The sword stood tall, like a towering mountain, positioned on the necessary path to the earth’s core. Spatial power surged, and in the blink of an eye, day turned to night. The originally ruined Eight Directions City vanished, replaced by the armory containing Yashan’s ten thousand swords.
Snow had not fallen, yet it was extremely cold.
The swords of countless cultivators were summoned by the Thread of Sky to leave their sheaths, and the Yashan sword assembly hidden in the armory also howled forth at this moment, filling the firmament like sword rain!
Lord Qin Guang had no time to comprehend the deep meaning of that smile blooming in His consciousness when the great sword formed by the assembly of cultivator swords expanded infinitely in His pupils.
What expanded simultaneously was the intent of ten thousand swords!
Though the swords under heaven differed in form, shape, and the sword techniques used to wield them, what remained the same was the true intent within the swords—
Slaughter!
Forging swords is for slaughter, learning swordsmanship is for slaughter, using swords is also for slaughter!
The Thread of Sky was the sword with the deepest killing aura among Yashan’s three swords. Using it now to awaken the true intent of slaughter in all swords was most fitting!
With a heart of slaughter, sense the swords of slaughter between heaven and earth!
At this moment, it was the true king of all swords, master of ten thousand blades!
To others, the sword momentum appeared magnificent, endless swords covering endless sky, darkening the heavens. But standing beneath these swords, with his qi locked by the Thread of Sky, Lord Qin Guang felt the sword fall like a mountain collapse!
Too fast, too fast!
From sword formation to sword fall took less than a single breath!
One could see what pinnacle of comprehension this sword’s master had reached!
“If not seen atop Jade Mountain, we shall meet beneath the moon at Jade Terrace!”
Mountain collapse, snow fall, swords like tide!
The crimson mark on the six-foot blade condensed the pain and unwillingness of Yashan cultivators from eleven cycles ago!
Lord Qin Guang wanted to dodge, but how could He escape at this moment?
The entire world was filled with swords!
The entire world was filled with Jian Chou’s spreading consciousness!
No matter which direction He fled, it remained within her consciousness coverage, within her sword intent coverage!
Nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape!
Before falling into the earth’s core, she had been merely a small Void Refining stage cultivator, yet now she could mobilize this realm’s spatial power and gather such heaven-destroying, earth-annihilating sword intent—it truly made Him shudder!
Perhaps underestimating the enemy back then was a tremendous mistake.
But it was too late for regret. All Lord Qin Guang could do was scatter His body the instant this sky-filling sword rain fell!
“Boom!”
Like dispersing clouds!
His human form instantly became formless golden light. When the sword rain passed through this golden light, it left no trace.
But the Thread of Sky that followed easily cut it in half!
Though Lord Qin Guang was not human, He had gained consciousness thousands of years ago. Though not counted as human, He could know and feel what all conscious, sentient beings in the world could know and feel.
So even after transforming into His original form, the pain of being severed by this sword clearly transmitted to His perception!
Nearly driving one mad!
What was worse were the previous swords that had penetrated His body without leaving any harm.
Falling from mid-air without obstruction, they all fell into the Extreme Domain formation without exception!
Instantly, agonized screams filled the sky!
The ice-and-snow-like phantom of Yashan’s armory had already vanished when the swords fell. The ruins of Eight Directions City reappeared beneath everyone’s feet, baptized by endless surging sword energy, pierced with countless holes, exploded into powder!
How dare she—
How dare she?!
Lord Qin Guang, suspended in mid-air, could hardly believe His eyes, much less believe this female cultivator possessed such decisive, ruthless methods!
He had clearly seen fear in her eyes, seen her hesitation, seen her true heart!
Shouldn’t she have stood with Him?
Yet now she deployed such thunderous methods. What exactly had happened in this short time?!
When the Thread of Sky struck, just as the sword momentum was about to return but had not yet gathered for a second strike, Lord Qin Guang roared in shock and pain!
The separated golden light immediately rushed upward, reuniting into one.
He no longer wanted to fight, only to escape first!
Without first breaking free from Jian Chou’s consciousness that had expanded to cover at least the entire Extreme Domain, fair combat was impossible. His every move fell under her control—there would be no chance of victory!
But where could He escape to?
He was originally a law of reincarnation, controlling this realm’s reincarnation, unable to leave this realm under any circumstances. No matter how far, He could not enter that vast, boundless universe.
Moreover, how would Jian Chou allow Him to escape?
There was no reformed Thread of Sky great sword, only that thunderous roar from the edge of the firmament, from the earth’s core blazing sun!
As if some enormous entity burst forth from the star’s depths!
In this instant, the thickest darkness above the Extreme Domain was suddenly dispersed.
Ten thousand zhang of red clouds suddenly steamed, thousand-li crimson waves boiled and surged!
The earth’s core flowing with magma, the star’s most scorching heart, trembled violently in this roar!
Like a blade splitting waves!
The earth’s core surface, blazing like the sun, actually cracked open a massive fissure. A crimson, magnificent ax shadow, nearly as large as the earth’s core itself, thunderously spun out from that crack!
Like a nightmare!
Lord Qin Guang, who had just fled to the sky’s edge, felt His mind explode with a thunderous crash upon hearing that roar!
His swift form actually stagnated at this moment.
As if receiving some irresistible summons from deep within His fundamental laws, from the star’s depths, from the origin point of time and space!
The six realms of reincarnation were created by Pangu;
The Heaven-Opening Divine Ax was wielded by Pangu.
He was merely an existence born from the reincarnation law gaining consciousness, originally part of this heaven and earth’s laws, Pangu’s subordinate—how could He resist attacks from His ax?
Not to mention this female cultivator’s terrifying consciousness still covered this entire realm…
From the moment this ax fell into Jian Chou’s hands, He should have understood: as Lord Qin Guang of the First Hall of the Extreme Domain, His fate was sealed!
Born to overturn reincarnation, now having lost the ghost ax, reincarnation was difficult to overturn.
What use was escape?
With that cunning nine-headed bird’s remnant soul adding Pangu’s divine power to Jian Chou, plus her having surely broken through delusions and clarified her Dao heart, He could never reclaim this ax.
Thus at this moment, Lord Qin Guang suddenly abandoned flight and resistance.
Only when this red sun cleaved toward Him did He turn to look!
His dignified dragon robes were blown by the oncoming fierce wind, his cold face seemed covered with frost, only those eyes were brighter than ever before!
How could they not be bright?
For thousands of years in the Extreme Domain, He was the law governing reincarnation. From His earliest memories, He was born in the Reincarnation Pool, taking form upon emergence.
He did not know why He possessed consciousness.
He only knew that His most primitive first thought upon birth was to destroy reincarnation!
From then on, day after day, year after year, never taking a single step outside the Extreme Domain, growing under this gloomy sky, not knowing what kind of sun and sky existed on the rich, vast earth of the Nineteen Continents.
Suddenly seeing this red sun, He found it novel.
Though emerging from the earth’s core, it was brighter than the bubbling magma earth’s core!
More sun-like than the sun!
More light-like than light!
A round orb, so large it inspired awe and filled the heart with terror; its crimson color like fresh blood染就, yet plated with brilliance.
Perhaps the sun of the Nineteen Continents looked like this?
Lord Qin Guang gazed at it, watching it expand in His eyes, passing through His originally ethereal body as if entering an uninhabited realm, falling toward the Extreme Domain’s endless evil earth!
“Rumble…”
Massive chasms split open in the earth!
One ax’s power, one red sun’s slash, actually wedged into the deep foundations below, penetrating the eighteen layers of hell, breaking through the Great Formation of Heaven’s Creation between the two realms, reaching the Nineteen Continents on the other side!
Dawn had arrived, the remnant night was ending.
The vast bottom of the Western Sea seemed to boil, surging violently.
The ax shadow of that red sun actually cleaved a trench spanning half the Western Sea, squeezing out from ancient silt, startling countless aquatic creatures in the deep sea to leap from the surface!
Light illuminated all directions!
At this instant, the eastern morning sun also broke through the darkness covering the Nineteen Continents’ earth, coming from the far east to shine together with this Western Sea sun!
Clouds like blood, sea water azure blue.
Countless cultivators on the Nineteen Continents who had not participated in battle—whether in Tomorrow Star Sea, Western Sea’s Chanzong, or the Thirteen Islands of the Immortal Path—sensed this strange phenomenon from afar. Whether through divine consciousness or with their eyes, witnessing this magnificent realm, they couldn’t help but feel yearning.
Then heaven and earth resounded with thunderous sound.
The seabed trench cleaved by the red sun cracked open, endless seawater pouring into the chasm. In mere moments, a massive whirlpool formed in the Western Sea’s center!
Ten thousand qing of seawater actually penetrated downward!
Passing through the Great Formation of Heaven’s Creation, through the eighteen layers of hell, through the Extreme Domain’s thick strata, actually rushing out from the fissure Jian Chou’s ax had cleaved!
Like an inverted waterfall, like surging spring water.
Heaven suspended the bright sun, earth gushed blue sea.
That clear azure blue rapidly flooded the nearby city ruins, adding a breathtaking bright color to this gloomy, gray Extreme Domain!
How magnificent and spectacular?
As if heralding the old master’s demise and the new master’s arrival.
Clearly such a seemingly harmless slash without any killing aura, impossible to detect even half its power, yet after this enormous red sun shadow penetrated through, Lord Qin Guang’s body moved toward true collapse.
This time was different from any previous time.
The collapse was not fast, starting from the limbs and spreading toward the heart and head. Each inch that cracked completely transformed into lifeless, spiritless ancient golden characters!
At such a time, He felt no tearing pain, as if having no awareness of any of this, His gaze still penetrating this vast void to look toward the earth’s core depths!
One ax cleaved open the earth and the earth’s core!
Surging magma separated to both sides like tide, as if making way for a heavenly thoroughfare!
That female cultivator stood at the thoroughfare’s end!
Without substantial form, only ethereal consciousness!
The palace of Lord Qin Guang, belonging to the First Yama King, floated high in the sky. However, the moment Jian Chou appeared, the moment the red sun slash penetrated His existence, it thunderously crashed down from the heights!
“Rumble…”
Like broken walls and rubble, smashing to the ground, instantly becoming ruins!
Simultaneously, the entire vast Extreme Domain evil earth began trembling, as if sensing a completely new dominating power.
On the Yellow Springs River, furious waves reached the sky!
Before Ghost Gate Pass, sinister winds wailed miserably!
Countless white bones actually rose and flew out from the blood-red river water, from deeply buried earth!
One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand!
Endless, from all directions!
Forming streams of white bone rivers, gathering at the earth’s core depths, behind Jian Chou!
Layer upon layer, gradually taking shape.
Clearly a brand new Yama Hall!
Built with white bones as walls, piled with skulls as seats!
Jian Chou stood in the center, her consciousness that had spread to the entire star contracted like a whale drinking water, bringing back that mass of chaotic energy from outside the Great Formation of Heaven’s Creation!
Physical body destroyed, soul damaged.
But when consciousness gathered and reconcentrated into that most original divine thought, this mass of chaotic energy rapidly transformed into human form!
In an instant, one realm of heaven and earth trembled!
Countless shadows came magnificently from mountains, rivers, islands, oceans, and firmament! Projecting toward this mass of chaos!
Thus familiar figure and appearance reappeared before everyone’s eyes…
Using chaos as body, reshaping flesh;
Taking cloud mist, draping over shoulders, scattering into her waterfall-like black hair;
Dotting stars and constellations, embedding in her eyes, gathering into her clear pupils;
Plucking eternal literature, placing in her chest, combining into her exquisite heart!
Slender fingers lifted, pointing again at those countless shadows. Sun, moon forms and mountain, river shadows all howled forth!
One became the noble crown on her head;
One transformed into the dignified dragon robes on her body!
Sun and moon for crown, mountains and rivers for robes!
Twelve pearl tassels swayed before her eyes, silver patterns flowed like rivers on the dark background, in a blink染上狰狞的赤色…
Eyes deep, brows stern!
The Yama Hall built of white bones stood behind her!
At this moment, heaven and earth suddenly fell silent…
Countless ghost cultivators in the Extreme Domain stood stunned, unable to believe what they saw; cultivators of the Nineteen Continents were shocked and changed color, yet recalled that “future” belonging to Jian Chou from the Three Thousand Small Gathering’s lone platform years ago!
Past shadow and present form suddenly overlapped.
How many people were dazzled and amazed, their hearts shocked?
Even Lord Qin Guang, being destroyed by Pangu’s divine power, felt an inexplicable terror upon seeing this scene.
Imperial purple, Yama King’s fate.
Only now did He understand—what you fear will eventually come.
But why?
He never understood. In this final moment as His consciousness was about to be erased, He questioned her with extreme unwillingness!
“Since our Dao is the same, why destroy me?!”
She clearly also wanted to destroy this reincarnation, clearly also wanted to become enemy to the people of this world!
Fellow Daoists—why kill each other?!
Others couldn’t understand this question, but Jian Chou understood completely, only saying coldly: “The Dao has no high or low, techniques have righteous and evil.”
With a wave of her sleeve, a natural power swept like clear wind across rivers and mountains for thousands of li, dispersing all spiritual energy in this realm, locking all earth power and yin essence in this realm!
Also clearing the cosmic gloom.
Thus Lord Qin Guang suddenly saw clearly the two ancient characters deeply carved at the heights of that white bone Yama Hall behind her.
That was her title upon ascending to Yama King…
“Equality, equality, hahaha…”
After a moment of shock, Lord Qin Guang couldn’t help but laugh toward heaven, as if seeing something utterly absurd in this heaven and earth, or pitying the path of no return she had stepped onto!
Same Dao, different techniques.
She said “The Dao has no high or low, techniques have righteous and evil,” so she killed Him.
But once she stepped onto this path, in the eyes of common mortals under heaven, she probably wouldn’t even count as “righteous path,” let alone “righteous technique”?
In the end, they met too late.
If he could have met her a thousand years earlier, today would be a different scene.
Destroying reincarnation would be easy as turning one’s hand!
Only regrettably, when He first saw her, He had already developed myriad fears due to the imperial purple, only fearing she would be a variable in this tribulation, unable to conspire together for the great undertaking…
But in the end, “My Dao is not lonely…”
When Jian Chou extended her hand toward Him, Lord Qin Guang’s last wisp of consciousness born from ignorance also scattered under Pangu divine power’s tearing, leaving only a sorrowful sigh transmitted like delirium.
The Judge’s Brush destroyed, the Book of Life and Death remained.
He became it.
Human scattered into light, light condensed into characters, characters fell onto that Book of Life and Death. The Book of Life and Death closed into a scroll, finally flying through the void to fall into Jian Chou’s palm.
Cold and heavy.
She remembered the shock when first seeing “Though reincarnation cycles billions of times, I remain myself” while flipping through nine lifetimes of human stories in Wrongful Death City; remembered the bewilderment when walking against the crowd as Yashan people slew Yashan souls before Ghost Gate Pass; also remembered the absurd clapping laughter when Fu Chaosheng answered “I should be a painting, not a sheet of paper” in the garrison…
A tear suddenly slid from her eyes.
Except for Lord Qin Guang, whose consciousness had been erased and no longer existed in the world, only she clearly understood what kind of path she had resolved to walk.
Her frost-and-snow-like face showed no ripples. With cold, lonely eyes, she looked at this Book of Life and Death filled with reincarnation laws, as if the tear on her face had nothing to do with her, only standing before this brand new Yama Hall.
Very much like a new deity.
“Bow to the Yama King, bow to the King of Equality!”
Countless ghost cultivators in the Extreme Domain, regardless of cultivation level, all thunderously knelt down, prostrating at her feet!
Mountain calls like howls, echoing endlessly.
Sun and moon crown, mountain and river robes.
At this moment, she was the Ninth Hall Yama King of the Extreme Domain’s Eight Directions City—
King of Equality, Jian Chou!