The tremors deep within Falling Sunset Gorge grew increasingly violent. The earth seemed to groan, and rocks tumbled down both sides of the gorge, kicking up clouds of dust. That terrifying dark presence came washing over them in waves like a tangible tide, leaving even the Origin Emperor experts present gripped by dread. The Origin King Realm cultivators turned deathly pale, barely able to stand.
"What on earth is that thing?" The valley master of Black Wind Valley gripped his giant axe, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He had lived more than half his life, yet had never felt such pure evil and oppressive might.
Xiao Yan's expression was grave. He could clearly sense that this dark presence came from the same source as the energy within the Blood Shadow Cult and Old Freak Blood Fiend, yet it was more than a hundred times purer. It carried an ancient desolation and chill that seemed capable of freezing the soul.
"It's stronger than any dark energy we've encountered before... I'm afraid this thing has already surpassed the Origin Emperor Realm." Mo Chen's voice was hoarse. The pill furnace in front of him trembled violently, clearly under immense pressure as well.
Lin Qingxue drew Su Xiaoxiao closer under her protection and held her jade flute across her body, her eyes full of vigilance. "Ancient records mention a place called the 'Fallen Immortal Abyss' deep in the core area of Ten Thousand Medicines Valley. Legend says it was where an immortal fell during the ancient war. Could it be..."
She did not finish, but everyone understood what she meant. This terrifying dark presence had most likely come from those ancient ruins.
"Roar-!"
An inhuman roar came from deep within Falling Sunset Gorge. Unlike the roars of the Black Qilin Beast and the Shadow Vine King, this sound seemed to come from the hell of the nine nether, filled with endless hatred and hunger. It made their scalps tingle.
Immediately afterward, an enormous shadow slowly rose from the mist in the depths. It had no fixed form, as though condensed from pure dark energy. Dozens of zhang tall, it was wreathed in countless writhing shadows, within which countless faces could dimly be seen moving about, struggling in agony.
"That's... a Shadow of Darkness!" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply. He had seen similar beings in the remnant soul's memories from the Blood Shadow Cult token-they were higher beings of the Domain of Darkness, living by devouring the souls and energy of living creatures, and their strength was terrifying!
The Shadow of Darkness swept its "gaze" across the gorge. Wherever it passed, rocks instantly crumbled to dust, and even the air seemed to freeze. When it saw Xiao Yan, those twisted faces suddenly grew excited and surged madly in his direction.
It's interested in the Heavenly Flames! Xiao Yan's heart tightened. Heavenly Flames were the bane of dark energy; to these dark creatures, they were both a threat and an immensely tempting "delicacy."
"Run! We're no match for it!" The valley master of Black Wind Valley was the first to react, turning to flee.
But the Shadow of Darkness clearly had no intention of letting them go. An enormous black tentacle extended from its body and reached for them like a dark cloud descending overhead. The shadows on the tentacle let out piercing shrieks, carrying a powerful assault on their souls.
"This is bad!"
Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, and he pushed the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and the Void Origin Stone Fragment to their limits at once.
"Space: Shattering!"
Pale gold and pitch-black light intertwined into a sharp spatial blade, which slashed toward the black tentacle.
"Rip!"
The spatial blade collided with the tentacle with an ear-splitting tearing sound. A section of the black tentacle was cut off, dissolving into countless small shadows that vanished into the air, but the rest continued reaching for them with unstoppable force.
"Heavenly Flames: Emperor Flame Lotus!"
Xiao Yan dared not hold back. He fused all three Heavenly Flames, forming a flame lotus several times larger than before, and hurled it fiercely at the black tentacle.
"Boom!"
The flame lotus exploded against the tentacle. Three-colored flames spread like a tide, burning the black tentacle to nothing. But the Shadow of Darkness seemed to possess boundless energy, and several more tentacles soon extended from it, attacking from different directions.
"Scatter and run!" Xiao Yan shouted, sweeping the Heavy Xuan Ruler across to block a tentacle for the others. "I'll hold it off!"
"Brother Xiao Yan!" A flicker of inner struggle crossed Mo Chen's eyes, but as he watched the multiplying tentacles, he finally gritted his teeth. "We'll go get reinforcements! You have to hold on!"
Lin Qingxue also glanced at Xiao Yan, her eyes full of complicated emotions. In the end, she took Su Xiaoxiao and the Hundred Herbs Hall disciples and fled toward the outside of the gorge with the others. Liu Chengfeng hesitated, then ran after them, looking back once at Xiao Yan's receding figure, his gaze complicated.
Before long, only Xiao Yan and the enormous Shadow of Darkness remained in the gorge.
"Roar!"
The Shadow of Darkness seemed enraged. All its tentacles attacked Xiao Yan, surrounding him on every side.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, and the Origin Qi within him circulated madly as Heavenly Flames formed a suit of flame armor over his body. Like a war god amid the flames, he swung the Heavy Xuan Ruler in an impenetrable barrage, severing and burning each incoming tentacle.
But the Shadow of Darkness was simply too powerful. With every collision, Xiao Yan felt the blood and Qi churning inside him, and his Origin Qi was being depleted at an alarming rate. Cracks had already appeared in his flame armor under the erosion of the dark energy.
This can't go on... Xiao Yan was anxious. He could sense that the Shadow of Darkness was only playing with him, not truly using its full strength.
Just then, the ground beneath his feet suddenly split open, and an even denser stream of dark energy poured from the crack, winding around his legs. Xiao Yan looked down to see countless pale hands reaching out of the fissure, gripping his ankles tightly.
Those are the souls it devoured! Xiao Yan's heart sank. Under the dark energy's control, these souls had formed restraints.
The Shadow of Darkness seized the opportunity. A thick tentacle struck like a giant python and instantly wrapped around Xiao Yan. Dark energy surged madly into his body, eroding his meridians and soul.
"Ah!"
Xiao Yan groaned in pain. His body felt as though it were about to be torn apart, and his soul teetered on the brink under the assault of the dark energy.
Am I going to die here? Xiao Yan's consciousness began to blur. Images of Xun'er and Cai Lin flashed before his eyes, followed by his master Yao Lao's parting words, and scene after scene of everything he had experienced on the Dou Qi Continent and in the Great Thousand World.
No... I can't give up!
A fierce desire to live rose from the bottom of his heart. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
"Heavenly Flames: World Burning!"
This was his final attack, unleashed by burning his life's potential. The three-colored Heavenly Flames instantly surged, forming a pillar of flame that pierced heaven and earth, engulfing both him and the Shadow of Darkness.
"Aaargh-!"
The Shadow of Darkness let out a piercing scream and writhed violently in the flames, its condensed body beginning to fall apart. But Xiao Yan also paid a terrible price. His body was like charred wood, his breath had grown impossibly faint, and his consciousness plunged completely into darkness.
At the last moment before he lost consciousness, he felt his body seemingly sinking, falling into an embrace that was both cold and warm...
After an unknown length of time, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes.
A soft white light met his gaze. A faint medicinal fragrance filled the air, and the suffocating sense of darkness from before was gone. He moved his fingers and discovered that he was lying on a soft stone bed, covered with a beast hide that gave off a spiritual glow.
"Awake?"
An aged yet gentle voice rang out.
Xiao Yan struggled to turn his head and saw an old man in gray Daoist robes sitting on a stone stool not far away, smiling at him. The old man's hair and beard were white, his face was kindly, and his eyes were as deep as ancient wells. Not the slightest fluctuation of power came from him, yet he gave the impression of being one with heaven and earth.
"Senior, you are..." Xiao Yan struggled to sit up, only to find his whole body aching and utterly devoid of strength.
"Don't move. You're badly hurt." The old man waved a hand, sending a gentle stream of energy into Xiao Yan's body and easing his pain. "I am the keeper of the Fallen Immortal Abyss. You may call me Elder Bai."
"The Fallen Immortal Abyss? Its keeper?" Xiao Yan's heart stirred. "Was it you who saved me, Senior?"
"You could say that." Elder Bai smiled. "I happened to be passing by and saw that you were about to be devoured by that Shadow of Darkness, so I saved you while I was at it. You've got guts, kid. At the Intermediate Origin Emperor level, you actually managed to give that fellow a minor injury."
"That Shadow of Darkness..."
"I drove it off," Elder Bai said lightly, as though he had merely chased away a fly. "But it has only retreated for the moment. As long as the seal on this Fallen Immortal Abyss keeps weakening, it will come out again sooner or later."
"The seal?"
"That's right." Elder Bai sighed. "This place is indeed a ruin from the ancient war. Back then, an ancient great power sealed an avatar of a Lord of Darkness here. I am his descendant, and my family has guarded this place for generations. But as time passed, the seal grew weaker and weaker, and dark energy kept leaking out, attracting so many dark creatures here."
Xiao Yan was shaken. He had never imagined that such a secret lay hidden deep within Ten Thousand Medicines Valley.
"Senior, that Lord of Darkness..."
"The Lord of Darkness is the ruler of the Domain of Darkness. His ambition is immense, and he has always sought to breach the spatial barrier and invade the Great Thousand World. During the ancient war, several of the Great Thousand World's supreme experts joined forces to drive him back, but his avatars and remaining forces have been lying low in various places, waiting for a chance to rise again." Elder Bai looked at Xiao Yan, his expression turning serious. "You possess two supreme spatial treasures and can control several Heavenly Flames. You are a natural bane of darkness. Perhaps it was heaven's will that brought you here."
Xiao Yan's heart stirred. "You mean..."
"This seal won't hold much longer." Elder Bai rose and walked to a stone wall engraved with intricate runes that were flickering with a faint light. "I hope you can help me reinforce it."
"Me?" Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised.
"That's right." Elder Bai nodded. "Your Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and Void Origin Stone Fragment contain the power of the origin of space, which is just what we need to mend the spatial cracks in the seal. And your Heavenly Flames can purify the dark energy that has leaked out."
Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What do I need to do to reinforce the seal?"
A trace of gratification flashed in Elder Bai's eyes. "Come with me."
He led Xiao Yan behind the stone wall, where there was a deep, secluded cave. At its far end floated a crystal the size of a fist. Dense dark energy coiled within it, and the surrounding space constantly warped. It was the core of the seal.
"This is the Realm-Sealing Crystal, the core of the seal." Elder Bai pointed at the crystal. "You need to infuse it with the power of the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and the Void Origin Stone Fragment, while using your Heavenly Flames to purify the dark energy inside. But it's very dangerous. The slightest mistake, and the dark energy will turn on you."
Xiao Yan looked at the dense dark energy within the Realm-Sealing Crystal and could sense the terrifying power it contained, more than a hundred times stronger than the Shadow of Darkness he had encountered earlier.
But he recalled what the Blood Shadow Cult had done, Old Freak Blood Fiend's cruelty, and the living creatures corrupted by dark energy. If the Lord of Darkness truly invaded the Great Thousand World, the consequences would be unthinkable.
"I'll do it," Xiao Yan said, his gaze resolute.
Elder Bai looked at him and nodded. "Good. I'll use my life-bound Origin Qi to protect you. The rest is up to you."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and walked up to the Realm-Sealing Crystal. He took out the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and the Void Origin Stone Fragment, then circulated the last of his Origin Qi to activate his Heavenly Flames.
The reinforcement of the seal, on which the safety of Ten Thousand Medicines Valley and even the entire Southern Region depended, was about to begin. Xiao Yan did not know what changes this undertaking would bring him, or what kind of vortex it would draw him into.
Outside the cave, Elder Bai laid down layer upon layer of restrictions and gazed gravely into its depths, murmuring, "I hope... you are the one from the prophecy..."