Before the thought could even finish, the beam of light, seemingly capable of erasing all existence, was already upon him.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dying struggle or wailing.
Like the blazing sun melting snow, or a gentle breeze brushing away dust, the enormous skeletal body containing considerable magical power, along with the struggling and twisting remnant soul within, silently and completely transformed into the most primordial particles the moment the beam of light touched it, dissipating into the eerie winds of the netherworld.
When the body dies, the spirit vanishes, truly disappearing without a trace.
"Boring."
Qing Huan indifferently withdrew his gaze, without even a ripple of Magic Power, as if he were merely brushing away a speck of dust.
He glanced at the ground, where several charred fragments, barely recognizable as some kind of Devil Dao artifact, lay scattered, still reeking of nauseating, filthy demonic energy.
There was no trace of greed or regret in his eyes, only deep wariness.
"That cunning Rahula merely self-destructed back then; his True Spirit did not perish."
With a coldness that seems to know everything about the world.
"Who knows what wicked schemes are hidden in these filthy items left behind by those bastards? Even the slightest contact with them could bring endless trouble."
Having said that, he elegantly snapped his fingers, and a flame appeared out of thin air, gently burning over the pile of fragments.
Without any towering flames or deafening explosions, those hard fragments of spiritual treasures, like phantoms cast into the endless void, silently disintegrated and evaporated in the flames, ultimately leaving not even a trace of ash, completely returning to nothingness.
The Netherworld remains forever silent and deathly.
Qing Huan didn't linger. His figure transformed into an elusive streak of light, once again venturing into the depths of this dead zone where even time seemed pale.
The goal is clear: Innate Spiritual Root, or other strange creatures containing the Primordial Origin.
However, how vast and desolate is the Netherworld? The extreme death energy and chaotic laws intertwine, and the very fact that life is born there is a miracle defying the heavens.
Even if there are living beings, they are mostly evil and filthy creatures born from deathly resentment, which are the complete opposite of the Innate Spiritual Root that contain the vitality of Creation.
"Those barbarians of the Witch Clan who only know brute force were able to escape to this place and eke out a living after the Witch-Demon Calamity. They must have found some secret path to transform death energy into the essence of flesh and blood, or perhaps this place is hiding an unknown source of Demonic Beast supplies."
Qing Huan's Spiritual Sense was like a vast network, sweeping over every inch of land and every void rift in the core of the Netherworld again and again.
"Otherwise, given the enormous appetite of the Witch Clan, they would starve to death."
However, ten thousand years pass in the blink of an eye.
The core area of Netherworld has been explored countless times by his Spiritual Sense.
The only response to Qing Huan was the eternal silence and desolation.
The anticipated Innate Spiritual Root was nowhere to be found, and all valuable beings were also nowhere to be seen.
"Hiss--"
Qing Huan took a rare, light breath of the turbid Turbid Qi of the Netherworld, a faint, almost imperceptible hint of helplessness flashing across his brows.
He shook his head slightly, and a self-deprecating whisper could be clearly heard in the deathly silence:
"It seems my luck this time is just as bad as that miserable little brother Minghe in the depths of the Blood Sea!"
A thousand years of searching, all in vain.
Even with a calm and undisturbed mind, a sense of despondency inevitably arises.
This place is no longer of any value; it's time to leave.
Having made up his mind, Qing Huan was about to turn around, tear apart the Netherworld Barrier, and return to the Primordial Earth.
Just a fraction of a second before his Dao heart stirred and his form was about to vanish into the void!
A faint yet incredibly clear tremor emanated from the very core of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit without warning!
Like a slumbering galaxy illuminated by a beam of starlight, or like an ancient harp string plucked by an unseen hand.
That was not a sound, but a mysterious and profound sense of attraction originating from the very source of the Great Dao!
The direction is locked on a previously overlooked, desolate, and almost forgotten corner of the Netherworld!
Disappointment receded like a tide, replaced by a fleeting glimmer of cool, brilliant interest in Qing Huan's deep eyes.
Without any hesitation, without the slightest delay!
The streak of light that was about to leave suddenly reversed, tearing through the deathly aura of the underworld, and with a terrifying speed that surpassed the passage of time, it fiercely pierced towards the direction drawn from the darkness!
In the dark and desolate eastern region of the Netherworld, space seemed like solidified black jade.
Qing Huan's figure appeared silently in front of an inconspicuous rock wall.
This place is extremely remote.
"Tsk tsk."
Qing Huan glanced at the seemingly seamless rock wall in front of him with a hint of amusement, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
"I never imagined that such an exquisite concealment and restriction would be hidden in the depths of this netherworld."
"Hehe, let me see what kind of spiritual root, or perhaps... a spiritual treasure, is sealed inside?"
Before he finished speaking, he casually pointed with his finger.
There was no dazzling light at the fingertips, only a wisp of law power condensed to its extreme, like an invisible carving knife, precisely wedging into the void.
The seemingly solid rock face suddenly rippled like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating layers of spatial folds. Then, it emitted a faint but teeth-grinding "crackling" sound as countless fine cracks spread out like a spider web.
As Qing Huan's eyes narrowed slightly, the power of the laws he applied suddenly intensified.
"Snap!"
A crisper cracking sound rang out, and the entire concealment array shattered completely like glass, turning into specks of spiritual light that dissipated into the deathly aura of the netherworld.
The moment the formation shattered, an overwhelming and extremely ferocious demonic energy erupted, like a ferocious beast that had been sleeping for millennia suddenly awakening, causing the surrounding netherworld death energy to surge and churn!
At the core of the demonic energy, a Lotus Platform floats silently.
Its entire body was as black as ink, so deep that it seemed to devour all light. The lotus petals were layered upon layered, exactly twelve in number!
The Lotus Platform base was covered in flowing magical patterns, exuding a pure and ultimate sense of Destruction, chaos, and annihilation. The mere leakage of this aura caused the void to subtly distort and groan.
"Hiss--!"
Even with Qing Huan Heart as firm as a rock, he couldn't help but gasp at the Netherworld's chilling aura, his eyes flashing with astonishing brilliance.
"The Twelfth-Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus! It's actually this! Haha, Heavenly Dao has smiled upon us; it should be mine!"
In the blink of an eye, his figure appeared like a ghost directly in front of the Lotus Platform that exuded overwhelming demonic power.
Faced with this terrifying demonic power that could make even Daluo Golden Immortal tremble, Qing Huan remained calm, simply extending his right hand, palm facing up, and lightly pressing down on the unruly black lotus.
An invisible yet supreme force of attraction descended upon them.
The once arrogant and violent World-Destroying Black Lotus trembled slightly, as if it had encountered an irresistible natural enemy. Its raging Demonic Flame instantly subsided by more than half, and its size shrank rapidly, eventually becoming the size of a palm, and it landed steadily and obediently in Qing Huan's warm and jade-like palm.
It was icy to the touch, and wisps of Destruction demonic intent tried to penetrate the palm, but were easily blocked by the Daoist aura that flowed naturally on Qing Huan's skin.
"The origin... is indeed damaged."