A golden streak of light ripped through the sky of the Azure Mist Realm, and Xiao Yan's figure stopped a hundred feet below the crack. He could clearly see that the crack, no thicker than a finger joint, was like a peering eye, constantly emanating wisps of gray-black aura.
This aura was even more sinister than the Law of Shadow of the Shadow Clan. When it landed in the forest below, the originally lush green leaves withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, the grass on the ground turned black, and even the spiritual energy in the air was stained a murky gray.
"What a strange power." Xiao Yan frowned, and the six-colored flames on the Heaven Burning Sword automatically appeared, forming a barrier to protect him. He tried to release a Law of Flame to touch the gray-black aura. The moment the two made contact, the flames flickered strangely, as if suppressed by some kind of power, and even the purification power became sluggish.
"It's not the Shadow Clan, nor any of the demons we've encountered before," Xiao Yan concluded in his heart. This aura lacked the devouring properties of the Law of Shadow, but instead carried a purer power of "decay," as if it could return everything in the world to death.
He did not attack the rift rashly, but first took out a communication talisman and sent the anomaly in the Azure Mist Realm to the All-Heavens Alliance Council. No matter what the origin of this evil spirit was, the alliance had to be prepared in advance.
After the communication talisman disappeared into the sky as a streak of light, Xiao Yan's gaze returned to the crack. At this moment, the crack was expanding at an extremely slow speed, and the gray-black aura seeping out was becoming increasingly dense. A faint "rustling" sound could be heard coming from the depths of the crack, as if something was crawling.
"We can't wait any longer." Xiao Yan took a deep breath. If this crack continues to widen, the entire Azure Mist Realm will probably be corroded by the Power of Decay.
He pushed the Heart of the Flame Realm to its limit, and the flames on the Heaven Burning Sword suddenly surged, the six-colored flames intertwining into a condensed flaming spear. " Heaven Burning Nine Forms - Third Form - Heaven Burning Purification!"
The spear, carrying the power to purify everything, pierced precisely at the crack. The instant the flames collided with the gray-black aura, there was no earth-shattering roar, only silent annihilation—the flaming spear was like a swamp thrown into mud, its surface light quickly dimming, while the crack only trembled slightly, stubbornly remaining intact.
"Even the Heaven Burning Purification couldn't completely purify it?" Xiao Yan was shocked. The resilience of this Power of Decay far exceeded his expectations.
Just then, the rustling sound from deep within the crack suddenly became rapid, and then a claw covered with gray-black scales emerged from the crack!
The claws were only as thick as a baby's arm, but they were covered with barbs, and the nails gleamed with a metallic sheen. The dripping grayish-black liquid fell onto the ground and instantly corroded deep pits.
"It's out!" Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened, and he swept the Heaven Burning Sword horizontally, forming a wall of golden flames that blocked the claw's attack.
"Sizzle--!"
The claws collided with the wall of fire, producing a piercing sound. The gray-black aura on the scales fought fiercely against the flames, actually corroding several small holes in the fire wall.
Immediately afterwards, more claws emerged from the crack, densely packed like thorns, reaching out to grab Xiao Yan. The crack also expanded violently at that moment, quickly growing to a width of about ten feet, revealing countless writhing tentacles inside—it was actually a monster with the body of a spider but with dozens of pairs of claws!
The monster was covered in gray-black scales, with a huge sac bulging on its back. The sac was covered with vein-like patterns that pulsated constantly and emitted a nauseating stench of decay. Its head had no facial features, only a huge mouth full of fangs, from which it uttered indistinct syllables intermittently, as if chanting some ancient incantation.
"This is... the ' Rotten Realm Spider '?" A vague memory flashed through Xiao Yan's mind; it was a fragment of a record he had seen on the sixth floor of the Hall of Ten Thousand Laws.
The fragment mentions that before the birth of All Heavens and Myriad Realms, there existed a "Rotten Era" in the universe. The ruler of this era was an evil spirit called the Rotten Realm Spider. They fed on the life force of all things, and wherever they went, stars perished and laws collapsed. Later, they disappeared suddenly for unknown reasons, leaving only scattered records, which were regarded as legends.
"The legend is actually true..." Xiao Yan's heart was filled with shock. If the Rotten Realm Spider was really as terrifying as the records described, then its appearance would probably be even greater than the Shadow King's threat!
The Rotten Realm Spider had clearly just awakened from its slumber, its movements still somewhat sluggish, but the Power of Decay it exuded was growing stronger and stronger. It swung its dozens of claws, launching a fierce attack on Xiao Yan. Each strike carried a gray-black aura that could corrupt the laws of decay, forcing Xiao Yan to constantly dodge and making it difficult for him to mount an effective counterattack.
"This can't go on." Xiao Yan realized that although his flames could barely resist the Power of Decay, they couldn't completely eliminate it. If the battle dragged on, he would only be worn down by his opponent.
His gaze swept over the sac on the back of the Rotten Realm Spider, where the throbbing was growing more intense, clearly its source of power.
"Its sac must be destroyed first!"
A resolute glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. He suddenly sheathed his sword and rapidly formed hand seals. He condensed half of the Law of Flame within his body into his palms, simultaneously drawing upon the spiritual energy of the Azure Mist Realm to create a massive vortex of flame. " Flame Realm - Wildfire!"
This is a new move he created by combining the wood-type spiritual energy of the Azure Mist Realm. The flames are infused with the power of life, which weakens the destructive properties but greatly enhances the flames' extensibility and durability.
The vortex of flames, like a giant net, enveloped the Rotten Realm Spider. Sensing the threat, the Rotten Realm Spider opened its massive maw and spewed out a thick, gray-black mist. The mist collided with the vortex of flames, producing a hissing sound, and the two forces reached a stalemate.
"Now!" Xiao Yan seized this fleeting opportunity, his figure transforming into a blur as he bypassed the vortex of flames. The Heaven Burning Sword in his hand condensed the last of its Law of Flame and stabbed towards the pouch on the back of the Rotten Realm Spider.
"Hiss--!"
The Rotten Realm Spider let out a sharp screech, and dozens of its claws turned simultaneously, slapping towards Xiao Yan.
With no way to avoid it, Xiao Yan could only unleash the full power of his Law of Flame to meet the claw's attack head-on. With a "poof," his shoulder was struck by a claw, and he immediately felt a bone-chilling cold seep into his body. Wherever it passed, his flesh began to rot slightly.
But he didn't stop. Using the momentum, he plummeted downwards, and the Heaven Burning Sword, with unstoppable force, pierced fiercely into the pouch!
"Laugh--!"
Golden flames surged into the pouch, violently clashing with the Power of Decay within. The pouch expanded rapidly, like a ignited balloon, its surface vein-like patterns breaking apart inch by inch.
"Roar--!"
The Rotten Realm Spider let out an extremely shrill roar, its massive body convulsing violently, its dozens of claws lashing wildly, smashing the surrounding forest to pieces. But its aura was rapidly weakening, its gray-black scales lost their luster, and even the Power of Decay it exuded became thinner.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Yan drew his Heaven Burning Sword and retreated repeatedly, while simultaneously circulating the power of the Heart-Clearing Jade to suppress the Power of Decay within his body. He could sense that the Rotten Realm Spider's life force was rapidly draining away, clearly indicating that its sac was indeed its vital point.
Finally, with a resentful roar, the Rotten Realm Spider's body went completely still. Its massive body rapidly withered and weathered away, eventually turning into a pile of grayish-black powder, which was scattered by the winds of the Azure Mist Realm.
The crack gradually contracted with the death of the Rotten Realm Spider, eventually closing completely, leaving only the lingering stench of decay in the air.
Xiao Yan collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The wound on his shoulder throbbed with excruciating pain; the flesh there had turned bluish-black, clearly severely corroded by the Power of Decay. He quickly took out the healing pills given to him by the Medicine God Valley and swallowed them. The pills transformed into a warm, nourishing power that flowed into the wound, barely managing to halt the spread of decay.
"That was close." Xiao Yan was still shaken. This Rotten Realm Spider had clearly not yet recovered to its peak condition. If it had fully awakened, he probably would have had a hard time escaping unscathed.
But his unease grew stronger. The appearance of the Rotten Realm Spider was no accident. Now that the legendary evil spirits of the Corrupted Era had manifested, did it mean that there were many more unknown and terrifying beings lurking in some corner, watching over the All Heavens and Myriad Realms?
Just then, familiar fluctuations of laws came from the distant horizon, and several streaks of light rushed over. These were the powerful members of the alliance who had received the message—the leader was Elder White Beard, followed by several cultivators from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Realm and Medicine God Valley.
"Young friend Xiao Yan, are you alright?" The white-bearded elder's expression changed upon seeing the injury on Xiao Yan's shoulder. He quickly took out a pill radiating golden light. "Quickly take this ' Pure Land Pill,' it can cleanse the Power of Decay!"
Xiao Yan took the pill and swallowed it. A pure Buddhist power instantly spread throughout his body, and the bluish-black color on his shoulder faded away at a visible speed, finally eliminating the hidden danger completely.
Thank you, Elder.
"What exactly happened?" The white-bearded elder looked at the surrounding mountains and forests, which were being eroded by the Power of Decay, with a solemn expression.
Xiao Yan recounted the appearance of the Rotten Realm Spider and his own speculations in detail. When he heard the words "Corruption Era," the white-bearded elder's face turned extremely ugly.
"I never imagined... the legends were actually true." The white-bearded elder murmured. "Ancient texts record that the evil spirits of the Decaying Era were more ancient and terrifying than the Shadow Clan, and their goal was to return the entire universe to 'absolute death'."
He paused, then looked at Xiao Yan: "This matter must be reported to the Alliance Council immediately, and we might even need to reopen the ' All-Heavens Forbidden Archives ' to see if we can find a way to control them."
Xiao Yan nodded, knowing in his heart that a war even more difficult than the fight against the Shadow Clan might have already begun without him realizing it.
He gazed at the azure sky of the Azure Mist Realm and gripped the Heaven Burning Sword tightly in his hand. The flames on the sword burned quietly, reflecting the increasingly resolute light in his eyes.
No matter what terrifying beings he encounters in the future, he will hold this sword tightly and protect this hard-won peace.
Because this is his mission as a guardian.