God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 576: End of the Memory

The spike was siphoning the demonic energy, yes. But it was not rotting.

Deep inside the ancient metal, a series of geometric runes began to realign. The artifact was not passive. It had a highly sophisticated self correction mechanism, a system designed to handle overwhelming corruption by converting it into raw, concentrated suppression.

CLIIIIING!

A soft chime echoed through the chamber. It was identical to the one Alfonso’s sacred domain had released.

Suddenly, the air froze.

In an instant, the dark purple mist vanished. The blood in the circular array evaporated into thin, grey dust.

"What... what is this?" the younger disciple screamed, his voice cracking. "My qi... my cultivation! It’s gone!"

One by one, the demonic cultivators collapsed onto the floor. Their evil energy was completely erased, snuffed out like candles in a hurricane. Even more shocking, Shiyun You fell to her knees. The floating nails clattered to the ground as her strong posture withered into that of a frail, dying old woman.

"The... the Purge..." she whispered in absolute horror, her eyes staring at the spike. "It didn’t rot... it converted our corruption into... absolute purification..."

Before they could even crawl away, heavy, echoing footsteps sounded from the entrance of the chamber.

The Guardian Knight had returned.

But this time, this was not the same one the alchemist had faced.

It was several feet tall, like a mini giant.

Its crimson eyes glowed with cold, merciless intent beneath its helmet. Its massive axe dragged along the stone floor with a scraping sound like a death knell. Without their qi, the demonic cultivators were no different from ordinary, frail humans. They couldn’t even lift their arms to defend themselves.

The next fight that ensued was a bloodbath, where limbs and blood flowed.

Gabriel did not watch the carnage. His gaze was locked on the Core Suppressing Spike.

As the Purge sequence finalized, the geometric runes on the metallic surface aligned into an incredibly complex, flowing pattern, a sequence that his absurdly high perception began to analyze in real time.

[Ding! Deep Resonance Achieved]

[You have witnessed the absolute purge sequence of the Core Suppressing Spike]

[Insight Acquired: Hex Lock of the Ancestors]

[Skill: Hex Lock of the Ancestors]

[Description: By understanding the siphoning rhythm of the celestial spike, you have learned to align your own energy flow with the spike’s active frequency. While inside the Core Suppressing Spike’s domain, or any energy cancelling domain, your physical stats, skills, and movement speeds will remain unpenalized.]

The notification flared brightly in front of his eyes.

A cold, sharp smile formed beneath Gabriel’s mask. The Holy Church, the Martial Palace, Liang, and the others, none of them knew what lay ahead. They thought they were walking into a temple of treasures, but they were walking straight into a cosmic trap. While they would be stripped of their power and reduced to helpless prey, Gabriel would walk through the silent domain as its sole master.

Although he wasn’t able to learn the so called promise the Dead God made, he had achieved more than one thing.

One was the true reason they had been invited here in the first place. Secondly, there was another guardian who was even stronger than the Knight, and this one seemed to be stationed very close to the spike.

He didn’t know why this one hadn’t shown up during the clash with the alchemist, but he figured it could be because this one only stepped out once it deemed an enemy to be a significant threat to the spike, like the feminine sect.

"It’s been years already. At least she should be dead," thought Gabriel. All these memories had taken place hundreds of years ago. He didn’t want to imagine the strength of someone who had stayed alive for that long.

Even with his current strength, which was on par with what someone who had lived for a century might possess, it would be really difficult to go against the one they referred to as Sister Mo.

If Gabriel’s guess was right, it was another person who was probably leading the Demonic Sect now and still carrying on their goal.

"Once we are done with this, the Martial Palace and the Emperor of Tianlan have some serious explaining to do." Gabriel’s gaze flashed coldly.

If there was anyone who knew about the Dead God’s promise, then it was them.

At that very moment, the memory around him began to fracture like dry clay.

The stone walls crumbled. The Guardian Knight and the corpses of the Demonic Sect dissolved into silver mist. Gabriel’s consciousness was violently pulled back to the present.

Gasps.

Gabriel’s eyes snapped open beneath his mask.

The cold, damp air of the bridge chamber rushed back into his lungs. The distant sound of the flowing river echoed quietly behind him. The dark silver dust of the crushed memory shard was still settling on his skin.

Beside him, VV stood perfectly still, sword drawn. The slight tilt of the armored helmet showed absolute vigilance.

"You’re back," VV’s quiet voice came from beneath the visor.

"Yes," Gabriel replied, slowly standing up and adjusting his wet coat.

His body felt lighter. His mana circulation, which had been slightly strained from the journey, now flowed with a strange, pristine clarity he had never felt before since stepping inside here.

It was the effect of the newly acquired skill, and it was already working, aligning his body with the ambient energy of the tomb.

"How long was I out?" Gabriel asked.

"Six minutes," VV replied, sheathing the sword with a clean click. "No one approached. They simply passed and headed deeper. But the pressure from the deeper corridor just spiked. The others must have encountered a problem."

By "they," Gabriel knew VV meant the other surviving guilds. He didn’t have time to ask who had made it this far and instead looked toward the dark, winding tunnel leading deeper into the tomb.

He could feel it now, that identical aura of the guardian. It seemed they had met it already.

"Let’s go," Gabriel said, his voice calm but carrying a cold, sharp edge.