164: Chapter 164 Ice Soul vs. Chaos, One Sword Breaks All Laws

On the Douxiantai Platform, Lin Wan and Saintess Ye Qingxue stood facing each other.

One was dressed in a simple green robe, his aura as deep as the sea, as if it could contain all things, and yet it also seemed like the beginning of Chaos, mysterious and unfathomable. The other was clad in white as pure as snow, her temperament cold and aloof, surrounded by swirling icy Qi, like a Fairy from the Guanghan Palace descending to the mortal world, capable of an Ice Seal of a Thousand Li.

Before a Move was even made, the invisible aura between them had already collided and intertwined in the Void Realm, emitting faint "chi-chi" sounds. Even the surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped significantly. The onlookers held their breath, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the arena, fearing they might miss a single detail.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, your first-place rank in the Ascension Tower and your profound Daoist arts are well known to me. Today, I humbly request your guidance." Saintess Ye Qingxue's voice was cold and clear as she looked at Lin Wan with calm eyes, though deep within them, a hint of eager Battle Intent was burning. As the Saintess of Yaochi Immortal Palace, she rarely encountered rivals among her peers. Lin Wan's appearance brought her a long-lost sense of pressure, which only fueled her fighting spirit.

"Fairy Ye, you flatter me. The supreme arts of Yaochi are renowned throughout the Immortal Realm, and I have long wished to learn from them." Lin Wan's expression remained calm, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. He could sense that the extremely cold yet pure aura emanating from Saintess Ye Qingxue bore a faint resemblance to his own Chaos Qi; both were powers of a certain "Origin." This only increased his anticipation for this duel.

"In that case, I shall not stand on ceremony."

Saintess Ye Qingxue said no more. She raised her slender hand and pointed gently at Lin Wan.

"Ice Soul Finger."

A point of cold light bloomed from her fingertip. Initially only the size of a needle tip, it expanded and spread in an instant, transforming into a brilliant, icy white beam that seemed capable of freezing the Soul. It tore through the air, shooting toward Lin Wan! Wherever the beam passed, the air condensed into fine ice crystals, and even the space itself seemed to freeze, emitting faint "crackle, crackle" sounds.

This finger attack appeared effortless, but the icy power it contained was terrifying, sufficient to freeze the Physical Body and Divine Soul of a Middle Stage Earth Immortal!

"Well done."

Lin Wan's eyes narrowed slightly. He did not dodge but instead raised his hand and pointed out.

"Chaos Return to Void Finger."

A grey finger force, though launched later, arrived first, meeting the icy beam. Within the finger force, Chaos Qi flowed, as if it contained a newly opened Chaos world, evolving all things only to return them to nothingness.

"Chi—!" The icy beam and the Chaos finger force collided in mid-air. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a strange sound, as if ice and snow were melting, or as if Chaos were consuming everything. The icy power, capable of freezing all things, was broken down, devoured, and assimilated by the Chaos Qi the moment it made contact, rapidly dissipating. The Chaos finger force also seemed slowed and weakened by the icy power, its light dimming considerably, yet it still stubbornly pierced through the blockade of the icy beam and pointed toward Saintess Ye Qingxue.

A flash of surprise appeared in Saintess Ye Qingxue's beautiful eyes. Her "Ice Soul Finger" was one of the supreme arts of the Yaochi Immortal Palace, containing the dao rhyme of extreme cold and specifically designed to counter various energies. She had not expected it to be so easily neutralized and devoured by Lin Wan. This Chaos power was truly mysterious and unpredictable.

She waved her jade hand, and a shield made of condensed ice crystals instantly appeared before her.

"Crackle!" The Chaos finger force struck the ice crystal shield, which shattered upon impact, but it successfully neutralized the remaining power of the finger force.

"What a formidable Chaos power, to be able to assimilate and devour my Ice Soul power." Saintess Ye Qingxue's cold voice rang out. "Then try this Move."

Before her voice had faded, she formed hand seals. The icy Qi around her surged violently. With her as the center, a visible ice-blue cold wave spread out in all directions! On the arena, the ground, the air, and even the light were rapidly freezing and crystallizing! In the blink of an eye, the entire arena turned into a frozen world, the temperature plummeting below absolute zero, as if even space itself were about to be frozen!

"Ice Seal of Ten Thousand Li!" Saintess Ye Qingxue let out a low shout, and that terrifying cold wave, like a raging sea, swept toward Lin Wan! Wherever it passed, all things were frozen, and even the light barrier at the edge of the arena was covered in a thick layer of frost!

"A Domain-type Divine Ability?" A hint of gravity flashed in Lin Wan's eyes. This Saintess Ye Qingxue had actually touched upon the prototype of a "Domain"! Although it was still very imperfect, it already possessed some of the power of a Domain, capable of altering the environment within a certain range, suppressing opponents, and enhancing oneself. In this Ice Seal Domain, Saintess Ye Qingxue's strength would be amplified, while her opponent's strength would be greatly suppressed.

"I cannot let her fully expand her Domain!" Lin Wan's mind stirred, and the phantom of the "Chaos Reincarnation Divine Kingdom" in his Sea of Consciousness trembled slightly. The next moment, an even more vast, ancient, and desolate aura rose from his body.

"Chaos Domain, open!" With Lin Wan as the center, within a radius of ten zhang, gray Chaos Qi surged out like a flood from an opened gate, instantly forcing back the incoming ice-blue cold wave! Wherever the Chaos Qi passed, the ice seal crumbled, the cold wave retreated, and the frozen space resumed its flow. A grey, hazy Chaos Domain, as if the world had not yet opened and all things were returning to the void, formed a standoff on the arena against Saintess Ye Qingxue's Ice Seal Domain!

The Chaos Domain contained everything, assimilated everything, and dissolved everything! The extreme cold of the Ice Seal Domain was broken down and devoured by the Chaos Qi the moment it touched the Chaos Domain, transforming into the most primitive Origin Qi to replenish the Chaos Domain.

"What?!" "He also has a Domain?!" "And... it seems to be a higher-level Chaos Domain? It can actually devour Fairy Ye's Ice Seal Domain?" "This Lin Wan... just how much strength has he been hiding?!" Below the stage, countless Cultivators exclaimed in disbelief. A Domain was a power that only Earth Immortals, or even Heaven Immortals, could initially touch! These two Human Immortals had actually both displayed the prototype of a Domain! This simply defied common sense!

On the high platform, Immortal Lord Tianhua and the others also had a look of shock in their eyes. "A prototype Chaos Domain... although still very crude, its essence is extremely high; it can actually suppress that girl Qingxue's Ice Seal Domain." Fairy Yuehua's beautiful eyes shone with even greater brilliance. "This child's comprehension of the Dao of Chaos has likely already touched the threshold of Law! How is this possible? He is only a Human Immortal!"

"It is not just Chaos; there is also Reincarnation, existence, and the end... This child has quite a few secrets." Sword Immortal Zhanfeng said in a deep voice, his gaze as sharp as a sword, as if he wanted to see through Lin Wan.

Qin Wushuang, Xiao Zhan, and the others had by now completely cast aside their last shred of contempt, their expressions incomparably grave. They had long heard of Saintess Ye Qingxue's Ice Seal Domain and knew of its power. But Lin Wan was actually able to display a higher-level Chaos Domain to contend with it, and even held the upper hand! This level of strength far exceeded their estimations.

On the arena, feeling her Ice Seal Domain retreating steadily, shock finally appeared in Saintess Ye Qingxue's cold eyes. Her Ice Seal Domain was only formed after she had cultivated the "Ice Soul Profound Art" to Major Achievement and gained insight into a trace of the "Law of Ice" prototype; it was one of her greatest trump cards. She had thought she could use it to suppress Lin Wan, but she had not expected that the opponent would also have a Domain, and a higher-level Chaos Domain at that!

"Yaochi Secret Art, Guanghan Descends upon the World!" Saintess Ye Qingxue knew she could not delay any longer. She bit her lip lightly, and the speed of her hand seals increased. The icy Qi around her surged once more, and behind her, a faint, bright, cold moon phantom, which seemed capable of freezing eternity, appeared! The moment the moon phantom appeared, the temperature of the entire arena plummeted again, and even the Chaos Domain was forced to shrink by several feet!

"Oh? Getting serious?" Lin Wan's eyes narrowed. He could feel that the moon phantom behind Saintess Ye Qingxue contained some kind of ancient, vast icy will, as if it were truly a projection of the Taiyin Star, its power terrifying.

"In that case, I will not hold back either." Lin Wan's mind stirred again, and the phantom of the "Chaos Reincarnation Divine Kingdom" in his Sea of Consciousness shone brightly. He slowly raised his hands. His left hand was surrounded by Chaos Qi, evolving the scene of the world's creation; his right hand flowed with the power of Reincarnation, performing the phenomenon of life, death, withering, and flourishing.

"Chaos Opens the Heavens, Reincarnation Ends the World!" Lin Wan let out a low shout and suddenly brought his hands together in front of his chest!

"Boom—!!!"

The Chaos Qi from his left hand and the Reincarnation power from his right hand collided and merged violently in front of his chest! An indescribable, terrifying power, as if capable of creating the world and ending all things, erupted instantly!

The grey, hazy Chaos Qi transformed into an axe light that could open the heavens, hacking toward Saintess Ye Qingxue! Wherever the axe light passed, the space split into fine black cracks, as if even heaven and earth were about to be cleaved apart!

At the same time, a grey-black Reincarnation finger force, which seemed capable of devouring all vitality and ending all existence, followed the axe light like a maggot on a tarsal bone, pointing toward Saintess Ye Qingxue!

One axe, one finger, one after the other, sealing off all of Saintess Ye Qingxue's paths of retreat! Chaos Opens the Heavens, destroying all things! Reincarnation Ends the World, ending everything! This was a Move Lin Wan had created after his baptism in the "Dao Origin Palace," combining his own comprehension of Chaos and Reincarnation. He had initially fused the "Creation" and "Return to Void" of Chaos with the "Life and Death" and "End" of Reincarnation. Its power was far stronger than the previous "Chaos Return to Void Fist" and "Samsara Tribulation Finger"!

"Not good!" Saintess Ye Qingxue's expression changed slightly. She could feel the terrifying power contained within that axe light and finger force, sufficient to pose a fatal threat to her! The moon phantom behind her suddenly erupted with brilliant moonlight, and endless icy power transformed into a crystal-clear ice wall several zhang thick, blocking in front of her. At the same time, she retreated rapidly, wanting to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack.

However, that Chaos Axe light seemed capable of splitting the heavens and earth, destroying everything in its path, as it ruthlessly struck the ice wall!

"Crack—!"

The ice wall, which was strong enough to withstand a full-force blow from an Earth Immortal Late Stage, lasted less than a single breath before the Chaos Axe light. It was covered in spiderweb-like cracks and shattered with a roar! The axe light dimmed significantly, but its residual power remained undiminished as it continued to slash toward Saintess Ye Qingxue!

Saintess Ye Qingxue's face turned pale. She waved her jade hands repeatedly, causing ice crystal shields and frost barriers to appear one after another to block the axe light.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

The ice crystal shields and frost barriers were like paper, shattering in succession. The axe light, unstoppable, finally struck the last layer of protective Immortal Light in front of Saintess Ye Qingxue!

"Boom!"

The protective Immortal Light trembled violently, its radiance flickering unsteadily. Saintess Ye Qingxue let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, and she staggered back seven or eight steps before barely steadying herself.

However, before she could even catch her breath, that ash-black Samsara finger energy had already penetrated the layers of shattered ice crystals like a ghost, pointing directly at her! Before the finger energy arrived, a terrifying Concept of ending everything and withering all things had already enveloped her, making her Divine Soul grow cold and making it feel as though her life force was slipping away!

"Guanghan Protection!"

At this critical moment of life and death, Saintess Ye Qingxue let out a sharp cry, bit the tip of her tongue, and spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which merged into the phantom of the bright moon behind her. The phantom of the bright moon instantly solidified significantly, casting down cold moonlight that enveloped her entire being.

The Samsara finger energy landed silently upon the moonlight barrier.

"Sss—!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a strange sound like spring snow melting or all things withering. In the face of the Samsara finger energy, the cold moonlight quickly dimmed and grew thin. The intent of ending and withering contained within the finger energy crazily eroded the moonlight, seeking to completely end and annihilate it!

Saintess Ye Qingxue's face turned ghastly pale, and her delicate body trembled slightly, clearly under immense pressure. The moonlight barrier was thinning at a visible rate, and it looked on the verge of shattering.

"I... concede."

Just as the moonlight barrier was about to shatter, Saintess Ye Qingxue's bitter voice echoed across the Douxiantai Platform.

She had lost.

She was defeated, and she accepted it wholeheartedly.

The power contained in Lin Wan's axe strike and finger strike had already exceeded the scope of a Human Immortal and had even touched upon the surface of Law. She asked herself, even if she exhausted all her strength or used certain forbidden techniques, she likely would not be able to block it. Moreover, she could feel that Lin Wan had held back; otherwise, that finger strike would have been enough to severely injure her, or even damage her Foundation.

As Saintess Ye Qingxue's voice of concession fell, Lin Wan shifted his thoughts. The Samsara finger energy, which was about to pierce through the moonlight barrier, and the Chaos Axe light, which was dim but still sharp, instantly dissipated into nothingness, as if they had never appeared.

On the Douxiantai Platform, the rampaging Chaos Qi and icy power also quickly subsided. The scene of the frozen world disappeared, and the Chaos Domain retracted and vanished. Only Lin Wan and Saintess Ye Qingxue remained, standing opposite each other.

Lin Wan's breathing was steady, his expression normal, as if the earth-shattering attack just now had been merely a casual action. Saintess Ye Qingxue, however, was pale, with blood at the corner of her mouth and somewhat chaotic breathing; clearly, she had expended a great deal of energy and had even suffered slight injuries.

The difference in skill was immediately apparent.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Everyone stared blankly at the two people on the Douxiantai Platform, looking at the calm figure in green robes, and looking at the pale-faced Fairy in white robes with blood at the corner of her mouth, unable to snap out of it for a moment.

Won?

Lin Wan won?

And he won so cleanly, so... dominantly!

From beginning to end, Lin Wan seemed to have remained at ease, only using three Moves. The first Move, Chaos Return to Void Finger, broke the Ice Soul Finger. The second Move, unleashing the Chaos Domain, countered and suppressed the Ice Seal Domain. The third Move, Chaos Opening Heaven and Samsara Severing World, settled the victory in one strike!

And Saintess Ye Qingxue, this Saintess of the Yaochi Immortal Palace, one of the top Prodigies of the younger generation in the Donghua Immortal Domain, had actually lost! And she had lost so thoroughly! She had even unleashed her trump cards, "Guanghan Descent" and "Guanghan Protection," yet she still couldn't win!

"Lin Wan... wins!"

The Elder referee's voice carried a hint of imperceptible trembling as he announced the result loudly. His gaze toward Lin Wan was already filled with awe. This young man was repeatedly refreshing the upper limits of his understanding.

"Whoa—!!!"

After the brief deathly silence, there was an uproar like a mountain-collapsing tsunami!

"He won! Lin Wan won!"

"Three Moves! He only used three Moves to defeat the Yaochi Saintess Ye Qingxue!"

"Too strong! Ridiculously strong! What was that last Move? I felt like I saw the heavens and earth being created, and then I saw the end of all things!"

"The combination of Chaos and Reincarnation! This Lin Wan has actually reached this stage!"

"Fairy Ye has also lost... Is this Lin Wan really going to sweep aside all the Prodigies and reach the top spot?"

"I'm afraid... yes. Now, only Qin Wushuang and Xiao Zhan remain. Although Xiao Zhan is strong, he likely isn't Lin Wan's opponent either. The only suspense is Qin Wushuang!"

"The number one Prodigy of the Donghua Immortal Sect versus the peerless dark horse that appeared out of nowhere! This is the ultimate showdown!"

Qin Wushuang watched Lin Wan on the Douxiantai Platform, his fists slowly clenching, his eyes burning with unprecedented Battle Intent. Lin Wan's strength exceeded his expectations, but it also made him even more excited. Only such an opponent was worth him fighting with all his might!

Xiao Zhan licked his lips, his eyes also filled with burning Battle Intent, but his gaze toward Lin Wan also carried a bit more gravity. He asked himself, facing Lin Wan's last Move, he did not have absolute certainty that he could block it. This opponent was even more powerful than he had imagined.

On the high platform, Immortal Lord Tianhua had a flash of gratification and anticipation in his eyes. Lin Wan's performance was surprising him more and more. Fairy Yuehua sighed softly, her gaze toward Saintess Ye Qingxue carrying a hint of heartache and helplessness. Saintess Ye Qingxue was already outstanding enough, but unfortunately, she had encountered a Prodigy like Lin Wan.

"This child must be recruited into the Yaochi Immortal Palace!" Fairy Yuehua thought to herself, raising her assessment of Lin Wan once again. Such a Genius must never fall into the hands of other factions, especially the Donghua Immortal Sect!

On the Douxiantai Platform, Saintess Ye Qingxue wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth. Looking at the calm-faced Lin Wan opposite her, a complex look flashed in her beautiful eyes—there was shock, unwillingness, and also a hint of... acceptance.

"Fellow Daoist Lin's Divine Ability is vast; Qingxue... admits defeat." Saintess Ye Qingxue's voice remained cold, but it lacked that aloofness and held a bit more sincere admiration.

"Fairy Ye, you are too kind. Fairy's Ice Soul Profound Art has already attained three parts of its true meaning, and 'Guanghan Descent' is even more stunning. If not for Lin's luck, the outcome would have been uncertain." Lin Wan cupped his hands in return, his tone calm and without a shred of arrogance.

Saintess Ye Qingxue shook her head slightly and said nothing more. Losing is losing; there was no need for more words. She took a deep look at Lin Wan, as if wanting to etch this man who had defeated her into her heart, then turned and floated off the Douxiantai Platform. Her figure remained cold and aloof, but vaguely, it seemed to have gained something extra.

Lin Wan also walked off the Douxiantai Platform, greeted by countless gazes of awe, worship, and fanaticism. After this battle, his status as the "Number One of the Younger Generation in the Donghua Immortal Domain" could no longer be shaken. At least, in the hearts of most people, it was already so.

Next was the match between Xiao Zhan and Qian Duoduo. This match was also extremely exciting. Qian Duoduo continued to implement his "rich and willful" style, with various Magic Treasures emerging one after another, throwing Xiao Zhan into a rather sorry state for a time. But Xiao Zhan's "Tyrant Blade Art" was truly too domineering; one blade breaks ten thousand Laws. Eventually, after hard-tanking the self-destruction attacks of three of Qian Duoduo's High Grade Immortal Artifacts, Xiao Zhan slashed through Qian Duoduo's final defensive Magic Treasure, blasting him off the Douxiantai Platform and winning the victory. However, Xiao Zhan himself also suffered non-trivial injuries and had a huge expenditure of energy.

At this point, the top three had been decided: Lin Wan, Qin Wushuang, and Xiao Zhan.

And Saintess Ye Qingxue and Qian Duoduo would compete for fourth and fifth place.

"Due to Xiao Zhan's serious injuries, he needs to meditate and recover. Next, Saintess Ye Qingxue will first fight Qian Duoduo to decide fourth and fifth place. Afterward, Lin Wan will fight Qin Wushuang to decide first and second place. Xiao Zhan will automatically be ranked third." The Elder referee announced the following arrangements.

Regarding this, no one had any objections. Everyone saw Xiao Zhan's injuries; he indeed needed time to recover.

The battle between Saintess Ye Qingxue and Qian Duoduo did not have much suspense. Although Qian Duoduo had many Magic Treasures, his previous battle with Xiao Zhan had consumed a huge amount of energy, and he had been injured by that world-dominating blade of Xiao Zhan's, so his strength was greatly reduced. While Saintess Ye Qingxue had lost to Lin Wan, her injuries were not serious, and her consumption was not too great. Ultimately, relying on her exquisite Ice Soul Profound Art, Saintess Ye Qingxue defeated Qian Duoduo and won fourth place. Qian Duoduo was ranked fifth.

At this point, the top five rankings were settled: Lin Wan, Qin Wushuang, Xiao Zhan, Saintess Ye Qingxue, and Qian Duoduo.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the final showdown—Lin Wan versus Qin Wushuang!

This would determine who was the true number one of this Donghua Immortal Domain Ascension Conference!

Would it be Qin Wushuang, who had been famous for a long time and was hailed as the future hope of the Donghua Immortal Sect? Or would it be the dark horse Lin Wan, who had appeared out of nowhere and created countless miracles? Everyone was looking forward to it!