On the body of the Abyssal Tower, remnants of immortal aura from tens of thousands of years ago still lingered.
When a cultivator below the Immortal Ascension realm activated an immortal artifact, their ability to unleash its might to a certain extent relied entirely on the residual immortal aura that the artifact itself still possessed.
As a piercing metallic grinding sound rang out from within the massive bronze tower, the immortal aura of the Abyssal Tower began to gradually dissipate.
It was being replaced by the erosion of demonic energy.
"Why?"
Yu Zhou wore an expression of disbelief.
What surprised him was not that the Abyssal Tower had failed to suppress this Great Demon's Egg. When they had decided to destroy this demon egg, they had long anticipated the possibility of failure.
What truly left the Supreme Pivot Elder of the Mirage Palace feeling incredulous was that the connection he and the other four Dao Union Realm great powers had established with the Abyssal Tower through their innate spiritual energy was slowly being stripped away.
This meant that the corrosion of the demonic energy was contending with them for control over this bronze tower.
Bai Yuze narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling a certain possibility someone had raised during their recent discussions on countermeasures.
This demon egg was no ordinary demon egg, but was born from...
The originally dormant demonic energy erupted once more, instantly enveloping the entire Fallen Sword Mountain Range. Then, this demonic energy, now a hundred times more concentrated than before, continued to spread outward.
The Kongshan Sect, the Qingque Kingdom, then further spreading across the entire northwestern region of the Chenping Continent, simultaneously continuing to spread across the entire Chenping Continent.
...
At the edge of the Fallen Sword Mountain Range, a team was stationed here led personally by a Unity Realm Grand Elder of the Kongshan Sect, accompanied by several Myriad Transformations Realm patrons and a number of Passable God Realm cultivators.
This Grand Elder possessed remarkable talent. Only a little over a hundred years had passed since he stepped into the Unity Realm, and he had already cultivated to the late stage of the Unity Realm.
Continuing like this, he even had hope of breaking through to the Divine Ability Realm within two hundred years of entering the Unity Realm, becoming a true Eighth Realm cultivator.
At this very moment, he was still lightly closing his eyes, cultivating diligently.
He was well aware that with his talent, breaking through to the Divine Ability Realm was a sure thing. Many years later, his hopes of advancing to the Dao Union Realm were also not small.
But if... this current calamity could not be successfully overcome...
The Grand Elder's Dao heart wavered for an instant, and he opened his eyes.
A lush, verdant expanse of thousands upon thousands of towering trees appeared in his field of vision.
In recent days, demonic energy had been spreading outward from the center of the Fallen Sword Mountain Range. The entire mountain range was being eroded by the demonic energy, spreading outward several *zhang* every half-stick of incense time.
At this speed...
Right at this moment, the Grand Elder suddenly widened his eyes.
Because the lush, verdant tens of thousands of towering trees before him had all, in the blink of an eye, turned into deadwood.
The Grand Elder turned his head to look beside him.
The Kongshan Sect cultivators who had been stationed here with him had, in an instant, all been reduced to skeletons.
Whether they were Qi Sea Realm, Passable God Realm, or Myriad Transformations Realm.
All had died, in just a single instant.
Even the skeletons they left behind still maintained their postures from before death, completely unaware of what had happened.
Immediately after, the Grand Elder began to feel his innate spiritual energy gradually dissipating.
A burning sensation also began to spread across the surface of his body.
His skin began to fester, revealing the flesh and blood beneath. The moment it began to fester, he immediately used his innate spiritual energy to repair it.
But the speed at which spiritual energy repaired the body grew slower and slower.
To the point where this Unity Realm Grand Elder began to reveal bone.
Run.
He hesitated no longer. Realizing the situation in the Fallen Sword Mountain Range had become far more severe than before, this Kongshan Sect Grand Elder immediately chose to flee.
A Unity Realm cultivator could traverse a hundred *li* through the air in a single thought.
Even at the cost of damaging his innate spiritual energy, he would force himself to fly through the air under the erosion of the demonic energy, rather than merely resisting the erosion.
Innate spiritual energy was refined from ten thousand strands of innate true energy and was especially important for cultivators of the Upper Three Realms.
The Dao foundation forged during Dao Union was born from a cultivator's innate spiritual energy.
If one wished to Ascend to Immortality, the Dao foundation was the most fundamental of basics.
Even so, survival came first.
So thought the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder, flying through the air, escaped to a thousand *li* beyond the Fallen Sword Mountain Range in just a few breaths. The distance between him and the Kongshan Sect grew closer and closer.
His body and life were still being eroded by the demonic energy.
The speed of bodily repair grew slower and slower, to the point where the flesh and blood below his elbows had completely vanished.
Soon, the Grand Elder sensed something was wrong.
The speed of his flight through the air was far inferior to the speed at which the demonic energy was devouring the world.
The Grand Elder descended upon Yibai Peak of the Kongshan Sect.
Then he revealed a smile of despair.
Everywhere his gaze touched, there were only skeletons.
Immediately after, under the erosion of the demonic energy, his innate spiritual energy had nearly completely collapsed.
Then, he sat down on the ground and lightly closed his eyes.
"Observe the emptiness of form, hear the emptiness of sound... like the unceasing flow of mountains and rivers..."
Before his words could finish, he too completely turned into a skeleton. This exceptionally talented Grand Elder, in death, looked no different from the Energy Channeling Realm and Martial Spring Realm disciples on the peak.
...
Chenping Continent, Northern Region.
Wind Ravine Valley, Cangxiu Ravine.
Chen Yan looked up at the sun in the sky. The current time was approximately the first quarter of the hour of Shen.
The square of Cangxiu Ravine was bustling with noise and excitement.
Nearly all of the several thousand inner sect disciples of Wind Ravine Valley were gathered here at this moment, awaiting news from the Fallen Sword Mountain Range.
Today, several Dao Union Realm great powers would activate the Mirage Palace's immortal artifact to destroy that Great Demon's Egg located within the Fallen Sword Mountain Range.
If successful, then the Chenping Continent would return to peace.
But if it failed...
No one knew exactly what would happen, but everyone had already prepared for the worst.
If five Dao Union Realm great powers, joining forces to activate an immortal artifact, could not suppress that Great Demon's Egg, then there likely was truly no other method.
The atmosphere on Cangxiu Ravine's square was extremely tense at this moment.
Until, a few breaths later, someone suddenly spotted a tiny black dot appearing on the distant horizon.
"Look, someone is returning!"
A Wind Ravine Valley disciple shouted loudly.
Immediately, almost everyone raised their heads to look toward the horizon.
That small black dot moved very quickly. In almost the blink of an eye, it transformed from a tiny speck into a discernible figure with fluttering daoist robe sleeves.
Then, that person descended onto the square of Cangxiu Ravine.
All the Wind Ravine Valley disciples fell silent, because the person who had descended onto Cangxiu Ravine's square was none other than Wind Ravine Valley's Supreme Pivot Elder, Jiang Chao.
At this moment, half of Jiang Chao's face had become bone, and both sleeves of his daoist robes were completely empty.
"Flee."
Jiang Chao spoke to the Wind Ravine Valley disciples in a voice that was weak and dry:
"Flee as far as you can."
These were the final words this Dao Union Realm great power, with his Dao foundation utterly shattered, left in the mortal world.