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

156: Chapter 156: The Shocking Changes in the Golden Fiend Passage and the Insect SwarmBefore the Sword Tomb, Nangong Xuan stood solemnly for a moment, deeply imprinting the spatial coordinates transmitted jointly by the ”slaying dragon” Sword Intent and the gui xu base point into his Sea of Consciousness. The location indicated by those coordinates lay in the deepest part of Jijian Valley, the source of Evil Qi and deathly silence, a perilous place where despair and hope coexisted.

He glanced once more at the ancient sword that had already shattered. Hesitation was gone from his eyes, replaced only by ice-cold determination and restrained sharpness. Turning his body, dark golden escape light enveloped himself and the star key. Without a moment’s further hesitation, he sped directly towards the direction of the main valley’s deepest recesses.

The deeper he went, the more bizarre and terrifying the surrounding scenery became.

The rock walls on either side were no longer simple grey-white metallic veins. Instead, they gradually took on an unsettling dark golden hue, their texture becoming exceptionally fine and smooth, as if melted at high temperature by some force and then re-solidified. On the rock walls, numerous non-naturally formed holes began to appear, varying in size and bottomless, like a honeycomb. From them, wisps of pure yet sinister Sharp Metal Evil Qi seeped out, merging into the thick mist.

The ground beneath his feet also changed. Deep trenches began to appear on the hard metallic surface. These trenches were not naturally formed; their edges were smooth, more like they had been worn down over years by the crawling friction of something massive. Within the trenches remained a viscous, dark liquid that reeked of metallic blood, a sight that disgusted anyone who saw it.

The fragments of Sword Intent in the air diminished, replaced by a more pure, more violent Sharp Metal killing aura, mixed with a faint, icy, and greedy will. This will was extremely weak, yet pervasive, attempting to infiltrate the Sea of Consciousness and stir the destructive and possessive desires deep within the heart.

”Father, be careful!” Lin Mo’s mental voice was full of vigilance. ”The Evil Qi here is wrong; it’s mixed with very concealed mental contamination! It’s harder to guard against than the residual Sword Intent outside!”

Nangong Xuan gave a slight nod. The dark golden Dao patterns on his body surface swirled even more rapidly. The intangible Domain formed by his Nirvana Slaying Sword Intent protected him tightly. Those sinister wills attempting to corrode him were crushed upon approach by the ”Termination” and ”Purification” true meanings contained within the Sword Intent. The gui xu base point also continued to rotate slowly, acting like an efficient filter, stripping away and devouring the harmful mental Impurities from the sinister Evil Qi it absorbed, leaving only relatively pure energy to replenish itself.

Even so, the deeper he went, the greater that intangible pressure became. It was as if the entire canyon had come alive, transformed into a massive, malevolent living entity, and they were advancing towards the heart of this creature.

Suddenly, the passage ahead narrowed, showing clear signs of artificial excavation. The walls became exceptionally smooth, carved with all manner of twisted, bizarre reliefs that defied any known civilization’s aesthetics. The content of these reliefs mostly involved devouring, Fusion, and transformation: weapons merging with flesh and blood, rocks growing compound eyes, rivers turning into metal... filled with a blasphemous, unnatural sense of the grotesque.

This place was no longer merely an ancient battlefield; it bore the strong stylistic imprint of the so-called ”Gold-Devouring Demon Nest.”

”We’re almost there,” Nangong Xuan said solemnly, slowing his speed slightly. His Divine Sense extended forward like the finest tendrils, probing ahead. ”The Core area indicated by the coordinates is just beyond this artificial passageway.”

The passageway was not long, but its end was not an open space. Instead, it was completely blocked by a massive, bizarre door forged from countless different types of metal! The door’s surface was covered with thick, vein-like pipes and eerie, flickering runes, emitting powerful energy fluctuations and a heart-palpitating force of repulsion.

And on the open ground before the door stood two rows of ten statues in total!

These statues were not carved from stone or metal. They were living Cultivators of various races, completely encased and assimilated by a dark golden metal! They were frozen in theirBefore his death postures, their facessolidification with extreme pain and terror, yet their bodies had become cold metallic constructs, like loyal guards defending this door. Judging by the energy fluctuations they emitted, they had been at least Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators in life!

”They are the Demon Nest’s ’Assimilation Guards’!” Lin Mo exclaimed in shock. ”The information transmitted by the ’slaying dragon’ Sword Intent mentioned them! They were eroded by the Demon Nest’s power, turned into Puppets without self-awareness, attacking any living being that approaches the door without permission!”

As if to confirm Lin Mo’s words, the ten metallic statues’ empty eye sockets suddenly lit up with a crimson glow! A grating, teeth-chilling sound of metal grinding filled the air as they stiffly turned their bodies, locking onto the intruder, Nangong Xuan!

Boom! Ten powerful auras comparable to Peak Late Golden Core Stage erupted simultaneously, mixed with thick Demon Nest Evil Qi, pressing down like ten great mountains! Their movements were initially stiff but quickly became fluid. Each unleashed the Spells or Martial Skills they were most proficient in during life, transforming into ten streams of light of varying colors yet equally filled with deathly silence and destruction, pouncing towards Nangong Xuan!

These attacks were not simple energy impacts; they also contained the Demon Nest’s unique ”Assimilation” property. Once hit, one would not only suffer damage but could also be eroded and infected by that dark golden metal!

Facing theSiege of these ten bizarre guards, a cold glint flashed in Nangong Xuan’s eyes. ”You mere demons and ghosts dare block my path?”

He held back no longer. His Nirvana Slaying Sword Intent erupted in full force! A dark golden Sword Domain instantly expanded, enveloping all ten guards!

Within the Sword Domain, all laws fell silent! The power of those surging streams of attack light was greatly diminished upon entering the Domain’s range. The ”Assimilation” property they contained was directly disintegrated by the Slaying Concept!

At the same time, Nangong Xuan moved. He pointed like a sword, his figure flitting through the Sword Domain like a ghost. He was so fast that afterimages were left in his wake.

Each time his fingertip shot out, it precisely struck a guard’s Core—usually the spot on the forehead or heart where the dark golden hue was most concentrated and the runes most dense!

Sss! Sss! Sss!

The finger swords, imbued with the Concepts of Slaying and New Life, effortlessly pierced through the metal protection on the guards’ surfaces, shattering the Core runes within!

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!...! Ten consecutive dull thuds sounded. The ten metallic guards, fierce moments before, seemed to have their Souls snatched away. The crimson light in their eyes instantly extinguished. They stood rigidly in place, the metallic luster on their surfaces rapidly dimming, turning into true lifeless objects before collapsing with a clatter into piles of irregular golden dust.

Instant kill! It was still an overwhelming, one-sided victory! Before Nangong Xuan, who had fully unleashed his power and been tempered by the Sword Intent tide and the ”slaying dragon” Sword Intent, these Late Golden Core Stage guards were no longer a threat.

However, the moment the last guard fell— Hum—!!! That massive, vein-and-rune-covered metal door violently shook!

The thick, vein-like pipes on the door writhed madly. The brightness of the flickering runes suddenly increased tenfold! A terrifying, suffocating pressure far exceeding all previous enemies erupted from behind the door like a tsunami!

Immediately after, a sharp, furious, and endlessly greedy and hungry mental shriek directly pierced through the door, slamming into Nangong Xuan and Lin Mo’s Seas of Consciousness!

”Screech—!!!”

This sound was not transmitted through air but was a direct mentalImpact! Even someone as strong as Nangong Xuan felt his Divine Sense tremble slightly! Lin Mo cried out in shock, the light on the star key’s surface flickering for an instant!

”It’s that thing! The Gold-Devouring King Bug! It’s been awakened!” Lin Mo said urgently.

Crack... Boom!

That incrediblysturdy metal door split open with a fissure down the middle, then slowly slid open to both sides! Behind it was not some hall, but an indescribable, dark golden cavity that writhed like biological innards! Countless thick metallic veins pulsed on the cavity walls, flowing with viscous dark golden liquid! From deep within the cavity came the bone-chilling sounds of chewing and shrieking!

And in the very center of that cavity, an enormous monster was slowly raising itsferocious head!

The monster had a long, narrow bodycentipede-like, but its limbs were composed of countless twisted swords and weapons! Its head had no eyes, only a massive mouth that occupied most of its skull, filled withSpiral teeth! Above theGiant Mouth grew dozens of pairs of constantly trembling, metallic antenna-liketentacles! Its body was covered with thick, flowing,Deformation dark golden metallic carapace. On the carapace wererelief of thePainful distortion faces of its victims, whom it had devoured and assimilated!

The Gold-Devouring King Bug! Even after being severely wounded by the ”slaying dragon” and lying dormant for eons, the aura it emitted had reached the Peak of Nascent Soul Early Stage, even faintly touching the threshold of Mid Nascent Soul Stage! Moreover, what it emitted was not pure energyfluctuation, but a twisted, defiled, greedy Domain force field,crazy devouring all Metal Spirit Qi around it and attempting to assimilate the intruder!

ItsGiant Mouth opened and closed, emitting a Soul-shivering shriek. An icy mental will surged forth like a tide: ”Food... new... powerful... food... come in... become... part...”

Simultaneously, Nangong Xuan clearly sensed that thefluctuation of the star key was emanating from within this terrifying king bug’s body!

It had actually devoured the star key into its body, using it as one of the nutrients for its recovery!

”Father!” Lin Mo’s voice carried unprecedented tension.

Nangong Xuan took a deep breath. Facing this ancient,horrible demonic creature, he did not retreat. Instead, the Battle Intent in his eyes burned even more fiercely!

The nirvana golden corecrazy运转. Dark golden Nirvana Sword Intent soared into the sky, clashing fiercely with that defiled devouring force field!

”Who will be whose prey remains to be seen.”

He coldly spat out these words, dark golden sword light flickering at his fingertips,锁定那ferocious庞大的 insect head.

The final battle was imminent!