Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

101: Chapter 101: The Black Wind Undead and the First Glimmer of the Star KeyThe bone-eroding black wind howled, kicking up clouds of grayish-black sand that obscured vision and eroded spiritual light. Undead Demon Soldiers emerged from the suffocating sandstorm, eerie green soulfire flickering in their eye sockets. Their bones creaked with a chilling ”clack-clack” sound, and ominous dark purple energy swirled around their tattered weapons as they slowly approached like nightmares crawling out of a grave.

They were numerous, numbering at least a hundred at a glance, and their auras were at the Foundation Establishment level at the very least. Several skeletons radiating Golden Core fluctuations brought an even more desperate sense of pressure. Dark Flame City was truly cruel, not even sparing the remains of their own fallen, refining them into such evil weapons to serve as a barrier in this forbidden land!

”Form a circle! Put the old and young inside!” Elder Xing Teng roared hoarsely, though he was not panicked. Although the surviving Crystal Cluster Remnants did not have high cultivation, they possessed a resilience forged in desperate situations. They immediately moved as ordered, forming a crude defensive Formation back-to-back, pointing their simple weapons outward. While fear was in their eyes, there was even more of a determination to fight to the death.

Nangong Xuan took a step forward, standing alone before the Formation to face the surging tide of undead. The thunder sword in his hand hummed, and grayish-black Nirvana thunder flowed over the blade. The power of the sword seed from Ling Xu Sword Venerable sensed the overwhelming filth outside and activated on its own, enveloping him in a faint gray haze that seemed capable of ending all things.

”Nirvana Thunder—Evil Purge!”

He struck first, holding nothing back! He swung the thunder sword, and a grayish-black Sword Gang, a Fusion of majestic heavenly thunder and Nirvana True Intent, flew from the blade. It did not travel in a straight line but swept forward in a fan-shaped shockwave!

Everywhere the Sword Gang passed, the bone-eroding black wind was briefly forced back! The seven or eight Undead Demon Soldiers charging in front—whether at the Foundation Establishment or False Core stage—immediately encountered the grayish-black Sword Gang. The dark purple evil energy clinging to their bones sizzled as if meeting its nemesis, rapidly dissolving and collapsing! The eerie green soulfire in their eye sockets flickered wildly before being completely extinguished!

Clatter! The skeletons, their evil energy purified, scattered across the ground, losing all ability to move.

The power of a single strike was truly terrifying! Nirvana Sword Intent possessed absolute restraint over such filthy undead!

However, the Undead Demon Soldiers behind showed no fear, continuing to pounce forward while trampling the broken bones of their companions. Several Golden Core level Undead Demon Generals let out silent roars, their speed suddenly increasing as they turned into several pale bone shadows, tearing through the black wind to strike directly at Nangong Xuan! Highly compressed Dark Purple Miasma condensed on their tattered bone blades and swords, possessing formidable power!

Nangong Xuan’s eyes were cold. His thunder sword danced as he moved like a swimming Dragon, taking the initiative to meet them! The grayish-black Nirvana thunder and the dark purple undead miasma collided and annihilated each other violently, erupting in a series of muffled booms. Facing many alone, his sword style was overbearing and sharp. Every strike carried the will to purify filth and return everything to Nirvana, continuously shattering and purifying the pouncing Undead Demon Soldiers.

But there were too many undead; they felt no pain and knew no fear, their attacks driven only by the purest intent of death. Furthermore, the bone-eroding black wind was constantly weakening his protective Sword Intent and consuming his spiritual energy. He also had to worry about protecting the remnants behind him. In a short moment, although he had slain dozens of undead, his sword momentum was no longer as unstoppable as at the beginning, and his speed slowed by a fraction.

It was this slight delay that a Middle Stage Golden Core Undead Demon General exploited. Its pale bone claw tore through the black wind, carrying thick death miasma as it strangely bypassed the thunder sword to strike directly at Nangong Xuan’s back!

”Senior Brother, look out!” Su Muxue cried out in alarm, just as she was about to help with the zhenyuan sword—

The ball of light that was Lin Mo, which had been lying quietly in her arms and silently absorbing trace amounts of Stellar Power to recover, suddenly jolted!

He did not attack the Undead Demon General. Instead... he injected the sliver of Annihilation Power he had just recovered into the slightly thinning protective Sword Intent behind Nangong Xuan in an extremely exquisite manner!

Buzz!

The Sword Intent behind Nangong Xuan instantly solidified several times over, and it took on an absolute ”Guixu” attribute!

The Undead Demon General’s sharp claws struck the solidified Nirvana Sword Intent. Not only did they fail to break the defense, but the death miasma condensed on the tips of its claws seemed to encounter a black hole, instantly being swallowed, decomposed, and reduced to nothing! Even a part of its claw bones lost their luster and became brittle!

The evil fire in the Undead Demon General’s eye sockets froze, clearly not expecting this change.

Meanwhile, Nangong Xuan seized this momentary opportunity and struck back with his sword!

”Die!”

The Nirvana thunder light was like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, instantly piercing the head of that Undead Demon General! The thunder light erupted, completely annihilating the evil fire within its skull!

Clatter! Another Golden Core undead fell apart on the ground.

But more undead continued to surge forward one after another. Nangong Xuan’s breathing became slightly hurried; the continuous outbursts were no small burden on him.

”This can’t go on! There are too many undead! Venerable Nangong will be worn down to death!” Elder Xing Teng was extremely anxious as he watched the surrounding circle tighten and the black wind grow thicker.

Su Muxue gritted her teeth and temporarily handed Lin Mo to a young remnant girl nearby: ”Protect him!” Then, the zhenyuan sword was unsheathed, and the ice-blue Taiyin Stellar Power erupted as she joined the battle!

Her sword technique was not as fierce and overbearing as Nangong Xuan’s, but it was more agile and precise. Wherever the sword light passed, the Great Yin Cold Malice froze the undead’s joints, while the Stellar Power constantly wore down their evil energy. Although it could not purify them instantly like the Nirvana Sword Intent, it effectively slowed the undead’s offensive and shared Nangong Xuan’s burden.

The two joined forces, their sword light, thunder shadows, and Taiyin Starlight intertwining. They temporarily stabilized their position, and the broken bones of the undead piled up like mountains around them.

But the situation remained grim. The bone-eroding black wind seemed to have a stronger corrosive effect on Su Muxue; her face quickly turned pale, and her spiritual energy was consumed rapidly. Meanwhile, the number of undead seemed endless.

”Elder! Is there any way to disperse or avoid this black wind?” Su Muxue asked urgently.

Elder Xing Teng looked at the two struggling to hold on, then at his trembling clansmen holding Lin Mo. A flash of determination crossed his old eyes: ”There is! The tribe has a secret forbidden technique that can use everyone’s meager Stellar Bloodline Power to briefly activate the ’Star Radiance Talisman.’ It might be able to hold open a piece of pure land and repel the black wind for a moment! However, this method is extremely draining for the caster and requires time...”

”How long do you need?” Nangong Xuan shouted without turning his head as he shattered two undead with one sword strike.

”At least... ten breaths!” Elder Xing Teng gritted his teeth.

Ten breaths! In such an intense battle, it was an eternity!

”We will buy it for you!” Nangong Xuan did not hesitate. The light on his thunder sword intensified as he took the initiative to charge forward several steps, drawing more undead toward him!

Su Muxue also gritted her teeth, her sword movements becoming even faster as she outputted energy frantically regardless of the cost, stubbornly guarding the other side.

”Clansmen! Help me!” Elder Xing Teng sat cross-legged, his hands forming an ancient seal. All the surviving Crystal Cluster Remnants, regardless of age, unhesitatingly placed their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, until all their power converged within Elder Xing Teng.

Faint but resilient Starlight began to shine from every remnant. Though weak individually, when gathered together, they formed a small cloud of Starlight.

Elder Xing Teng’s face instantly turned blood-red, and his body trembled violently as if he were enduring immense pain, but he still held the seal firmly, chanting ancient incantations.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths... The pressure on Nangong Xuan and Su Muxue increased sharply! The undead charged frantically, and the erosion of the black wind intensified! Several deep wounds had appeared on Nangong Xuan’s body, and miasma tried to invade, only to be forcibly pushed out by his Nirvana Sword Intent. Su Muxue was even more teetering, the zhenyuan sword becoming incredibly heavy.

Seven breaths, eight breaths... Just as the two were about to be unable to hold on—

Elder Xing Teng suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which transformed in the air into a complex Star Rune and merged into the cloud of Starlight!

”Star Radiance—Repel!”

He let out the loudest shout of his life!

The cloud of Starlight suddenly exploded, transforming into a massive, semi-transparent Star Barrier that instantly enveloped the entire group!

Outside the barrier, the bone-eroding black wind hissed as if hitting an invisible wall and was forcibly pushed aside, unable to penetrate even an inch further! As for those Undead Demon Soldiers, as soon as they touched the Starlight flowing on the barrier’s surface, the dark purple evil energy on them dissolved like snow, their movements instantly becoming slow and stiff, and they even let out pained howls!

It worked!

However, Elder Xing Teng, who had performed this technique, seemed to have been drained of all his essence. His body slumped over, his aura instantly becoming extremely withered, his lamp having run out of oil.

”Elder!” the clansmen cried out in grief.

”Go... go quickly... the barrier... won’t last long...” Elder Xing Teng’s breath was as thin as silk, and he completely fainted after speaking.

”Let’s go!” Nangong Xuan hoisted Elder Xing Teng onto his back, his thunder sword clearing the way. Su Muxue took Lin Mo and followed closely behind. The remnants followed with tears in their eyes.

The Star Barrier protected everyone as they trudged through the black wind. Although the undead outside were suppressed by the Starlight, they still instinctively chased and struck the barrier, causing it to shake violently and its light to dim at a visible rate.

They had to break through the undead encirclement as soon as possible!

Just then, the ball of light that was Lin Mo in Su Muxue’s arms reacted again. He seemed to have a strong reaction to the ”world key fragment” that Nangong Xuan had tucked away.

”...Token... activate it... use... Stellar Power...” a faint thought drifted out.

Hearing this, Nangong Xuan did not hesitate to take out the now-warm world key fragment. He converted a sliver of pure thunder sword Qi into relatively peaceful energy and tried to inject it.

Buzz!

The star map on the world key fragment suddenly lit up, projecting a condensed, azure Star Pillar that shot straight toward the thick black wind and undead ahead!

A strange scene occurred!

Wherever the Star Pillar passed, the bone-eroding black wind retreated and dissipated as if meeting its sovereign! As for those Undead Demon Soldiers, they let out terrified shrieks as if encountering a natural enemy, desperately dodging to both sides. Those who failed to dodge and were swept by the light pillar were instantly purified, their dark purple evil energy scattering and their bones turning to dust!

This Star Pillar had actually carved out a temporary, safe passage through the sea of black wind and undead!

”Quick! Follow the light!” Nangong Xuan shouted, doing his best to maintain the activation of the world key fragment.

Everyone ran as fast as they could in the direction indicated by the light pillar!

The power of the light pillar seemed related to the energy injected into it. Nangong Xuan was already heavily exhausted, and his face was now pale, but he still held on desperately.

Finally, just before the light of the world key completely dimmed and the Star Barrier was about to shatter, they burst out of the most densely populated undead area and the range of the bone-eroding black wind!

The terrain ahead dropped sharply, revealing a vast, desolate basin filled with craters and meteor pits. In the center of the basin, a monument so towering it was hard to imagine, seemingly connecting heaven and earth, stood silently between the world, radiating an aura of ancient desolation!

The falling star monument! They had finally arrived!

However, the sight before them caused the hope that had just risen in everyone’s hearts to be instantly extinguished.

Below the giant monument, the area was packed with Dark Flame City’s camps! Countless demon cultivators moved between them, patrols were on high alert, and a powerful Formation light screen tightly enveloped the base of the monument for several miles! Furthermore, a suffocating, terrifying demonic pressure far exceeding the Golden Core level hung over the camp like a dark cloud!

Nascent Soul Demon Generals! And more than one!

Dark Flame City had indeed stationed heavy troops here! They seemed to be busy with something on the monument’s base, carving a massive Formation that radiated foul energy!

What was even more alarming was that the surface of the monument was already covered with countless eerie, vein-like dark purple patterns that were constantly writhing and eroding the body of the monument! The Starlight emitted by the monument had become extremely dim, like a candle in the wind.

Were they too late?

Just then, the world key fragment seemed to sense the polluted aura of the monument. It suddenly broke free from Nangong Xuan’s hand on its own, floating into the air and erupting in an anxious, mournful hum. The star map upon it flashed wildly, pointing toward the polluted monument!

At the same time, a cold and murderous Divine Sense, like the sharpest blade, instantly swept over from the distant Dark Flame City camp, firmly locking onto them!

”Hmph! A few annoying rats have finally crawled out?”