After the Death Tree was completely ground away, the inky-black death Qi that had hung thick as ink between heaven and earth seemed to lose its source and began gradually thinning, fading.
Long-lost daylight pierced through the thin death Qi, falling in wisps and strands, letting this wasteland that had been ruled by death for long ages gradually reveal a measure of clarity.
Roar, roar, roar—!
Amid the remaining death Qi, the zombies and Death Charms that had yet to be destroyed seemed to have lost their backbone. They let out terrified, chaotic roars, no longer possessing their former savagery.
Like a receding tide, they fled in panic, and in the blink of an eye they had vanished into the depths of the wasteland, disappearing without a trace.
Lu Lin let out a long breath of foul air, and the taut string in his heart finally loosened slightly.
At last—it was resolved!
The core mission of this trip to Return Ruins had finally been successfully completed.
He did not step forward at once. Instead, he waited cautiously until the lingering fluctuations of Sword Qi left by the Death Tree had completely subsided. Only after confirming there was no further danger did he dare approach that area to inspect it.
"What is that—?"
Suddenly, Lu Lin's gaze sharpened.
He saw that at the bottom of the deep pit where the Death Tree had originally taken root, there was actually a small puddle of viscous liquid left behind.
The liquid was black as the thickest ink, yet its surface gleamed with a strange, eerie light. It gave off an indescribable stench that struck straight into the soul, as if it were filth dredged up from the deepest depths of the Nine Nether Yellow Springs.
Merely drawing near, that sinister, bone-chilling aura, as