A fierce battle erupted deep within the Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone. Among the hundreds of suspended coffins hid creatures no weaker than Saint Kings.
Yet there were only two such beings at the Saint King level. They were swiftly overwheld and eradicated by the combined forces of the Azure Nether Dao Domain. Though the Azure Nether side suffered casualties in the clash, the victory ca quickly.
The group then descended into the depths of the heavenly pit.
"This… this is…"
Everyone froze in place.
Beneath the earth lay a colossal crimson tree that towered into the darkness. Every branch glead like red agate. From them hung fruits shaped like various living creatures in miniature.
"Perhaps… it wasn't our vital blood that awakened the creatures in those coffins. Maybe they were guarding this tree all along—trying to keep us from discovering it!"
A Saint King murmured, voice trembling.
The sight before them shattered his understanding. A single tree appeared to be gestating the myriad forms of life itself. What kind of mad ambition was this?
Clearly, though, the tree had failed.
A Saint stepped forward out of curiosity and plucked one of the fruits. It resembled a small bat-like creature with black wings—no larger than a basketball.
"This is a supre dicine!"
The Saint's face lit with wild joy. Though it fell short of a true sacred herb, it was still an exceedingly rare opportunity. And the tree bore thousands upon thousands of such fruits—dense and countless. In total value, they rivaled or even surpassed a single sacred herb.
The crowd erupted in delight.
This was a treasure land!
The worth of a single blood tree in one pit alone matched that of a sacred herb—perhaps even exceeded it.
Even Su Chen felt his heart stir. Because within the Ancient Tomb Forbidden Zone, such heavenly pits were far too nurous. What kind of existence had created all this?
"There is definitely a great secret hidden here!"
Su Chen grew deeply wary.
After dividing the fruits from the blood tree, the group affectionately nad it.
The Myriad Spirits Treasure Tree.
They left the pit and pressed onward, sweeping through the zone. As expected, every subsequent heavenly pit contained its own Myriad Spirits Treasure Tree.
"This isn't a forbidden zone at all—it's clearly a blessed land!"
They cleared one pit after another.
Yet the deeper they ventured, the greater the danger grew.
"How many damn pits are there in this place?"
After successive battles, aside from Su Chen, every Saint King had sustained injuries. Though the gains were imnse, the casualties were equally heavy.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Still… everything they had seen so far seed to be rely the tip of the iceberg.
At that mont, a terrifying aura erupted.
A figure wrapped entirely in white bandages radiated overwhelming power. Behind it lood an endless starry sky. It wielded a treasured pagoda and was locked in combat with another being.
Su Chen's gaze pierced through space. He saw clearly that the one battling the bandaged figure was none other than the leader of the Black Nether Demon Domain.
"Divine King Physique… That is actually a Divine King Physique creature. Why has it ended up in such a state?"
The being fighting the Black Nether leader was unmistakably a Divine King Physique—one of the most powerful physiques in existence. Yet now it had beco sothing neither human nor ghost.
This was a small-achievent Divine King Physique that had reached the Saint King realm—its divine might unrivaled.
The clash between the two supre beings shook heaven and earth.
"What in the world has the Black Nether Demon Domain done?"
The crowd watched in horror as a vast army of desiccated corpses surged forward like a tide of locusts, pursuing the Black Nether forces without end. The numbers only continued to swell.
"Not good—retreat at once!"
Su Chen had no intention of intervening. The sheer volu was overwhelming. One after another, Black Nether powerhouses vanished beneath the corpse tide, swallowed without raising the slightest ripple.
The living beings of the Azure Nether Dao Domain retreated along their original path in full retreat. But they soon discovered that the way back had vanished entirely. A wave of numbness crawled over their scalps. With no other choice, they gritted their teeth and pressed forward.
"Where… is this place?"
They found themselves in a mysterious realm. It resembled an enormous mountain—so towering that its peak could not be seen, making them feel infinitesimally small. Behind them, the survivors of the Black Nether Demon Domain pursued relentlessly, trailed by an endless tide of corpses.
The eerie atmosphere chilled them to the bone. Sothing unspeakably terrifying seed to lurk within, waiting.
Su Chen made the decision without hesitation. "Going inside may be our only chance of survival!"
No one wavered. They plunged straight into the mountain. The remaining Black Nether survivors followed without pause, diving in after them.
The corpse tide, however, halted at the base of the towering peak. They roared and howled in fury and unwillingness, yet not a single one dared to take a single step inside.
Seeing this, neither the Azure Nether nor Black Nether cultivators showed any sign of relief. They understood clearly: whatever existed here was far more dreadful—sothing even the corpse tide feared.
"Nangong Chen? Is that really you? You entered this place too?"
A figure erged from the depths of the divine mountain amid the trendous disturbance. It was one of the Azure Nether Dao Domain prodigies who had been trapped here long ago.
Su Chen recognized him at once. "Yuwen Wushuang?"
Yuwen Wushuang nodded.
"What happened here?" Su Chen asked.
Yuwen Wushuang gave a bitter laugh. "This place is extrely strange. Very few of us are still alive. The rest have died… and turned into grotesque, deford monsters driven purely by the instinct to kill."
He led Su Chen and the others to a site where corpses were piled into mountains.
"They all underwent mutation right here and beca those things."
Su Chen surveyed the scene: masses of mangled flesh, unrecognizable monstrosities covered in fangs and gaping maws. Even with his discerning eyes, it was clear—these beings had been utterly transford by so unknown influence, evolving into an entirely alien form of monster.
Yuwen Wushuang smiled bleakly. "Nangong Chen… this may very well be our final fate. Everyone here will eventually be affected. We'll all turn into sothing neither human nor ghost."
Su Chen's heart sank. In his previous life, the Demon Abyss had also caused countless creatures to undergo unknown mutations under the radiation of the Demon Mountain. But those changes had been nowhere near as horrifying as this.
Su Chen casually seized one of the Black Nether Demon Domain survivors.
"Nangong Chen, what are you doing?"
The four remaining Black Nether powerhouses who had escaped the tide glared at him in fury.
Su Chen stripped the captive of his cultivation without a word. In almost the sa instant, terrifying changes erupted across the Black Nether cultivator's body. His flesh twisted and distorted visibly at terrifying speed.
Under Su Chen's emotionless gaze, the man crumbled into flying ash.
"It seems the speed of mutation is directly tied to one's cultivation level."
Su Chen repeated the experint several more tis. He showed no rcy whatsoever.
Without their leader, the Black Nether cultivators were no different from lambs awaiting slaughter in his presence.
"If we don't leave this place soon, we will all end up the sa way."
Dread gripped the hearts of everyone present. Every single test yielded the sa result: sooner or later, regardless of duration, mutation began.
User Comments
0 comments from readers