Chapter 595 47: Of All Martial Arts, This Is the Karmic Fire Gatling

He heard the voice of Judgment, a sound so profound and chilling it inspired the deepest fear. The decrepit old man had spent his entire life becoming the Emperor of Southern Europe's underworld, but now, on the verge of death, he had little time left to enjoy the thrill of power. Soon, however, through various means, he discovered a way to extend his life.

'If eating one person could grant me a few more years of life, what about eating a dozen? Or dozens? As long as I keep eating, wouldn't I achieve Longevity and immortality?'

'As for the fact that only eating suitable people could best extend my life… bah! As long as I can keep living, what do my wife and children matter? After I eat them, I can just have more… no, that's not right. It's so I can have more to eat! Their Souls and bodies came from me in the first place. Now is simply their time to show me their filial piety!'

Countless years had passed. The Reborn, now the Leader of the Spirit Summoning Association, had over ten thousand feathers in his burning wings. This signified ten thousand Reincarnations, ten thousand lifetimes, a natural lifespan of millions of years… What orthodox Cultivation Method could possibly reach such a realm? What legacy could be more powerful than this one?!

Who in this world could possibly stand against him!

He could outlive all his enemies on lifespan alone!

But the Reborn didn't know, or perhaps he deliberately chose not to think about it—why everyone who had practiced this Secret Technique in the past seemed to have died.

After all, sometimes, ten thousand Rebirths were nothing more than being burned to ash in molten lava ten thousand times, drowning in frigid Spirit Water ten thousand times, and suffocating in cast iron, molten metal, rock, and cement ten thousand times.

Or, perhaps, being subjected to the searing, agonizing Judgment of the chilling Fire of Sin, repeated for ten thousand times.

The frenzied exchange of attacks, defenses, and tactical shifts lasted only a few minutes. Watching the scene, all the less-skilled onlookers were left dazzled and utterly confused. They couldn't understand why the Spirit Summoning Association's fierce offensive had no effect, nor why the moment Su Zhou began his counterattack, all the members of the Spirit Summoning Association started to flee.

"I'm getting the feeling these guys can't beat Professor Su..."

"Oh my god!"

Meanwhile, on Earth's side of the Two Realms Teleportation Gate, Rafael, who had watched the entire battle unfold, frowned. Suddenly, from the other side of the Space-Time Passage, he heard someone gasp. "True Commander Initial Stage Peak Great Perfection!"

The familiar voice made the old man turn his head in surprise—it was his old partner, the Heroic Soul Warrior Yuneiro!

At that moment, the Extraordinary Peak Cultivator from Northern Europe was staring at the footage of Su Zhou's battle, muttering to himself at a rapid pace. "It's common knowledge that Outer Dao organizations like the Spirit Summoning Association have incomplete legacies, so even at the same tier, their combat power is naturally half a level lower than us orthodox Cultivators. But recently, their legacy reached Perfection, so they can be considered on the same tier. What's more, the Leader of the Spirit Summoning Association has a Secret Technique, which boosts his combat power by another half level."

"And the Silent, as one of their finest, is far stronger than a typical Outer Dao member. Therefore, he's an Elite template, what you could call a Half-step Commander Initial Stage Peak Great Perfection. You could even count him as a level higher, capable of challenging those above his tier, or even crushing those at the same tier!"

"But Professor Su Zhou... he's not just a Commander Initial Stage Peak Great Perfection, he's also a genius—an extremely powerful one who can crush ordinary geniuses. That adds another level and a half! His base level is already higher than the others, so this is almost a complete two-tier level crush! Even though he's still Initial Stage Commander, he could even fight an ordinary Middle-tier Commander Peak!"

"I call this tier: True Commander Initial Stage Peak Great Perfection!"

"...What is all this nonsense."

Although Rafael had long known that his old partner was an obsessive data enthusiast, to the point of calculating his own Cultivation in such a manner, he never expected this peculiar symptom to worsen with the Spiritual Energy Revival.

"It's good that you're here, Yuneiro. Did anyone else from the Harmony Bureau come?"

Shaking off the strange thought, Rafael, who had requested backup from headquarters the moment he learned of the Spirit Summoning Association's large-scale attack, said grimly, "It doesn't look like he needs it, but if we can, we should get in there as soon as possible and help Professor Su!"

But just as the two were talking, on the other side of the screen, something unexpected happened.

Because his supply of Karmic Fire wasn't unlimited, Su Zhou retracted his Spiritual Power Gatling after a short burst. Even so, he left behind ten corpses, completely ignited and now burning furiously.

The intensity and vigor of the flames were a testament to the immense evil of their former owners; even they themselves felt they were unworthy of being human and deserved to face Judgment.

There was even an old man who had fallen from the sky and landed in the dust. He was still burning vigorously, letting out bloodcurdling screams, with no telling how long the fire would last.

The smoke was thick, the noise was loud, and the struggling was violent. It did not look like a peaceful passing.

But Su Zhou paid no mind to the screaming man.

Because he saw someone still standing directly opposite him, wreathed in a cold, black-and-white flame.

And what's more, that person was now slowly walking toward him.

"Oh? You're not afraid of the Karmic Fire?"

Su Zhou was quite surprised by this, flicking his long blade.

Because the only ones unafraid of being burned by Karmic Fire were either Saints with hearts as pure as Glazed Glass who had never committed a single evil act against their conscience, or Madmen who committed evil without a shred of remorse, believing their actions to be righteous and in accordance with the Celestial Principle.

The former had no Karmic Force to be held against them; the latter, even while being incinerated by their Karmic Force, would never repent. Already in immense pain, they were stubbornly determined to walk their chosen path to its very end.

"Pain is nothing. It is the essence of life."

A Soul tremor emanated from behind the Exoskeleton Armor, a calm and placid soul-voice that said, "You see? Look how much pain these people were in before they died... Although it was all your doing, it was also the reaping of their own karma."

"The only comfort is that all painful endings will eventually return to the peace of Silent Extinction."

The crimson Exoskeleton Armor broke free from the black-and-white cold flame. Inside the cockpit, a fire still burned, with some humanoid figure serving as the source for the Karmic Fire's fuel.

But faced with a Monster who calmly accepted all its sins, feared no pain, and offered no repentance, even the Karmic Fire could only burn in this ordinary fashion.

"Interesting."

Su Zhou narrowed his eyes. From this person, who had remained motionless from start to finish and silent except for that one moment, he sensed a sliver of danger.

It was a rare feeling... The last time he'd felt it was when facing the Wind God and the Water God—the kind of danger called 'I might get hurt, or even die.'

The area around the Two Realms Teleportation Gate, the ruins of the former fortress, had already been plowed over by artillery fire several times, then bombarded by Su Zhou's giant spiritual power hand, the Blade of Annihilation, and strafed by Karmic Fire. Now, it had transformed into a turbulent wasteland, the air shimmering and distorted by extreme heat. The air was still flowing violently, even pushing away the distant miasma and drifting clouds.

The young man holding the long blade and the Exoskeleton Armor being consumed by Karmic Fire now faced each other on this ravaged land.

At this moment, a bewildered soul-voice could still be heard from within the armor. "I can clearly feel that you have been injured countless times in the past—in far more intense battles than anyone can imagine. You've even come close to death because of them..."

"But why... why is there not a single trace of that pain in your movements?"

'To be honest, Su Zhou didn't quite understand what the other party was talking about.'

'It was painful, sure, but suffering? Where does that come in?'

'This guy keeps spouting nonsense about this stuff. He's obviously insane.'

'And there's no point reasoning with a madman.'

Therefore, Su Zhou—who never spoke much during battle unless he was trying to stall for time—brought the Blade of Annihilation up horizontally before him.

He bent his knees slightly and revealed a vicious grin.

Then, in the next instant, the ground shattered layer by layer in a thunderous explosion, sending countless fragments of earth and stone flying into the air.

Amidst a continuous, thunderous roar, Su Zhou lunged toward the Silent.