The magnificent battlefield fell into a moment of silence.

For that round mirror in the sky, for the mountains and rivers displayed in that mirror, for the wind and rain falling upon those mountains and rivers…

People are like lamps—death like their extinguishing.

Gone were those thousand cultivator soul puppets that had been so feared, gone too was the Zhong Lanling that Jian Chou had known of old, and gone was Junior Brother Jianghe who had entered the sect nearly four hundred years ago. That starlike radiance flowing into the mirror finally vanished along with the mirror beneath the dim firmament, leaving only scattered star ash filling the sky!

Among Yashan’s hundreds of cultivators, who did not possess iron bones and steely resolve?

Yet in such a moment, who could hide the tears flowing from their hearts?

In the gloomy void, a long and compassionate sigh seemed to ring out, followed by solemn and dignified golden light accompanied by Sanskrit-like chanting, illuminating a vast area outside the Bafang City.

It was the monks of Chanzong.

Buddhism is compassionate, showing mercy toward all things, but this rebirth incantation—did it mourn the completely fallen thousand cultivators of Yashan, or the guilt and sin of being unable to prevent the tragedy of those years?

Even Jian Chou could no longer distinguish.

With Jianghe gone, that palm wind originating from his body and soul naturally lost its subsequent support and gradually weakened.

Her blurred vision extended from this end of the battlefield to that end.

She couldn’t see clearly the posture of the Yashan cultivators at that end, nor could she clearly see the expressions of the Kunwu disciples beside her. She could only see the dark masses of both armies, who after being frozen in place by the previous scene, had almost simultaneously reacted. In just the next moment, the radiance they cast at each other was like exploding meteors, reigniting the entire dark firmament and illuminating her pale face…

In her slightly reddened eyes, killing intent suddenly blazed!

In the wind, she gripped her sword, turned around, and looked forward—

Bafang City was right before her eyes!

In the darkness, astonishing sounds of collision and explosion came through, penetrating the fluctuating void as if they would shatter people’s eardrums.

“Bang!”

“Rumble!”

…

Bafang City was long gone, leaving only a fierce and chaotic wasteland of ruins.

The black lotus formed by dozens of cities had scattered on the ground like large pieces of glass, and above it, Fudao, Hengxu, and Lord Qin Guang were locked in fierce battle, so entangled that it was nearly impossible to distinguish who was who.

The Swordless was graceful and elegant, like bright moon and clear wind; the Rustsword was heavy and cold, like the deep abyss of Mount Dong. The two swords crossed, sword energy crisscrossed, sword intent galloped, actually appearing like the sun and moon rising together over mountains and seas, striking with a domineering aura that would slay all who came!

Even though Lord Qin Guang was an incarnation of law, at this moment he couldn’t break free.

Not to mention that Master Hengxu had broken through the Bounded realm for hundreds of years, his mastery of spatial power had long since reached perfection, while Fudao Shanren held the Huangtian Mirror passed down by Luye Laozu in those years. With just a raise of his hand and a point, he could send the golden mirror flying to the sky, drawing upon the power of the firmament and crashing down heavily!

The two working together actually forcibly pinned down Lord Qin Guang!

In the southeast corner was the Rebirth Pool that had been forcibly relocated by Fu Chaosheng.

The broad water surface was as vast as a placid lake, yet in this darkness it seemed like a pool of flowing mercury. The upper and lower yin and yang energies gathered together, all cast upon the absurdly large ghost axe spine at the center of the water surface!

The Two Extremes Pearl rotated increasingly rapidly.

The axe body, carried by this pearl, also began to tremble lightly.

That trembling force was initially small, but after a moment gradually became violent. What’s more, a strange power, accompanying the trembling, transmitted from this pearl that was approaching completion, spreading out in ripples!

On the pitch-black axe body, all the mottled rust stains instantly disappeared!

Even the countless fierce ghost patterns originally coiled upon it seemed to have encountered some terrifying power, actually revealing vivid expressions of terror, yet before they could even emit a single scream, they were completely cleansed away by this force!

The remnant axe that had originally inspired fear in all who saw it now presented a state of near-ultimate perfection!

Smooth surface, profound aura…

Even the originally damaged and sunken axe spine had become thick and dignified due to the appearance of that Two Extremes Pearl!

Heaven and earth suddenly changed!

The countless lightning bolts that had been wandering beneath the dark firmament since the deity Shaoji’s appearance thundered explosively, actually falling from the nine heavens the moment the rust stains disappeared from the axe body!

“Boom boom boom!”

Each lightning bolt was attached with deep purple, nearly black electric light that inspired fear in all who saw it. Even beings as powerful as Fu Chaosheng and Shaoji dared not face them directly as if they were nothing at this moment.

Though the two fought fiercely, they were both near the Rebirth Pool.

At this moment, lightning descended upon the world, much like the dao tribulations that cultivators must experience, yet compared to ordinary dao tribulations, this was undoubtedly far more formidable and terrifying!

Fu Chaosheng’s brow immediately furrowed.

Not because of the thunder falling from the sky, but because of the centipede-like deity Shaoji before him!

In pure contests of power against power, the two were actually evenly matched.

However, the moment the thunder descended, they reacted extremely quickly, almost simultaneously engaging in violent collision with each other, then borrowing that force to leap up and avoid the thunder that struck the axe body!

It was also at this moment that Shaoji’s body underwent a change.

His originally fierce and malevolent form suddenly exploded, annihilating his original centipede appearance and transforming into a mass of condensed black sand, then writhing and reshaping, actually forcibly gathering into human form!

Like a god descending to earth!

A black mark between his brows, yet his eyes were dull and lifeless.

A towering frame, taut muscles, the face of an unrestrained and evil youth, his entire body covered with ancient, talisman-like silver-blue patterns extending from his neck down to his jaw and both cheeks. His battle robe was not gorgeous—deep ink blue with silver flowing through it like the patterns on his body, surging like blood through a human body.

Majesty, intimidation!

That was even an aura that transcended all myriad species of this realm, breathing together with this heaven and earth, this universe…

Without weapons, yet his entire body was a weapon!

The moment he took form, the corners of his lips lightly curled in a mocking, murderous smile!

With a wave of his arm, it transformed into a deep black long halberd!

Ultimate and uncanny danger!

Fu Chaosheng could clearly feel that after the opponent transformed into human form, whether in aura or strength, he had actually risen by a large margin!

Yet this situation absolutely should not be!

Heaven and earth create all things, especially in their original forms. According to common logic, when demons and monsters are at their strongest, it should be when they reveal their true bodies. So why was this deity Shaoji not weaker but stronger after his true body took human form?

“Swish!”

The halberd blade showed not half a trace of light, slicing through darkness as it attacked, like darkness itself pouncing toward him!

No techniques, no enlightenment!

Only that most pure, most essential power originating from the primordial beginning of heaven and earth!

As if it could destroy all other existence, destroy all other laws in this world except this power, from space to time!

It seemed to be slashing toward him, yet also seemed to merely pass by his side; it seemed to rush from the long river of past time, yet also seemed to trace back from some future time…

Time, space—all boundaries were broken in this moment!

All things returned to chaos!

In this instant, Fu Chaosheng actually felt something long buried in his mind crash forth under the approach of this ultimate pressure!

He had clearly never seen such an attack, had never experienced such chaotic sensations…

Yet he felt familiar with it!

As if this strike magnifying before his eyes had appeared long, long ago, even as a power and method deeply engraved into his very existence!

In the deep, thick darkness, his eyes suddenly surged with tide-like deep green color, revealing an aura even more demonic than Shaoji’s!

Completely out of an instinct that even he himself hadn’t detected!

He reached out with his palm!

Where his fingertips passed, there was no light, no space, no time—only his palm itself! Yet even this palm disappeared moments later, clearly transforming into a mass of black energy identical to Shaoji’s from before!

Shaoji’s face immediately flashed with surprise, as if he had completely not expected the opponent to have such a change, yet the next moment he burst into loud laughter!

At the same time, his lightless eyes revealed several points of deep calculation!

After all, he had once been the strongest among the deity clan. Even after two cycles of reincarnation, suffering all the pain of reincarnation, the instincts belonging to the deity clan were indeed still there!

“Interesting! Hahaha…”

“Boom!”

As his words fell, halberd and palm had already connected!

Chaotic force collided with chaotic force, instantly spreading outward with their collision point as center, enveloping both of them!

This should have been an evenly matched situation. Fu Chaosheng had even instinctively prepared follow-up moves to respond to Shaoji’s follow-up moves. However, the moment he caught the opponent’s halberd, he immediately sensed something wrong!

Light, too light!

Compared to the heavy coldness when the two had fought before, this seemingly fierce halberd attack actually withdrew its power without warning at the most crucial moment of their force collision, like a hollow shell that was all show and no substance, fragile enough to shatter instantly!

“Puff—”

The halberd blade immediately dispersed like smoke and clouds!

Yet the surging and unfamiliar power in Fu Chaosheng’s palm was still growing wildly out of control. The powerful inertia of his counterattack carried his form rushing forward violently!

There was definitely deception.

This thought arose clearly and quickly in his mind.

However, it was already too late to make further responses.

In this brief and rapidly changing moment, what Fu Chaosheng could think of was nothing more than to go with the flow, using the advantage of his opponent’s temporary retreat to forcibly break through the opponent’s defense and capture him!

So at this moment, his form moved not slower but faster!

In the chaos created by their halberd and palm collision, he could no longer use spatial rules to teleport or relocate, but once his form entered it, it was like a fish returning to the sea, actually even faster than before!

He completely became a streak of afterimage!

However, at this moment, Shaoji returned him only an extremely sinister smile, filled with pity: “You are very strong, but unfortunately you know nothing about yourself or this realm…”

As his words fell, his form that had originally been falling toward the Rebirth Pool suddenly shot upward!

Like a silver-blue waterfall flowing upward from the surface of the Rebirth Pool, in an instant he had already moved far from the pool water!

“Buzz!”

Before Fu Chaosheng could react to that statement in any way, shocking changes occurred in the blink of an eye!

Ten thousand zhang of blazing light illuminated from above the Rebirth Pool!

The ghost axe that had been struck by countless tribulation thunder made a light “snap” sound on its spine. The last wisp of yin and yang energy converged, the Two Extremes Pearl had completely condensed and emerged, deeply embedded!

Clearly a slight sound, yet it seemed to shake heaven and earth!

The entire polar region trembled lightly the moment that small pearl embedded in the axe spine!

Without mottled rust stains, without fierce ghost patterns, both axe faces were smooth as mirrors. After the pitch-black surface was struck by countless tribulation thunder, crack after crack actually appeared!

Like cracking earth surface!

Brilliant rays of light appeared in the cracks, peeling away that deep black exterior. In the blink of an eye, they had connected together, becoming one piece!

Unable to distinguish whether it was golden light or red light, at this moment, all those who witnessed it could only think of one word—

Light!

The first light of the world, the most ultimate light of the world!

It drove away the substantial darkness all around, as if a blazing sun had lit up beneath the ground under the Bafang City of this polar region. Even the massive earth core hanging high in the firmament was infected and summoned by it at this moment, burning violently, with molten lava surging on its surface as if it might fall from the sky at any moment!

All evil had nowhere to hide;

All filth had nowhere to escape!

Between heaven and earth, a long sound suddenly rang out, as if it were an angry roar from the end of ancient times. In a trance, everyone looked up and seemed to see the phantom of a giant emerging from the blazing axe body, standing in this realm, raising the axe with one swing!

The original chaos thus separated clear from turbid, divided heaven from earth, gave birth to the universe, differentiated the six paths, and created reincarnation!

—The Human Ancestor, Pangu!

That was an ancient legend passed down among both cultivators and mortals, unchanged by time, unaltered by space!

Every person, whether immortal or mortal, had his blood flowing in their veins!

Thus a resonance from the depths of souls and bodies echoed between heaven and earth! All cultivators felt a certain call from ancient times at this moment. Though their bodies were small, magnificent waves arose in their hearts!

Yet Fu Chaosheng at this moment had fallen into a place of eternal damnation!

Golden scripture runes circled around the axe body, and no one could see through that blazing light to discern their content.

The Rebirth Pool water beneath had transformed into a golden pool!

He had originally come pursuing Shaoji, arriving after the enemy. When Shaoji suddenly withdrew before approaching the water surface, it perfectly coincided with the moment the ghost axe was completed. Even with Fu Chaosheng’s powerful strength and quick reactions, he couldn’t escape in this moment of shocking change!

His form had only just risen three parts when, in the next instant, ten thousand zhang of blazing light struck down from above. The pool of golden light in the Rebirth Pool directly transformed into a thousand chains, seeming to sense his demonic existence and descending with the force of thunder!

“Boom!”

His snow-white robes, light blue embroidered patterns, deep green pupils, and that tall, slender body with a slightly hidden fierce expression all seemed like insignificant evil spirits, struck by the blazing light from the ghost axe and instantly annihilated, crumbling to dust!

Towering black energy rushed and spread like quicksand in an instant!

Like an overturned inkstone, like a torn sandbag, exposing secrets within his shell that even he himself might not have been clear about!

At this moment, where was Fu Chaosheng? There was only that mass of black energy that had suddenly exploded above the Rebirth Pool, identical to the deity Shaoji from before, even stronger and more sinister!

“Crackle!”

Golden chains formed from the golden water in the pool spread across the sky and earth, rolling toward him!

Each golden chain seemed to carry a powerful force from the primordial beginning, like branding irons falling on human flesh and blood, falling upon this quicksand-like black energy!

Directly branding upon his soul!

Pain completely beyond human endurance!

“Ahhhhh—”

Fu Chaosheng felt his entire existence had suffered thousands of cuts and tens of thousands of swords, dozens of destructions in an instant, falling apart, but driven by a strong survival instinct, reassembling, only to be destroyed again and again by the pool water chains!

The black energy as vast as storm clouds had filled the entire Rebirth Pool the moment his form was annihilated!

Golden chains crisscrossed—there was nowhere to escape!

But what made him tremble more than the pain was a bottomless fear crawling up from the depths of his heart…

Under the penetrating blazing light, Fu Chaosheng, originally in demon form, had suddenly transformed into such a monster identical to the deity Shaoji, and was completely restricted by the greatly changed ghost axe and Rebirth Pool, exactly like some kind of evil thing finally revealing its true form under this ancient seal!

The Jiushijiu Zhou army pressed forward—how many people had witnessed this horrifying scene?

Even Master Hengxu and Fudao Shanren, who had been fighting Lord Qin Guang, were startled by this terrifying commotion. When their spiritual consciousness turned and captured that scene in their perception, their actions instinctively showed slight hesitation—

This was an excellent opportunity!

The people of Jiushijiu Zhou didn’t clearly understand what was happening in the depths of Bafang City, above this Rebirth Pool, nor did they understand what this suddenly transformed ghost axe could do or how it possessed the power to destroy Fu Chaosheng’s demon form, but Lord Qin Guang understood perfectly!

The Heaven-Opening Axe, called “Tianming”;

Migrated here, called “Yuanshi.”

What remained in this realm and place was the prohibition left by Great Lord Pangu when he established reincarnation in those years. Even if great demons dominated the world or deities defied heaven, under this prohibition they could only wail in agony and be utterly destroyed in both form and spirit!

The moment Master Hengxu and Fudao Shanren’s attention turned away, Lord Qin Guang seized the opportunity. With a great wave of his sleeve, clouds came from ten thousand li, directly burying the approaching sword energy and both Hengxu and Fudao within them, temporarily restraining their actions, while he himself laughed heartily and withdrew, heading directly toward the ghost axe still floating above the Rebirth Pool, shrouded in blazing light!

“Hahaha, Heaven helps me!”

“Now that the ghost axe is complete, reincarnation shall be severed!”

His figure immediately drew near, his dignified imperial robes fluttering like a demon. Reflecting that blazing light close at hand, Lord Qin Guang’s eyes showed a burning fervor for the first time!

Raising his hand to reach out, he grasped toward the ghost axe!

But at this moment, a moon-white figure, riding a blood-colored sword energy, attacked from the side without warning!

“Boom!”

Instantly piercing through Lord Qin Guang’s body!

The blood-colored sword energy carried endless sword intent, crawling up his broad and dignified imperial robes like countless ants. Though it couldn’t stop his movement, it made him a moment slower than before!

Just this moment—

“Snap!”

A light sound!

Jian Chou’s startling face had appeared near Lord Qin Guang, her indifferent and exquisite features like ice and snow atop a mountain peak. Her scallion-root-like five fingers actually grasped the axe handle at the same time as He did, gripping it tightly!