Above the Guixu Relay Station, the bronze bell, already split by three cracks, let out another mournful cry.
The sound waves tore through the deathly silence, yet failed to disperse the Gray Fog, thick and sticky as corpse fat. The Heavenly Prides from various worlds who had gathered along the shore, hoping to escape aboard an "orthodox World Ship," now stood with rigid spines, as though forcibly nailed in place.
Chu Qing stood at the black ship's bow.
He was barefoot, his toes digging into the rough bone spurs of the Gods and Demons Spine. Cold crept from his soles up through his blood vessels, but it could not suppress the muffled pounding of purple true blood against his ribs.
He stared ahead.
The Star River Path was no longer flowing backward. Instead, it had begun to "vomit" violently.
Countless enormous, gray-white shadows rose and fell within the dark red tides of silt.
They were fish.
No, they were Miniature Worlds, their earth vein essence drained away until they were utterly exhausted. Like dead fish left baking on a dried-up riverbed, their bellies curled outward. The once-brilliant spiritual radiance of their world rank had long since gone out, leaving only rotting rocks and desiccated earth.
Chu Qing swallowed with difficulty. His stomach spasmed, and a rusty taste surged into his mouth.
(Motivation): He had never witnessed annihilation on such a scale.
(Behavior): He extended one hand and clenched all five fingers hard.
(Result): His knuckles gave a rapid succession of cracks, and his fingertips turned bluish-purple from the strain.
(Summary): In his eyes, the Chaos Sea was no longer a battlefield, but an enormous, overflowing waste processor.
"Save me... give me a hand..."
At the edge of the relay station, a Heavenly Pride clad in Gold Thread Armor reached out