Chapter 639: Heaven and Earth Ink Killing Change

Just then, Chiyan, who had seemed to give up struggling and was silently awaiting death, suddenly raised its head.

A hint of mocking smile seemed to flicker across its blurred, pulsating face.

Then, in an instant, its body transformed from black and red to a complete, inky blackness! Like ink spreading in water, the surrounding space was instantly stained an impenetrable black.

Li Fan’s mind reeled.

Even the surviving cultivators who had originally gazed at Chiyan with greed were now completely enveloped by fear. This was because the World-Spirit Chiyan, which they had sensed, had quietly transformed into the World-Spirit: Mo Sha!

“What’s going on?!”

Not only were they panicking, but even Li Fan was taken aback.

“World-Spirits can transform into one another? Chiyan doesn’t have to die for Mo Sha to instantly replace it and manifest in the world?”

Li Fan’s heart pounded, and his thoughts raced. The scene he witnessed today seemed to open a new door for him.

Amidst this sudden anomaly, the first to bear the brunt was Hong Xi, who had sacrificed himself for a desperate strike. His initial resolve and determination turned into terror and despair. But once an arrow is shot, there's no turning back. He was now irresistibly colliding with the inky black domain surrounding Mo Sha.

There was no earth-shattering collision, no dazzling light effects. Like ice melting into water, his entire body seemed to dissolve instantly, vanishing without a sound.

Mo Sha tilted its head slightly, a strange smile seemingly appearing on its lips.

Above, a phenomenon suddenly manifested in the sky.

“Soul Transformation Cultivator Hong Xi, having cultivated for seven hundred and sixty-three years, established his foundation with the Five Elements Mountains and formed his Golden Core with the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. He swallowed the Hundred Peaks Grotto-Heaven to achieve Nascent Soul, and drew upon the essence of Mount Taihua to manifest his spirit into a thousand mountains. Fortuitously punished by heaven, his cultivation vanished, returning to the heavens!”

The collapse of the continuous mountain ranges across the sky signified the demise of Immortal Lord Hong Xi, the Soul Transformation cultivator and leader of the Cloudsea region.

The moment Mo Sha appeared, Tian Yang had already sensed danger. Although he had sworn never to be inferior to others, this did not mean Tian Yang would foolishly sacrifice himself. The Earthfire Reversion Formation held nothing back, completely bursting open at the cost of its own destruction. As the earthfire lava raged, Tian Yang attempted to escape by severing his hand. While the giant palm continued to trap Mo Sha, Tian Yang himself had quietly fled.

However, his movements, though swift, were not faster than Mo Sha’s. The crimson lava had not even reached Mo Sha before it was tainted and transformed into tiny, inky black particles. It was like a drop of ink falling into the world, rapidly spreading. Tian Yang hadn't managed to flee far before he was caught by the continuously expanding circular black area.

Unlike Hong Xi’s silent dissolution, there were continuous flashes of fire and cracking sounds emanating from the deep blackness. Even as the vast black area continued to expand outwards, signs of Tian Yang’s struggle could still be seen from its center. But this only seemed to prolong his suffering. Soon after, all movement ceased completely, and the blackness returned to stillness.

Li Fan’s eyelids twitched involuntarily. He knew that the materials he used to empower Tian Yang included “Eternal Gold,” which was said to be indestructible even through countless eons. He had originally thought Tian Yang could at least withstand a couple of attacks from Mo Sha, but the result…

“The gap is just too immense. Mo Sha…”

“Truly terrifying and formidable.” Even having witnessed battles involving Heavenly Physician, Master, and others, Li Fan still felt a chilling sensation watching Mo Sha in action again.

“And this incarnation of Mo Sha seems… more ‘vivid’ than before?” Li Fan didn’t know if it was his imagination, but as he stared at the expanding black blotch between heaven and earth, he suddenly had this inexplicable realization.

As for the other cultivators within Cloudmist City, they weren't merely feeling a chill like Li Fan. The situation had changed drastically. In an instant, both Soul Transformation cultivators, who had seemed to hold victory in their grasp, had fallen. This plunged the remaining people into complete despair.

Furthermore, many cultivators who had been cultivating in seclusion within the Heavenly Profound Mirror in Cloudmist City were suddenly thrown out. They looked bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.

“The Heavenly Profound Mirror has also withdrawn its empowerment. It seems Cloudmist Sea has been abandoned.”

“What’s meant to come, will come.” Li Fan thought this as he watched the surrounding cultivators crying out in distress and revealing their pathetic states.

After Tian Yang’s demise, the spread of the inky blackness gradually slowed. Reassuming its humanoid form, Mo Sha’s gaze swept over the crowd in Cloudmist City. All cultivators who met its gaze became rigid and unable to move, their hearts consumed by extreme terror.

Then, perhaps with a playful, cat-and-mouse mentality, Mo Sha chose not to immediately act against these cultivators, instead flickering and vanishing from sight. The cultivators’ faces were filled with disbelief, thinking Mo Sha had spared them. A spark of hope immediately ignited in their hearts.

But clearly, this was impossible.

In the sky, a black rain began to fall. As the black drops descended to the ground, everything they touched was instantly etherealized. Then, more inky blackness of the same origin emerged from the void, devouring its surroundings. Before everyone’s eyes, the Cloudmist Sea was disappearing.

But ironically, all the black rain avoided Cloudmist City, which hovered in the sky. It was as if it were a form of punishment, forcing the city’s cultivators to watch the Cloudmist Sea slowly being erased. Mo Sha orchestrated all of this.

“This Mo Sha has a bit of a twisted sense of humor.” Li Fan thought this as he stared at the increasingly dark space around him, feeling his heart grow heavier.

Such a horrifying scene plunged the cultivators within Cloudmist City into utter madness. Knowing they had no chance of survival, some succumbed to despair and committed suicide. Others, with bloodshot eyes, launched suicidal attacks toward the black area outside Cloudmist City. And still others collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.

He Zheng Hao was one such person. His body trembled incessantly, his daughter’s past warnings echoing repeatedly in his mind.

“A terrible catastrophe, a threat to life.”

“Just leave the Cloudmist Sea.”

With a face filled with confusion and regret, He Zheng Hao saw the faces of his beloved Heng Ruo Shui and his daughter He Xin Xin reappear before his eyes.

“How foolish I’ve been!” His life’s experiences flashed before his eyes in an instant, and He Zheng Hao wept tears of snot and sorrow.

But suddenly, he stopped. He abruptly scrambled toward Li Fan.

“Lord Emissary! Lord Emissary, please think of a way!”

“You must have a solution, right?” Scrambling and crawling, he reached Li Fan, asking with a final shred of hope.

Li Fan did not reply, simply flying silently into the high sky. He made a defiant gesture towards the inky black domain beyond Cloudmist City.

The world’s blackness seemed to suddenly come to a standstill. Then, a figure appeared not far from Li Fan. It watched Li Fan with interest.