Secret of Shattering Void

Chapter Forty-Seven

The blood-red light of destruction was like a greedy colossal beast, swallowing everything at the heart of the royal court. The altar, the golden tent, the remaining Northern Mang nobles... everything was reduced to dust by the self-destruction of that pseudo-Dharma Aspect Realm expert.

At the heart of the energy storm, space twisted and shattered, forming a fleeting black hole-like vortex that madly tore at everything around it.

The defensive light barrier around the Northern Expeditionary Army camp let out a piercing wail beneath the terrifying impact, flickering violently before finally exploding apart! The soldiers at the front were struck as if by invisible giant hammers, coughing blood as they flew backward, their formation thrown into chaos!

Old Niu, Sun Quezi, and the others' eyes nearly split open with rage. They shouted themselves hoarse as they desperately tried to steady the lines, yet they could only watch helplessly as that tide of destruction swept toward the army formation!

At that critical moment, with a thousand jun hanging by a single hair!

At the center of the destructive storm, a point of absolute darkness suddenly lit up!

Then, that darkness abruptly expanded, transforming into an eighty-zhang Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect. Though somewhat illusory, it was even more condensed and profound! Dark red and deep blue radiance surrounded the Dharma Aspect like tangible armor, holding the destructive energy firmly at bay!

It was Chen Qing!

At the final moment, he had not only relied on the Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect and his battle domain to withstand the explosion's core impact, but had also used that baptism of destruction to forcibly refine part of the Wolf Ancestor Dharma Aspect energy he had devoured. His Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect had been reborn amid destruction, becoming tougher and more powerful!

He floated at the Dharma Aspect's brow, his face pale and blood at the corner of his lips. Clearly, he had suffered serious internal injuries as well. Yet his eyes shone with terrifying brightness, like burning stars!

"Disperse!"

With a low shout, the Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect threw open its enormous jaws. It was no longer devouring—it was expelling! Dark blue ripples carrying the intent of annihilation and suppression spread out instantly like mercury spilling across the ground. Wherever they passed, the violent destructive energy seemed to freeze, rapidly settling and dispersing!

Within several breaths, the storm capable of annihilating all things was forcibly suppressed by him alone!

Silence returned to heaven and earth.

Only the place where the Northern Mang Royal Court had once stood had become a vast, bottomless, charred crater. Wisps of black smoke rose from within, recounting the heart-stirring scene that had just taken place.

Every soldier of the Northern Expeditionary Army stared blankly at the sky-piercing Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect, and at the figure standing at its brow—injured, yet still like one of the Gods and Devils. They forgot even to breathe.

No one knew who recovered first and let out a heart-rending roar:

"Long live the General!"

"Victory to the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

The wild joy of surviving the calamity and their awe for absolute power turned into deafening cheers that resounded across the entire Golden Tent Grassland!

Chen Qing slowly withdrew his Dharma Aspect and landed on the ground. His steps faltered slightly, and Old Niu quickly caught him.

"General, are you all right?" Old Niu's voice was choked with emotion.

"It is nothing. I merely consumed too much energy." Chen Qing waved a hand, but his gaze fell into the depths of the charred crater.

At the very instant the Wolf Ancestor Dharma Aspect self-destructed, he had not only devoured part of its energy, but had also caught an exceptionally obscure, strange fluctuation from the shattered core of the Dharma Aspect—one that faintly resonated with his Black Tiger True Intent.

That fluctuation pointed toward a certain spot at the bottom of the crater.

He pushed Old Niu away and walked step by step toward the crater's edge. The soldiers instinctively made way for him, watching with reverent gazes.

The crater floor was in utter disarray, filled with melted rock and twisted metal. Yet at its center lay an object that emitted a faint, dim glow amid the scorched surroundings—a glow born of the same source as his Killing Intent, yet more ancient and profound.

Chen Qing leaped down and arrived before the object.

It was a palm-sized black fragment, neither metal nor jade. Its shape was irregular, its edges sharp, and its surface was covered in naturally formed dark red patterns resembling tiger stripes. The fragment felt icy in his hand. A pure and tyrannical Killing Intent surged up his arm and into his body, blending with his own Killing Intent as seamlessly as milk and water, without the slightest rejection!

What shook his mind even more was that when his Black Tiger True Intent touched the fragment, fragmented scenes of information naturally surfaced in his mind—

Endless void... a black tiger shadow tearing apart heaven and earth... and the ultimate artistic conception of the Black Tiger Fist and Black Tiger Saber Technique, so familiar to him...

"This is..." Chen Qing's pupils suddenly contracted. "A core fragment of the Black Tiger Legacy?"

He had always felt that the ancestral Black Tiger Fist concealed a secret, but he had never imagined that the key to that secret would appear beneath the ruins of the Northern Mang Royal Court in such a manner!

Could it be that Northern Mang's so-called Wolf Ancestor was connected to the origin of the Black Tiger Legacy? Or perhaps this fragment had originally been part of the Black Tiger Legacy, only to drift here and be obtained by Northern Mang's ancestors, who then used it as the foundation for developing their worship of the wolf god?

Countless questions surged through his mind.

But at this moment, the most important thing was the fragment itself!

He could sense that the energy and information contained within this fragment far surpassed everything he had obtained before! If he could completely refine and absorb it, not only would his Fierce Tiger Iron Body advance by leaps and bounds, and the true intent of the Black Tiger Fist and saber become fully complete, but perhaps... he might truly glimpse the mysteries of Shattering Void!

He clenched the warm yet cool fragment tightly, feeling the power within it that shared his origin yet stood on a higher plane. An unprecedented light erupted in his eyes.

His northern expedition against the royal court had not merely been for merit and resources, but to seek the root of his own power!

And now, the key to that root was already in his hand!

He raised his head and gazed at the boundless starry sky, his heart swelling with lofty ambition.

The Aperture Opening Realm was far from his endpoint.

The Dharma Aspect Realm, and even the legendary realm of Shattering Void, were his true goals!

And the appearance of this Black Tiger Fragment had allowed him to see a clear path forward.

"Pass down my orders," Chen Qing said, his voice carrying a barely perceptible excitement as it echoed through the silent crater. "Clear the battlefield and tally the casualties and spoils. Also, search for every black fragment similar to this one. Even if there is only the faintest trace, find it for me!"

"Yes, General!" Old Niu and the others answered loudly from the top of the crater.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged at the bottom of the crater, gripping the black fragment as he began trying to guide the energy within it.

The northern expedition had come to an end. The Northern Mang Royal Court had been destroyed. The Left Virtuous King Wuwei, the Great Khan, and the National Preceptor had all fallen. Northern Mang's main forces had been utterly wiped out, and its remaining powers were no longer worth fearing.

But for Chen Qing, a new and even more magnificent journey had only just begun.

This vast world, this mysterious martial path, and the secret of Shattering Void buried beneath the dust of history were waiting for him to uncover them one by one.

(The End)