Chapter 399: Breaking Through to the Manifestation Realm!
In mere moments, Lin Langtian had overpowered Luo Zhan, a Lesser Manifestation Realm expert, with such force and ease that any observer would have been utterly shocked. While a few prodigies might manage to challenge someone at a higher level, it was exceedingly rare for anyone to do so with such fluidity and dominance as Lin Langtian. After all, the gap between the Nirvana and Manifestation Realms, though not insurmountable, was still a significant one.
"How… how did you do that?" Luo Zhan gasped, his face pale with disbelief as he looked at Lin Langtian. Moments before, it was as though he had fallen into a trap, an illusion from which he couldn't escape. After that, all he could recall was the fierce blow to his chest—and at no point had he even gotten close to landing a strike on Lin Langtian.
"You don't need to know, since you'll be dead soon." The evil eye at Lin Langtian's brow slowly closed as he smirked. The Evil God's Eye offered many abilities, one of which allowed him to cast illusions in an instant, trapping his opponent before they had a chance to realize it. This was the first time Lin Langtian had used the Evil God's Eye, and even he was surprised by how effective it was, snaring a Lesser Manifestation expert with a single glance. While he could only hold Luo Zhan in the illusion for a brief moment, that single instant was more than enough to ensure victory.
However, to use this ability, Lin Langtian required immense mental strength. He would have to focus on enhancing his spiritual power to use it even more effectively in the future.
"It was that strange eye!" Luo Zhan gasped, his voice shaking as he finally pieced it together. The moment his eyes had met Lin Langtian's eerie third eye, he'd fallen into the illusion, and it was because of this that Lin Langtian had bested him so easily. Terror filled him as he recalled how he had underestimated Lin Langtian's bizarre abilities. Regret flooded him—he should never have followed the Yang brothers into this mess.
"Lord Lin, please… spare my life, and I'll serve you with everything I have," Luo Zhan pleaded, his voice desperate and his head bowed. For someone like him, pride held little value; survival was paramount.
Lin Langtian shook his head, his voice cold. "If you wanted mercy, you shouldn't have tried to cross me. It's too late for that."
Seeing Lin Langtian's resolve, Luo Zhan's expression darkened. His eyes flashed as he muttered, "So there's no way you'll let me live?"
With a sudden twist of his hand, a black jade pendant materialized in his palm. Luo Zhan thrust it forward, the jade streaking toward Lin Langtian like a black comet.
Whoosh!
The jade was fast, flashing before Lin Langtian's face. Lin Langtian only smiled, reaching out calmly to catch it.
Boom!
As Lin Langtian moved to grasp it, Luo Zhan's lips curled into a smirk, his fingers forming a quick seal. The black jade exploded, and from its shards, a streak of fierce golden light lunged straight at Lin Langtian's throat with a deadly speed and force.
"Hmm… a spiritual attack?" Lin Langtian raised an eyebrow, but there was no alarm in his gaze—only amusement. A pulse of golden light flared from him, intercepting Luo Zhan's attack with a violent clash.
Bang!
The golden light recoiled, retreating as it revealed a small, translucent figure, a projection that bore Luo Zhan's likeness—it was his spiritual avatar, his true essence.
"You… you have a spiritual avatar too?" Luo Zhan stammered, astonished as he looked at the radiant avatar hovering protectively before Lin Langtian. For Lin Langtian's spiritual avatar to be as solid as his own was impressive, especially since Luo Zhan was a Manifestation Realm expert.
"Damn it!" Cursing, Luo Zhan attempted to call his spirit back, but Lin Langtian simply reached out, a pulse of black light forming a small black vortex in his palm. The vortex pulled, drawing in Luo Zhan's spiritual avatar as easily as if it were swallowing a drop of water.
Thud!
As his avatar was absorbed, Luo Zhan paled, his energy draining in an instant as blood spewed from his lips, horror twisting his features. "The Devouring Ancestral Symbol?" he gasped, recognizing the dark vortex in Lin Langtian's hand. The combination of the Evil Eye and the Devouring Symbol left him reeling. How could one man possess such overwhelming, terrifying powers?
"Good eyes," Lin Langtian replied coolly, dismissing the Devouring Symbol with a flick of his wrist as he turned to face Luo Zhan. "We're done here."
With that, he waved his sleeve, and an inferno of searing flames exploded from his palm, engulfing Luo Zhan entirely.
"Aaaaah!" Luo Zhan's agonized scream echoed, sharp and shrill, reverberating through the valley.
Hearing the horrific cries, the Yang brothers, still under the control of Lin Langtian's two Corpse Warriors, broke into a cold sweat. They'd finally understood they'd provoked an unstoppable force, a true bringer of death.
Desperately, the brothers crawled forward, begging, "Lord Lin, please… spare our lives, and we'll give you our Martial Emperor Technique. Just grant us mercy!"
"Oh? The Martial Emperor Technique?" Lin Langtian's eyes glinted with interest. Judging by the brothers' earlier display, this technique rivaled the highest techniques in the Yuan Gate—a potent, advanced martial art. Squinting slightly, he considered their offer and gave a short nod.
"Fine," he replied, a hint of calculation in his gaze. "Hand over the Martial Emperor Technique, and I won't kill you."
The brothers exchanged relieved glances, ignoring any hidden traps in his words. The elder Yang brother fumbled with his storage pouch, finally producing a black jade tablet and offering it to Lin Langtian with trembling hands.
Accepting the tablet, Lin Langtian could sense the strange aura within, resonating with the technique the Yang brothers had used earlier.
Lin Langtian held the dark-gray jade slip in his hand, raising an eyebrow at the powerful aura it emitted. He could sense the strength of the "Martial Emperor Technique," which was clearly at the level of a high-grade Heaven-rank martial art. The Yang brothers, however, had barely scratched the surface of this technique; if they'd mastered it, they wouldn't have been defeated so quickly by him.
As Lin Langtian inspected the jade slip, the Yang brothers cautiously asked, "Since we've handed over the Martial Emperor Technique to you, Lord Lin, may we now be allowed to leave?"
"Hmm," Lin Langtian responded, nodding slightly as if to give his word.
Relieved, the brothers bowed in thanks and quickly departed, fearing that if they lingered, Lin Langtian might change his mind. Little did they know, just as they turned to leave, Lin Langtian gestured toward his two Corpse Warriors, who immediately pursued them, cold and relentless as death itself.
Not long after, two screams echoed through the valley, followed by the sound of footsteps. The Corpse Warriors returned, each carrying a severed head—those of the Yang brothers, whose faces were frozen in terror. The brothers, already weakened from their encounter with Lin Langtian, had stood no chance against the deadly Corpse Warriors.
"I said I wouldn't kill you myself, but that didn't apply to my Corpse Warriors. Fools." Lin Langtian sneered, dismissing the Corpse Warriors to resume their guard around the valley.
Defeating the Yang brothers and Luo Zhan so easily hardly inflated his pride. With his current level of power, half-step and Lesser Manifestation Realm warriors posed little threat.
Glancing around to make sure the valley was undisturbed, Lin Langtian's gaze fell on the still surface of the Celestial Essence Pool nearby. A bold idea struck him. "Why not take advantage of this chance to break into the Manifestation Realm right here?"
In an instant, he summoned the Essence Bone Pearl and Spirit Manifestation Fruit, his heart beating with anticipation for the long-coveted power that lay ahead. After all his training in the Demonic Abyss, he'd reached the pinnacle of the Nine-Fold Nirvana Stage, making this the perfect opportunity for his breakthrough.
Without further delay, Lin Langtian sat cross-legged beside the Celestial Essence Pool, letting his inner energy settle. The power within him surged, humming softly as he gathered his focus.
Hummm!
As a deep resonance vibrated from within, Lin Langtian's tightly shut eyes shot open, his brow furrowed in intense concentration. "Peak of the Nine-Fold Nirvana—perfectly stabilized!" Satisfied, he exhaled, summoning the Bone Pearl and Manifestation Fruit, each resting in one of his hands. A powerful aura radiated from the items, casting a faint glow on his face.
"Ling Yi, please watch over me."
"Don't worry. No one will get near you during this breakthrough," Ling Yi's voice assured him, filling him with a sense of calm.
With a nod, Lin Langtian closed his eyes, concentrating as dark energy snaked from his palms, winding around the artifacts in his hands.
Humm!
The Devouring Force burst from his grip, igniting an eruption of raw, pure energy from the Bone Pearl and Manifestation Fruit that surged into his body like a flood.
As he absorbed the energy, his body trembled under the fierce influx, but he activated his inner Flame Cauldron, using its fiery power to refine his body. Layer by layer, he withstood the massive surge, letting the overwhelming power strengthen him.
The energy flow gradually increased, raising his power inch by inch. Although the progress was slow, it was steady and palpable.
Boom, boom!
The condensed energy cascaded like rain inside him, and soon, at the heart of the surge, a faint wisp of pale white energy formed out of nowhere.
Buzz!
In that moment, every ounce of energy within him quieted, swirling together as if honoring this single wisp of energy, guarding it like a precious treasure.
Boom!
As his energy absorbed the pale white wisp, Lin Langtian felt an explosive growth in his power—a surge so intense it felt like a rocket launching. He could sense the power swelling within him, his veins stretched taut from the sheer force coursing through them. And yet, instead of fear, a feeling of joy burst from within.
He knew this pale white wisp was his true source of vitality—a new, purer form of energy, unique to him.
"Condense the spirit with inner energy!" Lin Langtian thought with a sharp focus, directing the vast energy through his meridians and into his core, where his spirit awaited.
The energy surged into his spirit like a river, and as it drank in the flow, his spirit's golden light grew ever brighter, becoming more solid and radiant. What was once a faint outline now took on a more defined, tangible form.
Swoosh!
After an unknown span of time, Lin Langtian's eyes opened by the Celestial Essence Pool. An incredibly powerful aura erupted from him, raw and uncontainable.
He'd reached the Manifestation Realm—finally achieving the power he'd so long sought!
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