221: Ultimate Capture

Deep within the Dragon vein, the concepts of time and space had long since blurred.

The black crystal key, formed from Li Dong's divinity core, made no earth-shattering sound; it simply drifted lightly and with pinpoint precision, piercing into the deepest, and only, point of light within the Ultimate Shadow's Chaos body—the divinity anchor point.

Click.

A soft sound, as if it did not ring out in reality, but rather directly on the level of the Soul, the sound of a connection in the Law breaking.

On the black crystal key, black and white Qi swirled, forming a tiny millstone that completely crushed and severed the connection between that anchor point and the mysterious depths of the Void Realm.

The connection was severed.

Awoo—!!!

An unprecedented wail, filled with pure despair and bewilderment, erupted from within the Ultimate Shadow.

It was no longer a high and mighty god's projection, but like a rotting sack of flesh that had suddenly had all its bones and Soul removed.

Having lost the remote control of the "Boss," its massive body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, and the Void Realm energy accumulated within, enough to destroy the entire capital, leaked out crazily in all directions like a burst dam.

It wanted to self-destruct; this was the final program that had been set.

However, it was too late.

"Want to flip the table? You'll have to ask me, the dealer, if I agree."

Li Dong stood at the center of the energy storm, his clothes flapping loudly, but there was not a trace of panic on his face.

He simply raised his hand gently, as if conducting an orchestra.

"Dinner time."

Hum—!

With the Ultimate Shadow as the center, the entire Dragon vein core area, the energy vortex originally used for guiding and imprisoning, suddenly changed in nature.

The true form of the [Eternal Prison] was completely revealed at this moment.

It was no longer a slow digestion like boiling a frog in warm water, but had transformed into a gluttonous beast awakened from the ancient wilderness, opening its invisible mouth that could devour everything.

Black, pure black, like the deepest void in the Universe, instantly completely enveloped that out-of-control, massive body.

All of the Ultimate Shadow's struggles and all of its leaking energy were greedily swallowed by that giant mouth without a drop remaining, not even a ripple managing to spread out.

This was not a battle; this was a meal.

A one-sided, suspense-free gluttonous feast.

"Ugh..."

Li Dong let out a groan that was both satisfied and slightly painful.

An unprecedented, unimaginably pure torrent of energy, carrying massive amounts of Void Realm Law fragments, surged crazily into his limbs and bones through the conversion of the [Eternal Prison].

It was too much, it was simply too much.

This was incomparable to those previous Clones; this was the strongest projection sent down by the "Boss," containing a sliver of its Origin core power.

Li Dong's Nascent Soul sat cross-legged in his Sea of Consciousness, but at this moment, it was like a balloon being inflated, instantly expanding to its limit, its surface emitting a dazzling nine-colored radiance.

"Boom!"

An invisible barrier within him was instantly breached and shattered by this brutal power.

The cracks previously shaken into his Perfect Dao Body not only healed instantly, but every inch of flesh and every cell cheered and leaped under the baptism of this energy, undergoing a higher-level transformation.

Bottleneck? What Bottleneck?

In the face of absolute power, it simply did not exist.

Soul Transformation Late Stage... Peak...

Half-step Mahayana...

Great Ascension Stage!

Success!

Li Dong suddenly opened his eyes, and the entire golden river of Luck deep within the Dragon vein rose and fell with his breathing.

He felt that he had never been so powerful, and the entire world looked different in his eyes.

He could clearly "see" the flow of the Law and "hear" the breathing of the world's Origin.

Meanwhile.

In the deepest part of the Void Realm, so far away that it could not be measured by distance.

That eye, massive enough to overlook the galaxy, suddenly contracted.

"Roar—!!!"

A silent roar, yet it caused several surrounding worlds that were heading toward extinction to instantly collapse and turn into dust.

Intense pain!

A heart-piercing pain originating from the Origin!

That was not simply a Clone being destroyed; that was one of its own fingers, which it had extended, being chewed up, swallowed, and even digested into the other party's power, skin and bone!

This kind of loss was irreversible!

For the first time, it truly felt "weakness."

...

Deep within the Dragon vein.

Li Dong felt the surging, ocean-like power within his body and clenched his fist, feeling slightly unaccustomed to it.

"So this is the feeling of the Great Ascension Stage... Not bad."

He glanced at the surrounding space, which had become extremely unstable due to the earlier loss of energy control, filled everywhere with twisted cracks and violent energy turbulence.

He just waved his hand casually.

A gentle yet irresistible force spread out.

Those hideous space cracks were instantly smoothed over, and the violent energy turbulence calmed down obediently, like tamed wild horses.

The entire Dragon vein core returned to the calm it had maintained for ten thousand years.

The violent shaking of the capital also stopped abruptly.

Inside the Demon Suppression Tower.

"This aura..." The Grand Elder stood up abruptly, his cloudy eyes wide open.

"It... it's Mahayana!" The Second Elder's voice was trembling.

"He succeeded... He really succeeded!" The Third Elder was so moved that old tears streamed down his face.

The three Grand Elders who had lived for nearly a thousand years could no longer remain calm.

They looked at each other and saw the shock, ecstasy, and a trace of heartfelt... reverence in each other's eyes.

They walked out of the Demon Suppression Tower, looked far toward the direction of the capital's Imperial Palace, straightened their robes, and then bowed deeply and respectfully.

"Welcome, Savior!"

This bow was not for the Demon Suppression Division commander, but for an existence who had truly, with his own strength, pulled the entire world back from the brink of destruction.

The world seemed to feel this joy as well.

Above the capital, the Nine Dragon Sky-Locking Formation, which had been torn apart by the Ultimate Shadow, began to repair itself autonomously without anyone presiding over it, streams of golden light flowing, even more solid and heavy than before.

Spiritual Veins all over the world, as if having taken a powerful tonic, suddenly accelerated their Spiritual Qi recovery speed several times over.

The parched earth regained its vitality, and withered plants sprouted new buds.

The entire world's Origin was celebrating.

Deep within the Dragon vein, Li Dong closed his eyes, carefully sensing all of this.

He could feel that after the [Eternal Prison] finished digesting the Ultimate Shadow, there was a new power inside.

A power... that carried the "Boss's" mark, yet completely belonged to himself.

This prison was not a weapon at all.

It was a furnace, a converter.

A super cheat that could turn the "Boss's" power into his own power.

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

Li Dong chuckled softly and slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the thick layers of the earth, piercing through the endless Void Realm.

After ascending to the Great Ascension Stage, he was finally able to clearly perceive where the "Boss" that had been hiding behind the scenes—its true body—actually was.

It was a huge, slightly trembling "void."

A source of the Void Realm... that was no longer perfect due to damage to its Origin.

"Found you."

Li Dong muttered to himself.

"The game of hide-and-seek is over."

Now, he finally had the qualifications to flip the entire chessboard and face the final BOSS directly.

The real final battle was about to begin.