196: Kill the inner demons, break the illusions, and perfect the emptiness!

The wrath of the heavenly dao will seemed to solidify into substance.

The ultimate killing move of the Heart Demon Tribulation had arrived.

The Void Realm twisted, and light and shadow were reconstructed.

Two figures, familiar to Lin Fan down to his bones, slowly materialized.

One figure was clad in snow-white robes, possessing peerless grace.

Her aura was cold like ten thousand years of profound ice, her eyes sharp like the cold stars of the Nine Heavens, and the long sword in her hand emitted the extreme chill of the Taiyin Source.

It was Li Hanyue.

The other figure wore a light green dress, gentle and tranquil.

Her eyes were tender like water, her temperament ethereal and elegant, and in her hand she held a Jade Ruyi Scepter carved with auspicious cloud patterns, emitting a rich and pure Medicinal Pill fragrance.

It was Zhao Linger.

The two illusions were flawlessly perfect.

Whether it was the fluctuation of their aura, the flavor of their Soul, or their unintentional demeanor, there was not a single flaw distinguishing them from the real people.

It was as if the heavenly dao will had directly copied the two most important people in Lin Fan's deepest memories, reproducing them exactly.

In the Ice Crystal Valley, the real Li Hanyue was trembling uncontrollably.

She looked at the ‘self’ in the sky, who looked exactly like her but whose eyes were filled with killing intent. An unprecedented feeling of absurdity and terror seized her heart.

She knew it was fake.

Yet, when that ‘her’ aimed the tip of the sword at Lin Fan, a sympathetic, tearing pain still emanated from the depths of her Soul.

Above the firmament.

The two perfect illusions looked at Lin Fan simultaneously.

In their eyes, there was no longer the tenderness and dependence of the past, nor the unforgettable trust and affection.

Only coldness remained.

Pure, untainted killing intent.

The next moment.

"Li Hanyue" and "Zhao Linger" simultaneously raised the weapons in their hands.

The cold sword tip and the warm Jade Ruyi Scepter, separated by the Void Realm, were aimed remotely at the vital spot over Lin Fan's heart.

Fatal killing intent locked onto every inch of Lin Fan's flesh and blood, and every wisp of his Divine Soul.

This was an unsolvable overt scheme.

If he resisted, it would be like delivering the heaviest blow to his own Dao Heart, leaving an eternal flaw thereafter.

If he did not resist, he would die and his Dao would vanish, being completely obliterated by this Heart Demon Tribulation.

In the distance, the few numb Spirit Transformation Old Monsters gasped again, sucking in a cold breath.

Ruthless.

This move by the Heavenly Dao was truly too ruthless.

This was intended to fundamentally destroy a Cultivator's Dao Heart.

If it were any one of them facing this situation, there would only be one outcome.

Their Dao Heart would collapse, their Divine Soul would become chaotic, and they would ultimately be completely swallowed by the Heavenly Tribulation amidst endless regret and suffering.

However.

Lin Fan's reaction, once again, exceeded everyone's expectations.

He looked at the two faces before him, familiar yet strange, and the solemnity on his face slowly vanished.

In its place was a strange smile, carrying a hint of mockery.

He smiled.

He looked at the "Li Hanyue" and "Zhao Linger" before him and spoke softly.

"The acting is truly lifelike."

His voice was very soft, yet it clearly entered the ears of every being present.

"Whether it's the aura or the unique Dao rhythm belonging to them, they are perfectly imitated."

"Too bad..."

Lin Fan paused, and the curve of his mouth widened further.

"You can never kill me."

His words seemed to state an undeniable truth.

His gaze penetrated the two illusions, seemingly making a declaration to the high and mighty heavenly dao will.

Immediately afterward, he spoke a crazy sentence that seemed to make the heavenly dao will freeze for a moment.

"But I..."

"Can die by your hands."

The moment his voice fell.

Lin Fan abandoned all defenses.

He dissipated all traces of Qi.

He spread his arms, closed his eyes, and unreservedly offered his most vulnerable heart area to the two fatal attacks.

Come.

Kill me.

Use the appearance of those I love most to kill me.

Let's see if your Heart Demon Tribulation is stronger, or if my System is tougher.

The two illusions, acting as executors of the heavenly dao will, did not hesitate in the slightest.

Whoosh!

The cold sword light and the warm treasure light instantly cut through the sky.

In the suddenly constricted pupils of Li Hanyue below.

Under the horrified gazes of the Spirit Transformation Old Monsters in the distance.

A long sword and a Jade Ruyi Scepter accurately and simultaneously pierced through Lin Fan's chest.

Blood splattered out.

Lin Fan's body trembled violently, and his life force rapidly drained away at a visible speed.

Yet, on his lips, that strange, victorious smile remained.

In his consciousness space, the cold System prompt arrived as expected.

[Ding!]

[Host death detected! Method of death: Killed head-on by 'Heavenly Dao Heart Demon Tribulation - Beloved Illusion'.]

[Performing death evaluation...]

[Death evaluation: B+ Rank!]

[Settling rewards...]

[Congratulations to the Host for receiving the reward: Special Skill 'Eye of Divine Illusion Break'!]

The next second.

Behind the two illusions, where Lin Fan's corpse had fallen.

Points of light gathered, and Laws were reconstructed.

Lin Fan's figure, once again, appeared between heaven and earth, completely unharmed.

He slowly opened his eyes.

At this moment, his eyes became completely different from before.

Deep within those profound pupils, two miniature golden whirlpools seemed to be slowly revolving.

All illusions, all disguises, and all manifestations of Law in the world became completely exposed under his gaze.

Eye of Divine Illusion Break!

He looked at the two illusions in front of him, which were still maintaining their attacking posture.

In his field of vision, their perfect disguise was instantly seen through.

They were no longer Li Hanyue and Zhao Linger.

They were merely two lifeless energy aggregates, interwoven from the power of the Heart Demon and Tribulation power.

"Hah."

Lin Fan let out a light laugh of disdain.

The Heart Demon Tribulation was broken.

In a way that even the Heavenly Dao could not comprehend.

He raised his head, looking up at the constantly surging nine-colored Tribulation Cloud above the firmament, looking toward the heavenly dao will that carried a hint of "confusion" and "anger."

He slowly raised his hand.

And clearly and definitively raised his middle finger toward the supreme Heaven.

"Is that all you've got?"

Provocation.

Naked, ultimate provocation against the Heavenly Dao.

Rumble... The nine-colored Tribulation Cloud churned violently, like a giant beast completely enraged, letting out a silent roar.

However, it seemed all of its methods had been exhausted.

Physical destruction, ineffective.

Heart Demon execution, ineffective.

Facing Lin Fan, this "virus" who disregarded all logic and could even use death as a weapon, the heavenly dao will felt... powerlessness for the first time.

After dozens of breaths of raging fury, the churning Tribulation Cloud eventually, slowly, subsided.

The judgment was over.

What followed was the final step of the Heavenly Dao's Law.

The Origin endowment granted after successfully Undergoing Tribulation.

The nine-colored Tribulation Cloud that covered the entire continent began to dissolve.

But they did not disperse.

Instead, they transformed into the purest Law Nectar, containing an profound aura similar to the beginning of heaven and earth.

Drops of spiritual rain, shimmering with nine-colored radiance, descended from the sky.

Void Refining Spiritual Rain.

This was no longer destruction, but creation.

It was the highest level of baptism and blessing bestowed by the World Origin upon a being who had successfully broken through their shackles.

Lin Fan stood in the Void Realm, allowing the nine-colored spiritual rain to shower freely upon him.

Every drop of spiritual rain that merged into his body was carrying out a fundamental, transformative change upon him.

His Immortal Soul became more condensed and transparent under the nourishment of the spiritual rain, and its connection with the Laws of heaven and earth became tighter.

His Physical Body, tempered countless times by the 'Indestructible Thunder Body', shone with precious light in every particle under the baptism of this spiritual rain, filled with infinite power.

The magic power within him was undergoing a qualitative transformation.

That power belonging to the Void Refining stage perfectly and flawlessly merged with his Divine Soul and his Physical Body.

The words "half-step" in his Half-step Void Refining Realm were completely erased at this moment.

Boom!

An aura far more terrifying, profound, and perfectly flawless than at any previous time burst forth from Lin Fan.

He had officially stepped into the Void Refining Early Stage.

However, the pressure he was emitting at this moment made the Spirit Transformation Old Monsters in the distance feel more terrifying than facing those legendary Void Refining Late Stage, or even Void Refining Perfection Old Monsters.

His Foundation was too profound.

His Dao was too perfect.

The Heavenly Tribulation dissipated, and the firmament returned to clarity.

Lin Fan quietly hovered above the Burial Immortal Valley, and the new pressure belonging to the Refining Void Realm enveloped this piece of heaven and earth.

Mountains and rivers submitted to it.

All spirits kowtowed to it.

At this moment, he was the newborn supreme powerhouse of this world.

He slowly retracted his aura; all pressure and phenomena subsided into calmness.

He turned around.

Taking one step, his figure crossed space and appeared in the Ice Crystal Valley, standing before the stunning figure who was still staring blankly at him, tear tracks still visible at the corners of her eyes.

He looked at Li Hanyue's complicated eyes, filled with worry, lingering fear, and the ecstasy of having him back.

He reached out, and with a gentle motion, wiped away the tear drops on her cheek.

He smiled, warm and reassuring.

"Let's go."

"We're going home."