Chapter 96: The second to open the tribulation mode

Since Bai Li’s domain had been severely damaged by Hou Tianjie earlier, he seized the opportunity to break free from his restraints.

However, after escaping, he did not immediately seek revenge on Cheng Qingshuang.

Instead, the burly figure stood there blankly, staring upward.

He seemed to feel that if he looked a few more times, he could pierce through the hallucination and witness the reality of his own death as an apology.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know that such a thing was impossible, no matter the angle.

Because of the reverse flow of blood qi, Hou Tianjie was being forcibly stripped apart, with bloody streaks flowing beneath his translucent skin.

His momentum instantly weakened.

Seeing this, Xia Baiqian flapped the crystalline, glass-like wings on her back.

Buzz—

Countless bizarre, misshapen insects appeared—gu insects covered in green patterns flew out in a black mass that blotted out the sky.

They began to devour the poisonous miasma spreading from Hou Tianjie.

Against the gu insects, the toxic fog that occupied more than half the space stood at an overwhelming disadvantage.

A giant, holy gu insect radiating a white-gold Great Ascension aura appeared before her, acting as a conductor for the swarm.

Through a special gu insect network, it absorbed the toxic miasma gathered by the green-patterned insects.

Dark green began to surface along the edges of the white-gold patterns.

This was one of the signature spells of this Great Ascension gu insect: it could absorb the surrounding environment and forcibly grow a shell perfectly adapted to the terrain.

It achieved full-terrain adaptation, even turning the enemy’s home field into its own.

Xia Baiqian’s lips trembled as she spoke in a very faint voice:

“Kill him.”

Buzz—!

Upon hearing the command, the swarm moved in unison, lunging toward the reeling Hou Tianjie.

Xia Baiqian nodded in satisfaction and turned around; the murderous intent in her eyes vanished, replaced by a beaming smile as she looked at the two behind her.

“How was I, Master? Am I impressive? Hurry up and praise me, okay?”

Meanwhile, Chu Huaizhou and Bai Li, having already absorbed the array’s energy, were somehow huddled together, bodies pressed tight and faces close.

Their faces were pale, and they couldn’t stop shaking.

It couldn’t be helped; it was simply too terrifying. Xia Baiqian had just cast a group buff on the insects, and the sensation felt as if they were personally touching the bugs.

The moment her spiritual power came into contact with those things, Bai Li was scared out of her wits.

She found it more secure to hug Chu Huaizhou from behind rather than the front.

As she clung to him, she even helped wipe the cold sweat off the temperature-monitoring necklace on Chu Huaizhou’s neck.

Chu Huaizhou said nothing to this, returning a tight embrace.

Even though he wasn’t as afraid of insects as Bai Li, the sight of such a massive, dense swarm triggered a visceral physical discomfort, leaving him covered in goosebumps.

“Haha, Little Baiqian is truly impressive. As expected of my second disciple. I’ll give you a reward when we get back, alright?”

“Baiqian is invincible! Baiqian is the best! This Queen admires you so much, meow!”

Seeing Xia Baiqian’s bright expression suddenly turn cold while the overwhelming swarm of insects still fluttered behind her, Chu Huaizhou and Bai Li snapped apart like two magnets with the same polarity.

Sensing imminent trouble, Xia Baiqian watched them carefully.

She was much easier to coax than Leng Qingqiu; after just those two sentences, her expression cleared up again.

She huffed and said:

“Fine, I forgive you… hm?”

Before she could finish her sentence, Xia Baiqian’s pupils suddenly dilated, and a look of panic appeared on her face.

A heart-palpitating aura began to spread from behind the group.

Chu Huaizhou’s gaze sharpened; he knew this aura well.

Even before clearly seeing its source, he could sense the profound, unimaginable presence of the starry sky and ancient “Gates.”

That aura did not pause for a second, plunging straight down toward the crowd below.

It was the desperate Chen Tianyi. Feeling his strength waning while the gu swarm grew stronger, he knew that continuing the fight meant certain death.

He activated the item he had recently obtained with his essence blood and swallowed it before he could even study it properly.

“Since you won’t let me refine the Blood Pill, then…”

“Sacrifice everything to Bazz-Duo! No one leaves alive!”

Boom!

The moment he felt this aura, Chu Huaizhou’s pupils constricted, and his inner sea roared deafeningly.

He was all too familiar with this scent—it was identical to the Extraterrestrial Demon summoned by the Plague Emperor!

Gulp.

He no longer hesitated. He swallowed the eighth-grade Soul Ascending Pill—the Eight Desolations Soul-Condensing Pill—which he had been holding in his mouth wrapped in spiritual power.

Whish! Tens of millions of Origin Crystals worth of power!

The world suddenly went silent, as if time itself had been paused.

Although he hated to use one of his only two remaining stock, there was no choice. If he didn’t stop it immediately, the consequences of that thing falling into the crowd were unimaginable.

Chu Huaizhou didn’t consider himself a great saint, but he couldn’t stand by and watch hundreds of thousands of innocent lives vanish before his eyes.

Boom!

In an instant, Chu Huaizhou’s aura skyrocketed!

His originally restrained spiritual power erupted like a volcano. His ink-black hair, tied in a high bun, danced wildly despite the lack of wind, and his robes snapped loudly.

Sword qi so dense it was almost physical swirled around him; merely being near him would strike terror into an enemy’s heart.

His entire temperament underwent a massive transformation from the inside out—comparable to White Mist shifting from a little fox into her mature lady form.

This time, he had instantly entered “Battle Mode.”

Swish—!

His figure vanished abruptly. When he reappeared, he was standing in the center of Pit Number One.

Looking up, a grotesque giant insect with countless eyes was slowly descending, with a “Gate” seemingly opening within the rolling spiritual pressure behind it.

Just looking at this giant insect caused Bai Li and Baiqian’s souls to sting, as if countless whispers were tempting them in their ears.

Their entire focus was under assault.

Fortunately, Chu Huaizhou remained completely unaffected.

Chu Huaizhou bent his waist and assumed a starting stance. He gripped the hilt, and the Jinghong Sword leaped from its scabbard.

There was no flashy sword light, no surging spiritual power waves—only a single, silent strand of sword qi!

Sizzle—!

The complete version: Void Trace of Extinction.

No one saw when he drew his sword. They saw no light or spiritual surge.

But… they saw the sheer power of the strike.

Space itself seemed to be cleaved in two by this single blow!

The toxic mist hovering in the air was torn apart like thin paper.

The thick rock ceiling above was sliced smoothly, revealing a perfectly straight sword mark. This strike cut through everything, traveling up the rock walls and even shattering the ancient protective array of the Netherworld Sect to reach the outside world!

Silver moonlight poured down like a silken veil through the crevice, landing on Chu Huaizhou like a dragon’s claw of light.

He stood there with his sword, dressed in white as pure as snow. With features as beautiful as a painting, he looked like a banished immortal who had descended to the mortal realm, untouched by a speck of dust.

“Chirp—!”

Those gu insects carrying the Extraterrestrial Demon’s rhyme exploded before they could even move.

They did not dissipate; instead, they crumbled layer by layer like ash, revealing white, jade-like crystalline gems inside.

Stripped of the disgusting insects and the eerie aura, they radiated a holy glow, clearly indicating they were no ordinary items.

It made sense; if a mere gu insect could carry the rhyme of an Extraterrestrial Demon, it would be far too cheap. Even the Plague Emperor had to use his own body as a vessel.

The moment Chu Huaizhou and Bai Li saw those objects, they both realized these were supreme treasures.

Chu Huaizhou was even more excited because…

He felt the Ring of Nine Nether Abysses vibrate once again.