657: Chapter 657 Seventeen Ends

[You feel cold sweat beading on your forehead.]

[This is no illusion, no attack; it is the "Word of Law" — he says your cultivation Realm drops, and so it drops.]

[However, you know — this kind of "Word of Law" Dao Divine Ability has a time limit.]

[But so what?]

[Even if it is just for a breath of time, it is enough.]

[Now that you are only at the Void Refining Realm, are you not completely defenseless?]

[Sure enough, a majestic surge of Law Power rushes in from all directions, binding you tightly.]

[You feel as if you are being gripped in the palm of an invisible giant hand; your bones creak, your muscles tear, and blood seeps from the corners of your mouth.]

[You grit your teeth, and with a thought, you circulate the wisp of Origin of Chaos within your body.]

[The chaos cloak hums within you, and Xuanhuang Energy surges out from your body, transforming into an invisible barrier that wraps around you completely.]

[In your thirteenth simulation, you were crushed to death by Venerable Tianming just like this.]

[But this time is different.]

[You have the chaos cloak.]

[Venerable Tianming's hand pauses.]

[He feels something gripped in his palm — it is hard, uncomfortable to hold, and he cannot crush it no matter what.]

[He smiles.]

["Origin of Chaos power? You truly have good fortune."]

[He had originally only heard Liu Xuerong mention it and thought she was exaggerating.]

[He did not expect it to be true.]

[Your defense is supreme, and your attacks are also supreme — your strength is comparable to the Mahayana Middle Stage.]

[It is just a pity that the gap between your Realm and his is too great at this moment.]

[He does not delay, retracts his hand, and with a thought, whispers four words.]

["Tianming Judgment."]

[In an instant, millions of threads of Karma surge from the Void Realm, surging from the Dao —]

[From the Piaomiao Sect, Wanling Valley, Huanling Sect, Dao Tian Sect, the Qi family, the Feng family, the Yin family...]

[Dense and thick, like a net cast from heaven and earth, it shrouds you within.]

[They entangle you, binding you.]

[You, your eyes begin to see images.]

[The Piaomiao Sect.]

[Wanling Valley.]

[The Huanling Sect.]

[Those people you killed appear before you one by one.]

[It is not an illusion; it is Karma.]

[When you killed them, Karma recorded it.]

[Now, it has been dredged up.]

[Those unwilling faces surround you, dense and uncountable, surging from all directions.]

[They look at you, opening their mouths, their voices growing louder and denser, like a tide, like a tsunami, like millions of bees buzzing in your brain —]

["It is him, he killed me."]

["It is him, he deserves to die."]

["Kill him, kill him."]

[You cover your ears, but it is useless.]

[The sound does not come from outside; it grows from within your heart.]

[You close your eyes, but it is useless.]

[The images are not seen with eyes; they are branded onto your Soul.]

[Your consciousness becomes increasingly blurred.]

[You sense a terrifying existence.]

[It controls your life.]

[It is not in front of you; it is all around you, it is within your destiny.]

[It is the Dao of Destiny.]

[It is not a person, not a god, but a formless rule.]

[It is like a memory, like a regulation, like a line — a line drawn since the beginning of heaven and earth.]

[You do not hear it speak, but you know what it means.]

[It is passing judgment on you: Death penalty.]

[The chains of Karma choke your throat, and the judgment of destiny falls ruthlessly.]

[Your consciousness begins to dissipate, dissolving bit by bit, fading bit by bit.]

[You feel yourself being deleted from destiny.]

[But you know clearly in your heart that this is Venerable Tianming's Dao Divine Ability — Tianming Judgment.]

[Using Karma to convict, using destiny to execute.]

[You take one last look at the starry sky, one last look at Tianming, and then turn your head to look at Qin Han on the ground.]

["Dad... Waaah!"]

[He cries heart-wrenchingly, trembling all over, wanting to break free like a madman, but he is held down firmly by Venerable Yuqing.]

[You also see three people in a courtyard somewhere — Fairy Tianxuan, Qin Chuan, and Qin Yao.]

[The three of them are watching you with tear-streaked faces.]

["Dad... Wuu wuu wuu!" Qin Chuan kneels on the ground, crying heart-wrenchingly.]

[Qin Yao throws herself into Fairy Tianxuan's arms, the two of them embracing tightly, their cries already hoarse.]

[You smile at them.]

[Then your vision goes completely blurry, and your consciousness dissipates entirely.]

[In the end, there is nothing left.]

[You are dead.]

[Ding! The seventeenth simulation has ended. Please select your rewards:]

[1. Personal Strength: Void Refining Perfection, Six Harmonies Void Breaking (Perfection), Big Dipper Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation (Perfection), fifty Laws (Perfection).]

[2. External Possessions: Source Bead, chaos cloak (Innate Spirit Treasure), immortal slaying sword (Ice), immortal slaying sword (Wood), immortal slaying sword (Water), immortal slaying sword (Wind), Fire Spirit Bead (Acquired Spirit Treasure), immortal medicine, Sun Dao Fruit, 6,700 Heaven And Earth Treasures, 260,000 Top-Grade Spirit Stones, 18,000,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, Venerable Ziyang's Jade Slip.]

[3. Special Rewards: Cultivation insights, combat experience, detailed memories.]

Looking at the "Void Refining Perfection" displayed in the settlement, Qin Chen's expression sinks. He asks with his mind:

"System, are you toxic? You're giving me Void Refining Perfection cultivation?"

[Host, the settlement is based on the Realm at the time of death. You were at Void Refining Perfection at that time.]

[Moreover, cultivation rewards are stacked, not overwritten. Even if your cultivation was crippled in the simulation and you were left with only the Mortal Realm, it would not be affected.]

"Then does Venerable Tianming's Word of Law have a time limit?"

[After a Mahayana stage cultivator comprehends three thousand Laws, they can begin to comprehend the Dao Divine Ability "Word of Law". When first initiated, the duration is generally around three breaths.]

Qin Chen reviews the combat process again, his face growing longer.

"Doesn't everyone say that Tianming isn't good at killing and only good at deducing destiny? Why is this guy so strong?" He continues to ask mentally.

The System does not answer him.

He takes a deep breath and his mind stirs: "Select two."

[Host, the rewards have been distributed and are stored in the System space.]

He probes his mind into the System space, unable to suppress his excitement and agitation.

After a pause, he glances at Liu Jinfeng, who is kneeling to the side, and lifts her chin with his hand.

Liu Jinfeng's cheeks turn red, and she looks up at him, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Qin Chuan smiles: "Go out. I'm going to rest first."

"Young Master, does the servant need to serve you while you rest?" She asks with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

Qin Chen shakes his head: "No need."

A flash of disappointment crosses Liu Jinfeng's face. She slowly stands up, bows, and retreats.

After watching Liu Jinfeng leave, Qin Chen impatiently opens his palm —

A bead the size of a pigeon egg lies quietly, entirely Black-Yellow, with a warm luster.

"Is this the bead that even Divine Sense cannot penetrate?"

He remembers — dripping blood didn't work, refining didn't work, and Divine Sense couldn't penetrate it.

He tries again, and it is indeed so.

"System, you call it a Source Bead; you should at least know what it's used for, right?"

[The Source Bead is not an item of this world; you will know in the future.]

"Hmph..." Qin Chen rolls his eyes, "Always keeping me in suspense."