The world fell silent, as if some ancient will had completely drained its vitality.
When Ming Er, Ming Yin, Ming Zhi, Ming Luo, and Ming Tong were teleported to the ground by the ghostly blue soul light, they stepped into an ancient wasteland that resembled a post-apocalyptic landscape.
This is a ruin.
A world composed of broken divine bones and withered spirit tablets, every brick and tile bearing the marks of a long-vanished era. Dark gray mist hangs low, so thick it seems to ooze blood, permeating the entire space, making everything in sight seem like fragments of a nightmare.
Beneath their feet was a broken staircase, leading to a collapsed stone gate to the sky. The gate was engraved with the faces of deities, eroded by lightning and fire, each one grotesque and hollow, as if cursing all those who came after them in this space.
In the distance, broken towers and ruined palaces sank into the abyss, with blue-purple soul flames flickering above them, like the tears of restless spirits after being sacrificed. And in the deepest ruins of the main hall, a collapsed black iron throne vaguely emerges, behind which is a spatial rift that never closes, seemingly connecting to a forgotten depth of an era.
Each time the five took a step, the ground trembled as if a remnant soul was slowly awakening from the earth. Ming Er was the first to sense the oppressive soul pressure, which was not the power of Realm Master, but rather... something banished by time and fate.
This is not a simple relic, but a place that has slumbered for millennia and bears witness to a kind of "Final Judgment".
Among the remaining inscriptions on the shattered stone tablet, a name is faintly recorded:
"... The Prisoner of Fugu..."
In the center of the monument array, a sealed "Black Soul Coffin" was slowly pulsating. It wasn't the stone that was moving, but rather it was like some forbidden entity, beating its heart.
The five stepped into the heart of Soul Valley amidst the ruins. Corroded stone tablets were entwined with ancient curse marks, and the air was filled with the lingering aura of soul blood that had not dissipated for tens of thousands of years. And in the very center, a black soul coffin lay open, its lid slightly ajar, as if something might break free from it at any moment.
This Black Soul Coffin, no more than ten feet long, exuded a heavy, oppressive aura like that of an ancient Star Abyss. Its surface was devoid of any inscriptions or sacrificial patterns, save for a vertical bloodstain that pierced the entire coffin lid, like a "crack of existence" flowing from some unknown era.
The entire coffin was cast in an unknown black gold, with a purplish tinge and a faint glow. At the four corners of the bottom of the coffin were carved four "kneeling deity statues" that had long since become blurred, but the faces of each statue had been deliberately erased, leaving only the flowing black tear-like soul fluid.
Just as Ming Tong reached out to try and investigate--
[Black Soul Coffin Trembles - Skeleton Spirit Appears]
"Boom--!" A cackling sound suddenly echoed deep within the five people's consciousness.
The entire soul coffin suddenly trembled violently, and a bolt of dark blue soul lightning burst forth from the coffin, cracking the sky in countless places.
Immediately following, a skeletal spirit, clad in millennia-old soul armor and with a crystalline, blackish-white body, slowly emerged.
That was not a mortal skeleton, but—the Ancient Emperor of the Soul Ming Clan, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint!
It had a nine-foot-tall skeletal body, its joints as if cast from dark jade, gleaming with a cold light. A crown of ghostly blue soul flames floated above its skull, and every flicker of the soul flames was accompanied by spatial tremors and the collapse of soul energy.
Its right arm was inlaid with a Nether Iron arm ring engraved with the character "Extinction," and in the center of its sternum was a Soul Core Eye that had long since Annihilation but still exuded the aura of law!
This skeletal spirit is speechless, but with each step it takes, a "Bone Sin Formation" appears beneath its feet, as if every action it takes is an indictment of the Fate Soul of all living beings.
Ming Er whispered, "This... is no ordinary being; it is likely one of the 'Soul-Forbidden Holy Ancestor' from the history of the Ming Clan's banishment...!"
Just as the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint descended with its tenth step emerging from the Black Soul Coffin, the lingering azure soul flame crown atop its head suddenly trembled violently, releasing a ring of black-purple soul waves that seemed to emanate from the depths of the Nether Prison!
The next moment--
"Boom--!!!"
The entire ruins suddenly exploded, and the scarlet soil gushed out like blood. One after another, the corpses that had long been buried here twisted and struggled out of the ground!
They were clad in broken armor, their souls and bones fragmented, their soul flames dimmed, yet they harbored no resentment, born for only one command: to fight for the ancient emperor!
Among them were dozens of terrifying alien creatures, a truly chilling sight.
Blood Crystal Spider Mother: Deformed with nine legs, its back is covered with black spiritual eggs, and it can spew corrosive soul nets to seal off Soul Arts space.
Soul-Devouring Desolate Scorpion: Its soul body is damaged but still retains residual poison. With a sweep of its tail hook, it can cause the soul of a cultivator at the Realm Lord Realm to twitch.
Withered-Eye Nether Moth: Its wings resemble the veins of dried leaves; when unfolded, they release a bewitching dust that can plunge the mind into a hazy, dreamlike state.
Soul-Devouring Aberrant Kun: A half-soul, half-bone fish corpse that swims through the air like a shadow, its mouthparts bearing spiritual patterns that can tear apart divine consciousness.
The Deathbone Dragon Centipede: It is several meters long, its entire body is pieced together from the bones of the underworld, and its body is engraved with broken ancient incantations. It wriggles and hisses like thunder.
This scene is like a reappearance of the hellish realm!
Ming Yin a deep voice, "Damn it... this isn't a battle, it's a festival of the dead!"
Ming Tong's face was icy cold, and he had already released his soul power. A soul-sealing talisman unfolded from his sleeve. "Since that's the case, then we will prevent this ancient curse from reappearing in the mortal world!"
The five elders of the Ming Clan had already formed a line in the gloomy sky.
The zombie horde surged, and Ming Er made his move.
Ming Er Soul Rend Battle Armor, Ming Er formed a hand seal and struck first!
"Soulfire Explosion - Revolving Shock Zone!"
Boom!!
A circular domain of blazing flames, constructed from a soulfire barrier, suddenly exploded. The blazing white soulfire formed six rings of fire, swirling and sweeping across the air, igniting the first wave of the approaching horde of corpses—soulfire powerful enough to incinerate even the soul itself! Instantly, the horde of corpses howled in agony, their souls shattering!
Soul Master - Ming Yin Sudden Kill
With a furious roar, Ming Yin's entire arm transformed into a jet-black chain claw, which he then unleashed with a powerful strike!
"Netherworld Claw Splitter - Soul-Devouring Binding!"
The black soul chain, like a venomous dragon piercing the sky, precisely locked onto a six-armed skeleton general beside the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint! With a clang, the soul chain pierced through the skeleton, binding it tightly. The soul convulsed and struggled but could not move.
Ming Yin, stepping with the steps of a ghost, charged straight forward, directly clashing with the giant spirit's soul!
Fog Array Bewitching - Ming Zhi Control
Ming Zhi sat cross-legged high in the sky, his fingertips forming nine layers of thunder seals.
"Conscious Sea Mist Thunder·Soul Shadow Formation!"
Rumble!
A vast expanse of lightning and mist spread rapidly across the entire battlefield of the zombie horde, like a storm in the sea of consciousness.
Amidst the lightning, countless enemy souls began to lose their way in the thunderous fog, even attacking each other! The fog and lightning not only confused the souls' consciousness but also covered Ming Yin and Ming Luo's sneak attack route, throwing the enemy's lines into chaos!
Soul-destroying core and Ming Luo breaking the situation
Ming Luo gripped a giant bone wheel blade, his entire body radiating Sha Qi, and took a step to the ground!
"Ghostly Bone Curse Wheel - Shattering Senses and Severing Strike!"
He transformed into a streak of soul-slaying light, piercing straight into the core of the enemy formation. A bone blade spun out, accompanied by the resounding chants of soul consciousness, cleaving a high-level soul bone command skeleton into three pieces, its soul core shattering in the process!
With a loud "Bang!", the horde of zombies within a 500-meter radius exploded!
The Descent of the Ming Tong - Annihilation of Ten Thousand Souls
The entire battlefield fell silent.
High in the sky, a figure who truly ruled the Soul Domain descended.
Elder Ming Tong transformed into countless layers of silent flames, his expression indifferent, and he casually flicked his sleeves!
"Silent Flame Heavenly Bone - Annihilation of Ten Thousand Souls!"
The world instantly darkened!
A billion points of silent flame transformed into molten soul energy, pouring into the myriad corpses below. In an instant—all the souls ceased their wailing and turned to ashes.
This is not burning, but annihilation; it is eradication from the very "logic of the soul's existence"!
The Ancient Emperor of the Soul Ming Clan, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint, slightly raised his eyes, revealing a solemn expression for the first time.
The war had not yet ended; the five elders of the Ming Clan continued to exert their power, their soul energy surging like a tide.
The vast battlefield was shrouded in a thick gray fog.
After the five elders of the Ming Clan race swept up their battle intent and shattered the first wave of corpses, the ancient emperor of the Soul Ming Clan race, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint, looked up to the sky and let out a roar that sounded like the howl of ten thousand ghosts. From his empty head, a ghostly blue soul fire suddenly surged and ignited purple-black fire wings!
"You... dare to shake my Netherworld Source?"
Boom!!
The earth cracked, the Black Soul Coffin trembled violently, and in an instant, dozens of soul-marked fissures exploded from the ruins, spewing deathly energy like a deep abyss. One after another, horrifying, alien corpses crawled out of the fissures.
Some resembled giant, stillborn Kun fish, with eyes that seemed to flow with poisonous lightning and wings of withered bones growing on their backs;
Some were entirely black, as if cast from metal, and spewed three layers of corpse flames from their mouths;
Even more terrifying were humanoid snake-bone monsters, their arms transformed into blades, their soul spells surging, and their entire bodies entwined with runes like those of hell!
--These are the [Underworld Corpses] forged by the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint with soul poison for a thousand years. Each one is comparable to the peak of the Realm Lord Realm · Initial Stage, and the strongest is even closer to the Silent Origin.
"Destroy—" The Relic Curse Skeleton Saint, spread his five fingers in fury, and the black soul chains pierced through the void, locking down on the five elders!
The next instant!
A flash of lightning! A surge of flames!
Nearly fifty monstrous creatures unleashed their soul poison, curses, corpse lightning, and fiery rages simultaneously, overwhelming everything in their path.
Moments of combat skill clash:
Ming Er slammed his palms on the ground, instantly activating the Soul Array, and the Mysterious Azure Soul Stele appeared in the void!
Techniques: Ten Thousand Deaths Stele Record
Using the Soul Stele to guide souls, record the trajectory of enemy techniques, and condense the Hundred Fiend Stele Seal to reflect a portion of the Soul Arts.
Ming Yin —the "Four Eyes of Soul Blood" appeared above his head, staring at a snake-bone demon corpse.
True Skill: Four-Eyed Soul-Devouring Destruction
Four beams of soul light exploded in succession, piercing through the enemy's soul and severing the source of its life force.
Ming Zhi threw out a Soul Lamp Token, its soul light scattering down to form a counter-domain.
Secret Technique: Silent Shadow Soul Domain
All alien species entering this area experience a significant reduction in speed, their attacks becoming like being trapped in quagmire, making it impossible to concentrate their combos.
Elder Ming Luo —left hand holding a thunder seal, right palm a soul fire, his hands clashing together with a thunderous roar.
Fiery Soul Divine Explosion - Fiery Thunder Abyss
In an instant, a purple-gold lightning chain pierced through more than a dozen alien creatures, their corpses Soul Rend mist scattering.
Ming Tong uttered a truthful incantation, and a blood-red longsword rose from his palm, its spiritual power filling the heavens.
Silent Origin True Skill· Desolate Soul Heaven Severance
With a single slash, a spatial rift extended a hundred feet, cleaving the strongest corpse poison giant in two at the waist!
Thunder and flames intertwined, soul mist surged, and shattered bones flew everywhere!
The entire ruins resembled Asura inferno, with ghostly light and lightning colliding and shooting in the air. Soul skills clashed and countered each other in a series of attacks. The five elders of the Ming Clan were like five immovable soul peaks, and even when besieged to their Limit, they still managed to shatter the alien species amidst the soul power and lightning flames!
"You are merely realm Realm Master; how could you possibly inherit my true Soul Pact Technique?"
The ancient emperor of the Soul Ming Clan, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint, suddenly stood before the Black Soul Coffin, his arms outstretched, countless black threads tearing out from his joints, like ripped soul ropes, making a creaking sound.
Immediately afterwards!
Within that withered, decaying skeleton, a voice of ten thousand souls, like a hellish chant, pierced through heaven and earth:
"Thousand Netherworld Soul Pact Blood-Shattering Curse—Arise!"
Boom boom boom boom boom!!
In an instant, the fifty-odd alien corpses began to self-destruct their soul cores! Each alien, at the moment of its explosion, poured its entire existence—soul consciousness, flesh, poisonous flames, corpse lightning, curse talismans, and so on—into the body of the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint!
Within a few breaths!
The entire ruins were bathed in blood-red light, with swirling winds and the sky itself seeming to drip blood.
A black blood Soul Pact array that reached straight to the sky emerged from beneath the feet of the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint. Its patterns moved like living things, piecing together in the air to form the Ten Thousand Skulls Curse Seal.
"Cough... something's not right—retreat!"
A cold glint flashed in Elder Ming Er's eyes, but before he could finish speaking, he was blasted away by a huge wave of soul power. His body crashed into a stone pillar, his soul bones shattered, and blood gushed out!
Ming Yin, Ming Zhi, and Ming Luo all retreated simultaneously! But the Soul Pact Technique had already completely covered the battlefield!
Their soul domains collapsed instantly, their soul lamps shattered, their auras became chaotic, and blood gushed from their mouths, ears, and noses, falling to the ground!
All four of them were seriously injured!
Only Elder Ming Tong remained standing there.
Faced with the overwhelming, soul-binding frenzy of the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint, Ming Tong's eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was in disarray.
He slammed his palms together, and the dormant, thousand-year-old Silent Origin power within his body finally awakened completely at this moment!
Boom--!
The soul power of the Silent Source Realm swept out like a raging torrent from the Realm Sea, crushing space and shattering the corpse array!
"You, if I don't tear you to pieces today, how can I live up to the sect's oath?"
Ming Tong slowly stepped forward, his battle intent pressing down on the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint like a towering abyss.
"Corpse Soul Transformation, rebellious bones wielding curses? Do you truly believe that no one in my Ming Clan can subdue you?"
Ming Tong slowly raised his head, and the aura of the Silent Origin instantly erupted from his body, as if the bottom of the abyss of the origin had been broken. The rolling soul breath condensed like a purgatory tide, carrying an extremely cold and murderous aura that was enough to shake the Ten Directions Soul Era.
With a tremor of his right palm, five dark blue soul patterns emerged from his arm bone, and the soul shadow behind him transformed into a Silent Abyss soul god, towering above the heavens.
"Soul- Silent Severance of the Firmament Soul Arts - Severing the Azure Sky - Activate!"
Boom--!!!
At that moment, the earth seemed to turn upside down and the sky seemed to crack!
Ming Tong took a step forward, and a lotus of Leaving Stillness light formed beneath his feet. His soul power condensed into a nine-ringed Silent Abyss, completely sealing the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint into his soul domain!
Faced with such suppression, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint remained completely calm. With its ten fingers dancing and grasping at the souls, it pulled the fifty dissipated alien corpses back from the void!
"You junior of the Ming Clan... If I, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint, could be trapped and killed by you with only the remnants of my original power, then how can I be called the 'Soul Nether Ancient Emperor'?"
The next moment!
"Ten Thousand Souls Returning to Destruction Formation - Reverse Inscription Death Rotation!"
Swish!!
Countless shadows of skeletal spirits appeared in the sky, as if all the remnants of the Soul Realm Sea had been summoned. When they erupted, they actually devoured the Silent Origin Soul Domain in reverse, tearing apart the originally sealed Nine-Ring Silent Abyss!
Ming Tong's expression suddenly hardened, and she abruptly blocked the wave of bones with her palm!
On the battlefield, soul pressures clashed, and silent flames mingled with the tide of corpses, turning the entire ruins into a field of destruction!
Ming Tong's figure blurred into afterimages, and ten Soul Seal, like rotating stars in the sky, struck the body of the Bone Saint each time.
Meanwhile, the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint transformed into a nine-headed illusory corpse, continuously unleashing extremely Yin techniques such as chain corpse arts, bone explosion curses, and soul-destroying fingers, each strike shattering the Ming Tong Soul Barrier!
In an instant--
The entire battlefield resounded with explosions, thunderous energy clashed, and the sky turned a dark, blood-red hue.
Ming Tong and the Relic Curse Skeleton Saint clashed in the sky for three hundred breaths, yet the outcome remained uncertain!
The sky suddenly changed, and black soul cracks spread out, as if even the Heavenly Dao itself did not want to witness what was about to happen.
Click!
A cracking sound, seemingly spanning billions of years, resounded across the ruins.
The next moment, an ancient sword radiating both eerie green and jet-black soul flames slowly descended from the void.
This sword is entirely black, with a spine that meanders like a bone snake, while the blade gleams with a chilling green light. Its aura carries an indescribable "soul-trembling," as if the resentment and obsession of billions of corpses have coalesced into form.
Before the blade arrives, the soul is already in turmoil; before the edge falls, the Soul Realm collapses!
"This is... the [Netherworld Ancient Blade - Devouring World Soul Severing], a technique lost for ten thousand years by the Soul Ming Clan!"
Ming Tong's pupils contracted, sensing an instinctive crisis originating from the Death Abyss within the power of the Silent Origin.
⸻
Sword Technique: Sever Soul, Devour Realm
The Relic Curse Skeleton Saint held the ancient sword with both hands. As the sword hummed, countless wailing totems of souls appeared, each blade containing the desperate echo of a devoured soul.
"The soul that has reached its end, return to the netherworld."
Boom--!
"Sever Soul, Devour Realm - Slay."
At that moment, the ancient sword struck down, and the entire space seemed to be wiped out!
The Soul Realm, the rules, and even time itself created the illusion of a momentary standstill.
Elder Ming Tong roared, forcefully summoning three layers of Silent Origin Soul Seal to block in front of him.
Bang!!!
The triple Soul Seal shattered instantly!
The blade's edge, like the judgment of death, directly cleaved through the aura of the Silent Origin, sending Ming Tong flying hundreds of feet backward before crashing heavily into the shattered forest of steles!
"Cough--"
Ming Tong suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood from his soul, staining the stone platform in front of him red. His face was as pale as paper, and his breath weakened rapidly.
The entire battlefield fell silent once more, except for the ancient Netherworld Blade, which remained suspended in mid-air, its humming incessant, as if chanting a whispered judgment that was not yet over...
The power of the Netherworld Ancient Blade had not yet dissipated, yet Ming Tong slowly rose, her eyes blazing with Silent Origin abyss. She slowly took something from her sleeve—
That was a spirit flag.
The flag was as dark as night, its edges adorned with the teeth and soul bones of unknown creatures. Every inch of its pattern seemed woven from the vengeful spirits of countless beings, and the flagpole curved like a dragon's spine, exuding an ancient pressure. The entire space froze the moment the soul flag appeared, as if the Heavenly Dao had been choked, and the river of soul power trembled!
Ming Tong moved her lips and murmured softly:
"Summon ten thousand souls, seal the Nine Nether, and annihilate Return to the Ruins..."
The Silent Soul Banner - The Overturn Realm, Final Severance!
The next instant, the flag fluttered wildly, dancing without wind, and billions of soul shadows roared out from it. Wherever it passed, the void collapsed, the tide of corpses froze, and the soul curse dissipated!
The Relic Curse Skeleton Saint roared and swung the Netherworld Ancient Blade, attempting to annihilate the overwhelming wave of souls, but it only lasted for a moment!
--Then the ancient Netherworld Blade shattered inch by inch!
The power of the Soul Banner was like a divine tide bursting its banks, peeling away the layers of the Bone Saint's body, shattering his soul core, and reducing his remains to nothingness amidst the devouring of countless Netherworld Souls!
At the same time, the dozens of strange beasts, skeletal spirits, and otherworldly poisonous insects that it summoned were completely annihilated by this wave of souls, leaving not a trace!
In the dead of night, only Ming Tong, holding the Soul Flag, stood alone in the shattered Corpse Realm, peerless and unparalleled, like the return of the Underworld Emperor!
The winds of Annihilation, like the final whispers of death, slowly echoed across the shattered earth after the black light unfurled by the battle banner dissipated.
At this moment, the once desolate area, filled with the roars of countless strange beasts and the rolling tide of corpses, has become absolutely silent.
Everything was still.
The soul flag hanging between heaven and earth still flutters in the windless air, bearing countless Extinction Trace, as if reflecting the end of an era.
The four elders, Ming Er, Ming Yin, Ming Zhi, and Ming Luo, were all pale-faced, heavily injured, and in a sorry state. They struggled to their feet, their gazes fixed on the black-clad woman in front of them who had wiped out countless enemies with a wave of her hand— Ming Tong.
She stood behind the Soul Flag, her hair disheveled, her Soul Armor shattered, and blood still seeping from the corner of her lips, but the divine aura emanating from her still resonated powerfully.
"That... that is... a Soul Flag of the Origin Soul Weapon level?" Elder Ming Zhi's throat moved slightly as he whispered, his voice hoarse and filled with lingering fear.
Elder Ming Yin was still in a daze for a long time. "She... all by herself, actually fought against the Soul Nether Ancient Emperor, and... and even wiped out all those ancient corpse monsters?"
Ming Luo's eyes trembled violently, unable to conceal the horror in his heart. "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed that such heaven-destroying and soul-annihilating power existed in this world..."
Ming Er stared at the Soul Flag in Ming Tong's hand, which was slowly falling silent, a complex and awe-inspiring look deep within his eyes. "She may have... touched upon the true essence of the Silent Origin..."
The four had barely finished speaking.
Ming Tong slowly raised her eyes, her gaze slightly narrowed, and looked at the collapsed, scorched earth in the center of the battlefield.
Just where the Soul Nether Ancient Emperor and the horde of zombie beasts he summoned had all Annihilation, a black tubular object, half-buried in the ground and charred black, suddenly appeared in the void that had been torn apart by the battle flag.
It lay silently amidst the collapsed earth and rubble, like an uncorrupted skeleton in an ancient tomb, motionless, carrying a sense of oppressive stillness as if time had stood still.
Suddenly, a wisp of purple-gold light began to slowly flow from the black tube!
It was neither blazing nor dazzling, but rather a faint light, like that of a newly born star, winding its way out along the cracks in the tube wall, like the blood of an ancient god reviving from its seal, slow yet possessing a penetrating power that could pierce the soul.
The pupils of the five elders contracted almost simultaneously at that moment!
"What is that...?"
Ming Yin a daze, as if voicing the only question on everyone's mind.
Elder Ming Tong's gaze narrowed slightly as she slowly stepped forward. With each step she took, subtle soul waves trembled on the ground, as if responding to the rhythm of the purple-gold light.
She approached the section of the black coffin, probed it with her divine sense, and in an instant—she was jolted as if struck by lightning.
"This is..."
She murmured, her voice filled with undisguised excitement and shock:
"... One of the fragments of Silent Origin Relic!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the world Ji Ran.
The five elders were all shaken, and almost simultaneously fell silent:
"What did you say?! Silent Origin Relic?!"
The coffin section suddenly trembled slightly at that moment, as if some kind of restriction had been completely broken.
Boom--!
A pure, silent light, like the primordial essence that had been precipitated over countless ages, slowly rose from the black coffin wall.
In the center of that silent light, a fragment shaped like a crescent blade floated silently, its surface covered with ancient cracks, yet shimmering with purple-gold light between the cracks, as if containing the power to reverse eternity.
At this moment, the entire Ancient Soul Forest battlefield seemed to be slowly humming towards it.
It is not the wind, nor the power of the soul, but the submission and worship of all things to it.
At this moment, Ming Tong murmured softly, her tone calm yet resolute:
"The ancient emperor came for this fragment. Alas... he ultimately succumbed to the tides of time."