Chapter 545 - 180: Astonishing Harvest: Realm Dao Fruit and the Formation of the Seventh Realm Free Dharma Aspect

This was merely a clone, its strength only comparable to that of an average Eighth Realm Great Power.

Faced with the surging torrent of spacetime, it was like a dry leaf in a tempest, instantly crushed to pieces.

Having succeeded, Jiang Lan instantly withdrew all his aura and signs of activity, returning to his previous state of stone-like stillness.

Meanwhile, the Wushang Demon God and Huangfu Hao, one in pursuit and one in flight, had left the Oceanic Trench and emerged in the ruins where Huangfu Hao had hidden before.

The Wushang Demon God manifested around his Demon Fang, using it as the foundation for his will. His Dharma Body wielded the Celestial Blade, striking out again and again with overwhelming, ferocious power.

At first, he paid it no mind, believing Huangfu Hao was a fish on the chopping block and that devouring him would surely compensate for his own losses in the great battle. But upon arriving here, he realized something was amiss.

Huangfu Hao’s panicked flight ceased. He stood his ground in the distance, a cold smile on his face as he looked back. Then, with a wave of his somewhat translucent hand...

The once-silent ruins suddenly began to shake violently, as if struck by an earthquake. A blinding, dazzling light flared, the seawater began to boil, and the phantom image of an ancient, mysterious book manifested behind Huangfu Hao.

"This is..."

The Wushang Demon God’s expression flickered. Enraged, he turned to flee, but Huangfu Hao had already calculated this move. The book behind him began to turn its pages with a great RUSTLE, a sound like worlds crashing into one another.

The entire ruins transformed into a page of the book, which began to churn and warp reality. The Wushang Demon God was instantly suppressed inside.

"I’ve been waiting for you."

Huangfu Hao finally let out a long breath, his cold smile deepening as he stood in the distance.

"The Book of Mediation and Creation... for a Heaven and Earth Treasure like that to have fallen into your hands..."

The well-traveled and knowledgeable Wushang Demon God finally realized the gravity of his situation. Huangfu Hao had obviously refined this entire area into the Book of Mediation and Creation, granting it a sliver of a Little World’s power—far surpassing any mere domain.

All his earlier actions and feigned weaknesses were for this single moment—to lure his enemy into a trap.

On this ground, Huangfu Hao was Innately positioned for victory. Any being besides him would be suppressed.

The Wushang Demon God could even feel his will growing hazy and his power waning, a shadow of what it had been moments before.

He didn’t hesitate for a second, turning to escape. Fighting on Huangfu Hao’s quasi-Little World territory was a massive disadvantage.

Just then, the Wushang Demon God sensed a subtle disturbance from the depths of the Oceanic Trench, carrying with it a wisp of Huangfu Hao’s aura. His rage intensified as he instantly understood everything.

"You..."

"A truly masterful scheme. I underestimated you."

The Wushang Demon God roared in fury. Since Huangfu Hao had left a clone behind, it meant that during their chase, the Free Ancient Talisman had likely been retrieved and was now in his possession.

Now, even if he managed to escape, it would be incredibly difficult to get the Free Ancient Talisman back from Huangfu Hao.

Huangfu Hao’s true self also sensed a wisp of his clone’s aura originating from the depths of the Oceanic Trench.

A hint of confusion appeared on his face. The connection between them had been completely severed before, so he didn’t know what had transpired on his clone’s end.

Still, the advantage was his. The situation was largely settled, and the Free Ancient Talisman was already in his grasp.

"You..."

"Are you insane?"

But in the next instant, Huangfu Hao’s expression changed drastically. He never imagined that the Wushang Demon God, who had been hell-bent on escaping, would abruptly change his mind and charge him with reckless abandon, ignoring the fact that this was Huangfu Hao’s home turf.

His aura was even more ferocious than before. This was the posture of one determined to fight to the death.

"Today, I will sacrifice this portion of my will just to make you pay a terrible price! I’ll teach you the consequences of scheming against me!"

"You despicable humans."

With a furious roar, the Wushang Demon God charged directly into the domain of the Book of Mediation and Creation to hunt down Huangfu Hao. His Demon Fang burst into flames, and his Dharma Body became terrifyingly incandescent. This was a completely reckless tactic, and in a flash, he was upon Huangfu Hao.

"You madman! You know how this will end, yet you still struggle in vain."

Huangfu Hao was enraged, but he could only continue to retreat, not daring to clash with the Wushang Demon God in his current state.

But the more Huangfu Hao dodged, the more enraged the Wushang Demon God grew. In the end, his entire body shrank, condensing into a terrifying sphere of black light, like a falling black sun. The light blazed to its peak, and then all its energy collapsed inward—he had chosen to self-destruct.

BOOM! The entire ruins shook violently, then began to collapse and shatter, until they were ground to dust and dissolved completely into the seawater.

Huangfu Hao’s expression twisted, his body trembling with rage.

Faced with the Wushang Demon God’s self-detonation, he had no choice but to use the power of the Book of Mediation and Creation to resist and suppress the blast.

In the end, however, his own figure grew faint and blurred until even his Primordial Spirit dimmed, a web of fine cracks spreading across its surface.

He was grievously injured. The Primordial Spirit he had spent many years recovering in the depths of the Demon Abyss was instantly set back to its former, weakened state—if not worse.

A short while later, the astonishing disturbance finally quieted. Huangfu Hao gazed at the ruins, where nothing was left. His Primordial Spirit was so dim and indistinct that it could no longer even maintain the shape of his face.

’It’s finally over...’

’However, a portion of the Wushang Demon God’s will is still on Immortal Ascension Island. Once the three great Guardian Families have their hands free, this place will also face a reckoning.’