I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

Deep within the "Deadly Wasteland," decaying mist intertwined with dark red blood clouds surging from the distant horizon, forming an eerie and gloomy twilight. Under the cover of this twilight, a blurry phantom, almost blending into the gray rocks of the ground, was moving forward silently at an astonishing speed.

Lu Zhao pushed the [Return to Nothingness Concealment Technique] to its limit, completely concealing his aura, even slowing his heartbeat and blood flow to an extremely low level. The faint, ethereal fluctuations emanating from the newly formed gray dragon-shaped mark between his brows resonated perfectly with the deathly stillness permeating the wasteland environment, making him seem as if he had become part of this land of death. Even the phosphorescent or distorted soul shadows formed from resentment that occasionally drifted through the mist automatically slid away when they approached him, as if they had encountered "kindred spirits" or beings of a higher order.

As he moved swiftly, he absorbed the inherited power and familiarized himself with his newfound strength. His peak sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation, combined with the Lv7 "Dragon's Sleep" and "Divine Refinement Technique," allowed him to surpass his previous speed, stamina, and perception. The annihilation attribute contained within his spiritual energy made him feel surprisingly at ease in this environment, which would be a deadly predicament for ordinary cultivators.

"Based on the vague sensations emanating from the dragon-shaped mark, the 'Dragon's Reverse Scale' should be located beneath the altar, possibly the core of the sealing array or the hub of the altar's energy flow... We must find a passage into the underground area of ​​the altar," Lu Zhao quickly calculated in his mind. Forcing their way into the front of the altar would be tantamount to suicide; their only hope was to infiltrate from the side or underground.

As they drew closer, the stench of blood and sulfur in the air grew stronger, and the tremors of the earth became increasingly pronounced. In the distance, the towering altar, hundreds of feet high and resembling a grotesque structure made of countless coiled dragon skeletons, stood out clearly against the dark red sky, radiating a chilling, eerie light. However, the soaring blood-red light around the altar was gone, and the will-o'-the-wisps on the eight skull pillars (including the seven remaining after Lu Zhao destroyed one) had dimmed considerably. Only the crimson runes on the surface of the altar continued to slowly circulate, maintaining the basic operation of the formation.

Around the altar, thousands of black-robed believers remained kneeling densely packed on the ground, but their postures were noticeably weakened, many bearing injuries and their breathing unstable. Clearly, the chaos caused by the destruction of the Soul Pillar and the counterattack of the "Nine Netherworld Dragon" had resulted in significant losses for these lower-ranking believers. However, the number of believers remained large, and they were subtly divided into several areas, suggesting that leaders were organizing and controlling them.

Lu Zhao stopped at the edge of a huge ravine about two miles from the crowd of believers surrounding the altar and lay in wait. At this distance, he could use the shadows of the ravine and the pervasive blood mist to conceal his figure, and with his Lv7 [Refining God Technique] perception, he could barely "see" some details near the base of the altar.

He observed carefully. The altar's base was enormous, constructed from a mixture of dark red metal and black rock, its surface also covered in runes. In many places where it connected to the ground, there were gaps or depressions that appeared to be entrances to passages. However, those areas were either heavily guarded by black-robed believers, or faintly glowed with a restrictive light.

"The front and sides are heavily fortified... underground..." Lu Zhao's gaze swept across the edge where the altar's base met the ground. Suddenly, he noticed a fissure several feet wide and bottomless beneath the base on the northwest side of the altar. Dark red, scorching gas (earthfire?) continuously spewed forth from it, extending deep into the altar's base, as if it had been forcibly torn open by some immense force. Around the fissure, the runes clearly showed signs of damage and repair, and the guards were relatively sparse, with only a few scattered black-robed believers patrolling in the distance.

"This fissure in the ground... seems to be naturally formed, or perhaps it was caused by a powerful impact and later repaired, but it's still a weak point. Moreover, the earth fire energy spewing from the fissure can interfere with perception; perhaps this is an opportunity." Lu Zhao's heart stirred. He tried to use the [Refining Spirit Technique] in conjunction with the annihilation perception of the dragon-shaped mark to cautiously probe the fissure.

As expected, the energy deep within the fissure was chaotic and mixed, with various auras such as earth fire, bloodlust, annihilation, and resentment intertwined, forming a natural barrier to perception. Moreover, deep within the fissure, near the altar's base, he seemed to sense an extremely faint fluctuation of annihilation dragon energy—a fluctuation that shared the same origin as the dragon-shaped mark between his brows, but was even purer and more ancient! It was the sensation of "Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale"!

"That's it!" Lu Zhao's eyes lit up. The fissure in the ground was a natural passage, dangerous but also the best route for infiltration.

Without further hesitation, his figure moved like a ghost, stealthily making his way along the shadowy ravine towards the fissure in the ground northwest of the altar. Along the way, he avoided several patrolling groups of black-robed believers. For those he couldn't avoid, he used the [Soul-Suppressing] ability of the *Nine Nether Soul Control Technique*, combined with the faint dragon's might emanating from the dragon-shaped mark, to briefly intimidate believers below the mid-stage of Qi Refining, causing them to momentarily lose focus, allowing him to slip past them. Fortunately, these low-level believers, still shaken by the previous chaos, were less vigilant, and coupled with Lu Zhao's unpredictable methods, he actually managed to reach the edge of the fissure without serious injury.

A scorching, pungent wave of air, carrying the scent of sulfur and blood, rushed from the depths of the fissure. The fissure varied in width, the narrowest point allowing only one person to pass sideways. Deep within, darkness reigned, with faint, dark red flames flickering within. The rough rock walls on either side were covered in traces of repair runes, but many parts were faded and damaged.

Lu Zhao didn't immediately go down. He first took out several [Golden Light Talismans] and [Thick Earth Stone Talismans] and affixed them to his body, then held the [Mystic Tortoise Shield] in his hand. Then, he took a deep breath, pushed the [Return to Nothingness Concealment Technique] to its limit, and simultaneously activated the dragon-shaped mark between his eyebrows, merging the annihilation waves emanating from it with the chaotic annihilation and earth fire aura within the fissure. After doing all this, he silently slid into the fissure like a weightless leaf.

Upon entering the fissure, the light suddenly dimmed, with only the dark red glow emanating from the depths below and the occasional flickering light of runes on the rock walls providing faint illumination. The temperature rose sharply, and the scorching heat waves burned the skin. Even more dangerous were the occasional eruptions of toxic subterranean fire and gas, the chaotic flow of spiritual energy cutting through the fissure, and the lingering, resentful fragments of souls acting like invisible blades, attempting to erode the mind.

Lu Zhao pushed the [Flowing Cloud Step] to its limit, leaping and using its momentum among the jagged cliffs and protruding rocks to dodge the erupting subterranean fire and turbulent currents. At the same time, the [Refining Spirit Technique] protected his mind and resisted the erosion of his soul; the [Nine Netherworld Annihilation Scripture] circulated, absorbing and assimilating the chaotic annihilation energy around him, replenishing his energy and even slightly strengthening himself.

He descended with extreme speed and caution. The fissure wasn't vertical, but rather slanted downwards, winding and twisting beneath the altar's base. The deeper he went, the more open the space became, gradually forming a massive underground cavity, its surface tinged with a dark red by the subterranean fire. Above the cavity lay the base of the altar, supported by countless thick metal pillars and rock structures inscribed with runes. In the center of the cavity was a pool of subterranean fire, tens of meters in diameter, churning with viscous, dark red magma, from which scorching waves of heat erupted.

On the surrounding rock walls of the hollow cave, numerous man-made passageways and stone chambers were carved out, where some black-robed believers were busy, seemingly maintaining underground array nodes or moving certain materials. Around the earth fire pool, there were also some rudimentary array devices used to extract earth fire energy.

"This should be the underground maintenance area of ​​the altar and part of its energy source..." Lu Zhao lurked behind the shadow of a protruding boulder, observing. His target was the core location of the "Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale," which was sensed by the dragon-shaped mark. The direction indicated by the senses pointed deep into the cavern, behind the pool of earth fire, to a narrow passageway with even more heavily guarded defenses and brighter restrictive light.

At the entrance to the passageway, two black-robed cultivators at the seventh level of Qi Refining stood guard, and the entrance was protected by a dark red light membrane with constantly flowing blood-red runes. Through the light membrane, one could vaguely see the interior of the passageway, where an even denser aura of annihilating dragon energy and a chilling sealing fluctuation emanated.

"That's it. But the guards and restrictions..." Lu Zhao frowned. Forcing a breakthrough would inevitably alert the entire underground area, and even the chief priest above.

He carefully observed the two guards. Their auras were steady, clearly indicating they were elite, but after the previous chaos and the long period of guard duty, their faces showed signs of fatigue. The energy fluctuations emanating from the protective light membrane behind them were of the same origin as the main altar, but seemingly due to the fiery environment and unstable energy supply, the light flickered, especially near the junction of the ground and the rock wall, where several rune nodes showed noticeably dim light and even fine cracks.

"The barrier is damaged... perhaps we can take advantage of that," Lu Zhao thought to himself. He needed to create an opportunity, one that would allow him to break through the weak point of the barrier and rush into the passage without causing too much of a commotion.

He looked at the pool of earth fire. The magma in the pool churned, containing violent fire and earthly energy. He then looked at the black-robed believers maintaining the formation around him, and the faint figures in other passageways in the distance.

A plan gradually took shape in my mind.

Lu Zhao quietly left his hiding place, clinging to the rock wall like a gecko, and made his way to the other side of the Earth Fire Pool, to an unguarded area piled with many crimson crystals and specially made containers that emitted unstable fire-elemental spiritual energy fluctuations, used to maintain the formation. It seemed to be a temporary material storage point.

He carefully avoided several low-level believers passing by and arrived at the storage area. After a quick inspection, he found that the crystals were "Earthfire Essence," an unstable product resulting from the refinement of earthfire essence, often used for temporary power supply or one-time explosives in certain formations. The containers, on the other hand, contained "Lava Breath," a highly concentrated earthfire toxic gas with extremely strong corrosiveness and instability.

"Perfect." A cold glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. He quickly put several pieces of "Earth Fire Essence" and two cans of "Lava Breath" into his [Human Skin Pouch]. Then, he returned to the spot he had been observing earlier and chose a secluded corner about thirty feet away from the guards at the entrance of the tunnel, close to the rock wall, and with the edge of the Earth Fire Pool below.

He first took out the two cans of "Breath of Lava" and used specially made spiritual threads mixed with the energy of annihilation to fix them to a crack in the rock wall, with the other end of the spiritual threads extending into his hand. Then, he took out three pieces of "Earthfire Essence" and bound them with spiritual threads as well. This time, however, he attached a trace of his own spiritual imprint and the energy of annihilation to the end of the spiritual threads, so that when they were detonated, they would generate a small-scale disturbance of annihilation energy, interfering with the spiritual perception of those nearby.

After doing all this, he lay low again, adjusted his breathing, and brought himself to peak condition. His gaze was fixed on the two guards at the entrance of the passageway, and on the few dimmed rune nodes on the barrier membrane.

"Now!"

Lu Zhao muttered to himself, and suddenly yanked his finger!

"Bang! Bang!"

Two canisters of "Breath of Lava" exploded simultaneously in the crack in the rock wall! The highly concentrated subterranean fire gas, mixed with scorching lava fragments, erupted like two small flames in the confined space! The pungent fumes and scorching heat instantly filled the air, and the shockwave and flames from the explosion immediately drew the attention of everyone in the entire underground cavern! Especially the two guards, who instinctively turned their heads to look in the direction of the explosion, their faces showing surprise and doubt.

In that instant when everyone's attention was drawn, Lu Zhao moved! He didn't rush towards the tunnel, but instead swiftly flung the spiritual thread connected to the "Earth Fire Essence" in his hand towards an exposed auxiliary energy line node on a rock wall next to the tunnel entrance's barrier membrane, which was supplying power to the barrier! At the same time, he condensed a wisp of refined annihilation energy at his fingertips and pointed it at the three pieces of "Earth Fire Essence" that had flown out!

"burst!"

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!"

The three "Earthfire Essences" were detonated by Lu Zhao's Annihilation Qi the instant they touched the energy line nodes! The already extremely unstable Earthfire Essences, combined with the surging spiritual power in the auxiliary energy line, instantly caused a chain reaction of explosions! An even more violent explosion rang out from the side of the tunnel entrance, with flames shooting into the sky, debris flying everywhere, and violent spiritual energy turbulence and Earthfire Qi raging wildly!

"Enemy attack!!" The two guards finally reacted, filled with shock and anger, and were about to activate the alarm and attack. However, in that split second as they turned around and channeled their spiritual energy, the perfect opportunity that Lu Zhao had been waiting for finally arrived!

The dark red barrier light membrane, under the impact of the violent explosion from the side and the interference of the spiritual energy turbulence, especially the several already dim rune nodes that were directly impacted, suddenly flickered violently and erratically. The stability of the entire light membrane experienced an instantaneous and visible decrease and disorder! Even the thickness of the light membrane seemed to have thinned slightly!

"Flowing Cloud Step! Burning Blood Escape! Annihilation Finger—Break!"

Lu Zhao simultaneously unleashed his fully charged [Flowing Cloud Step] and [Burning Blood Escape Technique] to their limits, transforming into a streak of light, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, carrying a faint gray shadow, shooting out from his hiding place, his target the weakest and dimmest point of the barrier's light membrane! At the same time, he brought his right index and middle fingers together, his pure annihilation spiritual power frantically gathering within him, further activating a trace of primordial annihilation dragon energy from the dragon-shaped mark between his brows. Mixed with his own will for "annihilation" and "breaking the barrier," it transformed into a deep gray finger strike, only the thickness of a chopstick, yet extremely condensed, with what seemed to be a miniature gray dragon coiling and roaring within, which he fiercely struck at that point!

"Nirvana Finger - Breaking the Seal!"

This is a more powerful and focused attack that breaks through defenses and restrictions than the "Nirvana Finger (Pseudo)"! It contains a trace of the true primordial dragon energy of annihilation!

"laugh--!"

A soft, yet unsettling sound, like the slicing of cloth by the sharpest blade.

The deep gray, annihilating finger force, like a red-hot iron rod piercing through ice and snow, penetrated without resistance into the extremely fragile barrier light membrane node, which had become fragile due to the explosion and the turbulent flow of spiritual energy! The terrifying annihilating power contained within the finger force instantly erupted and spread within the node!

"Snap...!"

A clear cracking sound rang out. The already dim rune node, along with a small patch of light membrane around it, shattered instantly, turning into specks of dark red light that vanished! A tiny, irregular hole, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, appeared on the restrictive light membrane! Moreover, due to the destruction of the node, the entire restrictive light membrane fluctuated violently as a chain reaction, greatly reducing its repair speed!

"What?!" The two guards had just turned around and gathered their spiritual energy when they saw a gray shadow pass through the suddenly appearing hole in the barrier at an incredible speed and disappear into the darkness deep inside the passageway! They didn't even get a clear look at the person's face!

"Stop him!!" "Alarm! Enemy has infiltrated the core forbidden area!!" The two guards were both shocked and furious. They roared and frantically attacked the slowly repairing barrier hole, trying to chase after him. At the same time, they activated the alarm artifacts on their bodies.

A piercing shriek instantly echoed throughout the underground cavern and traveled upwards towards the altar.

However, Lu Zhao could no longer hear any of this. The moment he passed through the barrier hole, he increased his speed to the maximum, desperately flying deeper into the narrow, dimly lit passageway, where the aura of the annihilating dragon was becoming increasingly clear! He could feel a powerful aura rapidly approaching from behind; not only the two guards, but probably other black-robed experts in the underground area had been alerted.

We must find the "Dragon's Reverse Scale" before we are surrounded, and then... find a way to escape!

The passageway wasn't long, but it had many forks. Lu Zhao relied entirely on the strong guidance of the dragon-shaped mark between his eyebrows to navigate the complex network of passages. Along the way, he triggered several hidden alarm restrictions and attack traps, but he sensed them in advance using the [Refining Spirit Technique], combined with the unpredictable movement of the [Flowing Cloud Step] and the power of annihilation, either narrowly avoiding them or forcefully breaking through them. Although his speed was slightly affected, he wasn't completely stopped.

Finally, after rounding the last bend, the view opened up before us.

A massive, inverted bowl-shaped circular stone chamber, about ten zhang high and over thirty zhang in diameter, appeared before Lu Zhao. The surrounding rock walls were inlaid with countless skulls emitting a ghostly green light, creating an eerie illumination. In the center of the chamber stood a circular altar, three feet above the ground, cast from dark gold metal, its surface covered with intricate, dizzyingly complex, blood-red sealing runes.

At the center of the altar, suspended in the air, was a strange scale, the size of a palm, jet black, with irregular edges, its surface covered with fine dragon scale patterns, and a single point of deep, dark gold at its center that seemed capable of swallowing all light! The scale floated silently, without any support, yet it exuded a vast, pure, ancient aura, filled with a terrifying aura of supreme majesty and utter annihilation! It was none other than the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale!

Around the Reverse Scale, eight thick chains, crafted from dark red metal and covered with sealing runes, extended from eight directions of the altar. The other ends of the chains were deeply embedded in the surrounding rock walls, forming a powerful sealing array that firmly imprisoned the Reverse Scale. The chains and the runes on the altar flickered with uncertain light, clearly indicating that the seal had been affected by the fluctuations of the previous blood sacrifice ritual and Lu Zhao's intrusion.

"Finally found it!" Lu Zhao was overjoyed, but his expression immediately changed. The moment he stepped into the stone chamber, the heavy stone door, inscribed with runes, slowly closed! Simultaneously, the eerie green flames in the eyes of the skulls embedded in the ceiling and walls of the chamber suddenly intensified, locking onto him and radiating a chilling killing intent! Furthermore, a powerful binding force began to permeate the chamber, attempting to restrict his movements!

This is a trap! Or rather, the last line of defense protecting Ni Lin! Once the stone door closes, he will be trapped and die in this murderous stone chamber, while the pursuers outside will arrive, creating a situation where he is caught like a turtle in a jar!

"We must take the Reverse Scale immediately, then break through the stone gate or find another way out!" Lu Zhao's eyes flashed with sternness. Without hesitation, he pushed off with his feet, his figure as fast as lightning, rushing straight towards the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale in the center of the altar! At the same time, he raised both hands, and several improved [Sharp Golden Light Talisman] and [Exploding Blazing Sun Talisman] shot towards the skulls whose eyes were burning with ghostly fire, trying to interfere with their attack.

However, those skulls seemed to possess simple intelligence. Faced with the talisman attack, ghostly fire suddenly spewed from their eyes, forming streaks of eerie green fire that intertwined into a net, easily intercepting and detonating the talisman attack in mid-air! At the same time, more eerie green fire lines, like venomous snakes, shot towards Lu Zhao from all directions, blocking his escape space!

"Hmph!" Lu Zhao snorted coldly, neither dodging nor avoiding, but simply activating the [Mystic Tortoise Shield] to its maximum, protecting himself in front of him. At the same time, his annihilating spiritual power circulated wildly within his body, forming a faint gray shield on his skin. He was actually going to withstand these attacks head-on and forcibly seize the Reverse Scale!

"Puff puff puff..." The eerie green fire shot into the [Mystic Tortoise Shield] and the gray protective shield, producing a series of explosive sounds. The light of the Mystic Tortoise Shield dimmed rapidly, and the gray protective shield also fluctuated violently. These eerie green fires were quite powerful and had the characteristic of corroding the soul, but Lu Zhao's annihilation spiritual power had extremely strong resistance to soul power attacks. With the protection of the [Refining God Technique], he actually withstood it, though his face turned slightly pale.

Taking advantage of this brief moment of respite, he rushed to the edge of the altar, only three feet away from the suspended Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale!

"roar--!"

Seemingly sensing the same annihilating dragon energy (from the dragon-shaped mark) on Lu Zhao, the still Nether Dragon Scale suddenly trembled! An even more powerful and terrifying annihilating dragon might erupted like a sleeping beast awakening! Lu Zhao even saw that the deep, dark golden light spot on the surface of the scale suddenly lit up, like a cold dragon eye staring at him!

At the same time, the eight dark red chains binding Reverse Scale began to vibrate violently! The sealing runes on the chains flickered wildly, attempting to suppress Reverse Scale's unusual movements. The entire altar, and even the entire stone chamber, began to shake violently! Stone chips fell in a shower.

"Now!" Lu Zhao endured the terrifying dragon's might and the tremors in his soul, stretched out his right hand, his five fingers forming a claw, his fingertips condensing the strongest annihilation spiritual power and the aura of the dragon-shaped mark, and fiercely grabbed at the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale that was so close at hand!

His fingers touched the cold edge of the scale.

In an instant, the world spun around!