As Ren Xiaoyao traversed the southern seas on his sword, twilight was kneading the sea and sky into a dark purple festering sore. Dark golden phosphorescence seeped from the turbulent waves of the Guixu Vortex — the Corpse Oil from the decaying organs of Sword Cultivator ten thousand years ago. Continuously fumigated by sulfur from a thousand-year-old underwater Volcanic Crater, and relentlessly ground and squeezed by tectonic plates, it was finally refined into Poisonous Ray that flickered like will-o'-the-wisps. The phosphorescence danced on the crests of the waves, like the pupils of countless dead peering into the darkness. Each glimmer carried the pungent stench of rotting corpses and sulfur, which, carried by the sea breeze, pierced the nostrils, turning into an icy sting.
The seawater at the center of the whirlpool was swallowed up as if by an invisible maw of Purgatory, swirling back into a funnel-shaped water curtain with a diameter of hundreds of miles. Among the rusted sword fragments floating on the water curtain, tens of thousands of intact skulls floated, the will-o'-the-wisps flickering in their eye sockets intertwining with the remnants of sword blades, weaving an impenetrable, eerie Gloomy Light Net under the waning moon. Each skull had regular perforations at the top of its head, as if precisely chiseled open by some immense force, with pale golden bone marrow crystals remaining at the edges of the holes, gleaming eerily in the ghostly light.
Broken Sword Fragments were lodged between the teeth of each skull, and Black Blood seeping from the gums dripped onto the Sword Skeleton Engravings, making a sizzling, corroding sound, etching countless twisted, weeping faces onto the sea surface. These patterns rose and fell with the waves, like countless wronged souls wailing silently. Within the folds of each Dao Patterns lay Curse written in the Essence Blood of cultivators before their death, forming visible Blood Runes in the seawater. As the runes swayed with the waves, fragmented words such as " Souls Have No Gate to Return" and " The Heavenly Dao Collapsed " could be vaguely seen.
"This isn't a naturally formed whirlpool..." The moment his fingertips touched Lingchen Sword Blade, the dragon scales suddenly exploded with blinding blue light, and the frost flowers condensing on the scabbard instantly twisted into a hundred Ferocious Ghost Faces —the futile wails of the remnant souls of cultivators devoured by the Whale Flood Dragon amidst the frost. Each crack in the frost sprayed out tiny droplets of blood, which, upon landing on the sea surface, transformed into Screaming Poison Mosquitoes. These mosquitoes flapped their translucent wings, clearly reflecting the agonizing faces of the cultivators before their deaths, their eyes bulging. Black Blood continued to drip from their proboscises, and when the blood droplets fell into the sea, they even branded Miniature Crying Face Imprint on the water's surface.
In an instant, a roar that seemed to tear through time and space echoed from the Guixu Depths. Seawater surged into the sky like boiling magma, and a Whale Flood Dragon with Bronze Giant Armor on its back burst forth from the water. Its rise caused a thousand-meter-high wave to rise across the entire sea, and the vacuum created by the backflow of seawater caused thunderous explosions in the sky. The clouds were shaken open with spiderweb-like cracks, and even the moonlight that leaked through was stained blood-red.
Its head was larger than all the islands in the entire southern sea combined, and hundreds of cultivator corpses floated in the water jets spewing from its nostrils. Their robes billowed in the water jets like air sacs about to burst. The dead had wide-open eyes, their pupils still frozen with the eternal fear of being swallowed. The blood vessels crawling across the whites of their eyes had turned into Black Demonic Markings, Demonic Runes were still writhing as if trying to break free from the eyes of the dead, climbing up the water jets and leaving bloody trails in the air. Wherever the trails passed, the seawater actually condensed into sharp Blood Ice Crystals.
The tentacles hanging from its lower jaw were a thousand miles long, each strung with ten thousand Human Bone Prayer Beads. Demonic Mark Iron Nails, gleaming with an eerie light, were embedded in the temples of the skull. The Black Blood seeping from these nails drew constantly writhing Twisted Talismans on the sea surface. Wherever the runes touched, the seawater instantly boiled, turning into Gleaming Green Poisonous Mist. Within the mist, countless clawing hands vaguely appeared, futilely trying to grasp something, only to gradually dissipate in the mist, leaving behind eerie echoes, like countless people simultaneously reciting Curse Scriptures. The contents of these curses corresponded perfectly with the fragmented characters Sword Skeleton Engravings.
The giant eyes of the Sky Swallowing Whale Dragon were like two burning Blood Moon, reflecting Ren Xiaoyao's figure wielding his sword. Simultaneously, it displayed thousands of distorted, melting faces—the futile struggles of the remnant souls of cultivators devoured throughout history. Black Blood Tears flowed from each eye, sliding down the Whale Flood Dragon's cheeks and creating sizzling, corrosive pits on the sea surface. Bubbles rose continuously from these pits, and when they burst, they emitted the whimpers of cultivators. The sounds were faint, yet clearly pierced Ren Xiaoyao's ears, causing him to shudder as if icicles were piercing his eardrums. Instantly, countless fragments of memories of cultivators being devoured flashed through his mind.
Its gaping maw was filled with ring-shaped sharp teeth, each engraved with the Demonic Script of " Eternal Fall into the Abyss." Saliva dripping from between its teeth touched the seawater and immediately burst into dark green poisonous bubbles. The sound of these bursting bubbles was not the sound of water, but the shrill screams of countless dying people. The sound pierced the soul, causing ripples in Ren Xiaoyao's mind. Horrifying images involuntarily surfaced in his mind: being devoured by the Whale Flood Dragon, his Dao Foundation crushed, his soul tormented in endless darkness, his body being disintegrated inch by inch by the Demonic Runes, each inch accompanied by excruciating pain.
The suction force of the Guixu Vortex suddenly increased a thousandfold, forming a visible Black Space-Time Rift. Ren Xiaoyao felt his bones creaking under the unbearable pressure, as if they would break apart inch by inch at any moment. The old scars under his green robe suddenly burst open, and the blood that seeped out was sucked into thin blood threads, shooting like a spider web towards the swirling Demonic Runes vortex in the Whale Flood Dragon's mouth. Each drop of blood that left his body was accompanied by an excruciating pain, as if his life was being sucked away bit by bit. His consciousness began to blur, and double images appeared before his eyes. He could even see his blood threads being refined into Black Demonic Qi in the vortex.
"What... Sky Swallowing Dao Artifact!" His voice was torn apart by the terrifying suction force, almost unrecognizable. The surging Ice-Fire True Qi in his dantian was forcibly forced back into his meridians. The Thirteen Golden Lights that shot out from between his eyebrows were sucked into thin, wispy ribbons of light, dancing futilely in front of him like candles in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. As the golden light was pulled, he could clearly feel his soul being torn apart by external forces. Needle-like Intense Pain came from between his eyebrows, and he even saw a hallucination of his soul being ripped apart.
The smiling phantoms of the Shuofang City Residents that appeared on the surface of the protective shield shattered instantly. The flower girl's dimples split into hideous, bloody mouths, and foul-smelling Black Blood seeped from the wrinkles of the Old Blacksmith —the terrifying suction force, mixed with the vicious " Dao Transmutation " demonic Devil Cultivation Method, was slowly crushing the cultivator's obsession and soul. Ren Xiaoyao could even feel his Dao Heart wavering and his beliefs collapsing. The whisper of "Give up" kept echoing in his mind, growing louder and louder, almost drowning out the roars of the waves and the Whale Flood Dragon.
The Lingchen Sword trembled violently in his hand, and the frost on the scabbard peeled off in patches, revealing countless bloody holes corroded beneath. From each hole came a faint, desperate cry, " The Dao Foundation is shattered... My Souls Have No Gate..." The voice seemed to come from the Nine Netherworlds, making Ren Xiaoyao's heart clench. A chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, almost causing him to lose his will to fight. His fingers gripping the sword began to go numb, and he could no longer even feel the hilt.
The soft flesh of the Whale Flood Dragon's lower jaw suddenly rolled back eerily, revealing a dense array of Demonic Markings Suction Cups. Each suction cup held a translucent remnant soul, which struggled futilely within them, its face contorted in agony. Their bodies were constantly being squeezed by the suction cups, producing a chilling sound of bones cracking. The sound was like countless needles piercing Ren Xiaoyao's eardrums simultaneously, causing him a splitting headache. He could even feel the vibrations inside his skull, and a small amount of blood seeped from his nasal cavity.
It whipped its tail violently, unleashing a massive black wave that crashed down like a towering mountain range, carrying within its crest the wreckage of thousands of sunken ships. The desiccated corpses of cultivators hung from the decaying masts, their fingers still frozen in the hand seals they had made before death, the Black Blood seeping from their fingernails congealing into crystals. These crystals shimmered eerily in the moonlight, as if countless eyes were watching him from the darkness, sending chills down his spine, making his hair stand on end, and causing him to instinctively hold his breath.
As Ren Xiaoyao's toes touched the crest of the wave, shattering the Ice Crystal Bridge that had formed where his sword had passed, the corpses in the waves crashed into it and destroyed it. A drop of blood bursting from the eye of one of the corpses struck his arm precisely, instantly corroding a deep wound that exposed bone. Even more terrifying, countless tiny Demonic Insects crawled out of the wound, frantically gnawing along his meridians, bringing waves of excruciating pain. He could even feel the Demonic Insects crawling through his meridians, as if countless tiny hands were scratching inside his body, causing him to let out a muffled groan of pain, the sound of which seemed particularly faint amidst the raging waves.
"It feeds on souls, Using Bones as Armor..." He gritted his teeth, looking at the Black Blood seeping from the seams of the Whale Flood Dragon's carapace. The remnants of souls floating within had long been tormented beyond recognition, leaving only twisted black shadows writhing painfully in the blood. These shadows occasionally let out silent roars, but could only stir up ripples in the Black Blood. Each ripple was like a sigh of despair, carrying unspeakable energy of pain. When this energy came into contact with his Divine Sense, it gave him a strong feeling of suffocation.
What chilled him to the bone even more was that the Whale Flood Dragon's dorsal fin resembled a jagged black mountain range, each fin pieced together from countless Cultivator Dao Foundation Fragments, held together by still slightly wriggling Living Brain Marrow. Various images flashed through his brain—one of him practicing swordsmanship as a child, Dao Foundation Fragments emitting its final lament. In the image, his younger self was practicing swordsmanship in the snow, but the perspective seemed to peek through a coffin, filling him with indescribable grief and indignation, along with a profound fear, as if this monster had spied on his past, exposing all his privacy, even long-forgotten childhood details.
As thousands of poisoned fish scales rained down like a storm, each scale shrieked with a sharp sound that Sky-Rending Strike. The Demonic Runes greed, anger, Greed, Anger, Ignorance on the scales burned fiercely in the air, forming a sky-covering cloud of poisonous smoke. The smoke emitted a strong, pungent stench that made people want to vomit and even made breathing difficult. Each inhalation felt like swallowing shards of glass, instantly burning the throat and causing blood to be spurted out.
Ren Xiaoyao swung his sword, unleashing layers of Sword Curtain. The moment the Sword Curtain touched the poisonous smoke, they emitted a sound like shattering glass, and fine cracks appeared on the hard Lingchen Sword Blade. This made his heart tighten, knowing that even this treasured sword that had been with him for many years could not withstand this terrifying attack, as if it would shatter completely in the next second. Black demonic energy even seeped from the cracks on the blade, and when the demonic energy came into contact with his palm, it caused fine black lines to appear on his skin.
At the same time, delusions surged through his mind like a tsunami: the corpses of the people of Shuofang City piled up like mountains, the head of the lovely A Yue was mercilessly trampled under the feet of the Demonic Baleful Energy; his own Dao Foundation was crumbling inch by inch, the Jade Lotus Seed in his dantian was transforming into a hideous skull, its eye sockets pulsating with the same Blood Light as the Whale Flood Dragon. These images flashed through his mind as if they were actually happening, causing his sword-wielding hand to tremble uncontrollably, and Black Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth—a sign that the Demonic Runes had invaded his soul, and his situation was extremely precarious. He could feel his consciousness being swallowed up by darkness little by little, his reason gradually being lost, the scene before him beginning to distort, and he even saw the figure of the Whale Flood Dragon overlapping with the Demonic Baleful Energy.
Just then, the Whale Flood Dragon suddenly let out a deafening roar. What spewed from its seven orifices was no longer seawater, but a Black Liquid, each drop containing the phantom of a cultivator's remnant soul. The liquid was viscous and foul-smelling, forming black whirlpools on the sea surface. Each whirlpool was like a gaping maw, trying to devour everything. In the center of the whirlpool, one could even see blurry human faces writhing, their expressions exactly the same as the crying faces on those skulls.
Its underbelly scales slowly opened, revealing a massive demonic array pieced together from countless Dao Foundation Fragments. Suddenly, the ancient inscription " Ren Xiaoyao " on one of the fragments erupted with blinding Blood Light, resonating strongly with the Ice Lotus Imprint on his palm. It forcibly extracted his True Qi and injected it into the gaps in the scales. As his True Qi was extracted, he felt as if his dantian had been hollowed out, all his strength instantly draining away. Even standing became difficult; his knees buckled, and he nearly fell from his sword. The sea breeze whipped up his blue robe, revealing his pale face, ravaged by the loss of his True Qi.
In the dark depths of the sea, he was horrified to see countless fleshy growths with the faces of cultivators writhing beneath the scales. The mouths of these growths had been cruelly sewn into thin lines, emitting only gurgling sounds, while the roots of the growths were deeply embedded in the Whale Flood Dragon's internal organs, greedily sucking its demonic blood. The scene was extremely disgusting and terrifying. With each writhing movement of those growths, there was a sound of bones grinding together, as if countless wronged souls were wailing simultaneously. The sounds converged into a chilling wave of sound, interspersed with indistinct pleas for mercy and Curse.
"Our ancestor... he was actually turned into Living Sacrifice!" Ren Xiaoyao's eyes were bloodshot, an uncontrollable rage surged to his head. He roared and detonated the Thirteen Golden Lights within his dantian, the lights of hope condensed by the Shuofang City Residents with their unwavering will. The moment the golden light erupted, the entire sea area was illuminated, as if a second sun had risen. Within the golden light, the phantom images of the Shuofang City Residents could be vaguely seen shouting and cheering, each face filled with trust and expectation.
However, the golden light was absorbed by the demonic array beneath the Whale Flood Dragon's belly as soon as it erupted, instead transforming into nourishment for those Terrifying Fleshy Growths. Those tumors began to writhe violently, emitting a bizarre chorus composed of thousands of voices. " The Dao Foundation belongs to me... the soul is scattered..." The chorus was like a demonic sound piercing his ears, causing him a splitting headache, and he could even feel his brain vibrating. Blood seeped from his nasal cavity and ear canals at the same time, and his vision became blurred.
Only now did he realize with horror that this Whale Flood Dragon was not a Demon Beast at all, but Living Demonic Artifact from the souls and Dao Foundation Sword Cultivator by an evil Demonic Path Magnate ten thousand years ago. Every inch of its flesh was soaked in the blood and tears of countless cultivators, filled with resentment and darkness, and his own ancestor had even become part of this monster. This realization sent a chill down his spine, as if the whole world was against him, even his breath was filled with despair, and his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.
With the explosion of golden light, countless contorted faces of agony appeared on the Bronze Giant Armor of the Whale Flood Dragon. These were the remnants of sword Sword Cultivator Remnant Souls, forcibly refined, emitting silent roars beneath the armor. The faces twisted and deformed continuously, as if enduring endless pain. Each face spoke of their resentment and hatred, their expressions changing like those of living beings, filled with pain and rage. One could even see blood and tears flowing down the armor, forming new weeping patterns on the sea surface.
Dao Foundation Fragments flew back into the remnant souls like a torrential rain. However, their souls had already been completely corroded by the Demonic Runes, and even returning to the Dao Foundation could not bring them liberation. As soon as they took shape, they began to disintegrate, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the seawater. Each speck of light that disappeared was accompanied by a faint mournful cry, as if it were a final farewell to this world. As the light and dust dissipated, a faint smell of blood filled the air, mixed with a faint scent of incense, the last vestige of the cultivators' devotion.
The Whale Flood Dragon let out a mournful cry like the End of the World. Its eyeballs burst from their sockets, and the flying blood droplets formed countless miniature whirlpools on the sea surface. Within each whirlpool, countless remnant souls of cultivators were eternally tormented in endless reincarnation, emitting heartbreaking wails. The wails echoed across the sea, lingering for a long time, like a desperate elegy, filled with a longing for life and a fear of death. They filled all who heard them with sorrow, and even the raging sea wind seemed to stand still.
In the final moment of collapse, the Whale Flood Dragon's spine transformed into a jet-black pillar of light that shot into the sky. The surface of the pillar was densely engraved with the Daoist names of the devoured cultivators, each name continuously oozing blood. Drops of blood fell onto Lingchen Sword, condensing on the blade into thousands of lifelike crying faces. These crying faces had different expressions, but all were filled with pain and despair. Some had furrowed brows, some Tears of Blood, and some had their mouths wide open, as if uttering a final cry. The eyes of the crying faces were still flowing with tears, which fell onto the blade and turned into tiny Ice Crystals.
From then on, the Whale Tooth Pattern newly added to the blade echoed day and night with the mournful cries of countless cultivators. Whenever True Qi was circulated, the Sword Hum would be mixed with the blood-soaked shout of "Return my Dao Foundation!" Wherever the Sword Aura swept, the seawater would rise with countless Blood Bubbles, which were the countless refined souls that briefly appeared in the radiance, telling of their endless suffering, making people uneasy. It was as if every swing of the sword was awakening those sleeping wronged souls. The sword's body could even emit a faint sobbing sound when it was swung. The sobbing sound intertwined with the Sword Hum, forming a sad Battle Song.
A White Jade Sword Platform, engraved with ancient Star Map, slowly emerged from the seabed of Return Ruins. A broken sword, stuck in the platform, dripped blood continuously, the droplets forming the three sorrowful ancient characters "Cang Hai Qi" (Canghai Qi). These characters seemed alive, writhing on the platform; each stroke was like Dao Wound, silently bleeding. Within the strokes, one could see blurry, struggling faces, their expressions echoing the weeping faces on the sword blade, creating an eerie resonance.
The moment Ren Xiaoyao reached for the broken sword, the newly lit star on the Sword Mound Star Chart suddenly exploded, revealing the old fisherman's face in the burst of light. Terrifyingly, his left eye was an empty socket, gleaming with the same Blood Light as Whale Flood Dragon. And in his fishing net, instead of a broken sword tassel, was a writhing black tentacle. The Human Bone Prayer Beads on the tentacle faced Ren Xiaoyao, emitting a chilling, cacophony of laughter. The laughter seemed to emanate from hell, filled with evil and mockery, as if mocking his overestimation of his abilities and his futile struggle. The laughter echoed in his mind, refusing to fade, even recurring in his dreams.
At the Sea and Sky Boundary, a sun like Blood Disc slowly rises, casting Ren Xiaoyao's figure onto the blade of the Lingchen Sword. However, the eyes of that reflection have transformed into Blood Moon shapes resembling those of Whale Flood Dragon. The reflection seems to have gained its own consciousness, a sinister smile curling at the corner of its mouth, sending chills down Ren Xiaoyao's spine. It's as if he sees his future descent into Demonic Dao. The reflection's smile grows increasingly ferocious, even reaching out a phantom hand to grasp his true form.
He looked down at his palm; the Ice Lotus Imprint was cracking inch by inch. The cracks no longer oozed cold air, but the thick, Black Blood from the fleshy tumor beneath the Whale Flood Dragon's belly. Drops of blood fell onto the sword blade, and miraculously, the weeping face patterns on the sword came to life—they all opened their mouths, shouting in unison the same ancient, weathered name: " Ren Canghai— " The voice echoed across the vast sea, as if unveiling a long-buried, terrifying past, foreshadowing an even greater crisis approaching. The voice carried endless vicissitudes and sorrow, seemingly spanning millennia. Ren Xiaoyao then remembered that " Ren Canghai " was his ancestor, who had disappeared a hundred years ago, a figure said to have vanished without a trace after the Guixu War. Now it seemed he had suffered this terrible calamity.
Ren Xiaoyao gripped the Lingchen Sword tightly, feeling the mournful cries of the weeping faces on its blade. He knew his battle was far from over, and this secret about his ancestors might hold the key to unraveling the calamity of the Tianyan Continent. The sword trembled slightly in his hand, as if responding to his resolve. The expressions on the weeping faces gradually changed from pain to determination, and the congealed blood and tears solidified into ancient sword patterns on the blade. He took a deep breath, suppressing the fear and grief in his heart, and gazed resolutely into the distance—in the blood-red sunrise at the edge of the sea and sky, a Shadowy Island floating with countless broken swords vaguely appeared, its outline exactly like the skeleton of the Whale Flood Dragon before its collapse.