High above in the heavens, crimson sunset clouds suddenly emerged, stretching endlessly and blanketing the entire Congyun Sea.
A passage of words naturally surfaced in the minds of all living beings who witnessed this miraculous spectacle:
"Immortal Venerable of Crimson Flame, Zhang Haobo, cultivated the Dao for a mortal span of sixteen years. With the wonder [Heaven Fiend Sword Intent], he forged his Dao Foundation; with the [Water Wind Sword Technique], he achieved the Golden Core."
"He sacrificed the [Anima of Crimson Flame] to integrate with the Dao."
"Fortunate to suffer Heaven's execution, his Dao dissipated, returned to Heaven!"
However, the cultivators on Wanxian Island had no leisure to gaze upon this shocking scene.
Because...
True terror had already descended.
At the very instant that pitch-black figure appeared behind Zhang Haobo and struck him down, the white-robed Soul Formation cultivator, Immortal Lord Hongxi, let out a sharp roar: "Flee!"
In an instant, an inverted mountain, the waters of the Lancang River, purple starlight, blinding silver radiance, and chains of black fire all crashed toward the ink-black figure, attempting to stall it for a fleeting moment.
As an unfamiliar anima of Heaven and Earth descended, the five Immortal Lords unanimously chose to flee the Congyun Sea.
Simply because the aura emanating from that ink-black figure struck sheer terror into their very souls.
Yet it was already too late.
Mo Sha lightly waved his right hand upward. A black line shot into the sky, piercing into that blazing sun above.
A muffled groan resonated from within it.
Within the golden sun, a black blemish abruptly appeared.
It was so conspicuous, and then, like a heavenly hound devouring the sun, it rapidly expanded outward.
The light slowly vanished.
Darkness descended upon the Congyun Sea.
At the same time, Mo Sha split into five, appearing in different directions in a flash.
Five thin black threads arrived in the blink of an eye, piercing through the bodies of the five Immortal Lords.
The river waters dried up. Immortal Lord Lancang: dead!
The black flames abruptly extinguished. Immortal Lord Tianyang: dead!
The mountain crumbled. Immortal Lord Hongxi: dead!
A stalactite hidden within the sky shattered inch by inch.
Immortal Lord Haoxuan: dead!
Amid the brilliant galaxy, countless stars exploded one after another.
The starry sky suddenly turned utterly dim.
The torn vault of heaven slowly repaired itself.
Only a single meteor streaked across the sky.
Immortal Lord Ziyun fled, gravely wounded!
In a single breath, of the five Immortal Lords, four were dead and one wounded.
Immediately after, Mo Sha turned from five into tens of thousands.
In an instant, they shot through those hundreds of thousands of white array coronets.
Like thick ink dripping into clear water, all the white cubes turned pitch-black in an instant.
Zhang Zhiliang, who had been relying on the array coronets to hide in midair, could no longer remain concealed.
A single drop of ink casually pierced through Zhang Zhiliang's chest.
At the wound, black ink marks appeared.
His flesh and blood transformed into countless tiny black particles, swallowing Zhang Zhiliang in the blink of an eye.
The foremost array master of the Congyun Sea, Zhang Zhiliang: dead!
Above the firmament, hundreds of thousands of ink drops wriggled and merged back into one.
One Dao Integration Immortal Venerable, four Soul Formation Immortal Lords, and one Nascent Soul True Monarch.
Perished at the same time.
Across the sky of the Congyun Sea, numerous death visions intertwined and fused, yet they were dyed black by the swirling black particles that filled the heavens, forming a bizarre, ever-shifting splash-ink painting.
The anima of Heaven and Earth: Mo Sha stood beneath the ink painting, looking down upon all living beings in the Congyun Sea.
Looking up at the sky, several streams of information echoed in the minds of the living like an infernal hymn, playing together continuously:
"Immortal Lord Lancang..."
"...Lord Tianyang..."
"...Lord..."
...
"Cultivated the Dao for a mortal span of one thousand six hundred and fifty-three years..."
"...one thousand four hundred and thirty-six years..."
"...years..."
...
"With the wonder White Dragon Flower, achieved his Dao Foundation..."
"...achieved his Dao Foundation..."
"...Dao Foundation..."
...
"Fortunate to suffer Heaven's execution, his Dao dissipated, returned to Heaven!"
"Fortunate to suffer Heaven's execution, his Dao dissipated, returned to Heaven!"
"His Dao dissipated, returned to Heaven!"
"His Dao dissipated, returned to Heaven!"
"His Dao dissipated, returned to Heaven!"
...
Mo Sha spoke no words, yet Heaven and Earth chanted his intent.
This was a silent intimidation; this was a wordless warning.
This was Heaven and Earth displaying their true might before all cultivators.
The cultivators on Wanxian Island watched helplessly as the Soul Formation Immortal Lords—once aloof, supreme, and infinitely powerful—were slaughtered effortlessly like chickens and dogs.
This terrifying sight chilled every cultivator to the bone.
Some trembled all over, slumping limp to the ground with hollow eyes.
Some seemed mad, scurrying about in mindless hysteria.
Others had bloodshot eyes, unleashing attacks at Mo Sha heedless of the immense chasm in strength.
...
Mo Sha turned his head slightly, casting a glance at Wanxian Island below before looking away to sweep his gaze across the Congyun Sea.
In an instant, his body disintegrated, transforming once more into millions of tiny black particles.
Then, tens of thousands became hundreds of millions, hundreds of millions became trillions, trillions became quadrillions.
Incalculable black particles spread outward, eventually forming an ink-black curtain that shrouded the entire Congyun Sea.
The black particles wriggled and multiplied downward.
Seven-colored radiance swirled over Wanxian Island, struggling to hold them back.
Yet countless faint gnawing sounds arose, and the radiance dimmed in mere moments.
Beyond Wanxian Island, nothing obstructed the black particles.
Ocean waves surged, as though putting up a desperate struggle.
Yet the seawater swept into the air was the first to be devoured and converted.
The black curtain pressed down from the sky, swallowing islands and the ocean.
Soil, stone, life, seawater...
Every single thing was gnawed and converted into black particles.
Islands were obliterated.
The sea level dropped continuously.
In less than half a day, the blue sea within sight had completely vanished.
Wanxian Island was entirely surrounded by black particles.
Boundless darkness enveloped all the immortals on the island, leaving nowhere to flee.
This was true doomsday, the annihilation of a world.
This was a catastrophe countless times more horrific than Crimson Flame burning the sea.
On Wanxian Island, the seven-colored radiant barrier could hold out no longer, shattering like glass.
The supreme statue of the Dharma-Transmitting Immortal Venerable became the black particles' first target.
The Ten Thousand Immortals Grand Array constantly spewed protective white light, but falling into this black ocean, it only served as nourishment for the black particles.
The stone statue of the Immortal Venerable began dissolving progressively from the high crown on its head.
Soon, only half its body remained.
Meanwhile, the rest of the black particles swarmed in, turning into thin threads.
Like deadly vipers, they hunted down the cultivators fleeing in all directions.
Countless cultivators could not even let out a scream before they were dissolved and assimilated into writhing black particles.
And under the black curtain blotting out the sky and sun, not even the visions of falling cultivators could be seen.
The cultivators on the island scrambled in panic like stray dogs.
Amid the chaos and despair, only two people had calm expressions.
One was Li Fan's clone.
Looking at the ink spreading across the heavens, his face was placid.
As the initial shock and horror of seeing Mo Sha slowly faded, the clone pondered quietly in his final moments of life.
*Though both are animas of Heaven and Earth, the difference in lethality between Mo Sha and Crimson Flame is practically immeasurable.*
After a moment, realization dawned upon him.
*When an anima of Heaven and Earth descends into the world, it carries a mandate from Heaven.*
*The Azure Wind trapped the sword; Crimson Flame burned the sea.*
*And Mo Sha's purpose is...*
*Extinction!*
Under Mo Sha's rampage, it was the true extinction of all things.
Not even soil and stone would remain.
In all likelihood, after this calamity, this region that was once the Congyun Sea would become a void abyss with nothing left.
The scene in his previous life, where more than a decade later the dried Congyun Sea transformed into the vibrant Congyun Mountain Range, would probably never appear again in this life.
This method of eradicating everything was far too terrifying and extreme.
Heaven and Earth would not have resorted to it right from the start.
Yet in this life, after the anima of Heaven and Earth, Crimson Flame, was refined and sacrificed, it provoked a vehement reaction from Heaven and Earth.
Mo Sha descended immediately afterward.
This terrifying entity that destroyed all demonstrated the resolute, unyielding will of Heaven and Earth.
And that was:
The Congyun Sea
must die!
Yet, watching the cultivators die miserably without any power to resist, Li Fan felt thoroughly displeased.
So, he raised his middle finger to the sky.
Besides Li Fan's clone, amidst this apocalyptic scene, there was one other person whose face showed no fear.
This person was none other than Jiao Xiuyuan of Thousand Li Hall.
Not only did he lack the slightest trace of fear or panic, he was brimming with excitement.
Holding a seven-colored image-recording stone, he flew low over Wanxian Island, recording and capturing every scene of this apocalypse around him.
Thin black threads brushed past him; death could claim him at any moment, yet Jiao Xiuyuan did not care in the least.
He only muttered excitedly under his breath.
"What a haul! This time I've struck it truly rich!"
"A Dao Integration powerhouse, Immortal Venerable Jinri, plus five Immortal Lords including Hongxi, and on top of that, Zhang Zhiliang deploying the [Infinite Method] with a hundred thousand array coronets..."
"They laid an inescapable net to hunt the anima of Heaven and Earth, Crimson Flame."
"That was already earth-shattering news!"
"Even more sensational: the opportunity for Dao Integration was snatched away by a Golden Core kid!"
"If I didn't have this recording to prove it, no one would ever believe it!"
"A Golden Core slaying a Dao Integration!"
"Even if written into a fantasy tale, people would curse at the author for making things up! It's so fucking absurd!"
"What's even more, more, more unexpected is that this person—who ought to be the second-youngest Dao Integration Immortal Venerable in history—got slaughtered by another anima of Heaven and Earth before he could even celebrate!"
"This anima of Heaven and Earth named Mo Sha didn't just kill this newly ascended Immortal Venerable—"
"—he's actually enacting world-ending destruction, seeking to wipe out the entire Congyun Sea completely!"
"Great! What a marvelous kill!"
"Once all of you are dead, mine will be an exclusive scoop!"
"Let me think, how many contribution points should this footage go for?"
"Two thousand? No, no, no, way too little."
"At least five thousand! I, Jiao Xiuyuan, never make a losing deal!"
"That's right, never a losing deal."
Jiao Xiuyuan rambled ceaselessly, beaming with delight as he recorded Wanxian Island's final moments.
Just then, among the crowd of cultivators scrambling desperately for their lives, he spotted an eccentric figure standing out from the rest.
His face showed no fear as he raised his middle finger toward the world-ending Mo Sha in the sky.
"Splendid!"
Jiao Xiuyuan couldn't help cheering.
His heart leaped with even greater joy: *Facing the apocalyptic wrath of Heaven and Earth, we cultivators stand utterly fearless! Rising in defiance, glorious even in death!*
*Brilliant! It elevates the theme and raises the artistic tone!*
*With this stroke of genius, I can sell this exclusive recording for at least two thousand more points!*
On the ground, Li Fan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Jiao Xiuyuan's figure.
Not surprised in the least, he merely smiled and nodded toward him.
Seeing this, Jiao Xiuyuan was slightly taken aback.
"Turns out to be an old client..."
Jiao Xiuyuan cocked his head, eyes narrowing as he muttered under his breath.
As their eyes met, the black heavenly curtain pressed completely down.
Wanxian Island was reduced to ash and dust.
After today, the Congyun Sea ceased to exist in this world.
...
While the death visions of the Congyun Sea's cultivators burst continuously like fireworks, in an unknown space somewhere, five statues with obscured faces sat in a circle.
The statues looked down, gazing at the center.
There, a large luminescent cloud cluster floated in midair.
Within the cloud cluster, miniature landscapes of land, mountains, and rivers were faintly visible.
The cloud cluster was divided into isolated territories large and small, and above each territory hovered a tiny speck of light.
Suddenly, at the edge of this glowing cloud cluster, within a small blue region, the speck of light hovering there abruptly turned red and began flashing continuously.
As the red light flickered, an invisible ripple radiated outward from it, echoing throughout this unknown space.
Four of the five statues were awakened by it.
The red speck of light projected an image upward.
Playing in a loop at hundreds of times normal speed, it was none other than the events that had just unfolded in the Congyun Sea.
Four vast divine senses communicated with one another:
"To think it actually disturbed Mo Sha..."
"An ambush on an anima of Heaven and Earth in the Congyun Sea? What was the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals thinking?"
"The old fellow doesn't concern himself with worldly affairs; it's only natural that those below wouldn't know."
"Besides, the dead were two local Soul Formation cultivators from the Congyun Sea. The other three were also recruited from who knows where. None belonged to the direct lineage of the Alliance."
"Even so, five Soul Formation cultivators, along with various other ranks. Too many died all at once."
"No matter. They are mere consumables."
"Still, we must keep control over the total number of cultivators. Not too many, yet not too few."
"The old fellow is nowhere to be found day in and day out. This matter still falls to us."
"Then let us loosen the restrictions on method exchanges a bit."
"I shall pass down instructions regarding this. But as for the Congyun Sea, it has now become a dead zone. We must trouble Heavenly Venerable Wuyou."
A moment later, a ripple of divine sense emanated from the statue that had remained motionless all along:
"I know."
With that, no further word came.
The others seemed accustomed to it.
After exchanging a few more words, they fell silent one after another.
In the cluster of light in the center of the five statues, that small blue region at the edge slowly faded, gradually turning transparent and vanishing.
...
Yuandao Province.
The instant Wanxian Island was utterly destroyed by Mo Sha, Li Fan felt a stirring in his heart and looked toward the distance.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Su Xiaomei noticed something unusual about Li Fan and asked curiously.
Li Fan shook his head without answering.
At this time, after several days of travel, their group had arrived near Mingyue Lake.
Just as Fei Nan had said, this region was truly barren of resources, remote, and seldom visited by cultivators.
Moreover, being far from Yuandao Sky City brought many inconveniences.
Though unsuitable as a cave abode for ordinary cultivators, it was quite a fine choice for Li Fan.
First, because Li Fan was going to build his Dao Foundation using the Vast Sea Pearl.
The vast, misty waters of the eight-hundred-li Mingyue Lake possessed a concentration of water-attribute spiritual energy barely inferior to that of the Congyun Sea.
It suited Li Fan perfectly.
Second, precisely because few cultivators came here, storing the ancient Dao-source artifacts would be safer, without worry of them being easily discovered by others.
However, establishing a cave abode was a matter of great importance.
He still needed to personally investigate whether there was anything strange within this lake.
Otherwise, if he built his stronghold right in someone else's home, it would truly be a laughingstock.
Li Fan flew out over the lake's surface, preparing to investigate thoroughly.
Yet his figure abruptly halted.
Between Heaven and Earth, a massive cluster of blue watery light suddenly manifested out of the unseen void, returning to the Vast Sea Pearl.
At the same time, countless scenes flooded Li Fan's mind.
*Knowing the matter could not succeed, you finally returned after all.*
The Vast Sea Pearl, previously extremely feeble, slowly absorbed this sudden blue watery light, finally returning to the azure appearance Li Fan had first seen in his previous life.
In fact, because the Congyun Sea was destroyed ahead of time, the formation speed of the Vast Sea Pearl had accelerated.
Li Fan estimated that this wonder of Heaven and Earth, still gestating, would not take long to fully mature.
And with the return of that portion of power that had been split off from the Vast Sea Pearl, Li Fan was also able to learn what had happened to Zhang Haobo.
When he originally used the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique to create Zhang Haobo as a "reborn" cultivator, Li Fan had not considered using the Vast Sea Pearl on him.
Because this object was meant for his own Foundation Establishment in this life.
However...
This world was not an immutable game, nor would events always develop in the direction he anticipated.
After Zhang Haobo's "rebirth," his fortune shifted and his fate rapidly changed, drawing the attention of the Congyun Sea's consciousness.
And after some contact, the consciousness of the Congyun Sea discovered a shocking secret.
This bearer of miraculous fortune seemed to know of future events.
Crimson Flame would descend and scorch the Congyun Sea.
An ominous premonition, along with past experiences, allowed the Congyun Sea to confirm the reliability of this information.
More than ten years later, it truly would be roasted dry.
Thus, the Congyun Sea made a different choice from the previous life.
In the previous life, Crimson Flame boiling the sea had begun silently.
By the time It noticed, It was powerless to resist.
Yet, It refused to submit.
Therefore, though the vast sea perished, another vast sea was born.
In this life, Heaven wished to burn the sea; the sea resolved to rise in counterattack and fight to the death.
Yet It would still leave Itself a way out.
Thus, It divided Its power into two parts.
One part continued to form the Vast Sea Pearl.
The other part gathered upon the "reborn" Zhang Haobo.
For although It possessed boundless and infinite might, It could not take action Itself.
When Heaven wished to burn the sea, even Heaven had to manifest an anima of Heaven and Earth.
If It wished to fight back, It naturally needed a representative.
And Zhang Haobo was naturally the best candidate.
Everything proceeded very smoothly.
With Its assistance, Zhang Haobo's cultivation progress was unbelievably rapid.
In just a few short years, he broke through to the late Qi Condensation stage.
Under Its guidance and protection, Zhang Haobo was able to observe the clash between the Azure Wind and the sword hilt, successfully establishing his Dao Foundation with it.
Afterward, at the False Core stage, he commanded the Azure Wind to soar above Wanxian Island.
He met the Soul Formation Immortal Lord of Wanxian Island.
Although the Immortal Lord was skeptical of Zhang Haobo's claim of foreseeing the future, under the temptation of Dao Integration, and after inquiring in detail about roughly how long Crimson Flame took to burn the sea, he nonetheless made his decision.
To ambush Crimson Flame upon its descent into the world.
To this end, white-robed Hongxi contacted Wanxian Island's other Soul Formation cultivator, Immortal Lord Ziyun.
He also invited Immortal Lord Tianyang, whom he had fought previously.
The three once more questioned Zhang Haobo about Crimson Flame's behavior in his prophecy.
Plotting together, they still felt it was not foolproof.
Therefore, Hongxi traveled hundreds of thousands of li away to Feiling Province, enlisting the Dao Integration powerhouse, Immortal Venerable Jinri, to oversee the battle.
During this period, two other Soul Formation cultivators—Immortal Lord Lancang and Immortal Lord Haoxuan—happened to engage in a great battle over the Congyun Sea.
So Immortal Lord Ziyun cast a starlight teleportation art to invite the two to Wanxian Island as guests, inviting them to join forces and slay Crimson Flame.
The temptation of Dao Integration was something Soul Formation cultivators truly found impossible to resist.
Thus, the two readily agreed.
A Dao Integration powerhouse holding the line, five Soul Formation cultivators laying siege, along with a Nascent Soul array grandmaster who had prepared hundreds of thousands of array coronets.
Calculating deliberately against an unsuspecting target, all to slay an anima of Heaven and Earth that took nearly ten years to burn the sea.
Their odds of victory could hardly be called small.
And in truth, that was indeed the case.
With the Stellar Sun Cage formed by Immortal Venerable Jinri and Immortal Lord Ziyun severing Crimson Flame's connection to the primordial power of Heaven and Earth, Crimson Flame's defeat seemed only a matter of time.
Yet Zhang Haobo, watching from the sidelines, and the Congyun Sea both felt a faint unease in their hearts.
Thus, they decided to strike themselves.
For a mere Golden Core cultivator to intervene in a clash between Dao Integration and Soul Formation seemed like a sheer fantasy.
Yet it was not entirely impossible.
Because the one truly taking action was not Zhang Haobo, but the Congyun Sea.
Having accumulated power for countless years, the Congyun Sea was infinitely close to the Dao Integration realm.
A Golden Core cultivator's physical body could not bear it at all.
Therefore, Zhang Haobo resolutely shattered his core, using a body of law to receive the Congyun Sea's power.
Had he succeeded, Zhang Haobo would have ascended to the heavens in a single leap, going from Golden Core directly to Dao Integration!
The resentment of being burned to ash in the future, the fury of refusing to accept its destiny, coupled with the Heaven Fiend Sword Intent Zhang Haobo had comprehended—culminated in the execution of the Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords.
This was a sword of defiance, a sword of vengeance, a sword of slaughter.
It succeeded, yet it failed.
Though Crimson Flame died, Mo Sha descended.
The instant Zhang Haobo died, the Congyun Sea knew the situation was beyond salvage, and ultimately retreated with Its power back into the Vast Sea Pearl.
...
Though the Congyun Sea might not have possessed sapience as clear as a human's, Its dim, nebulous consciousness drove It by instinct to urge Zhang Haobo to do battle with Crimson Flame.
"Miraculous fortune is not Heaven's fortune."
"Nothing more than a tool in the gambit between both sides."
Li Fan sighed and shook his head.
"Still..."
"The Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords."
"Truly a fine sword technique."
In his mind, the images and insights from when Zhang Haobo slashed that strike instantly surged forth.
Channeling the power contained within the Vast Sea Pearl, Li Fan slashed out with his sword.
A blue sword light surged forward with unstoppable momentum, skimming across the lake's surface.
The lake water was cleaved apart by the sword qi, exposing the silt at the bottom.
The eight-hundred-li Mingyue Lake was cleaved in two by a single sword strike.
Chapter 143