Lin Moyu rose and sank within the shattered space. The annihilating power inside the shattered space was even stronger. Many wounds appeared on Lin Moyu's body, yet they were healed very quickly.
The space of the Life-Forbidden Zone had shattered, and inside it there was actually even stronger annihilating power. It seemed this shattered space was not simple.
That mirror treasure of Zijin Emperor's was anything but ordinary. It contained a heaven-and-earth, and by using the self-destruction power of that heaven-and-earth, it broke the space of the Life-Forbidden Zone and temporarily trapped me here. He clearly has other intentions.
I hope it is as I suspect. If so, then my plan can succeed.
Lin Moyu gradually stabilized his body. The shattering of the Life-Forbidden Zone still needed some time. It would not end so quickly.
A moment later, a faint smile suddenly appeared on his face.
As expected, it has come.
"小树, have you found the position?"
Little Tree transmitted, "Still a bit short. I have only locked down the rough range."
Lin Moyu said, "It's fine. I have a way."
Outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, in the void, Zijin Emperor slowly appeared. The surveillance clone that had been watching outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth now merged with the main body, and Zijin Emperor's aura immediately recovered a portion. The injuries he had suffered earlier also healed quite a bit. His expression was gloomy.
"Since I cannot take you down, then this Emperor will destroy your heaven-and-earth."
Outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, Little Tree's roots were interwoven and tangled, a vast root system protecting the heaven-and-earth. One of Lin Moyu's clones slowly stood up, standing atop the roots and staring at Zijin Emperor.
Zijin Emperor snorted coldly, carrying a trace of disdain. "Relying on an immature Hongmeng Spirit Tree and a single clone, you dare dream of blocking this sovereign?"
Lin Moyu's clone did not speak. Aura surged from his body as the Ten-Direction Domains manifested. In an instant, vast faith power gathered on the clone. Countless living beings within the Ten-Direction Domains provided faith power to Lin Moyu's clone, greatly boosting the clone's strength.
At the same time, inside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, those living beings still in the process of being birthed also unconsciously provided faith power.
With the blessing of faith power, the clone's aura became heavier and more magnificent, carrying a few traces of the main body's flavor.
All the faith power Lin Moyu had accumulated over so many years erupted at this moment. With this faith power present, even if he still could not block Zijin Emperor, he could at least delay for a while.
And that interval of time, on the surface, was of critical importance to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. As long as they could delay until Lin Moyu's main body returned, Zijin Emperor's plan would collapse.
Zijin Emperor naturally would not allow that to happen. He also knew time was limited and he had to end it quickly. He let out a low shout. Behind him, a projection of Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth appeared, and similarly an immense faith power surged forth. That faith power crossed the endless void in a roaring torrent and fell onto Zijin Emperor. Its strength was even greater than that of Lin Moyu's clone. After all, it was Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Its accumulation was not something Lin Moyu could compare with.
Lin Moyu's clone's expression turned ugly, as if he had encountered a great trouble.
He tapped his finger lightly. Outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, a gigantic grand array suddenly rose up. The grand array constructed countless shields that formed a barrier, guarding the entirety of Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Zijin Emperor snorted coldly. "Useless."
He raised his palm and struck downward. In an instant, the grand array trembled, and the barrier shattered across a wide area, as if it could collapse at any moment.
The roots of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree writhed frantically, merging into the grand array and helping it offset a huge portion of the attacks. The roots were continuously broken and then regrew. Everything looked like nothing more than stalling for time.
Zijin Emperor struck down again and again. "Do not dream of stalling for time. Futile."
Lin Moyu's clone also moved. Faith power surged wildly into the void, joining Little Tree to resist Zijin Emperor. At the same time, massive amounts of runes flew from the clone's fingertips, continuously repairing the grand array. Everything he did looked like stalling for time.
Lin Moyu's main body broke free from the shattered space.
Little Tree transmitted, "Found it. The spatial passage is built."
A spatial passage entrance appeared out of thin air beside Lin Moyu. Without hesitation, Lin Moyu rushed in. Inside the spatial passage, he advanced at top speed, bursting out in the shortest time.
Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth appeared in his view.
After Zijin Emperor awakened, he hid Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth and erased the coordinate Little Tree had left there. Little Tree searched for a long time and could not find it. Only when fighting Zijin Emperor, when Zijin Emperor summoned the projection of Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, did Little Tree lock down the rough direction. Not until Zijin Emperor arrived outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and used faith power did Little Tree follow the trail and lock onto Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth's exact position.
Lin Moyu never intended to return to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Zijin Emperor going to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had long been within his expectations. This was exactly what he wanted: hold Zijin Emperor outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth while he went to refine Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
He wanted to kill Zijin Emperor, but there were many ways to kill him. If he killed him directly, then once Zijin Emperor died, Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth would also shatter. That would not maximize the benefit.
Moreover, he had his own idea. He wanted Lin Mohan to become the master of a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Then he had to do the opposite: while Zijin Emperor was still alive, forcibly refine Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
If Zijin Emperor were still inside Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, Lin Moyu could not complete the refinement. Worse, Zijin Emperor could self-detonate Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, dragging both down together.
Only by luring Zijin Emperor away, and using certain methods to sever the connection between Zijin Emperor and Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, could his plan succeed.
He had long prepared the net, waiting for Zijin Emperor to enter it. Now Zijin Emperor had entered, and Lin Moyu would begin hauling the net in.
Lin Moyu arrived outside Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth without a sound and rushed straight to the Heaven-and-Earth barrier. The Calamity Scepter smashed down, forcibly opening a passage. He charged into Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
Heaven-and-Earth Wings unfolded in an instant.
Nine Heavens Fate Arts.
"Submit."
With Heaven-and-Earth Wings working together with Nine Heavens Fate Arts, he forcibly changed the heaven-and-earth rules, ensuring that for a short time Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth's rules would not reject him.
In the next instant, a trillion Undying Spirit Soldiers surged out.
Calamity descends.
A great slaughter spanning the entire Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth opened its curtain.
Lin Moyu himself turned into a streak of light and shot toward the location of the heaven-and-earth core.
Outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, Zijin Emperor's expression changed drastically. He sensed the changes within Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Lin Moyu had not returned. Instead, he had charged into his Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
He was about to flee when Lin Moyu's clone snapped its fingers.
The void blazed with brilliance. A heaven-shaking grand array suddenly appeared. This array had long existed, hidden within the Life-Forbidden Zone, and only now was activated. Along with the array, Little Tree's vast root system also manifested.
Lin Moyu had used an array to hide Little Tree's roots together, never triggering it. On Little Tree's roots clung a large amount of Heaven-and-Earth wreckage. With Little Tree's roots and the Heaven-and-Earth wreckage as the array base, this grand array was saturated with heaven-and-earth power.
Once activated, heaven-and-earth power surged wildly out, forming a unique heaven-and-earth that cut off inside from outside, greatly weakening Zijin Emperor's connection to Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
Zijin Emperor realized he had been tricked. Lin Moyu's target had always been Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, not him.
Zijin Emperor roared, "You are courting death!"
The Zijin Thunder Pagoda was offered up. Zijin Emperor spat essence blood and unleashed lightning across the heavens.
A pitch-black arrow pierced through the lightning and stabbed into Zijin Emperor's body. Zijin Emperor screamed, his aura dropping.
Lin Moyu's clone had fired a Soul-Slaying Arrow.
Zijin Emperor was struck by the Soul-Slaying Arrow. His soul was wounded and his aura fell. Under the array's influence, his connection to Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth weakened further.
He stared at Lin Moyu's clone in disbelief.
"Impossible. You are only a clone. How can you use Soul-Slaying Arrow? Soul-Slaying Arrow slays others only by slaying oneself first. Even if the main body uses it, the soul is injured. To kill others relies entirely on one's own soul. Use up as much soul as you have power. That arrow just now, though weaker than what the main body fired, was still terrifying. A clone should be utterly unable to do this. Yet you did it, and you look completely unscathed. This is impossible!"
Unfathomable. Completely unfathomable.
Zijin Emperor had lived for who knew how many years. Since becoming Dao, every matter he encountered revealed some clue. Now, he could not see anything at all.
Trapped here, his connection and perception of Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was weakening further. He did not even know what was happening inside Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Even if he wanted to self-detonate Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, it seemed difficult to do.
While he pondered, Lin Moyu's clone凝聚 another Soul-Slaying Arrow.
Zijin Emperor's expression changed drastically. If a few more arrows came, he truly would die.
He had to拼命. Right now, only by breaking this array and reestablishing contact with Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth could he learn what was happening there. If the situation truly could not be reversed, he would rather self-detonate the heaven-and-earth than let Lin Moyu have it. At worst, jade and stone would burn together.
Killing intent surged. Zijin Emperor took out another pill and crushed it. His eyes were full of pain. This pill was not easy to obtain, but compared with his life and death, it no longer mattered.
Under the pill's effect, Zijin Emperor's aura surged sharply upward.
A pitch-black arrow tore through the void and precisely struck his soul. The rising aura was forcibly interrupted. Struck by a Soul-Slaying Arrow, the pill's effect was greatly weakened, failing to restore him to peak and restoring only most of it.
He took out the basin treasure. His chest burst open, self-inflicting a wound. A flood of blood喷 from the wound and poured into the basin. He used his own blood in place of the basin's water.
Spacetime twisted.
Heaven-and-earth imprints.
Countless powerhouses for my use.
"Come out!"
He overturned the basin. Blood poured down like a waterfall. Within the blood, countless worlds rose and fell, and one powerhouse after another flew out again.
The heaven-and-earth imprints branded into the basin during the Chess of All Living Beings had already been greatly reduced. Now the number of powerhouses was less than one third, but it was still astonishing.
The grand array activated, countless attacks falling, and clashing with these powerhouses. Little Tree swung its branches and joined the battle.
Zijin Emperor also attacked like mad. He spared no cost to break out of the array's encirclement.
Lin Moyu's clone did not use Soul-Slaying Arrow again. It continuously repaired the grand array, eyes flashing with sharp light.
Now was not the time to kill Zijin Emperor.
Inside Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, Lin Moyu finally saw the heaven-and-earth core.
An eighteen-layer pagoda plus a palace. Compared with the last time he saw it, the pagoda was missing a layer, and the palace had collapsed further.
At this time, the trillion Undying Spirit Soldiers were slaughtering the living beings within Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Moyu was cold and merciless. This was a struggle of heaven-and-earth. If he failed, the living beings in his Ten-Direction Domains would die. The living beings in the Chaotic Ancient Wilds would also not be spared. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would change masters.
In a struggle of heaven-and-earth, there was no morality to speak of. Only one could live.
Killing the living beings in Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was to make it easier for him to refine the heaven-and-earth core. Now, with living beings being slaughtered, resentment soared to the sky. The entire heaven-and-earth endured a calamity beyond imagination, like calamity descending.
Everything came too suddenly.
Undying Spirit Soldiers descending from beyond the heavens raised their butcher blades, slaughtering world after world.
Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was vast, containing innumerable worlds and domains. Yet facing the trillion Undying Spirit Soldiers, it still suffered terrible casualties in a short time.
Lin Moyu altered the heaven-and-earth rules, compressing space and changing distances. Guided by rules, he let the Undying Spirit Soldiers cross vast distances in a short time, spreading across all of Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
The sky-high resentment within the heaven-and-earth battered the heaven-and-earth core, making the heaven-and-earth even more fragile. Doing this could weaken heaven-and-earth power and make the refinement smoother.
Several Zijin Emperor clones guarding the heaven-and-earth core charged toward Lin Moyu.
With a thought, the Chess of All Living Beings unfolded and trapped them within it.
He did not need to spend effort killing them. After all, they were Zijin Emperor's clones. Truly killing them was not easy. Even with the Calamity Scepter, it would take several strikes, costing time and effort. The simplest method was to trap them so they would not interfere. Once he finished what he needed to do, these clones would naturally be gone.
Passing the clones, Lin Moyu arrived before the heaven-and-earth core.
The heaven-and-earth core erupted with vast power, clearly resisting Lin Moyu. Lin Moyu swept his hand. Hongmeng Purple Fire poured down across the sky, turning into a sea of flames that swallowed the heaven-and-earth core.
A sharp shriek came from the heaven-and-earth core at once. It was terrified, trembling within the sea of flames. It did not want to be refined.
But it was useless. Facing Hongmeng Purple Fire, it had no other outcome.
After Hongmeng Purple Fire refines Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, can it advance another step? This was a complete Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, not Heaven-and-Earth wreckage. It was certain that Hongmeng Purple Fire would become stronger. Whether it would evolve again was hard to say. And Lin Moyu did not know what Hongmeng Purple Fire would become if it advanced further.
The heaven-and-earth core screamed without cease. Heaven-and-earth power was being吞噬 and refined, growing weaker and weaker.
Meanwhile, the resentment within the heaven-and-earth grew even heavier. Living beings died, resentment soared, striking the entire heaven-and-earth and overturning heaven-and-earth cause and effect.
After Lin Moyu refined the heaven-and-earth, these living beings had no path to live anyway. Now he was merely sending them off earlier. In Lin Moyu's eyes, it was only the difference between dying a bit sooner or later. As for heaven-and-earth cause and effect, if the heaven-and-earth was gone, what cause and effect remained?
Zijin Emperor could survive two Great Annihilations. Who knew how many heavens-and-earth he had destroyed, how many living beings he had slaughtered? Even if there was cause and effect, it was not a cause now, but a fruit long formed.
Calamity descends upon the world.
Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth rapidly weakened. Hongmeng Purple Fire grew stronger. The refinement speed gradually increased.
Outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, Zijin Emperor remained unable to break the encirclement for a long time. His faith power dropped at an alarming rate. His expression became extremely ugly, and a trace of despair showed in his eyes.
He had fallen into Lin Moyu's trap. His connection to Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was weakened. He could not control Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Yet the weakening faith power was already telling him what was happening inside Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
He knew that today he would likely not escape death.
He simply did not understand what Lin Moyu was trying to do. Killing him should not require this.
He could never imagine that Lin Moyu possessed Hongmeng Purple Fire that could refine a heaven-and-earth, and also possessed a heaven-defying technique like Heaven burst, earth裂 that could reenact a heaven-and-earth.
Despair flooded his heart. Cracks appeared in his Dao heart and rapidly widened.
He exhausted all methods, yet still could not escape. The Soul-Slaying Arrow remained locked on him. He could not even self-detonate.
He was fish and flesh. Lin Moyu was the blade and chopping board.
Two days later, Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was fully refined, leaving only an empty shell of the heaven-and-earth core.
A pain stabbed into Zijin Emperor's heart. He had completely lost all sensation and connection to Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
He knew his Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth was gone.
Now it is your turn.
Let you die under your own technique.
Lin Moyu's clone tapped a finger lightly. In an instant, more than a hundred pitch-black great bows appeared in the void. Soul-Slaying Arrows凝聚 on the bows, all aimed at Zijin Emperor.
A hundred arrows fired together.
Soul-Slaying Arrows flashed across the void.
Zijin Emperor's soul was obliterated, leaving only a corpse drifting within the Life-Forbidden Zone.
He was strong. Even after death, with only a flesh body remaining, he could still endure the侵袭 of annihilating power and persist. At the very least, he could last a million years.
Lin Moyu let out a long breath.
It was over.
This "over" meant the end of the struggle of the entire Great Annihilation era.
In this Great Annihilation, he stood to the end. He was the sole peak existence. And only he had a chance to endure this Great Annihilation.
Standing within the Life-Forbidden Zone and looking at the surrounding void, Lin Moyu thought:
But things are not completely finished.
I am still missing the final step I must take. If I cannot take that step, the Great Annihilation will continue.
Lin Moyu brought back the empty shell of the Hongmeng heaven-and-earth core to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. Outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, he found a stretch of void, took out the empty shell of the heaven-and-earth core, and tapped his finger lightly.
"Heaven burst, earth裂."
Boom!
The void shook. The heaven-and-earth core turned into dust and exploded apart.
Within the explosion, a mass of pure white light appeared. Within that light surged vigorous vitality, so strong it was beyond imagining, far surpassing Nine-Wheel Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Moyu used a technique to reenact Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. Power of life poured into it without end, helping the heaven-and-earth evolve.
Heaven-and-earth evolution was a long process. Even the start would normally be measured in tens of thousands of years. But under the effect of Heaven burst, earth裂, the evolution process was clearly accelerated. In less than half a year, it had formed a prototype. The subsequent evolution speed would gradually slow, but at the current pace, to become Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth again would take at most a million years. Even if it could not return to its former peak, it would at least surpass Nine-Wheel Heaven-and-Earth.
Truly a heaven-defying technique.
Lin Moyu sighed, then said to Little Tree, "Little Tree, build a spatial passage. I will take elder sister over."
Little Tree responded with a sound and immediately built the passage.
Lin Moyu took Lin Mohan into it. The two passed through the spatial passage and arrived within Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Moyu altered the heaven-and-earth rules so that Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth could accommodate the two of them as outside true supreme powerhouses. If he did not do this, this newly born Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth might collapse on the spot.
The heaven-and-earth was only a prototype now. The heaven-and-earth core had just been reenacted and formed, still fragile.
A twelve-layer pagoda floated within the heaven-and-earth. Beside it was a palace like a small house.
Lin Moyu said, "Elder sister, this is the core of Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. As long as you refine it, you will be the master of this Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. But it is still evolving and needs quite a bit more time. You can merge the Chaotic Ancient Wilds into it. That will speed up its evolution."
Lin Mohan, now a true supreme powerhouse, understood heaven-and-earth rules and such extremely well. Once Lin Moyu said it, she understood immediately.
Lin Mohan did not waste words. She began refining the heaven-and-earth core directly, and used her authority to merge the Chaotic Ancient Wilds in.
The fusion speed was very slow. It would take at least tens of thousands of years. During that time, Lin Mohan could not leave and needed to oversee the fusion.
Lin Moyu watched for ten days. Only after confirming there were no issues did he leave.
If all went well, then after tens of thousands of years, Lin Mohan would become the new master of this Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. By then, her strength would also rise with the tide.
As for how things would develop afterward, it would depend on her. In any case, Lin Moyu had done everything he could.
Back in Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, Little Tree asked, "Master, what will you do next?"
Lin Moyu smiled. "I know what you want to ask. You want to know why I did not absorb Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth."
Little Tree was very smart. He did not ask directly, but Lin Moyu understood.
Lin Moyu said, "If I directly absorbed Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, perhaps Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would have a chance to ascend, but that kind of ascension is not what I want. And my ambition is not merely Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth. I want to walk to the end point. If I cannot reach the end point, then even with a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth, it is useless.
"Like Zijin Emperor, forcibly enduring several Great Annihilations, whether one or ten, is not what I want. Living long, so what? Even if one could live ten trillion years, as long as it is not true everlasting immortality, one must still face death.
"What I seek is not longevity, but immortality. And it is not only that I alone am immortal. If possible, I want to bring my family and friends to immortality as well.
"That wish is beautiful and cruel. If I cannot reach the final end point, then what difference is there between living a million years and living hundreds of millions of years?"
Lin Moyu knew his thoughts might be somewhat selfish, but he would do it regardless. This was his Dao heart, unchangeable.
Little Tree asked, "Then when does Master plan to go?"
Lin Moyu said, "No rush. First, let us ask that fellow what the situation is on the other side."
Zijin Emperor's corpse drifted in the Life-Forbidden Zone. Under the冲击 of annihilating power, his flesh body was decaying at an extremely slow rate.
A flame ignited on Zijin Emperor's corpse. His shattered soul began to reorganize.
Revive a true supreme powerhouse, and moreover a Hongmeng Heaven-and-Earth true supreme powerhouse, then turn him into an Undying Spirit and make him my slave.
Lin Moyu had confidence in his technique. He could absolutely do it. No matter how strong Zijin Emperor was, he was still an existence of the same realm as Lin Moyu. In principle, revival should be possible.
Zijin Emperor had not been dead long. His soul should have only just dispersed. Revival should be fast.
But within the flames, Zijin Emperor had no movement at all. His soul showed no sign of reorganizing.
Lin Moyu frowned. The technique had not failed.
Why could he not be revived?
He looked at Zijin Emperor's corpse, eyes lowered, and murmured softly.
Hongmeng Gemstone popped out and looked at the corpse with Lin Moyu.
"Master, his soul seems not to be dead yet."
Lin Moyu gave a sound. "You are right. Although his soul was erased by the Soul-Slaying Arrow, its root is still there. It is not dead."
Hongmeng Gemstone said, "That is strange. His heaven-and-earth is destroyed. Where can his soul hide?"
Lin Moyu said, "If I am not mistaken, it should be there."
Lin Moyu's gaze turned to the distance. There was a cluster of light there, the place the heaven-and-earth was guiding him to go.
"Before, when I refined the Chess of All Living Beings, I already felt that the true supreme powerhouse who once forged the Chess of All Living Beings also did not die completely. A soul still remained. Now it is the same kind of feeling again.
"Once could be coincidence. Twice like this means there must be a problem. The problem is not in the Life-Forbidden Zone. Then it must be there."
As he spoke, Lin Moyu put away Zijin Emperor's corpse and also took the Thunder Pagoda that had been clenched in his hand at death.
The pagoda was covered in cracks. Lightning flowed within it, and the cracks were gradually repairing. In a few years it would recover as good as new.
Vast soul power surged into it. Lin Moyu began refining the Thunder Pagoda.
This pagoda was a Hongmeng supreme treasure, powerful in might. It was a pity Zijin Emperor had not refined it and could not unleash its full power. If Lin Moyu could refine it, he would gain another method.
There was another space within the pagoda. Lightning was the sole protagonist there. The moment soul power entered, it was torn apart by lightning. The refinement was not smooth.
Lin Moyu struck at the pagoda again and again. At last he saw some clues.
There was also a core within the pagoda. To refine it, one needed to refine the core. But the pagoda was filled with lightning, and his soul power could not reach the core.
With a thought, large amounts of soul particles flew out and poured into the pagoda.