153 - An Incomprehensible Rupture

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“That shouldn’t be possible!” Qin Yun screamed at the sky. “We’re already so far from the Well of Souls. How could it possibly have the strength to manifest itself here?”

Despite wanting to deny what was happening in front of his eyes, Qin Yun couldn't bring himself to. It was plain to see, for he was intimately familiar with this phenomenon. These dark clouds were signs of the Heavenly Dao gathering its strength to manifest itself here. There was no doubt about it.

Still, it was not that simple. Unlike when Qin Yun achieved the Qi Refining realm, these clouds looked quite feeble. Qin Yun even doubted they could fully form. The lightning crackling on their surface could barely fight back against the darkness, and the thunder could barely be heard over the silence, making the sight quite pitiful.

Yet, the oppressiveness of those clouds had remained the same. Despite its lack of power, Qin Yun knew that a single strike of a true tribulation was enough to turn him into ashes.

“What could it possibly try to achieve by expending so much energy?”

Qin Yun couldn't understand its current existence. There was no foe to defeat, no living being for miles around, only himself standing on the world's edge. That was when Qin Yun's pupils dilated, and realization came to mind like a wrecking ball.

"Have I touched upon something I shouldn't have? No... that's not it. If it wanted to stop me from reaching here, it had many opportunities to do so. It could have stopped me at the Great Barrier, yet it didn't do so. What does it want, really? Why now?"

Qin Yun was at a dead end. No matter how he thought about it, nothing seemed to make sense. He had even tested it using this hoverboard, but it had shown no reaction.

Why now? What had changed?

Qin Yun honestly had no idea. He couldn't even run away and hide, for he knew these clouds would follow him everywhere he went. He could only wait for the hammer to fall with a grim expression on his face.

But then, something unsurprising happened. The clouds, once black against the darkness, only illuminated by the dim light of Qin Yun's luminous orbs, began to turn slightly grey. In fact, the whole world turned slightly grey, from the sand under Qin Yun's feet to the sky overhead to even the darkness itself. Even Qin Yun wasn't exempt.

He could feel the encroachment of Corruption slowly seeping into his flesh. Fortunately, he had already experienced it many times before and could slow down or even reverse it, yet it was many times stronger than he had ever known. Just the slightest traces of grey left him helpless against it.

This isn't the same Corruption as on the mainland. Back then, the Heavenly Dao kept most of its strength at bay. But now? This is its territory. There is nothing that can get in its way. Not even the dark clouds overhead are a match for it.

Indeed, the Grey Corruption slowly consumed the dark clouds and even the tribulation lightning. This black world was slowly losing its shine, becoming dull grey. Even the hovering bright light was just a shell of its former self. After a while, it even fell from the sky onto the cold sand, powerless.

As for Qin Yun, there was only one single thing he could do to combat the Corruption. He removed the seal he had imposed onto the ravenous crystal egg. As soon as it was done, the egg broke through the bounds of his black storage, only to hover beside him.

Somehow, despite being just an egg, Qin Yun could feel the emotions swirling within, almost as if they were connected through something he couldn't understand, like a link between them.

Without wasting a second, the egg began to absorb the Corruption, just as it had done so many times before. However, something was different. Each time it consumed the grey matter, it had always done so through Qin Yun by absorbing his tribulation qi, fusing both energies before transforming them into something new.

But now, only Corruption was present, and it showed. The ravenous egg that seemed able to consume everything was slowly turning grey itself. Cracks began to appear on the crystal shell as if it were about to split apart. Whether it was about to be born or simply explode due to the increased pressure, Qin Yun couldn't tell.

He only knew this egg was the only thing currently keeping him alive. While he could survive a certain amount of Corruption, this flood was well beyond his threshold. Not even the Heavenly Dao up above could contend against it.

“What are you planning?” Qin Yun screamed, his skin now turning grey. “What is it all for?”

Qin Yun’s veins were turning a deep grey, bulging against his skin, as the Corruption flowed through them. He could barely breathe as each lungful was filled with grey particles hovering in the air. Qin Yun even began to hallucinate tendrils sprouting from thin air, most probably a result of those particles finally reaching his brain.

Qin Yun bled from all orifices, yet his blood wasn't red anymore but had turned a deep grey. He was on the verge of being taken over and only managed to fight it off with his connection with the crystal egg, as it took the bulk of the burden. But even it was at its breaking point.

Qin Yun collapsed on the ground, his back upon the sand as he gazed upwards. He felt his life flash before his eyes, seeing his most vivid memories, yet he knew this was merely a trick of the spores ravaging his brain, trying to make him give up by distracting him. But even then, only the image of his wife remained in his last moment.

Then, lightning finally struck.

However, this bolt was headed straight towards Qin Yun instead of targeting the Grey Corruption. His pupils dilated in disbelief, yet he couldn't dodge—not anymore. None of his muscles responded to his will. He was but a sitting duck. Fortunately, the crystal egg was still at his side.

It took the lightning bolt head-on, absorbing all the energy contained in the tribulation. Golden fault lines appeared on its surface, superseding the grey markings. The two antithetical forces battled each other within, resulting in the egg being able to absorb both and growing slightly in strength, yet the stress was slowly becoming too much for it to bear.

Two oceans of power streamed inside the egg simultaneously, becoming a raging storm. The ravenous egg could barely contain them as they were, yet the clouds above still raged on with renewed energy, as did the flood of grey that dyed the land.

Meanwhile, Qin Yun was writhing on the ground. Only the residual energy of that lightning bolt had struck him, yet coupled with the Corruption, it was enough to jolt him with intense pain. Despite being forged to perfection, his body could barely contain the power of those two raging forces, prompting grey blood to seep through even his skin.

The situation seemed hopeless, yet Qin Yun didn't despair. He sought to lift his hand, yet even that minute motion seemed almost too much. The lingering lightning interfered with the signal from his brain. His muscles twitched, unable to fully contract. Only by pooling all his concentration into the smallest of motions did Qin Yun manage to touch the black box.

He sought to peer within, frantically searching for something to turn the tide. He possessed many such items, some of which could alter reality itself. Some were even strong enough to repel Corruption entirely, yet their activation requirements were just as harsh as their power.

Nevertheless, a sphere appeared in his hand. It was as black as the box, round without any blemish. There weren't any seams to be found, making this sphere look like an impossibility.

Qin Yun held it in his hand, wishing for something to occur, yet nothing did. He wasn’t surprised, not even disappointed, for he knew this would be the result. This was merely the desperate attempt of a man at the edge of death.

He knew he could use none of those artifacts with his current strength, for they were born of a different world. These items were attuned to a particular wavelength, allowing them to be used. But, without those specific worlds aiding in the process, Qin Yun could only rely on himself to power them, which was impossible. He didn't even believe it could be done even if he had reached the threshold of immortality. His quest was doomed from the start.

Qin Yun could only give up as his body was ravaged by the two competing energies. Even the floating ravenous crystal egg was at its breaking point. Though it could absorb and refine most of the energy it had been struck with, the black clouds overhead had yet to relent. They seemed ready to deliver another merciless strike.

What does it want from me? Qin Yun couldn’t help but think. Surely, it wouldn't have waited for me to arrive here just to make it my grave. There should be something else—something it's been planning from the start...

However, Qin Yun couldn’t finish this thought, for another lightning bolt fell. This tribulation ripped apart the world, shattering the grey with which the surroundings were saturated. Thunder boomed across the world as rapid gales created massive storms that rushed into the distance. This once peaceful world suddenly became a raging hurricane with Qin Yun and the ravenous egg stuck in the middle.

Once again, the egg took the brunt of it, but this time, it couldn’t bear it. The crystal cracked, offering what lay within to the outside air. Qin Yun couldn’t see what lay inside, for not all of this tribulation had been stopped. A residual bolt, only a tenth of its prior strength, hit Qin Yun squarely on the chest. Despite being much weakened, Qin Yun couldn't bear it and immediately lost consciousness as this destructive force rampaged through his body, leaving a gaping hole through which the Corruption could infiltrate.

Worst of all, the bolt struck the ground, creating an explosion that fractured the soil on which Qin Yun now lay unconscious. As the tribulation came too suddenly, Qin Yun hadn't had time to move and was still much too close to the edge.

With the ground breaking, it tilted his platform, and sand began to tumble into the abyss, taking Qin Yun with it. Qin Yun's body rolled along the sand, tumbling toward the darkness, only to fall soon after, leaving him not even a chance to hang on. He simply disappeared without a trace from the Western Region. No one would even know what had happened to him.

Seeing his master vanish, the egg, as if possessing consciousness, rushed after him, following him into the abyss. Soon after they were both gone, the dark clouds, having lost most of their power with those two strikes, began to disperse as they were replaced with a grey fog that permeated the world.

However, just before the clouds completely vanished, the dark outlines of a pair of eyes could be vaguely seen among the grey. The eyes somehow turned into a slight smile before receding as the world returned to a stagnant peace.

******

Thousands of miles away, nestled among many isolated mountain ranges, upon the summit of a majestic peak, Yun Jingfei suddenly opened her eyes, gasping as her heart thumped in her chest. She was merely meditating as she always did, yet a strange feeling arose in her heart—an overpowering feeling of loss and sadness.

She didn't know where it originated, whether from within or an external source, yet no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to remove herself from it. She couldn't tell the target of this sadness, only that it was now part of her being, something that would always remain with her.

A single tear sank down her cheek.

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