103: Chapter 103 The Might of the Evil Emperor, Reincarnation Severing Corpses

"Imperial Dao — Myriad Spirits Annihilation Claw!"

Five terrifying claw shadows, blotting out the sky and covering the earth, wreathed in dark gold and pitch-black deathly Aura, seemingly capable of crushing stars and ending all living things, tore through the Void Realm of the underground palace.

Carrying the vast deathly Qi and the will of "the end" of the Tianwu Evil Corpse—who was at the Peak of Soul Transformation and touching the threshold of Void Refining—they struck fiercely down at Lin Wan, Sword Master Jian Wuming, and Fairy Yaoxi!

Before the claw shadows arrived, that cold, dead, and decaying Dao rhythm, filled with destruction, had already descended like an invisible shackle, attempting to imprison and erode the three's mana, Divine Soul, and even their life force!

"What a terrifying Corpse Dao Divine Ability! This Evil Corpse has forcibly fused its 'Imperial Dao' from its former life with the power of 'the end' to create its own path, making it even more powerful!"

Sword Intent soared in Sword Master Jian Wuming's eyes.

Facing this terrifying blow capable of threatening a Void Refining cultivator, he did not retreat.

Instead, he let out a long roar, and the Sword Qi around him erupted violently, like a divine sword drawn from its sheath, exposing its keen edge!

"Sword Dao — Boundless!"

The ancient longsword in his hand suddenly erupted with unprecedented, brilliant sword light, and a supreme Sword Intent that could sever Karma, shatter delusions, and forge ahead without hesitation soared into the sky!

Facing the incoming deathly claw shadows, he chose to attack with an attack, using his own purest Sword Dao, which had already touched the Origin of the "Dao," to clash head-on against the Evil Corpse's "Imperial Dao Annihilation"!

"Yaochi — Purifying World Lotus!"

Fairy Yaoxi also struck at the same time, her cold, clear voice like the ringing of a jade chime.

She formed hand seals, and the "Purifying World Immortal Light" around her instantly intensified tenfold, transforming into a massive, crystal-clear, white lotus that seemed capable of purifying all filth, evil, and inauspiciousness in the world.

It slowly bloomed, shielding the three in its center.

The lotus rotated, emitting a gentle yet tenacious purifying power, constantly wearing down and resisting the encroaching deathly Dao rhythm and the pressure of the claw shadows.

The two experts, both at the Late Stage of Soul Transformation and touching the threshold of Void Refining, went all out against this terrifying blow, not daring to hold back in the slightest.

And Lin Wan, at the instant the claw shadows reached him, also moved.

He did not attack aggressively like Sword Master Jian Wuming, nor did he defend with all his might like Fairy Yaoxi.

He simply raised his right hand slowly, spread his five fingers, and aimed at the deathly claw shadows that were descending and seemed capable of annihilating all living things.

The pale golden "Eye of Samsara" at the center of his brow suddenly opened to its limit!

"Reincarnation — Insight, Reflection, Analysis!"

Pale golden divine light shot out from the "Eye of Samsara," instantly enveloping the five massive deathly claw shadows.

Under the supreme insight of the "Eye of Samsara," the seemingly seamless and infinitely powerful claw shadows—their internal structure, the flow of power, the composition of Laws, and even their connection to the main body of the Tianwu Evil Corpse, the Fusion nodes of the "Imperial Dao" and the power of "the end" they contained, and their weak points... everything, absolutely everything, was as clear as lines on one's palm, presented perfectly in Lin Wan's "eye."

Within his already transformed Divine Soul, which contained the Dao rhythm of "Reincarnation," they were rapidly deduced, analyzed, simulated, and reconstructed!

This was the terrifying aspect of the "Eye of Samsara" combined with the Dao Fruit of "Reincarnation"!

It could not only "gain insight" into appearances but also "reflect" the essence, "analyze" Laws, and even to a certain extent, "deduce" changes and weaknesses!

It could be called the "bane" of all Divine Abilities, techniques, Formations, and even the Dao itself!

"Found it!"

In a flash of lightning, chaotic and emerald light exploded in Lin Wan's eyes!

He pressed his fingers together like a sword.

At his fingertips, a strange sword beam, interwoven with Chaos and emerald green, and containing the supreme Dao rhythm of "Life" and "Death," "Reincarnation" and "the end," suddenly condensed!

He did not attack the most fierce, energy-concentrated parts of the five claw shadows.

Instead, he lightly tapped at a tiny, almost negligible "gap" on the level of Laws in one of the claw shadows, where the energy flow appeared slightly "stiff," as if it were a remnant of the forced Fusion between two different types of power (Imperial Dao and the end).

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, Reincarnation Sword Finger — Flaw!"

"Sshh——!"

A sound as slight as to be almost inaudible, as if a needle had pricked a bubble, rang out.

The deathly claw shadow, which appeared indestructible and contained the terrifying power of the Peak of Soul Transformation, was struck at its "flaw" by Lin Wan's sword finger.

In that instant, it was as if its most vulnerable "death point" had been hit.

The already "strained" balance of the Imperial Dao and the power of "the end" within it was instantly shattered!

The dark golden Imperial Dao corpse Qi and the pitch-black power of "the end" began to violently clash, counter-strike, and annihilate each other!

Immediately following, like a domino effect, the collapse of this claw shadow instantly triggered the "flaws" and "instabilities," whether large or small, within the other four claw shadows that had also arisen due to forced Fusion!

"Boom boom boom boom——!"

The five terrifying deathly claw shadows, capable of crushing stars, actually began to explode and collapse from within, one after another, like ignited fireworks, before they had even fully descended!

They transformed into a sky full of chaotic, violent, yet rapidly annihilating and dissipating dark golden and pitch-black air currents!

This angry blow from the Tianwu Evil Corpse, capable of threatening a Void Refining cultivator, had been so nonchalantly... neutralized by Lin Wan in such a "four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds" manner!

No, it was more than just neutralized!

The collapse of the claw shadows and the backlash of the conflicting forces within them even traveled along the connection between the claw shadows and the main body, faintly impacting the Tianwu Evil Corpse itself.

It caused the Evil Corpse's body, which had just sat up with imposing momentum, to tremble slightly, and the dark golden flames burning in its eye sockets flickered violently, clearly having suffered some backlash and interference!

"What?!"

The "Boundless" Sword Qi that Sword Master Jian Wuming had slashed out, which was already colliding with the residual power of a collapsing claw shadow, and the "Purifying World Lotus" that Fairy Yaoxi was maintaining with all her might, both missed their targets or saw their pressure greatly reduced because the target had collapsed prematurely.

Both were shocked and delighted as they looked at Lin Wan.

Although they knew that Lin Wan's strength had greatly increased and his Divine Ability was strange after refining that fragment, they never imagined that he could "easily" break the Tianwu Evil Corpse's terrifying killing move in such a way!

This was simply inconceivable!

"Insight into the essence, pointing directly at the flaw... what a 'Eye of Samsara'!"

Sword Intent grew even stronger in Sword Master Jian Wuming's eyes, and his gaze toward Lin Wan was filled with admiration and Battle Intent.

He had cultivated the sword his entire life, pursuing the ultimate "slash," and Lin Wan's insight and breaking of the essence of Divine Abilities and techniques, which approached the level of "Dao," gave him a whole new inspiration.

"Elder Lin's Divine Ability is indeed profound."

Fairy Yaoxi also breathed a sigh of relief, her beautiful eyes shimmering with brilliance.

With Lin Wan's means, which could be called a "bane of Divine Abilities," their chances of dealing with this bizarre Tianwu Evil Corpse were much greater.

"Ant! You dare... break my Divine Ability?!"

Above the coffin, the Tianwu Evil Corpse let out a roar mixed with shock and anger.

It clearly had not expected that its killing move, which fused the power of "Imperial Dao" and "the end" and which it boasted was invincible, would be broken by a "junior" at the Late Stage of Soul Transformation in such a bizarre way!

This made it feel unprecedented humiliation and a trace of... faint unease.

"It seems you are not the true 'Holy Emperor Tianwu'."

Lin Wan stood with his fingers retracted, looking calmly at the enraged Evil Corpse, his voice cold and clear.

"You are merely a monster, eroded and corrupted by the power of 'the end,' having stolen part of the Holy Emperor's remains and his insights into the Imperial Dao, and then forcibly pieced together by fusing with the Law of 'the end'."

"Your 'Imperial Dao Annihilation,' while seemingly mighty, is actually unstable at its Foundation. The Imperial Dao and the power of 'the end' are incompatible, and it is riddled with holes. Under my 'Eye of Samsara,' it is nothing more than... a paper tiger."

"Presumptuous!"

Lin Wan's words were like a sharp knife, fiercely piercing the most sensitive scar in the Tianwu Evil Corpse's heart, the one it least wanted to admit.

It was indeed not the complete Holy Emperor Tianwu, but a bizarre existence possessing part of the Holy Emperor's memories and powers.

It had been forcibly fused and spawned during the ancient catastrophe after the Holy Emperor's remains were eroded by the power of "the end," combining the residual resentment and Death Qi, part of the Imperial Dao imprint, and the Origin of "the end" secretly "cultivated" and infused by the Void Church.

What it hated most was others exposing its nature as "unorthodox" and a "pieced-together product"!

"I am Tianwu! I am the only Human Emperor of this world! I am the supreme existence destined to rule the heavens and transcend 'the end'! You dare to insult me! I will have you... body and Soul destroyed! Never to be reincarnated for eternity!"

The Tianwu Evil Corpse went completely berserk.

The dark golden corpse Qi and pitch-black power of "the end" around its body surged crazily.

In the underground palace, the Yin Qi, Death Qi, and even the residual Imperial Dragon Qi that had accumulated for ten thousand years all converged toward it crazily, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

Its Aura, in its anger, climbed again, faintly showing a trend of completely stabilizing at the threshold of "Void Refining"!

"Imperial Dao End — Myriad Ages Void!"

The Evil Corpse roared at the sky and pushed its palms forward violently!

A torrent of Laws—gray, dead, and destructive—more terrifying and vast than the previous "Myriad Spirits Annihilation Claw," seemingly intending to return the entire underground palace, and even this world, to "void" and "the end," rushed toward the three, Lin Wan, like a sluice gate opening on the Underworld River!

Wherever the torrent passed, space collapsed, light annihilated, and even the incredibly hard "Soul Suppressing Stone" and star gold floors and walls of the underground palace began to rapidly decay, weather, and turn into dust!

This blow had truly touched the power of Laws at the "Void Refining" level!

It was a desperate killing blow issued by the Tianwu Evil Corpse by burning its Origin, regardless of the consequences!

Its power was far greater than before!

"Not good! It's desperate!"

Sword Master Jian Wuming's expression changed.

He could feel that even if he defended with all his might against this blow, he would likely be severely injured!

Fairy Yaoxi's "Purifying World Lotus" would likely be unable to fully resist it either!

"Elder Lin, retreat quickly!"

Fairy Yaoxi also said urgently, while simultaneously channeling the "Purifying World Lotus" with all her might, attempting to buy time for the three to retreat.

However, Lin Wan remained standing in place and did not retreat.

The "Eye of Samsara" at the center of his brow shone brightly, staring fixedly at the incoming torrent of Laws that seemed capable of ending everything.

Chaotic and emerald light flowed crazily in his eyes, as if he were frantically deducing and analyzing something.

"Retreat? Why retreat?"

At the instant before the torrent was about to engulf the three, Lin Wan's calm voice rang out.

"It is merely a fake Void Refining blow that was forcibly triggered, strong on the outside but weak on the inside, and filled with 'death intent' and 'resentment.' Before true 'Reincarnation'..."

"It remains nothing but... a delusion."

As his voice fell, Lin Wan finally moved.

He no longer used the "Eye of Samsara" to gain insight into flaws.

Instead, he slowly raised his hands and formed a Dao seal in front of his chest that was incredibly profound, ancient, and seemed to contain all the mysteries of the heavens' Reincarnation and the birth and death of the Universe.

Between his eyebrows, the light of the "Chaos Reincarnation Dao Fruit" bloomed to its limit. The singular, strange point of light representing "Reflection" and "Insight" perfectly fused with the various Dao rhythms of the Five Elements, Returning to Ruins, Life, the end, and Reincarnation contained within the Dao Fruit itself. It transformed into a grander, more primordial supreme power that seemed to "define" the existence and demise of all things, surging into the Dao seal formed by his hands.

"With my Dao, I seal this falsehood."

"Five Elements rotate, setting its Foundation."

"Returning to Ruins extinguishes, severing its Origin."

"Life creates, overcoming its Death."

"the end concludes, severing its thoughts."

"Reincarnation... Rebirth—sending you... to Returning to Ruins!"

"Reincarnation Seal—Suppress!"

Following Lin Wan's final clear shout, the profound Dao seal his hands had formed—appearing to be woven from countless Chaos runes, emerald Dao marks, and gray lines of the end—gently... pressed toward the sweeping, gray, and deathly torrent of Law.

The Dao seal moved silently, without even emitting any astonishing energy fluctuations. However, the supreme "Reincarnation" Dao rhythm it contained—which "defined" existence, concluded Karma, and sent things into Reincarnation—caused the space and time of the entire underground palace to seemingly freeze for a moment.

"Hum—!"

The Dao seal and the torrent of Law touched gently.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no world-destroying energy annihilation.

There was only a more essential, Law-level, silent "dissolution" and "conclusion."

The gray torrent, which seemed capable of ending all things, instantly dissolved, faded, and disintegrated upon touching the "Reincarnation Seal," like snow under a scorching sun. The violent corpse Qi, the deathly power of the end, the tyrannical Imperial Dao will, and the endless resentment and death intent contained within were all rapidly decomposed, purified, and concluded under the scouring of the "Reincarnation Seal's" supreme Dao rhythm—which contained "Life" and "Death," "Beginning" and "the end," "Reincarnation" and "Rebirth." Then... like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, they were absorbed and assimilated by the "Reincarnation Seal," becoming the power that strengthened the "Reincarnation Seal" itself and pushed it forward!

After absorbing and assimilating a portion of the torrent's power, the "Reincarnation Seal" seemed to shine even brighter. Its momentum remained undiminished, and it continued, unhurried, toward the main body of the "Tianwu Evil Corpse" behind the torrent!

"No! This is impossible! What is this power?! How can... how can it assimilate My 'Imperial Dao of the end'?!"

The "Tianwu Evil Corpse" let out an unbelievable, fear-filled scream. He could feel that within that seemingly unremarkable Dao seal lay a supreme power that made him tremble from the depths of his Soul, as if he had encountered a "natural predator"! It was a power that transcended the "Imperial Dao," transcended "the end," and even faintly loomed above all powers he knew, including that of the "Holy Master" of the "Void Church"... the primordial power of "Reincarnation"!

He wanted to dodge, to flee, to use his Divine Ability to resist again. But under the shroud of the "Reincarnation Seal's" Dao rhythm, the vast corpse Qi and power of the end around him became sluggish, obscure, and difficult to circulate! It was as if all his power and existence had been "defined" by that Dao seal as the "past" that was about to be "concluded" and "sent into Reincarnation," and was being forcibly stripped from the "present world"!

"I am Tianwu! I am undying and indestructible! I will... transcend!"

In this desperate situation, the "Tianwu Evil Corpse" let out a final, crazed roar. Instead of defending, he opened his withered mouth and took a fierce breath toward the incoming "Reincarnation Seal"! He intended to use his own body as a furnace to forcibly swallow and refine this Dao seal! He did not believe that he, having fused the Origins of the Imperial Dao, the end, and the Holy Emperor's remains, would lose to the bizarre Divine Ability of a junior!

However, he had underestimated the "Reincarnation Seal" and overestimated himself.

The "Reincarnation Seal" imprinted into the "Tianwu Evil Corpse's" open mouth without any obstruction, sinking into his body. Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The "Tianwu Evil Corpse" remained in the posture of swallowing, frozen atop the coffin. The two dark gold flames in his eye sockets suddenly solidified, and then... began to slowly extinguish.

From the spot on his chest where the "Reincarnation Seal" had entered, a light interwoven with Chaos and emerald green, filled with the "Reincarnation" Dao rhythm, slowly lit up and rapidly spread across his withered body, which was covered in dark gold patterns.

Wherever the light passed, his body no longer decayed and no longer emitted deathly Qi. Instead, it presented a strange, crystal-clear sensation, as if it had returned to its most primordial material state. Under the radiance of the "Reincarnation" light, the violent and conflicting Imperial Dao corpse Qi and the power of the end within his body were combed, stripped, and purified as if by the most skilled craftsman. The Imperial Dao portion turned into tiny golden specks of light containing the pure will of "protection" and "warfare," slowly drifting away as if returning to the heavens and earth, returning to the Human Race's river of Luck; while the portion of the end was completely decomposed, annihilated, and turned into nothingness by the "Reincarnation" light.

Finally, when the light enveloped the entire body of the "Tianwu Evil Corpse," his whole body, along with the remaining evil thoughts, resentment, and the bit of the "end" primordial mark implanted by the "Void Church," were all—as if by an invisible hand—completely "smoothed out," "concluded," and "sent" from the level of "existence" into that mysterious and unfathomable "Reincarnation."

In place, only tiny, warm, golden specks of light remained, slowly drifting down and merging into the floor and air of the underground palace, as if bringing a trace of comfort and purification to this eerie place.

The huge "Burial Heaven Divine Crystal" coffin seemed to have lost all spirituality, becoming dull and lusterless, turning into an ordinary, albeit larger, coffin.

The "Tianwu Evil Corpse," this terrifying existence who had fused the Holy Emperor's remains, the Imperial Dao mark, and the Origin of the end, and whose strength touched the threshold of Void Refining, was completely "concluded" under Lin Wan's "Reincarnation Seal"—which appeared plain and unremarkable but actually contained the supreme true meaning of "Reincarnation"—his body and Soul scattered as he re-entered Reincarnation.

The underground palace was deathly silent.

Only the slowly drifting golden light dust told of the heart-stirring yet eerily calm "conclusion" that had just taken place.

Sword Master Jian Wuming and Fairy Yaoxi watched this inconceivable scene, speechless for a long time. They could feel that the "Tianwu Evil Corpse" had truly and completely "disappeared." It was not death, not annihilation, but a more thorough, more essential... "returning to stillness" and "Reincarnation." The seal Lin Wan had just used had already touched a higher level of the "Dao" Domain, one difficult for even those like them—who were touching the threshold of Void Refining—to understand.

"Reincarnation... conclusion..." Sword Master Jian Wuming muttered to himself, his eyes filled with shock and contemplation. For the first time, he had so intuitively felt the terror and profound mystery of the power of "Reincarnation." It was not simple "Life" and "Death," but a higher-dimensional control and "definition" of "existence" itself.

Fairy Yaoxi's gaze toward Lin Wan was also filled with an indescribable complexity. The power mastered and the "Dao" walked by this young "Sixth Seat" Elder had already exceeded their imagination. Perhaps, he could truly become the hope that leads the Tiannan Continent, and even the myriad worlds, to resist "the end."

Lin Wan slowly withdrew the Dao seal, and the "Eye of Samsara" between his eyebrows closed. His face was slightly pale, and his Aura was somewhat unstable. Executing the "Reincarnation Seal," especially to forcibly "conclude" a bizarre existence that touched the threshold of Void Refining and carried the Imperial Dao and the power of the end, was a huge drain on him. However, his eyes were filled with a bright gleam, as if he had perceived some kind of truth.

"It is resolved." He exhaled a turbid breath and looked at Sword Master Jian Wuming and Fairy Yaoxi. "However, this place should not be stayed in for long. With the 'Tianwu Evil Corpse' destroyed, the 'Void Church' will inevitably sense it. We need to leave as soon as possible and report the situation here to His Majesty Emperor Yan. The Imperial Mausoleum has been infiltrated to this extent; the interior of the Human Emperor Palace... is likely also problematic."

Sword Master Jian Wuming and Fairy Yaoxi's expressions tightened, and both nodded in agreement.

The three did not tarry. They quickly cleaned up any traces that might have been left at the scene, concealed their figures again, and silently retreated from the "Holy Emperor Tianwu Mausoleum." They left the mausoleum's restricted area and sped toward the direction of Tiandu City.

In the night sky, three streaks of light flashed by, disappearing into the deep darkness, carrying a secret capable of shaking the Central Plains and even the Five Regions, along with an even heavier and more urgent mission.

Deep within the mausoleum, beside the now-dull "Burial Heaven Divine Crystal" coffin, a tiny, extremely faint "mark"—completely different from the previous golden light dust, presenting a pure pitch-black color and seemingly capable of swallowing all light—flickered slightly in a corner unnoticed by anyone, then completely vanished, as if it had never existed.

...

Meanwhile, outside the Tiannan Continent, deep within the endless Void Realm, in the depths of some indescribable, terrifying territory shrouded in eternal, cold, chaotic darkness.

Inside a pitch-black palace, unimaginably huge and filled with blasphemy and madness, which was forcefully fused together entirely from the twisted, painful, wailing faces of living beings, broken stars, and world debris.

A pair of cold, indifferent, huge, dark gold eyes, which seemed to contain all the "the end" and "Void" of the myriad worlds, slowly opened and looked toward the direction of the Tiannan Continent.

"The Aura of... Reincarnation... and... the fluctuations of the 'Mirror' fragments..."

"Tianwu... that failed 'piece'... has been 'concluded'..."

"Interesting... truly... becoming more and more interesting..."

"Pass the order... entities of the 'Lord' level may... begin to awaken. Accelerate the activation of the 'Anchor Points'... it is time... to let this 'game' enter... the next stage..."

The cold, indifferent voice, like the Laws of the Universe itself, echoed in the dark palace, carrying a faint... interest, as if a cat playing with a mouse.

"As for that... little bug... who has mastered 'Reincarnation'..."

"Let him... live a little longer."

"After all... a good 'sacrifice'... needs... to be slowly 'cultivated'..."

"Hehehe..." The hair-raising chuckle, filled with malice and greed, slowly dissipated in the darkness. The storm, it seemed... had only just begun to brew.