202: Baptism of Death, Rebirth in the Spirit World
Lin Fan's figure plunged into the wound that tore the firmament for the second time.
The storm of Chaos engulfed him once again.
However, this time, the world felt completely different in his perception.
The violent and chaotic fragments of Law that were previously enough to obliterate him instantly now had a discernible pattern in his eyes.
The passive skill "Space Affinity" allowed him to form a strange connection with this shattered Void Realm.
He could sense that three zhang away to his left, a stream of spatial blades was taking shape, its trajectory would slice through his original position.
He could also feel a Void Realm lightning bolt condensing above his head, its landing spot would be a patch of chaotic airflow to his front right.
The danger was still lethal.
But it was no longer an incomprehensible, unpredictable, absolute kill.
He was like a newborn infant, opening his eyes for the first time to see the true texture of this world.
A satisfied arc curled at the corners of Lin Fan's mouth.
His gaze swept across this bizarre Ascension passage.
There was no up, down, left, or right here, only endless destruction and rebirth.
Soon, he saw his first target.
It was a ball of eerie blue flame, quietly floating in the chaotic airflow not far away.
It had no temperature, no light, yet it emitted a deathly aura capable of freezing and incinerating even a Divine Soul.
Void Fire.
Touching even a wisp of it could cause a Soul Transformation Cultivator's Divine Soul to melt away like ice under the scorching sun.
Lin Fan had no intention of dodging.
He even actively adjusted his direction and flew straight toward the blue flame that represented ultimate death.
Everyone in the Qingyun Sect below held their breath.
They could not see the specific scene inside the rift; they could only see the rift twisting crazily, spitting out destructive energy, highlighting the terror within.
And Lin Fan's figure had disappeared at the entrance of that rift.
They could only pray, using their most devout thoughts to look up and wait.
"Brother Gou... he must be able to do it."
Fatty Zhang clenched his fists, his fat face covered in nervous sweat.
Zhao Linger was supported by Li Hanyue; on her pale face was a complex expression mixed with worry and fanatical faith.
Li Hanyue's Sword Heart was resonating with the sharp aura leaking from the rift; she could feel the terrifying cutting power contained within better than anyone else.
Just then.
Deep within that hideous rift, a faint blue glimmer flashed suddenly.
The light was fleeting, so faint it was like an illusion.
In Lin Fan's mind, the System's notification sounded.
γ Ding! Host's Divine Soul incinerated by Void Fire, achievement "Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering" reached! Rating: A+! γ
γ Reward: Special resistance "Soul Eater Wind Resistance"! γ
γ Reward: Divine Soul Origin + 10%! γ
A cool aura instantly nourished his Divine Soul.
The excruciating pain of having just been incinerated seemed to linger, but a more powerful, more condensed Divine Soul power had already taken its place.
His figure condensed out of thin air on the spot.
Unharmed.
"Sure enough, the reward for a Divine Soul attack is related to the Divine Soul."
Lin Fan stretched his body, feeling his slightly strengthened Divine Soul, and nodded in satisfaction.
Warm-up over, now it was buffet time.
His gaze turned toward the deeper parts.
There, an area of space presented a strange, water-like distortion and folding.
Time Turbulence.
An existence even more terrifying than Void Fire.
It would not directly attack your body or Divine Soul; it would only... take away your time.
One step in, and it might be a thousand years.
A look of anticipation appeared on Lin Fan's face.
Without hesitation, he plunged headfirst into that twisted time.
Humβ
An irresistible force enveloped his entire body.
Lin Fan clearly felt every cell in his body decaying at a terrifying speed.
The first wrinkle appeared on his smooth forehead.
His jet-black long hair began to turn gray at the roots.
His skin lost moisture and became loose.
His back began to hunch, and his upright posture was gone.
His vision began to blur, and his life essence flowed away crazily like a burst dam.
In just one breath.
He transformed from a handsome young man into a dying old man on the verge of death.
Then, his body could no longer hold up, turning into a handful of ashes, completely dissipating in the long river of time.
γ Ding! Host's Lifespan exhausted by Time Turbulence, achievement "Ruthless Years" reached! Rating: SS! γ
γ Reward: Law comprehension "Time Fragments" x3! γ
γ Reward: Special Physique "Void Dao Physique (Incomplete)"! γ
Boom!
This time, when Lin Fan's body re-condensed, he could feel an essential transformation.
His flesh, his bones, his Meridians, were all tainted with a faint charm belonging to the Void Realm.
The violent spatial power around him became more intimate in his eyes.
As if he was naturally meant to be a part of this Void Realm.
And in his mind, three mysterious points of light appeared; that was the most superficial, yet most essential, comprehension of the Law of Time.
"The SS-rank reward is indeed extraordinary."
Lin Fan clenched his fists, feeling the surging, brand-new power within his body.
He looked toward the depths of the passage, his eyes becoming incredibly bright.
Next.
A feast of death was officially about to begin.
He faced a Chaos Divine Lightning bolt capable of splitting mountains and was blasted into charcoal.
γ Ding! Host died by Chaos Divine Lightning, achievement "Struck by Lightning" reached... Reward "Ten Thousand Thunder Sacred Physique (Incomplete)"! γ
He actively crashed into a storm composed of countless spatial fragments and was sliced into billions of pieces.
γ Ding! Host dismembered by space storm, achievement "Dismembered" reached... Reward "Space Dao Traces" x3! γ
He was hit by a strange light of annihilation and was erased from the level of existence.
γ Ding! Host died by Law annihilation, achievement "No Such Person" reached... Reward passive skill "Existence Anchor"! γ
...
Death after death.
Resurrection after resurrection.
The crowd from the Qingyun Sect below had become completely numb.
They could no longer understand what that Old Ancestor in the sky was going through.
They only knew that the rift tearing through the firmament was becoming increasingly unstable.
Sometimes purple lightning burst from it, sometimes gray storms spilled out.
Each phenomenon represented a power capable of shaking the entire Lower Realm, a power that could destroy heaven and earth.
But Lin Fan's aura, instead of weakening, became deeper and more vast every time he disappeared and reappeared.
It was as if that Forbidden Ground of death had become his backyard, his cultivation ground.
The Sect Head and the Grand Elder were already kneeling on the ground with weak legs.
They were not forced by pressure, but by a Soul-deep worship of a miracle.
"God... this is a true god..."
The Grand Elder muttered to himself, his eyes filled with fanatical tears.
Li Hanyue's hand holding her sword was trembling slightly uncontrollably.
Her Sword Heart was wailing, and yet excited.
It was wailing for that irresistible power that shattered everything.
And it was excited for Lin Fan's supreme dominance, playing with death in the palm of his hand.
"So... this is true strength..."
Her Dao was completely overturned and reshaped at this moment.
Zhao Linger had stopped crying; she just stared blankly at the sky. The weakness in her eyes had long faded, replaced by an extreme pride and love, sharing in his honor.
Her man was conquering that blood-stained ladder to the Upper Realm in a way that no one had ever done before, and no one would ever do again.
I don't know how much time passed.
When Lin Fan resurrected again, he was standing at the end of the Ascension passage.
Ahead was a dazzling curtain of light.
That was the boundary wall of the Spirit Realm.
Crossing it meant a brand-new world.
But, before the curtain of light, a tall humanoid creature slowly condensed into form.
It was composed entirely of the purest light of Law, with a blurred face, holding a spear wrapped in chains of Order.
It exuded a cold and majestic aura that surpassed all living beings in this world.
Boundary Gatekeeper Spirit.
It was the final test for those ascending, and also an execution, by the Laws of this world.
Its purpose for existing was to clear away all powerful stowaways not allowed by the "Rules".
The Gatekeeper Spirit sensed Lin Fan's presence; it slowly raised the spear in its hand and aimed at Lin Fan.
A terrifying energy capable of instantly locking onto and destroying the entire Qingyun Sect mountain range gathered at the tip of the spear.
Lin Fan looked at it, his eyes devoid of any fear.
Relying on the luxurious passive skills and Physique he had just farmed, he had at least a 70% chance of bypassing this rigid program unscathed.
But...
How could that be?
This was prime material for an SSS-rank achievement!
A brilliant smile appeared on Lin Fan's face.
His gaze seemed to pierce through endless space, falling for the last time on the two figures below who cared for him.
Goodbye.
He mouthed silently.
Then, he spread his arms, and all the power he had just obtained within his bodyβVoid Dao Physique, Ten Thousand Thunder Sacred Physique, Space Dao Traces, Time Fragments...
Everything, at this moment, was detonated by him without hesitation!
He did not choose to resist.
He chose to turn into the most brilliant fireworks!
His entire being turned into an indescribably brilliant ball of light, actively welcomeing the Gatekeeper Spirit's spear, which had gathered endless energy.
"Well then, the second round is over."
Boomβ
No sound.
No shockwave.
Only a pure, all-consuming white.
That white light instantly submerged the entire space rift, vaporizing the Gatekeeper Spirit along with its spear, decomposing them into the most primitive Laws.
Everyone in the Qingyun Sect below was forced to close their eyes by that suddenly erupting light.
When they opened their eyes again.
In the sky, that hideous, massive wound that had pierced heaven and earth was slowly healing.
Lin Fan's aura had completely disappeared.
As if he had never appeared.
This time, he was truly gone.
...
Consciousness re-condensed from a void of Chaos.
Lin Fan felt as if he were falling rapidly in a warm, viscous ocean.
The surrounding air was filled with Spiritual Qi so dense it had almost materialized.
Just a light sniff made him feel every pore on his body expanding.
This was the Spirit Realm.
Bang!
His body slammed heavily onto damp, soft soil, splashing up countless rotting leaves.
A sense of weakness from being drained came over his whole body.
He struggled to stand up, and just then, the System's notification arrived late.
γ Ding! Host committed suicide to take the Boundary Gatekeeper Spirit down with him, achievement "Brilliant Fireworks" peerless achievement reached! Rating: SSS! γ
γ Reward: ??? (Law suppression, temporarily unavailable) γ
γ Reward: ??? (Law suppression, temporarily unavailable) γ
A string of question marks left Lin Fan stunned for a moment.
Before he could think it over.
The next notification poured down like a bucket of ice water.
γ Warning! Higher-world Law suppression detected, the exclusion of world power is eroding the Host! γ
γ System emergency adaptation in progress... Adaptation complete! γ
γ Host's cultivation base temporarily sealed to "Transformation Initial Stage"! System partial functions locked, need to meet new world conditions to unlock! γ
Boom!
Lin Fan only felt an invisible shackle coming from all directions, clamping tightly onto him.
The power within his body, which had just surged to the peak of the Lower Realm, was forcibly suppressed, falling back to the level of Transformation Initial Stage.
"Weakened right from the start?"
Lin Fan lay in the pile of dead leaves, feeling the long-lost weakness, not only not panicked, but grinned instead.
That's exciting.
Just then.
A rustling sound of footsteps came from the dense forest not far away, accompanied by a few fierce conversations.
"Boss, something seems to have fallen from the sky just now."
"Who cares what it is, grab it. If it's alive, sell it to the mine as a slave; if it's dead, see if there's anything valuable on it!"
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