48: The Call of the Immortal World

Above Burial King City, alarms were still blaring. The destructive malevolent energy deep underground, which made one's scalp tingle even through the world barrier, pierced into people's bones. Although the million disciples in the city weren't incapacitated, their faces were pale, and they didn't dare to breathe.

Lin Xuan stood in mid-air, his Law-Breaking Chaos Eyes flashing with golden light, staring intently at the frantically flickering golden guiding light deep underground. The happy expression on his face, due to taking on new disciples, had long vanished, replaced by a chilling killing intent.

"So you're taking an inch and asking for a mile, huh?" Lin Xuan spat, his voice not loud, but it echoed like thunder in everyone's ears. "You think you can tear down my home with a projection from so far away? Do you think I'm made of mud?"

He suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over his disciples who were standing by in full battle array below, finally settling on Yun Qingyao. The Senior Sister wore a moon-white long dress, her temperament cool and aloof, but her eyes were steady and firm, like a stabilizing anchor.

"Qing Yao!" Lin Xuan's voice was decisive. "The home is in your hands! All disciples, including these little brats who just popped out, are under your command! Guard the home well!"

"Yes, Master!" Yun Qingyao clasped her fists and accepted the order, her voice clear and carrying an undeniable power.

Lin Xuan then looked at Su Yuan and Chu Xinghe: "Su Yuan! Continue to analyze the coordinates and keep a close eye on the energy fluctuations of that damned place! Chu Xinghe! Activate all the defensive arrays of Burial King City! Squeeze out all the malevolent energy from the Asura King's bone fragments for me! Make the shield thicker! Don't let anyone sneak in and steal our home!"

"Understood! Master, rest assured!" The two responded in unison, immediately turning to get busy.

"Old Qing! Xuanji Zi!" Lin Xuan's voice was transmitted to the Small Immortal Realm and the lower realm through special jade talismans. "You two temporarily hold down the fort in the Small Immortal Realm and the lower realm! Cultivate if you need to, ascend if you need to, don't let things get chaotic! Wait for me to return!"

Emperor Qinglan and Xuanji Zi's voices immediately returned, filled with solemnity and assurance: "Hall Master, rest assured! Things are stable here!"

After arranging matters at home, Lin Xuan's gaze fell on Yu Lin and Jin Bao. The little zombie Yu Lin still had no expression, her silver-white eyes looking at Lin Xuan, then towards the direction of the ground below. Her small hand unconsciously touched her own little belly. The little dragon-human Jin Bao was held by Yun Qingyao, his golden vertical pupils curiously looking around, not at all afraid of the terrifying malevolent energy; instead, he was a little excited, wagging his tail.

Lin Xuan walked over and first rubbed Yu Lin's cold little head: "Little glutton, there's plenty of delicious food at home. Stay with Senior Sister, don't run off." Then he pinched Jin Bao's chubby cheek: "You rascal, listen to Senior Sister, eat well, and grow strong!"

Finally, he looked at Lie Tian Divine Tiger, who had been quietly standing beside Yun Qingyao, having transformed into a seven or eight-year-old red-haired boy. The little fellow had a stern face, trying hard to look fierce, but his tender face paired with that fiery red short hair made him look like he was pretending to be an adult.

"Lie Tian Divine Tiger," Lin Xuan squatted down, looking at the transformed Lie Tian Divine Tiger at eye level. "Your Senior Sister needs someone tough by her side. You stay and protect her, and also protect your two younger junior siblings. If anyone dares to cause trouble, burn them with your divine flame! Understand?"

Lie Tian Divine Tiger puffed out his little chest, his red hair trembling along with it, and tried his best to say in the fiercest tone: "Awoo! Leave it to me! Grandpa Tiger guarantees to guard the home well!" He almost roared again but quickly held it back.

Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction and stood up. His gaze swept over the crowd one last time, landing on the entrance of the Merit Hall. Huang Yan was leaning against the doorframe, half her body peeking out, her small face pale, but her eyes were fixed on him, her lips tightly pursed, and she was unconsciously clutching a thick ledger in her hand.

Lin Xuan grinned at her, waved his hand, and mouthed silently: "Wait for me to return, bonus doubled!"

Huang Yan's eyes immediately reddened, and she nodded vigorously, her knuckles on the hand clutching the ledger turning white.

Arrangements made, no more worries.

"Alright! Everyone, get back to what you're doing!" Lin Xuan roared one last time, his gaze returning to the restless golden light deep underground. "I'm going to meet that mysterious thing! Let's see what it's truly capable of!"

Before his words finished, he took a step out!

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no spatial tearing fluctuations. His entire being, like a drop of water merging into the ocean, instantly became ethereal, transparent, and then completely vanished from where he stood! As if he had never existed! Only an extremely faint chaotic ripple remained, seemingly capable of devouring all light, slowly spreading out, and finally returning to nothingness.

Peak Tribulation Transcending Mid-stage spatial control! Silently, he traversed the void!

Lin Xuan's surroundings were no longer familiar sights, but a kaleidoscope of bizarre, twisted, and shifting colors! The golden guiding light ahead guided him like a lighthouse, but the surrounding space was filled with violent turbulence and strange folds, as if countless invisible giant hands were frantically tearing and squeezing!

"Tsk, this road is quite bumpy!" Lin Xuan stabilized his figure, his Chaos Nascent Soul slowly circulating within him, emitting a faint clear light to protect his body. His Law-Breaking Chaos Eyes were fully activated, and the twisted and chaotic light and shadows before him were instantly analyzed and peeled away, revealing the skeleton of space—countless spatial law threads, thick or thin, shimmering with different colors, crisscrossing like a spiderweb. Some places were tightly woven and strong, while others were as fragile and twisted as tattered cloth, forcibly pierced by the golden guiding light.

He could clearly see that huge, dark-golden claw phantom, following the trajectory of the golden guiding light, was brutally tearing at the spatial barrier from an extremely distant, unknown place! Each tear caused violent vibrations and ruptures in the surrounding law threads! That pure destructive malevolent energy was transmitted through layers of space from the claw's main body!

"Hmph! So far away, yet its claw stretches quite long!" Lin Xuan snorted coldly. Instead of retreating, he moved upstream along the destructive passage opened by the golden guiding light, accelerating rapidly!

The further he went, the more violent the spatial turbulence became! The degree of spatial distortion also grew more terrifying! The golden guiding light, buffeted by the violent spatial forces, flickered erratically, as if it could extinguish at any moment. The dark-golden claw's tearing motion also grew more frantic and brutal, seemingly eager to completely open this temporary passage!

Lin Xuan felt like he was traversing a sea of death filled with reefs and whirlpools. The protective clear light provided by his Chaos Nascent Soul flickered violently under the impact of the spatial turbulence, and his soul also endured immense pressure. But his eyes grew brighter and brighter! Under this extreme pressure, the dormant power within him seemed to be activated! The bottleneck of the peak Tribulation Transcending Mid-stage began to loosen dramatically!

"Not enough! The pressure isn't enough!" A hint of madness flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. Not only did he not slow down, but he fiercely urged his Chaos Nascent Soul! His speed surged again! Like a chaotic lightning bolt tearing through the void, he slammed into the center of the violent spatial turbulence!

Boom!

It was as if he had crashed into an invisible giant wall! The terrifying spatial backlash, like billions of heavy hammers, slammed into Lin Xuan! His chaotic protective clear light shattered instantly! Even tiny cracks appeared on the surface of his skin, and wisps of chaotic energy overflowed from them!

"Pfft!" Lin Xuan's throat sweetened, and he forcibly swallowed a mouthful of blood. But just as this destructive impact descended, his Chaos Nascent Soul within him suddenly opened its eyes! A deeper, more domineering surge of primordial chaotic power erupted!

Crack!

Something incredibly solid within him seemed to shatter! A completely new, boundless sense of power instantly filled his limbs and bones! That paper-thin barrier of the Tribulation Transcending Mid-stage was completely breached under this life-or-death extreme pressure!

Tribulation Transcending Late-stage!

A powerful aura swept out like a storm, forcefully pushing away the surrounding violent spatial turbulence! The tiny cracks on Lin Xuan's body instantly healed, and his aura, instead of weakening, became sharper and more unfathomable, like a divine weapon reborn from fire!

"Haha! Awesome!" Lin Xuan felt the surging power within him and couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh. Using the momentum of this breakthrough, his speed increased instead of decreasing. His Law-Breaking Chaos Eyes locked onto the frantically tearing dark-golden claw ahead, and the faintly visible, even more terrifying dark-golden spatial barrier behind the claw!

"Open for me!" Lin Xuan roared, his fingers pointed like a sword, and he slashed fiercely at the seemingly indestructible spatial barrier ahead!

A gray, chaotic sword qi, condensed to the extreme, as if capable of splitting heaven and earth, silently slashed out!

Swoosh!

There was no earth-shattering explosion. Wherever the chaotic sword qi passed, the violent spatial turbulence automatically parted like docile sheep. The spatial barrier ahead, which the dark-golden claw had torn at for a long time, only leaving shallow marks, was directly cut open the moment it touched the chaotic sword qi!

Sizzle!

A huge and smooth spatial rift was forcibly cut open!

Beyond the rift, there was no longer chaotic void turbulence, but a dead silent, icy cold, dark-golden world emanating an aura of eternal destruction!

Lin Xuan's figure, without hesitation, transformed into a chaotic stream of light and instantly disappeared into that rift!

The moment his figure vanished, the frantically tearing dark-golden claw phantom suddenly paused! It seemed to have sensed that the passage had been forcibly opened! An indescribable, terrifying will, filled with astonishment and fury, swept through the passage like a tsunami!

However, what greeted it was only the slowly closing spatial rift, and the residual chaotic sword qi at the edges of the rift, emanating an aura that could annihilate all things!

That terrifying will slammed violently against the closing spatial barrier, letting out a silent roar, and finally could only retreat unwillingly.

Lin Xuan felt as if he had plunged from a rushing waterfall into a bottomless, icy pool.

The moment he passed through the spatial rift, the violent spatial turbulence disappeared, replaced by an absolute, suffocating silence. Beneath his feet was no longer nothingness, but a cold, hard, dark-golden metal-like ground, stretching to the horizon. The sky was also the same dark gold, low and oppressive, with no sun, moon, or stars visible, only a solidified, eternal dark-golden firmament.

The air was filled with a pure, soul-freezing aura of destruction. There was no wind, no sound, and even the passage of time seemed to become viscous and slow. The laws here were twisted and powerful, carrying a high and mighty, icy will, repelling all outsiders.

"Hmph, quite the grand entrance." Lin Xuan landed and stomped on the cold, dark-golden ground beneath his feet, producing a dull thud. Chaotic energy automatically circulated around him, isolating the destructive aura that tried to invade him. His Law-Breaking Chaos Eyes scanned his surroundings, discovering that it wasn't entirely inanimate. In the distance, some colossal, twisted dark-golden mountain peaks stood, which, upon closer inspection, were clearly the fossilized remains of some massive creatures! Further away, the ground was cracked, and viscous, magma-like dark-golden liquid flowed in the fissures, emitting scorching heat and destructive energy.

"What a place!" Far from being uncomfortable, Lin Xuan's eyes lit up, like a wealthy commoner entering a treasure vault. "The laws here are pure enough! Although the attributes are a bit singular, all destruction, it's perfect for sharpening my blade!"

He took a deep breath. Although he inhaled only destructive malevolent energy, for a chaotic body, it was all nourishment. He sat down cross-legged. His Chaos Nascent Soul operated at full power, like a greedy black hole, frantically devouring, analyzing, and assimilating the ubiquitous, extremely pure fragments of destructive laws in this space!

Every wisp of destructive law absorbed into his body was like a scorching branding iron, burning his meridians and impacting his soul. But his Chaos Nascent Soul was as stable as a rock, embracing all things! The destructive laws were forcibly disassembled and fused, transforming into nourishment for chaos! His realm, which had just broken through to the Tribulation Transcending Late-stage, solidified and ascended at a terrifying speed under this frantic devouring and tempering!

Time lost its meaning here. He didn't know how long passed, perhaps an instant, perhaps a century.

When Lin Xuan opened his eyes again, the aura around him had undergone earth-shattering changes! His Tribulation Transcending Late-stage realm was completely stable, and he had touched that higher, vague barrier—the Tribulation Transcending Peak! His Chaos Nascent Soul became more solid and profound, like a miniature embryonic universe, with chaotic energy circulating within it, and faint law runes floating!

Even more to his surprise, after devouring and fusing a large amount of pure destructive laws from this place, the primordial chaotic power within him seemed to have undergone a subtle transformation! His perception of space and energy had risen to a whole new level!

Just as he was immersed in this powerful feeling, an extremely faint, yet incredibly clear, and indescribably calling sensation, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, suddenly appeared deep within his soul!

That calling sensation wasn't from a sound, but a direction! A coordinate! It pierced through this dead silent dark-golden world, through countless layers of chaotic spatial barriers, pointing to a higher, more distant place filled with infinite vitality and possibilities!

The coordinates of the Immortal Realm!

Lin Xuan suddenly stood up, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance! He looked up at the solidified firmament of this dark-golden world, as if he could pierce through it and see that higher-dimensional existence!

"Found it!" He grinned, revealing a mouthful of stark white teeth, his smile filled with boundless ambition. "So it's here! Just wait! Once I've stripped this broken place bare, I'll go have some fun in that true Immortal Realm!"