The True Face of the Rule Tumor

Using the Compass's newly unlocked [Astral Shuttle] ability, and the potential unleashed by the team under extreme pressure, Su Yan and the others were like faint sparks burning on the netherworld's soil, forcefully tearing open a winding and difficult path through the inescapable net laid by the End Times Cult.

They traversed treacherous boulder forests and spatial turbulence zones, evaded several large-scale encirclements, and dealt with wave after wave of ambushes and bizarre environmental traps. Everyone bore wounds, their spiritual and mental energy depleted to their limits. Even Star Vortex's beautiful ink-purple carapace had lost its luster, covered in crisscrossing battle scars. Yet, their gazes grew firmer, their target clearer—the suffocating, foul, and twisted source ahead, pulsing like a heart.

Finally, after breaking through the last defensive line composed of numerous elite cultists and several enhanced corrupted creatures, the scene before them suddenly opened up, yet it made them hold their breath instantly, feeling a tremor from the depths of their souls.

It was a vast, sunken basin. The edges of the basin were distorted and blurred, as if forcibly torn and reshaped by an invisible force. In the center of the basin, there was no land, no rock, only an indescribable "entity" so massive it filled their entire field of vision.

It was a colossal being that continuously pulsed, contracted, and expanded. Its surface was not solid but formed by countless chaotic, distorted, and conflicting lines of rules forcibly fused with viscous, foul dark energy, like a living, festering cosmic scar. Countless phantoms of souls wailing in agony appeared on its surface, struggled, and were then mercilessly devoured, becoming nourishment for its pulsations. This was the "Core of the Fallen God," the "Rule Tumor" they had been searching for!

Beneath the Rule Tumor, a colossal altar constructed from countless bones, twisted metal, and glowing runes operated at full power, continuously channeling the stream-like soul energy gathered from all directions (the captured "living souls") into the Rule Tumor above. The Rule Tumor's pulsations grew stronger, and the chaotic ripples it emitted caused the entire basin's space to subtly distort, as if it could collapse completely at any moment.

And directly in front of the massive, pulsating Rule Tumor, a figure floated silently in mid-air.

He wore a black imperial robe inlaid with dark gold patterns, a broken crown on his head, his face shrouded in a layer of flowing shadow, with only his eyes resembling bottomless black holes that devoured all light. The pressure emanating from him was like a tangible mountain, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts, causing even the dense miasma around him to bow in reverence. In his hand, he held a long sword seemingly forged from pure shadow, its blade dripping black droplets that corroded space.

[Nether Hall Master · Ying Hai] (Area Boss) Level: 42!

A Level 42 Area Boss! This was the most powerful enemy they had faced thus far!

"Finally... you've arrived here." Nether Hall Master Ying Hai spoke, his voice no longer merely telepathic but resonating directly in reality, deep, hoarse, with a metallic grating quality, as if from the deepest abyss. "I thought you would perish along the way, becoming an insignificant part of these myriad sacrifices."

His gaze swept over them, finally settling on the Compass in Su Yan's hand, a barely perceptible ripple flashing in his black hole-like eyes: "The aura of order... nauseating. But soon, all of this will be thoroughly purified."

The moment Su Yan's and Ying Hai's eyes met, the Compass in his embrace erupted with an unprecedented, blazing silver light! The Compass, with its repair at 65%, seemed to be fully activated upon such close contact with the Rule Tumor's core!

"Boom!"

Ten times stronger and a hundred times clearer than before in the depression, a torrent of memories surged into Su Yan's mind like a bursting river, and through the Compass's resonance, it was faintly shared with his companions!

They "saw"... in an unimaginably distant era, a great being known as the "Netherworld Emperor You Huan" ruled the netherworld, presided over reincarnation, and maintained the balance of life and death. However, outer-realm celestial demons invaded, and a fierce war that engulfed the three realms erupted. To protect the foundation of the netherworld, Netherworld Emperor You Huan confronted a pure "End" source force from outside the world head-on... He succeeded, preventing the complete eruption of the End force at that time, but its core was tightly entangled and eroded by this foulness... His divine body disintegrated, his unyielding will and the core of the netherworld laws he controlled were forcibly fused and polluted under the distortion of the End force, ultimately... transforming into the pulsating, screaming "Rule Tumor" before them!

It was both the tool and coordinate for the End force to invade the world, and the eternal cage and source of suffering for the Emperor who once protected the world!

"So... that's how it is..." Bai Zhi's eyes welled up with tears. She felt not fear, but endless pity and heartache. A guardian had been twisted into the source of destruction.

Mo Hen and Yun Ji also wore expressions of shock and solemnity, finally understanding the tragic and cruel truth behind the "Rule Tumor."

Su Yan tightly gripped the Compass, his fingernails almost digging into his palm. He felt not just memories from the Compass, but also a faint yet incredibly firm lament and unwillingness from the residual will of Netherworld Emperor You Huan!

"Boring sentimentality," Nether Hall Master Ying Hai's voice cut through his thoughts indifferently. "The fall of old gods is the cornerstone for the birth of new order. It is an honor for it to be the first Anchor Point for the 'Well of Guixu' to descend into this world."

He slowly raised the shadow longsword in his hand. "Now, the game is over. Offer your souls as well!"

The battle instantly erupted!

Ying Hai didn't even move. With a mere wave of his shadow longsword, countless rifts tore open around the basin. The remains of cultists and corrupted creatures they had previously killed were forcibly reassembled by an invisible force, infused with dark energy, transforming into more ferocious [Resurrected Corpse Demons] and [Vengeful Spirit Aggregates] that lunged at them with roars! He had distorted the local rules of life and death!

Simultaneously, an icy, bone-chilling death will enveloped Su Yan and the others, the system prompts blaring warnings—[Instant Death Judgment]! Periodically, if they failed to pass a willpower check or possess sufficient protection, they would be instantly killed!

"Mo Hen, Bai Zhi, clear the fodder, hold the line!" Su Yan roared, simultaneously channeling the Compass with all his might. "[Starlight Barrier]!"

A brilliant starlight barrier unfolded once more. This time, more complex runes flowed across the barrier, not only resisting physical and energy attacks but also forcefully isolating the terrifying will of the Instant Death Judgment! However, maintaining the barrier consumed an immense amount, and Su Yan's face instantly turned pale.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Ji!"

"Understood!" Yun Ji's hands moved like dancing butterflies, sending streams of improved [Mystic Yin Soul Suppressing Talismans] like ice-blue butterflies towards Ying Hai. They didn't attack directly but precisely landed on the invisible energy connection between him and the Rule Tumor behind, attempting to interfere and disrupt it.

Mo Hen's mechanical devices unleashed full firepower, cooperating with Bai Zhi's wide-area Buddhist light and [Golden Cudgel Spell] to arduously fend off the seemingly endless stream of resurrected monsters. Star Vortex let out a long cry, transforming into a resolute silver light, and charged directly at Ying Hai's main body! "[Star Vortex Sky Rend Strike]!"

"Ants trying to shake a tree," Ying Hai snorted coldly. He casually swung his shadow longsword, and a massive black rift, capable of cleaving space, lunged towards Star Vortex!

"[Astral Shuttle]!" Su Yan endured the agonizing pain in his mental energy and activated the ability again!

With a flash of starlight, Star Vortex's figure was forcibly relocated at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the fatal rift, appearing on Ying Hai's flank, its claws descending with the ferocity of tearing everything apart!

"Screech!" Ying Hai's imperial robe was torn open, revealing not flesh and blood beneath, but a body of churning, viscous shadow. This was the first time he had been hit!

"You dare!" Ying Hai was clearly enraged. He stopped holding back, and his shadow longsword erupted with darkness that devoured all light. The laws of the entire basin began to distort violently, and various terrifying negative statuses began to stack on everyone. Simultaneously, he unleashed the massive-area spell "[Shadow Annihilation]," a tide of black energy sweeping outwards like a tsunami, a terrifying attack capable of instantly killing the entire party!

"[Starlight Barrier! Hold!]" Su Yan poured all his remaining spiritual power into the Compass in a desperate gamble. The starlight barrier fluctuated violently, as if it would shatter at any moment. Mo Hen and Bai Zhi also exerted their utmost effort in defense and healing.

At this critical juncture of life and death—

The Rule Tumor, which had been silently pulsating, seemed to be strongly stimulated by the Compass's silver light, or perhaps the residual unyielding will of Netherworld Emperor You Huan within seized this opportunity of external interference. It suddenly underwent violent, unstable expansion and contraction!

"Buzz--!!!"

An energy surge of extreme chaos, filled with pain, anger, and destruction, like an uncontrolled stellar explosion, swept outwards from the Rule Tumor in all directions indiscriminately!

This power recognized no friend or foe! The first to bear the brunt was Nether Hall Master Ying Hai, who was closest! He grunted, the shadows around him in disarray, and the energy connection with the Rule Tumor was forcibly severed. The [Shadow Annihilation] he had half-cast also came to an abrupt halt!

Su Yan and the others were also violently thrown back by this ferocious shockwave, the Starlight Barrier shattering instantly. Everyone was injured and in disarray.

The entire ritual core area plunged into an even more dangerous and unpredictable chaos!

The Rule Tumor, an entity that was both the source of tragedy and a weapon of destruction, finally revealed its completely uncontrolled fangs, capable of destroying everything!