"Someone is finally here," a thunderous echo blasted through from the depths of the void.
The sonic friction of that single echo instantly scorched their minds. Mo Lingtian's consciousness, along with the chief commander and the entire phantom army, was violently refined by the raw pressure.
Mo Lingtian could not look up. None of them could. They fell flat on their faces into the empty space beneath them as their awareness faded into darkness.
Suddenly, a tiny sprout sprang up from amidst the emptiness. It rapidly grew, transforming into an enormous tree of multiversal scale.
Its leaves bore countless constellations within them, their veins overflowing with thick demonic energy. The branches were ethereally translucent, casting a cosmic green light that interwove across the entire upper expanse of the void.
The most breathtaking part of this cosmic tree was its trunk and roots. The roots sank deep into the bottomless abyss, dragging otherworldly essence and energy upward, guiding it all the way to its branches and leaves. The trunk was so unbelievably massive and all-encompassing that it literally held the balance between the upper space of the void and the emptiness below.
"Rise," the voice echoed again, but this time, it resonated directly from the cosmic tree.
Instantly, a profound force jerked their consciousness back to life, pulling them to their feet as their awareness stabilized.
The moment they came back to their senses, a strange, crushing pressure descended upon them, beating down like a ceaseless rain of asteroids scorching a barren terrain.
Outside this space, back in the Eclipsed Sun Sect, Mo Lingtian's physical body was not spared. His bones, veins, and flesh felt the crushing weight of that cosmic tree's presence.
Instinctively, the energies of his hybrid core and demonic core surged through his meridians, desperately attempting to shield his body from the immense pressure.
"Senior," Mo Lingtian managed to speak, his voice breathless.
"Your physique reminds me of someone," the voice echoed once more, suddenly lifting the pressure off of them.
Mo Lingtian's breathing hitched. He panted heavily, clutching his chest as he looked around at the others. The soul states of the commanding vanguards and the death phantoms had miraculously become incredibly stable and robust. Among them, the chief commander's soul state was the most impressive.
Despite the severe origin depletion she had previously suffered to help Mo Lingtian, she had just undergone a total transformation. Instead of breaking down further, her soul glowed brighter than ever, having emerged from the crushing weight unscathed. Three distinct halos, increasing in size in ascending order, now radiated brilliantly behind her.
"Senior, thank you for sparing our lives," Mo Lingtian said, bowing deeply.
"After several millennia, you are the first to open the passageway to this space. How could I kill you?" the voice echoed, accompanied by a sudden, violent torrent of wind.
"Senior..." Mo Lingtian stuttered, swiftly bracing himself against the gale.
"I just did not expect you all to be this weak," the voice continued. This time, no wind followed.
"You, however, are a very interesting fellow. You are not a demon, yet you possess a demonic core. You possess two cores, actually, with the second one holding the elemental properties of two different energies."
"Senior, I..." Mo Lingtian stuttered, juggling for the right words.
"There is no need to lie to me. Everything about you was exposed the moment you entered this space. You are from the League of Devils," the voice declared.
The cosmic tree slowly blurred, transforming into the visible frame of a humanoid body engulfed in blinding green light.
"Senior, I did not mean to lie..." Mo Lingtian replied, bowing face-down toward the emptiness below. All the commanders and death phantoms followed suit, prostrating in absolute unison.
"Never mind. Your bloodline makes up for your lack of strength," the illuminated figure said. His glowing eyes swept across the commanding generals and the thousands of death phantoms prostrated before him.
Seeing fragments of cosmic green starlight wash over the death vanguards, Mo Lingtian immediately deduced the entity's curiosity in the death soldiers.
"Senior, these are my companions. I brought them in here," Mo Lingtian explained, his head still bowed.
"What a strange element," the illuminated frame muttered, casually drawing a wisp of death energy from the commanding generals to his fingertips.
"Things are getting more interesting. I do not have much time left. Perhaps your body will be a perfect fit for me," the figure spoke slowly, stretching out a single glowing finger.
Almost immediately, a cascading pressure crashed down over the entire void. Continuous, metallic groans and crinkles echoed as the void itself shook under the strain.
"Senior..." Mo Lingtian choked as the pressure swatted him down. The death phantoms screamed, writhing in sheer agony as their forms distorted violently under the crushing weight.
The chief commander and the commanding generals immediately erected a massive dome of energy to deflect the pressure, but it did little. They were forced to their knees, parts of their souls already beginning to fracture and dilapidate.
"Ah!" Mo Lingtian yelled as his soul state visibly began to dissipate into fragmented energy.
"Too weak," the figure sneered. He slowly stretched his finger further, instantly multiplying the pressure tenfold.
The massive defensive dome shattered. The full, unmitigated weight of the entity crashed down on them.
With a casual slide of his right hand, the massive cosmic tree reassembled behind the figure. It was so towering that the illuminated entity looked like a grain of rice in comparison.
Mo Lingtian, the chief commander, and the commanding generals were instantly pulled toward the ancient tree.
"It has been ages. Who would have thought I would have the chance to be reborn with the bloodline of Devils!" the figure's voice boomed, laughing maniacally.
"Senior," Mo Lingtian grunted, turning his head toward the chief commander as they were dragged violently through the void. His look said it all: Is there any way out of this?
The chief commander simply closed her eyes. That was her reply. There was no miracle that could save them now.
Who would have thought that what was supposed to be the gateway to fortune would turn into a dead end?
Outside the space, back in the Eclipsed Sun Sect, Mo Lingtian's body reacted. Deep within his network of veins, meridians, and blood vessels, three profound drops of blood essence suddenly materialized.
Then, one of the three drops disintegrated, flooding his entire physical framework with raw, violent, ancient energy.
"Broclyx!" a more ancient, far more terrifying voice thundered violently shaking the entire void space within the bamboo strip.
"Void energy?" the illuminated figure gasped, sudden terror washing over his glowing face.
"Come back," the ancient voice commanded, instantly shattering the pulling force that was dragging Mo Lingtian and his companions.
The blinding green light surrounding the figure dissipated, revealing his true soul state.
His legs and arms were intricately patterned with glowing tattoos of slender stems, roots, and leaves. His clothes looked nothing like the current era of the Three Realms, a simple drape, that was all that covered him, leaving him partially bare.
His skin looked like textured, polished green jade, shining with a faint, trembling brilliance.
Mo Lingtian immediately sat cross-legged, desperately restabilizing his collapsing soul state.
Suddenly, he felt a firm touch on his left shoulder. Pure Void energy instantly surged through his consciousness, not only rejuvenating but refining the very quality of his soul avatar in a single breath.