Earth Vein Spews Gold, Flowing Destruction; Corpses Become Demonic Creatures, Tang San: This Isn't a Natural Disaster, It's Heavenly Principles' Scheme!

A golden torrent as thick as a mountain range violently erupted from deep underground, tearing through the surface. It wasn't magma, but Elemental Energy of the purest degree. This torrent of energy, called an "Earth Vein," now rampaged like a runaway stallion, savagely scouring everything in its path.

A lush forest, the moment it touched the golden torrent, had all its trees, flowers, grass, and living beings, along with the very ground beneath them, instantly "formatted" into a silent, metallic-glinting Crystalline Land.

"Such immense energy!" Rong Nianbing exclaimed in shock. As the God of Emotion, he could sense within that energy torrent not just pure power, but also the agony and wailing of the entire planet.

Gu Yuena's body began to tremble slightly, not from fear, but from resonance. Her silver hair stirred without wind, and all color drained from her exquisite face.

"It's the Earth Vein... the planet's lifeblood..." she murmured, her voice laced with deep sorrow. "It's losing control, it's wailing, it's bleeding..."

Tang Wulin immediately grasped her hand. The Golden Dragon King Bloodline within him roared wildly in response, a primal shudder and fury from the very source of life surging from the depths of his Dragon Core. He could clearly feel the pain transmitted from every inch of that land—the sharp agony of life being forcibly stripped away.

"Father..." Ning Tian looked at his father, Emperor Xueye of the Heaven Dou Empire. This emperor, who had weathered countless storms, now wore an expression of extreme discomfort.

"If this were to happen on the Douluo Continent..." Emperor Xueye's voice was hoarse. "Any empire, any sect, would be reduced to nothing in an instant. This isn't war; this is a natural disaster, the end of the world."

Duke Dai Hao remained silent, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil. The iron-blooded commander of the Star Luo Empire felt, for the first time, an emotion called "powerlessness." Before such world-destroying force, any army seemed like a joke.

Yet, this was not the end.

The Light Screen's view shifted to a swamp shrouded in shadow. There, the Abyss's corruption was spreading.

A tiger had just died, its corpse still warm. A mass of black, pitch-like viscous substance seeped from the ground, slowly covering its body as if alive.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, the black mass began to writhe. The tiger's bones emitted a sickening crack as they were forcibly twisted, snapped, and then thrust outward through the flesh and blood, forming a hideous bone armor. Its rotting flesh re-knitted, and in its hollow eye sockets, two points of ghostly purple ghost fire ignited.

In just a few breaths, a dead beast had transformed into a twisted creature radiating an ominous aura. It raised its head and let out a roar unlike any living being, then, with its malformed limbs, charged deep into the swamp.

"Ugh..." Xiao Xiao was the first to break, turning to retch. Tang Ya's face was deathly pale as she tightly clutched Bei Bei's sleeve.

"What... what kind of evil magic is this?" He Caitou asked, disgusted and confused.

"It's not magic," Tang San's voice rang out again, his expression more serious than ever. "This is a higher level of corruption. If the Evil Soul Masters of our world use resentment and souls, then this power directly twists and corrupts everything on the level of 'existence.' The line between life and death is blurred here."

A flicker of disgust passed through the Dragon God's majestic golden pupils. "This is the ultimate desecration of life. Turning remains into monsters, denying the dead their rest, and robbing the living of any peace."

Zhou Weiqing's carefree expression vanished. He let out a whistle, but it carried a chill. "So, that Heavenly Principles guy just lets this happen, or even actively turns his own world into this hellish state?"

"No," Huo Yuhao took over the conversation. His Spiritual Eye flickered, as if he had already seen through the truth behind this endless catastrophe. "He doesn't just let it happen. He needs it."

Everyone's gaze focused on Huo Yuhao again.

"Needs it?" Bei Bei asked, puzzled.

"Yes, needs it," Huo Yuhao said softly, yet his words were clear to everyone. "What is born from a half-finished world that is constantly collapsing and being destroyed?"

He didn't wait for an answer, giving it himself.

"Fear is born. Despair is born. The pain of struggling to survive amidst the ruins is born."

The Light Screen provided confirmation at that moment.

The scene showed the edge of a city that had been completely reduced to Ruins. Survivors wore tattered clothes and wielded laughably crude weapons—sharpened wooden sticks, rusty iron pipes, even rocks. They stood back-to-back against a broken wall, forming a fragile defensive formation.

Before them were a few monsters just transformed from animal carcasses.

A boy who looked no more than ten, with his frail body, desperately thrust a wooden spear into a monster's chest. The monster's claws swiped down, leaving a wound on his arm so deep the bone was visible.

The boy's face twisted in pain, but he didn't take a single step back. Because behind him, a smaller girl was clinging to his leg, trembling in fear.

A white-haired elder, using all his remaining strength, smashed a rock into another monster's head, only to be struck by the monster's tail. He was sent flying, crashing heavily into a wall, blood gushing from his mouth.

A battle. A tragic, desperate battle.

No soul skills. No martial souls. No divine power.

All that remained was the most primal, most humble struggle of mortals to survive in a Doomsday Wasteland.

Niu Tian and Titan, two men built like iron towers, watched with red-rimmed eyes, their fists clenched so tight their knuckles cracked. They couldn't imagine how ordinary people could face such monsters without Soul Masters.

"They... are still fighting," Lei Xiang said quietly. He was so proud, yet now he felt sincere respect for these mortals.

Tang San watched the scene silently, watching the boy shielding his sister with his body, watching the elder who, even as he fell, still glared at the monster.

After a long while, he spoke, his voice carrying a trace of cold understanding.

"I finally fully understand."

"The Heavenly Principles were severely wounded, order collapsed, the world turned into a Purgatory... None of this is the result of Him losing control."

Tang San's gaze pierced through the Light Screen, as if meeting the gaze of the dying god high above.

"On the contrary, this is exactly what He wanted. A Living Hell brings Him far more than a dead, silent one ever could."