Unfathomable Senior

Chapter 725

Beyond the colossal gate lay a vast chamber, and at its center, a towering figure awaited. It was Long Qing, clad in dark robes, his face obscured by shadows. The chamber was bathed in a surreal, bluish glow, emanating from the massive crystalline structure that loomed behind Long Qing. This structure appeared to be the source of the sinister energy that had corrupted the Azure Palace.

"Long Dong."

Long Qing's voice echoed through the chamber, a sinister edge to his tone.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to make it this far. But your journey ends here."

Zhang Dong's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation. He had expected a confrontation with his brother, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease in the air. The crystalline structure behind Long Qing pulsed with malevolent energy, and it was evident that this place held dark secrets.

“You are not actually Long Qing, are you?”

“Oh? I am not?”

“No, it’s too soon for the main boss to appear... and it’s obvious that you are just a crude imitation.”

As Zhang Dong questioned the figure before him, it chuckled ominously. Shadows danced around its form, and its voice took on a distorted, eerie quality.

"You are perceptive, Long Dong. I am indeed a mere projection of your brother, created by the malevolent energy that now permeates this palace. You could say I am an embodiment of his darkest desires and intentions."

“Darkest desires? I haven’t known him for a long time, but I don’t think his desire would result in such a drastic change?”

Zhang Dong replied cautiously as he attempted to discern the mysterious azure crystal hidden behind the shadowy replication of the Azure Emperor. It emitted an eerie energy akin to that of the demonic cultivation energies. Bob was quickly trying to analyze the spirit energy pattern while he continued to ask questions and prolong the conversation. There was no way of knowing what he had walked on into so taking everything with caution was best.

‘Warning, detecting unknown corrupted energies, trying to analyze pattern... energy identified to be not of this world’s origin...’

Just like he had predicted, there was more to this place that met the eye. The presence of these crystals, clearly foreign to the world's natural structure, indicated they had been imported from elsewhere. Only one person came to his mind that could produce such a result, the overseer that he was wary of. While she was not here, the phantom he was interacting with could be of her making.

‘I can’t call her out directly, she will know that I’ve figured out the truth of this world...’

Zhang Dong focused on his martial arts training, relying on muscle memory and instinct to guide his movements. The Psychic Abomination continued to manipulate the shards of the corrupted crystal, sending them hurtling towards him with incredible force. Each dodged attack was followed by another, as the creature's relentless assault tested Zhang Dong's agility and stamina.

Despite channeling a substantial amount of spiritual energy, a vexing issue emerged. The corrupted crystals scattered throughout the vicinity exhibited an unsettling ability to siphon away a significant portion of his spiritual energy. Even his most potent palm strikes and long-range finger attacks fizzled out before reaching the elusive monster, which persisted in its teleportation. It became evident that he couldn't hope to overpower this creature through sheer spiritual energy alone, not as long as those malevolent crystal shards swirled about, sapping his strength.

As the Psychic Abomination continued to harass him with telekinetically propelled crystal shards, Zhang Dong began to observe the patterns of its attacks. He noticed that the creature had a slight delay in its teleportation after each attack, as if it needed a moment to recharge its psychic abilities. This observation gave him an idea.

Timing his movements precisely, Zhang Dong waited for the creature to unleash another barrage of crystal shards which he quickly evaded as many times before. After a quick counter-attack, the monster quickly teleported away. However, the previous palm strike was just a faint, it contained a marginal amount of spiritual energy. His intent was to go for the area where the Abomination repositioned itself.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Dong leaped forward, his movements fluid and precise. Just as the monstrosity materialized from a swirling cloud of smoke, he wielded his sword with precision, thrusting it straight through the creature's head. He left nothing to chance, recognizing the creature's brain as the wellspring of its psionic abilities. In the wake of this decisive strike, the monster disintegrated into an unusual sludge-like substance.

"It reeks!"

Zhang Dong exclaimed, leaping back in abhorrence, his spiritual energy forming a protective shield. This barrier offered some resistance against the corrosive nature of the monster's bile, though it was not impervious to its malevolent touch. It attempted to go through his radiant shielding and forced him to push it away instead.

As Zhang Dong stood there, defending against the remnants of the Psychic Abomination, he realized that the chamber around him was beginning to tremble. The crystalline structure behind him, which had been the source of the malevolent energy, started to fracture and crack. A bluish light erupted from within, and it became apparent that the dark aura that had tainted the Azure Palace was dissipating.

Then from the collapsed azure crystal, a tiny wisp of blue light appeared. Zhang Dong didn’t need Bob to identify this occurrence as he could feel that it was a fragment of someone’s soul, Long Qing’s to be precise. After wiggling with his finger the fragment floated towards him and it unraveled the mystery of this place.

“Hm... Do I have to collect these fragments to get through this place?”

For a moment he contemplated if he should just absorb this fragment to add to his own power. If it was part of the soul that belonged to the Azure Emperor, then it could act as a powerful elixir or even be made into a soul-nourishing pill that would enhance his cultivation base.

Zhang Dong carefully considered his options. The fragment of Long Qing's soul held immense power, but he couldn't ignore the ethical implications of absorbing it. He had come here with the intention of helping his brother, not further harming him. Besides, the corrupted crystals were the true source of the problem, and he needed to find a way to cleanse them.

He used his spiritual energy to carefully encapsulate the wisp of blue light, creating a protective barrier around it. With the fragment securely contained, he turned his attention to the shattered crystalline structure.

"Bob, let's try to cleanse these corrupted crystals. We need to undo the damage that has been done to the Azure Palace and find more of these fragments. Find me where other corrupted crystals like this are.”

With Bob as his guide, Zhang Dong embarked on a new mission within the labyrinthine depths of the Azure Palace. His goal was to find more shards and bring them all together before confronting what was left of his brother...