213: The star core is my blade, my will is the heavens.

Li Ao's words, filled with madness and resolve, were like a giant stone thrown into stagnant water, stirring up monstrous waves in Medusa's heart.

"Go mad one more time?" Medusa raised her pale face, her seductive eyes staring at the flames burning in Li Ao's eyes, flames that seemed ready to incinerate everything.

She did not ask how to go mad, nor did she hesitate even slightly; she only tightened her grip on his lapel, and a cold, demonic curve, identical to his, even appeared on her lips, "When has this King... ever been afraid?"

Even if my body perishes and the Dao is extinguished, to walk the Yellow Springs with you means this journey in the Mortal world was not in vain.

Receiving this answer, Li Ao let out a long laugh aimed at the sky. The laugh was hoarse yet heroic, dispersing some of the gloom of impending death.

He stopped speaking, his entire mind instantly sinking into his body, communicating with the ultimate source of power—the nirvana star core—which he had revered and used cautiously ever since obtaining it!

All this time, he had only drawn upon the faint Origin aura emanating from the nirvana star core to temper his Saber Intent and comprehend the Law, never daring to truly activate it completely.

Because the System had strictly warned him that, given his current Realm, forcibly driving the star core body was akin to a child wielding a sledgehammer: he would injure himself before harming the enemy, risking the complete collapse of both his Soul and Physical Body.

But now, the Heavenly Dao would not tolerate him, his retreat was cut off, and only by facing death head-on could he seize a sliver of life!

"Buzz—!"

The moment Li Ao activated the nirvana star core, an ancient, vast, and deathly silent aura, indescribable and transcending battle Qi and Soul power, erupted thunderously from the deepest part of his Dantian!

That aura was not an energy impact, yet it was more terrifying than any energy impact.

It seemed to originate from the end of the Universe, representing the fall of stars, the cessation of worlds, and the silent ruin of all things!

"Crack... Crack..."

Centered on Li Ao, the "space" surrounding him began to emit sounds of unbearable strain, like a mirror shattering!

It was not a physical collapse, but rather... a temporary disintegration and annihilation at the level of Law!

Light twisted and vanished around him, sound was completely swallowed, forming an absolute "Void Domain" that even Divine Sense could not penetrate.

Although Medusa was shielded in Li Ao's arms and was not directly targeted by this power, just sensing a trace of the aura that leaked out made her Soul tremble, as if she had glimpsed the ultimate landscape of the Universe—eternal coldness and darkness.

She looked at Li Ao in shock, completely unable to comprehend what kind of terrifying existence was hidden inside this man's body!

High above, the Tribulation Cloud brewing the third, and likely final, killing Heavenly Punishment suddenly paused the moment the nirvana star core aura appeared!

In that cold, ruthless Eye of Destruction, an emotional fluctuation—something akin to "surprise" and "wariness"—appeared for the first time!

It sensed a power of the same level, or perhaps... an even more fundamental "Nirvana" power!

"Now is the time!"

Li Ao roared internally. Blood constantly flowed from his seven orifices under the impact of this power, fine cracks, like those on fragile porcelain, began to appear on his body's surface, and his Soul felt like it was being scorched in flames of a billion degrees; the pain far surpassed anything he had experienced before.

But relying on an unyielding will, he forcefully guided this great power, which did not belong to the Mortal world, into the "silent ruin" that was intertwined with his life!

"Clang—!"

The "silent ruin" long saber, dormant in his Qi Sea, erupted with unprecedented light at this moment!

It was no longer dark gold, but a profound color of "Nothingness," seemingly capable of swallowing all other colors.

The originally Chaos patterns on the blade became clear, evolving into a complete Reincarnation scene: the birth, expansion, decline, and final return to silence of stars!

The essence of the "silent ruin" was truly awakened and activated by the Origin power of the nirvana star core at this moment!

"The Heavenly Dao does not tolerate my Dao?"

Li Ao suddenly raised his head, his blood-stained face ferocious like a demon, yet his eyes were clear and firm like ancient ice.

He no longer waited passively for the Heavenly Punishment to descend. Instead, wielding the "silent ruin," which pulsed with the light of "Nothingness" and radiated the aura of termination, he swung a saber strike that surpassed his own limits, aiming it at the Tribulation Cloud in the sky, aimed at the will of the Heavenly Dao!

There was no earth-shattering saber light, no momentum that tore through space.

There was only a faint, almost imperceptible thread of "Nothingness" color, silently extending from the tip of the "silent ruin" saber, shooting toward the Tribulation Cloud without a sound.

This saber strike was not aimed at matter, nor at energy, but rather... at "existence" itself! It was aimed at the "Law" that maintained the Heavenly Punishment!

Where that fine thread passed, the rolling thunder, the will of destruction, the condensed Law within the Tribulation Cloud... everything, vanished completely and silently, like pencil marks being erased!

It was not defeat, nor cancellation, but utter... "Return to Nothingness"!

"Hiss—"

With a soft sound, an absolute "blank" appeared in the center of the dark purple Tribulation Cloud, which covered the heavens and earth and exuded endless pressure, precisely where the thread of "Nothingness" color had passed.

Immediately after, this blank area rapidly expanded, spreading like a plague. Wherever it passed, the Tribulation Cloud was annihilated inch by inch, dissipating into nothingness.

In just a few breaths, the Nirvana Divine Thunder Heavenly Punishment, which was enough to make even Dou Sheng experts change color, simply... vanished into thin air.

The sky returned to the inherent dark red color of the Earth Core Furnace, as if the world-destroying scene just now had been nothing more than an illusion.

Sunlight... No, there was no sunlight here; only the glow of the core magma shone down again, reflecting upon the two people below.

"Thud!"

The instant the Heavenly Punishment dissipated, the terrifying aura surrounding Li Ao receded like a tide, and the nirvana star core returned to silence.

He could no longer hold on. Still holding Medusa, he fell straight forward, completely losing consciousness.

Only the "silent ruin" saber, before he hit the ground, transformed into a streak of light and re-entered his body, guarding his heart meridian and his remaining vitality.

"Li Ao!"

Medusa suppressed her own weakness, quickly held him, and gently laid him flat on the ground.

She checked his condition, and her heart immediately sank to the bottom.

His Qi was as weak as a flickering candle in the wind, his Meridians were snapped, his Soul fire was dim and swaying, and his Physical Body was covered in terrifying cracks, looking as if it would shatter upon touch.

This was the true meaning of running out of oil and lamp, bordering on death.

She looked at his pale yet peaceful (unconscious) sleeping face, then looked up at the sky that had returned to "calm," her heart filled with shock, lingering fear, and an indescribable complexity of emotions.

He... truly did it. With the body of a Mortal, wielding the power of the star core, one saber strike... annihilated the Heavenly Punishment!

Medusa took a deep breath, suppressing her surging Qi and the stinging in her eyes.

She knew this was not the time for sentiment. Although the Heavenly Punishment was over, the commotion here was too great and must have attracted the attention of countless powerful experts. They had to leave immediately!

Without hesitation, she took out the most precious healing Medicinal Pill she had, carefully fed it into Li Ao's mouth, and used her own gentle battle Qi to help dissolve it.

Then, supporting her own severely injured body, she hoisted Li Ao onto her back, identified a direction, and transformed into a seven-colored streak of light, rapidly speeding toward the periphery of the Earth Core Furnace.

Not long after she left, several powerful auras descended upon the location one after another. Sensing the lingering aura of destruction and termination that made their Souls tremble, all of them looked horrified and remained silent for a long time.

And at this moment, no one knew that the saber strike that annihilated the Heavenly Punishment, and the fleeting aura of the nirvana star core, were like a stone thrown into a calm lake. The ripples they caused were quietly beginning to spread towards some of the continent's most ancient and secretive existences.