37: Chaos vanished, the battle spirit returned to its heart.

The descent of the Shadow of Annihilation seemed to freeze the space of the entire basin. It did not roar or bellow; it simply floated quietly above the ruins of the stone palace. Its twisting dark silhouette was itself the ultimate declaration of destruction. Mo Yuan's Demonic Blade, Su Zhiqing's Sword Qi, the Fuzi's Buddhist Light... the full-force strikes of all the top prodigies were like mud cows entering the sea when they drew within ten feet of the Shadow of Annihilation, silently annihilated and swallowed by that pure Concept of 'Termination,' failing to stir even a single ripple.

The gap in strength was like a massive chasm!

'The struggles of ants.' A cold, indifferent thought swept past, carrying a desperate sense of looking down upon them. The Shadow of Annihilation slowly raised an arm condensed from darkness and pressed down lightly toward Mo Yuan and the others charging at the front.

There was no grand spectacle, but Mo Yuan, Su Zhiqing, and the others felt as if they had been struck by lightning. Their Protective Aura, Demonic Yuan, and Sword Intent instantly dimmed, as if the very Concept of their 'existence' was being forcibly erased! Several people spat blood and flew backward, their auras instantly withering, their eyes filled with horror. With just a single press, it had nearly stripped them of their combat capability!

This was power approaching or even surpassing an ordinary World Master! It was a crushing suppression on the level of the 'Dao'!

The gaze of the Shadow of Annihilation bypassed the defeated crowd and finally fell upon the hundred-meter Primordial Chaos Domain and Lin Fan at its center. On that blurred dark face, a hint of human-like 'interest' seemed to emerge.

'A newborn "World" contains a hint of loathsome vitality and potential,' the thought of the Shadow of Annihilation carried a trace of inquiry. 'Destroying you and devouring your "World" might allow me to better understand the fragility of "existence".'

It raised its hand again, and this time, its target was aimed directly at Lin Fan's Primordial Chaos Domain! A pitch-black finger, completely condensed from the Law of Annihilation, seemed to cross space and ignore distance, pointing directly at the core of the Primordial Chaos Domain—the center of Lin Fan's brow!

This finger contained the absolute will to end all things and return them to nothingness! Wherever the fingertip passed, space did not shatter but simply 'disappeared,' as if it were being completely erased from conceptual reality!

"Lin Fan!"

"Be careful!"

Zi Linger, Ethereal Moon, and the others cried out in alarm, struggling to stand but finding themselves powerless. Mo Yuan, Su Zhiqing, and the others also looked on in despair; they knew the terror of this finger was not something Lin Fan, who had just become a World Master, could withstand!

Facing this unavoidable finger that represented ultimate nothingness, Lin Fan's pupils contracted to the extreme, and his blood seemed to freeze at this moment. But the Battle Intent in his eyes burned to a peak, like a trapped beast pushed to a dead end!

He could not retreat! Behind him were his comrades, hope, and the 'World' he had just opened!

He cast aside all distracting thoughts. His Divine Soul, blood energy, Domain power, and even that epoch imprint deep within his Divine Soul began to frantically resonate and fuse with the Innate Chaos Qi inside him at an unprecedented speed!

"My World is not nothingness, but the beginning that encompasses all things! You wish for annihilation? Then I shall open the heavens for you!"

Lin Fan let out a roar that shook the Soul! He did not choose to defend; instead, he compressed and condensed the entire newborn hundred-meter Primordial Chaos Domain, all its power, and his own Unyielding will into his right fist!

The hundred-meter Domain instantly shrank, as if completely absorbed by his fist! His fist was no longer flesh and blood, nor was it light; it transformed into an extremely condensed Chaos Singularity that seemed to contain all the energy from before the Big Bang!

"Chaos Heaven-Opening Fist!" He threw the punch silently. There was no wind or light, only the space in front of his fist shattering inch by inch like a mirror. It didn't collapse; rather, it seemed to be beaten back into the primordial state of Chaos where earth, water, fire, and wind raged! A miniature phantom of an opening 'world' followed his fist and slammed violently into that finger of annihilation!

This was the strongest strike, surpassing his own limits, that Lin Fan had thrown by using his World Master Domain as the foundation, the Innate Chaos Qi as the core, and merging everything he had learned with his Unyielding Battle Intent!

"Buzz!" The singularity of the fist and the fingertip of annihilation quietly made contact in mid-air.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment. The expected earth-shattering explosion did not occur. The finger of annihilation, which contained the power of termination, actually seemed to encounter erosion and assimilation from some higher level of rules the moment it touched the Chaos Singularity! The darkness at the fingertip began to twist and decompose, turning into countless tiny, chaotic fragments of Laws, which were then greedily swallowed and absorbed by the Chaos Singularity!

Chaos returns all things to their source! Even 'Annihilation,' in the face of the Innate Chaos Qi that represented the 'beginning of all things,' was ultimately just an Acquired state, unable to escape the fate of being traced back to its source and assimilated!

"Impossible!!!" For the first time, a clear sense of horror and shock appeared in the previously indifferent thoughts of the Shadow of Annihilation! "This is Innate Source Power?! This world has long been fragmented; how can there still be..." Its voice stopped abruptly.

Because Lin Fan's Chaos Heaven-Opening Fist grew even more powerful after devouring part of the annihilation finger's force! The miniature world phantom expanded boisterously. Although it was still only a few meters in range, it carried a supreme power that could open the Grandmist and stabilize the Universe, slamming hard into the chest of the Shadow of Annihilation!

"Boom!!!" This time, it was a solid collision and explosion! Chaos Qi and the power of annihilation frantically annihilated and swallowed each other. The resulting energy storm completely leveled the center of the basin, even turning the ruins of the broken stone palace into dust!

The Shadow of Annihilation let out a silent scream of pain and fury. Its entire dark silhouette twisted violently and collapsed, finally exploding with a 'bang' into a sky full of drifting dark air currents, which were continuously purified and dissolved by the remaining Chaos Fist Intent.

As for Lin Fan, after throwing this strike that surpassed his limits, he was drained of all power. His face was as pale as paper, blood sprayed from his mouth as if it cost nothing, and his body swayed before falling directly from mid-air. The hundred-meter Primordial Chaos Domain instantly dissipated, unable to be maintained.

"Lin Fan!" Zi Linger and Ethereal Moon forced themselves forward and caught his falling body.

Mo Yuan, Su Zhiqing, and the others also struggled to gather around. Looking at the weak, unconscious Lin Fan, their eyes were filled with shock, gratitude, and complexity. They knew that if not for Lin Fan's final earth-shattering punch, which used Chaos against Annihilation and forcibly crushed the projection of the Shadow of Annihilation, everyone present today would likely have been unable to escape the fate of being terminated.

As a newly minted World Master, he had faced an existence surpassing ordinary World Masters and created a miracle!

Just as everyone was worrying about Lin Fan's injuries and was in a terrible state themselves, another change occurred!

The lingering wills of the ancient war souls scattered across the Myriad Worlds Battlefield, which had been stirred by the aura of the Shadow of Annihilation, seemed to be drawn by Lin Fan's Chaos Heaven-Opening Fist that contained the intent of Unyielding struggle and world-creation. Or perhaps sensing the collapse of the Shadow of Annihilation, they began to converge toward the basin from all directions!

One after another, phantoms of heroic spirits—some solid, some illusory—emanating pure Battle Intent and the conviction of protection, appeared around the basin like summoned stars, penetrating through space. They were in human form, beast form, and various strange races, numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands, surrounding Lin Fan and the others in layers.

These war souls held no hostility. Their hollow eyes, or eyes burning with Soul fire, all gazed at the unconscious Lin Fan. Their gazes were filled with recognition, gratitude, and a light that spoke of finding a successor and hope.

In the next moment, the thousands of war souls simultaneously bowed slightly toward Lin Fan, performing an ancient and solemn ritual.

Then, they transformed into streaks of pure Battle Intent light. Like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, they actively surged toward the unconscious Lin Fan, slowly merging into his body, beginning a slow and steady Fusion with his newly formed World Master Origin, the war soul blessing imprint in his Divine Soul, and his Unyielding will!

This was the final gift from the ancient heroic spirits! They unreservedly gave their remaining purest Battle Intent, their conviction to protect, and their attachment to this world to this successor who dared to throw a punch at Annihilation!

In his coma, Lin Fan's brow furrowed slightly as his body instinctively absorbed this vast and pure war soul power. Although his aura was still weak, his originally pale face gradually regained a hint of color. Under the nourishment of this power, the damaged World Master Origin within him began to slowly and steadily repair and grow.

Mo Yuan, Su Zhiqing, and the others watched this scene in shock, understanding in their hearts. After this battle, Lin Fan had not only broken through to World Master and crushed the projection of Annihilation, but he had also gained the recognition and gifts of countless ancient heroic spirits in this Myriad Worlds Battlefield!

When he woke up again, his strength and foundation would surely reach a brand-new height!

The messy basin temporarily regained its peace. But everyone knew that the war against Annihilation had only just begun. Lin Fan had already become a rising, unignorable star of hope in this war!

They needed to recover as quickly as possible and protect Lin Fan until he completed this crucial transformation.