"It’s been a month already, and Withered Supreme still shows no signs of coming out?"

The Military Lord, resembling a Buddha Son, twirled the Buddhist Beads with one hand while scratching his slightly stubbled bald head with the other in puzzlement.

Even the twelve Scars of the Precepts on his head seemed to convey a hint of confusion.

By logic, this shouldn’t be the case.

Even without the Mythical Level Supreme Treasure Turtle Shell, it shouldn’t take so long to nourish the Body and Soul.

Even after revealing significant Celestial Secrets, a short recovery would span ten days to half a month, during which the body should naturally recuperate over time without the need for seclusion or meditation.

The Soul is a miraculous thing, possessing immense self-healing properties.

Provided it hasn’t been subjected to unique rules or targeting Powers, smaller injuries should naturally heal over time.

As a well-established system of the Extraordinary, Divination typically does not inflict such severe damage under normal circumstances.

However, nothing is absolute; what if?

Seeing Withered Supreme had not emerged from the secret chamber for a long time, the Military Lord couldn’t remain idle and decided to check on him.

"Report to the Military Lord, Withered Supreme has shown no signs of activity."

In the buffer Space of the secret chamber, an Elder responsible for its guardianship slightly shook his head.

"No feedback at all?" the Military Lord asked again.

"None."

The Elder replied with certainty.

"In these thirty days, no news has emerged from the Supreme, nor has anyone entered. If Withered Supreme’s Life Lamp hasn’t extinguished, he is likely fine. That youth from the Divine Continent is deeply entangled, perhaps Withered Supreme has overextended his mental faculties."

Could it be excessive consumption?

There is some reason to this.

The Military Lord slightly furrowed his brow.

By logic, this shouldn’t be the case.

Though the Invincible Tyrannosaurus War God had some vague connections with a Great Power, it definitely hadn’t reached an untouchable state.

Previously, after the Grand Elder’s demise, the Military Lord inspected the secret chamber and was eighty percent confident that the force responsible for his sudden destruction was a projection from a Great Power rather than a backlash from Divination.

The two concepts are completely different.

With support from Divination Class Mythical Treasures stronger than the Seven Luminaries Falling Star Mirror, and navigating through Cause and Effect Lines, while consumption is significant, it should be within acceptable and normal bounds.

Yet now, Withered Supreme’s circumstances are evidently out of order.

Thinking it over, the Military Lord, feeling uneasy, ordered the secret chamber to be opened to verify the situation firsthand.

Even though this place is one of the safest retreats for the Salvation Resistance Army, he still wasn’t at ease.

What if?

Even if disturbing Withered Supreme’s recovery by opening the chamber, at worst, compensation could be made by procuring a "Curiosity."

"Clang... clack clack..."

The massive doors of the secret chamber slowly slid open, revealing the hidden inner chamber within.

Breathing was steady, it seemed nothing was amiss.

The Military Lord glanced at the Withered Supreme seated cross-legged, leaning against the Turtle Shell, and released a long breath upon hearing his steady breathing.

It appeared he had been overthinking... Wait! What’s that!

In the dim inner chamber, the Military Lord suddenly caught sight of a striking crack on the gigantic Turtle Shell through the darkness.

The crack ran almost entirely through the Turtle Shell, nearly splitting it in half!

This is bad!

An instant hum surged in the Military Lord’s mind as he appeared beside Withered Supreme.

Behind his head, a Dharma Aspect resembling the full moon subtly emerged, while his enormous Buddha perception surged forth like liquid mercury.

The next moment, shock surfaced on the Military Lord’s face.

Even his formerly serene eyes trembled intensely, showing profound astonishment.

Withered Supreme’s Soul had long withered away!

He was now merely an empty shell, his Soul shrunk to nearly negligible existence.

Even an unborn infant possessed a stronger Soul than he did.

In this state, even the notion of "self" would disperse, let alone memories!

He appeared alive, but the reality was he’d been gone for a month!

This was a true Living Dead.

Not even comparable to a vegetative state!

"The Life Lamp remains unextinguished, but the Soul has nearly completely perished. What on earth happened... that even the Ancient Turtle Shell had split open..."

Disbelieving, the Military Lord placed a finger on Withered Supreme’s brow, attempting to forcefully stimulate the already dried-up Sea of Consciousness with Buddha perception to revive any remaining trace of the Soul.

If he could successfully retrieve some Soul Fragments, perhaps he could discover what had transpired.

Should even the faintest shape of the Soul remain, Withered Supreme might still have a chance of rescue.

Yet just as the Military Lord’s finger touched his body, it seemingly disrupted the extremely fragile balance.

In an instant, the extensive crack on the enormous Turtle Shell swiftly began to spread in all directions.

"Crack crack crack crack crack..."

A series of crisp sounds like life-taking talismans continuously rang out.

Before the expression on the Military Lord’s face could change, the Mythical Level Treasure known as the Ancient Turtle Shell shattered into pieces, taking Withered Supreme’s body along with it.

It was the purest decomposition, with neither the typical Spiritual Qi tsunami from experts undergoing Transformation Dao nor anything else; entirely reduced to nothingness from top to bottom.

Only a storage item, a Jade Pendant, fell with a soft thud amid the scattered clothing.

Beyond that, nothing remained.

At that moment, the Military Lord’s expression underwent a drastic change; his previously indifferent face showed clear horror, with pupils dilating sharply.