304: Chapter 304 Without Above or Below, Without Beginning or End

With her own strength, she had actually managed to forcibly hold back the Black Fiend Dragon King, who had attacked in anger, outside that expanse of pure moonlight!

As the moonlight flowed, her sleeve-flicking motion appeared understated, as if it were merely a casual gesture to brush away a speck of dust. Yet, in the eyes of those who observed closely, one could clearly see that beneath the layer of cold, aloof radiance that perpetually shrouded her breathtakingly beautiful face, there was a trace of faint paleness.

The paleness was like a swan's shadow passing over a snowy field—gone in a flash, so quick that one might think it an illusion, yet it was painfully real.

For a Half-Step Immortal to face the full-force strike of another expert at the same level head-on was, by its very nature, a perilous act akin to throwing an egg against a rock.

Even if it was only a temporary blockage rather than a direct life-or-death confrontation, the pressure she endured was far beyond what any outsider could imagine!

The destructive Evil Qi wrapped around the dragon claws had already crept through the gaps in the moonlight, silently invading her Meridians like a bone-deep gangrene, causing her internal organs to ache dully and a metallic, fishy taste to rise in her throat.

But she did not retreat.

Not even half a step.

For she knew that this momentary opening, for Chu Changsheng, was the chasm between life and death, the abyss between Hell and the Nine Heavens!

And in this fleeting split-second opening—

Chu Changsheng moved!

He had, at some point, straightened his spine once more.

That spine felt as though it had been repeatedly crushed by countless invisible, immense forces. Every inch of bone emitted creaking sounds of unbearable strain, as if it would shatter into powder the next second. Yet he kept it straight, kept it straight, like a black iron spear that had endured a thousand years of wind and rain but still stood proudly, nailed firmly to the devastated battlefield.

Within his broken body, the last remnants of vitality, cruelly extracted by the fire of the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, were flickering like a candle in the wind, threatening to be extinguished by the gale at any moment.

Yet, at this moment of total exhaustion, the faint power resonating from the spirit of the nine heavens dragon roar sword traveled from afar like a trickle of water, crossing heavy blockades to pour into this parched desert, supporting him as he made the most critical move of his life.

He raised his hand.

It was not the desperate summons from before, nor an unquestionable command.

It was... a craving, one that was nearly instinctual, connected by blood, and deep in his marrow.

This hand was covered in crisscrossing cracks and dripping with blood; the finger bones had even been slightly deformed in the previous fierce battle. Yet, the moment it reached out, it seemed to span the boundaries of time and space, ignoring the distance of a hundred zhang, pointing directly at the nine heavens dragon roar sword floating in mid-air, radiating Grandmist light.

His fingertips were still a hundred zhang away from the cold hilt.

In this ever-changing battlefield, a distance of a hundred zhang was enough for countless variables to arise, enough for the killing intent of Demon Venerable Yao Qingtian to pierce his brow in an instant and grind his Divine Soul into nothingness.

But the moment he reached out his hand—

Hum!

The Grandmist-colored nine heavens dragon roar sword let out a second sword cry.

This time, it was no longer the angry roar from before, no longer the howl of breaking free from shackles, but... a hum of extreme tenderness, like a wanderer returning home.

The sound was clear and melodious, carrying the vicissitudes of time, as well as the intimacy of a blood connection. It seemed to traverse the long river of ancient time, drilling straight into the depths of Chu Changsheng's Divine Soul, pressing tightly against his Origin.

"Zheng——!"

A clear ring echoed throughout the world.

The Grandmist sword light suddenly retracted, and the imperial might that had swept across the universe, forcing all demons to bow their heads, vanished in an instant.

The long sword transformed into a stream of light—a pure radiance that seemed to transcend all concepts of color in the world. The stream of light was fast to the extreme, so fast that space itself could not react in time, so fast that even light could not keep up with its trajectory, so fast that the dragon claws of the Black Fiend Dragon King froze!

It ignored the barriers of space, ignored the gaze suddenly cast by Demon Venerable Yao Qingtian, which carried cold killing intent—that gaze was like a tangible blade, almost cutting bottomless cracks into the Void Realm!

It even ignored all the chaotic energy turbulence on the battlefield. Those gales, capable of tearing apart ordinary Cultivators Undergoing Tribulation, were like docile sheep before it, scattering to avoid it, daring not to make the slightest contact!

With a flash of light, it appeared with absolute precision, instantly, in Chu Changsheng's outstretched hand!

Upon contact, it was slightly cool.

This temperature was not the bone-chilling cold of metal, nor the scorching heat of fire; instead, it carried a gentle, warm feeling like a mother's embrace, slowly seeping into his Bloodline along the lines of his palm.

Yet, it was this trace of coolness that felt like molten lava, instantly pouring into Chu Changsheng's cold, exhausted limbs and bones!

It was not a vast, boundless power, nor a world-destroying Divine Ability.

It was... an authorization!

An absolute connection, stemming from the depths of the Soul, that could not be questioned!

The nine heavens dragon roar sword was now his Emperor Weapon of the Divine Abyss, a part of his Dao, and the proof of his path to the supreme, cutting through all obstacles!

It was just that his cultivation was still shallow, and his synchronization with the sword had only remained at the initial stage of refinement, like looking through a thick layer of frosted glass—visible but untouchable, unable to truly trigger its Origin.

But at this moment, as he reached the end of his rope, his life and will burned to the extreme, touching the edge of death, and generating the deepest resonance with the weapon spirit's Origin—this Emperor Weapon, which had been silent for eons, truly opened up a part of itself to him... a part that belonged to it, and also to Chu Changsheng's future Dao—the Origin Authority!

Hum!

Dense Primordial Qi surged in frantically from the hilt, like a flood breaking a dam, flowing upstream along his broken Meridians, heading straight for his Sea of Consciousness.

This aura was vast and ancient, carrying the desolation and majesty of creation, as if it would completely submerge his Divine Soul, and as if it would reshape everything about him!

And in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, that faint, vague realization of the "Dao"—stemming from the Fusion of his past and present lives—was like a spark, colliding with the incoming Primordial Qi with a boom at this very moment!

Boom!

A loud noise exploded in the depths of his Divine Soul!

Chu Changsheng's shattered pupils suddenly contracted! That pair of bloodshot, dim eyes, at this moment, erupted with unprecedented brilliance, as if two scorching suns were burning within them!

The world before him changed.

It was no longer a battlefield of crumbling mountains and splitting earth, no longer terrifying and hideous enemies, no longer the blood and Evil Qi permeating the heavens and earth.

He saw—a scene of the Grandmist yet to be judged, of Chaos just beginning!

Gray air currents surged endlessly; that airflow was neither gas nor liquid, but a primordial substance that could not be described in words.

No above, no below, no beginning, no end, no life, no death—a vast, chaotic expanse, as if it encompassed all possibilities and impossibilities in the world.

And in the center of this Chaos, there was a point of light.

This point of light could not be described by its color, nor by its size; it seemed like a mere wisp of consciousness, yet it existed truly.

It was gestating, expanding, as if it would explode at any moment to evolve into thousands of worlds, to evolve into endless Laws, to evolve into the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers, to evolve into all life and extinction in the world!

This was... the ray of spiritual light from the creation of the world!

It was the ultimate mystery of creating "Being" from "Nothingness"!

It was the nine heavens dragon roar sword, or rather, the supreme existence who forged it, had captured, sealed, and refined into the sword—a wisp of the Dao Rhyme of Creation!

A wisp of the Dao Rhyme of Creation, enough to make countless Immortals go mad, enough to make an era tremble!

At this moment, through the extreme resonance between the sword and the man, this wisp of Dao Rhyme was opening a crack for him—a crack that was insignificant, yet enough to subvert his understanding!

Chu Changsheng was struck by a flash of inspiration.

He gripped the sword in his hand tightly!

His five fingers locked onto the hilt, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, and blood even seeped from the cracks, dripping onto the Grandmist-colored sword body, only to be instantly absorbed.

An indescribable feeling traveled from the hilt into his palm, spreading throughout his limbs and bones, as if he and this sword had already merged into one.

Within his body, the remaining, chaotic powers—the dominance from the True Dragon Precious Technique, the extremity of the Kunpeng Treasure Technique, the intensity of the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, and the vitality of the World Tree Manifestation—along with the fragments of his shattered Divine Soul, were flushed by the surging Primordial Qi. Instead of collapsing, they seemed to find their backbone, beginning to spontaneously, clumsily, yet with absolute determination... gather toward the sword in his hand!

The sword became the center of the vortex.

The sword became his only fulcrum at this moment, his only Dao marker!

Chu Changsheng slowly raised the sword.

The movement was slow, arduous, as if what he was raising was not a sword, but the weight of a world!

His arm trembled violently, his body swayed unceasingly, and every inch of muscle emitted a groan of unbearable strain, yet his gaze was incomparably firm, as firm as the eternal stars!

The tip of the sword pointed diagonally toward the firmament!

It pointed toward the high heavens, toward the Black Fiend Dragon King—who was being temporarily held back by Fairy Yuexu but was even more furious—and toward... Demon Venerable Yao Qingtian, whose aura had already locked onto him, ready to unleash a thunderous strike!

He did not look at the Black Fiend Dragon King.

His gaze passed through layers of distorted Void Realm, through the raging, violent energy turbulence, and looked directly at the high platform—at the Myriad Demon Palace Master, who was already severely injured yet still possessed a daunting aura—Demon Venerable Yao Qingtian!

"Demon Venerable Yao Qingtian..."

Chu Changsheng's voice came through the flow of the Grandmist sword light, still hoarse, but with an added, indescribable... emptiness and grandeur!

It was as if it were not he alone speaking, but the sword whispering, Chaos resounding, and the desolation of creation echoing across this heaven and earth!

"...Today... this Seat shall send you to the Western Heaven first!"

Each word was enunciated clearly, like a thunderclap, every syllable carrying the Dao Rhyme of Creation, shaking the Void Realm until it hummed, and making the hearts and spirits of all the Cultivators present tremble violently!

On the high platform, the figure of Demon Venerable Yao Qingtian, shrouded in chaotic mist, seemed to freeze for an instant! Beneath the mist, a pair of cold eyes suddenly erupted with terrifying killing intent. That killing intent, like a tangible blade, instantly swept across the entire Myriad Demon Palace, causing the very heavens and earth to change color!

The blood-stained corners of Chu Changsheng's mouth pulled into an almost crazed arc.

This smile carried a trace of determination, a trace of dominance, and a trace of arrogance that looked down upon the world!

He suddenly swung his arm, raising the nine heavens dragon roar sword in his hand high!

The Grandmist-colored sword light, at this moment, erupted ten thousand zhang high!

This light pierced through the clouds, illuminating the heavens and earth, carrying the might of creation, as if it would completely slash away all darkness and evil in this world!

"Die... for me!"

A wild roar echoed throughout the universe!