A divine thought bridge was established using the Great Dream Heavenly Attraction Talisman, allowing fourteen powerful cultivators, including True Man Situ and four Hollow Void experts, to enter a dreamland. Their mission is to prevent an evil god's embryo from fully forming. Elder Master Xun, a Formation Master, was asked to remain and oversee the formation, while True Man Situ lamented the absence of Elder Dugu, the only one who could perform the ultimate "Godslaying Sword" technique.
Within an unfathomable void of darkness, a solitary beam of golden radiance materialized, gradually taking shape as a bridge of divine sense that extended into the unseen depths.
A single point of starlight then ignited upon this ethereal pathway.
Soon after, ripples disturbed the void, divine thoughts surged, and primordial spirits began to manifest, one after another.
Guided by the ancient dreamscape, Wenren Wan, whose divine sense had achieved a tangible form.
She was accompanied by fourteen cultivators, all of whom had reached the Feather Transformation Realm or higher, hailing from the Qian Learning State Boundary.
Among these fourteen individuals, ten were cultivators of the Feather Transformation Realm, while the remaining four had attained the Heaven Void Realm. Under ordinary circumstances in the external world, the Heaven Void cultivators would naturally take the lead.
However, this was within the Divine Thought World, specifically on a path leading into theEvil God's nightmare. The sole leader permitted was the Chief Elder of Mystery Valley, the venerable True Man Situ.
True Man Situ surveyed his surroundings, then his gaze swept over everyone present, confirming that Wenren Wan's divine sense incarnation remained unharmed and that the out-of-body state of the other primordial spirits was intact. He offered a slight nod, and with a grave expression, issued a stern warning:
"This undertaking is fraught with peril. Remain vigilant and exercise caution at all times; refrain from making hasty decisions when confronted by any situation."
"Before the Mystic Sky Beidou Seven Star Formation, I have established a guiding light for each of you. This light preserves a fragment of your primordial spirit and sustains a thread of your vital energy. Should circumstances turn dire, recite the mantra of causality, and the Seven Stars Formation will forcibly recall your primordial spirits."
"However, the forcible retrieval of one's primordial spirit inflicts severe damage upon the Sea of Consciousness. Do not utter the mantra unless facing an extreme crisis."
"Concurrently, commit this mantra to the deepest recesses of your heart. Do not actively think of it; only recite it when absolutely necessary to evade detection and sever the thread of your causal life energy..."
As Divine Thought Cultivators, the rest understood the gravity of the situation and solemnly committed True Man Situ's instructions to memory.
"There is one more matter..." True Man Situ's gaze settled once more on Wenren Wan, and he addressed the assembled group: "You must ensure this young lady from the Wenren family is protected."
"Much like a mother's bond with her child, the divine sense forms a crucial connection. Should any harm befall her, this connection will break, leaving us stranded within this endless nightmare, facing an almost certain demise."
All present nodded in solemn agreement.
Having imparted his final instructions, True Man Situ let out a soft sigh, his gaze drifting towards the infinite darkness enveloping them, a sense of melancholy settling within him.
He had never anticipated a day would arrive where he would have to personally confront and slay the Evil God. The designation of a "deadly calamity" felt profoundly serious.
Yet, he then mused that as a Divine Thought Cultivator, trained in heavenly secrets since childhood, if he could one day bear the immense responsibility of protecting all beings, venturing into the primordial nightmare of a nascent Evil God, and undertaking the sacred mission of god-slaying, regardless of personal survival or the ultimate outcome, his life would not have been lived in vain.
His only lingering hope was that should he ever fall to corruption, there would be righteous individuals capable of ending his existence, thereby preventing his corrupted self from abetting evil and spreading devastation throughout the world.
Righteous individuals were destined to exist.
If he were to ever wreak havoc upon the world, his lifespan would undoubtedly be short.
With these thoughts, True Man Situ actually experienced a peculiar sense of peace.
"Let us proceed."
True Man Situ declared with solemnity and then took the lead, venturing forth alone.
Within the ranks, a female True Man, clad in white robes, supported Wenren Wan, following closely behind.
The other Divine Thought Cultivators trailed in True Man Situ's wake, forming a protective formation with Wenren Wan positioned at its center.
The subtle golden bridge of divine sense, sustained by the primordial dreamscape, emanated a faint violet luminescence as it stretched into the distance.
However, the entirety of their surroundings was an utter expanse of darkness.
This pervasive darkness was unsettling, somber, and oppressively heavy, seemingly pressing in on their location, with the capacity to engulf all light.
The golden radiance of the bridge, the violet hue of the primordial dreamscape, and the starlight of the Seven Stars Formation were all being gradually consumed by this encroaching darkness, inch by inch.
Amidst the boundless blackness, only a singular, blood-like cord, akin to an umbilical cord, extended from Wenren Wan's heart, reaching out into the infinite.
Darkness, its other end connected, remained unsevered.
A maternal and filial bond, hearts intertwined, a shared lineage flowing from the same source.
This was the solitary point of reference for everyone.
It was also the sole manifestation of vitality and hope within the vast, engulfing void.
Thus, they continued their advance. It was impossible to gauge the duration of their journey, but eventually, the bridge of divine sense reached its far side, and the origin of the encompassing darkness began to reveal its form before them.
A boundless vista of ebony peaks unfolded, stretching endlessly and exuding a chilling, terrifying aura. It felt as if the very essence of the world's countless killings, despair, pain, and misery had been forged into this savage and fierce domain.
True Man Situ's pupils constricted.
The countenances of the others also underwent a marked change.
"This... this is..."
"The Abyssal Swamp within the Three Thousand Great Wilderness?!"
All eyes inevitably turned to True Man Situ, whose brows were deeply furrowed. He finally let out a sigh and declared, "We must press onward."
At this juncture, there was no path for retreat available.
Before them lay mountains of knives, seas of flames, and cauldrons of boiling oil; yet
They were compelled to tread this path.
With newfound resolve, everyone pushed forward.
Having traversed the bridge of divine sense and entered the Black Mountains' domain, the malevolent qi suddenly intensified, seemingly permeating their very marrow. The dark winds howled with a mournful sound.
True Man Situ swiftly formed a hand seal, initiating the Seven Stars Formation to shield the group. This protected them from the invasive dark winds and malevolent qi, safeguarding their primordial spirits' roots.
He then surveyed their surroundings: three thousand black mountains veiled in spectral mists, strewn with white bones, and teeming with writhing bloodworms. As they ventured further, the landscape grew increasingly desolate, punctuated by the occasional scuttling of bizarre and eerie creatures, their forms indescribable.
Some were a solitary human eye attached to a demon's leg, standing starkly alone;
Others had severed hands serving as feet and severed feet as hands, moving in an inverted fashion;
Some bore the shape of beasts with human faces, their features strangely misaligned; or possessed a single eye and dual mouths, grotesquely incomplete.
These varied, disconcerting entities, as if whimsically assembled by some creator's playful yet malicious hand, evoked a sense of unease, even nausea, in all who beheld them.
True Man Situ's expression grew grave.
The Three Thousand Black Mountains of the Great Wilderness, this Endless Abyssal Swamp, had served as a place of death and destruction for innumerable beings. According to the hidden records preserved within Mystery Valley, this was also the very birthplace of the ancient Evil God of the Great Wilderness, and naturally, the site where its primordial nightmare would be reborn.
