Chapter 647: Ink Death Transforms Heaven And Earth

It was in that moment that Crimson Flame, whom everyone had assumed had given up and was simply waiting for death, suddenly lifted Its head.

Upon Its blurry, flickering face, a faint, mocking smile seemed to surface.

Then, in an instant, Its body shifted from a patchwork of black and red to an utterly pure, solid black!

Like a drop of ink falling into a pool of still water, the surrounding space was instantly stained into a single, pitch-dark expanse!

Li Fan's mind reeled.

Even the surviving cultivators who had been eyeing Crimson Flame with greed were now consumed entirely by terror.

The Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth they had perceived as Crimson Flame had silently transformed into a different Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth: Ink Death!

"What is happening?!"

They weren't the only ones in confusion; even Li Fan was completely taken aback.

Li Fan's heart pounded as his thoughts raced. The scene he was witnessing today felt like a door opening into an entirely new realm of understanding.

The first to bear the brunt of this sudden, catastrophic shift was Hong Xi, who had been charging forward in a suicidal, desperate strike.

His expression changed from resolute determination to horrified despair.

But an arrow loosed has no hope of return. He could no longer stop himself, and he slammed straight into Ink Death's pitch-black domain.

There was no earth-shattering collision, no dazzling display of light.

Like snowflakes vanishing into water, his entire body dissolved in an instant, disappearing without a sound.

Ink Death tilted Its head slightly, and the corner of Its mouth curled into an odd, unnatural smile.

Above, in the sky, a death phenomenon manifested.

"Spirit Transformation cultivator Hong Xi practiced the Dao for 763 years, establishing his Dao Foundation with the Curio, Five Elements Mountain.

"He formed his Golden Core through the Laws of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

"He seized the Hundred Ridges Grotto-Heaven to form his Nascent Soul, and extracted the Thousand Mountains of Taihua's Pre-Manifestation to transform his spirit.

"Fortunate to receive heaven's punishment, his Dao disperses, returning to heaven!"

Upon the celestial canopy, the image of a vast, unbroken mountain range crumbled and collapsed, marking the fall of the esteemed Immortal Eminence Hong Xi, the foremost cultivator of the Congyun Sea region.

The moment Ink Death appeared, Tian Yang had already sensed the danger.

Though he had sworn never to be weaker than anyone else, that vow didn't mean he was foolish enough to throw his life away.

The Earthfire Elevation Array was pushed past its limits. Abandoning all restraint, it detonated completely, tearing itself apart.

Amidst the rampaging earthfire and lava, Tian Yang tried to sever his own hand to escape.

His giant hand would remain behind to trap Ink Death, while he himself tried to slip away into hiding.

But swift as his movements were, they were no match for Ink Death.

The crimson lava, before it could even draw close to Ink Death, was tainted and reduced to tiny black particles.

It was as if a single drop of ink had fallen from the heavens into the world, spreading its stain with horrifying speed.

Tian Yang had not gotten far before the ever-expanding, perfect circle of blackness caught up to him.

Unlike Hong Xi's silent dissolution, flashes of fire and creaking, grinding sounds emerged from that sea of black.

Even as the vast expanse of darkness continued to grow outward, Tian Yang could still be seen struggling at its center.

But it seemed only to prolong his agony, adding more pain to his final moments.

Soon, all movement and sound ceased entirely. The blackness fell still.

Li Fan's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

He remembered that the materials he had used to strengthen Tian Yang included Eternal Calamity Gold, a substance fabled to be indestructible through countless calamities.

He had hoped Tian Yang could at least manage a few exchanges against Ink Death, but the result...

The gap is simply too vast. Ink Death truly inspires terror and awe.

Even having witnessed the Heavenly Physician, Fuzi, and others in battle, seeing Ink Death's power again now sent a chill through Li Fan.

And yet, this iteration of Ink Death seems... more "vivid" than before?

Whether it was an illusion or not, Li Fan suddenly arrived at this inexplicable insight as he stared at the black spot in the sky, still expanding.

The other cultivators inside Congyun City, however, felt far more than a chill.

In an instant, the situation had flipped. The two Spirit Transformation cultivators, who had seemed poised for victory moments ago, had already fallen.

This plunged everyone else into utter despair.

Within Congyun City, many cultivators who had been in seclusion inside the Tianxuan Mirror were suddenly expelled.

They looked around in confusion, having no idea what was happening.

The Tianxuan Mirror has withdrawn its Empowerment. It seems Congyun Sea has been abandoned.

What must come will always come eventually.

Li Fan looked at the cultivators around him. Some wailed for their mothers; others had completely lost their composure.

After Tian Yang's death, the spread of the ink stain gradually slowed.

Reforming once more into a human shape, Ink Death swept Its gaze over everyone in Congyun City.

Every cultivator It laid eyes upon froze stiff, unable to move, their hearts seized by absolute terror.

Then, perhaps in the playful spirit of a cat toying with a mouse, Ink Death chose not to attack these cultivators immediately. With a flicker, It vanished from sight.

The cultivators looked on in disbelief, thinking Ink Death had spared them.

Hope kindled in their hearts.

But that was obviously impossible.

From the sky, black rain began to fall.

Wherever the blackness struck the ground, everything it touched was nullified into emptiness.

Then, from that emptiness, more ink of the same origin surged forth, devouring everything around it.

Before their eyes, the Congyun Sea was disappearing. Yet, ironically, every drop of black rain veered away from Congyun City hovering in the air, as if some punishment demanded that the cultivators inside witness the slow erasure of the Congyun Sea.

Ink Death calmly orchestrated all of this.

This Ink Death has a somewhat twisted sense of humor. Li Fan stared at the space darkening around him, feeling his own heart grow increasingly heavy.

Such a horrifying sight finally drove the cultivators inside Congyun City to the brink of madness.

Realizing they had no chance to live, some gave up all hope and took their own lives.

Some, eyes bloodshot, launched death charges at the blackened region outside Congyun City.

Others simply collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

He Zhenghao was one such man.

His body trembled uncontrollably as his daughter's earlier warnings echoed again and again in his mind.

"A terrible calamity, your life is in danger."

"Just leave Congyun Sea, and you will be fine..."

His face was a mask of bewilderment and regret. The faces of his love, Heng Ruoshui, and his daughter, He Xinxin, surfaced in his mind.

I was such a fool!

The experiences of this life flashed before his eyes like a dying lantern, and tears and snot streamed down He Zhenghao's face.

But abruptly, he stopped.

He turned sharply toward Li Fan.

"Secretary-Envoy! Secretary-Envoy, please, think of something!

"You must have a way, right? There has to be something you can do!"

Scrambling and stumbling, He Zhenghao made his way to Li Fan's side, clinging to his last shred of hope as he begged.

Li Fan didn't answer. Silently, he rose into the sky.

There, facing the pitch-black void beyond Congyun City, he struck a provocative pose.

In that instant, the inky blackness of heaven and earth seemed to freeze still.

Then, a figure appeared not far from Li Fan, regarding him with great interest.