Secrets of Shattering Void

The bloody light of destruction, like a greedy behemoth, devoured everything at the heart of the Royal Court. The altar, the golden tents, the surviving Northern Mang nobles... all turned to dust under the self-detonation of that pseudo-Dharma Aspect realm expert.

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

The defensive shield of the Northern Expeditionary Army's camp let out a piercing wail under this terrifying impact, flickering violently before finally shattering with a roar! The soldiers in the front ranks were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, spitting blood and flying backward, their formation in disarray!

Old Niu, Sun Quezi, and the others watched with bloodshot eyes, roaring desperately to stabilize their positions, but they could only watch helplessly as the tide of destruction swept towards the army formation!

At this critical juncture!

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

Immediately after, the darkness surged outward, transforming into a Dharma Aspect, eighty zhang tall, of the Fierce Tiger. Though slightly ethereal, it was more condensed and profound than before! The dark red and deep blue light surrounding the Dharma Aspect was like solid armor, rigidly blocking the destructive energy from penetrating!

It was Chen Qing!

At the last moment, not only did he use his Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect and battle domain to withstand the core impact of the explosion, but he also used this baptism of destruction to forcibly refine a portion of the energy from the Wolf Ancestor Dharma Aspect that had been absorbed, allowing his own Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect to be reborn from the destruction, becoming even tougher and more powerful!

He floated at the center of the Dharma Aspect's brow, his face pale, blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly suffering from no small internal injuries. But his eyes were terrifyingly bright, like burning stars!

"Disperse!"

He let out a low cry, and the Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect opened its massive maw, no longer swallowing, but spitting! A dark blue ripple, imbued with the intent of annihilation and suppression, spread out like spilled mercury. Wherever it passed, the violent destructive energy seemed to freeze, rapidly calming and dissipating!

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

Silence returned to the world.

Only, the area where the Northern Mang Royal Court had been was now a vast, bottomless, scorched black pit, with only wisps of black smoke rising, recounting the thrilling scene that had just transpired.

All the soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army stared blankly at the towering Fierce Tiger Dharma Aspect in the sky, and at the figure at the center of its brow, who, though injured, still appeared like a god or demon, forgetting to breathe.

Unsure who reacted first, a heartbroken shout erupted:

"Long live the General!"

"Victory to the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

The ecstasy of surviving a disaster and the awe of absolute power transformed into earth-shattering cheers that echoed throughout the Golden Tent Grassland!

Chen Qing slowly retracted his Dharma Aspect and descended to the ground, staggering slightly. Old Niu, quick to react, caught him.

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

"It's nothing, just a great expenditure of energy," Chen Qing waved his hand, his gaze, however, fixed on the depths of the scorched pit.

At the very last moment of the Wolf Ancestor Dharma Aspect's self-detonation, he had not only absorbed some of its energy but also captured an extremely subtle, yet faintly resonating with his Black Tiger True Intent, peculiar fluctuation from the core of the shattered Dharma Aspect.

That fluctuation pointed to a location at the bottom of the pit.

He pushed Old Niu away and walked step by step towards the edge of the massive crater. The soldiers spontaneously cleared a path, watching him with eyes full of reverence.

The bottom of the pit was a mess, with melted rock and twisted metal everywhere. But in the center, one object, amidst the scorched environment, emitted a faint, dark light that was of the same origin as his own killing intent, yet more ancient and profound.

Chen Qing leaped down, landing before the object.

It was a black fragment, palm-sized, neither gold nor jade, irregularly shaped with sharp edges. Its surface was covered in naturally formed, tiger-stripe-like dark red patterns. The fragment felt cool to the touch, and a pure, domineering killing intent surged into his body through his arm, blending seamlessly with his own killing intent without any rejection!

What shook him even more was that when his Black Tiger True Intent came into contact with this fragment, fragmented images and information spontaneously appeared in his mind—

Endless void... a black tiger shadow tearing through the heavens and earth... and the incredibly familiar ultimate intent of the Black Tiger Fist and Black Tiger Saber Technique...

"This is..." Chen Qing's pupils contracted sharply, "a core fragment of the Black Tiger Legacy?"

He had always felt that his ancestral Black Tiger Fist technique held secrets, but he never expected that the key to this secret would appear in this manner, beneath the ruins of the Northern Mang Royal Court!

Could it be that the so-called Wolf Ancestor of Northern Mang had some connection to the origin of the Black Tiger Legacy? Or perhaps this fragment was originally part of the Black Tiger Legacy, lost here, obtained by an ancestor of Northern Mang, and used as a foundation to develop their wolf god faith?

Countless questions flooded his mind.

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

He could feel that the energy and information contained within this fragment far surpassed anything 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 his Black Tiger Fist and Saber techniques be perfected, but even... he could truly glimpse the mystery of "Shattering Void"!

He tightly gripped the warm, cool fragment, feeling the power within that was of the same origin as his own, yet higher, his eyes blazing with unprecedented light.

The Northern Expedition against the Royal Court was not just for merit and resources, but to find the root of his own power!

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

He looked up at the vast starry sky, his heart filled with soaring ambition.

The Aperture Opening Realm was by no means his limit.

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

And the appearance of this Black Tiger Fragment showed him a clear path.

"Pass down the order," Chen Qing's voice, with a hint of imperceptible excitement, echoed in the silent pit, "Clear the battlefield, tally the casualties and captured goods. Also, search for all similar black fragments, even if there's only a trace, find them for me!"

"Yes! General!" Came the loud response from Old Niu and the others from the top of the pit.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged at the bottom of the pit, holding the black fragment, and began to try and guide the energy within.

The war of Northern Expedition had already concluded. The Northern Mang Royal Court was destroyed, the Left Virtuous King Wuwei, the Great Khan, and the National Preceptor had all perished. The main forces of Northern Mang were annihilated, and the remaining forces were no longer a threat.

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

This vast world, this mysterious martial path, these secrets of shattering hidden in the dust of history, were waiting for him to uncover them one by one.