Chapter 171: Dead Universe

Chapter 171: Dead Universe

As Luo En locked eyes with the enormous "eye", an invisible force surged into his consciousness like a tidal wave, instantly filling his spiritworld to capacity.

An avalanche of unfamiliar and complex information flooded his mind, each piece carrying enough weight to shatter an ordinary person's rationality.

The first whisper of the universe's birth, the folding laws between dimensions, the fundamental causes of time's flow rate, the transmutation process of galactic systems... Concepts no human mind should be able to comprehend were forcibly poured into Luo En's spiritworld at this moment.

Each concept bore the weight of mountains, crushing his spiritual structure.

"True Knowledge Is Burden" - he finally understood the true meaning of those words.

Luo En felt excruciating pain, as if someone was drilling holes in his skull.

The "Spirit Shield" potion's effect activated, and a silver-blue mana barrier unfolded around his consciousness, blocking part of the information assault.

Though the barrier lasted only a moment, it was enough to weaken the initial impact, buying Luo En valuable reaction time.

"There's too much - I must stabilize my spiritual energy field!"

Luo En struggled to maintain his mental integrity, but the torrent of knowledge was too overwhelming, like a flood breaking through a dam, destroying the carefully constructed defenses of his consciousness.

At the critical point where his spirit was about to collapse, his consciousness was suddenly yanked away.

The sensation was like being gripped by an unimaginable giant hand, hurtling through dark tunnels crisscrossing the endless void, before being carelessly discarded onto an unfamiliar Star.

This Star was completely different from those he normally saw during meditation.

There were no living stars shimmering with vibrant life, no subtle sense of order and beauty - only an extremely deep, almost all-consuming dark background.

Occasional flickers of light pierced the darkness, like the final weak heartbeats of a dying person.

This Star... felt as if it was on the verge of death.

Luo En tried to perceive his surroundings but found his spiritual energy seemed trapped in some viscous substance, each extension painfully difficult.

"Where exactly am I?"

As this question surfaced in his mind, a strange vibrating sound came from above:

It was a sound unlike any known creature, like countless metal plates scraping against each other - grating and fear-inducing.

He looked up sharply, a bone-deep chill instantly sweeping through his body.

A gigantic tentacle, filling his entire field of vision, gently twitched.

The surface of the tentacle was covered with countless small suction cups and scales, each emitting an ominous dark purple glow.

Its massive size made it unimaginable what kind of existence its main body could be.

The tentacle gently trembled, like shedding an unnecessary hair, and flicked down an object.

The object continuously transformed and twisted as it fell, like an endlessly reversing hourglass.

It finally landed not far from Luo En, transforming into a spiky, sea urchin-like monster.

This creature was about three meters tall, completely black, covered with spines glowing with eerie blue light.

Dozens of muscular tentacles constantly swayed around it, making discomforting wet sounds.

It had no obvious facial structure, yet Luo En could feel an oppressive sensation of being watched - as if every inch of the monster's surface concealed an invisible eye.

This was no ordinary spirit pollution product...

Common spirit pollution typically manifested as hallucinations or nightmares, but the aura emanating from this monster carried tangible threats.

Luo En's heart sank as he immediately grasped the severity of the situation.

This wasn't a simple hallucination or conventional spirit pollution, but a real trial triggered by the "Crowning" trait.

"It seems this is what they call Inspiration Is Curse", Luo En calmly analyzed, frowning.

"Every burst of Inspiration brings both opportunity and risk."

His instincts warned him: if he couldn't defeat this monster, he might be trapped in this consciousness space forever.

The monster seemed to perceive his thoughts, emitting a strange sound that was part scream, part whisper.

The sound didn't travel through the air but directly echoed in Luo En's mind, carrying an indescribable sense of decay.

In the next moment, dozens of the monster's tentacles simultaneously lunged toward him at speeds so fast they left afterimages, clearly not giving him time to think.

Luo En's combat instincts immediately kicked in.

He didn't panic, not even changing his expression much.

In this life-or-death moment, he entered a nearly transcendent rational state.

The Spell Model's structure was already almost integrated into his instincts, with spiritual energy precisely flowing like water into every node.

The model took shape quickly, forming nearly twice as fast as before - the result of long, intense training.

"Radiant Halo!"

A brilliant golden-red halo erupted outward, like a miniature Sun, forcing the attacking tentacles back several steps.

The halo radiated heat that made the air slightly twist, and those tentacles directly exposed to the light even showed slight scorch marks.

The monster let out a piercing shriek, its tentacles instinctively retracting slightly, but quickly resumed their attack posture.

"The effect isn't obvious", Luo En observed the monster's reaction with sharp eyes, rapidly calculating various possibilities in his mind.

"It has some fear of light-and-heat type spells, but they're definitely not completely effective."

The monster seemed to evaluate Luo En's strength, keeping its tentacles at a distance for now, but soon changed its attack method.

Suddenly, dozens of tiny pores on its body simultaneously sprayed thick, olive-green liquid, forming a deadly misty rain that enveloped Luo En.

This massive acid rain gave him nowhere to evade, so he reluctantly activated his bloodline power.

His internal blood energy instantly boiled, with the power of the Crimson Blood Sky Dragon surging beneath his skin.

Soon, a fine layer of scales emerged, covering his surface skin.

At the same time, Luo En directed his spiritual energy to condense the "Radiant Halo" into an even tighter protective net, forming a double defense.

This was the effect of the additional trait "Flame Incarnation", which made the "Radiant Halo" effect more malleable.

The acid liquid fell like rain, and the first batch that touched the Radiant Halo emitted a piercing hissing sound before turning into a wisp of green vapor and dissipating into the air.

However, there was simply too much liquid. Part of the acid still broke through the halo's barrier, dripping onto Luo En's scaled defense.

"Hiss!" Luo En inhaled sharply through his teeth, feeling the stinging pain of the scales being corroded.

The acid's corrosiveness exceeded his expectations. Even with dragon scale protection, he still felt burning pain.

"This thing is more dangerous than I imagined", Luo En's eyes briefly hardened.

After the initial probing, he had already roughly figured out the opponent's capabilities:

The monster possessed powerful physical attacks combined with highly corrosive acid, and there seemed to be other attack methods it hadn't revealed yet. This combination sent chills down one's spine.

Moreover, this monster's aura was far stronger than the Lion Scorpion, colder, more ancient, and more... not belonging to this world.

"Pure defense isn't a sustainable strategy", Luo En quickly adjusted his tactics and decided to take the offensive.

He took a deep breath, focused his spirit, and activated the [Boiling Blood] trait.

Instantly, a more rampaging heat surged through his body, as if volcanoes were erupting within his blood vessels.

Luo En felt the surging power within him as his eyes shifted into the vertical pupils unique to Dragon Kind.

Reaching for his waist, he confirmed the familiar presence of his equipment—especially the sensation of "Thousand Shifting Shadows" cloaking his body like a second skin.

Perfect…

Drawing his ironwood sword, he activated the "Flame Incarnation" trait. A golden-red flame from his "Radiant Halo" enveloped the blade as he lunged toward the monster’s flank.

This strike combined physical force with radiant and fiery energy—a nascent embodiment of the "Arcane Swordsman" concept. Where the blade passed, space itself distorted.

—Strike!

A sharp whistling sound pierced the air as the blade, trailing searing heat, slammed into the monster’s tendril.

Several thick tentacles severed cleanly, spewing viscous ink-green liquid from their stumps. The fluid writhed briefly in midair before dissolving into dark particles.

"Effective!" Luo En’s eyes lit up, relief easing the tension in his chest.

At least now he knew this creature wasn’t invulnerable.

Pressing his advantage, he darted between the monster’s flailing limbs with agile precision.

The sword became a golden-red lightning storm, each strike pinpointing the creature’s vulnerabilities.

Within dozens of heartbeats, he’d severed nearly half its tentacles.

The monster released a shriek—somewhere between agony and fury—as its body convulsed violently.

But just as Luo En prepared to press his assault, an unexpected transformation occurred…

The severed stumps regenerated new tissue at an alarming rate, quickly forming replacement tentacles even thicker than before!

"High-Speed Regeneration and adaptive capabilities?" Luo En’s brow furrowed, unease creeping into his thoughts.

The situation was growing more complicated than anticipated.

Not only did the creature restore itself, but the new appendages showed improved strength.

Their surfaces bristled with denser spines, clearly adapting to counter his attack patterns.

Suddenly, the monster’s entire body swelled violently, every spine on its body raising simultaneously to emit an eerie blue glow.

Without warning, hundreds of razor-sharp spines erupted outward like an arrow storm, cutting off all possible escape routes.

Simultaneously, the remaining original and newly-formed tentacles coalesced into a net-like formation from another direction, creating a perfect pincer trap.

Luo En’s expression hardened as he calculated potential breakthrough openings.

His spiritual energy condensed to unprecedented focus, forming instantaneous spirit wave projections.

"Spirit Interference!"

An invisible ripple burst outward, striking the relatively stationary tentacle monster with pinpoint accuracy.

The effect was immediate.

The monster’s coordination collapsed under the interference, its tentacles convulsing erratically and creating a possible escape path.

At the same time, Luo En’s body contorted at an almost impossible angle to evade the incoming spine barrage.

He expanded his "Radiant Halo" to maximum extent, creating a shimmering barrier of flame to intercept part of the attack.

However, the sheer number and speed of the spines overwhelmed his defenses.

Despite protective scales and the halo’s shielding, several spines pierced through his shoulders, arms, and thighs.

"Hiss—!" A searing pain shot through him as dizziness clouded his mind, feeling toxin spreading internally.

This isn’t good, he realized: These spines likely carried paralysis-inducing or spiritual energy weakening toxins.

"Must remove them immediately."

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he channeled his bloodline power toward the wounds.

Muscles tensed as his body forcibly expelled the spines. Each removal brought fresh tearing agony.

The "Boiling Blood" trait that accelerated his circulation now worked against him, hastening toxin dispersion.

Though this battle occurred within a consciousness space—where injuries primarily affected the spiritual realm—the pain and weakening sensations felt painfully real.

Despite steeling himself through sheer willpower, a wave of helplessness washed over him.

His spiritual energy flow became sluggish, spell formations in his mind faltering compared to earlier smooth execution.

The monster, sensing his weakening state, released a guttural hiss filled with triumph.

Then, its previously sealed central body suddenly split open, revealing a massive tooth-lined maw.

Inside, no tongue existed—only a writhing mass of black liquid resembling some form of shadowy liquid.

The maw opened and closed several times, releasing an unearthly chant.

Though not resembling any known language—human or otherwise—these syllables strangely resonated within Luo En’s mind with intelligible meaning:

"Zkrulniagr. Roteep."

The chant invaded his consciousness like a tangible force, each syllable delivering powerful spiritual shocks that disrupted his mental processes.

Previously orderly thoughts became chaotic, spell formations within his spiritual space collapsing, unable to maintain complete structure.

"This is another form of spirit interference ability!"

Recognizing the attack pattern, Luo En’s mind surged with alarm.

Similar to "Spirit Shockwave", but more primal, more profound—and far more twisted.

It didn’t merely disrupt spiritual energy flow—it triggered overwhelming fear and despair.

Luo En felt his willpower eroding gradually.

Like ocean waves endlessly battering a shoreline, washing away grains of sand until nothing remained.

"Must stabilize!"

Gritting his teeth, he desperately summoned his remaining clarity to construct a spiritual barrier.

Yet at this crucial moment of stabilizing his mind, the monster’s tentacles struck again.

Spines pierced deep through his scale armor, sending fresh waves of tearing pain.

Face-to-face with the tooth-lined maw, he could now smell its acidic stench.

The maw opened wide, unleashing a jet of viscous acid straight at his face.

Instinctively reinforcing his "Radiant Halo", a golden-red light membrane formed before him.

The acid struck the barrier with a screeching hiss, mostly evaporating into green mist.

But some droplets penetrated, burning his exposed skin with intense heat.

"The situation worsens", Luo En realized with unprecedented urgency.

Every attack he launched got countered by the monster’s regeneration. Prolonged combat drained massive spiritual energy reserves.

The acid and spines inflicted severe injuries, limiting his mobility.

Most concerning was the chant—continuously disrupting his spiritual field, making spellcasting nearly impossible.

This creature proved far more dangerous than the Lion Scorpion he’d previously faced.

At least the Lion Scorpion had obvious weaknesses and fatigue periods. This monster seemed tireless, its attack methods more diverse.

"Must break this stalemate!" Luo En considered through the pain.

His gaze swept every detail of the monster, mind racing for possible breakthroughs.

"This regeneration ability is abnormal—physical attacks have limited effect. The acid’s wide area makes complete evasion difficult. And that chant…"

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

—That chant seemed the core of the monster’s power.

Every time it chanted, the regeneration became more vigorous, tentacle strength increasing as if those sounds themselves carried energy.

Recalling his recent advancement with "Thousand Shifting Shadows", a bold idea formed in Luo En’s mind.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end