Chapter 617 - 380: Annihilation of the Celestial Demon, Yi Beidou’s Solitary Will

Within the Human Dao River, Hong Datong murmured to himself.

He was a Spirit Cultivator by origin and had a deep understanding of the True Spirit Realm.

'The spirit becomes immortal, enduring in the world like a Spirit Treasure.'

'But this is just another form of eternal life, a shortcut to Longevity sought by those who cannot break through to the Earth Immortal Realm.'

To others, this would be a highly coveted state. But for Yi Beidou, such a realm meant failure.

Just then, the phantom of Yi Beidou's True Spirit snapped its eyes open, a sharp, divine light bursting forth.

The terrifying acupoint between his brows—formed from the Seven Stars Unification and containing boundless energy—moved rapidly, gathering at the fist of his phantom.

Yi Beidou threw a punch through the air, his voice a thunderous roar. "Break!!"

BOOM!!

An endless light flooded everything. Even the collective perception that had united the world was forcibly severed. Many people felt a sharp pain in their heads from the immense impact, unable to stop themselves from clutching their skulls.

When the intense light faded, the space where Yi Beidou had been was completely empty, as if he had never come to the mortal world at all.

"He... he's gone?!"

"Did he fail?!"

"Yi Beidou's aura has completely vanished into nothingness. The Celestial Demon... is extinguished!!"

"..."

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

"Fantastic! That monster is finally dead! Vanished without a trace, not even bones left behind!"

"Innate survived! Though he didn't break through to the Earth Immortal Realm, he's still one of the Secret Keepers. We still have hope of survival."

"..."

A sense of relief washed over many of the Ancient Ones.

"Without Yi Beidou, the whole world is back on the same starting line!"

"The world may have a new God, one named Innate, but he doesn't belong to Donghua or any other country. As long as we can find a way to get his support, we can run rampant across the Earth!"

"This is a massive opportunity to reshuffle the world order!"

"..."

High-ranking officials from many secular nations pumped their fists and roared.

Within the Human Dao River, countless tiny waves churned and surged against each other, disrupting the river's flow.

At this very moment, only Innate's gaze was fixed intently on a certain point in the Void.

As a peak expert who could perceive the concrete existence of Immortal Acupoints, his senses were naturally the sharpest.

He could feel an aperture in the Void, similar to an acupoint. It seemed to connect to some endless source of energy in the Void, communing with a dark side of the universe imperceptible to ordinary people, and it was pulsing like a human heart.

Immense power surged from it, as if about to coalesce into a physical form, solidifying into a new life.

However, another invisible force was obstructing this process.

This force originated from the Life Force of Earth itself.

Her rejection and loathing for this Void acupoint were absolute. The power of nature continuously worked to seal it, preventing the will within from returning to reality.

Of course, the fundamental nature of this acupoint had already surpassed the limits of Earth's influence. The existence within was destined to return eventually, but due to Earth's suppression, this could take decades, centuries, or even thousands of years.

No one could predict the exact timeframe.

For beings like Earth and the current Yi Beidou, who had transcended conventional forms of life, time as perceived by humans had lost all meaning.

It was like comparing the lifespan of human civilization to the age of the Earth—a mere speck of dust.

"You can wait patiently, but this era cannot. I am a failure, incapable of leading this era in the right direction."

Innate murmured to himself, the smile on his face growing more unrestrained and relaxed.

He was an Innate divinity, born of nature itself, yet he had been defeated by the times. He had even created the erroneous path of fusing with Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood, which had, in fact, caused immense negative consequences for human Cultivation civilization.

But he had not failed completely. Perhaps the time had come to fulfill his destiny.

He glanced down at the azure planet.

"You gave birth to me. You granted me unparalleled talent and power. But this time, I will defy your will. I will follow my own heart and create a new era."

"My body, my name, and my fate will all be left in the past, but my will shall advance with this era, onward to infinity."

"Yi Beidou!! Accept my destiny, carry my ideals, and go see those higher, more distant places!!"

"Return!!"

Innate let out an earth-shattering roar. He flashed forward, shielding the Void acupoint with his own body.

The Endless Golden Spring within him churned to the point of collapse. A limitless flood of Innate Golden Dew surged toward the pulsing Immortal Acupoint in the Void. He used a powerful Immortal Talisman structure to erect layer after layer of barriers, helping Yi Beidou to block the influence of the power from Earth.

The moment he made this move, the power of Earth marked him as an enemy.

That terrifying energy surged toward him as well.

CRACK! CRACK!!

The pressure was simply too horrifying. Innate's body began to shatter like a porcelain doll. More despairingly, his Innate Golden Dew was starting to dissipate.

His Innate Golden Dew was intrinsically linked to nature. Now, being rejected by the nature of Earth, it had lost its most crucial source of power.

'You can't trust anything that doesn't belong to you...'

In that moment, Innate deeply understood this principle.

But this time, he would absolutely not retreat.

With a sudden gasp, he inhaled, swallowing the Void Immortal Acupoint into his body. He used his own form to shield it from the senses and terrifying pressure of Earth's nature, buying Yi Beidou the most precious of time.

POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!!

In an instant, his body, which was comparable to the true form of an Earth Immortal, collapsed under the pressure of the energy. It turned into a mass of shattered flesh, which was then rapidly disintegrated by the incandescent energy.

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!!

Within the Human Dao River, the ancient, hidden Realm belonging to Innate was rapidly unsealed, and the Human Dao River surged with monstrous waves.

The chosen one, who had dominated a hundred generations and pioneered human Cultivation in the post-Earth Immortal Era, perished completely, taking his final pride with him.

Hong Datong was utterly silent. Everyone else stared, mouths agape, unable to comprehend the scene before them.

Innate... was dead too?!

But just as everyone was lost in stunned silence, just as the mass of flesh that was once Innate was about to completely dissipate into light, a jade-like hand suddenly reached out from within the mangled heap.

From the husk of the old era, a person of the new era was born.

BOOM!!

A terrifying Black Flame erupted violently. Surging Immortal Power drove back all the oppressive force from Earth's nature, carving out a large expanse of space.

The Demon Lord stood in the Sky, and all things gave way.

Inch by inch, Yi Beidou's figure solidified in the Void.

The very essence of his life had changed. The concepts of flesh and blood, organs and viscera, no longer applied to him. Like an Earth Immortal, he had completely transformed into a special form condensed from pure energy.

The Free Celestial Demon had returned from the Void!

The roaring Black Flame spread and spread, blanketing the entire Sky. Day turned to night. Only the jade-like figure within the Black Flame dominated the horizon, striking awe and terror into all living beings.

Having opened his Immortal Acupoints and reshaped his body, Yi Beidou's gaze was incredibly profound. Although he had not yet returned to the world moments ago, he had clearly sensed everything that had happened.

Yi Beidou looked at what was left of Innate's flesh and blood before him, which had dissipated into light until only the last few specks remained. He reached out his hand to grasp it.

But all he caught was a cluster of light motes that shattered and vanished.

Innate came from nature, and now he had returned to nature completely.

For a rare moment, a complex emotion showed in Yi Beidou's eyes. After a brief silence, his expression returned to its usual calm.

He looked at his own palm and slowly clenched it into a fist. An endless, surging power felt as if it could shatter space itself.

'To perceive the Void, open the Immortal Acupoints, and reshape the body is to break free from the world's control. My fate is my own, not for the heavens to decide. It is the path of an acquired being becoming Innate, existing in unison with the cosmos.'

"You helped me achieve this realm, so I will use your name to define it. I shall call this realm 'Innate.' As long as human civilization does not perish, your name will endure for all time."

Yi Beidou spoke softly, but his words were like a divine decree, spreading throughout the world via the collective perception and the Human Dao River.