Mutation

The gray fog seemed endless, like a lingering nightmare. Yinglong's steps were a little steadier than before. The continuous flow of pure energy from her dark blue core was like a trickle. Although it didn't restore much of her fighting power, it did stabilize her crumbling foundation, giving her the strength to continue.

She stopped running around like a headless fly and began to consciously follow a certain induction. This induction did not come from the outside world, but from the silent core within her sleeve—it seemed to have a stronger desire to "absorb" certain specific types of areas containing fragments of older and more obscure laws.

This core relies on instinct to select "food" for itself.

The areas it chooses often have more chaotic and distorted laws and a more eerie aura, but precisely because of this, the pursuers' tentacles seem wary of this and dare not go too deep.

Following this silent guidance, she trekked across a plain that was shattered like a mirror, reflecting countless distorted images; she crossed a canyon made of solidified black lightning, which emitted a low humming sound; and finally, she stopped at the edge of a huge abyss that looked like it had been torn apart by sharp claws.

Beneath the abyss, not pure darkness, swirled a thick, living, dark purple mist. Within this mist, countless massive shadows pulsated like blood vessels, emanating a soul-chilling chill and... an indescribable, ancient, and sinister pressure.

The atmosphere here is far more dangerous than anywhere else before.

The core within his sleeve, however, at this moment, emitted an unprecedented, intense wave of desire! It was an almost greedy suction force, aimed directly at the abyss below, at the deepest part of the dark purple mist!

Yinglong frowned. She could sense that beneath the abyss, hidden within lay something extremely terrifying. Perhaps it was the lingering resentment of an ancient demon god, or perhaps some forbidden existence nurtured within the very essence of the Nine Netherworlds. Even in her prime, she wouldn't have been willing to venture there.

But now...

She glanced at her still weak body, and felt the unquestionable "guidance" from her core.

There is no other choice.

She took a deep breath, without hesitation, and jumped into the heart-pounding dark purple abyss.

The descent felt like passing through a thick, icy gel. Dark purple mists surged forward, carrying soul-corroding malice and chaotic howling. Yinglong's body automatically glowed with a faint crimson light to resist, but he still felt the biting cold and waves of dizziness.

The core within the sleeve, however, seemed to have returned to its mother body, becoming unusually "active." No longer content to passively absorb the scattered fragments of laws, it actively emitted an invisible force field, like a miniature black hole, frantically devouring the dark purple energy that contained the ultimate negativity and ancient laws!

As if stirred by an invisible hand, the dark purple mist formed a vortex that poured into Yinglong's cuffs. After absorbing this energy, the dark blue light at the core began to undergo visible changes! The color became deeper, almost inky blue, and the slowly flowing black lines of annihilation within seemed to be infused with vitality, becoming clearer and more complex, even emitting a faint sense of... majesty.

The speed at which it grows is astonishing!

Yinglong's heart was filled with alarm. This frenzied, all-consuming tactic could certainly rapidly increase the core's power, but it also had a high probability of disrupting the newly established balance within it! The ancient evil and chaotic will contained within that dark purple energy was definitely not good!

She tried to convey a warning through the connection to restrain its behavior.

This time, however, the core did not respond.

It was completely immersed in absorbing this huge and "delicious" energy, and showed a kind of... disregard for her thoughts.

Even an extremely faint sense of resistance, with a touch of coldness and alienation, was transmitted back along the connection.

Yinglong's heart sank suddenly.

It no longer relied on and trusted her as completely as before.

The rapid increase in strength made it begin to have... its own ideas.

Just when her uneasiness reached its peak, something strange happened!

At the bottom of the abyss, at the core of the swirling dark purple mist, a pair of enormous pupils burning with dark green flames suddenly lit up!

A terrifying will so huge that it was despairing, like an awakened ancient beast, came crashing down, firmly locking onto the dark blue core that was madly devouring energy, and... Yinglong carrying the core!

"How dare you, an ant... steal the origin?!"

The ancient and obscure divine consciousness, filled with overwhelming anger, pierced into Yinglong's sea of ​​consciousness like billions of ice cones!

"puff--!"

Yinglong's already weak soul suffered such a severe blow that he could no longer suppress it. A mouthful of golden divine blood spurted out, and his body fell downwards like a kite with a broken string!

The core within the sleeve, under the pressure of that terrifying will, abruptly stopped devouring. It seemed to sense the mortal threat, its dark blue light flickering rapidly, its internal annihilation patterns swirling frantically, emitting a powerful combination of defense and... hostility!

It was no longer absorbing unconsciously, but like a beast whose territory had been invaded, it took a posture of resistance!

At the bottom of the abyss, the dark purple mist gathered madly and condensed into a giant claw that covered the sky and the sun, composed of resentment and evil laws. With the breath of annihilation, it grabbed the falling Yinglong and the core in her sleeve fiercely!

Life and death are just a matter of a moment!