# Chapter 2051: Nightmare Lin Shen
The Abyss Dust of the Mist Sea obstructs everything, including perception, sight, and sound.
But this voice from within the black mist was like a dark prison bell, its echoes trembling across the entire heavens and earth. All Xuan practitioners within a hundred miles halted in shock, turning toward the source of the sound.
"That is... what?"
"Mist Emperor? What Mist Emperor?" One Xuan practitioner after another stared in astonishment at the dim and gloomy firmament, their hearts filled with confusion.
The Abyss has only one emperor, and that is Yuan Huang above the Pure Land.
Beyond Yuan Huang, no one had ever dared to claim the title of "Emperor" for themselves.
Moreover, groups of Xuan practitioners rapidly drew closer, wanting to witness the source of this anomaly with their own eyes.
What rolled ahead was a dense concentration of Abyss Dust that existed only in the deepest reaches—yet this was still not enough to pose a sense of threat to Hua Qingying. But her crescent brows remained furrowed... it was a faint unease.
And what made her even more unsettled was that she could not identify the source of this unease.
"Aunt? He said... 'Mist Emperor patrols the sea'? What does that mean?" Hua Caili asked. There was still only surprise, no fear.
"Mist Emperor... Emperor of the Mist Sea?" Hua Qingying murmured softly.
In this world, those who could threaten her, aside from Yuan Huang, were only the Six Divine Kingdoms' Seven Gods and the Pure Land's Four Divine Officials—none of whom she was unfamiliar with.
And even those people would never dare to touch the title of "Emperor."
But as Hua Qingying murmured, her eyes still held only coldness, with not a trace of mockery.
Because Abyss Dust cannot be controlled. As strong as a True God, though they could rely on their vast divine power to nearly achieve absolute dispersion and isolation of Abyss Dust, it was absolutely impossible for them to make Abyss Dust gather so obediently... especially at this concentration and scale.
Even the supreme Yuan Huang had never been heard to possess such an ability.
"Caili, let's go."
She grabbed Hua Caili's hand and turned to leave.
If she were alone, she would definitely investigate.
But with Hua Caili at her side, the faint unease and the anomaly beyond her comprehension made her choose to retreat without hesitation.
Based on her knowledge, she had never heard of any Mist Emperor. There was a ninety-nine percent chance someone was playing tricks. But if it could make even her feel a thread of unease... she would never let Hua Caili face any danger.
"Ah?" Hua Caili was clearly taken aback. It was only then that she noticed her aunt's expression, and she immediately followed her in retreat.
However, the ignorant are fearless, and the fearless are without dread.
More and more Xuan practitioners were drawn to the scene, and then voices of mockery and ridicule, each heavier than the last, began to ring out.
"Mist Emperor? Under Yuan Huang, who dares to call themselves Emperor! Don't think that just because you're in the Mist Sea, you can act with impunity."
"Heh! Piling up a lump of thick fog to pretend it's Abyss Dust? I stopped playing such childish tricks to scare kids when I was thirty. Are you trying to gather a crowd to laugh at you, then laugh your teeth out?"
"Playing tricks? Ha... claiming the title of Emperor is practically digging your own grave!"
Amid the fierce shouts, one person suddenly made a move. A bolt of lightning shot straight toward the thick fog. Purple thunder tore through the dark sky, its roar chilling to the soul. As it approached, it had already transformed into a thousand-zhang purple thunderbolt, smashing straight down.
Such overwhelming might was clearly at the Half-step Divine Annihilation Realm, startling countless Xuan practitioners into gasping in awe.
*Boom crack!*
The lightning exploded, and purple radiance filled the sky. The Xuan practitioners who had been ready to see which clown dared to play tricks under the name "Mist Emperor" were suddenly all struck dumb.
At the spot where the thunderbolt struck, the thick fog that should have been instantly annihilated was only slightly scattered at the point of impact, then slowly regrouped. Within a few short breaths, it had returned to its original state, its color and shape unchanged.
As if that thunderbolt had been nothing more than a dense purple light without any power.
The Xuan practitioner who had made the move had an immortal bearing, followed by dozens of disciples, clearly a sect master or elder. At this moment, his arm froze mid-air, his expression locked, as if he simply could not believe his eyes.
Under the sudden silence, the black fog in their line of sight began to twist. At its very top, a pair of dark gray pupils slowly emerged.
These eyes were condensed from fog, constantly twisting and shifting—they should have been mere shapes. But everyone nearby inexplicably felt an incredibly real sensation of being stared at, causing their breath to stop and their sea of souls to convulse.
An bone-chilling coldness crawled up their spines, and an indescribable fear rapidly spread throughout their entire bodies.
"Th-that... what exactly is that..."
"It's not fog? Could it... really be Abyss Dust?"
"How is that possible... Even True Gods can only disperse it... How could someone possibly control Abyss Dust..."
The unknown is the greatest fear, especially when that unknown manifests vividly before one's eyes.
Before they could even form a proper reaction to this sudden terror, that terrifying voice rang out again:
"I am the emperor who rules the Mist Sea, and I have never wished to approach mortal beings."
"You lowly insects dare to violate my imperial majesty—your crime is unforgivable, and you shall be granted the calamity of death!"
Its fury was not intense, but every word tore at their guts and chilled their souls.
The moment the final word fell, the massive black fog suddenly collapsed, rapidly scattering in all directions.
A shadow completely shrouded by Abyss Dust, undetectable by anyone, also silently vanished into the darkness along with the dispersing fog.
At that instant, Hua Qingying, who was flying away with Hua Caili, sharply contracted her pupils and whirled around.
This aura...
The Abyss Dust earlier had been too massive and dense—even her divine sense could not fully penetrate it at once.
But now that the Abyss Dust had dispersed, the land beneath it released a wisp of aura that pierced her nerves like a cold spike.
*Boom!!*
The earth split apart, and a massive shadow burst out from the ground, its furious roar shaking the heavens.
The moment Hua Qingying turned her head, it was the instant it broke out of the earth.
Its body resembled an elk, its tail like a dragon, its head like a lion, and its enormous single horn seemed capable of tearing apart the sky and splitting the firmament...
An...cest...ral...Lin...Shen!
This Ancestral Lin Shen—or rather, Abyss Lin Shen—was not unfamiliar to Hua Qingying in the slightest.
It was the Ancestral Lin Shen that had been fully eroded by Abyss Dust, transformed into an Abyss Beast. All six Divine Kingdoms knew of its existence. Having often ventured deep into the Mist Sea, she had encountered it several times and used it to practice her sword.
She could not do anything to the Ancestral Lin Shen, and the Ancestral Lin Shen could not do anything to her.
But now, encountering this Ancestral Lin Shen again, her heart was filled with a thousandfold turmoil.
It... how could it be here!
How could it possibly appear here!
If she were alone, even facing ten Ancestral Lin Shen at once would not cause her the slightest panic.
But at her side was Hua Caili!
And the distance between them and this Ancestral Lin Shen was a mere thirty li.
Hua Qingying could no longer care about anything else. Her sleeves billowed, her long hair streamed, and her Profound Force erupted without reservation, at full power.
*Boom——*
The extreme of the Divine Extreme Realm—how terrifying was its might? The blast of force upon eruption sent a hundred-li hurricane roiling, shattering the organs and bones of countless Abyss Beasts and Xuan practitioners.
Her figure, carrying Hua Caili, had already transformed into a streak of flashing light, piercing through layers of mist and fleeing far into the distance.
*Boom!*
The Abyss Lin Shen crashed heavily to the ground, sending countless radiating cracks across the earth. And almost the moment it landed, its massive Lin claw raised and slammed straight down at the Mist Sea ground.
*Boom————*
An annihilating roar swallowed countless desperate screams and howls. The Xuan practitioners who had gathered had no chance to resist—they did not even have a chance to flee. Like tiny mosquitoes, they were shaken out of the air, then ground to dust by the violent destructive force, buried beneath the boiling Mist Sea earth, their voices silenced forever.
Hua Qingying turned back with cold eyes. Hundreds of sword shadows instantly formed a defensive sword formation around them, and all the Profound Force she could still mobilize was poured into Hua Caili's body.
"Aunt!" Hua Caili cried out in alarm. Then, amid the world-annihilating roar, her ears buzzed, and before her eyes, everything turned blank in an instant.
In that moment, blood burst from Hua Caili's seven orifices, and her face turned as pale as paper.
Blood droplets splattered onto Hua Qingying's hand and the lapel of her robe. Her five fingers tightened, and her sword heart was slightly disturbed.
She was a sword fanatic, an immortal among swords.
But... what she was least skilled at was the power of protection.
Moreover, she had always disdained carrying life-preserving profound artifacts on her person.
She knew full well the terror of this Ancestral Lin Shen.
She was the extreme of the extreme among humans—and it was the extreme of the extreme among Abyss Beasts.
Although Hua Caili was a Half-step Divine Annihilation Realm cultivator, under the might of the Lin Shen, even at this distance, a single touch would mean certain death.
Just now, even with her power protecting her, a single claw strike had already inflicted considerable injury. If she could not escape quickly and endure its power a few more times...
As her heart grew chaotic, a roar rose again from behind.
And sweeping in from the rear was a Lin Shen pressure far more intense than before.
Perhaps drawn by the aura of Hua Qingying's full eruption, the Abyss Lin Shen's aura now locked firmly onto Hua Qingying. It pounced with both claws, its violent and unparalleled Lin Shen power tearing through space, splitting the earth, like a merciless hammer of annihilation descending directly upon the space occupied by Hua Qingying and Hua Caili.
Hua Qingying spun her body. The Jue Xian Sword emerged, sweeping up ten thousand stunning sword rays.
In an instant, the power descending from the Abyss Lin Shen was torn apart like cloth, shattered, and dissipated into nothingness.
Such miraculous swordplay belonged solely to Hua Qingying.
But though the sword immortal's sword could easily dismantle the opponent's momentum, it could never truly annihilate the incoming power completely.
*Pfft!*
The spatial tremor was accompanied by the sound of blood spraying.
A long stream of blood shot from Hua Caili's lips, scalding hot as it landed on the crook of Hua Qingying's arm, almost instantly burning a hole through her heart and soul.
Her jade hand pressed against the young girl's back, quickly using Profound Qi to calm her injuries. But her five fingers trembled slightly... For ten thousand years, it was the first time her sword heart had truly been disturbed.
The sins of that year could never be redeemed.
That day, she had sworn by the sword in her hand and the remainder of her life that she would be the guardian of her daughter.
How could she...
"A-Aunt... don't be afraid..."
The girl's voice was faint, already as weak as a gossamer thread. Yet she still moved her hand, gently grasping her aunt's ice-cold palm: "I... it's nothing..."
"..." Hua Qingying let out a long breath. Her speed suddenly slowed at this moment.
"Caili." She whispered softly by the girl's ear: "Run... never look back, and never stop."
The moment the words fell, she struck a heavy palm against Hua Caili's back shoulder.
Hua Caili was instantly sent flying like a sword ray piercing through the sky, shooting far into the distance. And Hua Qingying had already turned in an instant, her Jue Xian Sword erupting with a thousand-foot sword aura, charging straight at the Abyss Lin Shen.
Her earlier palm strike would inevitably worsen Hua Caili's injuries.
But it was the only choice she had after weighing the options.
To protect Hua Caili, she had to remove her from the Abyss Lin Shen's power range. And she herself had to use her aura and sword rays as bait to lure it in the opposite direction as quickly as possible.
*Ding!*
The Jue Xian Sword shot forth. A thousand-foot sword aura pierced through tens of li of space in an instant, like a meteor cutting through the void, striking straight at the Abyss Lin Shen's eye.
A series of ear-shattering, soul-rending metallic clangs rang out. The sword aura shattered, and the Abyss Lin Shen's right eye also lost its dark pupil glow. Its roar became even more frantic. Its hundred-zhang Lin Shen body leaped into the air, pouncing straight at Hua Qingying who was rapidly approaching.
*Boom!*
The earth, which had just endured calamity, turned over once more. The Abyss Lin Shen's power struck empty air, only brushing against a rapidly fading sword shadow.
And Hua Qingying had already appeared behind the Abyss Lin Shen. A hundred sword shadows pierced straight into its back, sustaining its fury. But at the same time, she did not stop her momentum, continuing to race rapidly in the direction away from Hua Caili.
Abyss Beasts have no autonomous consciousness—only the instinct to destroy.
Thus, they can be easily lured by power and aura.
*Roar————*
The Abyss Lin Shen howled in fury. Its Lin claw raised once more, but...
As Hua Qingying's pupils contracted to their extreme limit in an instant, it did not turn to hurl the terrifying power contained in that claw at her, but instead...
It struck directly at Hua Caili, whom she had pushed so far away with all her might.