The Abyss of Oblivion lived up to its name.
Stepping across its boundary felt like entering another world entirely. The relatively stable Yin Qi environment of Fengdu was completely absent here, replaced by a scene of fragmentation, chaos, and bizarre distortion. The sky was a twisted dark purple, occasionally flashing with spatial fissures like black lightning. The ground was not solid earth, but countless massive, island-like rocks and the wreckage of shattered palaces floating about, connected and torn by violent energy turbulence of various colors, moving and colliding slowly.
The air was thick with the killing intent left over from the Ancient Battlefield, clashing, violent energy of conflicting attributes, and fragments of the "Oblivion" Law that confused the mind. Staying here too long, one might even forget who they were.
Lu Pan suppressed his aura, moving like a fish, carefully weaving between the huge floating wreckage. He had to remain constantly vigilant against sudden spatial fissures, energy storms, and the remnants of Ancient Battle Souls corrupted by chaotic Laws, long since driven mad.
He chose this place precisely because of its extreme danger and complexity, which was enough to shake off most pursuers and buy him precious time to breathe and think.
He found a relatively stable, hollowed-out massive skull remnant and made it his temporary refuge. The inner walls of the skull were covered in dried, dark red bloodstains and strange claw marks, testifying to the brutality its owner endured in life. Lu Pan set up several layers of simple warning and concealment Formation Arrays; although their effectiveness was greatly diminished here, it was better than nothing.
Sitting cross-legged, he consumed several Elixirs for healing and stabilizing the Soul Body, beginning to regulate his energy with all his might. The relentless travel, fierce battles, and soul injuries of the past few days had left him utterly exhausted. While the chaotic energy environment of the Abyss of Oblivion was dangerous, certain extremely Yin and pure fragments contained within it actually offered some nourishment to his pure Yin Spirit Body.
Time flowed slowly during his recovery. After an unknown period, Lu Pan’s Soul Body injuries finally stabilized. Although he was far from fully recovered, at least the condition was no longer worsening.
He opened his eyes and began to sort through the clues he had gathered and the situation he faced.
The Northern Ghost Emperor Yongli was the overt opponent, ambitious and eager to shatter the existing Order and seize supreme power. His forces were strong, and he had collaborated with the mysterious Netherworld Workshop, gaining access to forbidden technological support.
The Netherworld Workshop was the hidden hand operating deeper within, a group of madmen pursuing "Law Breaking," possessing the ability to replicate and modify forbidden knowledge like the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern. Their methods were bizarre, their goals unclear, and their danger level extremely high.
The Ten Yama Kings were not united; there were those like King Chujiang who clearly leaned toward the North, those like King Songdi who upheld tradition, and others like King Qinguang and King Zhuanlun whose attitudes were subtle and fraught with concerns. There were certainly spies within who had not yet been discovered.
And he himself, due to a series of investigations, had become a thorn in the side of both factions, forcing him to flee Fengdu and hide here.
The disparity in strength between the enemy and himself was immense. He was alone, relying only on his righteous path and his keen grasp of the clues.
"Gear... Netherworld Workshop..." Lu Pan muttered to himself. To break the stalemate, the key might lie with this mysterious organization. If he could locate the Workshop's base, or obtain irrefutable evidence of their collusion with the Northern Ghost Emperor, he could turn the tide in one fell swoop.
But the Workshop’s movements were elusive; how could he find them?
He recalled You Ying’s words—"Perhaps only the clients who approach them actively know how to make contact."
Clients... The Northern Ghost Emperor was undoubtedly one of their major clients. Besides him? Who else would require the Workshop's services? Those ambitious individuals dissatisfied with the status quo and craving power to subvert Order? Or perhaps... certain Existences seeking to achieve a specific goal that the orthodox channels of the Underworld could not satisfy?
Several suspicious names and forces flashed through his mind, but he lacked evidence for any of them.
Just as he was deep in thought, the warning array outside the skull registered an extremely violent and unusual fluctuation! It wasn't a living being approaching, but rather... the spatial structure undergoing a drastic change!
Lu Pan’s heart tightened, and he immediately suppressed his aura, peering out through the eye socket of the skull.
Outside, the already chaotic sky now resembled a shattered mirror, covered in countless fissures! Violent spatial Energy surged out from these cracks, sweeping over everything! Massive floating remnants were caught in the energy tide, colliding and disintegrating wildly!
Even more chillingly, deep within the broken spatial fissures, vague, indistinct images exuding overwhelming Baleful Qi faintly emerged! These were afterimages of the ancient wars between Gods and Demons, recorded by Spacetime Fragments! Demon Gods towering to the heavens roared, Divine Generals bathed in golden light charged forward, and countless bizarre creatures fought... The explosive light from the clashing Energy made the Soul Body tremble, even across eons of Time and Space!
Spacetime Turbulence! And on a massive scale!
In the Abyss of Oblivion, this was the most common danger, and the most fatal!
The massive skull Lu Pan occupied was also swept up by the energy tide, tumbling and being tossed about like a leaf in a gale! He clung tightly to the protrusions on the inner wall, using Soul Power to shield his body, resisting the spatial cutting force capable of tearing a Soul Body apart.
"Boom!!"
The skull violently collided with another huge remnant—a broken halberd engulfed in black flames! The skull instantly spiderwebbed with cracks, on the verge of disintegration!
Lu Pan made a decisive move, bursting out of the skull just before it completely shattered! His figure struggled to weave through the violent Energy Turbulence, searching for the next stable point to cling to.
However, the Spacetime Turbulence intensified. A massive Spatial Fissure, like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, suddenly opened before him! A powerful suction force pulled at him, threatening to swallow him whole! Once dragged into the depths of a Spatial Fissure, the consequences were unimaginable—he could be banished to unknown Time and Space, or torn to shreds by the chaotic spatial forces!
Lu Pan struggled with all his might, pushing his speed to the limit, trying to escape the range of the suction. But the pull was too strong; his figure was still being dragged involuntarily toward the Fissure!
Just as he was about to be consumed, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of a relatively small Bronze Mirror Fragment, suspended quietly near the edge of the Fissure, emitting a strange, stable fluctuation! Despite the surrounding energy raging violently, it remained utterly still!
Faintly inscribed upon the fragment were ancient patterns he had never seen before, yet they seemed to contain the ultimate truths of Time and Space!
With no time to think, Lu Pan used the last of his strength and lunged toward the Bronze Mirror Fragment! The moment his fingers touched the fragment—
"Buzz!"
A gentle Clear Light bloomed from the fragment, instantly enveloping Lu Pan! The spatial turbulence capable of tearing apart a Soul Body parted like gentle flowing water upon contact with the Clear Light! The immense suction force also vanished instantly!
Lu Pan clung to the fragment, his soul still shaken, watching the surrounding turbulence that could no longer harm him, his heart filled with shock.
What was the origin of this Bronze Mirror Fragment? How could it maintain absolute stability amidst Spacetime Turbulence of this magnitude?
He examined the fragment that had saved his life closely. It was only palm-sized, with irregular edges, and the mirror surface was covered in cracks, making it impossible to reflect any image. But those ancient patterns gave off a sense of unfathomable depth.
Suddenly, he noticed, on a corner of the fragment's reverse side, an extremely minute marking that made his heart nearly stop—
A Gear-shaped pattern!
The mark of the Netherworld Workshop! How could it be on this fragment left over from the Ancient Times?
Had the Workshop studied this fragment before? Or... was this fragment itself a creation of the "Workshop"? A creation capable of resisting Spacetime Turbulence?!
Countless questions flooded Lu Pan’s mind like a tide. He felt that he had inadvertently touched upon a deeper secret of the Netherworld Workshop!
This sudden Spacetime Turbulence was a crisis, but it might also be... an unexpected turning point!