Meng Meng stood atop the ancient altar, his eyes fixed on the pitch-dark sky above. The endless black sea below mirrored his heart—vast, cold, and suffocating. He murmured softly, his voice barely a whisper carried by the wind,
"Why…?"
It had been more than a decade since he was trapped in this accursed place. Years of pain and solitude had corroded his spirit. Every day was a struggle between life and death, a test from fate itself. His heart had long dimmed, hope nearly extinguished. The only thing that kept him standing… was his will—the will to defy everything, the will of the Dao of Freedom.
"I've explored almost the entire Pitch Dark Sea," he muttered. "Those giants… they're blind. They can only sense me through divine sense."
He waved his hand, and two ancient bones appeared before him—gleaming faintly with a sinister aura. "The bones of a Calm Python… sixth stage, maybe higher."
The Calm Python was a rare beast, docile in nature, but once enraged it could swallow a Golden Core cultivator whole. Meng Meng sat cross-legged, inhaling deeply. As he began to absorb the spiritual energy lingering in the bones, waves of faint resentment coiled around him.
A tremor ran down his spine. "No… this isn't a sixth-stage beast," he realized, gritting his teeth. "It's a seventh-stage Calm Python!"
His body shook violently as he absorbed the overwhelming vitality from the bone. His marrow burned, his blood screamed, but he didn't stop. Dark, chaotic impurities oozed from his pores, forming a hardened shell that encased his body. For ten days, he cultivated in silence, until the bone finally turned to dust.
The shell around him cracked—and with a sharp sound, shattered.
Meng Meng opened his eyes, standing amidst the fragments. He raised his hand, and ancient runes began to spin at his fingertips. He exhaled, releasing a dark mist that danced with flickering lights. He chanted quietly, forming a complex pattern of symbols beneath him. The ancient formation of Complete Annihilation slowly emerged.
From far away, two giants stirred. Their roars echoed through the sea as they felt the terrifying surge of divine energy.
Meng Meng's blood dripped from the corner of his lips. His face was pale, but his eyes blazed with determination. The formation thrummed violently as it gathered all the spiritual energy in the surrounding area. The altar began to tremble, cracks spreading through the ancient stone.
"It's been over twenty years since I've been trapped here!" Meng Meng roared. "I am the Dao of Freedom! If I cannot break these chains, if I cannot escape this prison—then how can I call myself free?! How can I call myself me?!"
The world trembled. The sky cracked. Waves erupted from the sea, soaring a thousand feet high. The two giants froze mid-roar, shivering before the force of the formation.
Inside the formation, Meng Meng was burning his life away. "Only one more minute," he whispered, but that minute stretched into eternity. He had discovered long ago that beneath the Pitch Dark Sea lay a teleportation altar—his only chance of escape. But it was surrounded by countless 4th and 5th stage beasts. That was why he needed the Calm Python bone—to fuel this final attempt.
"Teng Xuwan…" Meng Meng whispered, blood flowing from his mouth. "As your inheritor, I'll prove your faith wasn't misplaced!"
His stars spun wildly around his soul orb—then one shattered. A massive wave of spiritual energy exploded outward. Meng Meng spat three mouthfuls of soul blood, each one burning away part of his essence.
The formation erupted. A sword of pure destruction took shape above the altar. One became two. Two became four. And in moments—thousands of swords filled the air, humming with annihilation.
Each sword pulsed with terrifying might—capable of slaying a Foundation cultivator, crippling a Golden Core, or wounding even a Nascent Soul expert. This was the legendary Formation of Complete Annihilation, Teng Xuwan's proud creation.
The destructive power terrified the giants—they roared and retreated, not daring to approach.
Meng Meng's vision blurred, blood covering his body, but his eyes were clear—brighter than ever. He looked toward the horizon, toward the teleportation altar deep within the sea, and shouted with every ounce of his being,
"Freedom!"