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Chapter 577, A Cage Watered by Fear

Within the void of this grotto, devouring rubble or remnants of islands is the only way to expand.

The larger the island, the better it can withstand storms; the more light there is, the more it can dispel darkness and fear.

Ultimately, all of this points to one goal—survival and self-preservation!

Therefore, Hua Changxi could understand why the Nascent Soul felt an intense desire to devour the gray-black island upon seeing it.

However, only seeing the 'benefits' while ignoring the underlying risks set off alarm bells for her.

She wanted to remind the Nascent Soul cultivator, but in this void, on this black island, she was ultimately just an "assistant."

She could not forcibly interfere with the Nascent Soul's behavior, nor could she directly control the island's advance or retreat.

The only way to influence a Nascent Soul is to use one's own emotional fluctuations to trigger a change in the black flame, thereby indirectly interfering with its behavior.

While Hua Changxi was still weighing how to "guide" the Nascent Soul to calm down

"boom!"

A sharp, black sword beam descended from the sky without warning, slashing down fiercely!

"Bang~"

The entire Black Island trembled violently, and Hua Changxi lost her balance and was knocked to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, a chilling cracking sound rang out clearly.

She looked up, her pupils suddenly contracting—the entire third of the Black Island's territory had been severed by that sword beam!

"Hey~"

The massive broken piece of the island did not fall; instead, it seemed to be hooked by something and flew directly toward the dark gray island opposite.

Under the shocked and furious gazes of Hua Changxi and the black Nascent Soul, the remnant island was swallowed whole by the gray-black island.

Clearly, her Nascent Soul wanted to devour the other party, while that gray Nascent Soul also coveted the Black Island they had painstakingly expanded.

"Hey~"

Now, there's no need for Hua Changxi to bother reminding him anymore.

The greed on the black nascent soul's face froze instantly, turning into horror and lingering fear.

It almost instinctively manipulated the black island, making a hasty escape from that terrifying gray-black island.

After entering the void, Hua Changxi and the Nascent Soul encountered two islands guarded by Nascent Soul cultivators, one colorful and the other dark gray.

Although the colorful islands did not launch an attack, their undisguised disdain and retaliation still dealt a heavy blow to the Nascent Soul and Black Island.

The dark gray island, however, came with a deadly intent, not only severely damaging the black island but also attempting to devour the entire island.

Coupled with the previous vortex storm that nearly tore the island apart, it is clear that the danger of this void is far more terrifying than anticipated.

The successive heavy blows intensified the sense of crisis in the Nascent Soul's heart.

The black flame in his heart, which had quietly subsided due to the expansion of Black Island, began to flicker again, burning eerily in his heart like a spark that could explode at any moment.

After that, the Nascent Soul plunged headlong into the expansion of Black Island.

It frantically salvaged rubble and devoured the ruins of the island, as if it wanted to transform all its fear and unease into the driving force for the island's expansion.

While silently assisting him from the side, Hua Changxi watched the tireless black figure for an unknown amount of time before her heart suddenly trembled for no apparent reason.

Such an eager expansion, such a morbid thirst for power, and such a fanatical obsession with survival at all costs...

This nascent soul looks so familiar!

As Black Island expands, absorbing the debris and remnants left after storms is no longer sufficient to further strengthen the island.

The Nascent Soul was forced to control the Black Island, venturing into a deeper and more unfamiliar void.

After struggling through the storm-strewn wasteland filled with an aura of desolation, the scenery in my view finally changed slightly.

The void was no longer empty; some islands could be encountered along the way.

However, looking around, one still couldn't find a single other color.

Without exception, all the islands were somewhere between black and gray, as if the entire world was permeated by these two gloomy auras.

These islands vary in shape; some are riddled with holes, yet still have nascent souls sitting on them; others are completely silent, drifting alone in the void.

Having learned from past mistakes, the black Nascent Soul developed its own self-preservation strategy—if it encountered an island with a Nascent Soul, it would avoid it; if it didn't, it would devour it directly. Under this strategy, the black island carried the person and the Nascent Soul, traveling through the void.

As it devoured more and more islands, Black Island's territory had long since expanded to an astonishing extent.

After that, no other island encountered along the way could compare to it.

The situation has reversed.

Previously, Hei Island avoided other islands; now, it's the other islands that are actively avoiding and staying away from Hei Island.

The living environment has improved, and it can even be said that Black Island can be considered a dominant force in the void.

Logically, Hua Changxi should have been happy, but she didn't show much joy.

She kept silently watching Yuan Ying, looking at his heart.

There, the black flames still burned eerily, while the white light that once flew out and lit up the void due to the island's expansion and construction had almost never appeared again during this period.

Why is this happening?

Seeing that the Nascent Soul was still "tirelessly" searching for and devouring the unclaimed islands, and that the islands had not become more peaceful as they grew larger, Hua Changxi thought for a long time and, reflecting on her own struggles since she began cultivating, finally understood.

The previous expansion was driven by the sense of accomplishment in repairing the home, and by the sense of security and joy that "construction" brings. It was a positive, growing force that could give rise to the white light that dispels the darkness.

And what about now?

Now, with each devouring and each expansion, what drives the Nascent Soul is no longer hope, but fear under the threat of death, and anxiety that it will be destroyed if it is not strong enough.

The island has indeed grown larger, but that growth has been fueled by fear.

Light cannot be born from fear.

Hua Changxi looked at the void before her, and at the dark gray islands floating in the void, and suddenly shivered.

This dark space, filled with a chilling and gloomy atmosphere, reminded her of the Nine Netherworlds.

The Nine Netherworlds are a place where the turbid energy of heaven and earth converges, an abyss where all things sink into depravity.

There was no order there, only chaos and decay; no vitality there, only the expansion of plunder and slaughter.

At this moment, the void surrounding her was emanating a sinister aura identical to that of the Nine Netherworlds.

Hua Changxi suddenly felt that although Black Island was huge, it was lifeless. It seemed to be impregnable, but it was like a prison filled with fear and anxiety.

"Om~"

That chilling buzzing sound came once again from the end of the void.

Hua Changxi and the black nascent soul both stiffened at the same time, their expressions changing drastically as they looked in horror at the source of the voice.

In the distant darkness, the familiar gray vortex, carrying a destructive shockwave, swept in once more.

However, this time, because the black island beneath her had become large enough to withstand a significant blast wave, Hua Changxi was able to witness even more of the devastation caused by the storm.

She saw those tiny islands, barely able to react at the edge of the storm, being torn to shreds by the brute force and vanishing into dust in the darkness.

She also saw the larger islands, which, though not collapsing instantly, were teetering on the brink of collapse under the repeated pounding of the storm, their surfaces cracking inch by inch, emitting a mournful cry of impending death.

But what truly made her pupils contract suddenly were the islands that had escaped the storm.

Those were several extremely large, giant black islands.

Surrounding those giant islands were islands of varying numbers and sizes—like planets orbiting a star.

The satellite islands surrounding the giant island "unhesitatingly" stood between the storm and the giant island the moment the storm struck.

"Boom~"

Countless satellite islands were shattered in the storm, their destruction shielding the central island from the majority of the impact.

The giant island at the center escaped the storm's sweep and fled quickly. (End of Chapter)