97: Chapter 97 A Deadly Scheme Between Two Realms, The First Signs of Reincarnation

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere in Tiandu City grew even more turbulent as the "Council of Elders for Establishing Anti-Calamity Rules" was officially founded and began its intensive deliberations. On the surface, various factions clashed verbally within the Council, yielding not an inch for their own interests; behind the scenes, various secret talks, collusions, and deals were quietly conducted in unknown corners.

Lin Wan did not participate much in the arguments over the rules during these three days. He handed specific matters over to True Monarch Daoxuan and Peak Master Yue Lingyun, while he spent most of his time in the quiet room of the Inspection Hall, consolidating his cultivation, familiarizing himself with and deducing the newly acquired power of "Reincarnation," and repeatedly deliberating and perfecting the "lure the snake out of the hole" trap at Liangjie Mountain with Master Liaoyin, Sword Master Jian Wuming, and Fairy Yaoxi through secret channels.

The setting up of the "Five Elements Returning to Ruins Reincarnation Formation" was the key to this battle. This Formation was derived from the Five Elements Barrier, but it had integrated Lin Wan's Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit and his insights into "Reincarnation," making it unrecognizable. Its core lay in the application of the power of "Reincarnation"—distorting space and time, reversing Karma, turning life into death, and turning the void into reality. Within a certain range, it formed a suppression effect akin to a "Domain," which had extremely strong restraint and purification capabilities, especially against the erosive and destructive power of "the end."

The Materials required for the Formation were not ordinary. Fortunately, Lin Wan, now the "Head of Inspection Envoys" and supported by the Alliance, coupled with his own spoils from Burning Flame Valley, Ten Thousand Ghost Cave, and Liangjie Mountain, barely managed to gather them. He personally handled the refining of the Formation Plate and Formation Flags, integrating his own "Reincarnation" Dao rhythm to ensure that the control and power of the Formation could reach its peak.

The third day, early morning.

As planned, Lin Wan, accompanied by Yue Lingfeng and several elites from the Inspection Hall, left Tiandu City with great fanfare, boarding an iconic Inspection Envoy flying boat, heading towards Liangjie Mountain. The ostensible reason for this trip was to "inspect the progress of the purification of Liangjie Mountain and verify whether the hidden dangers of 'the end' had been completely eliminated."

The news was not deliberately blocked; instead, it was "inadvertently" leaked. For a time, the eyes of various factions were, to varying degrees, cast towards Liangjie Mountain. Some were worried, some were curious, and some... were secretly sneering, hiding murderous intent.

On the flying boat, Lin Wan stood with his hands behind his back at the bow, his green robes fluttering slightly in the wind. His expression was calm, his gaze profound, looking out at the sky in the distance that had once been torn by a huge rift, now slowly healing, yet still retaining traces of a faint, gray aura. Yue Lingfeng and the others stood behind him with solemn expressions, vaguely able to feel a sense of suppression as if a storm were coming.

Meanwhile, from several different directions in Tiandu City, several auras, some obscure and some ordinary, quietly left the city and gathered towards Liangjie Mountain in various ways.

...

Liangjie Mountain, the site of the original spatial rift.

The huge, hideous spatial rift that had once been a hundred miles long had been reduced several times in size after the emergency purification and repair by the Alliance's Formation Masters. The spatial fluctuations at the edges had also calmed down a lot, leaving only a "scar" about ten miles long, no more than a few feet wide, gray in color, and still emitting a faint, evil aura, spanning across the sky. The surrounding hundred miles had been designated as a restricted area, with Alliance Cultivators stationed, monitoring, and purifying it day and night.

Lin Wan's flying boat slowly landed at the temporary camp on the outskirts of the restricted area. The person in charge of the camp, an Elder at the Early Stage of Soul Transformation sent by the Alliance, had long been waiting with people.

"Inspection Envoy, you have arrived." This Soul Transformation Elder was named Lu Ming, a Grandmaster of Formations, mainly responsible for the maintenance of the purification Formation here.

"Thank you for your hard work, Elder Lu." Lin Wan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the camp and then looking at the gray "scar" in the distant sky. "How is the purification progress? Are there any abnormalities?"

"Replying to the Inspection Envoy, according to the Formation diagram you left behind, combined with the 'Qingxu Jingchen Formation' provided by the Alliance, the purification effect is significant. The rift has stopped expanding, and the erosive aura of 'the end' remaining within is also being gradually worn down and transformed. It is expected that in another month or so, it will be completely closed, and more than ninety percent of the residual aura can be purified. It's just..." Lu Ming hesitated.

"Just what?" Lin Wan asked.

"It's just that, occasionally in the dead of night, extremely obscure and weak spatial fluctuations seem to come from deep within the rift, as if... something is peeping and sensing from the other side. But whenever my subordinates and I investigate carefully, there are no traces. I suspect whether there are deeper, undiscovered remnants of 'the end,' or... is the 'other side' that the rift connects to not completely giving up on this place?" Lu Ming said with a solemn expression.

"Oh?" A flash of light appeared in Lin Wan's eyes. This was an unexpected joy, or rather, an unexpected "bait." The fact that Emperor Yan and the others chose to act here was probably because they valued the remaining aura of "the end" here, which could interfere with investigations and confuse the heavenly secrets. And if there really were abnormal movements of the remnants of "the end" here, it would make his "inspection" more reasonable and make the lurking enemies relax their vigilance even more.

"This Envoy understands. You have done well; continue to maintain vigilance and monitor closely." Lin Wan ordered, "I want to go to the vicinity of the rift myself and investigate carefully."

"Yes! I will lead the way for you." Lu Ming said hurriedly.

"No need, you stay and guard the camp and preside over the overall situation. Yue Lingfeng, you take two people and follow this Envoy. The rest, stay where you are and increase vigilance." Lin Wan refused Lu Ming's accompaniment and only took Yue Lingfeng and two trusted Inspection Envoys.

"Yes!" Yue Lingfeng and the three accepted the order solemnly.

Lin Wan took the three people and turned into four streams of light, flying towards the gray "scar." The closer they got, the more obvious the faint, uncomfortable aura of "the end" and "void" permeating the air became. The sky also seemed more gloomy, as if the sunlight had been swallowed by the rift.

Arriving directly below the rift, looking up, the gray rift, like a scar on the sky, was close at hand. Inside, chaotic spatial power and the aura of "the end" were intertwined and flowing, giving people an extremely uneasy feeling.

"You stay here and keep watch, I will go up and take a look." Lin Wan gave an order, his figure moved, and he flew towards the rift.

Yue Lingfeng and the three immediately dispersed, forming a triangular Formation, vigilantly watching the surroundings. They knew that this trip might not be peaceful; the fact that the Lord let them follow was both trust and a test.

Lin Wan flew slowly towards the rift, his Divine Thought spreading like a tide, carefully perceiving every trace of spatial fluctuation and energy aura. The Chaos Return-to-Ruins Dao Fruit between his eyebrows rotated slightly, especially the touch of emerald green "Life" Dao rhythm within it, which was particularly sensitive to the aura of "the end."

Sure enough, under the induction of the Dao Fruit, he sensed the kind of obscure fluctuation that Lu Ming mentioned. It did not come from inside the rift, but... from the surrounding Void Realm! It was as if several extremely weak peeping sensations, almost integrated with the surrounding environment, carrying the unique "dead silence" and "corrosion" of "the end," were lurking in the shadows like vipers, coldly watching him.

"They are here..." Lin Wan sneered in his heart, but on the surface, he remained calm, still looking focused on investigating the rift, even deliberately concentrating more Divine Thought on the rift, revealing a posture of "unpreparedness."

He was waiting, waiting for the fish to take the bait completely, waiting for them to enter the best ambush position.

Time passed, second by second. The dark clouds in the sky seemed to be thicker, and even the gray rift seemed to be a bit darker.

Suddenly—

"Do it!"

A loud shout, like a thunderclap, broke the dead silence here!

The Void Realm around the rift suddenly twisted and tore! Four figures exuding terrifying auras appeared without warning, forming a four-corner Formation, surrounding Lin Wan in the middle!

Directly in front, crimson gold flames burned fiercely. Emperor Yan was wearing an imperial robe, holding a long spear burning with raging imperial flames, his eyes cold, his murderous intent boiling: "Little thief Lin Wan! Today, this place will be your burial ground!"

On the left, black fog surged, Old Ancestor Guyou appeared, holding a black banner in his hand that was filled with Yin Qi and the wailing of ten thousand ghosts. It was his famous Magic Treasure, "Ten Thousand Ghost Soul-Devouring Banner"! Countless hideous ghost faces floated on the banner, emitting silent screams, disturbing people's minds.

On the right, Tiangongzi had no expression, and three Puppets, three zhang tall, made of strange metal, exuding cold murderous intent and powerful energy fluctuations, were floating beside him—the "Tiangong Divine Puppets"! These three Puppets were impressively exuding the pressure of the Middle Stage of Soul Transformation!

The final figure appeared silently behind Lin Wan; it was the shorter one of the two "Envoys of the End"!

He remained shrouded in a pitch-black cloak, but in his hand, there was now a strange, grayish-white Talisman that seemed capable of devouring all light—the "Void Return-to-Burial Talisman"!

Four Soul Transformation Cultivators, among whom Emperor Yan was at the Late Stage, plus three Middle Stage Soul Transformation Tiangong Divine Puppets, and one mysterious Envoy holding a "the end" secret treasure!

With such a lineup, surrounding and killing one Middle Stage Soul Transformation Cultivator was truly a death trap!

"Emperor Yan! Old Ancestor Guyou! Tiangongzi! And this... rat hiding his head and showing his tail!" Lin Wan seemed to be filled with "shock and anger," shouting sharply, "How dare you! To collude with demons from the outer realms and ambush this Envoy here! You are betraying the Alliance, betraying Tiannan!"

"Betrayal? Hmph!" Emperor Yan sneered, "History is written by the victors! As long as I can eliminate you, a thorn in my side, and get what I want, what does betrayal matter? This world will sooner or later return to 'the end.' I am merely following the mandate of heaven and investing early! Lin Wan, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too arrogant and blocking my path! Today, I will use your blood to sacrifice to my 'Eternal Fire' Dao!"

"Why waste words with him! Attack! Delays bring changes!" Old Ancestor Guyou shouted sharply, shaking the "Ten Thousand Ghost Soul-Devouring Banner" in his hand violently!

"Woooooo—!" The incomparably shrill sound of ghosts wailing and gods howling instantly resounded throughout the world!

Countless pitch-black, twisted, and ferocious ghost shadows surged out from the banner like a tide, carrying terrifying Death Qi that devoured Divine Souls and corroded vitality, rushing madly toward Lin Wan!

At the same time, an invisible and intangible yet strange fluctuation that could trigger Heart Demons and amplify negative emotions like fear and despair quietly spread out; this was the power of the "Soul-Eroding Demonic Seed"!

"Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul-Devouring! Soul-Eroding Demonic Seed! Die for this old man!"

Almost at the same time, Tiangongzi also made his move!

He pointed his fingers repeatedly, and the red light in the eyes of the three "Tiangong Divine Puppets" flared up, emitting dull mechanical roars. Their massive bodies turned into three streaks of light, forming a triangle Formation as they lunged fiercely at Lin Wan!

Some threw punches, some chopped with palms, and others opened their mouths to spew scorching energy beams. Each strike contained the terrifying power to split mountains and crack stones, sealing off Lin Wan's space for dodging to the left and right!

And that "Envoy of the end" directly crushed the "Void Return-to-Burial Talisman" in his hand!

"Hum—!" An invisible grayish-white ripple that seemed capable of annihilating everything instantly spread out from him as the center, forming a strange Domain about a hundred zhang in diameter!

Inside the Domain, the light dimmed, sounds vanished, and even the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi withered and was annihilated rapidly, as if everything was to return to "void"!

"Void Return-to-Burial Domain! Within this Domain, your 'Reincarnation' Dao rhythm will be greatly suppressed! Let's see what other means you have!" The "Envoy of the end"'s cold, hoarse voice echoed within the Domain.

Facing this fatal strike from all directions, especially the "Void Return-to-Burial Domain" that could restrain the power of "Reincarnation," there was not a trace of panic on Lin Wan's face; instead, he revealed a cold, mocking smile.

"Is that all?" He whispered to himself, his voice not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

The next moment, he moved. There was no earth-shattering eruption of magic power, no dazzling light of Divine Abilities. He simply lifted his foot gently and took a step forward.

As this step was taken, countless profound, complex Talisman patterns suddenly lit up in the Void Realm beneath his feet, containing the Five Elements of birth and destruction, Return-to-Ruins nirvana, and a trace of strange "Reincarnation" meaning!

These Talisman patterns had long been quietly laid out by him in the Void Realm here, blended seamlessly with the surrounding environment, and were now completely triggered!

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, Reincarnation Formation—Activate!"

Following Lin Wan's cold shout, the Void Realm within a radius of a thousand zhang centered on him suddenly changed color!

Five-colored radiance, Chaos airflow, emerald vitality, gray deathly silence... all kinds of distinct and even contradictory Dao rhythm powers intertwined, fused, and rotated in a mysterious way!

A massive, complex light Formation that seemed to form a world of its own emerged with a boom, enveloping Emperor Yan, Old Ancestor Guyou, Tiangongzi, the three Divine Puppets, and that "Envoy of the end" along with his "Void Return-to-Burial Domain" inside!

Inside the Formation, the Five Elements were inverted, and time and space were chaotic!

The red-gold Imperial Flame blasted out by Emperor Yan saw its power suddenly decrease by 30%, and it became uncontrollable, darting around everywhere!

Old Ancestor Guyou's wailing ten thousand ghosts seemed to be trapped in a quagmire; their speed was greatly reduced, and they were constantly worn down and purified by the emerald light of vitality flowing within the Formation!

Tiangongzi's three Divine Puppets had their movements become sluggish and stiff, as if trapped in an invisible quagmire of time and space!

Even the "Envoy of the end"'s "Void Return-to-Burial Domain" was constantly bombarded and neutralized by the ceaseless, cyclic power of "Reincarnation" within the Formation, its range drastically compressed, and its power greatly reduced!

"What?!" "Formation?!" "He was prepared?!"

The expressions of Emperor Yan and the others changed drastically. They never expected that not only had Lin Wan anticipated their ambush, but he had also laid down such a terrifying Formation here in advance!

The power of this Formation far exceeded their imagination; it could simultaneously suppress and weaken the attacks of all four of them, and even neutralize the power of the "Void Return-to-Burial Talisman"!

"Only reacting now? Too late!"

Lin Wan's voice rang out coldly. He stood in the center of the Formation, his robes fluttering, Chaos and emerald light intertwined around his body, and the Dao Fruit at his brow rotating, as if he had become the absolute Dominator of this "Reincarnation" Domain.

"Since you have come, then all of you... stay here!"

Before the words fell, he pressed his fingers together like a sword and slashed through the void toward Old Ancestor Guyou, who was closest to him and was being suppressed by the Formation while roaring repeatedly!

"Reincarnation—Karma Slash!"

An invisible and intangible strange sword light, which seemed not to exist in the present world yet appeared capable of severing all Karmic connections, was born out of thin air. It ignored the surging Ghost Qi and protective spiritual light around Old Ancestor Guyou, and even ignored the several defensive Magic Treasures he had hurriedly summoned, appearing directly before his brow!

Old Ancestor Guyou only felt his Divine Soul shake violently; an unprecedented sense of terrifying crisis, as if his very "existence" had been locked onto, enveloped his entire body!

He wanted to dodge, to block, but his body, magic power, and even Divine Thought seemed to be sluggish and interfered with by that profound "Reincarnation" power, lagging by more than a beat!

"No—!" He only had time to let out a shrill scream before that invisible sword light sank into his brow!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no scene of flesh flying everywhere. Old Ancestor Guyou's entire person seemed frozen in mid-air, with extreme fear and unwillingness still lingering on his face.

The next moment, his body, along with his Divine Soul, Magic Treasures, and even the surrounding Ghost Qi, like a weathered sand sculpture, silently turned into countless fine, grayish-white light spots, slowly drifting away, annihilating, and finally... returning to void.

As if he had never existed in this world.

One sword, severing Karma, settling old grudges, cutting off existence!

Old Ancestor Guyou, this Middle Stage Soul Transformation, notorious ghost path giant in the Northern Plains, was thus destroyed in body and soul, leaving not even a scrap of residue!

Silence! Deathly silence!

Whether it was Emperor Yan, Tiangongzi, or that "Envoy of the end," and even including the three people, including Yue Lingfeng, watching from outside the Formation, all were completely shocked and stunned by this strange, terrifying sword strike that far exceeded their understanding!

What kind of Divine Ability is this?! What kind of power is this?! To actually make someone... disappear so "cleanly"?!

"Re... incarnation..." That "Envoy of the end" issued a hoarse voice with a trace of fear for the first time, "You actually... touched the threshold of 'Reincarnation'! You must be killed! Otherwise, you will surely become a great threat to the Holy Master!"

"Kill me? Relying on you?"

Lin Wan's cold gaze turned to the remaining three people, as well as the three sluggish Divine Puppets.

He slowly raised his hand, and above his palm, Chaos, Five Elements, Return-to-Ruins, ending, life... various Dao rhythms circulated, finally condensing into a phantom of a Dao sword that seemed both real and illusory, as if containing the birth and destruction of the heavens and the cycle of Reincarnation.

"Since you have come, all of you should experience what... true 'Reincarnation' is."

As the words fell, he gently waved the Dao sword phantom in his hand.

"Five Elements Returning to Ruins, Reincarnation Sword Domain—Open!"