Exploring the Source of Corruption

The news of Black Tooth Marsh regaining its vitality was like another stone cast into the deep pool of the Primordial World.

Though the ripples it stirred were not as earth-shattering as the annihilation of the Dragon Palace naval forces, they were more lingering and profound, touching the nerves of factions at various levels.

Clearing the clouds of doubt, tracing the source.

Xuanjizi led the Action Team back to the academy in triumph and was warmly welcomed by the disciples.

However, when reporting the details of the mission, Xuanjizi did not immerse himself in the joy of success; instead, he raised a deep concern to Sage Wanhua and his core peers.

"Teacher, fellow disciples," Xuanjizi said with a solemn expression, "the 'Source of Filth' in Black Tooth Marsh had at its core a Remnant Soul of an Ancient Demon God.

This object was sinister and overbearing; it was certainly not naturally formed, nor did it resemble anything left behind by ordinary ruins. The disciple suspects its appearance... may have been suspicious."

He described the characteristics of the remnant soul in detail—it was not chaotic or disordered, but rather carried a malicious will that was deliberately twisted and intent on devouring vitality.

The way it eroded the laws was completely different from the mainstream cultivation paths of the current Primordial World or even known Demonic Dao methods; it was more like a fragment of some extremely ancient evil power buried by time.

"Where did this thing come from? Was it revealed by accident, or... was it intentionally placed there?"

Elder Teng's withered vines swayed slightly, expressing the same concern, "If it was intentional, what was the purpose? Was it merely to pollute a patch of land and water?"

Wanhua sat quietly above, his gaze deep as if piercing through endless time and space. He did not answer directly, only saying faintly: "The waters of the Primordial World are unfathomable.

The shadows of the past have not necessarily all dissipated. Since you have all 'investigated things to attain knowledge', you must always remain vigilant; while investigating things to attain knowledge, you must also know their origins."

These words undoubtedly confirmed Xuanjizi's speculation and hinted that behind the Source of Filth, there might be ancient secrets involved that were even older, perhaps predating the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation.

This sounded an alarm for the academy's disciples, making them realize that the path of practicing the Dao was not smooth sailing and could potentially touch upon the deepest darkness buried within the Primordial World.

Within the academy, this matter sparked a small trend of exploring ancient books and deducing ancient mysteries.

Inside the Scripture Repository, some jade slips manifested by Wanhua, which contained vague information about the era when the world first opened and Gods and Devils stood side by side, began to receive the attention of the disciples.

Dragon Palace in a desperate situation, a risky gamble.

At the same time, news that the envoys sent by the Dragon Palace to the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race had met with repeated setbacks was finally confirmed.

Inside the Crystal Palace, the atmosphere was no longer just oppressive; it was permeated with a madness bordering on despair.

"The Phoenix Race is arrogant, the Qilin Race avoids the world... neither can be relied upon! Is Heaven truly going to destroy my Dragon Race?!" A Dragon Race elder's eyes were bloodshot, and he was nearly losing his sanity.

Dragon King Ao Guang sat upon the dragon throne, his face so gloomy it seemed as if it could drip water.

With external aid cut off and internal morale low, facing the unfathomable might of Sage Wanhua, the Dragon Race seemed to have truly reached the end of its rope.

"No! There is still one way!"

Turtle Prime Minister's voice was hoarse, yet carried a desperate resolve; his eyes flickered with an almost eerie light, "Your Majesty, do you still remember... the 'Chasm of Guixu' beneath the Sea Eye?"

"Chasm of Guixu?!" Upon hearing this, Ao Guang's dragon body shook violently, a trace of extreme fear flashing in his eyes, "Prime Minister, you... are you talking about... that rift in legend that connects to the... 'Sea of Annihilation'?

Impossible! The ancestors had warnings; one must never touch such an existence! That is a source of destruction more uncontrollable and more desperate than the Dao Ancestor, more than Sage Wanhua!"

Guixu was, by nature, the end of the world, the place where all things returned to stillness.

And at the deepest part of the East Sea's Sea Eye, the Dragon Race had guarded a secret for generations—a tiny, extremely unstable rift that occasionally leaked a trace of aura from the "Sea of Annihilation".

That was a forbidden place that even the Ancestral Dragon in his prime spoke of with deep dread and strictly ordered to be sealed!

According to ancient legends, the Sea of Annihilation existed in the gap between the Primordial World and the Endless Chaos, containing a terrifying power that could end everything and return all laws to nothingness.

"Your Majesty!" Turtle Prime Minister fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face, yet his voice carried a bewitching power, "Our Dragon Race has reached the autumn of its survival!

We have no strong allies outside, and within, we face the danger of collapse! That Wanhua is overbearing, viewing us as ants, refining us at will without leaving a path for survival!

Rather than sit and wait for death, it is better to... better to borrow power! Borrow the power of that Sea of Annihilation!

Even if we cannot take revenge, we must let that Myriad Dao Academy, let the entire Primordial World know that our Dragon Race... is absolutely not something to be slaughtered at will! Even if we turn to ashes, we will splash him with our filthy blood!"

His words were filled with madness born of despair and the extreme pleasure of revenge. This was to drag the entire Dragon Race, and even the East Sea, into an abyss of no return!

In Ao Guang's dragon eyes, struggle, fear, hatred, and madness... all sorts of emotions clashed intensely.

He thought of the refined Ao Zhan and the thousands of aquatic tribes, and he thought of the mocking gaze of the Phoenix Elder.

He thought of Wanhua's indifferent gaze... In the end, the accumulated humiliation and hatred overwhelmed his fear of the unknown taboo.

"...What must... be done?" Ao Guang's voice was dry and hoarse, as if every word carried the scent of blood.

Turtle Prime Minister raised his head, his eyes flickering with a strange light: "We need to use the direct bloodline of the Dragon Race as a guide, combined with the power of the Sea Eye's origin, to temporarily tear open a corner of the ancestor's seal.

Draw out a wisp of the 'Aura of Annihilation'... it does not need to be much, just a wisp. With its formless and intangible nature and its characteristic of eroding all laws, it will quietly pollute the foundation of the academy's literary culture... At that time.

Even if that Wanhua notices, he will surely be frazzled, and perhaps... perhaps it can buy our race a glimmer of breathing room, or even..."

He did not even dare to say the words "perish together," but every member of the Dragon Race in the hall understood the implication.

This was a high-stakes gamble, betting that the Dragon Race's bloodline and the power of the Sea Eye could control that wisp of the Aura of Annihilation.

Betting that Sage Wanhua could not easily resolve this kind of destructive power from outside the world, and betting that they could seek a slim chance of survival in the midst of destruction... or rather, the pleasure of revenge.

"Then... it shall be as the Prime Minister says." Ao Guang closed his dragon eyes, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant, and as if he had made some kind of final decision.

"This matter is under your full responsibility; it must be kept absolutely secret... If it cannot be done..." He did not continue.

An undercurrent, deeper, more desperate, and more dangerous than when the naval forces were annihilated, began to surge in the deepest part of the Dragon Palace.

They had abandoned the search for external aid and instead turned their gaze toward the destructive power from outside the world, a power that even they themselves feared.

The mountain rain is about to fall, and black clouds loom over the city.

Within the Myriad Dao Academy, Xuanjizi and the others were still investigating the origin of the demon god's lingering will, unaware that a crisis far more bizarre and difficult to guard against was quietly approaching, brewed by the desperate madness of the Dragon Palace.

The heavens and earth of the Primordial World seemed to sense this unusual undercurrent as well.

Above the East Sea, strange winds occasionally blew, carrying a salty, fishy stench and a faint, lingering scent of decay.

The heavenly secrets became even more chaotic and unpredictable, leaving even those Great Powers skilled in divination feeling restless and uneasy.

Wanhua slowly opened his eyes within the Chaos Space, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of space to land upon the deep Sea Eye of the East Sea, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

The intent of annihilation... can the rage of ants truly topple an anthill...

He whispered to himself, then slowly closed his eyes again, as if everything were under his control, or perhaps as if he were waiting for something.

The storm is coming, and this time, it is not a frontal crushing force of thunder and lightning, but a sinister, Formless and Intangible erosion aimed directly at the foundation.

The Myriad Dao Academy, this ship growing stronger by the day, is about to face the most bizarre and unpredictable waves since its founding.

And the Dragon Palace, this broken ship on the verge of sinking, is attempting to drag everyone down with it into the endless abyss of the Return to Ruins.