278: Chapter 278 The Bridge of Annihilation and the Great Luo Dao Seed

Passing through the thick Chaos mist enveloping the rear of the Ancient Medicine Garden, the surrounding scenery began to undergo earth-shattering changes.

The sickly grey sky was replaced by a vast and boundless deep starry sky. This starry sky was not like the dazzling galaxy of the outside world, but a dead and silent gloom. Speckles of starlight were like guttering candles in the wind, emitting a cold and distant glow.

Zhou Wannian stepped steadily out from the edge of the mist. Beneath his feet were no longer ruins covered in debris, but a massive white jade plaza suspended in the endless starry sky. The jade surface of the plaza was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the dead sea of stars above; walking upon it felt as if one were strolling at the edge of the Universe.

There was not a single trace of immortal spiritual power in the air here, nor any sound of wind. It was so quiet that even the sound of blood flowing within one's own body was clearly audible.

Zhou Wannian was in no hurry to move forward. He stopped his pace and calmly scanned the white jade plaza with his gaze.

In the very center of the plaza stood a hundred-zhang-tall black wordless stone tablet. The tablet emitted an Aura of ancient, eternal vicissitude. Although there was no writing on the surface, simply gazing at it allowed one to feel a vast and boundless pressure of Law washing over them.

Behind the black stone tablet was a strange bridge spanning the abyss of the endless starry sky.

This bridge was composed entirely of a translucent crystal. It had no piers or railings, simply floating in the air above the abyss, extending all the way toward a simple and ancient pavilion emitting a faint glow deep within the starry sky. Obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient Dao patterns flowed upon the bridge's surface. Occasionally, a flash of light would pass by, causing the surrounding Void Realm to undergo a period of violent distortion.

Zhou Wannian walked slowly to the front of the black stone tablet and looked up. His deep gaze seemed to penetrate the surface of the tablet, seeing the Origin mark hidden within.

Zhou Wannian spoke softly to himself in a steady tone, "Nirvanic Long Bridge, stripping away all Laws, questioning the heart with every step. The master of this immortal manor, back when they were at the Peak of the Daluo Realm, indeed had quite a few unique insights into the Laws of heaven and earth."

With a single glance, he saw through the reality of this long bridge.

This was not an ordinary Formation bridge, but a cruel ordeal aimed directly at a Cultivator's Dao Origin. Any living being who stepped onto this bridge would have their entire cultivation forcibly suppressed or even temporarily stripped away by the Nirvanic Law contained within. The challenger could only rely on their purest Physical Body foundation, Divine Soul strength, and that indestructible Dao Heart to endure the spatial tearing and the erosion of years brought by the starry abyss, walking across step by step.

If one's will was not firm, or if there was even a single flaw in their comprehension of the Great Dao, their Dao Heart would instantly collapse upon the bridge, turning them into a soulless husk that would eventually fall into the abyss, doomed for eternity.

Just as Zhou Wannian was examining the stone tablet, a sudden and violent spatial fluctuation came from the Void Realm behind him.

Accompanied by a piercing blood-red light and sharp Sword Qi, two figures fell out of a torn spatial rift in a somewhat disheveled state, crashing heavily onto the white jade plaza.

These two had clearly utilized some kind of extremely precious World-Breaking Talisman to forcibly bypass the numerous death traps and mists of the first floor of the immortal manor, teleporting directly to the core area of this second floor.

The person on the left was a gaunt old man wearing tattered grey robes and carrying an ancient sword on his back. He radiated the sharp Sword Intent of the Peak of the Taiyi Late Stage. Even just by standing there, the surrounding space was cut into tiny cracks by the Sword Qi he inadvertently emitted.

The person on the right was a provocatively dressed, enchanting woman in a red dress. Her cultivation was at the Taiyi Middle Stage, and she was surrounded by a sweet yet deadly pink mist. She was clearly a demonic Cultivator proficient in the Dao of illusions and charm.

As soon as the two landed, they immediately spread their Divine Sense alertly, taking in the surrounding environment.

When their gazes fell upon the black stone tablet and the crystalline long bridge behind it, their eyes simultaneously erupted with an irrepressible ecstasy.

The woman in the red dress spoke in a charming yet slightly trembling voice, "Old Ghost Jian, we gambled correctly. This place is indeed the Heart-Questioning Heaven Rank left by the master of the immortal manor for their core Legacy. As long as we cross this bridge, that Daluo Dao Fruit will be ours for the taking."

The grey-robed old man snorted coldly, his gaze as sharp as a hawk as he stared at the long bridge.

The grey-robed old man spoke arrogantly, "Nonsense. I exhausted a Void-Shattering Divine Talisman that has been passed down in my Sect for thirty million years. If I couldn't even touch the edge of the Legacy, it would be a colossal joke. This Daluo Legacy, I am determined to obtain it today."

In their ecstasy, the two finally noticed Zhou Wannian, who was standing before the stone tablet and had remained silent.

When they saw clearly the ordinary green robe Zhou Wannian wore and his Mortal Aura, which lacked any immortal spiritual power fluctuations, they both froze for a moment.

In this death trap where even Taiyi Golden Immortals had to be cautious, how could there be a youth who appeared to have no cultivation standing here?

A trace of suspicion flashed in the red-dressed woman's eyes. She quietly circulated her illusion Cultivation Technique, attempting to test Zhou Wannian's reality. However, as soon as her Divine Sense touched the three-foot range around Zhou Wannian's body, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, vanishing without a trace, without even causing a ripple.

The grey-robed old man curled his lip in disdain.

The grey-robed old man said coldly, "He's just an ant who relied on a high-grade breath-concealing Magic Treasure to recklessly sneak in. Before this Heart-Questioning Heaven Rank, breath-concealing Magic Treasures are useless. Ignore him; just let him fend for himself here. I shall take the first step."

He didn't take Zhou Wannian seriously at all. In his view, a Loose Cultivator who didn't even dare to release protective immortal light had no right to be his competitor.

The grey-robed old man took a deep breath, pushing the Sword Yuan of his Taiyi Late Stage to the limit. He let out a sword hum that shook the starry sky, then transformed into a world-shocking rainbow, charging directly toward that translucent Nirvanic Long Bridge.

Seeing this, the woman in the red dress was not to be outdone. She transformed into a cloud of pink mist and followed closely behind.

Zhou Wannian stood quietly by the stone tablet, looking calmly at the two of them rushing toward the bridge in a scramble. A nearly imperceptible trace of mockery curled at the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Wannian spoke softly in a relaxed tone, "The ignorant are fearless. This Nirvanic Long Bridge is not something that can be crossed with mere brute courage."

In the next moment, a sudden change occurred.

When the grey-robed old man's foot stepped heavily onto the first crystal of the bridge's surface.

Buzz.

The entire starry sky seemed to emit a dull tremor.

The originally dim long bridge instantly erupted with a piercing grey-white light. A vast and boundless Nirvanic Law, carrying a sense of absolute deprivation, was like the waters of a celestial river breaking its banks, instantly submerging the grey-robed old man's body.

The grey-robed old man's originally imposing Taiyi Late Stage protective Sword Qi was like melting snow under a scorching sun before this grey-white light. It couldn't even last for half a breath before it directly dissolved and dissipated.

The sharp Sword Intent he was so proud of was forcibly suppressed back into his Qi Sea. The immortal spiritual power within his body was sealed tight in an instant, as if he had become a Mortal who couldn't even truss a chicken.

The grey-robed old man let out a roar of terror.

The grey-robed old man shouted in disbelief, "This is impossible! My Sword Yuan, my cultivation... this bridge is strange!"

However, the ordeal of the Nirvanic Law had only just begun.

After stripping away his cultivation, what followed was a Heart-Questioning Illusion that struck directly at the Soul.

The starry sky around the grey-robed old man instantly distorted, and the scene before his eyes turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Countless vengeful Souls who had once died by his sword turned into malevolent ghosts, pouncing toward him with shrill wails. The wife and children he had abandoned and the Sect he had betrayed in his pursuit of the Peak of the Dao of the sword—scenes of guilt and fear buried deep in his heart were magnified infinitely, biting at his Dao Heart like poisonous snakes.

He stood on the bridge, clutching his head in pain, his entire body trembling violently.

His originally indestructible sword heart began to develop fatal cracks at this moment.

The grey-robed old man shouted frantically, "Get away! All of you, get away from me! I did it for the supreme Great Dao! I am not wrong! I am not wrong!"

His voice echoed in the silent starry sky, sounding exceptionally shrill and desperate.

He had only taken three steps.

The grey-robed old man's eyes completely lost focus, turning a dead grey. His Dao Heart collapsed with a bang amidst endless regret and fear.

His body, losing the support of his Dao Heart, was like a piece of fragile porcelain under the spatial tearing force emitted by the starry abyss. With a faint cracking sound, countless fissures appeared on the surface of the grey-robed old man's Physical Body, which then turned into grey powder that filled the air, ruthlessly swept away by the void undercurrents surging from the abyss.

A powerful Sword Cultivator at the Peak of the Taiyi Late Stage, only half a step away from the Daluo Realm, had thus perished silently at the third step of the Nirvanic Long Bridge.

This scene caused the red-dressed woman, who had just reached the foot of the bridge right behind him, to stop in her tracks.

Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and cold sweat soaked through her enchanting red dress. She looked in terror at the place where the old man had vanished, her legs trembling uncontrollably, no longer able to muster even a shred of courage to step onto the long bridge.

Before this absolute ordeal of life and death, any greed or wishful thinking was crushed to pieces.

Just as the woman in the red dress was on the verge of despair and terror.

A steady and relaxed sound of footsteps came from behind her.

The green robe fluttered gently in the starry breeze. Zhou Wannian walked past the woman in the red dress with his hands behind his back, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

He didn't look at the demonic Cultivator woman caught in endless fear, but simply tossed out a sentence.

Zhou Wannian said in a flat tone, "Move aside. You're in the way."

The red-skirted woman subconsciously took half a step back. Looking at Zhou Wannian's back, her eyes were filled with incomprehensible shock. She wanted to speak up to warn this Mortal, who didn't even have any cultivation, not to go to his death, but the words were stuck in her throat by the innate composure and sense of relaxation emanating from Zhou Wannian.

Zhou Wannian walked to the starting point of the Nirvanic Long Bridge without any hesitation or any preparatory movements as if facing a great enemy.

He simply stepped out with his right foot and onto the semi-transparent crystal bridge surface as if he were stepping onto an ordinary bluestone road.

Buzz.

The long bridge trembled again, and that terrifying gray-white Nirvanic Law surged like a wild tide, attempting to repeat its old trick of stripping Zhou Wannian of his cultivation and tearing his Divine Soul apart.

However, the moment this power touched Zhou Wannian's body...

Inside Zhou Wannian's body, the long-dormant True Demon Indestructible Body emitted an ancient dragon roar that only he could hear. A surge of dark gold Devilish Qi, indestructible through ten thousand tribulations and diamond-like in its resilience, merely circulated once across his body's surface before completely repelling the Nirvanic Law that was powerful enough to Seal a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

His cultivation was not stripped away; even its circulation speed did not slow down in the slightest.

Immediately following that, the Heart-Questioning Illusion descended with a crash.

The starry sky twisted, attempting to recreate countless illusory scenes of life and death, partings, grudges, and affections before Zhou Wannian's eyes. It tried to find the flaws in his heart to crush him.

But Zhou Wannian merely lifted his eyelids slightly, and there was not a single ripple in those eyes that were like a deep starry abyss.

His state of mind had long since been polished over the long years into a bright mirror untainted by dust. Dwelling not on the past and fearing not the future, he sought only the Great Dao without any regrets. Such an inferior illusion could not even stir a single splash in his Sea of Consciousness.

Zhou Wannian spoke softly in a steady voice, "The illusion is too clumsy. If the Immortal Mansion Master only had these means back then, the title of Daluo Realm Peak was perhaps a bit exaggerated."

He no longer paid attention to the light and shadows of the Laws twisting wildly around him in an attempt to influence him; instead, he took steady strides toward the pavilion on the other side of the bridge.

One step, two steps, three steps... ten steps, a hundred steps.

Under the red-skirted woman's horrified gaze, as if she were seeing a ghost...

The green-robed youth walked across this deadly long bridge, which was enough to turn a Taiyi powerhouse into ashes, as easily and comfortably as a Mortal scholar strolling in his own back garden.

He did not cast any Spells to resist, nor did he ever frown in pain. The surrounding violent spatial tearing forces and the gray light of Time Erosion, upon nearing within three feet of his body, were like subjects encountering an absolute monarch, subsiding submissively and automatically clearing a smooth path for him.

One hundred and eight time dao patternss circulated silently within Zhou Wannian's body, completely assimilating the power of time that attempted to erode his Lifespan. The Great Perfection Space Law made his every step as stable as Mount Tai, ignoring the pull of the abyss.

This was the crushing weight of absolute strength, not just in terms of cultivation, but an all-around dimensional reduction strike on the level of understanding the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

There was no struggle, no hot-blooded striving.

There was only extreme relaxation and composure.

In less than half an incense stick of time, Zhou Wannian walked across this ten-thousand-zhang-long Nirvanic Long Bridge completely unscathed.

When his feet stepped onto the white jade steps in front of that ancient pavilion on the opposite shore, the long bridge behind him gradually faded into the Void Realm, returning to its semi-transparent state of deathly silence.

The red-skirted woman still stood dazed by the stone tablet on the other shore, her whole body slumped on the ground as if her Soul had been drained. She knew that she would never be able to forget the scene she witnessed today for the rest of her life.

Zhou Wannian did not look back at the woman even once.

His gaze fell upon the ancient pavilion before him. On the pavilion's plaque were written three large characters: "Dao Repository Pavilion."

He walked forward slowly, reached out his right hand, and gently pushed open the heavy wooden door that had been tightly closed for an unknown number of eons.

Accompanied by a tooth-aching creak, the wooden door slowly opened.

A surge of Great Dao Origin Aura, so dense it had almost materialized, surged out from the crack in the door. This Aura contained the principles of Chaos from the beginning of heaven and earth; even taking a single breath of it would be enough for a Golden Immortal Cultivator to instantly comprehend the Dao and Breakthrough.

Inside the pavilion, there were no mountains of Magic Treasures, nor were there any dazzling Immortal Pills.

There was only an empty circular hall. In the very center of the hall floated a fist-sized light orb that emitted a brilliant golden glow.

Within the light orb, it was as if a miniature Universe were being nurtured. Countless miniature chains of Great Dao Laws intertwined, collided, and were born and destroyed within it. Every birth and destruction would emit a massive pressure that made all things submit.

The daluo dao seed.

Or more accurately, this was the Legacy crystal formed by the Immortal Mansion Master before his fall, condensing his lifelong insights into the Dao and his core Origin power.

If an ordinary Taiyi Peak Cultivator obtained this Dao Seed, they would only need to go into seclusion to refine it to have an eighty percent chance of breaking through the shackles and directly ascending to the Daluo Realm Early Stage, becoming an awe-inspiring supreme Dao Ancestor.

Facing such a Heaven-Defying treasure that could stir up a world-ending bloody war throughout the entire North Cold Immortal Domain, Zhou Wannian's expression remained as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

He did not tremble with excitement, nor did he eagerly rush forward to claim it as his own.

He just walked unhurriedly to the center of the hall and stood before the daluo dao seed that was emitting brilliant golden light. He examined it carefully for a moment, as if he were admiring an interesting antique.

Zhou Wannian evaluated in an easygoing tone, "The Five Elements Origin takes up sixty percent, the Space Law takes up thirty percent, and the remaining ten percent is impure Karma Law. The path of this Immortal Mansion Master was quite broad, but unfortunately, it wasn't pure enough. However, to be used as nourishment for my Great Five Elements Illusory World Art to break through to the Daluo Realm, it's barely considered acceptable."

If those Taiyi powerhouses from the outside world, who were fighting tooth and nail for this Legacy, heard these words, they would probably cough up blood and die on the spot. The supreme Dao Seed they dreamed of and were willing to risk their lives for was, in Zhou Wannian's words, merely "barely considered acceptable nourishment."

Zhou Wannian extended his right hand, palm down, and hovered it above the daluo dao seed.

He did not operate any absorption technique.

The Origin power of the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art within his body moved slightly.

That originally violent daluo dao seed, full of repulsive force, actually emitted a soft hum of submission upon sensing the supreme Five Elements Origin Aura within Zhou Wannian's body.

Subsequently, the Dao Seed turned into a golden stream of light and obediently flowed into his body through Zhou Wannian's palm.

A massive and pure Law power instantly exploded within Zhou Wannian's Qi Sea.

Zhou Wannian slightly closed his eyes.

He did not sit cross-legged in meditation, nor did he show any expression of pain. He just stood there quietly, allowing that massive power to wash through his Meridians.

The True Demon Indestructible Body greedily devoured the Space Law within like a bottomless pit, while the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art acted like a giant millstone, crushing and purifying the Five Elements Origin, finally integrating it into those one hundred and eight time dao patternss.

His Aura was undergoing a qualitative transformation in silence. It was a leisurely process of breaking through some kind of heavenly shackle and leaping toward a higher level of life form.

However, at this very moment while Zhou Wannian was quietly refining the daluo dao seed...

Above the starry abyss outside the Dao Repository Pavilion...

An ear-piercing wild laughter that was enough to tear the Soul suddenly rang out.

Accompanied by this wild laughter, a giant bone hand that blotted out the sky and sun, emitting a thick bloody scent and violent Daluo Realm pressure, forcibly tore through the solid Law barrier of this second layer of space.

An endless sea of blood poured down along the spatial crack, instantly submerging the red-skirted woman who was slumped by the stone tablet. Before even a scream could be heard, she was turned into a pool of blood.

A thousand-zhang-tall Bone Throne descended slowly from the sea of blood onto the white jade plaza.

Upon the throne, a mysterious demonic Cultivator entirely shrouded in blood-colored robes stared fixedly through the open doors of the Dao Repository Pavilion at Zhou Wannian, who was standing in the center of the hall emitting a faint golden light.

Within the Blood-robed Demonic Cultivator's crimson eyes flickered frantic greed and cruel killing intent. He clearly sensed the Aura of the daluo dao seed that was being absorbed by Zhou Wannian.

The Blood-robed Demonic Cultivator sneered gloomily, "An ant-like creature dares to lay a finger on the daluo dao seed this seat has set his sights on. Spit it out for me!"

Before his voice had even faded, he didn't bother with any redundant probing. Terrifying Law power of the Daluo Realm Early Stage erupted as that giant bone hand, carrying the momentum to destroy stars, crossed the Void Realm and struck out fiercely toward Zhou Wannian inside the Dao Repository Pavilion.

Everywhere the giant hand passed, the solid white jade steps and ancient walls outside the Dao Repository Pavilion shattered inch by inch like paper, turning into powder.

Facing the violent surprise attack of a true Daluo Realm Dao Ancestor...

Zhou Wannian slowly opened his eyes.

Within those originally deep starry eyes, a hint of heart-palpitating dark gold luster was now faintly circulating. That was a trace of higher-dimensional Law fluctuation produced after the preliminary Fusion of the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art and the daluo dao seed.

He did not dodge, nor did he panic. He still stood quietly in the center of the hall, watching the terrifying giant bone hand striking down toward him.

Zhou Wannian's expression was indifferent, his tone without a hint of emotion.

Zhou Wannian said in a steady voice, "You have come too slowly. Not only are you slow, but you are also very noisy."

He slowly raised his right hand.

This time, he did not clench his fist, nor did he use the Primordial Sun Essence Fire.

He merely extended his index finger and meeting that giant bone hand carrying the full power of the Daluo Realm Early Stage, he lightly pointed out a single finger.