127: The annihilation of the origin, the beginning of the fall of the saint.

Li Ao's palm pressed against his glabella; something seemed to be waking up there.

An aura of "Nirvana," far more ancient, purer, and closer to the ultimate end of the world than before, slowly opened its cold eyes, like a Vicious Beast that had slept for eons.

This was not the wisp of Law he had Cultivated himself, but something deeper and more essential... the Origin!

This wisp of Origin came from the mysterious black iron, sharing the same root as the Black Iron Hegemon Body, yet it had always lurked deep within his Soul, uncontrollable, and he had never dared to easily touch it.

Now, spurred by Medusa's severe injuries and facing a deadly strike from a Half-Saint, he finally stopped suppressing it and chose to draw it out!

"Buzz—!"

Centered on Li Ao, the surrounding hundred-zhang space instantly lost all color, turning into a field of absolute gray and white!

Concepts like light, sound, energy, and even time seemed to be forcibly stripped away and terminated here!

An ultimate stillness, one that returned all things to nothingness and froze the Soul, violently spread out!

Soul Mie Sheng, the Heavenly Venerate who was currently fighting the Pill Tower Master's Seven-Colored fire lotus, saw his expression drastically change for the first time!

He abruptly turned his head to look at the gray and white area where Li Ao was, and unbelievable horror erupted in his indifferent eyes!

"This is... the aura of Origin?! How is this possible?! How could a Dou Zong touch the Origin?! And such terrifying Nirvana Origin?!"

He felt a tremble that originated from the level of life itself and the Origin of Law!

The aura emanating from the gray and white area was even more ancient and fundamental than the Netherworld Origin he controlled!

"I can't let him fully draw it out!" A strong sense of crisis arose in Soul Mie Sheng's heart. He actually abandoned the Pill Tower Master temporarily, his figure blurring as he appeared at the edge of the gray and white area like he had teleported. His withered palm, carrying monstrous Netherworld Death Qi, violently grabbed toward Li Ao at the core!

He wanted to interrupt this process!

"Your opponent is this old man!" How could the Pill Tower Master let him succeed?

The long-condensed Seven-Colored fire lotus suddenly accelerated, arriving before him like a falling meteor, smashing fiercely into Soul Mie Sheng's back!

Wherever the fire lotus passed, the space was scorched with pitch-black marks; ten thousand flames roared, purifying everything!

If Soul Mie Sheng insisted on attacking Li Ao, he would certainly be severely wounded by this strike, which contained the Origin of the Pill Tower's myriad flames!

He had no choice but to turn around, sending out both palms. The massive Netherworld Death Qi transformed into two ferocious black Dragons, roaring as they met the Seven-Colored fire lotus!

"Rumble—!!!"

Half-Saint-Grade energy completely erupted at this moment!

The seven-colored and pitch-black energy storm swept across heaven and earth, tearing a massive hole in the sky!

The terrifying shockwaves spread out like a tsunami; the protective barrier over Pill City below flickered violently, oscillating between bright and dim, and countless buildings were reduced to dust in the aftermath!

And right in the center of this destructive storm, a point of ultimate darkness quietly emerged from Li Ao's glabella.

That was not the Netherworld darkness of the Hall of Souls, but a purer darkness of "Nothingness," one that negated the very concept of "existence."

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those eyes were no longer his usual deep calm, but had turned into two pools of dead gray and white, devoid of any emotion or fluctuation, seemingly reflecting the end of the Universe.

He looked toward Soul Mie Sheng, who had exposed a flaw by turning back to block the fire lotus.

There was no roar of anger, no killing intent, only a calm raising of his right index finger, which he gently pointed in the direction of Soul Mie Sheng.

"Nirvana."

A simple word, yet it seemed to contain the ultimate Law of the Universe.

As his fingertip tapped out, the wisp of Nirvana Origin that had been drawn out transformed into a gray streak of light, so subtle it was almost invisible, ignoring space, ignoring time, ignoring the surging Netherworld Saint-Grade energy protecting Soul Mie Sheng, and directly submerged itself into his body.

Soul Mie Sheng's body suddenly stiffened!

He felt an indescribable, incomprehensible, and irresistible force of "Termination" erupt within him!

This power was not destroying his Physical Body or Dou Qi, but was acting directly upon his "existence" itself in a way he could not understand!

His life imprint, his Soul Origin, and his connection to this world were all being forcibly erased and returned to nothingness by this power!

"No—!! What kind of power is this?!!" Soul Mie Sheng let out a shriek of extreme terror. He frantically activated his Half-Saint Cultivation, his Netherworld Origin boiling as he tried to resist and expel the power, only to find that everything was futile!

The Nirvana Origin was like a highest-Grade virus, directly infecting the Foundation of his existence, making it impossible to clear!

His body began to turn illusory, and his aura rapidly plummeted like a deflating ball!

His Half-Saint Physical Body, which was originally solid and real, now seemed like a reflection in water, liable to shatter and dissipate at any moment!

"Lord Heavenly Venerate!!" White Heavenly Venerate and all the Hall of Souls experts turned pale with fright, wanting to rescue him, but they were firmly blocked by Tian Leizi, Xuan Yi, and the others.

The Pill Tower Master also seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, controlling the slightly dimmed Seven-Colored fire lotus to fiercely suppress him once more!

Internal and external distress! Origin erosion!

Soul Mie Sheng let out a roar full of resentment and malice: "The Hall of Souls... will not let you off!!!"

Before he finished speaking, his body completely transformed into illusory specks of light, dissipating between heaven and earth like fireflies, without leaving a single trace behind.

The Hall of Souls, Half-Saint Heavenly Venerate—Soul Mie Sheng, had fallen!

Silence!

A deathly silence enveloped the entire battlefield!

Whether on the side of the Pill Tower or the Hall of Souls, everyone was completely shaken by this earth-shattering scene, their minds blank!

A Half-Saint... died?

Killed by a Seven-Star Dou Zong, with one finger?!

This had completely exceeded the scope of their understanding!

"The Heavenly... Heavenly Venerate... has fallen?!" A Soul Hall Protector's voice trembled, filled with fear.

"Run! Hurry and run!!" Someone shouted first, and the morale of the remaining Hall of Souls experts instantly collapsed. Ignoring their mission, they fled for their lives in all directions like headless flies!

White Heavenly Venerate also turned deathly pale, giving Li Ao and the Pill Tower Master a look of extreme malice before abruptly burning his vital essence, transforming into a streak of blood light, tearing through space, and instantly vanishing.

The Hall of Souls army was routed!

The Pill Tower Master waved his hand to disperse the Seven-Colored fire lotus, his face slightly pale, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

He looked with complex eyes toward Li Ao, who was slowly lowering his finger in the center of the gray and white area.

At this moment, after pointing that finger, the gray and white quickly faded from Li Ao's eyes, restoring clarity, but his face was ashen, his aura extremely weak, and his body swayed, nearly falling from the sky.

Forcibly drawing out the Nirvana Origin, even just a trace, had nearly drained all his power and placed a tremendous burden on his Soul.

Medusa suppressed her injuries, flying forward to support him.

"How are you?" A hint of imperceptible concern lay within her purple eyes.

Li Ao shook his head, his voice weak: "I'm fine, just overly exhausted... I just need rest."

He looked down at Pill City, which was in ruins but ultimately saved, and then at the fleeing remnants of the Hall of Souls army. There was no great joy in his heart, only a heavier feeling.

He knew that by slaying a Hall of Souls Half-Saint today, the conflict between him and the Hall of Souls was now irreconcilable, with no room for maneuver.

What arrived next would likely be the true thunderous wrath of the Hall of Souls, possibly even... a Dou Saint expert!

The Pill Tower Master also descended, looking at Li Ao with a solemn expression: "Young Friend Li, your achievement today saved Pill City from disaster. On behalf of the Pill Tower, this old man thanks you.

However, this incident will surely alarm the core power of the Hall of Souls. Next, the Central Plains is likely to face an unprecedented storm."

Li Ao nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly frowned and looked sharply toward the distant horizon.

Not only him, but the Pill Tower Master, Medusa, and several powerful Elders also sensed it simultaneously and looked in that direction.

There, a terrifying aura, vaster and deeper than that of Soul Mie Sheng before, seemingly integrated with the entire world, was approaching the Pill Domain at a speed that appeared slow but actually transcended space!

That aura was cold, dead silent, and filled with the majesty of one who disregards all living beings.

A Dou Saint!

A true Dou Saint expert had arrived!

Having just concluded a fierce battle, routed the Hall of Souls army, and slain a Half-Saint Heavenly Venerate, before they even had time to catch their breath, a greater crisis had already descended!

Everyone's heart sank.