Chapter 90: Trap.
The moment I fell, the world spun.
Bu Xingjin forced his eyes open, a sweet sensation in his throat as a mouthful of blood surged up. He glanced around, seeing everyone around him lying on the ground in disarray.
Gu Jiuge was severely injured, his bones visible through the scars on his chest, and he had already passed out. Baili Xuan, Xie Qingchen, and the others were also injured. They were staggering to their feet and surveying their surroundings warily.
There was no spiritual energy in the air, and it was dead silent.
The sky was gray, the sun was gone. In the distance, there were only collapsed buildings and broken walls, their original appearance unrecognizable. The ground was dry and cracked, and not a single living thing could be seen.
The whole world is dead.
"Where is this..." Xu Dan covered his chest, feeling the deathly aura of this world, his face looking very unhappy.
Qing Yan stood beside Bu Xingjin, supporting his swaying body. He looked at the devastated land, and for the first time, his usually calm eyes showed a noticeable wave of emotion.
"The last era." His voice was very low, as if he was talking to himself.
As soon as these four words were spoken, the hearts of all those who were awake sank.
They witnessed with their own eyes what a world looked like after it was swallowed by Lord Haotian.
Here lies the future of their own world.
No one spoke, but everyone held their weapons tighter.
The old man, transformed from the sacred Xuanwu beast, gazed upon the wasteland, his large eyes filled with sorrow. He extended a finger, and a drop of black blood fell onto the cracked ground.
The land did not respond.
"The roots are gone, nothing can grow." Xuanwu's voice was very old. "The God has used this place as his warehouse and garbage dump."
Everyone followed Xuanwu and walked deeper into the ruins.
They stopped in a half-collapsed temple.
In the middle of the temple, on a fallen altar, a tattered stone box lay half-open, and five faint rays of light shone through the cracks in the box.
It is a fragment of the Heavenly Dao.
Bu Xingjin stepped forward and opened the stone box. Five fragments of the Heavenly Dao lay quietly inside, as if they had been waiting for a very long time.
He collected the fragments, and together with the three on his body, he now had eight pieces.
At this moment, Bu Xingjin's whole body stiffened.
A chill rose from his back, exactly the same feeling he had seen in his dream.
He suddenly raised his head and looked outside the collapsed roof of the temple.
Three black spots appeared in the gray sky at some point.
The black spot grew rapidly, and three powerful pressures descended from the sky, making it hard to breathe.
That power is much stronger than all the masters in this world.
Three figures slowly descended, hovering above the ruins of the temple, coldly gazing down upon the people below. The leader wore black dragon-patterned armor and held a Fang Tian Hua Ji. The other two, one with a long sword hanging from his waist and the other carrying an ancient sword, also exuded an unfathomable aura.
They were the three people who besieged Qing Yan in Bu Xingjin’s dream.
Under the throne of the God, there are three great generals.
"Qing Yan." The leading general spoke, his voice devoid of emotion, "You are still alive."
His eyes swept over Bu Xingjin who was standing next to Qing Yan. "The new seeds of the World Tree are also here. Great, it saves us the trouble of searching for them."
"By the order of the Lord God, I send you on your way."
As soon as the words fell, the battle began.
"Friend Bu, take care of yourself!" Baili Xuan shouted, carrying a wine gourd and rushing into the sky to meet the divine general carrying an ancient sword.
Xie Qingchen, Yun Luo, Liu Liyue, and Xu Dan looked at each other, and immediately followed and surrounded them from four directions.
"Leave this one to me." The sacred beast Xuanwu roared, turned back into its original form as big as a hill, and rushed towards the general with a long sword hanging on his waist.
Qing Yan looked at the general leading the group holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji, and the sword in his hand made a clear sound.
"I'll deal with him." He said to Bu Xingjin, and then disappeared from the spot.
Bu Xingjin immediately retreated to the back, protecting the unconscious Gu Jiuge behind him, while observing the entire battlefield.
Baili Xuan and his companions, five against one, were ultimately outmatched. The divine general's swordsmanship was sophisticated and brutal, each strike imbued with the power of the law. For the first time, Baili Xuan's punch was directly blocked, and Xie Qingchen's signature agility was rendered useless against him. After only a few rounds, Liu Liyue was struck by a sword energy and fell with a grunt.
The fiercest fight took place on the side of the sacred Xuanwu. He and the swordsman general engaged in a head-on physical confrontation, each collision causing the shattered earth to crack again. But the general's swordsmanship was very tricky, leaving deep white marks on the Xuanwu's thick shell.
Qingyan's side is the most dangerous.
He was already injured, and he was practically fighting for his life against the leading divine general. The divine general's Fang Tian Hua Ji swung wildly, each stroke slicing through space, forcing Qing Yan to dodge continuously. Even so, several new wounds quickly appeared on his body.
"puff!"
Qing Yan dodged the fatal blow to his heart, but his shoulder was hit by the halberd blade, causing a string of blood.
Bu Xingjin's eyes were red and his fists were clenched tightly.
He wanted to go up and help, but he knew that with his current strength, rushing forward would only drag Qing Yan down.
We must find a way to break the deadlock.
Bu Xingjin forced himself to calm down, his mind racing.
He suddenly noticed a detail. Although the three great generals were powerful, their aura would weaken slightly each time they attacked, as if they were being suppressed by this world.
He himself stood on this lifeless ground. Although the system could no longer absorb cultivation from the outside, the power of the World Tree within his body gave him an indescribable sense of familiarity. It was as if the land beneath his feet was crying out for help.
An idea popped into his mind.
I can mobilize the remaining power of this world.
Bu Xingjin no longer hesitated. He sat down cross-legged and took out the five Heavenly Dao fragments he had just obtained, along with the three he already had.
Eight fragments of the Heavenly Dao floated in front of him, emitting a faint light.
"Not enough, not enough!" Bu Xingjin growled.
He sank his spiritual consciousness into the land beneath his feet and felt the deep resentment that the land had accumulated over countless years towards the God.
"In my name, let heaven and earth resonate!"
Bu Xingjin turned back into a small herb, with countless green roots digging deep into the cracked earth.
He used himself as a catalyst and began to absorb the remaining resentment in the world.
Streams of gray mist rose from every corner of the ruins and from every crack in the earth, all rushing towards Bu Xingjin.
The expressions of the three fighting generals changed for the first time.
"What is he doing? Stop him!" The leading general noticed something was wrong, and forced Qing Yan back with a halberd, and was about to rush towards Bu Xingjin.
At this moment, Qing Yan, regardless of his injuries, turned into a sword light and entangled him tightly.
"Your opponent is me."
On the other side, Xuanwu, Baili Xuan and others also tried their best to buy time for Bu Xingjin.
Bu Xingjin's original form, the grass, has been wrapped into a huge cocoon by thick gray resentment.
He violently pressed the eight pieces of Heavenly Dao fragments into his body.
“Fusion!”
The eight fragments merged into one within him.
At the moment of fusion, a pure life force from the World Tree burst out from Bu Xingjin's body.
Green light and gray resentment, two completely opposite forces, intertwined together under his guidance.
Bu Xingjin suddenly opened his eyes and changed back into human form from plant form.
He raised his hand, looked towards the sky, and spoke each word clearly.
"World domain, open!"
With him as the center, a large translucent light shield instantly expanded, covering the three divine generals and all the people who were fighting.
In the area, gray fog filled the air and green light flowed.
The three generals' faces changed drastically. They found that their connection with the outside world had been cut off, and the power within their bodies was suppressed even more. However, Qing Yan, Xuan Wu and the others' injuries began to slowly recover under the nourishment of the life force in the domain.
The situation was reversed at this moment.
However, Bu Xingjin's face turned pale in an instant and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Expanding and maintaining this temporary world realm almost drained all his strength.
A tiny crack has appeared on the surface of the transparent light cover.
This field won't hold them back for long.
In Bu Xingjin's realm, gray resentment and green vitality intertwined, forming a strange balance. The three divine generals' movements slowed within the realm, each attack weakened by the surrounding gray mist. Their divine powers were being repelled by the will of this shattered world.
"What the hell is this thing!" The god with the ancient sword on his back cut through the gray fog that was surrounding him with one sword, and for the first time, anxiety appeared on his face.
Qing Yan did not miss this opportunity.
He looked at the general leading the group, who was holding the Fang Tian Hua Ji, and said in a cold voice, "Where is the ninth fragment?"
The leading general snorted coldly and swept his Fang Tian Hua Ji across, forcing Baili Xuan and Xie Qingchen, who were trying to approach, back. His eyes were fixed on Bu Xingjin, who was in the center of the field.
"A temporary domain, created from the remaining resentment of a dying world and a sapling that hasn't grown yet. How long do you think it can trap us?"
His words were full of disdain, but there was a hint of solemnity hidden deep in his eyes.
"Even if it's only for a moment, it's enough." Qing Yan's sword pointed directly at the other party's eyebrows.
"Hahahaha!" The divine general laughed wildly as if he had heard a joke. "It doesn't matter if I tell you. You are destined to die today anyway."
He paused, his eyes cruel.
"The ninth fragment, the most important Epoch Key, has always been kept by the Lord God himself."
"Do you think that trap is the end? No, it's just a sieve, a cage to catch all of you scum. The Lord God is now beneath the World Tree, awaiting your 'arrival'. The ritual to devour the world has long been prepared."
Every word made the hearts of those present sink.
It turned out that what they had desperately escaped from was just the entrance to another bigger trap.
At this moment, the world domain under Bu Xingjin's feet trembled violently, and cracks spread rapidly on the surface of the translucent light shield like a spider web.
"puff!"
Bu Xingjin spat out another mouthful of blood, his face pale as paper, his body trembling. The burden of this realm had already exceeded his limit.
"The domain is about to collapse!" Xu Dan exclaimed.
"We must leave here immediately!" Qing Yan made a decision immediately: "Xuanwu, Qibao Chixuan Seal! Together we will tear open a passage back to our world!"
Bu Xingjin did not hesitate. He endured the severe pain that felt like his soul was about to be torn apart and called out the name of the sleeping person in his heart.
A faint light flashed between his eyebrows. An ancient, square seal flew out of his body, growing larger in the wind. It was the Tomb Spirit's Seven Treasures Red Mysterious Seal.
"Boy, if you do this again next time, I won't accompany you." The complaining voice of the tomb spirit sounded in Bu Xingjin's mind, but his actions were not vague at all.
The giant seal it transformed into floated in the air, emitting a force that suppressed space.
The sacred Xuanwu roared to the heavens, and countless mysterious runes appeared on its massive shell. It opened its mouth and spewed out a ball of black, primordial power, which condensed into a continuously rotating black hole.
Qing Yan's sword flew out of his hand and floated above the black hole. The tip of the sword flowed out sharp spatial laws, forcibly stabilizing the black hole.
“Now!”
Three completely different but equally powerful spatial forces gathered together and suddenly crashed into the void.
“Boom!”
A huge spatial rift was forcibly torn open. On the other side of the rift was a familiar world filled with spiritual energy.
"Let's go!" Qing Yan shouted, pulling Bu Xingjin to rush in first.
Others followed closely behind.
Just as they all entered the crack, Bu Xingjin's world domain shattered completely with a "boom".
"Want to leave?"
The leading general roared, and the three generals who escaped from the trap turned into three streams of light, madly chasing after the closing space crack.
The crack closed very quickly, and as soon as everyone passed through, there was only a thin line of passage left behind them.
And those three streaks of death were already before their eyes.
Qing Yan pushed Bu Xingjin forward, and then he turned around suddenly to face the crack that was about to close and the divine general who was chasing him.
There was no hesitation in Qing Yan's eyes, only a desperate look in his eyes.
"Qing Yan!" Bu Xingjin understood his plan and his eyes turned red instantly.
Qing Yan didn't look back.
The wound on his body, which had not healed yet, burst open instantly, and blood dyed his blue shirt red. He poured most of his remaining essence into the sword in his hand.
The sword let out a mournful cry, as if it couldn't withstand the force.
"One sword, cut the dust."
He swung the strongest and most brutal sword of his life at the closed crack.
This sword strike did not make any earth-shattering noise. Only a black line, invisible to the naked eye, passed through the space that was about to close.
From the other side of the crack, a scream of shock and anger was heard.
The divine general who was rushing in the front, along with the Fang Tian Hua Ji in his hand, was cut in half by the black line, and his soul was completely destroyed.
The other two generals were also knocked back by the aftermath of the sword and were in a terrible state.
The space crack was completely closed at this moment.
The sword in Qing Yan's hand let out a mournful cry, and its light dimmed. His vision went dark, and his body fell backward uncontrollably.
A hand caught him in time.
Bu Xingjin held him in his arms, looked at his face as pale as paper and the wounds on his body that were bleeding continuously, and his heart suddenly tightened, and the pain made him breathless.
"It's okay." Qing Yan's voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Police Bu Xing didn't say anything, but just helped him to stay steady, then looked up and looked around.
They successfully returned to their own world.
And the place where they appeared was right under the World Tree.
The massive treetops blocked the sky, but the once lush green leaves had turned gray and yellow, looking almost dead. Beneath the tree, a massive and complex formation slowly rotated, drawing upon the essence of the World Tree.
In the center of the formation, on the thickest crown of the World Tree, a figure stood high above.
He was wearing a golden dragon robe and his face could not be seen clearly, but his aura made it seem as if he was the master of this sky.
In his hand, he was playing with a faintly glowing blue crystal.
That is the ninth fragment of the Heavenly Dao.
He seemed to have been waiting here for a long time.
The moment he saw Bu Xingjin and Qing Yan appear, he wasn't surprised at all. The blurry figure slowly stood up and looked at the bewildered crowd below as if he were looking at a group of ants.
Finally, his eyes fell on Bu Xingjin.
A calm and majestic voice resounded between heaven and earth.
"You are finally here, the new seed of the World Tree."
The voice of Lord Haotian echoed between heaven and earth, carrying unquestionable majesty.
He didn't give the people below any chance to breathe.
The blurry figure just slowly raised one hand and gently pressed down on the embarrassed crowd below. The movement was very light, as if he was brushing off the dust on his sleeves.
"You're asking for death!" Baili Xuan was the first to roar. His muscles bulged, and instead of retreating, he advanced and threw a punch. The golden fist wind turned into a roaring lion, heading towards the palm that was pressing down.
"The stars in the sky are broken!" Xie Qingchen suddenly swung the folding fan in his hand, and countless shining stars gathered into a galaxy and rolled into the sky.
Yun Luo, Liu Liyue, Xu Dan, and every Spiritual Severing Stage expert present attacked simultaneously. Sword energy, magical weapons, and various attacks converged into a vast web of destruction, charging upward with the world's most powerful force.
The sacred beast Xuanwu also roared and opened its mouth to spit out a condensed black beam of light.
However, all these attacks seemed ridiculous in front of the slowly pressing hand.
As soon as the golden lion touched the palm of my hand, it disappeared silently.
The sparkling Milky Way disappeared without even a splash of water.
The big net that gathered all the attacks was suddenly punctured and torn into pieces, turning into a rain of light all over the sky and disappearing without a trace.
"puff!"
Baili Xuan seemed to be hit hard by something. He flew backwards, a stream of blood spurted out in the air, and fell heavily to the ground in the distance, his life or death unknown.
Xie Qingchen, Yun Luo, Xu Dan and the others all turned pale in an instant, spit out blood and fell backwards uncontrollably. Each of them suffered severe backlash.
A clear crack appeared on the huge shell of the sacred beast Xuanwu, causing him to let out a painful roar.
Just one move.
Only one move was used.
A combined attack from almost all the top masters in the world was defeated so easily.
For a moment, the only sounds between heaven and earth were heavy breathing and the gloomy faces of the people.
At the top of the World Tree, Lord Haotian slowly withdrew his hand. He didn't even spare a glance at the fallen ants, his gaze piercing through space to land directly on Qing Yan and Bu Xingjin. From the beginning to the end, this Lord's target had only been these two individuals.
"You shouldn't have come back, Qingyan." The Lord's voice was calm, as if stating a fact. "If you stay in that broken world, you can at least live a few more days."
His gaze shifted from Qing Yan to Bu Xing Jin. That gaze seemed to be able to see through Bu Xing Jin's soul.
"As for you, the new seed of the World Tree." For the first time, there was a strange tone in the God's voice, as if he was admiring some treasure.
"Do you know why the world has eras that change?"
He seemed to be asking and answering himself, and his voice echoed throughout the dead silence.
"Because the world will also age. When an era is about to end, the old world tree will use up its strength and produce a new seed. On the ashes of the old world, a new era will begin, again and again."
"And what I have to do is very simple."
"It means swallowing up the new seed along with the rotten old tree before it can fully grow."
The words of Lord Haotian revealed the cruel truth of this world.
Bu Xingjin's heart suddenly sank. He finally understood the source of his system and the special power that could cure Qing Yan.
He became the hope of this new world.
A hope that is about to be strangled before it even grows up.
"You talk too much nonsense."
Qing Yan's hoarse voice sounded.
He protected Bu Xingjin behind him, and the dim sword in his hand once again made a clanging sound.
"I don't know what's good for me."
Lord Haotian snorted coldly and said no more. He flashed and disappeared from the crown of the World Tree.
The next second, he appeared in front of Bu Xingjin and grabbed Bu Xingjin's head with one hand without any fuss.
Space seemed to be frozen and time stopped.
Bu Xingjin found that he couldn't even move his fingers, and could only watch the hand continue to grow bigger in front of his eyes.
"clang!"
There was a loud sound of metal clashing.
Qing Yan stood in front of Bu Xingjin, and the sword in his hand barely blocked the falling hand.
His blue robe fluttered without a breeze, and his already unhealed wounds opened wide, blood gushing out like a fountain, instantly staining his robes red. A brutal aura erupted from his body, the power gained from burning his essence.
"Get out of here!"
For the first time, anger was evident in the Lord's voice.
He pressed hard with his palm, and the ground under Qing Yan's feet cracked inch by inch. His legs sank deeply into the mud, his knees bent, and he groaned as if his bones were about to break.
"roar!"
A shocking roar was heard.
The sacred beast Xuanwu rushed forward with its body as big as a mountain, and its huge head slammed into the back of the God.
The God Lord didn't even turn his head and slapped out with his backhand.
"Bang!"
The hard head of the sacred beast Xuanwu was smashed into a bloody mess by this palm strike. Its huge body rolled over and flew backwards, hitting the thick trunk of the World Tree and causing it to shake violently.
More leaves turned gray and yellow, and the smell of decay became stronger.
The world is dying.
After repelling Xuanwu, all the power of the God was placed on Qingyan alone.
Qing Yan's body was shaking constantly, and the knuckles of his sword-grip had long been cracked, with blood flowing down the hilt. But his eyes were still bright, filled with an unyielding fighting spirit.
He and Xuanwu are using their lives to buy the last time for Bu Xingjin.
Looking at his companions falling one by one, and Qing Yan who was struggling under the hands of the God, Bu Xingjin took a step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Qing Yan.
He raised his head and looked at Qing Yan's blood-soaked face.
"Let's get started."
His voice was soft, but very clear.
Qing Yan's body stiffened for a moment. He didn't turn around, but only let out a very soft response from his throat.
"good."
Bu Xingjin closed his eyes.
He raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, where he was connected to the system. He proactively severed the connection with his soul.
The translucent panel in his mind began to flash wildly, and then shattered into countless points of light.
A rich emerald green light burst out from his chest.
It was a crystal leaf.
The veins on the leaves are clear, as if they contain the principles of heaven and earth. A pure force of life emanates from the leaves.
The heart of the world tree.
The leaf slowly rose into the air and floated above Bu Xingjin's head.
The moment it appeared, the huge world tree that was rapidly withering trembled violently.
The entire giant tree, from roots to crown, emitted a slight humming sound, as if the consciousness that had been sleeping for a long time was awakened by this same force.
A faint green light lit up from deep within the core of the World Tree's trunk, echoing the leaf in the sky.
"Finally it came out."
Lord Haotian stared at the leaf intently, his eyes filled with greed. He exerted force, pushed Qing Yan away, and reached out to grab the leaf.
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