Chapter 173: Beginning of the Anomaly

The third trial here is not actually the true Quiet Annihilation Realm, but a spatial Rift connected to the Quiet Annihilation Realm; it is merely a relatively large Rift.

Wang Lin slowly walked forward through this third trial, his hands constantly tapping the Void Realm wherever he passed. With every tap, Wandering Souls would appear and be completely devoured by him.

He had not experienced this feeling of devouring for a long time. Calculating carefully, decades had passed since he left the Outer Realm Battlefield.

Even so, the majesty of the Realm Law when he returned from the Outer Realm Battlefield remained vivid in his memory, as if it happened just yesterday.

Devil Head Xu Ligou and the Second Devil Head followed behind him, trembling with fear the entire way, not daring to breathe. Watching their ancestors and Seniors, who were countless times stronger than them, fall into his mouth without any resistance, they felt as if they were experiencing the same fate.

Although Wang Lin's immense Divine Sense from back then had been compressed into a single thread of extreme realm consciousness, his identity as a Soul Devourer remained. Thus, he was the Lord of Wandering Souls.

As Wang Lin walked, his Divine Sense spread out, fluctuating in all directions. Since this place was the Quiet Annihilation Realm, naturally there would be other Soul Devourers besides the Wandering Souls.

Wang Lin was unsure whether Soul Devourers could devour each other. He only knew that, unless absolutely necessary, Soul Devourers would not attack each other, but instead resolve all issues through a symbiotic relationship.

After flying for a long time, Wang Lin had devoured a great number of Wandering Souls, but still no Soul Devourer came to contact him. He pondered briefly, his eyes flashing, then suddenly stopped. He spread his hands, and immediately, several floating stones nearby converged toward his location.

Soon, these stones collided, forming a large rock mountain. Wang Lin leaped onto the rock mountain, abruptly swung his right hand, and Blue Ice Flame immediately floated up from his palm.

Wang Lin's eyes flashed. He pressed his right hand onto the rock mountain, and the Ice Flame moved instantly, merging into the mountain. The previously scattered and loosely aggregated rock mountain, which had many gaps between the stones, was immediately enveloped in blue crystalline light. Waves of cold Qi spread out. Soon, all the gaps in the entire rock mountain were plugged by Blue Ice Crystals, firmly bonding the stones together.

Wang Lin withdrew his right hand, and the Blue Ice Flame immediately returned to his side and was taken back into his body. Wang Lin took a deep breath, his Divine Sense Eye flashing continuously. He quickly waved his right hand in front of him, drawing a Circle of Afterimages. He slapped his right hand onto it, and the Circle of Afterimages immediately imprinted itself onto the rock mountain.

The moment the Circle of Afterimages merged into the rock mountain, the mountain flashed with dazzling light, but it quickly dimmed. Wang Lin composed himself and continuously drew with his right hand. Circles of Afterimages appeared before him one after another, melting into the rock mountain.

Soon, this rock mountain had completely transformed into a small Restriction Mountain.

Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then lightly stepped down. His body slowly merged into the mountain, finally disappearing completely. He sat cross-legged inside the rock mountain, drawing another Circle of Afterimages with his right hand and pressing it onto the inner wall of the rock mountain.

The entire rock mountain immediately trembled and rapidly shrank at a visible speed. It only stopped when it became the same size as the surrounding stones. Looking at it now, the stone was unremarkable, identical to the stones occasionally floating by.

Wang Lin, inside the stone, left a thread of extreme realm Divine Sense within his body, and then his Divine Sense suddenly emerged, instantly manifesting as an illusory body outside the stone.

Wang Lin's body, formed by Divine Sense, was sent forward and immediately dissipated silently. After the Divine Sense left the Physical Body, it was no longer restricted by the body, spreading out grandly in all directions. A layer of ripples rapidly diffused from Wang Lin's Divine Sense body, and the surrounding Wandering Souls revealed themselves from the Void, their faces showing respect and fear.

Immediately afterward, the Wandering Souls seemed to have received an order, vanishing in a flash and flying toward the surroundings. As Wang Lin's Divine Sense spread, more and more Wandering Souls sensed Wang Lin's presence, showed submission, and flew off into the surroundings.

Once Wang Lin's Divine Sense left his body, it immediately transformed, completely becoming a Soul Devourer again. His speed was lightning fast, sweeping across this Void Land. Wherever he passed, all Wandering Souls showed him the utmost respect.

Gradually, Wang Lin sensed a massive Divine Sense existing far away. This Divine Sense was clearly a Soul Devourer, but it was currently in a very strange Realm, seemingly asleep.

The instant he sensed the other party, the massive Divine Sense showed no reaction. Wang Lin pondered for a moment, deciding not to bother this Soul Devourer, and continued to spread his Divine Sense, controlling more Wandering Souls to serve him.

At this very moment, at a certain location in the third trial, Duanmu Ji stood upon a massive stone with a bitter expression. Beside him stood Wang Qingyue, whose face was cold and aloof.

Duanmu Ji had traveled with Wang Qingyue through the Void Passage. The two of them entered the first trial, the Land of Metal Element, together. There, relying on Wang Qingyue's Five Elements Evasion Technique, they passed through smoothly, and subsequently traversed the Restriction Mountain.

Speaking of the Restriction Mountain, Duanmu Ji clearly astonished everyone who knew him!

A thousand years ago, he had obtained a Magic Treasure at the Pagoda Pavilion. This Magic Treasure was a Jade Slip with a crack, and according to his analysis, it only had one use left.

Later, after extensive inquiries and research, he learned that the item's function was to break all Restrictions. Because of this, Duanmu Ji's heart, which had already given up on re-entering the Ancient God Land, suddenly sprang back to life.

He knew his cultivation was lower than others, and he had only survived back then through luck and caution. He was quite self-aware and originally planned never to return to this place, but after learning the function of the Jade Slip, his heart couldn't help but stir.

Even so, he remained extremely cautious and constantly hesitated. After all, he felt he had no confidence in passing the first trial unless he learned the Five Elements Evasion Technique.

Duanmu Ji pondered for a long time and finally gave up the idea of learning the Five Elements Art himself, because doing so would require him to waste a lot of time here. Even if he eventually learned it, it was uncertain whether he could pass the first trial, since that trial, besides requiring mastery of the Five Elements Art, also involved attacks from an extremely large number of creatures.

The scene he experienced in the Glacier Land back then remained vivid in his memory.

Thus, Duanmu Ji sought out his friend Wang Qingyue, made a promise, and invited him to travel together. Wang Qingyue was naturally skilled in the Five Elements Evasion Technique. Upon hearing Duanmu Ji describe the need for the Five Elements Evasion Technique in the first trial of that mysterious place, he pondered for a moment and decided to try. After all, if what Duanmu Ji said was true, it would be a considerable temptation for him.

Furthermore, to convince him, Duanmu Ji even produced the Jade Slip. When Wang Qingyue saw the Jade Slip, he immediately recognized it as an Ancient Magic Treasure that had already vanished from this Realm, and the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished.

However, being cautious, he did not agree immediately, saying instead that he would decide when the place opened.

Duanmu Ji didn't mind. He had made up his mind that if Wang Qingyue didn't go then, he would sell the Jade Slip to the Six Desires Demonic Lord and exchange it for some Magic Treasures.

However, he still had to prepare what needed preparing. If Wang Qingyue went along, the first and second trials would not be a problem. Only this third trial was the key. After all, a thousand years ago, they were defeated here and fled in panic by opening a passage using a Legacy item.

Regarding the Strange Creatures in the third trial back then, he wouldn't be afraid of one or two. Even ten or eight wouldn't worry him if he was slightly careful. Even if there were a hundred or eighty, with his cultivation, he could pass safely. But once the number of such creatures exceeded a thousand, even a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator like him would be helpless.

These creatures were extremely bizarre, ignoring most Spells. Only the True Fire within the body could make them retreat slightly. But if their numbers were too large, it would certainly be impossible to cover all angles. As long as they pounced on someone, the spiritual power within the body would immediately be devoured in large quantities. If too many pounced on the body, the only outcome was death.

Because of this, he spent a huge amount of time searching everywhere for Magic Treasures that could resist and attack Divine Sense bodies. Unfortunately, such Magic Treasures were too rare. Although he found some, he still lacked confidence regarding the third trial.

It wasn't until he heard people discussing someone who could use the Death Curse Technique in Nandou City that a light bulb went off in his mind. He had heard of the Death Curse Technique; it was a malicious Spell specializing in Divine Sense attacks. His heart stirred instantly, and he secretly thought that if he had this person's help, coupled with his own Magic Treasures, he might truly be able to pass the third trial.

Thus began the pursuit and search. After capturing Wang Lin and traveling all the way to the Ancient God Land, things were originally calm. He believed that as long as everyone cooperated, the first three trials would certainly be easy, especially after the Six Desires Demonic Lord also prepared candidates for the third trial. Duanmu Ji was certain that this time, as long as they didn't fight among themselves prematurely, entering the Ancient God Land was just a matter of time.

Although the Ancient God Land has four trials, the Legacy item they obtained clearly stated that the fourth trial is actually a Teleportation Formation, and the destination of the teleportation is the Ancient God's Corpse.

This Teleportation Formation transports everyone to different locations on the Ancient God's Corpse, based on the time taken to pass the first three trials and what they gained. The shorter the time taken, the better the entry point, possibly even teleporting directly into the Ancient God's Meridians. Once inside the Meridians, there are not only dried and condensed Spiritual Power Beads but also numerous Medicinal Pill residues. According to the Legacy item, these residues contain remnants of Nascent Soul Transformation Pills.

What is residue to the Ancient God is a genuine Nascent Soul Transformation Pill to them!

Unfortunately, his plan was ruined by the Giant Flood Dragon in the passage. Everyone scattered, especially Wang Lin, who actually charged into the Flood Dragon's mouth. Following this, the Savage Beast Red Flood Dragon appeared. This series of sudden changes caught Duanmu Ji off guard. In this crisis, he could only abandon the search for Wang Lin and quickly leave with Wang Qingyue.

In fact, he was the fastest among everyone to pass the first and second trials and successfully enter the third trial. However, in this third trial, his face was bitter.

Without Wang Lin's Death Curse Technique, relying solely on the Magic Treasures he had collected over the past thousand years was enough to temporarily save his life, but it was impossible to delve deeper into this trial and find the entrance to the fourth trial.

As a result, although he and Wang Qingyue were the first to enter the third stage this time, they were firmly blocked outside, unable to proceed further.

The Six Desires Demonic Lord was also in this third stage at this time. He was flying around, searching for the exit to the fourth stage. If he encountered a Wandering Soul along the way, he would immediately wave the young man's body in his hand. With each wave, a deep blue light would flash within the young man's body. Immediately afterward, the Wandering Souls he encountered would unhesitatingly abandon the Six Desires Demonic Lord and pounce on the young man instead.

However, once they entered the corpse, they would immediately vanish without a trace. From the outside, no changes could be seen in the corpse.

Along the way, the Six Desires Demonic Lord relied on this method, proceeding with little danger. Once, he encountered over a thousand Wandering Souls rushing at him simultaneously, but as soon as the deep blue light flashed within the corpse in his hand, those Wandering Souls were immediately attracted and pounced on it.

He looked at the corpse in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips, thinking that although he had been schemed against by that Junior in the second stage, ultimately getting struck by heavenly lightning during the trial, causing his cultivation to permanently drop by one Realm to the Soul Transformation Early Stage, with this Magic Treasure he had prepared for countless years, he would definitely be able to enter the fourth stage this time!

Thinking of this, a surge of warmth immediately rose in his heart, and his eyes showed a hint of fanaticism. Compared to obtaining a Nascent Soul Transformation Pill after entering the Ancient God's body, what was a drop in cultivation? Once he obtained the Nascent Soul Transformation Pill, he could instantly become a Nascent Soul Transformation Stage expert. At that time, let alone the Cultivation Devil Sea, even the Vermilion Bird Star, as long as he didn't provoke the Vermilion Bird Country, he could roam unchecked.

With this thought, his speed increased, and he began searching the surroundings. The Legacy item of the Ancient God Land was in his hands. In fact, this item was originally obtained by his Master, who then sought out several people to explore this Ancient God Land together.

His Master died tragically in the third stage. Before dying, he entrusted this Legacy item to him. Originally, his Master intended to use this item to open a passage and escape from this place. Unfortunately, at the most crucial moment, he was targeted by a powerful, distinctively foreign creature and ultimately perished.

The Six Desires Demonic Lord witnessed his Master's death. In his horror, he took the Legacy item and quickly fled through the passage.

At this time, there was another person in this third stage, none other than Ancient Emperor. He sat cross-legged on a stone, with four small banners rapidly rotating around his body, and a palm-sized Pagoda above his head, emitting harmonious light.

In the Void Realm outside the Pagoda's light, the figures of Wandering Souls occasionally appeared. If one counted carefully, countless dense Wandering Souls flickered in and out of sight, all greedily staring at Ancient Emperor within the Pagoda.

But not a single Wandering Soul was willing to step forward and enter the range of the Pagoda's light.

Ancient Emperor's face was bitter. When he left the second stage, he was pursued and struck by a purple heavenly lightning bolt. He barely survived by sacrificing his Lifebound Treasure, but his cultivation dropped to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

After entering the third stage, he dared not go too deep, merely meditating and cultivating on an outer stone, hoping to quickly restore his cultivation to the Soul Transformation Stage. Otherwise, with his Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, while he might be able to protect himself in the first and second stages, he absolutely could not survive in this extremely perilous third stage.

But what made his heart bitter was that the Teleportation Vortex of this third stage was completely different from before; it was random. Ancient Emperor had bad luck; after being teleported, he was trapped in the middle of this third stage. If he hadn't immediately conjured his Pagoda the moment he appeared, he would have long since been swarmed by numerous Wandering Souls.

At this moment, he had no other option but to maintain the Pagoda's light, completely trapped here.

Recalling everything along the way, Ancient Emperor's face was filled with hatred. He believed that all of this was caused by that mysterious person, and his hatred for them was already boundless.

However, he still had some doubts about the identity of this mysterious person. According to his analysis, it should be no one else but that boy named Wang Lin, but he simply couldn't believe that he would be brought to such a miserable state by a Core Formation Stage Junior.

As for Wang Lin, his Divine Sense spread wider and wider, gradually sweeping across the entire third stage. Besides him, there was only one Soul Devourer here. As for the number of Wandering Souls, it was not as many as in the Outer Realm Battlefield back then, but because the area here was not too large, they appeared numerous.

In addition, Wang Lin had already found the entrance to the fourth stage. This entrance was not at the center of this place, but rather towards the northwest. The number of Wandering Souls was highest around that entrance, almost occupying a quarter of the area.

At the same time, those Wandering Souls, subjugated by his pressure, also conveyed a message to him through a special method. They had found the Six Desires Demonic Lord and Ancient Emperor, as per Wang Lin's request.

What surprised Wang Lin even more was that the Wandering Souls had also found Duanmu Ji and Wang Qingyue.

Wang Lin pondered for a moment, then his Divine Sense suddenly moved, rapidly spreading towards Ancient Emperor's location. According to the information conveyed by the Wandering Souls, Ancient Emperor was currently the lowest in cultivation among these people, and he was trapped there, unable to leave.

Before long, guided by the Wandering Souls, Wang Lin's Divine Sense suddenly appeared outside Ancient Emperor's Pagoda light. He looked at Ancient Emperor, whose face was grim and bitter inside, and fell silent.

The Wandering Souls Wang Lin devoured here caused his Divine Sense to gradually grow vast. Although it hadn't reached its previous level, its quality far surpassed what it once was. After all, his Divine Sense was not ordinary; it was extreme realm Divine Sense.

The moment he arrived, Ancient Emperor's eyes immediately flashed with cold light. He gazed towards a certain dark, empty spot in front of him, where he clearly sensed a Divine Sense that was distinctly different from other strange entities.

As this Divine Sense appeared, the surrounding strange Divine Sense creatures immediately scattered, their occasional appearances revealing expressions of respect and fear.

Seeing this, Ancient Emperor's heart sank. He immediately swallowed a Medicinal Pill without a word to ensure he had enough spiritual power to maintain the Pagoda's light.

Wang Lin looked at Ancient Emperor within the Pagoda's light and sent out a wave of Divine Sense. Immediately, ten Wandering Souls flew out from around him. Although their faces showed fear, they still rushed towards the Pagoda's light. The moment they entered the light, a powerful resistance immediately emerged. The ten Wandering Souls could only penetrate less than half a zhang before their bodies emitted green smoke, forcing them to retreat.

However, the light of the Pagoda dimmed slightly.

Wang Lin's Divine Sense fluctuated again. This time, all the surrounding Wandering Souls, numbering over ten thousand, condensed their forms from all directions, their gazes fixed on the Pagoda's light.

Ancient Emperor's heart sank, and he inwardly cried out in alarm. He formed hand seals and continuously sent several streaks of spiritual light towards the Pagoda. With each streak, his complexion grew weaker. After the last streak of spiritual light was sent out, his face was ashen, and his cultivation had dropped to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

At this moment, all the surrounding Wandering Souls, divided into several waves, began their assault. The Pagoda's light swayed several times, and all the Wandering Souls that rushed into it immediately emitted green smoke, unable to penetrate further. At most, they could rush in ten zhang, but they were still quite a distance from Ancient Emperor inside.

Ancient Emperor gave a tragic smile. He had done his best. The number of these Wandering Souls was too great for him to resist. Even those Seniors back then were devoured by them, let alone him. Especially now that his cultivation was severely damaged, he feared it wouldn't be long before his spiritual power was exhausted, he couldn't sustain the Pagoda's light, and those Divine Sense creatures would pounce on him.

From beginning to end, Wang Lin did not actively step forward. He knew the gap between himself and the opponent. If they were outside, the opponent could probably make him perish in body and spirit with just one finger. But here, he was the Soul Devourer, capable of controlling Wandering Souls. Thus, their relationship immediately reversed.

Of course, if he went up directly, he would certainly not be Ancient Emperor's opponent. Even if he was a Soul Devourer, he was still too weak.

However, the characteristic of a Soul Devourer is to devour Wandering Souls, and the characteristic of Wandering Souls is to devour all life in the living Realm. Even if the opponent's cultivation is extremely high, if the number of Wandering Souls is large, they simply cannot resist.

It must be known that even one Wandering Soul appearing in the living Realm could cause a catastrophe. Of course, it must be a complete Wandering Soul, far from being comparable to a Devil Head like Xu Ligou.

The third stage of this Ancient God Land is actually a stage of absolute death; almost no one can successfully pass it. For countless years that the Ancient God Land has existed, the Six Desires Demonic Lord's Master was not the first intruder, but like previous intruders, he was stopped in the third stage.

These Wandering Souls of the Nirvana Realm are not easily eliminated, and their numbers are vast. Even if some are consumed, as long as the Soul Devourer remains, they can be resurrected. One could say this is a cycle, a dead end.

Wang Lin's ability to thrive here was entirely due to his extremely peculiar encounter in the Rift of the Outer Realm Battlefield back then. It can be said that what goes around comes around, all predetermined by fate.

If his Physical Body hadn't been destroyed by Teng Huayuan back then, if Situ Nan hadn't been willing to let his Nascent Soul fall into slumber to preserve his Divine Sense, if he hadn't by chance entered the space Rift of the Outer Realm Battlefield, if he hadn't devoured Wandering Souls to grow stronger after waking up, ultimately becoming a Soul Devourer… if even one link in this chain had gone wrong, then even if Wang Lin were in this third stage now, he wouldn't have his current king-like status.

The Wandering Souls, which everyone feared, were just food in Wang Lin's eyes. Similarly, if it weren't for this 'food,' then in the hearts of Ancient Emperor and others, Wang Lin would merely be a somewhat clever Core Formation Junior. Any one of them, without these various Restrictions here, could easily make him perish in body and spirit with a raised hand.

However, things in this world often turn out unexpectedly. Ants, in special circumstances, can also bite an elephant to death; straw, though light, can also crush a camel. None of this can be described by the word 'reasonable'.

One can only say that the world is unpredictable and without a fixed course. Just like Meng Tuozi, who had died in the first stage, suddenly appearing from the Vortex in the third stage, or how powerful a being like Ancient God Tu Si truly died back then—none of this can be described as 'reasonable'. This Ancient God Land, starting from this third stage, became bewildering and eerie.