Chapter 635: Xiao Tianyi—The Inevitable Battle (I)

On the shattered island, Zuo Sheng resembled a true senior, revealing everything he knew about the ruin to Chen Chu without reservation.

However, the information he provided was limited. For instance, Zuo Sheng only knew that the void of this world spanned an area roughly the size of a dozen Blue Planets, scattered with numerous land fragments and relics.

Yet, as the years passed, most of the relics and the residual power within the stone statues had dissipated, turning into cold rocks and soil drifting through the void.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Even the power of these world fragments was continuously being devoured by the true void, leaking energy and leaving everything in silence.

Currently, only a range of over ten thousand kilometers at the center of the world retained transcendent energy and some well-preserved structures—precisely where Chen Chu and the others had entered.

After Zuo Sheng finished speaking, Chen Chu frowned slightly. "So, the resources of this ruin are limited."

Zuo Sheng nodded. "Exactly. Not only are resources scarce, but the tokens in your possession can only sustain you for seven days. After that, you'll be expelled from the ruin.

"If you’re looking for the inheritance of a powerful ancient alien race, it’s best not to waste time on these broken ruins—especially not by battling those war puppets."

Chen Chu slowly spoke. "Thank you for the reminder. In that case, there's no time to waste."

Boom!

A surge of formidable aura erupted from Chen Chu's body. The Sumeru Bracelet in his hand radiated beams of light, transforming into a dark red suit of armor that encased him completely.

Clad in the ornate and fearsome battle armor, wielding a halberd in hand, Chen Chu resembled an ancient war god. His aura grew heavy and domineering, his black hair cascading over his shoulders as he looked toward Zuo Sheng.

"I’ll take my leave now."

Zuo Sheng smiled slightly and nodded. "Be careful."

Boom!

The ground within a hundred-meter radius collapsed, and in an instant, Chen Chu transformed into a black and red streak of light, shooting out and shattering several meteors as he vanished into the cosmic void.

Watching the black and red light disappear, the smile on Zuo Sheng’s face gradually faded. He murmured to himself, "I didn’t expect that after just a decade or so, the Federation would produce such a monstrous genius. His cultivation at the Ninth Heavenly Realm even made me feel a hint of danger.

"And then there’s that fool Xiao Tianjing, sneaking back to the Blue Planet. Doesn't he fear being surrounded and killed by those old geezers and exposing our whereabouts?"

As he spoke, Zuo Sheng’s eyes turned golden, resembling the aloof and emotionless gaze of the Heavenly Dao, reflecting all of the individuals who had entered the ruin.

Among them, he saw An Fuqing, effortlessly gathering resources.

Only when his gaze swept over the long-haired girl did a slight fluctuation ripple through his otherwise indifferent eyes, but it quickly returned to its usual calm.

"So soon?"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Over two hundred kilometers away, a flash of blue-black lightning streaked across the void, shattering five towering, dilapidated stone statues in its wake.

Amid the sky filled with rubble, Chen Chu swiftly collected five level 8 Soul Crystals before soaring into the pitch-black void.

Regarding the sudden appearance of Zuo Sheng, Chen Chu had never fully trusted him and remained vigilant at all times. This man was both mysterious and dangerous, with unclear motives for approaching him. It was unlikely that his purpose was merely to share information about the ruin.

Moreover, investigations had revealed that Zuo Jing, who had appeared in the southern battlefield, was connected to the Demon Cult Alliance. However, his identity was too enigmatic, and all leads were cut off after a certain point, which only proved that Zuo Sheng was no simple figure.

Zuo Jing was merely an avatar of Zuo Sheng, or perhaps Zuo Sheng himself was not even the main body. This possibility made Chen Chu highly wary of him.

Therefore, regardless of whether Zuo Sheng’s words were true or false, Chen Chu needed to swiftly obliterate the stone statues and collect enough Soul Crystals. That way, he would be prepared for any unforeseen changes.

For now, Chen Chu wasn’t lacking in god-level resources to enhance his cultivation; what he truly needed were soul points to strengthen his soul art and "world resources" to expand his planar worlds.

As he traversed the void, golden-black vertical pupils appeared in Chen Chu’s eyes, scanning the heavens and earth. The entire world seemed to blur before his gaze, transforming into countless condensed points of obscure energy.

"Found it."

Boom!

The void exploded, and Chen Chu shot forward like a black and red beam of light, piercing through the heavens and earth. Within moments, he appeared above an island spanning dozens of kilometers.

Below, an ancient structure, mostly collapsed, stood in ruinous grandeur. Beside it stood a towering stone statue, resembling a thousand-meter-tall, bipedal tyrannosaur.

Hum!

Sensing Chen Chu’s presence, the stone statue’s eyes suddenly lit up, and its massive mouth opened wide—

Boom!

Heaven and earth lit up as a halberd, stretching three hundred meters long and composed almost entirely of compressed golden flames, descended from the sky, radiating dazzling brilliance.

Everything in the halberd's path was annihilated, leaving behind rings of magnificent white energy ripples that brimmed with a destructive aura.

Roar!

The stone statue let out a furious roar, its arms entwined with purple light as it unleashed tsunami-like shockwaves to intercept the golden halberd slashing toward its head.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The golden halberd, infused with high-level laws, cleaved through the statue’s arms with unstoppable force, crushing them section by section before striking its head. In an instant, a blazing explosion erupted.

Boom!

Golden light, akin to the explosion of a star, burst forth. Under the intense blast, the upper half of the stone statue disintegrated in an instant. Countless fragments melted into lava within the golden flames, shooting in all directions.

High above, clad in dark red battle armor, Chen Chu stood coldly, overlooking the explosion that engulfed an area of over twenty kilometers.

To him now, these war puppets—once powerful and defensively enhanced enough to dominate battlefields—were nothing but fragile obstacles.

Soon, he discovered a Soul Crystal amid the flowing lava.

According to Zuo Sheng’s explanation, these crystals originally came from void soul beasts.

Normally, the soul energy within these crystals couldn't be directly absorbed, as the mixed void energy would erode the soul. Thus, the ancient alien civilizations had used them as the core power source for these war puppets.

However, over countless years of purification within the statues, the crystals had transformed into pure Soul Crystals, which could enhance the soul to a certain extent upon absorption.

Even so, the enhancement had its limits—each person’s foundational soul differed, and the more crystals absorbed, the weaker the effects became. The maximum enhancement was around thirty percent.

Chen Chu stored the level 9 Soul Crystal and turned his gaze toward the collapsed structure nearby, particularly focusing on the golden lotus that emerged from the ruins. It hovered in midair, slowly rotating while emanating resplendent ripples of golden law power.

"Golden Heavenly Heart Lotus." A trace of surprise flickered in Chen Chu’s eyes. He had seen records of this natural treasure in the core database of the Celestial Think Tank.

This was a near top-grade god-level resource, containing true world origin within. A cultivator at the peak of the Ninth Heavenly Realm could significantly enhance their cultivation and accelerate the refinement of their laws by refining it.

However, as Chen Chu observed the lotus and the white energy mixed within its world origin, combined with the faint yet discernible gaze he sensed from the darkness behind him, his eyes narrowed.

"As expected, something’s not right. What is he planning?"

Deep in thought, Chen Chu sealed the golden lotus and stored it in his storage space. Without hesitation, he soared into the void and vanished into the darkness.