The strange path of dao tree wanted to contaminate, devour, and assimilate this purest vitality, which was enough to "complete" itself!
Once the Azure Emperor was completely eroded, not only would the bait plan fail, but they would also instantly lose a top combatant, and might even gain a terrifying enemy controlled by the Strange Tree's will!
The true crisis had just arrived! And the powerful experts were already showing signs of fatigue and exhaustion!
The time had come!
They had risked their lives, using themselves as shields and the Azure Emperor as bait, paying a huge price to lure out the core of the Strange Tree's will, which revealed its greed and fully pounced on the bait at that fatal moment!
It was his turn to act!
However—
In that Void Realm, Chaos Qi still floated, but… there was no movement!
Li Mu's figure did not appear as expected!
Dead silence!
A silence even colder and more complete than before instantly gripped the hearts of all the powerful experts!
Blood Prison Demon God's scarlet blood-red eyes suddenly froze, and what churned within them was not fury, but… a blank, incredulous emptiness! The blood sea beneath his feet, almost stagnant, mirrored his frozen emotions.
"He…" Bone Emperor Demon God's bone throne let out an unbearable groan, and the ghostly fire in his hollow eye sockets flickered violently.
All the calculations, all the sacrifices, at this moment, seemed to have turned into an absurd joke?
Mind Clarity Holy Monk's chanting of the true mantra abruptly ceased, the Buddhist wheel's light dimmed drastically, and for the first time, his withered face lost its compassionate tranquility.
Soul Devouring Demon God suddenly tightened his grip on the Soul Banner's pole, his scarlet eyes fixed on that Void Realm, and what burned wildly within them was not Battle Intent, but… the furious rage of betrayal and the madness of utter destruction.
Celestial Venerable Fentian's hair stood on end, his eyes reflecting the painful struggle of the Azure Emperor within the Eternal Night's darkness, and that silent Void Realm.
"Did we, after all, misplace our trust?"
"It's over… it's all over!"
This thought, like the most vicious curse, instantly exploded in the near-exhausted minds of all the powerful experts! All their persistence, all their sacrifices, all their trust, seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of Li Mu's sudden "silence"!
Despair, like a cold tide, instantly submerged the last embankment of reason, pushing them into the abyss of complete collapse!
The Strange Tree's will seemed to sense the despair of the guardians; the greedy core's hum carried a hint of cruel pleasure, and its speed in pouncing on the Azure Emperor's Origin became faster and fiercer! The Eternal Night shield twisted violently, almost shattering!
Just at this critical juncture, when all hope was lost and the defense was about to completely collapse from within!
"Return—to the Void!"
A voice, calm to the extreme, containing the mighty power of creation, as if from the very beginning of Chaos, clearly echoed in the depths of every collapsing Divine Soul!
Boom!!!
That silent Void Realm, watched by all despairing eyes, without warning… exploded!
Boundless, vast, as if encompassing everything yet transcending everything, Chaos Qi, like a world-destroying flood breaking a dam, or an invisible, formless giant mouth covering all the heavens and myriad realms, descended with a roar! It instantly covered and swallowed the Star Domain, centered on the Azure Emperor, spanning unknown tens of thousands of miles!
Li Mu's figure appeared, transforming into the Origin of this Chaos! Chaotic Dao patterns flowed around his body, and in his eyes, there were no stars, no sun or moon, only constantly appearing and disappearing, contracting into nothingness, chaotic whirlpools!
A terrifying true meaning, bringing all things to an end and all Dao to silence, like an invisible shackles, instantly locked onto that point of the Strange Tree's will core, which was greedily pouncing on the Azure Emperor!
As soon as this Chaotic Dao Domain unfolded, its nature was completely different from the power of all the powerful experts present; it was not confrontation, not defense, but… covering! It was replacement! It was forcibly dragging the Laws of this Star Domain, contaminated by the Strange Tree's will, into the final torrent of Chaos for a "Encirclement and suppression" (encirclement and suppression)!
"Roar!"
An unprecedented, sharp shriek filled with shock, anger, pain, and disbelief suddenly erupted from that locked Strange Tree's will core! This was no longer a wail at the Law level, but a heart-rending roar from the will's body when it felt threatened!
It sensed it!
It sensed a fatal threat!
That Chaos Qi, that true meaning of returning to the Void, was not to repel it, nor to Seal it, but to… fundamentally erase the Foundation of its existence! To thoroughly "digest" it!
The surging sea of strange mist instantly rioted! The endless gray-white substance no longer attacked the powerful experts on the periphery, but like iron filings attracted by a magnet, it frantically and desperately converged towards that locked core.
The gray-white substance frantically condensed and shaped at the core!
Thick, ancient giant vines, like those supporting the heavens and earth, first appeared; they were no longer illusory energy bodies, but appeared in a nearly solid form, covered with twisted, strange white wood grain! They exuded an aura that could rot galaxies, condensing countless struggling and wailing faces of pain, as if they were the final imprints of billions of swallowed beings!
At the center, guarded by countless intertwined giant vines, an unimaginably vast outline of a main trunk, formed by countless twisted branches, slowly rose!
On the main trunk, there were no leaves, but dense, gray-white eyes like huge tumor scars! Each eye was cold, greedy, and filled with pure destructive desire, "staring" intently at Li Mu and his unfolded Chaotic Dao Domain!
At the core of the main trunk, a profoundly deep, dark vortex, as if leading to the end of all things, slowly rotated, emitting a suction force that could freeze Divine Souls; that was the true manifestation of the Strange Tree's will!
At this moment, facing the chaotic whirlpool, it revealed an unprecedented shock and anger!
The strange path of dao tree—the true form of its twisted will—was forced by Li Mu's chaotic whirlpool to reveal its most Origin-like appearance!
It no longer hid, no longer controlled Puppets, but mobilized the power of the entire contaminated Star Domain, manifesting this terrifying form that could make any ultimate expert despair.
Gray-white giant vines danced wildly, wielding the mighty power of extinguishing galaxies, fiercely lashing out at the expanding Chaotic Dao Domain! Billions of gray-white eyes on the main trunk simultaneously erupted with filthy gray-white light pillars, attempting to contaminate and assimilate the Chaos Qi!
The core's dark vortex rotated even more frantically, releasing terrifying suction, wanting to drag the Chaotic Dao Domain and Li Mu together into eternal silence!
The true decisive battle, at the moment Li Mu struck and locked onto his target, erupted with a roar! Chaos and silence, return to the Void and erosion, two forces representing ultimate destruction, engaged in the most direct collision concerning the Origin of existence!
The Strange Tree's will body completely manifested, and the entire Star Domain seemed to be enveloped by its terrifying aura, interwoven with gray-white and darkness. The polluting light pillars spewing from billions of eyes, like countless rivers of destruction, crashed down on Li Mu's standing chaotic whirlpool.
Li Mu's figure remained as towering and unmoving as a mountain; as the chaotic Dao patterns flowed, he actually swallowed all the polluting power that could annihilate ultimate experts! In his eyes, the chaotic whirlpool slowly rotated, and Chaos Power collided with the Strange Tree's will core, erupting in a roar that tore through the Void Realm!
The Strange Tree's will core trembled violently, as if feeling an unprecedented threat, frantically mobilizing all the strange power of the Star Domain, trying to break free from the chaotic whirlpool's lock!
On the main trunk, a huge hand, formed by countless twisted branches, suddenly stretched out, and a constantly wriggling black hole, devouring light, appeared in its palm! That was its "Grip of Termination," capable of dragging all Laws, matter, and even space-time itself into it, turning them into nothingness!
With one palm strike, heaven and earth lost their color!
But just as the Grip of Termination was about to touch Li Mu, he raised his right hand, gently closed his five fingers, and condensed a chaotic giant fist in the Void Realm to meet it.
"Boom!" With a loud bang, two mighty powers capable of collapsing galaxies collided with a roar!
At the point where the chaotic giant palm and the Grip of Termination met, the Void Realm annihilated inch by inch, Laws wailed and dissipated, and the entire Star Domain seemed to be violently squeezed by an invisible giant hand, then suddenly torn apart! A terrifying shockwave swept out, even shaking back Blood Prison Demon God, Celestial Venerable Fentian, and others tens of thousands of miles, their protective divine light flickering violently!
"He… can actually directly contend with the Strange Dao's body?"
Bone Emperor Demon God's bone throne creaked, and the ghostly fire flickered violently, his voice filled with disbelief.
Li Mu formed hand Seals, and the Chaotic Dao Domain contracted, attempting to completely encircle the strange path of dao tree.
The strange path of dao tree would naturally not let him succeed; its strange domain erupted, attempting to break free from the chaotic whirlpool.
An indescribable fluctuation instantly spread, and the entire Chaotic Dao Domain suddenly solidified; immediately after, countless chaotic chains emerged from the Void Realm, like a net of heavenly punishment, fiercely wrapping around the Strange Tree's will Origin!
"Roar—!"
The Strange Tree's will was completely enraged, and a Strange Dao Power far exceeding the previous burst erupted, willing to consume its Strange Dao Origin to break free from the chaotic chains' restraint!
However, the difference in power between the two was negligible, and Li Mu's Chaotic Dao Domain was unable to encircle it for a long time.
The Demon Gods and ultimate experts, seeing this scene, couldn't help but secretly worry for him.
Is this what seven or eight tenths certainty means?
"Want to escape?"
The chaotic whirlpool in Li Mu's eyes suddenly condensed, and he formed hand Seals.
"Chaos Treasure Mansion—Open!"
As soon as the words fell, a Ruyi flew out from Li Mu's body, transforming into a stream of light that merged into the Chaotic Dao Domain, instantly disappearing.
Om!!!
A Dao sound, as if from the depths of Grandmist, pierced through the roar of Chaos and the shriek of the Strange Tree! In front of Li Mu, at the point of violent collision, a faint light suddenly appeared! This light was initially as tiny as a mustard seed, emitting a supreme, pioneering aura that caused the entire Chaotic Dao Domain to pause!
The faint light instantly expanded! It was not an explosion, but like a sleeping Universe being instantly awakened, pushing open its boundary walls!
A phantom of a mansion, indescribably majestic and profound, descended with a roar!
It was transformed from a Ruyi, condensed from primordial Chaos Qi, ancient and vast, yet flowing with billions of Dao Laws!
The mansion gate seemed open and closed, and inside was not pavilions and towers, but surging, rolling chaotic nebulae, pregnant with endless possibilities of creation and destruction! A vast, irresistible mighty power, capable of suppressing all ages, encompassing all heavens, and containing the vitality of creation, swept out, enveloping the strange path of dao tree's body, and the power of the Chaotic Dao Domain instantly increased several times over.
"Chaos Supreme Treasure!"
"Chaos Cave Heaven?"
…
As this object appeared, the entire battlefield seemed to be paused! The Demon Gods and ultimate experts, struggling in despair, instantly perked up.
Blood Prison Demon God's frozen blood-red eyes, Bone Emperor Demon God's flickering ghostly fire, Mind Clarity Holy Monk's dimmed Buddhist wheel, Soul Devouring Demon God's tightly gripped Soul Banner, Celestial Venerable Fentian's hunched body, Star Dome Old Ancestor's extinguished gaze, Grand Profound Sword Revered's slightly lowered ancient sword, Profound Evil Demon God's mournful cry, Eternal Night Demon God's violently fluctuating darkness… all movements, all emotions, completely froze at this moment!
What replaced them was extreme shock and disbelief!
"Cave Heaven Supreme Treasure… Chaos Treasure Mansion?"
Blood Prison Demon God's throat emitted a hoarse, extremely dry sound, and in his scarlet blood-red eyes, that blank incredulity was instantly replaced by another, even more fervent, more mind-bending astonishment.
"He… actually has such a Foundation?" The cracks on Bone Emperor Demon God's bone throne seemed to forget to spread, and the ghostly fire in his hollow eye sockets almost popped out!
All the calculations and sacrifices, at this moment, seemed so small and ridiculous, no, they seemed so… worthwhile! Because the ally he gambled on, his trump card far exceeded imagination!
"Amitabha… Chaos creation, it actually exists here!" Mind Clarity Holy Monk's withered face brightened, and the dimmed Buddhist wheel behind him instinctively re-lit with a faint glow due to the stimulation of this supreme treasure's aura.
"Chaos Treasure Mansion… Hahahaha! Good! What a Li Mu!" Soul Devouring Demon God's hand, gripping the Soul Banner, trembled with excitement, and his rage was replaced by ecstasy.
Celestial Venerable Fentian's hunched back suddenly straightened, his eyes reflecting the phantom of the chaotic mansion, all sorrow gone, leaving only pure amazement and a hint of lingering fear: "No wonder… no wonder he dared to use himself as bait to lure out this villain's body! He actually possesses such a world-suppressing object!"
"Good, good!" Star Dome Old Ancestor's extinguished starlight in his cloudy old eyes was re-ignited by the radiance of the Chaos Treasure Mansion, and he kept praising with joy.
…
Hope! The true light of hope, capable of turning the tide, at this moment, due to the descent of the Chaos Treasure Mansion, completely pierced through the gloom of despair!
"Collect!"
Li Mu uttered only a single, cold word, forming hand Seals, and the chaotic Dao patterns, like living creatures, coiled around the massive Treasure Mansion phantom!
The seemingly open and closed mansion gate of the Chaos Treasure Mansion roared open!
Inside the gate was not darkness, but endlessly rotating chaotic nebulae whirlpools! A suction force, older, vaster, and more irresistible than the Strange Tree's core dark whirlpool, instantly erupted!
This power was not consumption, but containment; it forcibly opened a cage with the power of the Chaos Cave Heaven, dragging the target into it, completely isolating it from the Laws of the present world!
"No—!"
On the strange path of dao tree's main trunk, composed of countless gray-white eyes, all eyes twisted and burst open due to extreme fear! The terrifying body, condensed, violently swayed like a candle in the wind under the Chaos Treasure Mansion's suction force; the gray-white substance forming its body frantically disintegrated and was forcibly stripped away, transforming into turbid torrents, involuntarily being dragged towards the opened mansion gate!
The strange path of dao tree felt a threat more direct and complete than the Chaotic Dao Domain! Once it was taken into this Chaos Treasure Mansion, it would completely lose contact with the outside world, lose the power source of the entire contaminated Star Domain, becoming fish on a chopping board, allowing the opponent to suppress and refine it within the Cave Heaven! (End of this chapter)
