Chapter 1719: Decay of the Divine Veins

Based on this alone, I dare to state my deduction: within this lies the core factor for achieving true immortality.

If one blindly pursues eternal life, merely seeking to absorb endless vitality into their body, then they can absolutely never achieve true eternity.

Because no matter how abundant the vitality—be it from the Immortal Scythe or other spiritual treasures of heaven and earth capable of bringing powerful life force—the vitality it generates will inevitably degenerate and decay over time.

Only by finding a way to perfectly combine the endless vitality with the boundless death energy within this Corrupted Divine Vein can one give birth to ceaseless, cyclical, endless life force—that is true eternity.

In fact, Supreme Goddess Yanxia naturally did not possess such ability. Her reason for expounding her views on this matter and her grand theory of life and death was entirely to provide a certain level of inspiration to Xu Yang, who was by her side, through her insights.

Because only by transcending the decay of the physical body and achieving true eternity could Xu Yang possibly contend for the position of the strongest individual in the main continental civilization system throughout the ages.

According to Supreme Goddess Yanxia's judgment, the peerless, supreme figures who have stood at the pinnacle of humanity from ancient times to the present, whether it be their innate talent or their acquired opportunities, have almost all reached the absolute peak.

This means that if Xu Yang wishes to challenge their status by continuing down the old path they walked, he will never be able to forge his own new path.

Moreover, those extraordinary geniuses of ancient times, no matter how powerful the cultivation techniques they mastered were, were ultimately still trapped by the problem of life and death, and not a single one could break through this limit of eternal life.

If Xu Yang could achieve a breakthrough in this direction, attaining a true physical body and soul that never decay, then without a doubt, he would sooner or later take that final step.

Hearing such enlightenment from Supreme Goddess Yanxia, Xu Yang's heart was also filled with endless yearning for true eternity. Driven by this thought, he continuously quickened his pace, leading the two beautiful women by his side, steadily approaching the end of the surrounding darkness, which was filled with deathly aura.

However, the further they advanced, the more despairing the gloom hidden within the surrounding dark aura became, until, at a certain moment, ancient demonic beasts cloaked in dark light suddenly appeared before them, blocking their path.

"Who are you? You are not cultivators of the Nether Royal Clan. Could it be that you are external invaders?"

These ancient demonic beasts clearly did not understand the situation outside. They were also not controlled by the will of the Supreme God. In fact, Xu Yang only discovered this point after entering the Nether Royal Clan's immortal mansion forbidden land: it seemed that the Supreme God's will itself was very repulsed by this decaying death aura.

Therefore, among all six human-spirit veins, the Nether Royal Clan could be considered the most unfavored by the Supreme God's consciousness. Even the Grand Elder of this lineage had not yet made an appearance.

Xu Yang merely glanced at these ancient demonic beasts, covered by powerful death aura, and revealed a cold smile.

"If you believe you have enough strength to hinder our passage, then feel free to attack us."

Xu Yang's words truly hit the mark. He had no intention of saving face for the other party.

As expected, these ancient demonic beasts were not to be trifled with. Each of them, with ferocious expressions and bared fangs, lunged at Xu Yang without hesitation.

At the same time, the death aura emanating from their bodies had apparently become their most vicious weapon. It was smeared onto their fangs and sharp claws. Clearly, if one were pierced by their body parts, this potent death aura would immediately penetrate the victim's body.

If their opponents this time had not been Xu Yang, Supreme Goddess Yanxia, and Xiaohua, Long Kun and the others would likely have suffered a great loss here.

Xu Yang had no intention of holding back. With a gentle wave of his palm, the main divine artifact, Cold Spring, emerged smoothly. Immediately after, an icy-blue divine light unleashed an incomparably powerful sword energy, instantly shattering three massive ancient beasts that stood before him.

However, after their physical bodies were shattered by this icy aura, they were quickly and completely disintegrated by the endless aura of decay, reverting to a fallen state.

Even after their demise, all life functions within their skeletal remains would be completely devoured by this dark aura of decay.

Witnessing this scene, Xu Yang and the two others felt even more certain that Supreme Goddess Yanxia's earlier judgment was correct, because the aura of decay, which represented death, was astonishingly greedy for potent life force.

This indicated that there must be an inseparable connection between the two. And the true secret, the crucial clue that could lead to comprehending the Grand Dao of Life and Death, must be hidden within the Corrupted Divine Vein itself, the source of all this decaying aura.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang's killing intent seemed to intensify. He continuously wielded his sword, horizontally slashing left and right, causing the spirit bodies around him to rapidly collapse.

Before long, the three of them fought their way to the end of this direction. And there, the Grand Elder, who had never emitted any aura fluctuations and was also the true strongest individual of the Nether Royal Clan, finally appeared.

To Xu Yang and the two others' surprise, this individual seemed to be attempting to plunder the aura within the Corrupted Divine Vein in some way. His entire being was no longer clearly flesh and blood; half of his body was already in the form of a skeleton. Only his upper body resembled an old man, like decaying wood.

Even speaking, the old man found it extremely difficult. However, this precisely proved that he was still alive. And behind his body, where the most concentrated black aura coalesced, was likely the Corrupted Divine Vein itself.

"Who are you? To dare to trespass into the forbidden immortal mansion of the Nether Royal Clan, you are truly impatient. Do you intend to sacrifice your lives to this one?"

The old man's voice was hoarse and weak, but behind it, the potent death aura was far more powerful than the pressure released by the ancient demonic beasts.

Xiaohua deeply scrutinized the old man's body parts and immediately sent a telepathic message to Xu Yang and Supreme Goddess Yanxia beside her.

"Boss, why do I feel like he's also making the same attempt? Could it be that he intends to forcefully devour the power of this Corrupted Divine Vein at the cost of sacrificing his own flesh and blood?"

Hearing this, Xu Yang nodded lightly.

"My judgment is the same. It's just that he's well aware that the price for doing so is too great. If he fails, he will forever lose his physical body. Furthermore, he will be eternally confined to this place, and may even lose his qualification as Grand Elder."