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

Time seemed to pass exceptionally slowly in the desolate land of "Silent Dragon Tomb," shrouded in a gray light membrane.

Since accepting the inheritance of "Jin", Lu Zhao has opened up a simple cave under a relatively complete huge dragon rib deep in the Dragon Tomb and begun a long period of seclusion.

Although the place was deathly silent, the faint aura of annihilation dragons permeating the air provided him with the perfect spiritual energy for cultivating the *Nine Netherworld Annihilation Scripture*. Moreover, here, he didn't need to worry about outside disturbances or dangers.

His first task was to thoroughly solidify his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation. In his dantian, the gray-black "Silent Demon Dragon" Dao Foundation vortex, under his continuous nurturing and the operation of the "Nine Netherworld Silence Scripture," became increasingly solid and stable. As it rotated, it spontaneously devoured the surrounding Silence Dragon Qi and refined it into a purer gray-black spiritual power that possessed both annihilation and devouring properties.

This new spiritual power, compared to the previous simple annihilation spiritual power, possesses a more domineering predatory and corrosive nature, making it far more powerful.

Secondly, he studied the Golden Elixir chapter of the *Nine Netherworld Extinction Scripture*. "Jin" left behind not only the cultivation techniques and formulas, but also his numerous insights and applications of the Great Dao of "Extinction." Lu Zhao absorbed this knowledge with great eagerness, his understanding of "Extinction" deepening rapidly. He no longer merely saw it as destruction and end, but began to touch upon the deeper mysteries contained within "Extinction"—"Return to Nothingness," "Reincarnation," and "New Life Born from Ending." This caused his Dao heart and realm to improve imperceptibly.

While "Ember" mentioned the power of "Devouring" sparingly, its insight into the essence of power greatly inspired Lu Zhao. He began to attempt to integrate the mysteries of "Devouring" more deeply into the "Annihilation" path.

Secluded in seclusion, one loses track of time.

One day, Lu Zhao opened his eyes, and a fleeting light, a blend of gray-gold and deep darkness, flashed deep within his pupils. He extended his index finger, and a wisp of refined gray-black spiritual energy gathered at his fingertip.

"Give it a try..." he murmured, gently tapping a massive, incredibly hard fragment of dragon bone in front of him.

There was no earth-shattering display, only a thin, hair-like gray-black light flashed by.

The next moment, a tiny hole, no bigger than a pinhole, silently appeared in the center of the dragon bone fragment, which was several meters tall. The bone surrounding the hole wasn't shattered; it had completely… vanished! It was as if its existence had been directly "erased" by some invisible force! Moreover, the edges of the hole exhibited a strange, decaying grayness, as if it had been corroded by the accelerating passage of time over millions of years, and this grayness was spreading outwards at an extremely slow pace.

"The 'Finger of Annihilation,' now incorporating the 'Devouring' property... its power and unpredictability have increased by at least 30%. It not only possesses extremely strong single-target killing and destructive capabilities, but also comes with continuous 'Erosion' and 'Devouring Spiritual Energy' effects." Lu Zhao was quite satisfied with the effect of this finger strike. This was only his initial attempt at power fusion; in the future, as his cultivation and understanding deepen, he would surely be able to develop more and stronger techniques.

He then took out the broken spearhead of the "Silent Dragon Spear." Even without infusing it with spiritual energy, simply holding it in his hand allowed him to feel a chilling, piercing sharpness and a murderous intent. He tried to infuse a wisp of his own gray-black spiritual energy into it.

"Buzz!" The spearhead trembled slightly, emitting a low hum. A faint gray-gold light shone from the fine cracks on its surface, and an incomparably sharp spear intent, seemingly capable of piercing everything, emanated from it! Although it was only for a moment, Lu Zhao could sense that if its power could be fully unleashed, even in its incomplete state, it would absolutely pose a fatal threat to a Golden Core cultivator!

"What a fine spear! No wonder it was your personal weapon, senior." Lu Zhao exclaimed, but he also knew that with his current strength, he was still far from being able to refine and wield the spearhead at will. For now, it could only be used as a trump card, to be unleashed at a crucial moment for a fatal blow.

Besides cultivation, he also constantly honed his divine sense using the *Refining Spirit Technique* and tempered his physical body using the *True Dragon Body Forging Technique*, combining the dragon's might and the power of annihilation of this place. His physical strength, under the foundation of the "Annihilation Demonic Dragon" and through continuous tempering, had reached an extremely terrifying level; his pure physical strength was probably no less than that of some late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators specializing in body refinement.

After stabilizing his cultivation at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, his progress was slowly but steadily advancing towards the late-Foundation Establishment stage.

On this day, Lu Zhao was studying a fragment of insight about "space" left behind by "Jin" (related to leaving this place) when he suddenly sensed something, and the "Silent Demon Dragon" mark between his brows became slightly warm. He looked up towards the southwest direction of the Dragon Tomb, where the previously stable spatial barrier emitted a very faint, but definitely present, fluctuation.

"The weak point in space... is starting to become disordered?" A glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. "The time has come."

He stood up and carefully sensed it. The fluctuation was still very weak, but it was gradually strengthening. According to the information left by "Jin," this disorder would continue for a period of time, and when it reached its peak, that would be the moment when space was most unstable and most likely to form a passage.

"It seems it's time to leave." Lu Zhao glanced at the desolate Dragon Tomb, feeling little attachment, only gratitude towards "Jin." "However, before leaving, some preparations need to be made."

He began tidying up. Aside from the endless dragon bones, there were no other valuable items here. He adjusted himself to his peak condition and took out several relatively intact magical artifacts (mostly left behind by the unfortunate souls sacrificed) from his [human skin pouch], obtained from near the altar in "Dragon's Roar Valley," just in case. He planned to dispose of or dismantle the captured demonic artifacts when he returned.

With everything prepared, Lu Zhao took one last look at the desolate space, turned around, and without hesitation sped off towards the southwest, towards the source of the spatial fluctuations.

...**

Meanwhile, outside the "Nine Netherworlds," during the time Lu Zhao was missing, the outside world was far from peaceful.

Southern Region, Yunmeng Sect.

Inside Xuanjizi's cave on Xuanji Peak, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"Still no news?" Xuanjizi frowned, looking at Elder Yun before him.

Elder Yun shook his head, his expression also not good: "No. After the Blackwater Swamp incident, Lu Zhao seemed to have vanished into thin air. The patrol teams sent out by the sect only found some traces of fierce fighting and residual demonic energy deep in the swamp, but they found no trace of him, nor... a body."

"What about that spatial passage that suddenly appeared and then disappeared?" Xuanjizi pressed.

"It vanished as well, leaving no trace." Elder Yun sighed. "However, judging from the remaining aura, that passage was extremely unstable, and... it may lead to an extremely dangerous subordinate world or... a forbidden zone."

"Sigh..." Xuanjizi sighed deeply, "This kid always manages to cause unexpected trouble, and he always manages to give people unexpected 'surprises.' Hopefully, this time, he can turn danger into safety too." His high regard for Lu Zhao stemmed not only from his potential, but also from the indomitable spirit and mystery surrounding Lu Zhao, which gave him a glimpse of a certain possibility.

"There's one more thing," Elder Yun's expression grew more serious. "Things have been a bit strange lately with the Great Jin Dynasty. It's said that a mysterious force is operating in the shadows, seemingly searching for something... related to the ancient dragon race. Moreover, there are clues vaguely pointing to the 'Nine Netherworld Evil Dragon' clan from back then."

"Nine Netherworld Evil Dragon?" Xuanjizi's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that an ancient race long since vanished into the annals of history? Could it be... related to what happened at the Blackwater Swamp?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out." Elder Yun nodded. "Also, the remnants of the Soul Devouring Demon Sect have been making unusual moves in several border markets recently, seemingly searching for someone... or rather, searching for some kind of special 'mark'."

Xuanjizi was silent for a moment, then waved his hand: "Keep an eye on it. Don't give up searching for Lu Zhao either. I have a feeling this kid... won't die so easily."

...**

In a hidden underground palace of the Great Jin Dynasty.

A person dressed in a black robe, their face hidden in the shadow of a hood, knelt respectfully before a blood-red altar.

"Your Excellency, the aura of the 'Seed'... has completely vanished. Its last known location was the Blackwater Swamp in the Southern Tian Region, but it was subsequently swallowed up by a powerful spatial fluctuation." The black-robed man's voice trembled slightly. "Judging from the remaining aura, that spatial passage... may lead to the 'Nine Netherworlds'."

Above the altar, from within a swirling cloud of blood mist, came a chilling voice, filled with boundless malice: "Nine Netherworlds... that abandoned land of blood and evil? Heh, interesting. Not only does the 'Seed' bear my mark, but it also carries a trace of... a repulsive ancient aura."

"Keep searching. Find him at all costs, or... find his body. I need to know what happened to him."

"Also, don't let your guard down regarding the remains of the 'Nine Netherworld Evil Dragon.' The things inside are very important to my grand plan."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The man in black bowed and withdrew.

The blood mist on the altar churned even more violently, and a low, muffled voice, audible only to itself, murmured: "Escaped to the 'Nine Netherworlds,' huh? Interesting… It seems this 'seed' is more intriguing than I imagined. However, wherever you go, as long as you're alive, the 'Soul-Devouring Mark' on your body will be your best guide… But why has the connection become so weak, even… somewhat different?"

...**

Southwest corner of "Silent Dragon Tomb".

Lu Zhao stood before a pile of bones that appeared no different from any other place. However, with his keen divine sense and special perception of spatial fluctuations, he could clearly "see" that the space before him was like water ruffled by an invisible hand, irregularly twisting and undulating. Tiny, pitch-black spatial cracks appeared and disappeared, emanating a chilling aura.

"This is it." Lu Zhao took a deep breath, his gray-black spiritual energy slowly circulating within him. "Senior Jin, thank you. No matter where it leads... I will return!"

His gaze was fixed on the point of most intense spatial distortion ahead, waiting for the moment when the passage would truly form.

Deep within his brow, the gray-black dragon-shaped mark, embodying the properties of "annihilation" and "devouring," flickered almost imperceptibly, as if echoing the unknown journey home that was about to begin.