[Rewards: Unknown Rank Martial Soul Evolution (Guaranteed SSS+ or higher), Mysterious Divine Ability [Dark Realm Descent] (incomplete), and a "Three Incense Sticks Lighted for You by the System" voucher (can be used to make a wish to the system during your next reincarnation, but its fulfillment is not guaranteed).]
Looking at the "thoughtful" description of Option Two, especially the line "The system will play funeral music for you and consider whether to recycle it," Xiao Han's lips twitched slightly. This damn system, it still has that familiar feel, just as "cheap and sleazy."
But his mind was perfectly clear. Option one seemed safe, the reward was decent, and those "tooth-wasting" sunflower seeds sounded rather unique. But such an opportunity was incredibly rare; to merely dabble in it would be a waste. Moreover...
With [Illusion-Breaking Spirit Eyes] activated to its fullest potential, two terrifying auras rapidly approached the cave entrance like leeches! The Dragon Nation elder and the Blackwater Mystic Snake Demon Grandmaster clearly wouldn't let such a rare treasure slip by. His time was running out!
Xiao Han's gaze pierced through layers of darkness, and finally, at the deepest part of the cave, he saw a fist-sized, dark and profound rhomboid crystal, as if it had been formed by the fusion of countless crushed stars with the purest darkness.
It floated there silently, radiating a soul-stirring and deadly attraction— the Primordial Shadow Source Crystal!
"System, I choose option two! It's all or nothing!" Xiao Han's eyes hardened instantly, without the slightest hesitation. He wanted to leap over the dragon gate and ascend to the heavens in one step, not to eke out a living surrounded by powerful enemies!
[Ding! Host has chosen "A Daring Gamble"! Commendable courage, but touching intelligence! The fusion program between the Eternal Night King Martial Soul and the "Primordial Shadow Source Crystal" has been initiated! Please prepare for your soul to be torn apart. Good luck (although I don't think you'll need it).]
The system's rant, though late, arrived, but Xiao Han had no time to pay it any mind. With a thought, the Eternal Night King Martial Soul within him emitted an excited buzz, transforming into a solidified dark shadow, and resolutely pounced towards the Primordial Shadow Source Crystal that exuded deadly allure and endless danger!
"Buzz--!"
The instant the Eternal Night King Martial Soul touched the Source Crystal, an indescribable torrent of terrifying energy, like the waters of the ancient Netherworld River bursting its banks, instantly and completely engulfed it!
"Ugh--!"
Xiao Han felt as if his soul had been thrown into a high-speed meat grinder, or as if it had been pierced by countless red-hot steel needles at the same time. The excruciating pain originating from the very core of his soul almost made him faint on the spot. His consciousness swayed wildly in the agony, like a small boat in a raging storm, in danger of capsizing at any moment.
At the same time, at the cave entrance, two angry shouts rang out like thunder, shaking the entire cave and causing rocks to tumble down!
"How dare you, you brat!"
Leave the treasure behind!
The Dragon Nation elders and the Blackwater Mystic Snake Demon Grandmaster have already arrived! The terrifying pressure from the two Martial Grandmaster Realm is like two invisible mountains, pressing down fiercely, causing the space inside the cave to distort and groan under the unbearable weight.
Xiao Han endured the excruciating pain that seemed to penetrate to the bone, his jaw clenched so tightly that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He had only one thought in his mind: Faster! Faster!
The instant the Eternal Night King Martial Soul merged with the Primordial Shadow Source Crystal, it formed a massive, constantly writhing dark purple energy cocoon, enveloping Xiao Han and the Source Crystal within. He had to complete this life-or-death evolution before the two Martial Grandmasters broke free of this energy cocoon!
Inside the energy cocoon, the phantom of the Eternal Night King Martial Soul began to undergo earth-shattering changes under the violent and pure primal power of the Primordial Shadow Source Crystal.
Its size was rapidly expanding and constantly compressing, sometimes twisting into bizarre shapes, and sometimes coalescing into an even more solid and majestic outline. A terrifying aura far exceeding the SSS+ grade was frantically brewing and rising within this energy cocoon!
The laws of Shadow Law and Space Laws within the cave were completely stirred up by this newfound power, emitting profound resonances!
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
From the direction of the cave entrance, the sounds of two Martial Grandmasters' ferocious attacks could already be heard! The surface of the energy cocoon also began to shake violently.
A race against time, a do-or-die situation!
Inside the energy cocoon, Xiao Han's consciousness seemed to have been thrown into an endless purgatory.
Every inch of the soul is being torn apart and crushed, then forcibly reshaped by an overwhelmingly powerful force.
The pain that originates from the deepest part of life is far beyond what physical torture can compare to.
Under the violent energy surge of the "Primordial Shadow Source Crystal," the Eternal Night King Martial Soul is undergoing a complete rebirth.
The blurry phantom of the monarch crumbled inch by inch, and in its place emerged a more majestic and solid form, as if it were about to trample the real dark night and the boundless void under its feet. The majesty emanating from its brows had already surpassed the imagination of ordinary people.
Outside the cave, the two Martial Grandmasters had already stopped fighting. The primal fluctuations emanating from the dark purple energy cocoon, and the astonishing resilience it displayed, shook them to their core.
The Dragon Nation elder's face was ashen, while the Blackwater Mystic Snake Demon Grandmaster's scarlet snake eyes gleamed with undisguised greed and suspicion. They could both clearly sense that the "exotic treasure" inside the cocoon, or rather, the intruder, was undergoing some kind of incomprehensible transformation.
"Old man, something's wrong with this kid! He seems to be forcibly fusing with that rare artifact!" The Blackwater Mystic Snake Demon Grandmaster broke the silence first, his voice hoarse and cold, "If we hesitate any longer, we might not even get a sip of soup! Why don't we join forces, break open this damned shell first, and then we can fight for what's inside based on our abilities, how about it?"
The Dragon Nation elder frowned, the ever-increasing aura within the cave making him uneasy. He glanced at the Demon Grandmaster and coldly snorted, "Fine! But if you dare to play any tricks after emerging from your cocoon, don't blame my Pure Yang Palm for its indiscriminate attacks!"
"Hehe, no problem, no problem!"
A brief agreement was reached, and the two Martial Grandmasters were no longer retained.
Golden light burst forth from the Dragon Nation elder's body, and a Wrathful-Eyed Vajra Dharma Form vaguely appeared. The vast pure Yang spiritual power gathered in his palm, transforming into a giant axe that split the heavens and earth, and he slashed down angrily!
The Blackwater Mystic Snake Demon Grandmaster was also filled with demonic energy. Its true form, which was tens of feet long, roared to the sky, and a black demonic breath, condensed to the extreme, roared out like the Netherworld River water that Annihilation all things!
"Boom--Rumble--!"
The combined attack of Martial Grandmaster experts was terrifyingly powerful! The entire cave shook violently, and rubble rained down like rain.
The dark purple energy cocoon trembled violently, its surface instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, as if it were about to completely collapse at any moment.
However, just as the cracks began to spread, a purer and deeper force of shadow and space surged out from within the cocoon, rapidly repairing the wound as if it were alive.
After the golden light and black energy raged, the energy cocoon actually withstood this devastating blow, though its light dimmed slightly!