65: Increase the level of understanding of the laws

"The 'divine sense tree' must rise to a height of ten million meters before it can knock open the gate to the second heaven of the Spirit Refining Realm..."

Lin Yuan's mind was focused, recalling the tragic price he paid when breaking through to the ninth-tier Divine Thought.

It was a gamble that almost drained all his basic combat power, sacrificed most of his Law comprehension Foundation except for the Chaos and Law of Destruction cores, and he even unhesitatingly stripped away and burned nearly an entire, precious river of Time Law!

Yet now, the sheer amount of energy required to break through each heavenly barrier had to be measured in "billion-star units"!

This was no different from a desperate abyss lying before his eyes.

"Second stage, Azure Void Wind Rises!" Inspector Mo Xuan's voice, cold as cold iron, suddenly tore through the silence of the platform.

Whoosh—woo—!

A deep cyan storm descended without warning!

Its power was more than ten times as violent as the first wind!

The wind howled like the screeching of billions of resentful Souls, causing the Void Realm platform to vibrate and tremble!

The Law power contained within was like poisoned steel needles, bringing a bone-chilling sensation of Soul tearing, crazily bombarding every inch of space!

On Lin Yuan's body, the layer of Divine Thought fluctuations disguised as fifth-tier gilded gold, under his deliberate suppression, swayed violently just right, like a candle in the wind.

However, within his essence, that terrifying Azure Void Wind, which could easily tear apart a fifth-tier Divine Thought user, as soon as it invaded his vast Sea of Consciousness territory—Hum!

The towering divine sense tree trembled slightly, and the Chaos and Law of Destruction patterns flowing on the trunk flashed with a ghostly light.

The violent wind force was like a clay ox entering the sea, instantly captured, torn, and devoured by an invisible, terrifying suction force originating from the ninth-tier Origin!

It didn't even cause a ripple before disappearing without a trace, as if thrown into a bottomless abyss!

"Hmm?" Lin Yuan's mind stirred, keenly capturing a trace of anomaly.

Within those devoured Azure Void Winds, there were actually wisps of extremely pure Soul Dao Law fragments!

These fragments were like the most nourishing feed, greedily absorbed by the roots of the divine sense tree and rapidly transmitted to the canopy.

One of the newly born tender leaves was slowly unfurling at a speed visible to the naked eye, its veins crystal clear, presenting a warm, jade-like luster and mysterious patterns, radiating vigorous vitality and a unique Soul rhythm!

"So... this Soul-Extinguishing Wind is actually excellent nourishment for my divine sense tree!" A sharp light exploded in Lin Yuan's eyes; it was the ecstasy of discovering a Heaven-Defying Treasure Trove!

He instantly reversed his strategy, no longer defending passively, but actively guiding it!

Boom—!

As his thoughts shifted, the nine-colored Divine Thought within his Sea of Consciousness turned into an invisible vortex torrent, actively pulling and sweeping up the external Azure Void Wind, like a rushing river, fiercely washing over that divine sense tree rooted in Chaos!

The storm's destructive power, the extreme speed of the Wind Law, and the Soul Dao nourishment—these three types of Law fragments were efficiently stripped, analyzed, and absorbed!

As time passed, Lin Yuan's depth of comprehension regarding the Law of Destruction, Wind Law, and Soul Dao Law skyrocketed like a rocket!

Above the canopy, the leaves representing these three Laws, as well as that new Soul Dao jade leaf, had increasingly clear veins and flowing luster, growing sturdily at a speed that defied common sense!

Three hours passed amidst the endless howling of the storm.

When the Azure Void Wind finally retreated unwillingly, on the vast platform, the jade platforms that were originally as vast as a galaxy now had only a few million left stubbornly emitting a faint light, like lonely fireflies in a dark Universe.

Yan Jin of the Burning Heaven Great World, sitting cross-legged on the red jade platform, the nine golden flames that once burned the Void Realm were now mostly dimmed, the flames flickering weakly, as if they would be completely extinguished in the next moment, reflecting his paper-white face.

Xue Li of the Ice Soul Great World, the once flawless giant black ice cocoon was now covered in hideous, spiderweb-like cracks, like a glass artwork about to shatter, cold air dissipating, teetering on the edge.

Many more had long since lost consciousness silently, collapsing on the jade platforms like discarded rag dolls, ruthlessly teleported off the field by the platform rules, leaving behind a mess and despair.

"Third stage, Annihilation Black Wind!" Mo Xuan's voice was like a judgment from the Nine Netherworlds, devoid of any emotion.

Wuwu—!

An ink-black storm, carrying a color of despair that seemed to devour all light and a sharp whistling sound that pierced the Soul, descended with a boom!

This time, the wind's contained Law terror level skyrocketed: Law of Destruction reached 3%, carrying the ultimate malice of annihilating all things; Wind Law 1%, granting it pervasive penetration; Soul Dao Law 2%, like a greedy parasite, crazily draining the Divine Soul Origin!

This was no longer a test, but a naked declaration of extinction for fifth-tier Divine Thought users!

"Puff—!"

In the direction of the Burning Heaven Great World, Yan Jin suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood burning with golden flames!

Blood mist filled the air, staining his tattered robes red.

The three remaining protective golden flames around him, in this terrifying Annihilation Black Wind, were like candles in the wind, struggling and flickering a few times before poof, poof, poof, extinguishing one after another!

His eyes were blood-red, his face distorted by extreme pain and despair, letting out a beast-like roar, but he was unable to turn the tide!

Xue Li's situation was even more tragic!

The already cracked black ice barrier, the moment it was touched by the Annihilation Black Wind, was like fragile thin ice hitting a red-hot iron, failing to offer even a shred of resistance before vaporizing with a boom and dissipating into nothingness!

The pitch-black wind blades were like highly venomous snakes, instantly invading her fragile Sea of Consciousness!

On her ice-blue Divine Soul core, several terrifying cracks spread, visible to the naked eye!

Just at the critical moment when the cracks were about to completely shatter and she would face Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering—Swish!

A pure, flawless pillar of white light, containing the supreme will of protection, ignoring the storm's obstruction, descended precisely from the Nine Heavens, instantly enveloping Xue Li!

This was the emergency intervention of the proctor Elder!

The white light flashed, and Xue Li's figure, along with her crumbling Divine Soul, disappeared from the spot, leaving behind only tiny ice crystal fragments being rapidly devoured by the black wind.

Conversely, Lin Yuan.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, a gluttonous feast was taking place!

The Annihilation Black Wind, which was enough to make a top Saint face Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, was actively pulled and devoured by the vortex torrent composed of nine-colored Divine Thought!

The annihilation characteristic of the Law of Destruction was assimilated and absorbed by the Chaos Divine Thought, the extreme penetration of the Wind Law was analyzed and imprinted, and the nourishing power of the Soul Dao Law was greedily drawn!

The towering divine sense tree, under the irrigation of such violent yet pure "nourishment," was growing crazily at an unprecedented speed!

Crack!

A crisp sound, yet containing infinite vitality, came from the core of his Sea of Consciousness!

The height of the divine sense tree had brazenly broken through the hundred-meter mark!

On the thick trunk, those Law patterns representing Chaos, Destruction, Wind, and Soul Dao became deeper and more solid, flowing with heart-palpitating primitive power!

This speed was far beyond a hundred years of arduous closed-door cultivation!

"So the Soul Dao Law has such wonderful uses... accelerating Divine Thought recovery, improving the efficiency of devouring and conversion..." Lin Yuan realized in his heart, his surprise even greater.

In this Soul-Extinguishing Wind purgatory, others were prisoners struggling to hold on, while he was a Dominator harvesting the storm and plundering the Laws!

As one waned and the other waxed, his advantage expanded crazily like a snowball!

The nine-colored Divine Thought was like the most efficient furnace, decomposing and purifying the invading Red Flame Wind layer by layer, turning it into the most original energy, nourishing every inch of the divine sense tree's branches and leaves.

Six long hours of torment were like six epochs.

When the Red Flame Wind that burned everything finally retreated, exhausted, on the vast and boundless platform, the scene was so tragic that it made one's scalp tingle!

The originally vast galaxy of jade platforms now had only a lonely hundred left!

What was even more hair-raising was that the figures on seven of those jade platforms had long since completely lost consciousness, lying limp like broken rag dolls, their faces pale, their breath as thin as silk.

The Magic Treasures protecting them around their bodies flickered with extremely weak light, like candles in the wind, barely hanging on to their last wisp of Divine Soul.

The corresponding Soul-measuring pillars were also teetering, the Soul fire at the top dimmed like ghost fire, as if it would be completely extinguished at any moment.

"Final test—Soul-Annihilation Wind!" Mo Xuan's voice was like the final funeral bell tolling for this cruel selection.

Rumble—!

A storm formed by pure "Annihilation" power, representing the ultimate destination of the Universe, descended with a world-destroying might that made the Void Realm wail and the Laws crumble!

This storm was no longer wind, but countless invisible blades condensed from the Law of Destruction, sufficient to erase existence!

The remaining dozen or so Saints no longer held anything back, one after another unleashing life-risking methods that squeezed their life Origin:

A Saint with huge pitch-black wings on his back suddenly bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of brilliant blood mist containing his life-bound essence Soul!

The pitch-black wings instantly ignited with a sickly green Soul fire, the Divine Thought intensity forced to climb to the seventh tier amidst wails, shaking the storm head-on!

A mysterious person shrouded in a wide black robe swallowed seven Medicinal Pills the size of dragon eyes, emitting an ominous blood light, without hesitation!

In an instant, dozens of twisted, painful, and hideously roaring ghost face phantoms appeared around his body, emitting ear-piercing, shrill wails, forming a layer of evil protection!

Even more extreme, one let out a desperate roar, their body exploding with a boom!

Forcibly melting all their Qi and blood essence and the remaining Divine Soul power, injecting it into the remaining Divine Thought core, in exchange for a momentary, terrifying burst like a flash of light before death!

In this apocalyptic scene, Lin Yuan finally "moved."

He carefully and extremely precisely released a trace of the suppression of his ninth-tier Divine Thought within his body, keeping the intensity of his external fluctuations just right at the "sixth-tier Peak" level—a level that seemed powerful, but was still precarious in front of the Soul-Annihilation Wind.

Boom—!

The Soul-Annihilation Wind, like a destructive tidal wave, fiercely rushed into Lin Yuan's Sea of Consciousness!

This time, it was not easily devoured, but with the will to annihilate all things, it collided fiercely with the divine sense tree rooted in Chaos at the essential level!

Bang! Crack!

The surface of the divine sense tree's trunk, harder than divine metal, was instantly impacted with countless fine spiderweb cracks!

However, these cracks existed for only a billionth of a second!

Deep within the trunk, the primitive patterns of Chaos and Destruction suddenly lit up, and nine-colored light surged and flowed like a river of life!

The cracks were repaired and closed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even became tougher!

Under this destructive baptism, the divine sense tree was not damaged; instead, like forged steel, its branches became more robust, the Law patterns clearer and deeper, and the growth speed was even faster than before!

"Not enough... far from enough! This bit of Annihilation power is not enough to fully stimulate the potential of the divine sense tree!"

Lin Yuan not only did not retreat in the slightest, but his eyes burned with an even more intense light!

He shifted his thoughts again, actually actively guiding the even more violent and pure Soul-Annihilation Wind, like a forging hammer, fiercely washing over the core of the divine sense tree's trunk!

To the outside world, the Soul-measuring pillar where Lin Yuan was located underwent an unprecedentedly violent reaction!

The pillar shook crazily, as if it would snap in the middle at any moment!

The gilded Soul fire at the top, representing his "sixth-tier Peak" Divine Thought intensity, flickered and dimmed uncontrollably, as if out of control!

The light sometimes dimmed to the point of almost extinguishing, and sometimes suddenly flared up a bit, presenting an illusion of being on the verge of complete collapse at any time!

On the spectator stand, the crowd, already stunned into silence by this tragic final act, finally erupted with uncontrollable exclamations:

"Look! That Lin Yuan from the Tianqing Domain! His Soul fire is about to go out!"

"To be able to hold on until the final wind is already Heaven-Defying! After all, he is only at the first heaven of the Spirit Refining Realm, his Foundation is ultimately insufficient!"

"What a pity... such a Prodigy, I'm afraid he will fall here..."

"Ultimately, the Realm limits the upper bound... under the Soul-Annihilation Wind, a sixth-tier Divine Thought can hardly survive!"

Countless gazes focused on the violently shaking, flickering Soul-measuring pillar, filled with pity, sighs, and even a trace of schadenfreude.

Feng Tianxiu was so nervous he was almost suffocating, his fists clenched tight, his knuckles turning white!

However, no one knew. Beneath that seemingly precarious flickering Soul fire, the divine sense tree within Lin Yuan's Sea of Consciousness was being crazily forged by the Annihilation storm, growing at a speed beyond imagination, toward that magnificent goal of ten million meters—firmly and violently—sprouting and growing!