142: Chapter 142 Clash of Dao Fruits, Life and Death on the Brink

The phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World and the dark mist of the "Funeral of an Era" silently collided, blended, clashed, annihilated, devoured, and transformed each other.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any dazzling brilliance. There were only two completely opposite Laws that touched upon the Origin of the Great Dao, engaging in the most perilous and fundamental clash in the starry sky.

The phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World was like a massive, hazy millstone that constantly birthed and destroyed life. Wherever it passed, the dark mist representing "end" and "burial" was slowly obliterated, decomposed, absorbed, and transformed by it. Meanwhile, in the process of devouring and transforming this massive amount of the power of "the end," the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World itself became increasingly clear and solid. Within it, the chaotic currents of Qi surged even more violently, the runes of "existence" shone brilliantly, and the light and shadow of "Reincarnation" interwoven and shifted, as if a real world was accelerating its evolution and birth.

For the first time, the Holy Lord's expression became incredibly grave, even carrying a faint hint of... unbelievable horror.

"This... what kind of Dao is this?! It can actually devour and transform my Dao power of 'the end'?! This is impossible! Even 'Chaos,' 'existence,' and 'Reincarnation' absolutely do not possess such characteristics!" His cold, indifferent voice finally carried a distinct tremor. He could clearly feel that the power of the "Funeral of an Era" he had unleashed—which was enough to bury a Small World—was being decomposed, absorbed, and turned into nourishment for the other's growth by that strange world phantom in a way he could not comprehend!

This overturned his cognition! In his understanding, "the end" was termination, destiny, the final point of all things, and the bane of all "existence." Even supreme Great Daos of the same tier, like "Chaos," "existence," and "Reincarnation," could at most stand on equal footing with "the end" and restrain each other; it was absolutely impossible for them to conversely devour and transform "the end"! This ant's Dao had already surpassed his scope of comprehension!

"Nothing is impossible," Lin Wan's voice said, carrying a hint of weakness but sounding even more firm and blazing. "The Dao is boundless. Your 'end' is merely one facet of the Dao. But my Dao encompasses everything and evolves all Laws. Even the end... is within it!"

Before his voice could fade, a fierce light flashed in Lin Wan's eyes. The phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World, which had already expanded to almost the same size as the dark mist of the "Funeral of an Era," suddenly shuddered. It actually gave up its entanglement with the dark mist and transformed into a grey, chaotic divine light that seemed capable of both creating the world and ending all things. Carrying the power of the frantically evolving "world" within, it slammed fiercely toward the Holy Lord's true body enveloped in the black mist!

"Chaos Reincarnation—Dao Fruit Prototype, Suppress!"

This was the strongest strike Lin Wan could currently unleash! He used his newly formed, yet-imperfect prototype of the "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit" as a weapon—the ultimate weapon carrying his entire understanding of the three supreme dao rhymes of "Chaos," "existence," and "Reincarnation"—and smashed it out with a crash!

"Presumptuous! How dare an ant defy heaven!" The Holy Lord laughed out of sheer rage, his voice filled with icy killing intent. As the spokesperson of "the end," he had traversed the heavens and buried countless worlds. When had he ever been so insulted by someone getting this close, even attempting to clash head-on with a Dao Fruit? To him, this was a humiliating disgrace!

"Since you seek death, I shall grant it to you! Let me show you what the true... Origin of the End is!"

The Holy Lord no longer held anything back. The pure black mist enveloping his body suddenly shrank inward, condensing until it finally transformed before him into a... pitch-black crystal! It was only the size of a fist, yet it seemed capable of devouring all light, all sound, all existence, and all concepts, emitting an aura that made the entire starry sky tremble and wail!

The moment this black crystal appeared, the surrounding space silently and completely annihilated, turning into an absolute "singularity" where even "nihility" did not exist, and where "Dao" and "reason" seemed to have thoroughly perished! Even light was devoured upon nearing this black crystal, unable to escape, forming a bizarre, distorted ring of darkness around it.

"the end—Crystal of Origin!"

The Holy Lord's voice seemed to come from the Nine Serenities of Hell, cold, deathly silent, and devoid of any emotion. He stretched out his hand, which was shrouded in black mist, gently grasped the "Crystal of Origin of the End," and then, toward the oncoming chaotic divine light bearing the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World, he flicked... a finger.

*Swoosh—!*

The black crystal transformed into an almost invisible, pure, and ultimate black line representing "the end" itself, shooting silently toward the chaotic divine light.

This black line seemed tiny, but the "end" dao rhyme contained within it was more than a hundred times more pure, condensed, and terrifying than the previous "Funeral of an Era"! This was an attack condensed by the Holy Lord using his own "end" Dao Fruit Origin, a true attack that touched the Origin of the Great Dao of "the end"! Its power was already infinitely close to... the True Immortal level!

Atop Zhenxu Pass, the moment the "Crystal of Origin of the End" appeared, Emperor Yan, Ye Qingxian, and the others felt an indescribable, immense terror and despair rise from the depths of their Souls. It was as if their very existence, their "Dao," their past, present, and future—absolutely everything—was about to be ended, devoured, and completely erased by that black crystal! Just a single glance made their Dao Hearts shake, nearly causing them to collapse and dissolve into the Dao on the spot! Had it not been for the Formation of Zhenxu Pass operating at full power, along with the protective talisman left behind by Lin Wan that contained the dao rhyme of "existence," they would likely have already been corroded, assimilated, and turned into nothingness by even the tiniest, negligible trace of the leaking "end" dao rhyme!

"Alliance Leader!" Everyone's eyes nearly split as they stared fixedly at the starry sky, their hearts almost stopping. They could feel just how terrifying that black line was! That was an attack that truly touched the Origin of the Great Dao, capable of ending everything! Could the Alliance Leader... block it?

Lin Wan's expression also became incredibly grave the moment the "Crystal of Origin of the End" appeared. He could feel that the pure, ultimate "end" dao rhyme contained within that black line posed a fatal threat to his prototype of the "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit"! It was no longer the power of "the end" that could be decomposed, absorbed, and transformed like before, but... "the end" itself! It was the negation and termination of all "existence" on the level of the Great Dao's rules!

Although his prototype of the "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit" was mysterious and could restrain and transform ordinary power of "the end," it was, after all, only a prototype and far from complete. Facing this attack that touched the Origin of "the end," he was afraid... his strength fell short!

But at this moment, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot!

"Chaos Reincarnation, for me... open!"

Lin Wan roared, no longer holding anything back. He did not even hesitate to burn his own essence blood and Divine Soul, frantically driving the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World, pushing the three dao rhymes of "Chaos," "existence," and "Reincarnation" to their absolute limits, attempting to obliterate and transform that black line representing the Origin of "the end" before it descended.

However, that black line was too fast! Too condensed! Too pure!

*Chii—!*

A sound so faint it was almost inaudible.

The moment the chaotic divine light bearing the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World—which was enough to obliterate the "Funeral of an Era"—came into contact with that pure, ultimate black line of "the end," it was silently... pierced through like a hot knife through butter!

Without losing momentum, the black line shot straight into the core of the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World!

*Puff—!*

Lin Wan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His face instantly turned as pale as paper, and he violently spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs. His aura instantly withered to the extreme, even showing faint signs of dispersing. The point of chaotic light between his eyebrows flickered violently, brightening and dimming unpredictably, as if it could go out at any moment. The phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World was like a lake surface into which a giant boulder had been thrown, shaking and distorting violently. Inside, the chaotic currents of Qi ran wild, the runes of "existence" dimmed, and the light and shadow of "Reincarnation" fell into disarray, as if it could... collapse at any moment!

His Dao Fruit was damaged! His Origin was wounded!

"Alliance Leader!"

"Lin Wan!"

"Husband!"

Atop Zhenxu Pass, countless people cried out in alarm. Emperor Yan, Ye Qingxian, Dan Dingzi, Yao Xi, as well as Shen Qingxue, Su Youwei, and others who were watching the battle from afar through special means, all turned deathly pale, their hearts and Souls splitting with fear. They could clearly feel Lin Wan's aura rapidly weakening! The phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World, which represented hope, was also shaking violently, as if it could be completely ended and devoured by that terrifying black line of "the end" at any moment!

"An ant is, after all, just an ant. Before the true Origin of 'the end,' your unformed, laughable Dao Fruit is utterly fragile." The Holy Lord's cold voice rang out, carrying a trace of disdain, a trace of mockery, and... an imperceptible hint of relief, as if a great weight had finally been lifted from his heart. He admitted that this ant's Dao was indeed bizarre, even making him feel wary. But that was all. Before absolute power and an absolute difference in essence, any fancy tricks were utterly meaningless.

"It is over. Your Dao and your existence will both become a part of my 'end,' helping me completely take that final step!"

The Holy Lord slowly raised his hand. Toward the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World that was invaded by the black line of the "Crystal of Origin of the End," shaking violently and on the verge of collapsing at any moment, and toward Lin Wan, whose aura was withered and who seemed powerless to resist behind the phantom, his five fingers slowly... closed.

He wanted to crush and devour Lin Wan's Dao Fruit along with his very existence, turning them into nourishment for his own "end" Dao Fruit! He had a premonition that if he could devour this ant's bizarre and powerful Dao Fruit, the Bottleneck of his cultivation that had been stagnant for countless ages might... finally be broken, allowing him to truly step into that legendary... "True Immortal" realm!

However, at the very instant the Holy Lord's five fingers were about to close, and the black line of "the end" was about to completely collapse the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World and terminate all traces of Lin Wan's existence—

A sudden change occurred!

*Buzz—!*

At the center of that violently shaking phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World, which seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment—at the very core that had been invaded, continuously eroded, and obliterated by the black line of "the end"—a speck of light, faint to the point of being almost imperceptible, strange, greyish, and seemingly containing endless mysteries, suddenly lit up!

This light seemed weak, yet it carried an indescribable aura of eternity, immortality, inclusiveness, and evolution, as if it reigned above all else. It was not "Chaos," it was not "existence," and it was not "Reincarnation," but... a brand-new, unknown essence that was difficult to describe in words, born after the Fusion and sublimation of the three!

It was a sliver of... new life, birthed from destruction by the prototype of the "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit" at the critical moment of life and death, under the erosion and obliteration of the desperate situation of the "end" Origin! It was a sliver of... a higher-level, fundamental, and initial sprout of the "Dao" that transcended "the end," encompassed "the end," and even... reigned above "the end," born from the mysterious Fusion and qualitative change of the three supreme dao rhymes of "Chaos," "existence," and "Reincarnation" under the oppression and tempering of the "death" of the "end" Origin!

It was "from nothing to something," it was the "creation of heaven and earth," it was... that initial spark of inspiration of "Dao births one"!

"This is...?!" The Holy Lord, who was preparing to deliver the final blow to Lin Wan, suddenly froze in his tracks. For the first time, those cold eyes hidden deep within the black mist revealed an incredibly clear, unbelievable, and even... slightly terrified expression!

He felt that the faint speck of light lighting up at the core of the phantom of the Chaos Reincarnation World was actually... conversely absorbing, transforming, and fusing with... the pure, ultimate black line of "the end" formed by his "Crystal of Origin of the End"!

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

No, it is not absorption or conversion, but... inclusion! It is... assimilation! It is... treating that power of "the end," which represents "termination," as a part of the nourishment for one's own evolution, growth, and perfection! It is as if that single point of light is itself the starting point of "the end," the final destination of "the end," and the source of the "Dao" that encompasses and evolves everything!

"No! This is impossible! In this world, how could there be a Dao that surpasses 'the end'?!" The Holy Lord roared in disbelief, even tinged with a trace of shock and anger.

He could not understand, could not accept it! He had wielded "the end" for endless years, believing that "the end" was the final destination of all things, the ultimate point of the Dao. Yet, the scene before him completely overturned his perception!

The aura of the "Dao" contained within that faint point of light actually made him feel a sense of... trembling and... insignificance originating from the depths of his Soul! It was like a firefly before a bright moon, a drop of water before a vast ocean!

"Nothing is impossible..." Lin Wan's weak yet incomparably firm voice rang out. His face remained pale, his breath still withered, but those deep eyes were frighteningly bright, as if two flames were burning fiercely. "I said it before, your 'the end' is merely a part of my 'Dao.' Now... it is my turn!"

"Chaos Samsara — Dao Fruit Prototype, swallow for me!"

Following Lin Wan's low shout, the point of light at the core of the Chaos Samsara World phantom suddenly surged! In an instant, like the first ray of light at the dawn of the Universe, it pierced through the eternal darkness!

The pitch-black threads that had invaded, representing the Origin of "the end," melted like ice and snow under the radiance of this light, quickly being decomposed, assimilated, absorbed, and swallowed by that single point of light!

The light grew brighter and more intense, spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it filled the entire Chaos Samsara World phantom, rendering it with a layer of... indescribable, primordial, gray luster that seemed to contain all possibilities and all evolution!

The world phantom, which had been violently trembling and on the verge of collapse, quickly stabilized under the illumination of this light, and then... began a violent, unprecedented, and transformative... evolution!

Chaos Qi surged, creating heaven and earth, separating the clear from the turbid! Runes of "existence" shone, stabilizing the cosmos and defining all things! Lights and shadows of "Reincarnation" intertwined, cycling through life and death, with eras shifting! And those pitch-black threads that had been absorbed and converted, representing the Origin of "the end," transformed into a strange, dark-colored rune representing "termination," "Nirvana," and the "destination of Reincarnation," merging into the lights and shadows of "Reincarnation," making the entire Reincarnation more complete and... more real!

It was as if this hazy world phantom was evolving and advancing from a "prototype" toward a true, complete "World" Dao Fruit that contained various supreme Laws such as "Chaos," "existence," "Reincarnation," and "the end"!

"Pfft—!" With the Dao Fruit Origins connected, the black threads formed by the "Crystal of the Origin of the End" were swallowed and converted. The "Holy Lord" suffered a heavy blow, letting out a muffled grunt. The pure black mist around him surged and fluctuated violently, his aura instantly becoming chaotic and dropping a level.

He discovered with shock and anger that his connection to that "Crystal of the Origin of the End" had been forcibly severed, swallowed, and assimilated by that strange light! Even his own "the end" Dao Fruit was faintly receiving some kind of inexplicable suppression and... attraction?!

"You... you dare to... swallow this seat's Origin Dao power?! Seeking death!" The "Holy Lord" was both shocked and angry, with a trace of imperceptible fear. He had never imagined that his own power, which had always been invincible and touched the Origin of "the end," would actually become nourishment for another's growth! What kind of monster was this ant's Dao?!

"The one seeking death is you!" Lin Wan endured the tearing pain brought about by the violent evolution of his Dao Fruit. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. Taking advantage of the moment when the "Holy Lord's" Dao Fruit was damaged and his aura was chaotic, he controlled the Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit phantom—which had already been reborn, becoming more solid, more magnificent, and resembling the prototype of a true "World"—and fiercely... suppressed it down toward the "Holy Lord"!

"Chaos Samsara — Dao Fruit Suppression!" This time, it was no longer a hard clash, but... suppression! Swallowing! Refining! He was going to suppress and swallow this "Holy Lord," along with his "the end" Dao Fruit, and turn them into... resources for the evolution of his own "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit"!

"Ant! Don't even think about it!" The "Holy Lord" let out an angry roar, the pure black mist around him rolling wildly, attempting to resist and break free from the Chaos Samsara World phantom that was suppressing him, which seemed to contain infinite power.

He could feel a terrifying suction force coming from within the world phantom, one that seemed capable of encompassing and refining everything. It was frantically swallowing and refining his "the end" Dao power, and even... faintly threatening to drag his entire being into that "World" that was currently evolving, becoming a... part of its evolution!

"Suppress!" Lin Wan ignored his own injuries and frantically drove his Dao Fruit. The point of Chaos radiance at his brow was already bright to the extreme, and there was even a faint, strange, blurred mark condensing that seemed capable of reflecting the heavens and evolving all things.

The Chaos Samsara World phantom blazed with light; the power of suppression, swallowing, and refining increased several times over!

"No—!!" The "Holy Lord" let out a roar of unwillingness. He could feel his own power being stripped away, swallowed, and refined by that strange world phantom bit by bit! His "the end" Dao Fruit, which had traversed the heavens and buried countless worlds, had now become nourishment for another's growth! How could he not be angry, how could he not fear, how could he... be resigned?!

However, suppression and swallowing at the level of the Dao Fruit were difficult to reverse once they had begun. Especially since Lin Wan's "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit," after absorbing that trace of the "Origin of the End," had already undergone a qualitative change. Its ability to restrain, encompass, and refine the power of "the end" had reached a brand new height. With the rise of one and the fall of the other, the "Holy Lord's" struggle became increasingly futile.

"Ant! This seat... will never lose to you! This seat is the Incarnation of 'the end,' undying through ten thousand calamities! Today's humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!"

Seeing that there was no hope of breaking free, and that his Dao Fruit and power were being rapidly swallowed and refined, a flash of madness and determination crossed the "Holy Lord's" eyes. He suddenly looked up at the Chaos Samsara World phantom suppressing him, and at Lin Wan, who was behind the phantom with a pale face but firm eyes, and let out a hiss of extreme resentment.

"the end — Dao Fruit Self-Detonation! Bury everything!"

Boom—!! The next moment, the "Holy Lord's" body, shrouded in pure black mist, along with the black crystal within it—which had grown much dimmer and represented the Origin of the "the end" Dao Fruit—suddenly erupted with the final, most brilliant, and most extreme... darkness!

That darkness was so pure, so terrifying, as if it wanted to drag itself and everything around it—including the Chaos Samsara World phantom that was suppressing him, including Lin Wan, including "Zhenxu Pass," including this starry sky, everything—into the final, eternal... termination and Nirvana in an instant!

A terrifying existence infinitely close to the level of a "True Immortal," who had touched the Great Dao of the Origin of "the end," self-detonating their Dao Fruit—the power... was enough to bury a great world, and seriously injure or even kill a real... True Immortal!

"Not good! He's going to self-detonate!" "Alliance Leader, watch out!" "Retreat quickly!" On "Zhenxu Pass," everyone's faces changed drastically, and the shadow of despair once again shrouded their hearts. They could feel that the terrifying, world-destroying energy about to erupt was enough to completely wipe out everything here!

Lin Wan's pupils constricted. He had not expected the "Holy Lord" to be so decisive and ruthless. Seeing that he could not win, he actually wanted to drag him down to perish together! The self-detonation of a powerful being who had touched the Origin of "the end"—its power was definitely not something he could withstand right now. Even with the "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit" prototype currently evolving to protect his body, he would undoubtedly die!

"Damn it! I have no choice but to risk it!" At the critical moment of life and death, a flash of madness crossed Lin Wan's eyes. No longer hesitating, he moved his mind, and the Chaos Samsara World phantom that was suppressing downward suddenly contracted inward. It no longer attempted to suppress and swallow the "Holy Lord," but instead wrapped itself, along with the evolving "Chaos Samsara Dao Fruit" prototype containing that trace of "initial spiritual light," and the "Holy Lord's" body that was about to self-detonate, all together... inside!

He wanted to... use his own Dao Fruit prototype as a cage to forcibly seal, compress, and refine the "Holy Lord's" self-detonation within his own body! Although the risk was immense, with ten deaths and no life, this was the only method currently possible to prevent the "Holy Lord's" self-detonation from affecting "Zhenxu Pass" and the millions of soldiers!

"Seal... for me!" Lin Wan roared, blood already seeping from his seven orifices. This was the backlash from the Dao Fruit operating at overload, and even attempting to forcibly contain the self-detonation of a powerful being approaching "True Immortal"! But his eyes remained firm, carrying an indomitable determination!

"Boom—!!!" The earth-shattering explosion did not sound in the starry sky. That world-destroying energy was forcibly sealed and compressed within his body by Lin Wan using his Dao Fruit prototype as a cage, or rather, sealed inside the Chaos Samsara World phantom that was currently evolving.

"Pfft—!" Lin Wan felt as if he had been struck by a force of ten thousand tons. His entire body was instantly covered in cracks, as if it might disintegrate at any moment, and blood gushed out like a fountain from every pore of his body. The point of Chaos radiance at his brow instantly dimmed to the extreme, almost extinguishing. The Chaos Samsara World phantom was shaking, twisting, expanding, and contracting violently, like a balloon blown to its limit, ready to burst at any moment. Inside it, endless darkness and destructive light could be faintly seen colliding and raging frantically, attempting to break through the restraints and explode completely.

"Husband!" "Alliance Leader!" "Lin Wan!" Countless exclamations and cries of grief resounded throughout "Zhenxu Pass." Everyone could clearly see how miserable and dangerous Lin Wan's state was at this moment. He was using himself as a container, forcibly containing the self-detonation of a powerful being approaching "True Immortal"! This was no different from seeking his own death!

"Hold on! You must hold on!" Ye Qingxian, Shen Qingxue, Su Youwei, and others were already streaming with tears, but they could only bite their lips tightly, not daring to make a sound, for fear of disturbing Lin Wan. They knew that Lin Wan was currently racing against death, fighting against the self-detonation of a terrifying existence, and any external interference could become the final straw that crushed him.

"Hum— hum hum—!" The Chaos Samsara World phantom was vibrating frantically within Lin Wan's body. Inside it, terrifying destructive energy was raging, attempting to break through the restraints of the Dao Fruit prototype. And the Dao Fruit prototype, supported by Lin Wan's tenacious will and that trace of "initial spiritual light," was resisting desperately, frantically swallowing and refining those destructive energies, attempting to convert them into nourishment for its own evolution.

This was a contest of will and endurance, a struggle between the Dao Fruit and destruction, and even more so... a high-stakes gamble on the line between life and death! Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Every minute, every second, was a torment for everyone on "Zhenxu Pass." They could only watch helplessly as Lin Wan's cracked, blood-soaked body swayed precariously in the air, and the Chaos Samsara World phantom vibrated frantically, flickering uncertainly, as if it might completely disintegrate at any moment, dragging Lin Wan, along with everything around him, into the abyss of destruction from which there was no return.