Chapter 178

Inner City, Wang Family Estate.

Inside the largest central black fortress, within the highest circular hall.

Han Xiaoyue walked in with elegant steps, her gaze fixed on the Wang Family Patriarch, who hovered cross-legged in mid-air, deep in cultivation.

"Little Wang, collect the likenesses of the most beautiful women in the area for me. Send them to my residence as relic portraits. Thanks."

"...Uh, Senior, 'most beautiful'? By what standard? Everyone's subjective standards are different, and the definition of beauty varies." The Wang Family Patriarch, interrupted in the midst of his practice, felt his heart skip a beat. He hurriedly descended, landing firmly on the floor, and looked at Han Xiaoyue with tentative caution.

"I’ve forgotten my original face, but the future 'me' must be perfect. As for the standard..." Han Xiaoyue touched the skeletal half of her face, recalling the style of the women surrounding Lin Hui. "Perfect proportions. Leaning towards the pure and innocent look."

"Give this junior three days; it will definitely be done!" the Patriarch promised hurriedly.

"Good." Han Xiaoyue nodded, turned, and walked out of the hall.

Moments later, she crushed an object in her hand, and her figure instantly disassembled, scattering into the air like drifting feathers.

Only after she had completely vanished did the Wang Family Patriarch wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and heave a sigh of relief.

"Fortunately, she rarely makes requests. This one was simple enough."

"Grandfather, is Sister Yue planning to restore her original body?" From a nearby side door, the tall figure of Wang Yueting emerged.

"Mm, most likely. Your looks qualify as having ‘perfect proportions’ too. Don’t be in a rush to leave later; send a relic portrait of yourself over as well," the Patriarch instructed after glancing at his granddaughter.

"But if she recklessly unseals herself, won’t something happen? Just like last time…" Wang Yueting frowned.

"It won’t. Even among their group, Senior Han is in the top tier. Besides, whatever she decides to do, the rest aren’t qualified to interfere," the Patriarch said, shaking his head.

"…Sigh…" Wang Yueting suddenly felt it would have been better not to come home. Life outside was carefree; coming back meant she had to tiptoe around everyone’s moods.

"By the way, where is Yueheng?" the grandfather asked. "Didn't we save him just so he could receive Senior Han Xiaoyue? Where has he run off to now?"

"...He... was injured quite heavily last time. He hasn't recovered yet and is still bedridden," Wang Yueting said helplessly.

"Injuries can be nursed at leisure; he won't die. Get him up. Have him focus on receiving Senior Yue and ask around to see what exactly is going on," the Patriarch ordered.

"Alright..." Wang Yueting nodded, resigned. She knew this was an order, not a request.

After all, not just anyone could appease a terrifying monster like Han Xiaoyue. According to the records, before Wang Yueheng, the attendants responsible for this duty had changed dozens of times. The outcome for all of them was being devoured by Han when she was unhappy... leaving no corpse behind.

From this perspective, Wang Yueheng was actually quite talented.

"However, Senior Han Xiaoyue recently made a trip to the Clear Wind Temple and met with Lin Hui once. To come back and make this request immediately—could it be that she has really taken a fancy to him?" Wang Yueting speculated.

"Really?!" The Wang Family Patriarch looked instantly shocked. That kind of terrifying monster could actually like someone?

"I'm just guessing," Wang Yueting said.

"Lin Hui... I truly wonder what sort of person he is... to catch Senior Han's eye," the Patriarch remarked, his tone insincere.

To be eyed by such a monster... perhaps Lin Hui's future would be lived in panic and fear. After all, living together meant it would be all too easy to accidentally provoke Senior Han and get eaten.

…

Mist Zone, Jade Sea.

The vast surface of the jade-like sea undulated with gentle waves.

Skylight shone down, piercing the Mist and landing on the water, reflecting patches of fragmented green phosphorescence.

On the cliff of the Bone-Corroding Plains adjacent to the Jade Sea, Han Xiaoyue's figure quietly emerged and stood still.

This was a quiet place she visited when her heart was unsettled. Whenever she was vexed, she came here to relax and gaze at the scenery of the Jade Sea. Although there was Mist on the water, it was much thinner than the Mist on land.

Hiss.

Suddenly, the silver-edged white gauze draped over her body dissolved, revealing the flawless, milky-white skin beneath.

A heartbeat later, her skin began to bulge and swell.

Her entire form warped at high speed, like a mass of flesh and blood grapes rapidly sprouting new nodules. Her skin shifted in color—from white, to gray, to a deep, pitch black.

Her body swelled from a human figure into a massive, irregular sphere of black flesh, rising to a height of dozens of meters.

The flesh sphere crushed the cliff beneath her. The crack of shattering rock echoed as stone debris broke apart and tumbled into the Jade Sea below.

At the very center of the mass, a fair and delicate face was embedded like a mask: Han Xiaoyue.

Only now, this face no longer had the skeletal half. Instead, a crown of black bone had naturally formed atop her "head."

Splash.

The gigantic flesh sphere shuddered and reshaped itself, morphing into a black whale that hurled itself from the cliff and crashed into the Jade Sea.

Towering waves surged and split apart.

Han Xiaoyue flicked her tail with delight, cutting rapidly through the water. Any marine life that failed to flee in time was instantly bitten and devoured by the black, saw-toothed mouths that suddenly blossomed across the surface of her body.

As she fed without pause, Han Xiaoyue’s size swelled ever larger, her form growing denser, harder, and ever more imposing...

…

Purple Crystal Ruins.

Lin Hui stood quietly outside the black wooden cave door.

Before receiving the resources traded by the Benevolent Heart Sect, he had taken advantage of his free time to make a special trip to the Purple Crystal Ruins.

Reaching out to press the surface of the door, he prepared to enter.

Suddenly, a red light flashed past his eyes.

The Purgatory fire within his body shifted slightly.

Since his trip to the Bone-Corroding Plains to purge the Purgatory-corrupted creatures, he had learned to distinguish the specific fluctuations of different threats.

This state right now... are there powerful Purgatory creatures nearby?

Lin Hui placed his right hand on the hilt of Ruyi. His left fingertips tapped lightly on the wooden door.

The door opened silently inward.

Obviously, this door wasn’t meant to open inward, but in the face of absolute strength, physics became nothing more than a suggestion.

Inside the gloomy ruins, the walls were covered with red light patterns resembling throbbing blood vessels.

The ground was scattered with magma pools of varying sizes, all emitting wisps of black smoke. The scarlet magma bubbled, constantly jumping and boiling.

A heatwave of high temperature gushed out the moment the door opened.

Between the magma pools, humanoid, one-eyed monsters composed entirely of purple-red crystals hunched over, all turning to look toward the doorway.

"..." Lin Hui hadn't expected this at all.

So much for the Purple Crystal Ruins.

These Purple Crystal Elementals had obviously undergone Purgatory corruption... and the situation looked serious.

He walked slowly into the cave, trying to find traces of purple crystal ore.

But the rough raw ores that could originally be seen on the ground and walls were now completely gone. Only boiling scarlet magma and the viscous Purgatory aura remained in the air.

"Did the Internal Force residue I left behind unintentionally corrupt this place?" Lin Hui frowned.

But that didn't feel right. He had left similar traces elsewhere—why hadn't such drastic changes occurred there? Even though he had restrained his Purgatory aura as much as possible...

Bang, bang, bang!

At this moment, deep inside the cave, a purple-red, one-eyed elemental resembling a Tyrannosaurus Rex fiercely charged out of the darkness, roaring at Lin Hui.

ROAR!!

The massive monster, over ten meters tall, had only run halfway when it crashed into the cave ceiling near the entrance, causing crushed rock to explode and rain down.

"Quiet."

ROAR!!!

Accompanied by a massive explosion of Purgatory aura, dark red flames erupted behind Lin Hui, condensing into the phantom of a humanoid monster clad in hideous, spiked molten armor.

The phantom unleashed a pressure several times more violent than the elemental’s, roaring in fury. It crushed the opponent’s aura in an instant, leaving it suffocating and staggering back again and again.

Lin Hui had been trying to recall what might have triggered the scene before him. Being suddenly interrupted, a nameless fire surged up in his chest. The red light in his eyes flared as he lifted his gaze to the elemental.

His hand moved on its own, fingers closing around Ruyi’s hilt—then he forcibly stopped himself.

I can’t kill anymore… If I devour anything else, I won’t be able to keep my human form…

Reason forcibly suppressed the violent impulse to slaughter.

Looking at the elemental opposite him, whose aura had faintly reached the level of a High Divine Officer, the red light in Lin Hui's eyes dimmed. Replacing it was a jade-green light shining from the Nine Eyes on his shoulder.

Before he even activated the Nine Eyes, he saw a flash of fear in the eyes of the elemental.

In the next instant, the massive monster actually turned and fled, disappearing into the depths of the cave.

"..."

Lin Hui fell silent for a moment, then slowly drew his sword. His figure flickered, rushing into the depths.

Before long, he arrived at the large stone hall where he had slain the experts of the Clear River Sect.

The shattered fragments of the divine statue remained, but the surrounding area had transformed into a vast magma lake. Aside from the central island holding the statue fragments, there were no other footholds.

Lin Hui's gaze swept the area. He didn't find the elemental, but amidst the rubble of the statue, he discovered a floating cluster of dark red light.

The light cluster twisted and squirmed, struggling to deform and elongate, forming the shape of a door.

Looking at the light, an intense sense of intimacy inexplicably rose in Lin Hui's heart.

That is the passage to the Homeland, the node to return to Mother's embrace... Protect it, condense it, open it... You will obtain the Mark of the Purgatory Lord... Condense your own immortality!

Information appeared inexplicably, flowing into Lin Hui's mind and repeating constantly.

His brows furrowed tightly.

Knowing the Purgatory aura was playing tricks, he immediately swept his Internal Force over his body, simultaneously triggering the airflow of the Typhoon Sword Technique to condense and strengthen the Surrounding Wind special effect.

The information faded rapidly, clearly having been interfered with.

Open the Purgatory Gate? Am I crazy? To destroy the world?

Lin Hui's figure flashed, leaping over the magma lake like lightning to arrive in front of the light cluster.

"Come... Condense it... Open it..." As he got closer, the information resurfaced, faintly turning into whispers ringing in his ears.

"You're too noisy."

He raised Ruyi, the tip of the sword pointing at the light cluster.

"Spirit Sealing!"

Chi chi chi chi!!

In an instant, nine rays of green light shot out, turning into nine translucent phantoms of Mist Zone monsters.

The nine great phantoms flew around the light cluster, transforming into nine emerald ribbons that wrapped and encased the light layer by layer.

After a mournful shriek, the half-formed Purgatory Gate was completely dragged by the Nine Eyes into the second crystal.

Silence fell.

It actually has consciousness… This should be a nascent Purgatory Gate, right? According to the Blood Seal’s prompts, Spirit Sealing can only target things with consciousness. In that case, that voice just now was the Gate itself playing tricks.

The fact that even an unformed door could already generate its own will convinced Lin Hui that he must never open the Purgatory Gate—unless he truly intended to destroy the world.