Chapter 219 All Things Return to Nothingness

"Chen Mu!"

Shen Suning exclaimed in shock, whipping out her soft lash to wrap around his waist, dragging him behind a giant rock while she stood in front to block.

Ling Xiaoning and Feng Qing attacked the Python-Dragon's flanks desperately, attempting to draw its attention, but with little effect; the Python-Dragon had eyes only for Chen Mu.

Chen Mu leaned against the cold rock, blood constantly spilling from his mouth, his vision already blurring.

Was he going to die?

To die here on the shoals of Black Rock Mountain, to die in the jaws of this Python-Dragon that had just given birth, was heavily injured, and was now crazed?

A desperate situation. It was just a pity about the few hundred years of Lifespan he had just plundered; he hadn't had the chance to infuse it for an upgrade, hadn't had the chance to...

Wait, infusion?

That's right, there was still the System, and the Lifespan plundered from just slaying the two young dragons!

Since he was going to die either way, he might as well...

"Plunder all Lifespan, infuse into the third layer of the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body!"

For the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body, he had consumed his own Lifespan and only dared to infuse up to the Perfection of the second layer. What if he could reach the third layer? Even if it was just the entry level, after all, that forbidden technique of the Jiang Family brought a qualitative change with every Breakthrough.

Gamble it!

Even if the gamble was wrong, he was going to die anyway, so it wasn't a loss!

His consciousness touched the System, and without hesitation, he threw all the Lifespan—whose exact amount he hadn't even had time to check—into the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body as a desperate gamble.

[Infusion started...]

[In the 11,083rd year, you forcefully circulated the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body Mind-Cultivation Technique in a near-death state. The remaining Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi within your body struggled and roared in your already exhausted Meridians. The Calamity Astral Qi began to flow in reverse, no longer just tempering your own body, but attempting to resonate with the omnipresent energy of heaven and earth, Demonic Qi, and Evil Qi outside.]

[In the 11,123rd year, your body became a battlefield. Internally, the Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi was forcefully carving out new circulation routes, attempting to communicate with and harness external objects; externally, there was the destructive energy impact from the Python-Dragon's crazed attacks, as well as the cold earth energy and residual demonic atmosphere that had accumulated in this Black Rock Mountain for years. These two forces collided and tore within you. You gritted your teeth to endure, your consciousness hovering on the brink of collapse.]

[In the 11,530th year, amidst endless pain and chaos, you finally captured a subtle connection. It was not using Protective Aura to attack or defend, but to perceive and touch the flow of energy outside your body. Your domain expanded from your body to a radius of three feet around you. Although blurry and extremely unstable, you truly felt the existence of external objects and attempted to establish an initial connection with them.]

[In the 11,831st year, the infusion was forced to terminate as 748 years of Lifespan were exhausted. You failed to push "Ten Thousand Transformations Return to Void" to the entry level, completing less than half a percent of the transformation. However, you realized that you were no longer limited to using all calamities and energy to temper your own body, but began to attempt to turn the external into the internal, to harness objects and return them to the void.]

[Infusion paused...]

[Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body third layer, Ten Thousand Transformations Return to Void, advanced to half a percent.]

The moment the infusion finished, Chen Mu abruptly opened his eyes.

The severe pain in his chest remained, his broken ribs had not yet healed, and the third layer was only at half a percent of the entry level, far from enough to immediately restore his combat power.

But his understanding of his own strength and his cognition of the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body had undergone a earth-shattering change.

The so-called Ten Thousand Transformations Return to Void no longer relied solely on his own muscles, bones, flesh, Protective Aura, and Divine Soul, but began to learn how to use himself as a foundation to harness and resonate with external objects, turning the power of heaven and earth—and even the power of enemies—into his own, returning it to himself.

"Ten Thousand Transformations Return to Void, so that's how it is..."

What is the Void? It encompasses all things, evolves all phenomena, and can also bury everything.

Chen Mu subconsciously scanned the battlefield.

Shen Suning's soft lash was still tightly wrapped around the Python-Dragon's neck, the spiritual light on the whip dimming, clearly long past its limit. She herself had blood spilling from the corners of her mouth, and was being dragged into stumble after stumble by the immense power of the Python-Dragon's frantic struggles.

Feng Qing was half-kneeling on the ground, his quiver empty, leaning on his bow, his face deathly pale. Ling Xiaoning had fallen by the creek stones in the distance, life or death unknown.

Bai Junyi struggled to crawl up, but spat out another mouthful of blood and collapsed back onto the ground.

He was heavily injured and near death; his companions were either down or injured.

Ten Thousand Transformations Return to Void... harness external objects...

What could he harness right now?

Although the soul-slaying blade was sharp, in his heavily injured state, he feared he would struggle to unleash its soul-slaying effect, not to mention he hadn't yet tempered it with Calamity Astral Qi.

Only...

Chen Mu did not hesitate at all. He reached his left hand into his robes, gripping that ancient demon seal. He sank his consciousness into it, but instead of simply infusing Protective Aura to activate it, he attempted to communicate and awaken it using the sliver of Ten Thousand Transformations Return to Void intent he had just comprehended.

"Roar!"

It was no longer the phantom summoned during the battle with Xu Changze. This time, perhaps it was the potential triggered by his near-death state, or perhaps it was the unexpected change brought about by the Ten Thousand Transformations Calamity Astral Qi, but the demon seal vibrated violently, followed by a roar.

Black-red Demonic Qi soared into the sky, instantly condensing into a dragon phantom that was more solid and ferocious than before. Its scales were distinct, its eyes like blood moons. Although it was a phantom body, it radiated a tyrannical pressure, its solidity far exceeding the past.

As soon as the black dragon appeared, it did not hesitate to pounce on the Green-Scaled Python Dragon that was about to deliver a fatal blow to Chen Mu.

"Boom!"

The black dragon phantom collided fiercely with the Python-Dragon's head, causing waves of air to roll and sand and stones to fly.

It wrapped tightly around the Python-Dragon's neck, its sharp claws tearing at its wounds, its bloody maw biting into its neck. But it was also constantly fluctuating and dimming under the Python-Dragon's counterattacks. This was a life-for-life fighting style, buying Chen Mu a crucial moment of respite.

Chen Mu coughed up blood, his eyes sharp as blades.

He knew the demon seal dragon phantom couldn't last long; this was perhaps his only chance.

Forcing himself to endure the excruciating pain throughout his body, he stood up shakily. The remaining Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi in his body flowed slowly, creating a faint resonance with the soul-slaying blade in his hand.

"Chen Mu, you..."

Shen Suning saw Chen Mu stand up, shock flashing in her eyes.

Chen Mu did not respond, his entire attention locked onto the Python-Dragon wrestling with the black dragon.

Under the Python-Dragon's desperate bite, the black dragon phantom let out a mournful cry and suddenly dissipated, turning into black-red Demonic Qi that retracted into the demon seal. The Python-Dragon paid a price for this as well; its neck was almost torn open, blood pouring out like a waterfall, and its movements suffered a fatal lag.

Chen Mu lunged out fiercely, aiming straight for the old wound on its abdomen, which had been heavily damaged by his own blade earlier and attacked multiple times by Bai Junyi and the others, leaving it a mass of mangled flesh.

The soul-slaying blade followed the edge of the old wound, stabbing fiercely in at the most devious angle, concentrating all his remaining Protective Aura at the tip of the blade.

"Hiss!"

The Python-Dragon let out a mournful cry of unprecedented intensity. This sound pierced through the mountain forest, filled with unwillingness and resentment. Its massive body spasmed and rolled violently. Chen Mu gripped the hilt tightly, his entire body tossed about by the immense force of the rolling, blood constantly gushing from his mouth, but he still pressed his entire weight onto the hilt, desperately churning it downward.

The Python-Dragon's struggles grew weaker and weaker, the light in its eyes rapidly dimming...

But alarm bells rang in Chen Mu's heart; the System notification prompt still hadn't sounded!

It seemed this demon creature had terrifyingly tenacious vitality; it hadn't even completely lost its life yet!