203: Chapter 200 The Strongest Sword

"It didn't seem to have truly awakened, or rather, its state was extremely unstable."

"The power it could mobilize was merely the Life Origin it had devoured; its own power seemed to be imprisoned by something, unable to be unleashed."

"It possessed heaven-shaking abilities, yet it was like a giant with its hands and feet bound."

"And I was in the true 'Taboo' Realm!"

"I used my body as a sword and my Soul as a blade, unfolding the Taboo Domain, where no magic could penetrate!"

"In that battle, I fought until I went mad!"

"The sword light tore through the sea of blood, shattered the gods and demons, and obliterated Divine Abilities!"

"Ultimately, the depths of Qingshen Pass were filled with my Sword Intent, and those attacks formed from Life Origin could no longer come within an inch of me."

"We... fought to a draw."

Inside the study, there was a deathly silence.

Chen Zhiwen could almost imagine the scene in that eternal darkness: a solitary, proud figure holding a long sword, standing alone between the sea of blood and the gods and demons, confronting a throbbing Heart of the World.

How tragic and heroic it was, and how... lonely!

"Seeing that it couldn't defeat me, the existence within the cocoon stopped."

None said slowly.

"That hoarse voice rang out again."

"It began to tempt me once more, promising me a higher Realm and greater power, as long as I was willing to become its new 'Gu insect'."

Chen Zhiwen's heart leaped into his throat once again.

Facing an invincible and relentlessly pressing terrifying existence, how would None choose?

"I didn't answer it."

A smile appeared on None's face—a smile of relief, of determination, and even a moth-to-a-flame-like madness.

"I simply... struck out with the strongest sword of my life!"

"With that strike, I held nothing back."

"I burned my cultivation, my Divine Soul, and that 'Taboo' Realm I had just stepped into!"

"I fused my lifelong Dao, all my insights, and all my obsessions into it!"

"The target of that strike wasn't those Life Origins, but..."

"The main body of that giant cocoon!"

"Boom!"

It was as if a sword light that could split the heavens and earth had crossed ten thousand years of time to explode in Chen Zhiwen's mind!

He seemed to see None's figure turning into an extremely brilliant light in that endless darkness—a light carrying all the will and glory of a living being—crashing without hesitation into that throbbing, sinister giant cocoon of flesh!

This was... risking one's life to take another's!

Using the fall of a "Taboo" expert as the price to shake the Heaven behind the scenes!

"After that strike, my consciousness began to dissipate."

None's voice became somewhat ethereal, and his Soul body flickered, as if it would vanish at any moment.

"I only remember that in the final moment, I heard the existence in the cocoon let out a roar of shock and anger for the first time."

"That giant cocoon was... slashed with a massive crack by me!"

"Countless Life Origins leaked frantically from that crack, returning once more to this world."

"And that cocoon's light dimmed as it fell back into silence, plunging into the Space-time Turbulence in the deepest part of Qingshen Pass."

"I know I didn't truly kill it."

There was deep regret in None's tone.

"Such an existence can no longer be defined by life and death."

"All I could do was severely wound it, delaying its awakening indefinitely."

"But, ultimately... there will be a day when it returns."

Chen Zhiwen fell silent.

He didn't know what to say.

Senior None had already done everything he could.

By his own strength, he had bought ten thousand years of breathing room for the Human Race and the entire Desolate State.

This achievement deserved every praise.

"In the final moment of my Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, I used the last of my strength to forcibly tear off a wisp of my Soul Origin."

"I sealed this remnant Soul, along with my final insights into the Sword Dao, here on the ninth floor of the prison suppressing pagoda."

None's gaze finally withdrew completely from his memories, becoming incredibly clear and solemn as it fell upon Chen Zhiwen.

"I did this for two reasons."

His voice was extremely serious.

"First, to pass down this truth."

"I hope that in future generations, there will emerge one... no, many existences who can surpass me."

"What you will face is the 'The Creator' of this world, our 'Heaven'!"

"Only when your power is truly strong enough to overturn this Heaven can the billions of living beings in the Desolate State obtain true... freedom!"

Chen Zhiwen's breathing became incredibly heavy.

Overturn this Heaven!

What a heavy entrustment!

"Second..."

None's gaze became even deeper, as if he wanted to see through to the depths of Chen Zhiwen's Soul.

"It is to help the destined person who comes here break a Shackle that has been planted since birth."

"Shackle?"

Chen Zhiwen was stunned.

"Do you still remember what that person said at the end?"

None asked.

Chen Zhiwen's mind shook, and he blurted out, "For all living beings, from the moment of birth, their fate is already sealed!"

"Correct."

None nodded slowly.

"Those words were not a lie."

"When that 'The Creator' created this world and created us 'living beings', he left an... brand in the deepest part of every being's Soul!"

"That brand is our 'fate'!"

"It limits our potential, binds our Realms, and determines our Lifespan!"

"Why is it that for eternity, no one has ever been able to break through the Peak Grandmaster level?"

"Why do countless Prodigies eventually get stuck at a Bottleneck and die in frustration?"

"It is because of the existence of this brand!"

"It is like an invisible wall, a natural chasm, firmly blocking everyone's path forward!"

"As for me, the reason I could break through to the 'Taboo' Realm was that through those life-and-death moments, and after witnessing that cruel truth, my Dao Heart and will surpassed their limits. Then, with that person's help, I barely managed to... tear a crack in that brand!"

"It was precisely because of that crack that I could glimpse the scenery above the Great Grandmaster level!"

"So that's how it is..."

Chen Zhiwen murmured to himself, waves of shock surging in his heart!

This is the truth!

This is the real reason why no one in the Desolate State has been able to break the Shackles for eternity!

It's not that their talent was insufficient or that they didn't work hard enough, but that their upper limit had been 'set' from the very beginning!