Chapter 461 - 60: World Destruction (Part 2)

CRACKLE...

The Jingque Sword and the Treasure Manual collided in mid-air. Sparks flew at the point of contact, and a piercing shriek echoed without end.

Zhu Ju held his Treasure Sword, his expression grave.

His strike hadn’t truly damaged the Treasure Manual. Instead, it had provoked it into a frenzied vibration.

Ripples, invisible to the naked eye, swept out in all directions, extending for thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of miles.

All things twisted, transformed, and devoured one another.

Until...

The silhouette of a behemoth gradually began to emerge.

This fusion disregarded the strength of its victims; even a Holy King Beast would be affected.

The vast ocean turned into a flowing jelly, and countless sea fish and Exotic Beasts slowly melted into it.

A colossal monster roared at the sky, its lower body already fused with a mountain.

The residents of apartment buildings and the citizens of the Safe City were all swallowed by walls, roofs, and furniture...

Only Zhu Ju.

Because he was not a native of this world, the Dust in his body was sparse, so he was not yet affected.

For now.

His Physical Body had merged with the bloodline of an otherworldly creature from this realm, so it also contained Dust. It was only a matter of time before he, too, would be devoured.

Ten Directions Killing Realm!

Streaks of Sword Light crisscrossed in the air, striking the Treasure Manual eighteen thousand times in a single instant.

HISS...

The ring of the sword was sharp and clear at first, but it gradually grew fainter, showing signs of Refining Sword into Silk.

Zhu Ju cleared his mind and poured all his Power of Physical Body into the Jingque Sword.

Strike!

Strike!

Strike!

...

CLANG...

A piercing shriek rang out.

The Treasure Manual before him suddenly trembled, and a light that enveloped the entire world began to rise slowly.

「At the same time.」

Zhu Ju’s vision blurred. His consciousness had been pulled into a void.

"After ten thousand years, Kunlun reappears."

An ethereal figure slowly solidified before him, taking the form of a middle-aged man in a simple, ancient Daoist Robe.

The man had sharp brows, bright eyes, and timeless features. His skin was as white and lustrous as jade, and his long hair was draped casually over his shoulders. He looked at Zhu Ju with a peaceful and serene expression, like a lofty hermit who had detached himself from the world.

"Who are you?"

Zhu Ju instinctively reached for his sword but found the Jingque Sword was not in his hand. A chill ran down his spine.

’Primordial Spirit?’

’No!’

’My Seven Spirits have already fused with my Physical Body. Not even a Nascent Soul expert or someone even stronger could possibly extract my Primordial Spirit.’

"Who am I?"

The man’s eyes showed a trace of confusion before he broke into a carefree smile.

"You may call me Yun Zhongzi."

"Yun Zhongzi?" Zhu Ju frowned. "A Cultivator?"

"Indeed!" Yun Zhongzi placed one hand vertically before his chest and gave a distant salute. "I am from the Jade Void Palace. Young friend, you bear the traces of the Primordial Nine Seals. In a way, you and I can be considered fellow disciples."

"Jade Void Palace?" Zhu Ju’s scalp went numb. "You’re an Immortal?"

In the Ancient Era, Cultivation was widespread, and powerful experts emerged one after another, yet those who could truly become Immortals were few and far between.

And even in the legendary Immortal Realm, the Jade Void Palace was one of the strongest factions.

Anyone who could practice Cultivation in the Jade Void Palace was undoubtedly among the elite of the Immortals.

"I was, once."

Yun Zhongzi sighed softly.

"Under the calamity, the Immortal Group perished. Even my master was no exception. How could I have been worthy enough to survive?"

"Fortunately..."

"With the help of this Venerable Immortal Bone, I was lucky enough to preserve a remnant of my will."

’Venerable Immortal Bone?’

’A remnant of his will?’

’So the Treasure Manual is what he calls the Venerable Immortal Bone?’

’A remnant will isn’t a remnant soul. Does this mean the real Yun Zhongzi is already dead, leaving behind only a single thought?’

Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered as he pressed on.

"Was this world your doing, Senior?"

"It was," Yun Zhongzi nodded.

"My Immortal Body was destroyed, and the path to reincarnation was closed to me. I had no choice but to use the power of an Immortal Treasure to escape to this world."

"Unfortunately!"

"The path of Cultivation in this realm is obstructed, and its Spiritual Mechanism is lacking. I could only use some minor tricks to modify it."

He glanced around, his clear eyes seeming to take in the entire world.

"The Spiritual Mechanism of this world has not yet reached Perfection. Alas, since you, young friend, wished to destroy my Immortal Bone, I was forced to act hastily."

"Using the power of an entire world to reconstruct a Physical Body should, just barely, allow me to recover a sliver of my former abilities."

’?’

’Refining an entire world just to recover a ’sliver’ of his abilities?’

Zhu Ju’s cheek twitched.

"Senior, with your incredible abilities, I’m sure you have other ways to restore your Immortal Body. Why must you kill so many people?"

"Kill?"

Yun Zhongzi shook his head.

"Life and death are but a cycle of reincarnation. I am merely borrowing their Physical Bodies from this life to aid my recovery."

"..." Zhu Ju sighed. "Can you not show them mercy?"

"You need not worry, young friend," Yun Zhongzi said with a smile.

"I am but a remnant will and cannot manifest in this world for long. This new body will still require the assistance of your Divine Soul."

"Only after I have reshaped my Primordial Spirit will I replace you."

Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up for a moment, but then he sighed in resignation. In the end, it still meant death for him.

"You’re a remnant will?"

"So you don’t have your own consciousness?"

A thought struck him, and Zhu Ju asked:

"How can I kill you?"

A remnant will is just a thought, like a computer file. It stores information but has no independent consciousness.

’So...’

’No matter what I ask, if it knows the answer, it should reply.’

"It’s useless."

Yun Zhongzi smiled faintly.

"A Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Primordial Spirit is solidified. A Divinity Transformation Cultivator’s Divine Thought is like jade. A Mahayana Cultivator’s thoughts are like diamonds, each one perfectly clear."

"An Immortal’s remnant will possesses a characteristic of immortality. To destroy it, you would need at least a Divinity Transformation Cultivator wielding a Top-Level Spiritual Artifact, or a Nascent Soul Cultivator with an Innate Spiritual Treasure. And even then, it would only be a chance."

"Never mind that you don’t have an Innate Spiritual Treasure, young friend. Even if you did... your Cultivation is far too low."

"Come!"

He beckoned with one hand, and Zhu Ju flew forward involuntarily, his consciousness feeling as if it had been pierced by steel needles.

A sharp pain shot through him, and a few images surfaced in his mind.

He "saw" the Treasure Manual traverse time and space to appear in this world, and then trigger the Great Catastrophe.

He saw the world’s creatures mutate under the Treasure Manual’s influence, with all sorts of powerful Exotic Beasts appearing one after another.

The Power of Origin!

The Treasure Manual had directly materialized the Power of Origin, which was how the various Source Crystals came to be.

Yun Zhongzi’s plan was simple.

And cruel.

He let the living beings of this world grow stronger, their life force flourishing, until they reached a certain standard, at which point he would use Refinement to forge them into a body for himself.

The only variable in this process was the Treasure Manual.

The Treasure Manual could be damaged. So, as a contingency, Yun Zhongzi had left a hidden safeguard within it.

As soon as the Treasure Manual sustained an attack that threatened its existence, the remnant will inside would be activated ahead of schedule.

And so... that was what had led to the scene just now.

「Outside.」

Zhu Ju’s body was stiff, his eyes vacant, as he stood in mid-air holding his sword with one hand.

SWOOSH!

The Treasure Manual trembled lightly, tore through the Skin and Flesh of Zhu Ju’s back, and began to fuse with his spine, bit by bit.

"AHH!"

Zhu Ju felt a piercing pain and couldn’t help but roar at the sky.

"It’s useless."

Sensing that faint, almost nonexistent resistance, Yun Zhongzi gently shook his head.

"The Great Dao has changed, making it difficult to temper the Primordial Spirit. Yours has not even fully formed yet. You cannot possibly resist my corrosion."

"Accept your fate!"

"But just in case, I still need to adjust your Primordial Spirit. You can think of it as acknowledging me as your master."

Yun Zhongzi expressionlessly suppressed Zhu Ju’s consciousness, mysterious glints of Spiritual Light flashing in his eyes.

"Heaven and Earth tremble..."

"Huh?"

As if he had discovered something, his movements suddenly froze. He looked at Zhu Ju’s Primordial Spirit with a puzzled expression.

BUZZ...

Zhu Ju’s body trembled and his Primordial Spirit surged. A gleam of light, hidden deep within his Primordial Spirit, quietly emerged.

The light came from a shattered mirror.

It was only the mirror’s surface.

There was no frame or handle, and its surface was covered in cracks.

Though it looked to be only the size of a palm, it radiated a vast and majestic aura.

The All Heavens and Myriad Realms were all reflected within it!

This mirror took space and time as its form, the Celestial Dao as its principle, and Yin Yang and the Five Elements as its transformations, seeing through all the heavens.

The moment Zhu Ju’s Divine Thought touched it, even the boundless universe seemed to shrink.

Yun Zhongzi’s once-unfathomable Divine Thought now seemed as fragile as an ant or a blade of grass, easily crushed.

With his Divine Thought attached to the mirror, Zhu Ju’s perspective elevated. The mysteries of time and space lay bare before him. It was as if he had grasped the ultimate Dao, his body becoming a universe unto itself. He then gently flicked a finger toward Yun Zhongzi.

"No!"

Witnessing this, Yun Zhongzi’s face filled with terror as he roared:

"The Heavenly Mirror..."

"It was already destroyed! This is impossible!"

BANG!

With a crisp sound,

Yun Zhongzi’s remnant will shattered like a bubble, and the Venerable Immortal Bone that had fused into Zhu Ju’s body suddenly developed cracks.

At the same time,

the entire world, which had been in the process of fusing, suddenly collapsed. Countless people were freed from their merged states.

The world...

...returned to normal.

At least, that’s how it seemed.