CHAPTER 96 — Aftershock Across the Continent
The general's ashes drifted away on the cold morning wind.
Cloudsky Sect stood in stunned silence—disciples and elders alike staring at Lin Xuan, the young man who had defied a monster bordering on Void Rupturing and lived.
But something lingered.
A foul, heavy miasma pooling where the general had fallen.
Abyssal energy.
Powerful, toxic, destructive—
capable of corrupting mortals, cultivators, even entire lands.
Waves of black-purple qi churned like a living fog.
Several elders shouted:
"Stay back! Don't breathe it in!"
"It will corrupt your meridians!"
But Lin Xuan did not move away.
He stepped forward.
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1. Devouring the Abyss
"Lin—what are you doing?" Shengyuan demanded, eyes widening.
Lin ignored him.
He reached toward the void-tainted qi.
Dragon-Bai roared and snapped his wings open, trying to block him.
"MASTER! STOP! THAT ENERGY IS POISON!"
Lin only smiled faintly.
"Not to me."
His solar system activated.
The twin suns at his core spun wildly—one bright gold, the other a pale white-blue—creating a vortex of cosmic gravity.
The abyssal miasma trembled—
—then surged into him like a tidal wave.
The ground shuddered.
Cloudsky disciples screamed.
Elders rushed forward—Shengyuan reached desperately—
But Bai (spear) extended his arm, stopping even the Saint.
"Trust him," Bai said quietly.
"He's not the same as before."
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2. Solar System + Vine-Heart Sapling — Purification Ascendant
Inside Lin's body—
The abyssal energy crashed into the twin suns like meteor storms.
The suns flared.
The planets trembled.
The vine-heart sapling—rooted deep in Lin's inner earth—shuddered, then glowed with gentle emerald light.
Its tendrils extended, wrapping around the corrupted qi.
Sunlight burned.
Vine-heart purified.
Planets absorbed.
The abyssal qi was overwhelmed.
Lin felt the conversion.
From corruption—
to heat, to lightning, to raw cultivation essence.
It flowed into his meridians like molten gold.
His veins glowed.
His bones vibrated.
His soul sea expanded.
He rose from early Golden Core → mid → late → peak, then broke through to Core Perfection instantly.
His breath left his chest like a solar flare.
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3. Lin's New Rule of Power: The More He Kills, the Stronger He Grows
Aurora's voice echoed within his mind, equal parts awe and fear.
"Lin…
The binary suns and the vine-heart sapling can process abyssal energy.
You are now capable of converting enemy corruption into pure cultivation."
Lin's eyes widened.
"So defeating abyssal forces makes me stronger…"
Her tone trembled.
"Theoretically… infinitely."
Lin's smile sharpened.
"Good."
Dragon-Bai trembled with pride and dread.
"Master… you have truly become something the Abyssal Ancestor should fear."
Shengyuan stepped forward slowly, silently.
"…This talent did not exist even among Saints," he whispered.
"Your growth rate is now monstrous. Terrifying. Dangerous."
Lin turned to him.
"Then we must make use of it."
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4. Shengyuan Must Rise Again
Lin clasped the Saint's shoulder.
"That general reached pseudo Void Rupturing. The next one may reach real Void Rupturing… or higher."
Shengyuan nodded grimly.
"And beyond them… the Demigod guardians of the Abyss."
"Then," Lin said, "we have no time to waste. You need to return to the Saint Realm."
Shengyuan's eyes sharpened.
"I can, with your help. The inner earth's accelerated time and pure qi will allow me to recover. But… I will need vast amounts of purified energy."
Lin glanced at the lingering abyssal wisps still rising from the ground.
"So we feed you what we carve from our enemies."
Shengyuan smiled faintly.
"A fitting cycle. Their destruction will restore the Saint who once protected this continent."
Lin nodded.
"Prepare yourself. After I stabilize the sect—I'll provide everything you need."
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5. The Continent Reacts
Word traveled faster than flames.
Across kingdoms, sects, and clans—
Whispers stirred.
The Abomination King had fallen.
A Void Transformation general was destroyed.
Cloudsky Sect still stood.
And the name Lin Xuan swept through every major power.
Celestial Frost Sect
Elders trembled.
"He killed a Void Transformation general?"
"That… that's a war-changing event!"
Golden Blade Sect
Their master frowned deeply.
"Cloudsky is rising too fast. We must tread carefully."
Flower Pavilion Sect
Their master smiled warmly.
"As expected of the one who will change the world."
The Seven Lotus Sect
Some elders bowed in Lin's direction, even from afar.
"He is fate's chosen."
The Abyssal Sect
Panic and fury erupted.
"The general is dead!"
"Impossible!"
"The Abyssal Ancestor must be informed!"
A tidal wave of demonic qi swept their halls.
> "Find him."
"All generals. All assassins.
Bring me Lin Xuan's corpse."
The war had escalated.
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6. Cloudsky Sect—Fortifying for the Full Assault
Back at Cloudsky—
Elders scrambled to reinforce the barriers.
Disciples cleaned corpses.
Guard formations rotated with triple shifts.
Sect Master Yun Haoyang approached Lin.
"Your actions today have placed us all in the center of every sect's eyes. Some admire; others fear. You've become… dangerous."
Lin sheathed his spear.
"Let them watch. This war won't give us the luxury of hiding."
The sect master nodded.
"And the next wave?"
Lin looked toward the horizon.
The very air seemed to ripple with distant malice.
"With every foe I defeat," he said, "I grow stronger."
Mu clenched her fists, eyes shining.
"Then we'll fight with you."
Wen smirked.
"Someone has to clean up after you."
Bai (spear) grinned wolfishly.
"I'm not letting you hog all the fun."
Dragon-Bai roared, spreading his wings.
"LET THEM COME!"
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7. An Ominous Sign in the Sky
Suddenly—
A crimson tear opened in the distant heavens.
The sky bled.
Lightning cracked, forming sigils.
Wen's dagger snapped in half from the sheer pressure.
Mu clutched her chest.
Bai staggered back.
Shengyuan's eyes narrowed.
"A portal.
A massive one."
Lin's solar system trembled.
And a voice—
like the grinding of mountains—
echoed through the world.
> "Lin Xuan."
> "Your strength grows…
As does my interest."
> "Prepare."
Black flames poured from the sky.
> "For the next general I send will not be alone."
Lin raised his spear.
"I'll be ready."
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