An echo of nothingness, a faint glow of embers
A deathly silence hung over the ruins of Frost Camp.
The demonic energy didn't completely dissipate after the gray beam of light swept over it; instead, it seemed to be terrified by some higher power, becoming thin and sluggish, hovering fearfully at the edge of the ruins. The surviving demon warriors staggered out of their hiding places, their faces devoid of any joy at surviving the catastrophe, only filled with a deep-seated bewilderment and fear. They gazed at the area that had been completely flattened, revealing absolute nothingness, as if they saw their own ultimate fate unfold before them.
Yun Zhiyu leaned against the broken icicle, his left arm below the shoulder completely ashen, without any wounds, yet utterly devoid of sensation and life, like a piece of withered wood. He tried to circulate his demonic power to break through, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea. This was not a physical injury, but a kind of conceptual "deprivation."
What worried him even more was the jade pendant in his arms. The two faint lights of the remnant souls, which had been stable and even begun to nourish each other, were now dimmed to the point of almost being extinguished. The glassy flame had shrunk to a tiny dot, and the intervals between its flickering were heart-wrenching; the wisp of icy sword intent was almost imperceptible, with only a faint chill remaining, proving that it had not completely dissipated.
They were struck by the force of the gray beam's edge, and even the aftershocks nearly destroyed the tiny glimmer of hope that had just begun to form.
"Leader..." Yun Zhifeng found him with a few surviving guards. When he saw his gray arm and pale face, his voice choked with emotion.
"What about the casualties?" Yun Zhiyu's voice was hoarse and dry.
"Preliminary count: 137 dead, more than half seriously wounded and incapacitated. Supplies... almost entirely destroyed." Yun Feng's voice deepened.
Yun Zhiyu closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air, thick with demonic energy and dust. The Frost Camp, the stronghold painstakingly built up over ten years by the remnants of the Snow Owl demon clan, was finished.
"Those who can still move, take the wounded and move to Chenxing Valley immediately. The terrain there is treacherous, and perhaps we can... hold out for a while longer." He gave the order, struggling to stand up, but due to his injuries and excessive exertion, he swayed.
"Chief, your wounds..."
"It's alright, I won't die." Yun Zhiyu gritted his teeth, using his right hand to support himself and barely managing to stand. He couldn't fall, at least not now. He glanced at the dim jade pendant in his arms, and an indomitable will rose from the depths of his heart. Xinghen wanted to devour them, the mastermind behind the scenes wanted to use them, but they would live on!
"Walk!"
The surviving team, supporting the wounded and carrying only a few supplies, silently left the ruins that bore witness to despair and terror, and trudged towards the more desolate northeast.
Tianji Pavilion, a secret underground chamber.
"puff--!"
Xuan Chengzi suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, his entire body seemingly drained of energy, and he collapsed to the ground. The blood pool in front of him had dried up and cracked, and the tattered scroll of the "Myriad Manifestations of the Netherworld" had become dull and lifeless, with even a few fine cracks appearing on its surface.
He forcibly drew upon the power deep within the Star Mark, successfully "baiting" the creature and witnessing its arrival. However, the backlash was far beyond his expectations. Not only was his cultivation severely damaged and his lifespan drastically reduced, but even more terrifyingly, his soul seemed to be tainted by the gray, void power, constantly enduring the extreme pain of his existence being slowly erased.
He was curled up on the ground, his body convulsing from the excruciating pain, but his face wore a morbid, twisted smile that was a mixture of fear and excitement.
“Look…do you see it…that is…the power of 'Silence'…the end…the return of all things to nothingness…” he muttered to himself intermittently, his eyes filled with fanaticism, “I must…I must obtain it…control it…the Myriad Manifestations Netherworld Map…there must be…a way to control it…”
He struggled to crawl toward the tattered scroll, his withered fingers trembling as he touched the cracks on it, as if caressing a lover's skin.
“Yun Zhixue… Mo Xiaoyu… you… can’t escape… you are… the best vessel… the key…”
The human realm, the southern border.
Su Xiaolou was jolted awake by a puddle, his body drenched in cold sweat. He had just tried to use the power of his dreams to spy on the Frost Camp from a distance, but the moment he touched that area, he was violently attacked by a pure "nothingness" aura, almost losing his mind and falling into eternal slumber.
"Damn it... we've gone awry, we've completely gone awry..." He patted his chest, his face as pale as paper, still shaken. "That damn thing is something we can't even touch! That old bastard Xuan Chengzi, he's dragging the whole world down with him!"
He clearly sensed that after the Starfall Mark "opened its eyes," its power of devouring and distorting laws had significantly increased. Not only in the Demon Realm, but also throughout the human realm, the perilous lands that appeared due to the Starfall Mark were expanding at a slow but steady pace, and their internal rules were becoming more chaotic and dangerous.
The gray power containing the law of "annihilation," though fleeting, was like a drop of ink falling into clear water, its "artistic conception" already beginning to pollute the foundation of this world.
He had to do something! He couldn't just stand by and watch the world slide to its end!
Su Xiaolou abruptly stood up, a resolute glint in his eyes. He could no longer wander aimlessly, living as he had before. He needed allies, he needed to find people who could fight against, or at least understand, this force.
His gaze turned to the western part of the continent, to that ancient land known as the "Western Desert." Legend has it that the relics of the previous era are buried there, and perhaps one can find fragments of information about the "Traces of a Fallen Star" or, more accurately, the "Silence."
At the same time, he must also warn Yun Zhiyu: Xuan Chengzi will not let this go so easily.
He tried to make a communication talisman again, but this time, he added a wisp of his own natal dream essence, making the talisman more concealed and able to bypass most interference.
"Xinghen opened his eyes, his silent power now evident. Xuanchengzi suffered a severe backlash, but his spirit remains unbroken; he will surely plot against you again. There may be a glimmer of hope in the Western Xuanmo, but the road ahead is uncertain. Be cautious! — Su Xiaolou"
The talisman transformed into a barely perceptible stream of light and vanished into the void.
Sinking Star Valley is a massive, naturally formed ice fissure canyon, its interior intricate and difficult to attack. The remnants of the Snowy Owl tribe have temporarily taken refuge here, and the atmosphere remains somber.
Yun Zhiyu sat alone in the deepest part of an ice cave, the dim jade pendant floating in his right palm. He tried various methods, even sacrificing his own life essence again, in an attempt to rekindle the life force of the two remnant souls, but with little success. The power level of that gray beam of light was too high; the "Dao injury" it left behind could not be repaired by ordinary energy.
Just when he was at his wit's end, Su Xiaolou's communication talisman, which contained the power of dream essence, appeared silently in front of him.
After reading the information, Yun Zhiyu remained silent for a long time.
The Western Desert... it's an even more desolate and dangerous wasteland than the Demon Realm, where legend has it that no one ever returns once they go there.
He looked down at the faint light in his palm, like a candle flickering in the wind, and felt his arm, which was completely useless and the chill was slowly spreading to his shoulder.
If they stay, they will eventually be found by Xuan Chengzi, or completely devoured by the power of Xinghen.
Heading to the far west, the road ahead is uncertain, and the chance of survival is slim.
But staying here is a slow death. Going west, perhaps... there is still a glimmer of hope, for the sake of the people, and for those who are sleeping in the jade pendant, to fight for a future.
He gently stroked the cool surface of the jade pendant, as if he could feel its faint heartbeat.
"Did you hear that?" he murmured to himself, as if speaking to the lingering soul within the jade pendant, or perhaps to himself, "There is still a way, though the hope is slim... Are you willing to gamble with me one more time?"
Within the jade pendant, the almost extinguished flame of glass flickered extremely faintly for a moment.
It was as if it had used up its last bit of strength to respond.
Yun Zhiyu took a deep breath, gripped the jade pendant tightly in her hand, and a resolute flame rekindled in her eyes.
"good."
He stood up, walked out of the ice cave, and gave orders to Yunfeng, who was guarding outside:
"Select ten of the most elite and loyal warriors, and prepare sufficient cold-resistant pills and flying mounts."
"Chief, what's going on?"
"I'm going to the Western Desert." Yun Zhiyu's voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable power. "While I'm away, you will be in full charge of clan affairs, guarding Chenxing Valley, preserving our strength, and never going out unless absolutely necessary."
"The Western Desert?! It's too dangerous there! Your injuries..."
“It is precisely because of the danger that we may find a chance to survive.” Yun Zhiyu interrupted him, her gaze fixed on the west, as if piercing through layers of mountains. “This is our last chance.”
For the sake of the surviving members of their clan, for the faint hope within the jade pendant, and for the sake of uncovering the secret of the star mark and ending the shadow that shrouds the world.
He has to go.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com