111: Chapter 111 From the Third to the Sixth Level, Perilous Situations Abound

When the seventh Chaos lightning dissipated, Lin Ye knelt on one knee, spitting out a mouthful of dark red blood that stained the heavenly manifestation stone with a striking mark.

His condition was extremely dire.

A penetrating crack had appeared in the center of the chest plate of his thunder gods protection set, its edges scorched and curled—the result of the curse power from the sixth layer of pitch-black lightning. A piece was missing from the left side of his helmet, revealing half of his blood-stained cheek, and a wound on his forehead was deep enough to expose bone, blood flowing down his cheek and gathering into drops on his chin, splashing onto the stone surface.

His left arm was twisted unnaturally—that was the arm bone shattered when he forcefully resisted the fifth Chaos lightning; although he had stabilized the injury with a high-grade qi and blood pill in time, he could not exert any force in the short term. On his right lower leg, the armor was shattered and the muscles charred; this was the trauma left after being continuously hit by the paralysis effect of the fourth indigo lightning, making every step feel like treading on red-hot charcoal.

The most serious issue was his internal injuries.

The Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body could indeed absorb lightning essence, but this absorption had a limit. Every destructive will and pressure from the Heavenly Dao contained within each lightning bolt required Lin Ye to use his own will and Dao Heart to resist and digest. Through six layers of Lightning Tribulation, fifty-four heavenly lightning bolts, his Divine Sense was already exhausted to the brink of depletion.

At this moment, he sat cross-legged in the center of the heavenly manifestation stone, seizing the brief interval after the seventh Lightning Tribulation to regulate his breath.

In front of him lay five empty jade bottles—these were the bottles that had held the high-grade qi and blood pills and Divine Power pills, now completely depleted. There were twenty-seven lightning evasion talismans left, but the high-quality Talismans had negligible effects on Lightning Tribulations beyond the seventh layer. He had used three heaven-returning divine pills, leaving six, which were his final trump cards for survival.

The durability of the thunder gods protection set was only at 31%. The Mysterious Thunder Heart-Protecting Shield was completely destroyed; all fifteen ice soul crystals were shattered, the shield covered in spiderweb-like cracks, ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. The state of the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo was slightly better, but the cracks on the cauldron body had widened significantly, and the output of mysterious yellow qi had dropped by 40%.

The three temporary accessories of the lightning evasion set had been destroyed due to overload back during the fourth Lightning Tribulation, turning into a pile of ashes.

"The third layer Heart Demon Tribulation, the fourth layer Five Elements Lightning, the fifth layer Yin and Yang Lightning, the sixth layer Curse Lightning..." Lin Ye recalled the four hellish layers he had just experienced. "Each layer is more dangerous than the last, and each layer suppresses Chaos even more."

The most dangerous was the fourth layer—the Five Elements Lightning.

The lightning of that layer was no longer pure lightning energy, but integrated with the Laws of the Five Elements. The metal lightning was sharp, specifically breaking defenses; the wood lightning entangled, restricting movement; the water lightning penetrated, eroding Meridians; the fire lightning scorched, causing continuous damage; the earth lightning suppressed, doubling gravity.

The lightning of these five attributes bombarded him in turns, each targeting a specific weakness of the Chaos Power. Although Chaos was touted to encompass all things, the cyclic force formed by the Five Elements coming together and mutually generating/restraining exactly interfered with the stability of Chaos on a microscopic level.

Lin Ye remembered the scene when the ninth Five Elements lightning of the fourth layer descended—

Five-colored lightning descended like pillars, splitting into five lightning dragons of different colors in mid-air: white metal, green wood, black water, red fire, and yellow earth lightning dragons. The five dragons swirled and intertwined, forming a perfect Five Elements Reincarnation Formation, trapping him within.

Metal restrains wood, wood restrains earth, earth restrains water, water restrains fire, fire restrains metal.

The power of the Five Elements' mutual restraint surged crazily within the Formation, each collision erupting with destructive power far more terrifying than simple lightning. And when the Chaos Power tried to encompass and convert these energies, it was hindered everywhere due to the stability of the Five Elements cycle—it was like punching cotton, or like water meeting a dense, impenetrable net.

For that lightning bolt, Lin Ye used every means at his disposal: stacking three lightning evasion talismans, activating all special effects of the thunder gods protection set, using the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo to suppress with all his might, pushing the Chaos True Body to its limit, and even burning 10% of his qi and blood to temporarily boost his defense.

Even so, when the five dragons merged into one and the final strike of the Five Elements unity fell, his qi and blood still plummeted instantly from 85% to 40%!

If not for swallowing two heaven-returning divine pills in time to recover continuously, he would likely have been critically injured and dying on the spot.

And when Su Qingyue saw this scene from the foot of the mountain, she almost rushed up regardless of the consequences. The Vast Cold Spirit Body staff in her hand was already glowing, and the Moon Palace Projection Domain was about to unfold, attempting to freeze the Five Elements lightning Formation with extreme cold power to buy Lin Ye a chance to catch his breath.

But she was stopped.

Not by Shi Potian or anyone else, but by the rules of the Heavenly Tribulation.

The moment she stepped out of the range of the Ice Thunder Grand Array and attempted to climb the mountain, an invisible barrier appeared before her. The barrier was as transparent as glazed glass but indestructible, with the runes of the Heavenly Dao flowing on its surface. A majestic voice resonated directly in her mind:

[Heavenly Tribulation Rules: The one undergoing the tribulation must withstand the test alone; external interference will trigger heavenly punishment, and the difficulty of the tribulation will double.]

Su Qingyue tried to use the power of her Vast Cold Spirit Body to strike the barrier, but it remained motionless. She tried to take a detour, climbing from other directions, but no matter where she went, as long as she approached within three hundred zhang of Lingxiao Peak, that barrier would appear.

In the end, she could only retreat to the Ice Thunder Grand Array, watching helplessly as Lin Ye struggled to hold on within the Five Elements lightning Formation.

At that moment, water light appeared in her ice-blue eyes for the first time—not tears, but ice mist woven from extreme cold and powerlessness.

"Lin Ye..." She whispered the name, her staff almost crushed in her grip.

Fortunately, Lin Ye survived it after all.

Having passed the fourth layer, the fifth layer, the Yin and Yang Lightning, was also dangerous, but with the experience from the Five Elements Lightning, Lin Ye found a way to cope—using Chaos to separate Yin and Yang, and using Yin and Yang to transform into Chaos. He risked introducing part of the Yin and Yang lightning into his body, forcefully refining it with his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body; although his Meridians were severely damaged, he was blessed by misfortune and gained a preliminary understanding of the Yin and Yang Laws.

The sixth layer, the Curse Lightning, was the most bizarre. Those pitch-black lightning bolts contained various negative curses: weakness, aging, bad luck, disease, corruption... With each hit, an additional layer of curse effect was added, continuously lowering his attributes and greatly reducing the effect of recovery.

Lin Ye used up all his purification Talismans and Medicinal Pills, and even used the powder ground from a peach kernel—the remnant life Origin of the immortal medicines had an excellent purification effect on curses. Only then did he barely survive the nine curse lightning bolts.

But the price was heavy.

Now, he sat on the heavenly manifestation stone, pulling up his attribute panel to check his status:

[Lin Ye (Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body)]

[Current Realm: Four Extremities Realm (Undergoing Tribulation)]

[Qi and Blood: 53% / 100% (Recovering)]

[Divine Power: 41% / 100% (Recovering)]

[Status: Moderate Injury (All Attributes -15%), Meridians Damaged (Divine Power Recovery Speed -30%), Curse Residue (Qi and Blood Recovery Effect -20%, duration 2 hours), Divine Sense Exhaustion (Skill Effect -10%)]

[Four Extremities Completion: 47%]

[Chaos True Body Mastery: 12%]

[Lightning Essence Collected: 54 / 81]

The Four Extremities completion reached 47%, which meant the Four Extremities Realm was nearly half open. Under the tempering of continuous Lightning Tribulations, his mastery of the Chaos True Body had increased from the initial 1% to 12%, and its defensive effect was more than three times stronger than at the beginning.

Fifty-four lightning essences lay quietly in his Storage Pouch, emitting faint electric light. As long as he collected another twenty-seven, he could synthesize the legendary [Lightning Tribulation Origin]—a supreme treasure indispensable for refining lightning-type Immortal Artifacts and cultivating top-tier lightning techniques.

But Lin Ye had no mind to consider these things now.

He looked up at the sky.

The seventh Lightning Tribulation had ended, and the clouds were briefly calm. But that calmness was more like the dead silence before a storm—the clouds had not dispersed, but had become even thicker and more oppressive. The color of the clouds shifted from the previous Chaos color toward a more terrifying form.

Seven-colored light began to leak from the depths of the clouds.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—seven colors of lightning light flowed, intertwined, and fused within the clouds, finally forming a magnificent and deadly color. That color could not be accurately described in words, as if it contained all the colors in the world, and as if it transcended the category of color.

The eighth Lightning Tribulation, the Seven-Colored Lightning Tribulation, was brewing.

And in the deepest part of the seven-colored lightning light, Lin Ye vaguely saw a more terrifying sight—the phantom of an eye, slowly opening.

The eye of the heavenly dao.

The symbol of the final test of the Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation.

"The eighth layer... and the ninth layer..." Lin Ye smiled bitterly, taking out the last bottle of heaven-returning divine pills from his Storage Pouch.

There were six pills in the bottle, golden pellets rolling in the jade bottle, emitting an enticing medicinal fragrance. This was his final trump card; each one was worth a fortune, and each one could potentially save his life.

He poured one out, hesitated for a moment, and then poured out a second one.

He swallowed both heaven-returning divine pills at once.

The majestic medicinal power dissolved in his body like two hot springs flowing through a dried-up riverbed. His qi and blood, as well as his Divine Power, began to recover rapidly, and the wounds on his body slowly healed under the effect of the medicine. Although the curse effect remained, his state had at least returned to a level where he could continue to fight.

"Must survive the eighth layer." Lin Ye gritted his teeth. "As long as I survive the eighth layer, the test of the eye of the heavenly dao in the ninth layer... I still have a glimmer of hope."

He recalled some records in ancient texts he had seen in his previous life. The last three layers of the Nine-Layered Thunder Tribulation were each more special than the last. The seventh layer was Chaos Lightning, testing the Cultivator's understanding of the Origin Dao; the eighth layer was Seven-Colored Lightning, testing the Cultivator's tolerance of all Laws in the world; the ninth layer was the eye of the heavenly dao, testing the Cultivator's Dao Heart, will, and... destiny.

If one could pass the test of the eye of the heavenly dao, they would receive the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, greatly increasing their potential, and possibly even Awakening some kind of Heavenly Dao Divine Ability.

But if one failed, it would be death and the scattering of the soul.

"Is my Dao Heart firm enough?" Lin Ye asked himself.

Everything since his Rebirth flashed through his mind: the first clear of the Bronze Ancient Palace, the establishment of Chaos Valley, the following of the Heavenly Court members, the deal with the Demon Dragon, the adventure in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land, and his brothers who were fighting bloody battles for him at the foot of the mountain at this moment...

"Enough."

Fighting spirit reignited in Lin Ye's eyes.

He stood up from the ground, and although his left arm was still weak and his right leg still painful, he stood straight.

Although the thunder gods protection set was severely damaged, all five pieces of equipment were still worn on his body, and the set effect was still active. Although the cracks on the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo had widened, the mysterious yellow qi was still gushing out. Although the Chaos True Body consumed a huge amount of energy, as long as he had one breath left, he could continue to operate.

Furthermore, he had one final means he hadn't used.

His right hand pressed against his chest, where he wore a jade pendant close to his skin—no, not a jade pendant, but a bronze fragment the size of a fingernail.

[Bronze Ancient Palace Key Fragment (Legendary)]

[Type: Quest Item / Special Item]

[Source: One of the tokens of the Ruthless Empress's Legacy (1/3)]

[Effect: Unknown (Need to collect three fragments to synthesize the complete key)]

[Hidden Trait: May trigger unknown protection in a desperate situation (Trigger condition: Near-death state + strong will to survive)]

This was a fragment he accidentally discovered inside the bronze ghost mask when he obtained it in the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Land. At the time, the System indicated that this was "one of the tokens of the Ruthless Empress's Legacy," listed alongside the bronze ghost mask and the replica of the Heaven Swallowing Demon Jar as the three major tokens.

Lin Ye didn't know what role this fragment could play during the tribulation, but his intuition told him that this might be his last straw.

"Hope I don't have to use it." He muttered to himself, stuffing the fragment back into his clothes.

Just then, Shi Potian's urgent voice came through the team channel, mixed with heavy panting and the clashing sounds of weapons:

"Boss! The Blood Prince has broken through the first line of defense with the people from the Primordial Royal Court! They used the [Sea of Blood Formation], and more than thirty of our brothers are dead! The second line of defense can only hold for at most a quarter of an hour!"

Lin Ye's heart sank.

The Blood Prince had indeed come, and he had chosen the moment when he was at his weakest.

"Where is Su Qingyue?" He asked.

"Elder Su is maintaining the Ice Thunder Grand Array and cannot spare herself." This time it was Zhao Wuji's voice, sounding relatively calm, but his speaking speed was twice as fast as usual. "Chen Hao's mecha troops have already moved up, but the Blood Prince himself is level 58, and he has three lieutenants above level 55. Our mechas can only delay them, not block them."

"What about the All Under Heaven Society and other forces?"

"The people from the All Under Heaven Society are watching from afar and haven't participated directly, but they are definitely waiting for an opportunity. That 'Northern Domain Expedition Team' did help us block another team that wanted to take advantage of the fire, but their motives are unclear, so we can't fully trust them."

Lin Ye thought quickly.

He couldn't be distracted now, as the eighth Lightning Tribulation could fall at any moment. But if the defensive line at the foot of the mountain collapsed and the Blood Prince killed his way up the mountain, the tribulation would inevitably fail.

The only way is...

"Shi Potian, listen to my orders." Lin Ye's voice reached everyone's ears through the team channel. "Abandon the second line of defense and retreat to the third line of defense—the edge of the Ice Thunder Grand Array. Su Qingyue, you divide half of the mages to cooperate with Shi Potian in setting up the [Cold Ice Absolute Domain] outside the Ice Thunder Grand Array. Hold them off for as long as you can."

"But Boss, if half of the power of the Ice Thunder Grand Array is diverted, the auxiliary effect for your tribulation will drop..." Su Qingyue responded immediately.

"There's no time for that," Lin Ye interrupted her. "If the Blood Prince attacks, no Formation will be of any use. Do as I say."

After a brief silence, Su Qingyue's voice sounded: "...Understood."

"Zhao Wuji, activate all defensive Formations of Chaos Valley and enter the highest state of alert. Qin Ruoxue, utilize all undercover agents of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion; I want to know all the intelligence regarding the Blood Prince's operation this time—what trump cards he has brought, what backup plans he has; not a single detail can be missed."

"Yes!"

"Chen Hao, your mecha troops should not fight head-on; focus on harassment and stalling. Remember, your mission is not to kill the enemy, but to buy me time. As long as I can survive the Eighth Layer Thunder Tribulation, the rest... I will handle."

"Received!"

After arranging these matters, Lin Ye cut off the team channel.

He knew he had to trust his brothers. Just as they believed he could survive the Heavenly Tribulation, he had to believe they could hold the defensive line.

Now, all his energy had to be focused on the imminent Eighth Layer Thunder Tribulation.

In the sky, the seven-colored lightning had thickened to the extreme.

The clouds began to rotate, forming a massive vortex with a diameter of over a thousand zhang. At the center of the vortex, seven-colored lightning poured down like a waterfall, then condensed into various forms in mid-air: sabers, swords, spears, halberds, towers, bells, cauldrons, and Seals...

Each lightning weapon exuded a terrifying pressure, as if it were the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, intending to annihilate all who defied the heavens.

[System Prompt: Eighth Layer Thunder Tribulation—Seven-Colored Myriad Laws Tribulation, about to descend.]

[This layer of the thunder tribulation will simulate all Laws in the world, using lightning to evolve various means of attack. The tribulation survivor must use their own Dao to break the tribulation of myriad Laws.]

[Warning: This layer of the thunder tribulation consists of nine strikes, with each strike increasing in power by 50%. The ninth strike is 'Myriad Laws Return to One', with a power 128 times that of the first strike.]

[Countdown: 30, 29, 28...]

128 times!

Lin Ye's pupils constricted sharply.

Based on the power of the first seven-colored lightning strike, if the ninth strike was truly 128 times that of the first, the power would likely be approaching a full-force strike from the Peak of the Xiantai Realm! In his current state, he absolutely could not withstand it!

"I must find a way to break the tribulation within the first eight strikes; I cannot withstand the ninth strike head-on." Lin Ye's brain raced. "Seven-Colored Myriad Laws Tribulation... using lightning to evolve myriad Laws... then, the key to breaking it lies in—"

His gaze locked onto the formed lightning weapons in the sky.

The sharpness of the saber, the keenness of the sword, the piercing power of the spear, the domineering force of the halberd, the suppression of the tower, the sonic attack of the bell, the heaviness of the cauldron, the sealing power of the Seal...

Each weapon represented the manifestation of a Dao. And the Chaos Dao, which encompasses all things, could also restrain all things.

"Come."

Lin Ye took a deep breath, and his Chaos True Body operated at full power. The thickness of the gray membrane on his body surface increased to five inches, and complete Chaos Scripture characters emerged on the surface. Those characters moved like living things, emitting a vast and ancient aura.

The countdown reached zero. The first seven-colored lightning strike descended—it was a lightning saber!

The saber was ten zhang long, blood-red throughout, with seven-colored electric light flowing along the blade. Before the saber arrived, the fierce Saber Intent had already sliced cracks into the space around Lin Ye. This strike contained the true meaning of the saber Dao: "Severing Everything."

Lin Ye did not retreat but advanced. He gripped the air with his right hand, and Chaos Divine Power condensed into a gray longsword in his palm—not a real sword, but the prototype of a Chaos Sword. The blade was hazy, seemingly there yet not there, yet it exuded an aura that encompassed and dissolved everything.

The saber and sword clashed. There was no loud noise, only a strange humming sound. As soon as the seven-colored electric light on the lightning saber touched the Chaos Sword, it began to be eroded, assimilated, and dissolved by the gray airflow. The saber body trembled violently, and the Saber Intent rapidly declined.

After three breaths, the long saber shattered, dissipating into electric light filling the sky. And Lin Ye's Chaos Sword became a shade darker.

[Chaos True Body Mastery: 12% → 13%] [Chaos Sword Intent Comprehension: 1%]

It really worked! Lin Ye's eyes lit up. Using the Chaos Dao to counter the Myriad Laws Tribulation was not just about surviving the tribulation, but also about using the power of the lightning to temper his own Dao!

The second seven-colored lightning strike followed immediately—this time it was a lightning spear! The spear was like a swimming dragon, indigo throughout, and the cold glint at the tip seemed capable of piercing the void. This strike contained the true meaning of the spear Dao: "Pressing Forward Indomitably."

Lin Ye condensed the Chaos Sword again; this time the blade was more solid, and Chaos airflow faintly swirled at the tip.

The spear and sword struck each other. The Chaos Sword did not block head-on but wrapped around the spear body in a mysterious trajectory, like vines wrapping around a tree, or water flowing around a stone. The Chaos airflow spread along the spear body, and wherever it passed, the lightning power was rapidly assimilated and absorbed.

After five breaths, the long spear collapsed.

[Chaos True Body Mastery: 13% → 14%] [Chaos Sword Intent Comprehension: 1% → 2%]

The third, fourth, fifth...

The lightning tower descended to suppress him; Lin Ye transformed Chaos into a mountain, bearing the weight of the tower head-on, using the power of suppression to temper his Physical Body.

The lightning bell unleashed a sonic attack; Lin Ye transformed Chaos into an ocean, using softness to overcome hardness, diverting the sound waves into the void.

The lightning cauldron was as heavy as a mountain; Lin Ye transformed Chaos into the sky, using the sky to contain the earth, dispersing the cauldron's pressure throughout his entire body.

Each lightning strike was a test, and also a gift.

When the sixth lightning strike—a large lightning Seal—descended, Lin Ye's Chaos True Body mastery had already increased to 18%, and his Chaos Sword Intent comprehension had reached 7%. Although his state was still terrible, his understanding of the Chaos Dao and his control over his own power had reached an unprecedented height.

He even began to try to actively guide the lightning power to repair his damaged Meridians and temper his broken bones.

But the good times did not last long. The seventh lightning strike was not a single weapon, but seven weapons descending at the same time!

The saber, sword, spear, halberd, tower, bell, and cauldron—the seven divine lightning weapons formed a mysterious battle Formation, attacking Lin Ye simultaneously from seven directions. The seven Dao true meanings wove into a net, sealing off all of Lin Ye's escape routes. What was even more terrifying was that the seven true meanings echoed each other, and their power was not simply added, but multiplied!

Lin Ye's expression finally changed. He knew he could not hold anything back anymore.

"Chaos Domain... Open!"

With him at the center, gray airflow surged out frantically, instantly covering a radius of thirty zhang. This was a talent Domain that automatically awakened after the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body reached a certain level of development; previously, because the consumption was too great, he had not dared to use it lightly.

But now, he had to use it.

Within the Domain, Chaos dominated everything.

As soon as the seven divine lightning weapons entered the Domain, their speed plummeted, the seven-colored electric light on their surfaces quickly dimmed, and their forms began to blur. The Saber Intent, Sword Intent, Spear Intent, Halberd Intent, Tower Intent, Bell Intent, and Cauldron Intent—the seven Dao true meanings, under the erosion of Chaos, melted rapidly like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun.

But Lin Ye's consumption was also terrifying. The moment the Domain opened, his Divine Power plummeted from 62% to 19%! His vitality also dropped by 15%!

Moreover, maintaining the Domain required continuous consumption; in his current state, he could only persist for ten breaths at most.

Within ten breaths, he had to break the seven-weapon battle Formation!

Lin Ye bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the myriad things mother qi cauldron embryo. The small cauldron absorbed the essence blood and shook violently; more mysterious yellow qi surged from the cracks in the cauldron body, and the Chaos airflow spewing from the cauldron mouth became three times thicker!

At the same time, he formed Seals with both hands and threw out all the remaining twenty-seven lightning evasion talismans!

The Talismans burned in the air, turning into twenty-seven pale golden chains that wrapped toward the seven divine weapons.

Domain suppression, mysterious yellow qi erosion, lightning evasion talisman lockdown—three methods used simultaneously!

The seven divine weapons struggled violently, seven-colored electric light flashing frantically as they tried to break free from the restraints. But the Chaos Domain's natural suppression effect on them was too strong, combined with the suppression of the mysterious yellow qi and the interference of the lightning evasion talismans, their struggles grew weaker and weaker.

After eight breaths, the first divine weapon—the lightning saber—shattered. Immediately after came the sword, spear, halberd...

At the ninth breath, all seven divine weapons collapsed, turning into seven-colored light spots filling the sky.

The Domain closed. Lin Ye collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, sweat mixed with blood dripping from his forehead. His Divine Power was left with only 3%, vitality with only 28%, and his Divine Sense was exhausted to the extreme, his vision blacking out in waves.

But he could not afford to rest. Because the eighth lightning strike had already descended.

This time, it was not a weapon, nor was it a battle Formation. It was a humanoid lightning figure.

The lightning figure was about three zhang tall, seven-colored throughout, with blurred facial features, but one could vaguely see a 70% resemblance to Lin Ye. It held a Chaos-colored longsword in its hand—it was the perfect version of the Chaos Sword that Lin Ye had condensed earlier!

Lightning Incarnation! Using lightning to evolve the tribulation survivor themselves, using their own Dao to treat them in the same way!

Lin Ye's pupils constricted sharply. The power of this lightning strike was at least three times greater than the seventh seven-weapon battle Formation. Moreover, it used Chaos Sword Intent, which had extremely strong resistance to the Chaos Domain and Chaos True Body.

What was even more terrifying was that the Lightning Incarnation did not attack immediately, but hovered in mid-air, "looking" at Lin Ye with those seven-colored eyes. A cold, majestic, and emotionless voice emitted from within it: "Heaven-Defying one, must be executed."

As the words fell, the sword was already swung. The Chaos-colored sword light, like a heavenly river flowing backward, slashed down at Lin Ye's head. Wherever the sword light passed, space was neatly sliced open, leaving behind a black crack that lingered for a long time.

This strike had already transcended the scope of the Four Extremities Realm and touched the threshold of the Dragon Transformation Realm!

Lin Ye knew he could not withstand it. Let alone in his current poor state, even in his prime, he would only have a 50% chance of success facing this perfect version of the Chaos Sword.

But he had no choice. Either take it, or die.

"Fight it!" A trace of madness flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. He no longer defended but poured all his remaining Divine Power, vitality, and even Divine Sense into his right hand.

He extended his right index finger, and a point of gray light condensed at his fingertip. The gray light was extremely faint, extremely weak, as if it would extinguish at any moment. But the Dao rhyme contained within it was purer, more ancient, and more... original than the Lightning Incarnation's Chaos Sword.

[Chaos One Finger]. This was a forbidden secret technique recorded in the "Chaos Scripture," which, at the cost of burning one's Origin, unleashes a strike that transcends one's own Realm. In his past life, Lin Ye only barely mastered it when he reached the Saint Realm; in this life, forced by the desperate situation, he touched the threshold in advance. Although it was only the prototype of a prototype, its power might only be one ten-thousandth of the complete version. But it was enough.

The gray light at his fingertip collided with the Chaos sword light. There was no sound, no light, no shockwave. There was only absolute darkness. It was as if even light, sound, and space had been devoured by the collision of these two Chaos Powers.

The darkness lasted for three breaths. Then, like a mirror shattering, the darkness fragmented into pieces, revealing the scene behind it.

A finger-sized hole appeared in the chest of the Lightning Incarnation. At the edges of the hole, gray airflow eroded frantically, continuously assimilating and dissolving the seven-colored lightning. The Incarnation trembled violently, and its form began to collapse.

And Lin Ye... his right arm, from fingertip to shoulder, had its skin shattering inch by inch, his flesh was mangled, and his bones were completely crushed. More seriously, in his wheel sea secret realm, his Life Wheel had developed three cracks, the bitter sea had dried up, the life spring had depleted, and the divine bridge had snapped. His Origin was damaged!

The backlash of the Chaos One Finger was more terrifying than he had imagined. But he was still alive. The Lightning Incarnation completely dissipated; the eighth lightning strike had been survived.

Lin Ye fell backward onto the heavenly manifestation stone, unable to move even a single finger. His right arm was ruined, his left arm was already injured, and his legs had lost sensation due to excessive overdraft. The wheel sea was damaged, the Dao Palace was shaken, the Four Extremities were not yet formed, yet he was already on the verge of collapse.

Vitality: 9% Divine Power: 0.3% Divine Sense: On the verge of exhaustion

Status: Origin Damaged (All attributes permanently decreased by 20%, recovery speed -80%), Meridians Completely Shattered (Unable to operate Cultivation Techniques), Limbs Crippled (Need to be reshaped), Life in Critical Condition (Near-death state)

A true desperate situation. And in the sky, the ninth seven-colored lightning strike was condensing.

That was no longer lightning. It was a seven-colored ocean.

The sea of lightning hung upside down, covering the entire sky. The sea surface was calm and waveless, but the destructive power contained within it made players a hundred miles away feel suffocated. In the center of the lightning sea, a vortex slowly formed, and deep within the vortex, the phantom of that eye of the heavenly dao had already opened by one-third.

The ninth strike, Myriad Laws Return to One, the eye of the heavenly dao.

Lin Ye lay on the ground, looking at that sea of lightning, looking at that eye. He knew he could not withstand this strike. Let alone now, even in his prime, he could not withstand it.

But he did not despair. His right hand moved with difficulty to his chest, touching that Bronze Fragment. The fragment was ice-cold, yet it made him feel a trace of inexplicable peace of mind.

"Empress Ruthless... if you are truly watching me..." Lin Ye muttered to himself, "then... lend me a little power."

He injected his last bit of Divine Sense into the fragment. The fragment vibrated slightly. Then, everything fell into darkness.