289: Chapter 289: My Era Has Arrived

"Damn it! The law seed is protecting him!"

The Nine-Headed Snake Emperor roared, his five heads simultaneously slamming into the River of Law.

But each time, he was repelled.

The scales of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor shattered, and black blood gushed out, but he did not stop.

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong struggled to stand up, his broken sword held horizontally before him as he walked toward the River of Law.

He tried to step into the river, but as soon as his foot touched the water, he was repelled by a massive force, spitting out blood.

He collapsed onto the ground, his face deathly pale.

"I can't get in... The River of Law is blocking everyone..."

Lion Cangqiong also tried; he dragged his severed arm and reached out with his right claw toward the River of Law.

The river water splashed up, scalding his claw and causing him to wince in pain.

"Only he can enter! This river water has acknowledged a master!"

Feng Tian used her Nirvana Fire to probe, but the flames extinguished the moment they touched the river water.

Her face turned even paler.

"It is the rejection of the Law; the law seed is acknowledging him and rejecting us."

The Sparrow Emperor opened his massive beak, the Heaven-Swallowing Vortex spinning as he attempted to devour the River of Law.

But the river water could not be swallowed into his vortex; instead, it burst his vortex apart.

He let out a miserable scream, collapsed to the ground, and spat out blood.

The Snake Emperor lay in the distance, his five heads raised, watching Xiao Ran.

His vertical pupils were filled with jealousy and rage.

"A little Cultivator of the Human Race, on what grounds..."

His voice was filled with unwillingness.

City Lord Li Qingge held Old City Lord Li Cang, standing at the entrance of the Stone Chamber, watching Xiao Ran.

His eyes were filled with a look of astonishment.

Inside the Stone Chamber.

Only Xiao Ran stood alone in the River of Law.

Xiao Ran paid no attention to the sounds from the outside.

All of his attention was focused on the law seed.

Purple-gold light surged from the bead, flowing along his fingers and into his body.

The light was warm and peaceful, like the spring sunshine.

However, dark red patterns also crawled up along his fingers like countless tiny snakes, burrowing into his skin and traveling along his Meridians.

"Ah—!" Xiao Ran let out a miserable scream, his body trembling violently.

Purple-gold patterns appeared on his skin, followed by dark red patterns.

The two types of patterns intertwined, collided, and fought on his body.

Xiao Ran's Meridians felt as if they were about to burst, and his Divine Soul felt as if it were about to be torn apart.

"Guixu Body... Devour!" Xiao Ran gritted his teeth, pushing the Guixu Vortex to its limit.

The gray-black vortex spun crazily in his Dantian, devouring, converting, and assimilating the surging power of the Law.

The purple-gold light was devoured, the dark red patterns were devoured, and the power of the Law was devoured.

But his body was also enduring immense pain.

The power of the Law was too strong; Xiao Ran's Meridians were expanding, his skin was cracking, his muscles were tearing, and his bones were fracturing.

Blood seeped from the cracks, staining his black robe red.

Xiao Ran's face was twisted and distorted, veins bulging on his forehead.

"It's not enough... I cannot stop..." He gritted his teeth and continued to devour.

While the pain was real, the gains were also real.

Xiao Ran's cultivation was climbing rapidly.

He leaped from the Void Refining Early Stage to the Void Refining Middle Stage, from the Void Refining Middle Stage to the Void Refining Late Stage, and from the Void Refining Late Stage to the Void Refinement Peak.

In his Dantian, the Guixu Vortex grew larger and brighter, like a black sun.

"Still not enough!" Xiao Ran roared, pushing the speed of his devouring to the limit.

The law seed trembled violently, the purple-gold light growing brighter and the dark red patterns becoming denser.

A phantom image of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor appeared on the bead.

The phantom had nine heads and twenty-seven eyes, staring fixedly at Xiao Ran.

"Little thief! Put down this Emperor's core!"

The remnant soul of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor shrieked, wanting to perform Possession on Xiao Ran's body.

Dark red runes flew out from the bead, sinking into the center of Xiao Ran's brow and exploding within his Sea of Consciousness.

In Xiao Ran's Sea of Consciousness, the dark red runes transformed into countless poisonous snakes, pouncing toward his Divine Soul.

His Divine Soul sat cross-legged in the Sea of Consciousness, surrounded by a gray-black vortex.

As the poisonous snakes pounced, the vortex spun, shredding, devouring, and converting the snakes.

"With just a wisp of your remnant soul?"

"You are dreaming."

Xiao Ran smiled indifferently, the Guixu Vortex exploding within his Sea of Consciousness and devouring all the dark red runes.

His Divine Soul suddenly grew larger, completely crushing the remnant soul of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor.

"Ah—!" The physical body of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor screamed.

One of its heads exploded, and black blood gushed out.

Its body swayed violently, and its aura weakened further.

"No, my remnant soul has been devoured by him!"

Supreme Elder Jian Cangqiong saw this scene, a flash of horror appearing in his eyes.

"That kid... he is devouring the remnant soul of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor! How can his Divine Soul be so strong?"

Lion Cangqiong also saw it, his vertical pupils filled with wariness.

"It is not that he is strong; it is his Guixu Body that is strong. The Myriad Dao Guixu Body can devour everything."

A flash of complexity appeared in Feng Tian's amber eyes.

"Guixu Body... a legendary Physique. No wonder he could make it this far."

A vortex spun in the blood-red eyes of the Sparrow Emperor.

"He is still absorbing the power of the Law; his cultivation is rising... Void Refinement Peak... and it is still rising..."

Xiao Ran's cultivation leaped from the Void Refinement Peak to the Half-Step Body Integration.

His body became tougher under the tempering of the power of the Law.

His cracked skin healed, his torn muscles reconstructed, and his fractured bones grew back together.

Xiao Ran's aura grew stronger and more stable.

But his Divine Soul was also enduring immense pressure.

The remnant soul of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor surged over in wave after wave, like the tide, wanting to drown his Sea of Consciousness.

His Guixu Vortex spun crazily, devouring every wave of the remnant soul.

Xiao Ran's Divine Soul also grew stronger through the devouring, and became tougher as it grew.

"Still not enough... Come again!" Xiao Ran roared.

The dark red patterns on the law seed suddenly exploded, transforming into countless dark red chains that wrapped around Xiao Ran's arms, body, neck, and face.

The chains were the final resistance of the Nine-Headed Snake Emperor; it wanted to drag Xiao Ran into the seed and devour him.

Xiao Ran felt his body being pulled by a massive force, attempting to drag him into the bead.

He felt his consciousness blurring and his Divine Soul being stripped away.

"Get lost..."

Xiao Ran gritted his teeth, the Guixu Vortex exploding within his body.

The gray-black vortex devoured, shredded, and assimilated the chains.

The chains snapped, and the dark red runes dissipated.

Xiao Ran gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like rain.

His face was pale, but a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Nine-Headed Snake Emperor, your era has ended."

"My era is about to begin."

The dark red patterns on the law seed dissipated completely, and the purple-gold light became gentle.

The bead lay quietly in his palm, like a sleeping baby.

Xiao Ran grasped the law seed in his hand and raised it high.

Purple-gold light surged from the seed, illuminating the entire Stone Chamber.

In the light, runes danced, and the River of Law began to flow again.

But this time, the River of Law did not repel; instead, it circled around Xiao Ran like a docile snake.

"The law seed has acknowledged a master."