Calamity of Tomorrow

Zhou Bai exclaimed in surprise, "Swallowed by the void? Does that mean the distortion became even more severe? So why investigate now?"

Xiao Hun replied, "Because just over a month ago, the Plague Department suddenly received a rune-transmitted message from this laboratory."

On hearing this, Zhou Bai frowned slightly. Rune transmission was a communication method created by humans and the Heavenly Court using immortal techniques. It required the creation of an array and used the omnipresent spiritual machine as a medium for communication. Due to its high cost, only some high-ranking individuals or large facilities would use this method.

Zhou Bai asked, "Are you saying that a laboratory swallowed by the void 50 years ago has appeared again? There are still people alive inside? And they sent a message to the Plague Department. What was the content of the message?"

"It hurts," Xiao Hun shrugged, "Just these two words."

"It hurts?" Zhou Bai queried, "What does that mean?"

"Who knows," Xiao Hun replied. "But at least it shows that someone has survived in the experiment base swallowed by the void for 50 years. Both the Heavenly Court and we want to know how he did it, whether the laboratory is still operational, what the conditions are in the void, and whether they have directly faced Heavenly Dao... We have so many questions."

Zhou Bai unexpectedly looked at Xiao Hun before him, "You seem to know quite a lot. It seems the people from the Plague Department don't know as much as you."

"They might just be hiding it from you," Xiao Hun suggested. "Maybe they are worried about information leakage if they were caught by the Heavenly Demon. Among the teams sent by the Plague Department, I guess only the team leaders know the specifics, but even they wouldn't know more details than I do."

"How about it, Sword Spirit?" Xiao Hun continued. "Do you see the importance of this mission now? A cultivator returning after spending 50 years in the void is an unprecedented event.

This matter is of enormous importance to both the Heavenly Court and humanity. It might even change the current situation for humanity and find a way to counter the distortions by Heavenly Dao.

Come help us, Sword Spirit. If you're willing to allow me to refine you, with the help of the Nine Realms Flying Sword, the success rate of the mission will be much higher, and this mission benefits all humanity."

Zhou Bai didn't speak but was pondering the implications, "A person returning from the void? If anyone has entered the void, Dr. Zhuang definitely has. I also ventured halfway into the void when I was searching for the Primordial Scripture 01, 02, 03, and Yan Hui and the others entered the void too in search of Primordial Scripture 04, but to have stayed there for 50 years... This is indeed the first time I've heard of such a thing."

The words of the Heavenly Demon King that the Heavenly Court gods were using cultivators to develop aberrant weapons once again came to Zhou Bai's mind.

"Whether the Heavenly Court gods are really using cultivators to develop aberrant weapons or not, I don't believe they haven't sent someone into the void. The investigation of this experimental base is indeed important, but not as significant as Xiao Hun made it sound."

"I don't know if he's deliberately hiding it from me, or if he himself doesn't know much about the inner workings of the Heavenly Court."

"Never mind that for now, the situation at this experimental base, after all, it's been 50 years... I still want to understand it, especially since both gods and immortals have sent people to investigate, we can't let them monopolize it, or humanity will fall behind again."

"But my current power isn't enough to control everything, whether it's those two great Heavenly Demons or Xiao Hun here. Although they can't kill me, I can't suppress them either, I need stronger power... or perhaps seek help..."

Zhou Bai gradually made a decision in his heart, "I'll still go to West Mountain City for help. If the fastest few Sword Cultivators come with me to retrieve the base, it shouldn't take too much time."

At this moment, Zhou Bai did not know that Christina in West Mountain City had already obtained Primordial Scripture 04, which meant his cultivation bottleneck had been loosened.

Now that he had decided to make a trip back to West Mountain City, all Zhou Bai needed to do was get rid of the pesky Seventh Realm Xiao Hun.

So after hearing Xiao Hun's question, he crisply replied, "I understand, your efforts are indeed very important, I am willing to lend you some time for you to refine and use."

Xiao Hun's eyes brightened, and he attempted to send his Primordial Spirit towards Zhou Bai to fully refine the Nine Realms Flying Sword and make it his own.

Yet Zhou Bai said, "Ordinary methods won't truly refine me; you need to comprehend the Xuan Yin Sword Intent left by a previous master inside me. Only after you grasp the Xuan Yin Sword Intent will you be able to truly refine me."

Xiao Hun nodded, "No problem, come on."

Zhou Bai commanded, "Everyone else, step back, I'm about to release the Xuan Yin Sword Intent."

The others immediately retreated far away, while Zhou Bai had already opened the Catastrophe Domain. Suddenly, streaks of black mud emerged from under Xiao Hun's feet, undulating like a black tidal wave and spreading outwards in all directions.

"Don't resist! This is the Xuan Yin Sword Intent! Feel it with your heart! The mystery is therein!" Zhou Bai announced.

Staring down at the pools of black mud, Xiao Hun couldn't help but feel a revulsion at the stench, the sticky texture, and the pitch-black color. He asked, "Are you sure this is the Xuan Yin Sword Intent?"

"The Xuan Yin Sword Intent is the utmost yin and evil Sword Intent. Look at this black mud; it's black, smelly, sticky, and cold, representing the ultimate yin. If you carefully feel it, you can comprehend the Xuan Yin Sword Intent," Zhou Bai explained.

Xiao Hun somewhat felt there was some logic to it but the black mud in front of him always felt a bit familiar, as if he had heard of it somewhere.

'Could it be a signature Sword Intent of some predecessor?' With that thought, Xiao Hun simply released Primordial Spirit power, scanning the increasingly abundant Gui Hai Black Evil on the ground, trying to see if he could comprehend the Sword Spirit's mentioned Xuan Yin Sword Intent.

Meanwhile, from Zhou Bai's point of view, milky-white luck continuously jumped out from Xiao Hun, harvested into his Primordial Spirit.

And the ground's Gui Hai Black Evil also spread more and more, spreading even below Zhou Bai, entwining around the flying sword's body.

Zhou Bai thought to himself, "It's milky-white luck again, just like Xu Dela's. Could it be that both the great Heavenly Demons and Seventh Realm cultivators all share this type of luck?"

"But after all, this guy is a human cultivator. Once there's enough Gui Hai Black Evil, I'll stop."

Elsewhere, Xiao Hun kept scanning the Gui Hai Black Evil with his Primordial Spirit power, only feeling stinky and sticky, and the scanning consumed a lot of power on the black mud, finding no trace of Xuan Yin Sword Intent.

Suddenly, Xiao Hun sharply realized, "This is Gui Hai Black Evil?! Ninth Realm Flying Sword, are you the Heart Demon's sword?!"

In his mind, Zhou Bai secretly lamented the quick reaction from Xiao Hun, who also happened to know about Gui Hai Black Evil.

In the next moment, Zhou Bai was already using the Gui Hai Black Evil to envelop both the entire sword body and Xiao Hun himself.