The gaunt, skeletal old man strode forward, leaping over the dragon vein and stepping straight into the land of darkness. Immortal energy steamed around his body, wreathed in radiant halos and shimmering with a hazy glow.
Originally, his withered frame was merely wrapped in golden skin, already extraordinary in appearance—but now, it had become even more remarkable.
Yet there was something eerie about it. Though sacred immortal energy swirled around him, he resembled nothing more than a golden skeleton.
“The Black Calamity rises once more. This old man has come to slay demons and vanquish evil—specifically, you!” the elder declared.
*Whoosh!*
His speed was terrifying. He charged into the darkness, his body erupting with light that actually dispelled the black mist, illuminating the ominous land in dazzling brilliance.
He stretched out a withered, massive hand, radiating golden light that crushed the void, causing it to tremble and hum as it reached straight for the old sect master of the Vajra Gate.
“ROAR!”
The old sect master of the Vajra Gate, his hair wild and disheveled, had black blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. His eyes burned like two miniature silver suns, fiercely radiant.
Sensing imminent danger, he did not engage—instead, he turned and fled. Yet, in the final instant, the cruel smirk on his lips sent chills down the spine.
His gaze was venomous, as if committing the immortal elder’s visage to memory before he vanished into the depths of the darkness.
“Where do you think you’re fleeing?!” At the elder’s level of cultivation, seizing the sun and moon or plucking stars from the sky was effortless—killing was child’s play.
But then—
From the darkness, an enormous beast’s claw descended, blotting out the heavens and earth, vast beyond measure!
As it stretched forth, the earth split apart, the void shattered inch by inch, and black holes yawned open—a scene of pure horror.
This was one of the beings behind the Dark Tempest, the true source of calamity. And now, one of their mighty had taken direct action!
*BOOM!*
The two clashed, the void exploding as dark matter surged violently. At the same time, immortal energy erupted wildly, intertwining and colliding, forming ripples of the Great Dao.
This was a clash of laws, a duel of order. The sounds, the images—all seemed to come from beyond countless eons, blurred yet infused with the weight of time.
A battle of this magnitude was unimaginable. None had expected that, mere days after the Dark Calamity’s emergence, the high-level powers would already engage in such a confrontation.
*Howl!*
The gale winds howled, slicing through the sky. Countless towering mountains on the ground crumbled like paper, instantly reduced to dust and scattered into nothingness.
This was merely the faintest overflow of the combatants’ law power—yet it was enough to create such devastation.
Their control was impeccable; almost no violent energy spilled beyond the battlefield, all of it contained within the clash of their two massive hands.
The sight was staggering—the enormous beast’s claw, pitch-black, resembling something between a lizard’s and a demonic bird’s, grotesque and savage, covered in gleaming obsidian scales.
None could tell what manner of creature it belonged to. Now, it swelled to fill the heavens and earth, dwarfing even the stars!
Meanwhile, the elder’s golden palm, though skeletal, had also expanded, covering the firmament as it pressed against the beast’s claw. Between them, the ripples of the Great Dao surged endlessly.
This was the first great confrontation between a True Immortal and a creature of darkness!
“The Immortal Realm truly hasn’t improved—still so rigid and predictable. Your defeat is inevitable.”
A hoarse voice, dripping with cold cruelty, echoed from the darkness, like the wail of a ten-thousand-year-old ghost—piercing and grating.
The dark creature spoke, its massive claw trembling as terrifying spiral-shaped black light erupted, like a meat grinder, surging toward the elder’s arm.
*Splat!*
The elder’s arm exploded, droplets of blood—each carrying immortal radiance—scattering. A single drop could extinguish entire constellations, for it contained the power of a True Immortal!
Yet even one as mighty as him was wounded, his arm instantly crippled, corroded by an inexplicable law as dark energy surged, seeking to invade his body.
“Too easy a victory,” the voice from the darkness sneered, merciless.
On the side of the dragon vein, everyone’s hearts sank. They were utterly shaken—this elder was of an ancient lineage, cultivating the Golden Skin and Silver Bones technique, his flesh peerlessly resilient. Yet he had lost an arm in the first exchange. Just how terrifying was his opponent?
Across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, representatives from the various immortal clans fell silent. If even an expert from the Immortal Realm could not hold the line, where did that leave them?
At this point, retreat was nearly impossible. Unless they could enter the Immortal Realm, staying behind meant certain death.
“Cough… age has dulled my reflexes. A moment of carelessness,” the elder muttered, golden skin glowing as blood trickled from his lips.
He staggered back, but his severed arm was already reforming, flesh and bone regenerating amidst a mist of blood, brimming with potent vitality.
Above, several stars suddenly brightened. Those with Heavenly Eyes saw them ignite, their essence erupting outward.
In the next moment, those stars dimmed, reduced to ash—yet their condensed stellar essence surged from beyond the heavens, forming beams of light that poured into the elder’s body.
He had incinerated stars to absorb their essence, using it to regenerate his arm—a shocking display of power.
Yet the battle did not pause, for golden light continued to erupt from the elder, rippling outward like waves to hold back the beast’s claw.
Indeed, the claw pressed down relentlessly, seeking to crush the elder while he was vulnerable.
“ROAR!”
Suddenly, a furious roar echoed from afar. The old sect master of the Vajra Gate staggered, his silver pupils widening as he looked down at his chest—where a beam of immortal light had pierced through, shredding his heart.
*Splat!*
His body exploded, black blood spraying in all directions as his remains scattered.
That immortal light was formed from droplets of the elder’s earlier spilled blood. While most of the mist had flowed back during his regeneration, some had seeped into the earth, racing unseen to strike the fleeing sect master.
“The Dark Seed has been slain!”
Cheers erupted from the dragon vein. This was the elder’s victory—he had ventured forth to eliminate this threat before it could become another Yu Tuo.
For its evolution was horrifyingly swift, as if without limit!
Yet now, it had been executed with ease.
“Hmph!” The elder, golden skin gleaming and silver bones radiant, let out a cold laugh as his combat power surged, clashing fiercely with the black claw.
“Eh?” Suddenly, the crowd gasped—for the black blood of the slain sect master was moving, not dissipating, but gathering back together, reforming into a human shape.
“What?!” Many were stunned.
That had been a strand of immortal blood that obliterated him! How could he still revive?
He had not yet reached the immortal realm—he was still mortal. A single drop of immortal blood could shatter stars and erase all things. How was he still alive?
This defied reason!
“Disappointed? The Dark Seed is indestructible. He *will* rise,” the voice from the darkness intoned, the beast’s claw attacking even more fiercely.
Meanwhile, the Vajra Gate’s old sect master was fully reviving, his bones reforming, his body swelling with terrifying power.
He roared, his form expanding rapidly—until he stood as a giant, towering between heaven and earth.
“Heavens! A Supreme transformation—his Dharma Body is evolving! Is he ascending?!” The onlookers were dumbstruck. Such speed of evolution was unacceptable.
“Too fast. Revert!” A voice from the darkness commanded, and another massive claw pressed down, forcing him to shrink, his rampant energy condensing inward.
Within his now-normal-sized body, his black blood grew even more potent, accumulating for a future, even greater breakthrough.
Amidst the darkness, a faint streak of light shot away—a wisp of immortal blood, carrying traces of dark blood.
“Trying to steal the chosen Dark Blood?” The voice from the darkness sneered.
The claw battling the elder shrank abruptly, its true form emerging—a humanoid figure, at least in shape.
It had deliberately taken human form, even its claw now a fist, dark energy boiling as it struck at both the elder and the fleeing light.
The elder roared, his body crystalline as boundless immortal power erupted, engaging the creature in fierce combat.
*Boom!*
The escaping light was obliterated mid-flight, the immortal blood scattering—but the dark blood within splattered outward.
“Seal it!”
At that moment, another elder appeared atop the dragon vein—white-haired, white-bearded, the very image of an immortal sage. He held a jade cauldron, capturing the scattered dark blood in midair.
A few strands fell into the cauldron, sealed away before he turned and left without hesitation.
Seeing this, the golden-skinned elder also disengaged, retreating swiftly—his objective, the Dark Seed’s blood, had been secured.
“That’s… the Old Immortal Physician!” someone on the dragon vein exclaimed, recognizing the jade cauldron-wielding elder.
A radiant gate appeared in the distance, and the Old Immortal Physician stepped through, vanishing instantly.
He was returning to the Immortal Realm, summoned back.
“Tch. All this effort for a drop of Dark Blood? Take it—you’ll learn nothing from it,” the dark creature mocked.
The battle was over. That the blood of a Dark Seed warranted such a struggle from the Immortal Realm was telling.
The dark creature did not pursue, watching the gate vanish before it too faded into the abyss.
“Elder, is that blood truly so valuable?” a commander asked.
“Immensely. This is the Dark Origin Blood—the essence of a chosen Dark Seed. If we can decipher its secrets, we may turn the tide of this war,” the skeletal elder replied.
In the distance, Shi Hao frowned—for a drop of the exploded dark blood had landed on his robe.
In truth, after the blood scattered, traces flew across the lands, triggering frenzied battles among dark creatures.
Yet the mighty being in the darkness did not intervene, caring only that the Immortal Realm did not claim the blood.
“This drop is minuscule… so why does it unsettle me so?” Shi Hao muttered, troubled.
He cut away the stained fabric, storing it in a spatial artifact before retreating.
“Not good—am I darkening?” He was alarmed. Though the blood hadn’t touched him, his body was already emitting a faint, ominous glow.
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