Chapter 145: Ink Slaughter Eradicates Cangyun ( 4k words long)

In the high sky, a crimson-colored burning cloud suddenly appeared, extending endlessly and shrouding the entire Cangyun Sea.

All living beings witnessing this extraordinary scene had a certain passage spontaneously appearing in their minds.

"Crimson Flame Immortal Lord Zhang Haobo, cultivated for sixteen years. Achieved Dao Foundation with the extraordinary item [Heaven Annihilation Sword Intent], and attained Nascent Divinity with [Water Wind Sword Art]."

"Sacrificed [Crimson Flame Soul] and merged with the Dao using the body."

"Fortunate for divine retribution, the Dao dissipates and returns to the heavens!"

However, the cultivators on Wanxian Island had no time to observe this shocking scene.

Because...

True terror had already descended.

As the ink-black figure appeared behind Zhang Haobo and killed him, White Robed Nascent Divinity, Hongxi Immortal Lord, shouted, "Go!"

In an instant, the inverted mountain, Lancang River, purple star radiance, dazzling silver light, and the black fire chain, all smashed towards the ink-colored figure.

Trying to delay for a moment.

The unfamiliar soul of the heavens and earth descended, and the five Immortal Lords unanimously chose to escape from the Cangyun Sea.

Only because the aura emanating from the ink-colored figure made them feel genuine fear from the depths of their hearts.

But it was too late.

Ink Slaughter waved his right hand upward, and a black line shot up, piercing into the great sun in the sky.

A muffled grunt came from it.

In the golden sun, a black spot suddenly appeared.

It was so conspicuous that it rapidly expanded like a solar eclipse.

The light gradually faded.

Darkness descended upon the Cangyun Sea.

At the same time, Ink Slaughter split into five, instantly appearing in different directions.

Five black threads arrived in an instant, penetrating the bodies of the five Immortal Lords.

The river water dried up, Hongxi Immortal Lord, dead!

The black fire extinguished, Tianyang Immortal Lord, dead!

The mountain collapsed, Lancang Immortal Lord, dead!

A stalactite hidden in the sky shattered inch by inch.

Haoyuan Immortal Lord, dead!

In the brilliant star river, numerous stars burst one after another.

The starry sky suddenly became extremely dim.

The torn sky gradually healed.

Only a shooting star tore through the sky.

Ziyun Immortal Lord, heavily injured and fled!

In an instant, four dead and one injured among the five Immortal Lords.

Then, Ink Slaughter multiplied into ten thousand.

In an instant, it passed through the tens of thousands of white crowns.

Like thick ink dropped into clear water, all the white squares turned jet black in an instant.

Hiding in the air with the help of the crown, Zhang Zhiliang could no longer conceal himself.

A drop of ink penetrated Zhang Zhiliang's chest.

At the wound, black ink marks appeared.

Flesh and blood turned into countless tiny black particles, swallowing Zhang Zhiliang in an instant.

Array Master of Cangyun Sea, Zhang Zhiliang, dead!

Above the Cangyun Sea, tens of thousands of ink droplets wriggled in an instant, converging into one.

One Nascent Divinity Immortal Lord, four Nascent Divinity Immortal Lords, and one Yuanying True Lord.

All fell simultaneously.

Above the Cangyun Sea's canopy, various strange scenes merged.

But they were dyed black by the flying black particles, forming a bizarre, mysterious ink painting.

Heavenly Spirit of the Earth: Ink Slaughter, stood below the ink painting, overlooking all beings in the Cangyun Sea.

Looking up at the sky, several messages, like a hellish hymn, played in the minds of the living beings, echoing continuously.

"Lancang Immortal Lord..."

"...Yang Immortal Lord..."

"...Immortal Lord..."

"Dao cultivated for one thousand six hundred and fifty-three years..."

"...one thousand four hundred and thirty-six years..."

"...years..."

"Achieved Dao Foundation with the extraordinary item White Dragon Flower..."

"...Achieved Dao Foundation..."

"...Dao Foundation..."

"Fortunate for divine retribution, the Dao dissipates and returns to the heavens!"

"Ink Slaughter remains silent, and the heavens and earth sing his praises.

This was a soundless intimidation, a wordless warning.

This was the heavens and earth, revealing their true power before the cultivators.

The cultivators on Wanxian Island watched in horror as the once lofty and powerful Nascent Divinity Immortal Lords were easily slaughtered like chickens and dogs.

This terrifying scene made all the cultivators shiver.

Some were trembling all over, lying limp on the ground with vacant eyes.

Some appeared as if in madness, running around irrationally.

Some had bloodshot eyes, disregarding the gap in their own strength, and released attacks towards Ink Slaughter.

...

Ink Slaughter's head turned slightly, casting a glance at Wanxian Island below, then withdrawing his gaze to scan the entire Cangyun Sea.

In an instant, his body disintegrated, transforming into thousands of tiny black particles. Afterward, thousands turned into billions, billions turned into trillions, and trillions turned into quadrillions. Countless black particles spread out, eventually forming an ink-colored curtain that enveloped the entire Cangyun Sea.

The black particles wriggled, proliferating downward. The rainbow brilliance on Wanxian Island revolved strenuously, attempting to block them. However, countless subtle gnawing sounds arose, and the radiance dimmed in a moment.

Outside Wanxian Island, the black particles faced no resistance. The sea surged as if resisting desperately, but the airborne seawater was the first to be devoured and transformed.

The ink-colored curtain descended from the sky, swallowing islands, oceans, soil, rocks, life, seawater—everything, turning them into black micro-particles.

Islands vanished. The sea level continued to drop. In less than half a day, the blue ocean had completely disappeared from view.

Wanxian Island was entirely surrounded by black particles. Endless darkness shrouded the immortals on the island, leaving them with no escape.

This was a true apocalyptic scenario, a disaster far more terrifying than the Crimson Flame Incinerating the Sea.

On Wanxian Island, the protective shield of rainbow brilliance could no longer hold on and disintegrated like shattered glass. The majestic statue of the Transmitting Dao Immortal, standing tall, became the primary target of the black particles.

The Wanxian Grand Array continuously sprayed out defending white light, but within this black sea, it only became nourishment for the black particles. The immortal statue, starting from its high crown, was gradually dissolved.

Soon, only half of the body remained. Simultaneously, other black particles swarmed in, transforming into threads like deadly snakes, hunting down the fleeing cultivators.

Countless cultivators often couldn't even scream; they were dissolved and assimilated into the constantly wriggling black micro-particles.

Under the pitch-black curtain, the sight of cultivators perishing couldn't be seen.

The cultivators on the island fled in panic, like dogs bereft of a home.

Amidst the chaos and despair, only two individuals remained unfazed.

One was Li Fan's clone. He looked at the pervasive ink with a calm expression. The initial horror of witnessing Ink Slaughter had gradually subsided, and in the last moments of his life, the clone contemplated slowly.

"As fellow Heavenly Spirits, the destructive power of Ink Slaughter compared to Crimson Flame is simply indescribable."

After a while, he seemed to have an epiphany.

"Heavenly Spirits, descending to the mortal realm, bear their heavenly duties."

"Qingfeng traps the sword, and Crimson Flame incinerates the sea."

"As for Ink Slaughter..."

"Extinction!"

Under the rampage of Ink Slaughter, it was true annihilation. Not even soil and rocks would be left. Perhaps, after this calamity, this area of the once Cangyun Sea might turn into a void abyss with nothing left.

More than a decade later in the previous life, the dried-up Cangyun Sea transformed into a vibrant mountain range. It was unlikely to occur again in this life.

This method of total annihilation was too terrifying, extreme. It wouldn't be employed from the beginning in a region like this.

However, after the sacrificial refining of the Heavenly Spirit Crimson Flame, it triggered a fierce reaction from the heavens and the earth. Ink Slaughter followed, displaying the incredibly resolute will of the heavens and the earth.

That was:

The Cangyun Sea must perish!

However, watching the cultivators die helplessly left Li Fan dissatisfied.

So, he raised a middle finger toward the sky.

Apart from Li Fan's clone, there was another person on the scene, also showing no fear.

This person was Jiao Xiuyuan from Qianli Hall.

Not only did he show no fear or panic, but he was also filled with excitement. Holding a colorful image-storing stone, he flew in the low airspace of Wanxian Island, recording and photographing the scenes of the world's end one by one.

Black threads brushed past him, and he could die at any moment, but Jiao Xiuyuan didn't care at all. He kept excitedly muttering to himself.

"I hit the jackpot, really hit the jackpot this time."

"The powerful Union Dao expert, Golden Sun Immortal Venerate, and five other Immortal Lords like Hongxi, combined with Zhang Zhiliang's [Infinite Law] laid down through a hundred thousand crowns."

"Laying down a net to hunt the Heavenly Spirit Crimson Flame in a desperate manner."

"This is already significant news."

"What's even more explosive is that it was actually snatched away by a Nascent Divinity kid!"

"If I didn't have this image as evidence, no one would believe it when I say it!"

"Nascent Divinity slays the Union Dao!"

"If it were written into a supernatural novel, people would criticize it! It's too outrageous!"

"Even more unexpectedly, this should be the second youngest Union Dao Immortal Venerate in history. Yet, before he could celebrate, he was slaughtered by another Heavenly Spirit!"

"This Heavenly Spirit is called Ink Slaughter. Not only did he kill this newly promoted Union Dao Immortal Venerate, but he also intends to perform a world-extinguishing act, completely annihilating the entire Cangyun Sea!"

"Alright, well done!"

"You're all dead, and this is my exclusive news!"

"Let me think, how much contribution points can I get for this footage?"

"Two thousand? No, no, too little."

"At least five thousand! I, Jiao Xiuyuan, never engage in losing transactions!"

"Yes, never engage in losing transactions."

Jiao Xiuyuan continuously murmured, eyebrows dancing with excitement, recording the final moments of Wanxian Island.

At this moment, he saw a figure among the panicked cultivators who stood out.

With no fear on his face, he raised his middle finger toward the sky where Ink Slaughter was conducting the apocalypse.

"Good!"

Jiao Xiuyuan couldn't help but exclaim with a cheer.

In his heart, there was even more joy: "In the face of the destruction of heaven and earth, we cultivators remain fearless. Rising up in resistance, it is an honor even in death!"

"Wonderful, not only did it elevate the theme, but it also enhanced the style."

"With this brilliantly crafted scene, I can at least sell this exclusive footage for an additional two thousand points!"

On the ground, Li Fan followed the sound and also saw Jiao Xiuyuan's figure. Not surprised at all, he just smiled and nodded at him.

Seeing this, Jiao Xiuyuan was slightly stunned.

"So, he's an old customer after all..."

Jiao Xiuyuan tilted his head, squinted his eyes, and muttered under his breath.

As the two looked at each other, the black sky completely pressed down.

Wanxian Island was wiped off the map.

After today, there was no longer a Cangyun Sea in the world.

...

When the strange deaths of the cultivators in the Cangyun Sea continued to unfold like fireworks, in an unknown space, five statues with indiscernible faces formed a circle.

The statues lowered their heads, overlooking the center where a large luminous cloud hovered in the air. Within the cloud, miniature landscapes of land, mountains, and flowing water were vaguely visible.

The cloud was divided into various isolated regions, each with tiny points of light suspended above them.

Suddenly, at the edge of this luminous cloud, in a small blue region, the suspended point of light turned red and began to flicker. With the flickering of the red light, an invisible ripple spread out, echoing in this unknown space.

Four of the statues, previously motionless, were awakened by this.

The red point of light projected an image upward.

The scene, played at several hundred times the normal speed, depicted the events that had occurred in the Cangyun Sea.

Four powerful divine senses communicated with each other.

"To think it would alarm Ink Slaughter..."

"Did the Cangyun Sea ambush the Heavenly Spirit? What's Wanxian Alliance's stance on this?"

"The old man doesn't ask about worldly matters, and it's normal for those below not to know either."

"Moreover, the ones who died were two localized gods from the Cangyun Sea, and the other three were not from the mainline of Wanxian Alliance. They were recruited from unknown sources. They are not true members of Wanxian Alliance."

"Even so, five gods and several cultivators of other realms died all at once."

"No matter, they are just expendables."

"We need to control the overall number of cultivators. Not too many, not too few."

"The old man is rarely seen these days, so we need to handle this matter ourselves."

"Then loosen the restrictions on the exchange of cultivation techniques."

"I will give orders for that. However, the Cangyun Sea has become a dead zone. It's a bit troublesome; we'll need the help of Venerable Wu You."

After a moment, the statue that had remained silent throughout emitted a divine sense fluctuation.

"I understand."

Then, no more messages came through.

The others seemed accustomed to this and exchanged a few more words before falling silent one by one.

In the center of the five statues, the blue area at the edge of the luminous cloud gradually faded and then disappeared.

...

Source Dao Province.

At the moment when Wanxian Island was completely destroyed by Ink Slaughter, Li Fan sensed something and looked into the distance.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

Su Xiaomei noticed Li Fan's abnormality and curiously asked.

Li Fan shook his head without answering.

By now, after several days of travel, their group had arrived near Mingyue Lake.

As Feinan had described, this region was truly resource-poor, located in a remote area where few cultivators ventured.

It was even farther from the Source Dao Heavenly City, presenting many inconveniences.

Although it wasn't suitable for ordinary cultivators to establish a cave abode, it was a good choice for Li Fan.

Firstly, because Li Fan was about to use the Canghai Bead to build his foundation.

This eight-hundred-mile Mingyue Lake had a dense water attribute spiritual energy concentration, not weaker than the Cangyun Sea.

It was just right for Li Fan.

Secondly, because not many cultivators usually came here, storing Dao source treasures here would be safer without worrying about being easily discovered by others.

However, establishing a cave abode was a significant matter.

He still needed to personally explore the area to see if there was anything unusual in the lake.

Otherwise, if he built his nest in someone else's home, it would be a joke.

Li Fan flew to the surface of the lake, ready to explore.

His figure suddenly stopped.

In the sky, a large blue water light suddenly appeared.

It returned to the Canghai Bead.

At the same time, countless images appeared in Li Fan's mind.

"It seems that things won't work out. Finally, it's back."

The originally frail Canghai Bead slowly absorbed the suddenly emerging blue water light and finally returned to its deep blue appearance from when Li Fan first saw it in his previous life.

Moreover, due to the premature destruction of the Cangyun Sea, the formation of the Canghai Bead accelerated.

Li Fan estimated that this extraordinary celestial object, still in its gestation period, would take a short time to fully form.

And with the return of the power split from the Canghai Bead, Li Fan also learned about what happened to Zhang Haobo.

When he initially used the Cloud Water Illusion Art to create Zhang Haobo, a reborn individual, Li Fan didn't consider using the Canghai Bead on him.

This object was intended for his foundation building in this life.

However...

This world is not an unchanging game, and things do not always develop in the direction he anticipates.

After Zhang Haobo's "rebirth," the flow of aura changed rapidly, and his fate took a sudden turn.

This attracted the attention of the consciousness of the Cangyun Sea.

After some contact, the consciousness of the Cangyun Sea discovered a shocking secret.

This fortunate individual seemed to have knowledge of future events.

The Scarlet Flame descended, roasting the Cangyun Sea.

With a foreboding feeling and past experiences, the Cangyun Sea confirmed the reliability of this information.

More than ten years later, he would indeed be roasted dry.

So, the Cangyun Sea made a different choice from the previous life.

In the previous life, the Scarlet Flame quietly boiled the sea, catching everyone off guard.

When it noticed, it was already powerless to resist.

However, it refused to accept this fate.

So, even though the Cangyun Sea perished, another Cangyun Sea was born.

In this life, facing the burning heavens, the sea decided to counterattack and fight to the death.

But it would leave itself an escape route.

So, the sea divided its power into two parts.

One part continued to transform into the Canghai Bead.

The other part gathered on the "reborn" Zhang Haobo.

Because, although it had vast and boundless power, it couldn't act on its own.

To face the burning heavens, it still needed to shape the spirit of heaven and earth.

It wanted to fight back, so it needed a spokesperson.

And Zhang Haobo was the best candidate.

Everything went smoothly.

With its assistance, Zhang Haobo's cultivation progressed at an unbelievable speed.

In just a few years, he broke through to the late Foundation Building stage.

Under its guidance and protection, Zhang Haobo also witnessed the struggle between Qingfeng and the sword hilt, successfully using it to build his foundation.

Later, at the False Dan stage, he controlled Qingfeng, defeated Wanxian, and met the Nascent Soul cultivator of Wanxian Island.

Although he was skeptical of Zhang Haobo's ability to predict the future, under the temptation of the Dao Union and detailed inquiries about how long it took Scarlet Flame to burn the sea, the decision was made.

An ambush was set for the imminent arrival of the Scarlet Flame.

For this, Baiyi Hongxi contacted another Nascent Soul cultivator from Wanxian Island, Ziyun Xianjun.

He also invited Tianyang Xianjun, who had a previous battle with them.

The three of them questioned Zhang Haobo again about Scarlet Flame's behavior.

Conspiring together, they still felt it was not safe.

So, Hongxi went to the faraway Feilingzhou and invited a powerful Dao Union expert, Jinri Xianzun, to preside over the situation.

During this time, two Nascent Soul cultivators, Lancang Xianjun and Haoxuan Xianjun, coincidentally emerged from the battle in Yunhai.

So, Ziyun Xianjun activated the Starlight Transmission technique, bringing them to Wanxian Island as guests.

They invited these two to join forces and kill Scarlet Flame.

The temptation of the Dao Union was difficult for Nascent Soul cultivators to resist.

So, the two readily agreed.

With one Dao Union expert presiding, five Nascent Soul cultivators attacking, and a Nascent Soul formation master with tens of thousands of crowns prepared, they had a great chance of killing Scarlet Flame, who had used the spirit of heaven and earth for nearly ten years.

The odds of success were indeed considerable.

And the reality proved so.

With the joint effort of Jinri Xianzun and Ziyun Xianjun, the Starlight Cage cut off Scarlet Flame's connection to the origin power of heaven and earth.

Scarlet Flame was defeated, seeming like a matter of time.

But Zhang Haobo, who was watching on the sidelines, and the Cangyun Sea, felt a vague sense of unease.

So, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Intervening in the struggle between the Dao Union and Nascent Soul with only the cultivation level of Golden Core seemed like an impossible feat.

But it wasn't entirely impossible.

Because, it wasn't Zhang Haobo who acted, but the Cangyun Sea.

Having accumulated power for countless years, the Cangyun Sea was on the verge of reaching the Dao Union realm.

With the body of a Golden Core cultivator, Zhang Haobo couldn't withstand it.

So, Zhang Haobo decisively shattered his Core, using the body of the Law to accept the power of the Cangyun Sea.

If successful, Zhang Haobo would ascend from Golden Core to Dao Union in one step!

The resentment of the future being burned, the anger of unwillingly accepting fate, and the Heavenly Slaughter Sword Intent comprehended by Zhang Haobo were all merged.

In the end, the Cangyun Twenty-Eight Swords were unleashed.

This was a sword of indomitability, a sword of revenge, and a sword of slaughter.

Success and failure were entwined.

Although Scarlet Flame died, Ink Slaughter arrived.

At the moment of Zhang Haobo's death, the Cangyun Sea knew it was impossible and returned to the Canghai Bead with its power.

...

Although the Cangyun Sea might not have human-like clear intelligence, its vague and ignorant consciousness compelled it to drive Zhang Haobo according to its instincts, engaging in a battle with Scarlet Flame.

"A fortuitous event is not a celestial fortune."

"They are merely tools in the game between both sides."

Li Fan sighed and shook his head.

"However..."

"The Cangyun Twenty-Eight Swords."

"It's indeed a remarkable sword technique."

The scenes and insights of Zhang Haobo when he unleashed this sword flashed in Li Fan's mind.

Harnessing the power contained in the Canghai Bead, Li Fan unleashed a sword.

A blue sword light, unstoppable.

Cutting across the lake.

The sword qi split the lake, revealing the mud at the bottom.

The eight-hundred-mile Mingyue Lake was divided into two by a single sword.

By the way, you guys are arguing so much. When will my "Out-of-the-box Index" be able to level up to lv2?

Just kidding, all attacks are acceptable.

What's strange is that the sun in the sky is obviously supporting the Dao Union, but no one is mentioning it?

(End of this chapter)