Deep Sea Starship Apocalypse

Absolute silence, like an ancient, frigid abyss, completely swallowed the entire ruins.

The black, icy rain that had been pouring down just moments before froze in mid-air, each drop shrouded in ash and malevolent energy, suspended like solidified needles of death. The swirling, pale snow also abruptly stopped, each flake like a sheet of white paper falling at a rite of the dead, densely covering the field of vision, making the leaden sky appear even more somber and oppressive. The howling wind vanished in an instant, even the air became thick and heavy. The still-warm blood, the churning black liquid, and the shattered bone fragments on the ruined ground all froze in place, as if the entire world had been forcibly stopped by an invisible giant hand, time and space stagnating.

Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue leaned against a half-broken stone pillar, their bodies covered in blood, their breaths as faint as candles in the wind, even the rise and fall of their chests becoming extremely difficult.

The Imperial Dragon Scale Armor that Yu Moyan wore had long lost its former imperial radiance. The surface was covered with dense, spiderweb-like cracks, and the entire left shoulder armor had shattered and fallen off, revealing the blackened and rotten flesh beneath, corroded by the putrid poison. The skin and flesh at the edges of the wound were torn open, and golden essence blood mixed with blackish-red poison blood kept seeping out. After being soaked in the cold dampness, it congealed into dark red scabs, sticking to the broken armor plates. Every movement brought a sticky, excruciating pain as the flesh was torn apart. The breastplate was deeply dented, and several ribs were broken and dislocated. Every breath pulled at the broken bone fragments, piercing his internal organs. Dull and burning pain intertwined and swept through his entire body. The star energy in his meridians was intermittent, like a candle flame on the verge of being extinguished. The phantom of the five-clawed true dragon in his sea of ​​consciousness had dimmed to the point of being almost transparent, and the soul-corroding power was still frantically gnawing at his soul like a poisonous vine, causing his vision to blacken and his consciousness to begin to waver.

Jiang Duyue, who was standing beside him, was more seriously injured.

The left chest of Zhouxiao Xinghai Xuanjia was dented and twisted by the immense force of the impact, with several deep, bone-revealing cracks piercing through the armor. Pale silver Xinghai essence blood continuously overflowed from the corners of his mouth, dripping down his chin and forming a small, star-like pool of blood on the snow and ice-strewn ground. His left arm, from shoulder to wrist, was completely rotten and blackened, with rotting flesh hanging and sticking to the armor plates. Countless tiny maggots wriggled in the gaps of the festering flesh, and the soul-corroding evil power penetrated deep into his internal organs through the wounds, causing half of his body to become numb and stiff. The self-healing power of Xinghai Sacred Body was completely suppressed by the evil energy, and the starry river patterns flowing on his body surface flickered. The power of the universe's origin was almost completely depleted, and even maintaining consciousness had become a luxury. His dark silver eyes were filled with bloodshot veins and black, turbid evil mist, and he could faint completely at any moment.

In the open space between the two, the ten-zhang-tall, rotting corpse of the Ancient Rotting Beast lay sprawled on the ground. Its head was cleaved open with a gaping maw revealing bone, its two scarlet eyes shattered into pus. Maggots and fragments of internal organs mixed with black blood slid continuously from the wound. From the gaping wound in its abdomen, undigested bones and rotting flesh churned out, emitting a nauseating stench of decay. The aura of blood, putrefaction, poisonous miasma, icy cold, and malevolent energy was thick and tangible, filling every inch of space. A single breath felt as if it could corrode one's lungs and freeze one's soul, turning this ruin into a deathly, bloody graveyard.

In this graveyard-like stillness, a terrifying and ferocious power far surpassing that of the ancient and decaying beasts is slowly awakening, expanding, and erupting from the depths of the barren mountains.

At first, it was just a faint tremor coming from deep underground, like an ancient behemoth turning over in its sleep, dull and heavy.

Then, the tremors grew more and more intense and violent, each tremor like a world-ending war drum, crushing down from the earth's core.

thump—

thump—

thump—

With each muffled thud, rubble tumbled down from the ruins, broken stone pillars groaned under the weight, frozen ice shells shattered in pieces, and underground putrefaction was forced upwards by immense force, forming jets of blackish-red fountains that splashed onto the snow, instantly melting into hissing, poisonous water. In the distance, atop the ancient, barren mountains stretching for thousands of miles, the branches of countless ancient trees, withered for millions of years, exploded with a deafening roar. Decaying wood chips, withered leaves, and congealed corpse mud shot into the sky, only to be crushed into dust by an invisible, ferocious force, turning into a cloud of black ash that mingled with the stagnant snow and ice, forming a murky, oppressive fog of death.

The leaden sky began to twist and churn violently, the clouds like boiling ink, constantly spinning, condensing, and collapsing, revealing a deeper, darker, and more despairing void rift behind it. The power of laws was completely disrupted at this moment, stellar energy dissipated, spiritual energy was depleted, and malevolent energy swept in from the direction of the barren mountain like a tsunami. Wherever it passed, even the void rippled with corrosive energy, and the last remaining trace of life was instantly annihilated. Only the aura of decay, tyranny, bloodlust, and destruction remained between heaven and earth, as if the end of the world had arrived.

Yu Moyan's pupils shrank suddenly, and the hairs on his body stood on end. An extreme fear originating from the depths of his soul instantly swept over his entire body.

He struggled to lift his head, gazing at the desolate mountains shrouded in darkness and death. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, and filled with barely concealed trembling: "That thing... has been disturbed."

Even though Jiang Duyue was in a daze, she still felt the terrifying pressure that transcended the level of life. With difficulty, she managed to utter a few cold words: "The realm... far surpasses ours."

No need for spiritual exploration; instinctive fear alone is enough to determine it—

This being lurking in the barren mountain is far beyond their current ability to contend with.

They are currently only at the peak of the third level of the Qiongji Realm, while the pressure emanating from their opponent has already surpassed the Qingxi Realm and reached the Yuecheng Realm. Moreover, the aura is thick and violent, indicating a terrifying cultivation level of the peak of the fourth level of the Yuecheng Realm.

There is a vast chasm between them, consisting of an entire major realm and four minor realms, much like the difference between mortals and gods. Let alone fighting head-on, even just standing in front of the other party could result in the physical body being shattered and the soul being destroyed by their pressure.

The next moment, the darkness atop the dry mountain suddenly exploded.

A furious roar that pierced the heavens and earth and shattered the soul swept across the vast wilderness.

roar--!!!

The sound waves transformed into massive, tangible black waves, sweeping everything away.

The stagnant icy rain was shattered into dust, the frozen snow was crushed into ashes, the earth cracked open with deep ravines, and entire ruins collapsed in patches. Time and space rippled distorted under the impact of the sound waves. The roar contained endless rage, slaughter, bloodlust, and decay, like a slumbering demon god disturbed from its eternal sleep, carrying a violent will to tear apart, devour, and corrupt all living things into mud, piercing straight into the depths of the soul.

Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue trembled violently at the same time. Their already injured souls felt as if they had been struck by a heavy hammer. Both of them coughed up a mouthful of blood essence, their bodies jolted violently, and they almost collapsed to the ground. A raging storm surged in their sea of ​​consciousness, and the soul-corroding power took the opportunity to run rampant, further aggravating their injuries.

"Peak fourth level of the Moonlit Realm... I'm utterly incapable of fighting!" Yu Moyan roared through gritted teeth, the intense pain causing his muscles to tense. "Run! Run immediately!"

Without the slightest hesitation, without the slightest bit of wishful thinking.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing resolve and ruthlessness in each other's eyes.

Yu Moyan bit his tongue hard, using the excruciating pain to forcefully stabilize his consciousness, burning the last trace of human destiny within his body. A faint golden light flashed across his tattered dragon scale armor. At the same time, Jiang Duyue also activated the remaining cosmic origin power of the Zhouxiao Star Body Saint Body, and dark silver star river patterns faintly lit up on his Xuan armor.

The next instant, two broken streaks of light, one gold and one silver, shot out recklessly toward the outer edge of the ruins.

The icy rain lashed at them like sharp blades, and the howling wind brought a chilling cold to their skin. Ignoring their reopened wounds and the gushing of blood, the two pushed themselves to their limits, fleeing through broken walls and swirling poisonous miasma. The ferocious force behind them grew ever closer and more violent, like the scythe of death relentlessly pursuing them.

And within the vast, barren mountains, the terrifying skeletal demon god finally emerged completely from the darkness, revealing its full form.

Its body stood over thirty zhang tall, like a towering mountain of decaying corpses between heaven and earth. Its entire form was forged from the remains, rotting flesh, and broken bones of countless cultivators, demonic beasts, and evil beings, along with millennia-old condensed corpse energy. Not an inch of its skin remained intact; layers upon layers of rotting flesh drooped and constantly peeled away, revealing the deformed bones beneath—black as ink, gleaming with an eerie metallic sheen. Countless pale human hands, beast claws, and demonic limbs reached out haphazardly from the pile of rotting flesh, frantically scratching and twisting, emitting silent howls, densely packed like a malignant tumor clinging to the bone.

Its head was not that of a single living being, but a deformed, gigantic head forged from the skulls of a hundred cultivators and a thousand demonic beasts. Eerie, unquenchable corpse flames burned in its eye sockets, the flickering flames reflecting the phantoms of countless vengeful spirits. Blackish-red poisonous mist constantly spewed from its mouth and nostrils; wherever the mist passed, even the void itself sizzled and corroded, instantly withering vegetation and rocks into black ash. Below the head was no neck, only a constantly writhing mass of rotting flesh connected to the mountain-like body. The mass was riddled with tiny blood vessels, constantly oozing viscous black blood and milky-white corpse pus, which, when dripped onto the ground, corroded into bottomless black pits.

Two towering, decaying mounds of flesh, several meters high, rose from his shoulders, constantly writhing, bursting, and collapsing, splattering out splattered blood, maggots, and bone fragments. Countless dry hairs and broken tendons clung to these mounds, swaying in the wind like vengeful ghosts. A gaping maw ran across his abdomen, filled with layers upon layers of serrated fangs, each jet black and sharp, entwined with undigested limbs and bone fragments. Saliva, like viscous poison, dripped continuously, corroding and releasing plumes of toxic smoke.

Its arms were massive, deformed bone claws, each finger bone several meters long. The gaps between the bones were filled with rotting flesh, black blood, and half-eaten skeletons. The claw tips were as sharp as knives, leaving dark, menacing marks as they sliced ​​through the air. A single grip could crush a mountain. Its legs were made of dozens of enormous vertebrae pieced together. Every step it took caused the earth to tremble violently. Rotting blood and corpse mud dripped continuously from the gaps between the bones, extinguishing all life and leaving nothing but barrenness in its wake.

His body was entwined with the phantoms of countless wronged souls, their wails echoing throughout the heavens and earth. The malevolent energy was so dense that it materialized into solid black-red flames, burning fiercely and instantly evaporating the surrounding ice and snow. A vast and unfathomable pressure of his realm suddenly spread out, the aura of the peak fourth level of the Moon Clarity Realm sweeping across the eight wastelands, causing the heavens and earth to change color and the laws of nature to tremble.

This is the Corpse Lord in the Dry Mountain, an unparalleled evil demon that has entrenched itself in this place for hundreds of millions of years. It has a body made of corpses, a soul made of evil, and power made of resentment. It is one of the most terrifying and decaying rulers of the end times.

"roar--!!!"

Seeing its prey dare to flee, the Corpse Lord roared in fury once more, the sound waves shattering the clouds and causing the earth to crack open into even deeper ravines. It suddenly raised its enormous bone claws, carrying a terrifying power capable of crushing stars and tearing through the void, and slammed them down fiercely in the direction where Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue had fled.

The void instantly twisted and collapsed, black claw shadows blotting out the sky, carrying terrifying power that could corrode everything and annihilate all things, like a hand that would destroy the world, chasing straight after the two. Wherever the claw shadows passed, ice and snow melted, buildings shattered, the void collapsed, and even time seemed to slow down, an aura of despair completely enveloping the two.

"block!"

Yu Moyan roared, unleashing the remaining imperial power of the Emperor's Dragon Scale Armor with a backhand motion. A faint golden light condensed behind him, forming a thin dragon-shaped shield. Jiang Duyue simultaneously mobilized the last remaining stellar essence of the Zhouxiao Star Remains Armor, dark silver starry patterns weaving into a tattered star shield. Back to back, the two concentrated all their remaining power behind them, barely managing to erect a crumbling defensive barrier.

boom--! ! !

The Corpse Lord's giant claw crashed down, shattering the light barrier instantly.

The unparalleled, violent force slammed into their backs like a tsunami, completely shattering their already broken armor. Fragments of armor embedded themselves in their flesh, and both men simultaneously coughed up a mouthful of blood. Their bodies flew backward like kites with broken strings, crashing through countless ruins along the way. After landing, they tumbled dozens of feet, breaking countless bones and reopening their wounds. Blood gushed out, and the corrosive power, following the attack, frantically invaded their bodies, completely worsening their injuries and bringing them to the brink of death.

However, thanks to the terrifying recoil from this attack, the two were instantly blasted hundreds of feet away, escaping the range of the Corpse Lord's first strike.

"run!"

With his last ounce of willpower, Yu Moyan steadied himself, pulled up the nearly unconscious Jiang Duyue, and once again burned his essence blood, transforming into two broken streaks of light as he fled desperately into a hidden canyon deeper within the ruins. The Corpse Lord roared in fury, striding forward with its mountain-like body in mad pursuit, crushing everything in its path into dust, the earth cracking, and corpse mud flying everywhere. However, by using the terrain for cover and the final activation of their Sacred Body Origins, the two gradually widened the distance between them. Before the Corpse Lord could catch up completely, they plunged into a hidden valley concealed by broken mountains and filled with traces of restrictions.

Having temporarily escaped the pursuit, Yu Moyan could no longer hold on. He knelt on the ground, panting heavily, as excruciating pain swept over his entire body like a tidal wave. He dared not delay for a moment, quickly raising his hand to form the profound and complex incantation, golden runes appearing on his fingertips. He uttered a low chant: "Lingyao Chen Palace, Manifestation of Inheritance, Mustard Seed Contains Sumeru, Great Hall Unsealed!"

Within his dantian, the light spot of the inheritance hall, which was as small as dust, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light. As the incantation was activated, the light spot rapidly expanded, from the size of a mustard seed to about ten feet, then ten feet, and then a hundred feet. In the blink of an eye, a magnificent and ancient hall, engraved with star patterns, dragon patterns, and imperial runes, floated in the center of the valley.

The main hall of inheritance is entirely forged from star-grade black gold, its surface engraved with celestial maps and five-clawed dragon patterns. The doors are inlaid with Chenyuan crystal jade, radiating a restrained yet profound imperial aura. It forms its own independent miniature world, isolating itself from all external evil and probing. The hall stands over a thousand feet tall, its imposing presence seemingly dating back to ancient times, bearing the marks of time and the majesty of an emperor.

Yu Moyan helped the dying Jiang Duyue stagger into the Inheritance Hall. The heavy doors slammed shut, completely shutting out the roars and ferocity of the Corpse Lord outside.

Upon entering the hall, a soft, golden light enveloped their entire bodies, dispelling the cold and evil influences of the outside world. Two shimmering white orbs of light appeared out of thin air, transforming into ethereal intelligent life forms surrounded by mysterious runes, exuding a noble and peaceful aura, carrying the solemnity of ancient heritage.

"A sharp decline in the host's vital signs has been detected. The physical body is severely damaged, the meridians are broken, the soul is eroded, and the essence of the sacred body is severely depleted." The voice of the intelligent life form on the left was calm and clear, and data streams flashed in the rune eyes.

"Activate the Supreme Healing Program, retrieve the treasured spiritual medicines from the palace: Clear Sky Dew, Myriad Pivot Essence-Strengthening Ointment, Evil-Eroding Spirit-Clearing Powder, Star-Bone Meridian-Continuing Pill, and Imperial Soul-Protecting Liquid." The intelligent life form on the right waved its hand, and countless rare spiritual medicines, radiating light and pure life energy, appeared out of thin air, transforming into gentle energy bands that slowly wrapped around Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue, beginning to repair their broken meridians, rotting flesh, injured souls, and depleted essence.

The clear, refreshing spiritual dew seeped into the wound, and the rotting flesh healed at a visible speed; the Strengthening Essence Paste nourished the depleted meridians, and the stellar essence gradually resumed its flow; the Spirit-Clearing Powder dispelled the evil power that corroded the soul, and the drowsy consciousness gradually cleared; the Soul-Protecting Liquid warmed the sea of ​​consciousness, and the dim true dragon and the illusory image of the star remains slowly solidified.

Just as the two were enveloped in the healing light, deep within the hall, three more ancient, intelligent life forms, their bodies wreathed in chaotic runes, slowly converged. Doubt, sighs, and incomprehension flashed in their rune eyes, and their low voices of communication quietly echoed in the empty hall.

"The previous host of the Inheritance Hall was a core direct disciple of the ancient Lingyao family. He possessed an Emperor-level inheritance, had unparalleled talent among his peers, and was a future pillar that the family was focusing on cultivating. He had a noble status and profound foundation. How could he have suddenly perished in the turbulent currents of the realm, not even leaving behind his true spirit, leaving only this Inheritance Hall to wander in the end times?"

"I have consulted the family records in the main hall, and there is no record of this person's death. It is as if he disappeared into thin air, his soul imprint was completely annihilated, and not even a trace of his soul was left behind. It is extremely strange."

"The Lingyao family is an ancient top imperial clan with profound heritage, protecting countless clansmen. This direct disciple even possessed the inheritance of the Emperor Chen's Holy Body. He should have had a limitless future, and reaching the Chenji Realm or even the Jizhen Realm would not have been difficult for him. However, he suddenly died outside the domain, and even the core of his inheritance was left behind here... It is likely that he touched upon the forbidden secrets between the heavens, which led to his annihilation and his existence was completely erased."

The whispers of ancient intelligent life forms, filled with endless doubt and sighs, echoed throughout the Hall of Inheritance.

The healing light continued to flow slowly, gradually easing Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue's injuries. Their depleted star essence slowly recovered, their broken bones gradually healed, the soul-corroding evil power was completely dispelled, and their listless aura gradually stabilized.

The two sat cross-legged in the center of the hall, feeling their bodies recover, but they felt no relief whatsoever.

The corpse master at the peak of the fourth level of the Moon Clarity Realm in the barren mountain is like a sword hanging overhead, ready to pursue again at any moment; the endless ferocity and unknown dangers hidden in the Land of the End are shrouded in mist; and the mystery of the previous Palace Master's mysterious death, the secrets of the Lingyao family, and the truth of the taboos of the heavens are like layers of mist, making people feel cold.

They slayed the ancient, corrupt beast, but attracted an even more terrifying demon god; they obtained an emperor-level inheritance, but were burdened with the unsolved cause of death of the previous host; they stepped into the safe inheritance hall, but were still trapped in the perilous end land.

The icy rain and blizzard continued to pour wildly outside, while the roar of the Corpse Lord faintly echoed through the hall. Healing light flowed within the hall, and ancient whispers had not yet dissipated.

The road ahead remains fraught with thorns, life and death are uncertain, and danger lurks everywhere.

Their journey, which involved a near-death escape, had only just begun.