"Kill!"
Lin Tianfan's roar thundered, his battle spirit soaring to the heavens, shaking the very cosmos. His fists clenched, radiating unmatched valor, he charged toward the Immortal-Slaying Guillotine descending from the sky.
This punch was pure yang, unyieldingly resolute, its intent flooding the heavens. It tore through the star domain, reducing one star after another to dust, daring to meet the guillotine—capable of slaying immortals—head-on.
Boom!
In that instant, immortal light erupted, unleashing boundless divine radiance. The surrounding space shattered, the universe trembling as if a new epoch were being forged.
Yet, something unimaginable occurred. With his bare fists, Lin Tianfan shattered the guillotine into fragments, his hands merely grazed, a few drops of blood trickling down.
"So powerful! Is he on the verge of success? Even the will of the heavens cannot block his path, broken by his might!"
Cultivators of all races and awakened beings in forbidden zones stood stunned, convinced he had stepped into the Immortal Dao realm. How else could he wield such strength?
Crack!
Billions of thunderclaps roared, a light rain scattering across the cosmos. Lin Tianfan, Using the Body as the Seed, transformed into a collective of particles, each brimming with infinite divine power. Now, they resonated as one, emitting dazzling immortal light.
The Great Dao rumbled, rules and order collapsed, chaotic qi surged. Standing there, he seemed the sole existence, the embodiment of the universe itself—majestic and towering.
This was his path, his system, blooming in this moment. He sought to break all shackles, achieve the War Immortal Fruit, shatter every obstacle, and ascend to the heavens, trampling the myriad Daos beneath his feet.
Such was his might and ambition, a feat only a being of unparalleled resolve could attempt—a true invincible, daring to defy the will of the heavens.
The tribulation raged on, thunder still echoing.
But the Immortal Tribulation could no longer harm Lin Tianfan. Having entered the Immortal Dao realm, his life force was boundless, untouched by time's passage.
Beside him, his Dao Weapon, the three-legged golden cauldron, radiated misty immortal light, having transformed into an immortal artifact, shining like a small sun.
The cauldron bore intricate immortal patterns, etched with true dragons, undying phoenixes, qilins, kunpengs, and other auspicious beasts, alongside sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers.
This cauldron embodied the principle of Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things, used to stabilize his being.
Crafted not from rare immortal materials but from the copper of the First Mountain, fused with various essences, it was the manifestation of his Dao.
All beings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands stood in awe. Was he truly about to become an Immortal?
Buzz!
Suddenly, the void quivered. From the highest reaches of the heavens, black fog descended, enveloping the star domain where Lin Tianfan stood. It swallowed stars, shrouded the cosmos, and drained all vitality, as if life itself had ceased.
"It's here—the strange black fog on the path to immortality!" Countless beings froze, staring at the star domain. Even from infinite distances, the sight filled them with dread and unease.
Becoming an Immortal was sacred, glorious, and harmonious. Yet now, a deathly stillness prevailed, devouring all life, eerie and chilling.
Ancient monsters, survivors of the Primordial Era, recalled two names: Ye Qianyu and Mo Wudao. Both had stood at the pinnacle of the Mortal Dao, prodigies unmatched, nearly overcoming the tribulation, only to perish in this black fog.
This trial was the most mysterious and terrifying. Some called it a curse, others the will of the heavens, but none could say what it truly was.
"It's here, is it? Even darkness cannot stop me!" Lin Tianfan's eyes blazed like twin immortal swords, piercing the fog. Amid the ominous haze, he remained calm and resolute.
I've been wary of this fog. It's the greatest obstacle on my path to immortality.
He knew its origins, tied to the Ancient Hall of Reception. It eroded a being's essence, transforming them into a dark creature, stripping away their original soul to birth a new, malevolent self—utterly terrifying.
In this era, before the Desolate Heavenly Emperor's reign, it was an unsolvable enigma. No one could resist; the darkness's power was unimaginable, driving all to despair.
Yet, the greater the challenge, the fiercer Lin Tianfan's resolve. He would shatter all, yielding to no one.
"Fight!"
He spat a golden symbol, unleashing boundless immortal light and vast divine power, attempting to dispel the endless black fog. But it was like a stream flowing into the sea, fading instantly.
This unnerved him. Within the fog, his five senses were sealed, his perception of his surroundings dulled.
Above, thunder still flashed, accompanied by rolling black fog, surging like a bottomless black hole. Something seemed to lurk within, pacing restlessly.
"Break!"
Unwilling to yield, Lin Tianfan threw a punch, immortal light illuminating the misty haze, accompanied by endless auspicious colors. He blasted through the fog enveloping the star domain and struck toward the black hole in the heavens.
In that moment, only his fist's radiance remained, golden and blinding. The void collapsed, every star in the domain obliterated, leaving only chaotic nothingness.
Buzz!
From the black hole emerged a massive black hand, covering the cosmos, boundless and vast, meeting Lin Tianfan's punch head-on.
Boom!
Fist and palm collided, shattering the starry sky. The heavens cracked, ghosts wailed, and gods howled. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking countless star domains, as if the cosmos were being reborn.
The strike's ferocity surpassed the Mortal Dao's limits, akin to two True Immortals clashing, making souls tremble in awe and fear.
This was a cataclysm, a world-shaking blow that nearly harmed beings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Fortunately, someone intervened, blocking the shockwave, ensuring stray star fragments didn't fall on inhabited lands, averting countless deaths.
"What is that? A creature in the black fog!" Powerful cultivators, observing from afar, witnessed the astonishing scene.
Had Lin Tianfan not dispersed the fog, the outside world would have remained unaware.
All beings were shaken. Since the Immortal Ancient era, no one in this realm had become an Immortal. Was someone blocking the path?
"Such terrifying power—far beyond an ordinary True Immortal!"
Lin Tianfan exhaled in awe. His fist, capable of shattering mountains, throbbed with pain from the clash. His qi and blood surged chaotically, his arm teetering on the brink of breaking.
His current strength rivaled that of a Red Dust Immortal who had undergone five or six rebirths, achieved without the aid of longevity elixirs. It surpassed most True Immortals, yet he had still been wounded.
Buzz!
The black fog descended again from the heavens, filling billions of miles of the boundless star domain, thicker and more malevolent than before.
Lin Tianfan's heart quaked. Enveloped by the fog, his soul grew rigid, besieged by a strange corrosion. It felt as though his very essence was slipping away, as if he were being reshaped into someone—or something—else entirely.
Dormant negative emotions erupted—savagery, bloodlust, cold ruthlessness.
His primordial spirit seemed to be replaced, a new self emerging, seizing his mind and body, terrifying in its power.
So this is the darkness? Truly eerie, but it's not enough to corrupt me!
Lin Tianfan roared, divine light blazing within him. Gates opened in his body, his primordial spirit transforming into a peerless sword, dispelling the eerie corruption.
His voice thundered through the heavens and earth, majestic and unyielding, as if issuing a decree across past, present, and future, undeniable.
"Body! Law! Spirit!"
Three words burst from him, forming three radiant orbs of light, erupting with boundless might. The symbols merged, evolving into a supreme secret art, flashing like the light of a soaring immortal, striking the heavens.
These were invincible techniques born from his Three Bodies—Spirit, Qi, and Essence. Body granted an indestructible form, Law amplified combat power tenfold, and Spirit fortified an unyielding soul.
Combined, the three techniques formed a supreme immortal art, capable of piercing all foes.
Pfft!
The black hand reaching from the black hole aimed to strike again but was pierced through its bones, unable to withstand the blow. It had underestimated Lin Tianfan. Black blood rained down, annihilating the void.
The blood was radiant, shimmering with dark light. Each drop fell like a star, carrying an ominous aura, as if from the underworld, chilling all who sensed it.
"Collect!"
The golden cauldron glowed, swallowing star rivers, rapidly expanding. Linked to Lin Tianfan's will, it absorbed the black blood, refining it to prevent its spread.
This was no ordinary blood, infused with dark matter. If it fell upon the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, it would corrupt the earth, transforming beings into dark creatures, posing immense danger to the realm.
Though merely residual blood, it could incinerate stars and kill all below the Supreme Being level, even threatening ordinary Supreme Beings. It had to be purified, stripped of its malice and ominous power, staining the sky red.
Roar…
A bellow echoed from the black hole, Lin Tianfan's actions enraging its occupant. Blood qi overwhelmed the sun and moon, the emanating pressure surpassing a True Immortal.
A giant claw emerged from the rift, eclipsing the heavens. With a boom, it struck at Lin Tianfan, its power far greater than before.
"This… Quasi-Immortal King-level strength!" Lin Tianfan was stunned, deeply aware of the claw's terror.
He tried to dodge, but no matter where he fled, the claw pursued, locked onto him, as did the black hole above, inescapable.
Pfft!
Lin Tianfan took the blow head-on. His immortal light shattered, blood sprayed from his mouth, bones snapped, organs shifted, and his body exploded, blood raining down.
The strike nearly killed him. Barely managing to reassemble his body with his arts, he was pale and weakened.
An ordinary True Immortal would have perished. In the Immortal Dao, each realm was a chasm, nearly impossible to overcome.
Though the dark creature was only a Quasi-Immortal King, not a true Immortal King, it was beyond Lin Tianfan, who had just entered the Immortal Dao realm.
Worse, the darkness seized the moment to erode him further. His eyes grew dim, his mind clouded, his primordial spirit drawn by an unknown force, summoned and pulled, threatening to leave his body.
Is it true that without Quasi-Immortal King strength, no one can become an Immortal in this era? Lin Tianfan sighed, a trace of sorrow in his heart.
His strength surpassed his predecessors, yet he still couldn't defy the heavens.
Was the curse that none could become an Immortal since the Immortal Ancient era truly unbreakable?
He knew he had rushed. Given enough time, he could have achieved Red Dust Immortal status, defeating the darkness and attaining eternal life.
But time was not on his side. The Foreign Realm's invasion loomed, and his strength could no longer be suppressed. The Immortal Tribulation would descend soon regardless, and this was not yet the Age of the End of Dharma.
"Have I failed? Another to fall on the path to immortality, like Ye Qianyu and Mo Wudao!" Beings in forbidden zones murmured, some ancient True Immortals among them.
Though they couldn't see through the fog, they sensed the terrifying power within, surpassing True Immortal level, reaching Quasi-Immortal King.
"Not simple. His strength is True Immortal-level, far stronger than his predecessors, yet he still can't survive!" A True Immortal sighed, lamenting the era's harshness.
"Holy Emperor…"
Cries of anguish rose in the Nine Heavens, from beings of the Holy Emperor Palace, all nurtured by Lin Tianfan, unwavering in loyalty.
"Still not enough? Even if you fail, I hope you survive. Your loss would be a catastrophe for the Nine Heavens!" Meng Tianzheng said softly, his heart heavy with worry.
Over years of friendship and mentorship, Meng Tianzheng had guided Lin Tianfan in his youth, helping him walk the path of Using the Body as the Seed and rise swiftly to dominate the cosmos.
I was born in brilliance and will die in glory. How can I let darkness corrupt my body and seize my form? Even if I die today, I'll pave the way for those to come, bearing witness to the radiant path to immortality!
Lin Tianfan's expression was cold, like a Heavenly Emperor descending, striking the heavens above and probing the depths below. Standing alone, he gazed upon the cosmos, commanding all beneath him.
In that moment, memories flooded his mind—regrets, sorrows.
A youth vowed to leave his village, but returned learned to find his kin dead. From demonic depths, he struck the heavens, battling through blood to all corners!
For so long, he bore the vengeance of kin and friends, walking the path of cultivation alone, driven by retribution, an obsession etched into his soul.
Later, he sought to revive them, yearning for unmatched power, to transcend all. Through countless lonely years, this obsession fueled his relentless march.
Now…
"Kill!"
Lin Tianfan roared coldly, consumed by blazing battle intent. His killing aura poured forth, shaking the cosmos. His eyes burned, determined to fight to the last, to carve out a clear universe, even if he fell, to end in brilliance!
"Dao-Melting Holy Art!"
The heavens trembled, immortal power boiling, eternal light blooming. Lin Tianfan unleashed his strongest divine ability.
This technique, his own creation, could devour all—laws, order, and myriad Dao techniques—fusing them into a single strike.
It was his ultimate blow, his final desperate move, the embodiment of his life's Dao Fruit, refining himself to unleash boundless might.
Yet, he felt it was incomplete, flawed, harming himself as much as the enemy. But there was no time to perfect it.
Lin Tianfan refused to let his body fall to the darkness. Rather than let it be seized, he would leave nothing behind, sacrificing all.
His body ignited in raging flames, becoming a mass of immortal light, composed solely of Dao laws. He charged toward the black hole, vowing to perish with it.
In that moment, with nothing left, Lin Tianfan glimpsed rebirth, seeing his Dao…
So that's it. My Dao is still lacking…
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