Corpse Mud Demonic Form

The dark gold sludge writhed slowly among the rubble, as if alive. Each undulation was accompanied by the pop of viscous bubbles, and the stench of sulfur mixed with the demonic intent of Chaos permeated the stone cave. In the center of the sludge, a protruding demonic claw clenched into a fist, completely dissolving the fragments of the Imperial Sword Ying Zheng had unleashed into the churning, dark gold murk.

Ying Zheng stood thirty feet away, his profound black dragon robe fluttering without wind. Dark gold flowed deep within his Dragon Eyes, locking onto the filth that had swallowed his Imperial Sword. His Imperial Pressure was like mountains and prisons, yet it couldn't completely suppress the chaos and predatory instinct emanating from the sludge. Deep within the cave, the Ancestor Dragon True Spirit's roar grew more furious. The invisible pressure, like tangible shackles, bore down heavily on the sludge, noticeably slowing its writhing.

"Filth!" Ying Zheng's voice was icy cold. He raised the Tai'a Sword again, its tip spitting out even more condensed purple-gold Dragon Qi than before, radiating murderous intent. He would never allow this demonic creature, mutated from Cheng Xi's corpse and having devoured the power of his Imperial Sword, to exist in this world!

Just as his sword strike was about to be unleashed—

The sludge suddenly retracted, then violently expanded! The demonic claw in the center abruptly opened, its five fingers like hooks, digging fiercely into the sludge itself!

"Gurgle... Gurgle gurgle..."

A chilling sound of swallowing and reshaping ensued! The sludge, as if kneaded by unseen hands, rapidly gathered and rose! The dark gold current churned and condensed, managing to sketch out a distorted, roughly half-human-height humanoid silhouette in an instant!

The silhouette was extremely crude, as if a child had haphazardly piled up mud. It had no clear face, only a deep fissure on its head, like a grotesque mouth. Its limbs were formed from constantly flowing, dripping dark gold sludge, barely maintaining their shape. Only its right arm, plunged into the sludge, was covered in fine, ferocious dark gold scales, its fingers sharp as hooks, the only stable and clear part.

Chaos Demonic Embryo, Corpse Dissolution Initial Form! The Demonic Form had taken shape!

The moment the Demonic Form took shape, the fissure on its head snapped towards Ying Zheng! An icy, chaotic intent, filled with pure desire for consumption and destruction, pierced Ying Zheng's sea of consciousness like an invisible poisoned thorn! It sensed the majestic Ancestor Dragon True Power and Imperial Destiny contained within the being before it—a more alluring feast than the fragments of his Imperial Sword!

"Roar—!" A non-human roar, a mixture of viscous liquid surging and metal grinding, erupted from the fissure! The Demonic Form's right arm suddenly lifted, and the scaled demonic claw grasped the air!

Screech!

Five streams of viscous dark gold demonic qi tore through the air, accompanied by the corrosive sizzle of space, like five venomous dragons, lunging directly at Ying Zheng's face! Wherever the demonic qi passed, even the Ancestor Dragon Pressure permeating the cave was briefly eroded and distorted!

Mausoleum Gate Ash Bone

Beyond the Dragon-Slaying Stone, the crimson-gold flames of the Demon-Burning Dragon Flame had reached their limit.

"Hold on! Hold on even if you die!" Meng Tian's roar was drowned out by the tide of demonic creatures and the roar of the flames. He knelt on the ground, his hands gripping his blood-stained sword plunged into a rock crevice. His tiger's mouth had long since split open, blood flowing down the hilt, serving as the final fuel to ignite the Dragon Vein Earth Energy. The Ancestor Dragon Token hung above his head, its light flickering violently, like a candle in the wind.

On the surface of the Dragon-Slaying Stone, the profound iron and granite appeared molten red under the continuous impacts and scorching flames. Several huge cracks spread like a spiderweb. Each impact widened the cracks by an inch. Hot air, carrying the stench of sulfur and the roars of demonic creatures, gushed in through the cracks, scorching the faces of the defending soldiers.

The last cauldron of boiling oil had already been poured through the pre-arranged channels outside the gate, creating a viscous path of flames. The Dragon Flame clung to it, temporarily blocking the most frenzied assault of the Demonic Tide. However, through the cracks, they could see:

Burning Demonic Soldiers writhed and collapsed in the sea of fire, but more Demonic Soldiers stepped on the ashes of their comrades, their bodies covered in dark gold demonic markings that flickered in the flames, surprisingly developing a degree of resistance! Their scarlet demonic eyes pierced through the flames, locking onto the scent of living beings behind the gate. Though their charge was slowed, it had not stopped!

Even more terrifying were the dark gold demonic tentacles! Thick tentacles rolled and blackened in the Dragon Flame, emitting a grating "crackling" sound. But the charred outer layer constantly peeled off, revealing a tougher, metallic-sheened dark gold cuticle rapidly forming underneath! Some exceptionally thick demonic tentacles, repeatedly scorched by the Dragon Flame, had their tips' barbs and thorns melt into glowing liquid metal, emitting an even more dangerous aura!

"General! The fire... the fire is almost out!" a captain's voice was hoarse with despair. The last cauldron of oil burned out, and the Dragon Flame, deprived of fuel, visibly weakened.

Meng Tian suddenly looked up. His bloodshot eyes, through the largest crack, saw the scene outside the gate: the remaining Dragon Flame flickered unstably, and the Demonic Tide, like a black tide smelling blood, surged forward again! An exceptionally tall Demonic Soldier, half its body scorched black, held a bronze weapon resembling a giant hammer—melted and re-solidified—which was being lifted by several demonic tentacles, aimed at the area with the densest cracks!

"It's too late..." a look of resolute death flashed in Meng Tian's eyes. He yanked out the sword plunged into the rock crevice, blood gushing out! He raised his bloodied sword and roared with his last ounce of strength:

"Jiu Jiu Lao Qin—!"

"Blood does not dry! War does not cease!" The remaining dozens of Elite Guards erupted in a world-shattering roar, drowning out the roar of the Demonic Tide! They threw down their damaged shields, gripped their blunted weapons, their eyes like wolves heading for a sacrifice, charging towards the gate that was about to shatter!

Boom—Crack!!!

The molten great hammer, combined with the immense force of several demonic tentacles, smashed fiercely into the center of the cracks! The already overburdened Dragon-Slaying Stone finally let out a groan of unbearable strain and cracked open a huge gap! Burning rubble and scorching metal fragments shot in like cannonballs!

"Kill!!!" Meng Tian was at the forefront, his bloodied sword, carrying the residual Dragon Flame and a will to die, transforming into a crimson-gold stream of light, slashing fiercely at a ferocious Demonic Soldier's head that protruded from the gap!

Crimson-gold and dark red demonic light collided violently! The Demonic Soldier's head shattered! But behind the broken pottery shards were more scarlet demonic eyes, more wildly dancing demonic tentacles! The Elite Guards, like moths to a flame, used their flesh and blood to block the gap. Their swords sparked against the Demonic Soldiers, only to be torn apart by more demonic claws and swallowed by the maw of demonic tentacles!

Screams, the sound of breaking bones, and demonic roars instantly filled the narrow passage! The hellish gate of blood and fire, blasted open!

Kindling Fire Illuminates Veins

Mount Li, the main peak, deep within a hidden rock crevice.

A faint orange-red light flickered in the darkness, like a candle in the wind. Yan Lingji sat cross-legged, her face as pale as paper, her aura weak. The Qingping Sword Sheath in her arms was covered in cracks, its spiritual light dim. A new, small crack at the mouth of the sheath was particularly glaring—the price for destroying the last two dark gold fireflies.

She sank her mind into the earth beneath her feet. Deep within the earth vein, the chaotic demonic intent at the Northern Foothill Node had dissipated, like a festering wound from which the rotten flesh had been excised. Warm, heavy earth vitality was slowly flowing back from all directions, soothing the polluted area. The call from Pangu Hall, filled with praise and guidance, channeled streams of pure, gentle Earth Vein Spiritual Qi through her feet, slowly guiding them into her parched meridians.

The orange-red Kindling Fire Heart Lamp in her chest, nourished by the pure Earth Vein Spiritual Qi, finally stabilized its light, no longer flickering precariously. The emerald core within the lamp's flame (the Tongtian Sacred Blood imprint) slowly circulated, emitting a gentle vitality that repaired her nearly depleted mind and spirit.

"Hoo..." A breath of turbid air, carrying a scorching heat, was slowly exhaled. Yan Lingji's eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes. Though her orange-gold eyes no longer possessed their full brilliance, they had shed their ashen pallor, and the will of fire reignited within them.

Purifying the Northern Foothills was only the beginning. The guidance from Pangu Hall clearly told her that several more hidden and troublesome pollution nodes were pinned like maggots to the main root system of the Mount Li earth vein. Especially... deep within the Imperial Mausoleum! A vast and violent chaotic demonic intent was fiercely clashing with some kind of majestic and dignified power, like magma churning underground, ready to erupt at any moment!

The source of this clash... she faintly sensed two familiar presences—Ying Zheng's heavy as a mountain Ancestor Dragon Pressure, and... the chaotic fluctuations that had once resonated with Pangu Hall within Cheng Xi's body, but had now become incredibly chaotic and sinister!

"Cheng Xi..." Yan Lingji hugged the Qingping Sword Sheath tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. The sheath emitted a faint, cool touch, seeming to offer a subtle sense of comfort. She looked towards the Imperial Mausoleum, orange-gold flames rising in her eyes.

"Wait for me."

Demonic Form's Whisper

Inside the stone cave, Imperial Might and demonic intent clashed fiercely.

The purple-gold Dragon Qi sword aura unleashed by Ying Zheng collided with the five dark gold demonic claws from the Demonic Form in mid-air!

Boom!!!

A piercing sound of annihilation exploded! Violent energy turbulently swept through the stone cave! Rubble rained down, and the Dragon Source Stone Pool churned like a stormy sea! Two heavily injured Shadow Guards were completely thrown back, crashing into a corner.

As the smoke and dust settled slightly.

Ying Zheng retreated half a step. The hem of his profound black dragon robe was scorched with several burn marks, and his Dragon Qi Shield fluctuated violently. His expression was grim, his Dragon Eyes fixed on the front.

The Demonic Form fared worse. Its half-formed sludge body was torn and distorted by the shockwave of the explosion, almost disintegrating, dark gold sludge splashing everywhere. It let out a pained and furious hiss, the fissure on its head opening and closing violently.

However, just as Ying Zheng's killing intent surged again, and the Tai'a Sword was about to be fully drawn—

The Demonic Form's disintegrating body suddenly froze!

The deep fissure on its head no longer let out roars, but instead opened and closed violently, silently, writhing. An extremely weak, intermittent stream of thought fragments, like broken snowflakes filled with intense electronic interference, forcefully pierced through the obstruction of chaotic demonic will and stabbed fiercely into Ying Zheng's sea of consciousness!

"...Frequency...error..."

"...Dragon Source...Earth Vein...same origin...not...enemy..."

"...Analyzing...Ancestor Spirit...core...shackles..."

"...Warning...external...interference...anchor...point..."

The fragmented thoughts were chaotic, mixed with crackling noises, yet they contained a strange, cold logic. Each word was like a sharp shard, attempting to piece together some hidden truth.

Ying Zheng's gathered sword momentum suddenly paused! For the first time, a flicker of surprise flashed in the depths of his Dragon Eyes! This was by no means the roar of a pure demonic creature! Within these fragmented thoughts, there were traces of Cheng Xi's "System's" deductive logic and analytical characteristics! It was as if, from the abyss of demonic chaos, it was struggling to transmit the final... warning?

The Demonic Form seemed to have exhausted its strength in transmitting these fragmented thoughts. Its disintegrating muddy body trembled violently, the fissure on its head opening and closing slower and slower. The viscous dark gold sludge was attempting to re-coalesce, but the chaotic instinct of demonic nature was regaining the upper hand, letting out threatening growls.

Ying Zheng's hand holding the sword was as steady as bedrock, but his killing intent was no longer as pure and resolute as before. His cold gaze swept over the struggling pool of mud, then looked towards the direction of the demonic roars and tremors coming from the depths of the Imperial Mausoleum. External interference? Shackles? Anchor points?

Just then--

The fissure on the Demonic Form's head, about to be covered by sludge again, suddenly opened to its extreme! There was no sound, but a clearer wave of thought impacted outwards! This time, it was no longer fragmented words, but a distorted and brief deductive illusion forcefully projected into Ying Zheng's consciousness!

In the illusion:

The Mount Li Earth Vein was like a dragon entangled in chains, struggling in pain. The end of the chains was not the enraged Ancestor Dragon True Spirit from the depths of the Imperial Mausoleum, but... a white jade talisman floating high in the heavens, exuding a cold Heavenly Dao aura! The light cast by the talisman was like invisible shackles, deeply piercing into the core of the Earth Vein! And at the core of the Ancestor Dragon True Spirit, a faint but incredibly tenacious purple-gold chain was also entwined, its other end... shockingly connected to that white jade talisman!

The illusion flashed and vanished, as quick as a hallucination.

The Demonic Form was completely exhausted, its muddy body disintegrating faster, letting out a mournful cry of unwillingness.

The stone cave fell into dead silence. Only the demonic roars and tremors from the depths of the Imperial Mausoleum echoed like background drumbeats.

Ying Zheng stood with his sword, his dark black dragon robe still in the chaotic airflow. In the depths of his Dragon Eyes, the cold killing intent was replaced by an unprecedented solemnity and a tempestuous surge of deduction. He slowly lowered the edge of the Tai'a Sword, his gaze seeming to pierce through the rock layers, looking towards the mysterious heavens above.

"Heavenly... Court?" the Emperor's low murmur echoed in the stone cave filled with the stench of sulfur and chaotic demonic energy, carrying a chill that pierced through the fog.

He looked again at the pool of dark gold mud on the verge of disintegration, which had once transmitted an astonishing illusion. Deep within the Emperor's eyes, within his cold vertical pupils, the starry vortex of Chaos was reflected for the first time.