SFS Chapter 222 The Sound of Annihilation
Chapter 222 The Sound of Annihilation
Before the man in the dark green palace dress could finish speaking, the light curtain at the entrance of the Myriad Realms Cave suddenly trembled violently.
It emitted a piercing sound like shattered glass.
Several previously faint cracks suddenly spread outwards, and wisps of dark and disordered spiritual mist escaped from the cracks.
The expressions of the several elders of the Illusionary Sound Sect who were waiting outside the cave changed simultaneously.
"Oh no! The disintegration of the Boundary-Stabilizing Heavenly Sound Stone has accelerated!"
The third elder, whose hair and beard were both white, spoke in a trembling voice, and a jade tablet in his hand, used to monitor the stability of the cave, shattered with a "crack".
"At most... at most, we can hold out for another half a day! Then the Boundary-Stabilizing Heavenly Sound Stone will shatter completely!"
"Half a day..." The Fifth Elder, dressed in dark green palace attire, clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Just as despair gripped everyone's hearts, a long and clear crane cry suddenly came from the distant horizon.
Before the crane's cry had faded, the flowing light had already gracefully landed on the plaza outside the entrance to the Myriad Sounds Cave.
As the light faded, a magnificent snow-feathered crane was revealed, along with two figures on its back.
It was Lin Miaoyin and Chen Xu who had arrived.
The crane folded its wings and landed, and Lin Miaoyin lightly leaped down, turning around to give a slight nod to those behind her.
Chen Xu also landed on the crane's back. He was still wearing a simple gray robe and his gray hair was loose.
His face still feigned a paleness from blood loss, and his breath was weak.
"This is Fellow Daoist Xu Ping'an, who helped my Chamber of Commerce break the seal on the Nine Abyss Soul-Suppressing Disc," Lin Miaoyin solemnly introduced.
He then quickly turned to Chen Xu, his words tinged with apology:
"Fellow Daoist Xu, the situation is urgent, please forgive my lack of courtesy. These are the Third Elder and Fifth Elder of my Illusionary Sound Sect, who are guarding this place..."
Chen Xu nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on the violently fluctuating light screen at the entrance to the cave.
Even through the barrier, he could clearly sense the foundational erosion and the disordered laws emanating from within.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, I cannot express my gratitude in words. But since the cave is in imminent danger, I will speak frankly."
The Third Elder, his hair and beard completely white, suppressed his anxiety and stepped forward, his voice hoarse:
"The cracks in the Boundary-Stabilizing Heavenly Sound Stone are widening rapidly, and it may not last more than three hours."
"The sect leader is currently in seclusion deep within the cave. If the Heavenly Sound Stone shatters completely and the cave collapses, not only will the inheritance be severed, but the sect leader will also suffer a backlash from the laws, with unimaginable consequences!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xu said in a deep voice, "Now that I am here, I will do my best. I request that the elders activate the restrictions and allow me to enter."
The Third Elder said no more and joined the other elders in making hand seals.
Seven beams of light of different colors shot out from their hands and merged into the light curtain at the entrance of the cave.
The light curtain trembled violently, slowly cracking open a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through, from which came even more chaotic fluctuations and roars.
Lin Miaoyin hesitated, her eyes filled with worry.
Chen Xuchong nodded slightly to her, then without further hesitation, his figure flashed and disappeared into the crack.
……
The moment Chen Xu stepped into the cave, he felt as if the world had turned upside down.
What the outside world sees is just a cave entrance, but the inside is a completely different world.
Looking out, countless mountains, rivers, pavilions and towers formed from pure sound waves float in mid-air, flowing slowly with an invisible rhythm.
This place, which should have been a magnificent sanctuary for music, is now showing signs of decay everywhere.
The seven-colored sound wave dome was covered with spiderweb-like cracks. With each oscillation, large pieces of debris were peeled off, dissipating into disordered noise in the void.
The suspended sonic artifacts were also trembling violently, many of them twisted and deformed, and some even collapsed into chaotic sonic booms.
The air was filled with piercing, sharp noises, completely out of place with the originally clear and harmonious rhythm of the cave, assaulting the eardrums and souls of those who entered.
Chen Xu dared not delay. His figure transformed into a blur, and he sped off in the direction where the resonance of the dark gold fragments was strongest.
The deeper you go, the more severe the signs of collapse become.
The ground was cracked in large patches, and dark, chaotic spiritual mist seeped from the cracks.
In mid-air, a sonic creation that was originally supposed to resemble a celestial palace exploded completely, transforming into countless sonic blades that shot out in all directions.
An even more violent tremor and disordered fluctuations of laws came from ahead.
Chen Xu passed through a collapsed bamboo forest with sonic waves, and suddenly the view opened up before him.
This is a huge circular space, thousands of feet in circumference, with a dome hanging high above.
In the center of the space, a ten-zhang-tall rhomboid crystal, its entire body shimmering with seven-colored light, floated in mid-air.
It is the Boundary-Stabilizing Heavenly Sound Stone.
At this moment, however, the surface of this crystal, which should have been flawless, is covered with cracks, the deepest of which almost runs through the crystal.
Each time the crystal vibrates inside, wisps of iridescent light escape from the cracks and blend into the surrounding chaotic sound waves.
Beneath the crystal, a figure in pure white sat cross-legged on a jade platform, with his back to the entrance.
The figure was enveloped in a hazy halo, connected to the aura of the Heavenly Sound Stone.
However, the halo flickered, clearly indicating that it was being impacted by the backlash of the laws.
"This is the sect leader of the Illusionary Sound Sect..." Chen Xu understood, but did not approach rashly.
His gaze swept around, and the space where the Heavenly Sound Stone was located was not completely collapsed. Some stable musical patterns still remained at the edges, forming a broken protective array.
However, the runes at the core of the formation have become dim and even broken.
With a thought, Chen Xu sent out a dark gold fragment from his sleeve, which hovered in his palm.
The mysterious natural Dao patterns on the surface of the fragments were now glowing slightly, and the resonance with the deep sound of the Heavenly Sound Stone was becoming increasingly clear.
"I see." A look of understanding flashed in Chen Xu's eyes.
The Nine Abyss Soul-Suppressing Plate and the Boundary-Stabilizing Heavenly Sound Stone, one suppresses evil energy and the other stabilizes musical notes.
However, their core Dao patterns share the same origin, and since they are fundamentally connected, they can complement each other.
Without further hesitation, he formed hand seals and channeled pure spiritual energy into the dark gold fragment.
The fragments immediately emitted a soft, dark golden halo, and the Dao patterns on their surface seemed to come alive, radiating a profound and stable Dao aura.
This layer of Daoist energy spread out, causing the surrounding chaotic sound waves to pause.
The sharp, shrill noises lessened by a third, and the spread of the cracks in the collapsing dome also seemed to slow down slightly.
"It works!" Chen Xu's spirits lifted.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened.
Deep within the Heavenly Sound Stone, the deepest crack suddenly expanded.
The inside of the crack was not made of crystal, but was a deep darkness, as if leading to some unknown place.
An even more violent and chaotic fluctuation of laws surged from the depths of darkness.
It wasn't a real sound, but a hiss that resounded directly at the level of the soul.
The wailing was mixed with billions of chaotic sound waves, like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, or the lament of the world before it collapsed.
Chen Xu let out a muffled groan, his mind reeling violently.
He bit his tongue, the excruciating pain keeping him conscious, and continued his hand seals, causing the light of the dark gold fragments to become even more concentrated.
The white figure beneath the Heavenly Sound Stone trembled slightly.
The sonic aura surrounding him vibrated violently, and a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his lips, staining his plain white clothes with a striking crimson.
Within that dark rift, chaotic fluctuations of laws condensed into a gigantic, pitch-black hand, which suddenly reached out and grabbed at the suspended dark gold fragments.
Wherever the giant hand passed, space distorted and sound waves were annihilated, carrying a terrifying force that threatened to drag everything into an abyss of chaos.
"As expected... the collapse of the Boundary-Stabilizing Heavenly Sound Stone was not natural!" Chen Xu's pupils shrank as he pondered to himself.
"Deep within this rift dwells a bizarre entity that feeds on chaos; it is devouring the very essence of the Heavenly Sound Stone, accelerating the collapse of the cave!"
Sensing the threat, the dark gold fragment spontaneously unleashed an even stronger dark gold aura, and the heavy, mountain-like suppressing Daoist aura transformed into layers of light barriers, blocking the pitch-black giant hand.
boom!!!
The two collided, shattering the dark golden light barrier inch by inch, and the pitch-black giant hand was mostly melted away, but the remaining part still grabbed at the fragments.
Chen Xu's face turned pale, and he activated his spiritual power with all his might.
The dark gold fragment shone brightly, and the Dao patterns on its surface detached from the fragment and flew out, weaving into a dark gold net of Dao patterns in the void, which then enveloped the pitch-black giant hand.
sizzle...
The Dao-patterned net made contact with the pitch-black giant hand, producing an eerie sound.
The giant hand was bound by layers of netting, struggling frantically, but unable to break free for the time being.
But with each struggle, the light of the Dao pattern net dimmed a little, and the spiritual power within Chen Xu's body poured out like a burst dam.
"This can't go on..." Chen Xu thought anxiously.
"While the dark gold fragments can temporarily hold out, my spiritual power is limited, and the presence deep within the crack seems inexhaustible!"
His gaze swept towards the pure white figure beneath the Heavenly Sound Stone. At that moment, the figure finally moved.
The figure in pure white slowly turned around.
She was a woman who looked no more than thirty years old, with an exceptionally beautiful face, yet her brows carried a calmness born of experience.
Her face was as pale as paper, and the blood at the corner of her lips was still wet, but her eyes were as bright as stars.
The gaze directed at Chen Xu held scrutiny and a hint of... surprise.
"Young friend, it is truly remarkable that you, with your Core Formation cultivation, can wield the fragments of the Nine Abyss Soul-Suppressing Disc to contend against the 'Sound of Annihilation'."
The woman spoke, her voice clear yet weak: "I am Su Qingxian, the sect leader of the Illusionary Sound Sect. This time... I thank you for your help, young friend."
As Su Qingxian spoke, her hands formed a complex sound seal.
A pure, water-like sound wave rippled from her fingertips and merged into the Heavenly Sound Stone.
The light from the Heavenly Sound Stone intensified slightly, and the rate at which the cracks spread slowed down a little.
"Sect Leader Su," Chen Xu said quickly while maintaining the Dao pattern net.
"The entity deep within this rift seems to be some kind of bizarre thing whose origin is chaos."
"Suppression alone may not be enough to eradicate them. May I ask, Sect Leader, do you know their origins?"
A hint of seriousness flashed in Su Qingxian's eyes:
"Young friend, you have keen eyesight. This item... is a wisp of the Daoist essence of annihilation that was sealed deep within the Heavenly Sound Stone since the formation of the Myriad Sounds Grotto in ancient times."
"It is the manifestation of the [finale] and [aftersound] parts of the laws of the universe's musical rhythms."
It interacts with and counteracts the principles of creation and harmony, maintaining the balance of the celestial realm.
"But a few months ago, an anomaly caused the seal to loosen, and the Daoist essence of annihilation was corrupted by some evil force from the outside world, giving rise to sentience and transforming into the [Sound of Annihilation]."
"It was no longer content to be part of the law, but began to devour the origin of the Heavenly Sound Stone, wanting to completely disintegrate the cave and break free."
Chen Xu felt a chill run down his spine; the corrupted Daoist principles of heaven and earth had transformed into a strange, sentient being…
This is truly unheard of...
"In that case, simply repairing the cracks in the Tianyin Stone is only a temporary solution."
Chen Xu said in a deep voice, "We must reseal, or even purify, this wisp of annihilation sound."
Su Qingxian smiled bitterly: "How could I not know? But this sound of annihilation is already deeply entangled with the origin of the Heavenly Sound Stone."
"Forcibly separating it might accelerate the collapse of the Heavenly Sound Stone. Moreover, its power level is already close to that of the Nascent Soul stage, which is beyond our ability to defeat..."
Before the words were finished, the pitch-black giant hand, which had been bound by the Dao pattern net deep within the crack, suddenly exploded, transforming into billions of pitch-black sound needles that shot out in all directions like a torrential rain.
The Dao pattern net was instantly pierced, and Chen Xu groaned as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. The light of the dark gold fragments dimmed rapidly.
The pitch-black sound needles attacked indiscriminately, with most of them aimed at Chen Xu and Su Qingxian, while a small portion bombarded the edges of the cracks in the Heavenly Sound Stone, causing the cracks to expand further.
Su Qingxian's sound imprints changed rapidly, and layers of sound wave light screens unfolded in front of her, but they were still mostly pierced by the sound needles, and several bloody marks appeared on her body instantly.
Chen Xu's pupils contracted sharply, and at the critical moment, he suddenly threw out a blue soul seal.
It is the soul imprint cultivated from the "Beast Taming and Spirit Communication Technique".
The Soul Imprint transformed into a stream of light, directly plunging into the depths of the core crack of the Heavenly Sound Stone, where the true form of the Sound of Annihilation resided.
This action, seemingly suicidal, was actually a well-thought-out decision by Chen Xu.
The "Beast Taming and Spirit Communication Technique" emphasizes using the mind as a bridge to sense the spirit of all things and forge contracts.
Even a wisp of the Daoist essence that gives rise to sentience is, in essence, a special kind of "spirit"!
"roar!!!"
The millions of pitch-black sound needles paused abruptly in mid-air, then changed direction and surged back into the crack like a swarm of bees returning to their nest, rushing towards the cyan soul imprint.
The soul imprint flickered in the dark, raging tide, yet it was not instantly swallowed up.
Chen Xu focused all his attention on the single point of spiritual light at the core of the soul imprint.
At the same time, he incorporated his understanding of the "flexibility and force dissipation" in the "Mysterious Water Enlightenment Technique" and his understanding of the "suppression and stabilization" Daoist rhyme of the Nine Abyss Soul Suppressing Plate fragments into the Soul Imprint.
The soul imprint is like a flickering candle in the wind, yet also like a reef in the deep sea, never extinguished despite the relentless onslaught of the dark sound waves.
Su Qingxian covered the bloodstain on her shoulder, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment: "Young friend, you actually want to... subdue it?!"
Before she could finish speaking, another dramatic change occurred deep within the rift.
The pitch-black sound surge suddenly collapsed inward, transforming into a constantly twisting dark core, within which countless illusory faces screaming in agony could be vaguely seen.
The cyan soul imprint was embedded in the surface of this dark core, like a nail, firmly driven in.
"Insects... with such rudimentary spirit-controlling skills... do you think you can command me?!"
The cold and tyrannical thoughts pierced Chen Xu's consciousness like ice picks.
Chen Xu trembled violently, blood seeping from his seven orifices again, but he gritted his teeth and grinned maliciously: "Whether I'm worthy or not... we'll only know after we try!"
Before he finished speaking, the last remaining spark of spiritual light in his mind, connected to the Azure Soul Seal, advanced instead of retreating.
The profound essence of the "Beast Taming and Spirit Communication Technique" is not brute force to subdue beasts, but rather to communicate with them heart to heart and seek their spiritual connection.
At this moment, he no longer tried to forcibly "control" this violent, desolate sound.
Instead, he transmitted the scene of facing great terror at the Blood Sacrifice Demon Sealing Platform to the other party without reservation through the Soul Imprint.
"I am the final melody of heaven and earth, the manifestation of all things returning to stillness! You are but fleeting noises, destined to be annihilated in my eternal silence!"
The dark core twisted wildly, attempting to overwhelm Chen Xu's mind with its pure will to destroy...