PDLP Chapter 218 The Fall of the Clone
Chapter 218 The Fall of the Clone
Chapter update reminder: Chapter 218 The Fall of the Clone, read here.
Chen Xu is getting closer and closer to the center of the platform.
It was a circular area with a diameter of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and the ground had a dark, glassy texture.
It was as smooth as a mirror, yet seemed to have no bottom.
With each step, a heart-pounding pulse emanated from the cold, dark red rock beneath my feet.
The Demon-Sealing Token tightly held in Chen Xu's hand emitted a faint warmth, barely isolating the surrounding viscous, almost tangible, blood-fiend aura.
But the oppressive feeling that emanated from the depths of the earth and penetrated straight to his soul was like a constantly tightening noose, making every breath he took exceptionally heavy.
He stopped just three steps from the edge of the glass floor.
The runes underfoot became denser and deeper, and a faint red light flowed through the patterns like a living thing, converging towards the central glass area.
The glass floor was not completely still; occasionally, a very faint ripple would spread out.
Like a stone thrown into stagnant water, it immediately returns to stillness.
Chen Xu took a deep breath and cautiously extended his divine sense towards the dark, glazed ground.
Instantly, a chilling thought suddenly rebounded.
The entire Demon Sealing Platform trembled violently, and the twelve enormous blood-patterned stone pillars simultaneously erupted with dazzling blood light. The runes on the pillars swirled wildly, emitting a low, mournful hum like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts.
In the bottomless abyss of darkness at the edge of the platform, it seemed as if countless eyes were simultaneously open, casting a cold and thirsty gaze.
Chen Xu groaned, and the wisp of divine consciousness he had extended was devoured and dissolved by that malice, causing his physical body to feel a stinging pain.
He abruptly withdrew all his consciousness, his face turning slightly pale.
The danger at the core of this seal is far beyond imagination.
The slightest sensation from the periphery triggered a strong reaction from the entire formation.
"We can't force it..." Chen Xu's inner alarm bells rang loudly.
Even someone with Xuanjizi's cultivation level died here, so the power of his clone is even less worth mentioning.
The red light on the twelve blood-patterned stone pillars grew increasingly dazzling, like twelve beating hearts.
Each pulse made the crimson runes on the platform even more vibrant, as if they might flow down at any moment.
The invisible gaze emanating from the abyss suddenly intensified, cold and greedy, carrying a soul-freezing malice, firmly locking onto Chen Xu.
The immense pressure caused Chen Xu to groan in unbearable agony. If it weren't for the physique tempered by the "Mysterious Bone True Demon Art," he would probably have already collapsed to his knees.
"This seal... is indeed extremely fragile!" Chen Xu thought with a chill.
When Xuanjizi perished, the seal was already releasing demonic energy. Now, countless years have passed, and its power is probably less than one-tenth of what it once was.
My own probing just now instantly triggered a chain reaction.
Without hesitation, he retreated rapidly, his figure transforming into a blurry black shadow, braving the invisible pressure that threatened to crush him, and sped toward the edge of the platform.
The Demon-Sealing Token he held tightly in his hand emitted an even stronger warmth, striving to create a small, safe area for him.
However, the dark, glazed floor in the center of the platform changed even faster than he was retreating.
hum...
The smooth, mirror-like surface twisted violently, like boiling, viscous blood plasma, bulging out one huge bubble after another.
It suddenly exploded again, scattering wisps of viscous, pitch-black demonic energy!
As soon as these demonic energies appeared, they emitted sharp, piercing shrieks, as if millions of vengeful spirits were screaming at the same time.
They did not spread randomly, but rather, as if they were alive, they coalesced wildly.
In an instant, it transformed into dozens of thick, black chains, each as thick as a water bucket, which lashed out and entangled Chen Xu from all directions as he retreated violently.
Chen Xu's pupils contracted sharply; the attack was too fast and too fierce.
The power contained in each chain far exceeded that of a Nascent Soul cultivator's full-force attack.
At the critical moment of life and death, Chen Xu gripped the Demon-Sealing Token tightly with his left hand, pouring all his spiritual power into it.
Instantly, the Demon-Sealing Decree erupted with an unprecedentedly dazzling red light.
Amidst a series of buzzing sounds, a condensed crimson-gold light shield instantly expanded around the deputy commander, enveloping Chen Xu within it.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Almost the instant the light shield took shape, dozens of demonic chains were already tightly wrapped around it.
The ear-piercing explosion was deafening, and the crimson-gold light shield twisted and dented violently, with dense, spiderweb-like ripples spreading across its surface.
Chen Xu, inside the light shield, felt as if he had been struck by a series of heavy blows, his internal organs seemingly displaced by the shock.
He clenched his teeth so tightly that blood seeped from his gums, and his entire body groaned under the strain. He was only kept from collapsing by an indomitable will.
The demonic chains, like a persistent leech, frantically coiled around, tightened, and corroded the crimson-gold light shield.
The light shield dimmed at a visible speed, and the deputy command itself became extremely hot, as if it would melt at any moment.
"Damn it... I can't hold on!" Chen Xu could clearly feel the deputy commander's power being rapidly depleted.
Even more terrifying, as the magic chains attacked frantically, the pulse beneath the dark, glazed floor in the center of the platform grew stronger and faster.
It was as if some enormous creature was being completely awakened by this intense collision of energy!
"roar!!!"
Suddenly, a low, hoarse roar exploded deep within Chen Xu's soul.
Chen Xu could no longer suppress it, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood, with blood seeping from all seven orifices.
Just as the crimson-gold light shield was about to shatter completely and the demonic chains were about to touch Chen Xu's body, at the critical moment...
The Xuanqiong Key, which he had been clutching tightly in his right hand and which had remained silent, suddenly began to tremble violently once more.
On the surface of the key, the originally understated silver-white patterns suddenly lit up.
A powerful spatial pressure suddenly erupted from the key.
This oppressive aura was so domineering and so pure, it seemed to transcend the laws of this world.
The moment it appeared, the entire raging Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform paused.
The dozens of demonic chains that had been frantically binding each other suddenly froze.
The surging demonic energy and vengeful faces on the surface of the chains seemed to have encountered their natural enemy, and they all twisted and dissipated.
At the edge of the platform, there were twelve enormous stone pillars, pulsating wildly and radiating blood-red light.
The flow of runes on it also showed obvious sluggishness and disorder.
The countless pairs of cold, greedy gazes from the abyss seemed to be scorched by intense light, and they immediately retreated.
Even the terrifying being about to awaken beneath the glazed floor in the center of the platform abruptly stopped its violent pulse and roar.
The entire Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform fell into an eerie stillness.
The dozens of demonic chains wrapped around the crimson-gold light shield maintained their ferocious coiled posture, and the surging demonic energy on the surface also stopped writhing.
The terrifying pressure that had been pressing down on Chen Xu suddenly eased.
"Pfft!" Chen Xu spat out another mouthful of blood, his body swaying before he could barely stand.
He was breathing heavily, staring incredulously at the ancient Xuanqiong Key in his hand.
"Is this... the power of the combined chalcedony and the key? Or is it something inherent in the key itself...?"
A storm raged in Chen Xu's heart.
This key is not merely a key to unlocking the Xuanqiong Heavenly Rank; the level of power it contains far exceeds his comprehension!
However, Chen Xu's heart sank.
He could clearly "hear" the subtle "humming" coming from inside the key.
That was a sign of exhaustion. The key after fusing with chalcedony was indeed incredibly powerful, but this power was clearly not inexhaustible.
Especially when confronting the terrifying demonic intent at the core of the Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform, the consumption is astonishing.
"It's overdrawing its own power to maintain this suppression!" Qingling's urgent voice rang in Chen Xu's mind, carrying an unprecedented solemnity.
"Senior brother, this suppression is only temporary. Once the key's power is exhausted, or that thing below erupts recklessly, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Chen Xu instantly realized that even Xuanji Zi had died here, and he, a mere Core Formation cultivator, was not even worth a speck of dust in front of such an existence.
The intimidation of the key bought him a very brief respite.
After a moment of silence, Chen Xu's gaze quickly swept across the entire room.
The silvery glow of the key acted like a searchlight, not only suppressing the demonic energy but also allowing him to see the subtle changes in the glazed floor in the center of the platform under the pressure.
From the depths of the cracks in that dark, glazed glass, a darkness even more profound than the surrounding demonic energy emanated…
"The core array eye..." Chen Xu pondered to himself.
The Xuanjizi jade slip mentions that he approached this place in an attempt to draw "source power" but suffered a backlash.
Could it be... that this crack is the weakest point in the seal?
What is that dissipated "source power"? Is it the power of sealing? Or... the power of the sealed object?
An extremely bold idea instantly took hold of his mind.
Since there is no way to retreat and the power of the key cannot last, rather than waiting for the monster to awaken or for the key to run out and be torn apart, it is better to take the initiative.
The target was the core of "source power" deep within the cracks in the glazed ground, emanating a terrifying aura.
Without further hesitation, Chen Xu rushed straight to the tiny crack on the dark, glazed floor in the center of the platform.
As if sensing Chen Xu's thoughts, the key suddenly converged and condensed at its tip, forming an extremely fine silver-white point of light.
The chalcedony power fused within it was fully activated, creating a strange resonance with the power dissipating below.
puff!
The moment the silvery-white light of the key touched the darkness deep within the crack, it was as if a hot knife had pierced solidified grease.
The crack suddenly expanded, and a violent torrent of energy surged out from the depths of the crack.
The torrent of energy instantly enveloped the tip of the key and frantically eroded upwards along the key's texture.
"Ugh!!!"
Chen Xu let out a miserable howl.
Even though the key buffered 99% of the impact, the slightest bit of power transmitted still far exceeded his expectations.
The right hand holding the key instantly turned pitch black, its skin cracking inch by inch, revealing the bones beneath, which were also beginning to be corrupted and eroded, shimmering with an eerie black light.
The third level of the "Mysterious Bone True Demon Art" was like paper in the face of this power, and the demonic energy was instantly assimilated and devoured.
"Stop...!" Chen Xu's eyes were bloodshot, blood was flowing from his seven orifices, and his consciousness was on the verge of collapse due to the excruciating pain and erosion.
But he bit his tongue hard, using his last bit of clear will to frantically activate the key.
The Xuanqiong Key sensed Chen Xu's will and the deadly erosion, and once again burst forth with silver light.
This time, the silver light carried a powerful force of extraction.
The violent torrent of source energy gushing from the depths of the crack seemed to be forcibly pulled by an even more domineering force, abruptly changing its direction and frantically pouring back into the tip of the Xuanqiong Key!
"Ughhhhh!!!"
Chen Xu's screams had already faded into nothingness.
His right hand, the arm corrupted by demonic influence, became the first line of defense against the surge of energy.
Dark demonic energy and violent source power fiercely tore and merged within the silver vortex of the key.
The flesh on his arm peeled away piece by piece, revealing the bones underneath that shimmered with an eerie black and silver light.
Rumble! ...
The entire Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform erupted into chaos.
The act of extracting the key is like stabbing a powder keg that is about to explode.
The crack in the center of the platform rapidly widened and deepened.
Huge cracks appeared on the surface of the twelve blood-patterned stone pillars, from which blood-red light gushed out like a waterfall.
The entire platform shook violently, as if it might collapse and fall into an abyss at any moment.
"Roar! Ro ...
A roar filled with endless resentment erupted from the bottomless abyss of darkness.
Chen Xu's body was struck again as if by an invisible giant hammer, and he was thrown backward.
His remaining left arm gripped the key tightly, while his right arm, from the shoulder down, had been completely reduced to dust in the clash of energy.
The Demon-Sealing Token in his hand shattered with a "crack" and turned into ashes.
The glazed tile floor in the center of the platform was completely blasted open, revealing a bottomless cave.
The pitch-black demonic energy surged into the sky like a volcanic eruption.
Amidst the demonic energy, a giant claw composed of stark white bones and writhing flesh suddenly emerged from the cave.
Each joint of that bone claw was comparable to a mountain, covered with rotting flesh that was constantly peeling off and regenerating.
The sheer pressure emanating from its outstretched form caused large sections of the collapsing platform's edge to crumble into dust and plunge into the abyss.
"It's over!" A thought flashed through Chen Xu's mind as he was on the verge of collapse.
Faced with such an existence, any struggle seems utterly ridiculous.
The next moment, all sensations, pain, and the terrifying vision that froze the soul receded like a tide.
It left only a chilling, lingering fear that seeped into my bones.
……
On the floating island of Meteor City, gray-haired Chen Xu slowly opened his eyes.
Inside the quiet cave dwelling, the soft glow of the spirit-gathering array flowed gently, and the air was filled with pure spiritual energy.
It was a world apart from the nauseatingly bloody and rotten aura of the Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform.
However, Chen Xu's chest was heaving violently, and his face was slightly pale.
"Huff...huff..." He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the throbbing that came from the depths of his soul.
Although the destruction of the clone will not harm the original body or other clones in the slightest.
But the sense of despair on the verge of annihilation, and the terrifying pressure of facing that indescribable thing, were branded into his memory.
After calming down, Chen Xu had a thought, and two items appeared in his palm.
On his left hand was that ancient-looking storage ring.
Although the one-time clone has been initially refined and the lingering imprint of Xuanjizi has been erased, it still needs to be refined again.
In his right hand was the crucial Xuanqiong Key.
The key at this moment is vastly different from the one before the clone entered the Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform.
The original simple and understated silver-white color now seems to be infused with deep starlight, and a layer of dark golden halo flows on the surface.
This energy carried an ancient and heavy feeling; it was the product of the fusion of the "source power" that the clone had forcibly extracted at the end and the Xuanqiong Jade Marrow...