240: The transformation of the spirit is complete, and the black sun is coming.

The collapsing earth groaned.

Dark fissures, like hideous scars, continuously spread across the ruins.

Violent Law turbulences transformed into invisible blades, harvesting the last vestiges of life from this Small World.

Upon the remains of a relatively intact mountain range, Yue Xi's breathing was rapid and disordered.

She propped herself up with one hand on a long sword with dim spiritual light, its blade supporting her tottering body.

Her magic power was almost depleted.

Her white dress was stained with specks of blood and dust, and her originally pure and ethereal Aura was now enveloped by profound exhaustion.

Not far in front of her, a tattered figure stared intently at her.

Blood Shadow.

He was even more wretched than Yue Xi.

Half of his body had vanished, exposing ghastly white bones and writhing, unknown internal organs. Dense black Qi continuously seeped from his wounds; it was his collapsing Origin.

Yet, his eyes were crazier and more fervent than ever before.

It was the look of a Vicious Beast, starved to the extreme, seeing its last straw.

"Dao Embryo Spirit Eyes..."

Blood Shadow's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of metal rubbing together, and the greed it contained was almost tangible.

"Heaven truly does not wish for my demise."

"As long as I devour you, devour your Dao Embryo Spirit Eyes, I will not only heal my injuries, but my Dao foundation can even advance further."

"Yue Xi, you should feel honored to become the stepping stone for me to reach a higher level."

Yue Xi said nothing.

She merely tightened her grip on the sword, injecting all her remaining magic power into it without reservation.

A faint, cold moonlight once again illuminated the sword's edge.

She had reached a desperate situation.

Blood Shadow saw through her facade of strength and displayed a twisted, cruel smile.

He abruptly raised his sole remaining left arm, splayed his five fingers, and a bloody claw print, condensed from countless resentful Souls and foul blood, descended fiercely towards Yue Xi's crown, carrying a pungent stench.

With this strike, he used his last bit of Origin power, determined to succeed.

Yue Xi's pupils constricted suddenly.

She could feel the defiling power contained within that claw print, enough to tear her Divine Soul apart.

She wanted to dodge, but her body could no longer keep up with her consciousness's reaction.

The shadow of death once again enveloped her.

Just at this critical moment.

An invisible ripple suddenly spread through the space in front of the bloody claw print.

A figure, without any warning, stepped out from the Void Realm, directly blocking Yue Xi's path.

The figure extended a palm, its movement appearing unremarkable, and gently slapped the menacing blood claw.

Bang.

A muffled thud.

That fatal blow, which had condensed all of Blood Shadow's Origin, instantly disintegrated as if it had hit an invisible wall, turning into a sky full of black Qi and vanishing into nothingness.

Time, at this moment, seemed to stand still.

Yue Xi looked at that broad and familiar back, her tightly bitten lower lip slightly relaxed, and a complex light she had never shown before flowed deep within her clear eyes.

Blood Shadow's pathologically fervent expression also completely froze on his face.

His eyes were wide open, staring intently at the man before him who should have been utterly dead, and a disbelieving gurgling sound escaped his throat.

"You... you..."

Lin Fan slowly turned around, giving Yue Xi a reassuring look.

Then, his gaze fell upon Blood Shadow's tattered body, his tone calm.

"What 'you'?

You're in such a hurry to die, I'll grant your wish."

A profound and vast Aura, far surpassing anything before, slowly rose from within Lin Fan's body.

Soul Transformation Late Stage.

Blood Shadow's body trembled violently, uncontrollably.

That wasn't due to anger, but the most primal fear stemming from the suppression of his life level.

He couldn't understand.

An hour ago, this man was only at the Nascent Soul Stage cultivation.

How long had it been? Not only was he not dead, but his cultivation had actually soared to such a terrifying state.

This completely overturned his understanding.

Lin Fan gave him no more time to think.

His figure flickered, instantly vanishing from his original spot.

The next moment, he appeared beside Blood Shadow, his five fingers pressed together, and with a casual swipe, he drew across his waist.

Space Ripping Claw.

Blood Shadow's reaction was undeniably fast; the moment Lin Fan disappeared, he had already burned his vital blood, transforming his body into a bloody mist and retreating explosively.

But while he was fast, Lin Fan's attack was faster.

Or rather, space itself was faster.

Chila.

A dark rift appeared out of thin air along Blood Shadow's retreat path, precisely slicing across his waist.

Blood Shadow's movements suddenly stiffened.

He lowered his head, staring in disbelief at his own body.

A cut as smooth as a mirror completely separated his upper and lower body.

No blood flowed out.

All matter at the wound had been completely annihilated by the power of space.

"Ahhh!"

Intense pain and boundless frustration made Blood Shadow let out a beast-like roar.

He never dreamed that his proud speed and movement technique would become a joke in front of his opponent.

His opponent wasn't chasing him at all.

Instead, he had laid a death trap in advance on his inevitable path.

What terrifying control over the Law of space was this?

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Realizing that he had no chance of escape, a final, desperate glint of madness flashed in Blood Shadow's eyes.

His remaining upper body exploded, transforming into a dense, ultimate Origin Blood Fiend.

This Blood Fiend rapidly writhed in the air, ultimately condensing into an ancient and sinister blood-colored rune.

"Curse of the Netherworld Ancestor!"

Blood Shadow's voice, filled with endless resentment, echoed between heaven and earth.

That rune ignored spatial distance and material obstruction, instantly imprinting itself on Lin Fan's glabella.

This was not a physical attack, nor an energy impact.

This was the most malicious curse, directly targeting the Divine Soul Origin.

Yue Xi's heart instantly leaped into her throat.

However, the anticipated scene of Lin Fan collapsing in pain did not occur.

Lin Fan stood still, unmoving.

He didn't even frown.

Instead, he closed his eyes, a look of near enjoyment on his face.

A cold, malicious power, filled with decay and corruption, was violently assaulting his Divine Soul.

His Indestructible True Soul, at this moment, emitted a faint golden radiance, stubbornly resisting that annihilating force.

At the same time, this powerful external pressure was like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking the sturdy cultivation Bottleneck within his body.

Now is the time.

Lin Fan let out a low roar in his heart.

He actively gave up some resistance, allowing the power of the curse to penetrate deeper into his Divine Soul.

Excruciating pain ensued.

But precisely at the moment this intense pain reached its peak.

Crack.

A crisp sound, as if from the depths of his Soul.

That Bottleneck, which had troubled him for so long, from Soul Transformation Late Stage to Soul Transformation Perfection, shattered with a crash.

Boom—

A powerful Aura, perfectly harmonious and permeating heaven and earth, like a waking Dragon, soared from within Lin Fan's body.

His magic power, his Divine Thought, his Aura, at this moment, began to surge wildly.

Soul Transformation Perfection.

Achieved.

Opposite, from within the rapidly dissipating blood-colored rune, came Blood Shadow's final roar, filled with shock and unwillingness.

"You... you actually used my Origin curse... as fodder for your Breakthrough?!"

He died with his eyes wide open.

Lin Fan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the unprecedented power within him, and a satisfied arc curved at the corner of his mouth.

However, the smile on his face quickly froze.

Because, at this moment, the entire turbulent world seemed to have found a common outlet.

All Law turbulences.

All spatial storms.

All destructive energy.

All converged madly towards the space directly above his head, as if drawn by some invisible force.

The already dim sky above, at this moment, became darker than the deepest night.

All light was swallowed.

Immediately after, in the center of that ultimate darkness, a 'sun' slowly emerged.

It was a Black Sun.

It emitted no light or heat, only an Aura of annihilation that caused all things to wither and all beings to fear.

A majestic Heavenly Might, far surpassing any previous natural disaster, descended with a crash.

The last remnants of the entire Myriad Realms Small World trembled under this pressure.

Yue Xi looked up at the Black Sun, her beautiful face filled with shock and horror.

Void Refining Heavenly Tribulation.

Has descended.