The black round device is the device that separates blowby gasses from the oil and allows oil to drain back into the engine. You are seeing "seepage" from this system not soot. It looks so bad because anyplace oil is you have dirt/debris that seems to cling on. Clean it up and don't worry about it.

Now if you look deep into the injector hoses and see black tar like substance then you are seeing the beginning of black death. I've never heard of it being that big of a deal on the 606 engine (which your car and my daily driver).

Lose the cover and you can keep an eye on all this stuff anytime you have hood open.

__________________
Jim