259: Absolute suppression, the Dao heart remains undying

Shen Yuanmo had originally thought that his greatest enemy was Ji Changkong, or that heaven and earth community map which represented the national destiny of the Immortal Dynasty.

Yet he had not expected that from beginning to end, both he and Ji Changkong, and even those Soul Transformation giants who had died previously, were nothing more than chess pieces on a chessboard.

And this Old Monster Cang Xuan, who appeared to be on the verge of death but was actually terrifying to an unfathomable degree, was the chess player who had always been hiding behind the scenes, watching coldly, waiting to reap everything in the end.

He had exhausted all his schemes and successively killed four Soul Transformation experts, yet he had not expected that everything he did was merely clearing obstacles for this true oriole.

How tragic, how laughable!

Shen Yuanmo leaned on his sword, using the last of his strength, and slowly raised his head.

Shen Yuanmo leaned on his sword and slowly raised his head, his deep eyes staring fixedly at this old monster who had been hiding in the shadows since the very beginning of the opening of the Guixu Divine Palace.

Just at this moment, Old Monster Cang Xuan's turbid eyes finally withdrew from the direction where Ji Changkong had disappeared and landed on Shen Yuanmo.

His gaze was no longer the indifference of looking at an ant as before, but carried a trace of genuine, undisguised approval and curiosity.

"Little fellow, your performance is quite unexpected to this old man."

Old Monster Cang Xuan spoke hoarsely, his voice devoid of joy or anger, yet carrying a sense of unquestionable control.

"To use a Half-step Nascent Soul body to scheme and kill four Soul Transformation experts, tsk tsk, such Heart-Nature, such methods—even when this old man was young, I was far from reaching this level."

His old face, like dried orange peel, squeezed out a trace of an ugly smile for the first time, as if in heartfelt admiration.

"You are very good."

As Old Monster Cang Xuan spoke, he leaned on that cane made of an unknown withered wood and walked toward Shen Yuanmo step by step.

His pace was very slow and staggering, as if he could be blown over by this violent storm at any moment.

Yet, strangely, wherever Old Monster Cang Xuan passed, those pitch-black spatial blade currents capable of tearing apart Dao Artifacts, and those extreme energy storms, would automatically calm down and dissipate the moment he approached within three feet of them.

It was as if he were not walking through a forbidden zone of death, but through his own back garden.

Within three feet around Old Monster Cang Xuan, an absolute "static" Domain had formed.

Time solidified here, space submitted here, and all Laws lost their original meaning here.

There, it was a world unto itself!

Void Return Domain!

This was the impassable chasm between Soul Transformation and Void Return!

Within their own Domain, a Void Returning Great Expert was a Creator God whose words became Law!

Although Old Monster Cang Xuan was only at the Half-step Void Return stage and his Domain was not a complete Void Return Domain, it was still a step into the Void Return Realm!

With every step Old Monster Cang Xuan took closer, Shen Yuanmo felt the invisible shackles on his body become a fraction heavier.

An irresistible pressure, from all directions, from every inch of space, was frantically squeezing him.

His mana, the sliver of vital energy he had just recovered, his Divine Soul, and even the movement of thoughts in his mind, all became incredibly sluggish and heavy under this pressure.

It was as if his entire body had been filled with ten-thousand-year black iron, and even moving a finger had become a luxury.

"Clang..."

Shen Yuanmo used his last ounce of strength, attempting to activate the great evolution immortal slaying sword in his hand that had accompanied him in creating countless miracles.

However, that life-bound Dao Artifact, which was as light as a feather in his hand, was now as heavy as a mountain, motionless.

On the sword body, the light representing the dao rhyme of Five Elements creation and destruction was completely suppressed, covered, and erased in front of Old Monster Cang Xuan's Void Return Domain, unable to release even a glimmer of light.

It was useless. Everything was in vain.

Shen Yuanmo finally realized with despair that in the face of an absolute difference in life level, any scheme or Divine Ability appeared so pale and powerless.

This was an absolute crushing of life level.

"Little fellow, there is no need to struggle."

Old Monster Cang Xuan had walked to Shen Yuanmo, stopped, and looked down at this young man who had even astonished him.

In his turbid old eyes, the undisguised greed and heat almost turned into tangible flames, burning.

"Your Dao, your sword, your Physical Body, your Divine Soul, all the secrets on you... this old man is very interested in them."

"Hand them over to this old man, along with that heart of chaos origin."

"In return, this old man can give you a quick end, allowing you to honorably become a part of this old man's eternal Dao without any pain."

His voice was flat and hoarse, as if stating a settled fact, and as if bestowing a great favor.

After speaking, he slowly extended that hand, covered in age spots and withered like a chicken claw, and pressed it down toward Shen Yuanmo's crown.

The movement was very slow. So slow that Shen Yuanmo could clearly see every aged line on his palm, and could even smell the scent of decay emanating from the palm, mixed with dust and the rot of time.

Yet this palm carried a sense of fate that could not be avoided or resisted.

Shen Yuanmo watched helplessly as the palm drew closer and closer.

He could feel his incredibly tough Physical Body collapsing inch by inch under the pressure of this hand, emitting faint cracking sounds.

His Divine Soul was being dragged and imprisoned from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness by an invisible force, about to be ripped alive from his Physical Body.

The shadow of death was clearer and colder than ever before, swallowing him completely.

This time, really, is there no miracle left?

A final thought flashed through Shen Yuanmo's mind.

Beneath that withered palm, which seemed to bear the weight of a world, the great five elements destruction glazed armor on Shen Yuanmo, already on the verge of shattering, finally emitted its last mournful cry.

"Crack... crackle..."

A series of crisp and dense shattering sounds suddenly erupted from his body, piercingly sharp!

This Rank 5 Dao Artifact, which had accompanied him in snatching food from the tiger's mouth, killing Soul Transformation experts, and creating countless miracles, had finally reached its limit due to the complete exhaustion of energy and irreparable structural damage.

Pieces of armor shimmering with the luster of Chaos peeled off his body inch by inch, losing all spiritual light in mid-air, turning into worthless mundane objects, and were swept into the endless dark storm below.

In the end, the entire suit of armor disintegrated with a roar!

It transformed back into the geng metal world-breaking sword, the yi wood longevity shield, the kui water profound pearl, the bing fire heaven-burning fan, and the wu earth heaven-flipping seal.

But these five Rank 4 top-tier Spirit Treasures, which once shimmered with spiritual light and possessed extraordinary power,

were now devoid of all luster, their bodies covered in hideous cracks, their spirituality greatly damaged, emitting mournful cries as they circled around Shen Yuanmo, like a few pieces of scrap metal dug out from an Ancient Tomb.

Shen Yuanmo's mind stirred, and enduring the tearing pain in his Divine Soul, he stored these five life-bound Spirit Treasures, which had served him well but were now severely damaged, into his Dantian to nourish them.

Losing the amplification of the Dao Artifact armor, the terrifying aura on him that had been temporarily raised to the Nascent Soul Initial Stage instantly collapsed like a punctured balloon.

His Realm fell back to that insignificant Half-step Nascent Soul in front of Soul Transformation and Void Return experts.

At this very moment, he had completely lost his last protection.

He exposed his fragile Physical Body, completely and nakedly, to the terrifying pressure of Old Monster Cang Xuan's Void Return Domain!

"Creak... creak... bang!"

Shen Yuanmo's bones emitted an unbearable groan, as if they would be ground into powder by this invisible, great power at any moment.

Beads of blood seeped from the surface of his skin, instantly staining his cyan robe with bloodstains, turning him into a bloody person.

"Oh? So it was just a Dao Artifact armor capable of forcibly raising one's cultivation."

Old Monster Cang Xuan's palm, which was about to press down, paused slightly in mid-air, a trace of realization flashing in his turbid old eyes.

He finally understood.

This junior had not hidden his cultivation, but had relied on a Heaven-Defying secret treasure of extremely high grade, obtained from who knows where, to erupt with such shocking combat power.

"Half-step Nascent Soul... a mere Half-step Nascent Soul, yet able to achieve this step..."

In Old Monster Cang Xuan's tone, that trace of astonishment became incredibly rich, even carrying a hint of heartfelt admiration.

"With the body of an ant, performing Heaven-Defying deeds; with the body of a Mortal, standing shoulder to shoulder with gods... little fellow, you are truly the number one Prodigy this old man has ever seen throughout the ages!"

This admiration was sincere.

Because he knew better than anyone how high the requirements for Heart-Nature, Divine Soul, Physical Body, and courage were to control such a treasure!

If it were him, at the Half-step Nascent Soul Realm, let alone killing four Soul Transformation experts, he probably wouldn't even have the qualifications to activate that armor!

This youth's Heart-Nature, Divine Soul, Physical Body, courage, and that unfathomable Sword Intent were all worthy of being called a Prodigy among Prodigies!

However, admiration was one thing.

Old Monster Cang Xuan's hand movement did not pause in the slightest; instead, the heat in his eyes grew three parts stronger.

Such a Prodigy, unseen throughout the ages—how pure must his Divine Soul be?

How vast an Origin must his Physical Body contain, and how stunning must his Dao be?

If he could be refined alive into a furnace of "Prodigy Great Elixir," using his Dao as fire, his soul as a guide, and his body as the furnace...

Perhaps... perhaps it could really help him break through the Half-step Bottleneck that had plagued him for three thousand years in one fell swoop, truly step into the legendary Void Return Realm, and extend his Lifespan for another ten thousand years!

Once this thought emerged, it was like wild grass growing madly, instantly occupying his entire mind.

His gaze toward Shen Yuanmo changed completely.

It was no longer looking at an opponent, no longer looking at a junior.

But looking at the most top-tier, mature, supreme divine medicine in the world, waiting to be plucked!

His Physical Body was about to collapse, his Divine Soul was about to be imprisoned.

Facing this desperate situation of certain death, Shen Yuanmo instead became completely calm.

He slowly closed his eyes, which were stained red with blood.

Had he given up?

No.

Shen Yuanmo had only given up all meaningless struggles of the flesh.

His mind, at this moment, completely broke free from the shackles of his Physical Body, completely ignored the external pressure, and completely sank into the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness, sinking into his Dao Heart that had long since merged with himself.

In that world constructed of pure spiritual will.

There was no external pressure, no physical pain, no fear of death.

Here, there was only a simple, ancient longsword that pierced through heaven and earth, as if it had existed since the birth of the Universe, quietly floating, surrounded by the dao rhyme of Five Elements, creation, destruction, and so on.

That was Shen Yuanmo's sword, his Dao.

Shen Yuanmo's mind slowly merged with that sword.

He could feel his consciousness becoming blurred, his life approaching its end.

But his sword heart, amidst the extreme pain and despair of his Physical Body collapsing and his Divine Soul withering, was honed to be unprecedentedly clear and unprecedentedly pure.

Even if the body dies, the Dao Heart remains undying!

Even if both form and spirit are destroyed, my Sword Intent shall be eternal!