The power barrier within Chen Fan's body was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper under the impact of that energy far exceeding his current level.
Boom!
A muffled sound, seemingly emanating from the depths of the soul.
The shackles shattered with a crash.
An aura several times stronger than before surged from his body, but the moment it touched the top of the cave, he controlled it back into his body with absolute power, without leaking a single drop.
Seventh Grade Immortal Realm, Late Stage!
It's done.
A surge of immense power coursed through his limbs and bones, every cell seemed to rejoice, yet his face remained impassive.
This breakthrough was simply a natural progression.
Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes.
Inside the cave, the energy that had surged earlier due to the breakthrough had long since subsided, and all its radiance had been contained.
He looked inward at himself, and deep within his Dantian, the World Dao Mark that had condensed the entire Origin Ancient Realm was now perfectly integrated with his flesh, blood Divine Soul, and the law patterns engraved on it became even more profound.
The power surging within him was as vast as a galaxy, every cell brimming with explosive vitality, yet his heart was filled with an unprecedented tranquility.
Seventh Grade Immortal Realm, late stage.
This breakthrough is more like a period of reflection and consolidation.
Now, he has concealed all his sharpness, and if he doesn't use any of his strength, he looks no different from an ordinary, handsome young man.
He stood up, dusted off imaginary dust from his robes, and prepared to leave the makeshift cave.
At that very moment!!
Boom!
The whole world was suddenly jolted.
This is not a vibration caused by an energy shock, but a tremor originating from the very depths of the world.
Chen Fan paused, his gaze piercing through the cave's stone walls, looking towards the distant horizon.
A golden pillar of light, whose vastness defies description, shot into the sky from the horizon, tearing through the clouds and piercing the heavens, like a sacred pillar supporting the heavens and the earth.
Within the pillar of light, countless broken, ancient runes shimmering with seven-colored light danced, exuding a supreme aura of vast antiquity and even decay.
"Buzz..."
The World Dao Mark within Chen Fan's body trembled slightly uncontrollably at this moment, resonating faintly with the aura in the distant pillar of light and conveying an almost instinctive desire.
"Opportunity."
Chen Fan understood.
If his Dao Mark could react, that place must hold a tremendous secret.
He didn't hesitate at all, but he wasn't in a hurry to set off either.
With a swift movement, he seemed to blend into the light and shadow of the mountains and forests, concealing all his aura, and like a true shadow, silently stealthily moved towards the pillar of light.
The closer you get, the more violent the Origin Source energy of heaven and earth becomes.
The air was thick with an intense, palpable sense of impending doom, like two red-hot irons about to collide violently.
His Divine Sense spread out silently, like mercury spilling onto the ground.
Soon, the scene under the beam of light appeared clearly in his mind.
On that vast plain illuminated by golden beams of light, two military formations, each blotting out the sky, stood clearly defined.
On one side were tens of thousands of powerful Human Race, each exuding a fierce aura, their iron-blooded killing intent soaring into the sky, converging into a golden dragon phantom that roared towards the heavens.
On the other side was a vast army of Insect Race in various forms, their endless aura of destruction and chaos coalescing into a dark, demonic cloud powerful enough to devour light.
The two sides stood facing each other, a hundred miles apart, neither willing to retaliate. The terrifying pressure was enough to instantly shatter the Divine Soul of any being below the Seventh Grade.
Chen Fan's gaze fell on the very front of the Human Race army formation.
There, nine extraordinary figures, like nine peerless divine weapons planted in the earth, formed the spearhead of the entire Human Race army formation.
These were the nine Star River Level Students who entered the Origin Ancient Realm with him.
At this moment, they all had solemn expressions, their auras blending seamlessly with the 10,000-strong army behind them, clearly indicating that they had been locked in a stalemate for quite some time.
Chen Fan made no announcement, nor did he release any aura to announce his arrival.
Like a drop of water merging into the ocean, he silently bypassed the edge of the battlefield, blending into the outermost perimeter of the Human Race forces, and quietly observed the situation.
His gaze swept over the nine people in front of him, finally settling on one of them.
Senior Fellow Apprentice, Wen Yuan.
At this Wen Yuan, Wen Yuan's brows were furrowed, his eyes fixed on the writhing dark demonic cloud a hundred miles away, and his face was somewhat pale.
Chen Fan moved slightly, and in a few flashes, he quietly appeared behind Wen Yuan.
He reached out and gently patted Wen Yuan's shoulder.
"Snap."
A soft sound.
Wen Yuan's body tensed instantly, like a bowstring, as a sharp Life Dao Rhythm swept back towards him. He turned around abruptly, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.
However, when he saw the familiar yet calm face behind him, all his vigilance vanished in an instant, replaced by ecstasy.
"Junior Brother... Junior Fellow Apprentice?!"
Wen Yuan's voice even changed slightly. He grabbed Chen Fan's wrist and pulled him abruptly to a slightly secluded corner, as if afraid that he had misread the situation.
Immediately afterwards, his Divine Thought habitually swept over Chen Fan.
The next second, the ecstasy on Wen Yuan's face froze.
Instead, there was a sense of horror, almost as if they had seen a ghost.
He stared intently at Chen Fan, his mouth opened and closed, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a single word.
What he detected was not the aura of a mid-stage Seventh Grade as he had expected, but rather... nothingness.
Chen Fan's body was like a bottomless black hole, or a universe returning to its original simplicity. His Divine Thought probed into it, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea; not only did he not discover any depth, but he was almost assimilated by that harmonious and unified Dao Rhythm.
This...
"You... you broke through?" Wen Yuan's voice was hoarse. "Late stage?!"
Seeing his senior Senior Fellow Apprentice's expression, Chen Fan scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and nodded.
"Hiss!!"
Wen Yuan gasped, feeling a chill run down his spine.
How long has it been?
He forcibly suppressed the raging storm in his heart, knowing that now was not the time to ask about this, and quickly explained the current situation to Chen Fan.
"To make a long story short!" he said rapidly, "This golden pillar of light is a World Ruins that has emerged from the deepest part of this newly born world!"
"According to the Martial God's divine decree, it is a core fragment left behind after a more ancient and powerful world shattered during the epochal transition. The opportunities contained within may even concern the Eighth Grade Secret!"
"Right now, both we and the Insect Race are waiting. Waiting for the ruins to completely stabilize."
Wen Yuan's gaze turned serious again as he pointed at the beam of light.
"No one dares to make the first move. The energy in this ruin is too violent; forcibly entering would only result in being torn to shreds. We are all waiting for the right opportunity, but neither of us wants to benefit the other."