467: Chapter 482 Reincarnation Appears, the Demon Lord Has an Idea!

Deep within the Soul Hall, atop the Bone Throne.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord slowly raised his right hand, his fingers making a grasping motion in the air.

In the Void Realm, a faint ripple spread out, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

The ripples spread in all directions. Wherever they passed, the Void Realm began to warp and collapse, as if an invisible hand were tearing the veil of some unknown place.

Soon, in the center of the ripples, the phantom of a deep ancient Well of Reincarnation slowly emerged.

The mouth of the well was not large, only about ten feet wide, but it was bottomless, as if it led directly to the Nine Netherworlds.

The water inside the well was as black as ink, with countless points of light floating and circulating within.

Countless phantoms could be vaguely seen moving about, as if the lives of countless beings were experiencing the Reincarnation of Life and Death, the beginning and end of karmic ties in an instant.

This was the Well of Reincarnation. Like the Great Web of Karma or the River of Time and Space, it was the external manifestation of the Law of Reincarnation.

Of course, this was not the true Reincarnation of heaven and earth.

True Reincarnation is formless and intangible, without beginning or end, running through the start and finish of all things, omnipresent yet untraceable.

This was merely a Pseudo-Reincarnation that the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had opened using the Law of Reincarnation over thousands of years.

It was his understanding of the Dao of Reincarnation, his control over the Dao of Life and Death, and even more so, his interpretation of the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

Although it was not the Origin, it had already begun to take shape and could already reflect all living beings.

The reason the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord summoned this Well of Reincarnation was that he had already laid a backup plan before Bone Underworld's death.

Long before Bone Underworld left the Sect, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had intercepted a wisp of his Divine Soul Essence and imprinted an Anchor Point upon it.

It was like tying a fishing line in the vast River of Fate and casting it into this Well of Reincarnation.

In this way, no matter where Bone Underworld was or what accident he encountered, that wisp of essence would draw back a portion of his Divine Soul Origin, carrying the traces of the final Karma of his life.

At that time, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could use the Anchor Point to investigate the truth of Bone Underworld's fall.

This was the limit of what he could do to obtain the desired information without alerting the Heavenly Dao.

Throughout this entire process, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord was extremely cautious, doing his best to conceal his presence, carefully gathering his aura, and suppressing the fluctuations of the Law of Reincarnation to the minimum.

Even if this Grotto-Heaven was his private domain, he did not dare to be the slightest bit careless.

Because the Heavenly Dao had always been watching this world, and especially for them, the group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, it would receive special attention.

Furthermore, Bone Underworld's destination was the Heavenly Dao's reverse scale—the Sealed Land of the Xuanling Secret Realm.

Once the Heavenly Dao sensed that someone was trying to make a move there, it would inevitably react strongly.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord did not want his thousands of years of planning to go to waste.

This was also the reason why he had not left any other backup plans on Bone Underworld.

It was not to protect Bone Underworld, but to protect himself.

He could not leave a single trace that could be traced back by the Heavenly Dao.

Even the "True Lord's Skull" he had given to Bone Underworld was a pure, one-time exotic treasure without any Karma entanglement.

It contained the power of a single strike from the Early Stage Nascent Soul, which could both provide assistance when Bone Underworld pried at the Seal and protect his life in a moment of crisis.

Unfortunately, Bone Underworld still died.

This meant that the tribulation he encountered far exceeded the scope of what a Golden Core Cultivator could endure.

Either something had gone wrong in the Sealed Land, or another power at the Nascent Soul level had intervened.

Thinking of this, a figure unconsciously emerged in the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's mind—Taishu Yichen.

He knew that this True Lord of the Qingwei Dao Sect had been secretly planning something.

Although Taishu Yichen had handled the matter of Yun Chenzi secretly, how could it be hidden from him, who was already a Late Stage Nascent Soul Great True Lord?

However, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord did not offer a reminder, nor did he stop it; instead, he was happy to see it happen.

He would be more than happy to have someone willing to attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao in front.

But now, Bone Underworld was dead.

Whether it was a change in the Sealed Land or the intervention of another Nascent Soul-level power, it meant that a variable had appeared in his thousands of years of planning.

"Could it be that old ghost True Lord Qingxu's doing..."

At the thought of this, even with his current state of mind, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord felt somewhat uneasy.

Abnormal phenomena surged around him, countless phantoms of birth and death trembled violently, and the entire Soul Hall shook.

But he soon forcibly suppressed this inexplicable emotion and returned to silence.

Thinking too much was useless. The key now was to figure out what Bone Underworld had finally encountered and whether this change would affect his plans.

He continued to use the Law of Reincarnation to guide the wisp of Divine Soul Origin that Bone Underworld had traced back, attempting to find more clues within it.

Finally, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's fingers gently closed.

In that Well of Reincarnation, a faint light slowly rose from the depths.

That faint light was extremely weak, like fireflies floating in the deep sea, yet it carried an indescribable weight.

That was the last wisp of Bone Underworld's Karma, the final trace he left in the world.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord took that faint light into his palm, closed his eyes, and probed into it with his Divine Thought.

Countless fragmented images flashed through his consciousness, as fast as meteors, gone in an instant.

There was light, shadow, people, objects, blurred faces, broken sounds, and unrecognizable scenes.

They were entangled together like a knocked-over kaleidoscope, bizarre and disorganized.

He could not see clearly what had happened, nor could he hear clearly what had been said; he could only vaguely feel Bone Underworld's final emotions.

Anger, unwillingness, terror, despair...

And finally, that overwhelming darkness.

Then, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord sensed an aura.

That aura was extremely weak, vanishing in a flash, as if it were an illusion.

But the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord captured it precisely.

"That is... the aura of Reincarnation?"

It was not the Law of Reincarnation he had comprehended himself, nor was it the Pseudo-Reincarnation he had opened.

Rather, it was a more pure, more original, more ancient Power of Reincarnation.

It did not belong to anyone, nor to any Law; it was Reincarnation itself.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's breathing suddenly became rapid.

He abruptly opened his eyes, and within them, Chaos surged like two black holes swallowing everything!

"Reincarnation... that is true Reincarnation!"

His voice was hoarse, yet it carried an uncontrollable excitement.

But in the next moment, his excitement turned into a sliver of doubt.

Is this truly Reincarnation? Or is it some kind of trap?

He had lived too long, seen too many plots and schemes, and experienced too many betrayals and deceptions.

At his level, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord did not believe in so-called coincidences.

Not to mention that for tens of thousands of years, Reincarnation had remained hidden from the world; why would it suddenly pop up at this moment?

But then again, if it were true...

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could not restrain the throbbing in his heart. He closed his eyes again and re-entered that wisp of Karma he had fished up, examining it carefully.

Soon, he confirmed the suspicion in his heart.

It was correct, not an illusion!

Although that aura was so weak it was almost undetectable, it was incomparably pure and real, carrying an ancient meaning he had never experienced before.

That was the imprint of the Origin of Reincarnation, a trace that had existed since the beginning of heaven and earth, which no existence could forge.

At this moment, an uncontrollable feverishness welled up in the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord's eyes.

The thing he had pursued for thousands of years had finally revealed its trail!

One should know that for nearly ten thousand years, he had actually been doing one thing in secret, and that was searching for true Reincarnation.

There was no other reason; who told him to comprehend the Law of Reincarnation!

In this world, where else could the mysteries of the Laws compare to the abundant dao rhyme within true Reincarnation!

It was just a pity that since the Ancient Cataclysm, Reincarnation had disappeared for a long time.

Previously, he didn't know and didn't care, but since he embarked on the path of the Law of Reincarnation, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had noticed this problem.

Where the hell did Reincarnation go!?

But there was no turning back once the bow was drawn; the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had no way to retreat.

No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to brace himself and go all the way.

During this time, he had tried countless methods. The simplest and most effective was to imprint the Seal of Reincarnation on countless Cultivators using the Law of Reincarnation.

From those just entering Qi Refining to those at Golden Core Perfection, they were spread across every corner of the Profound Spirit Domain.

As long as these people were reincarnated, he could sense the existence of Reincarnation through the mark.

However, ten thousand years had passed, and he had received no feedback.

Those Cultivators who had been imprinted with the mark completely disappeared after death.

No Reincarnation, no Reincarnation.

It was as if their Souls completely dissipated after death, returning to nothingness.

This was wrong, very wrong.

Heaven and earth have Reincarnation, and all things have Life and Death; this is an eternal principle.

Even the lowliest ant should return to Reincarnation after death and be reborn through Reincarnation.

It wasn't until later that the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord entered the game himself.

By dividing his own Divine Soul and throwing it into Reincarnation, and finally relying on his own status and Realm to forcibly retain a sliver of Reincarnation insight, cultivating it bit by bit until now, failing countless times, did he realize that a major problem had occurred with Reincarnation.

But Reincarnation had not disappeared, nor had it collapsed.

The fact that he could open a Pseudo-Reincarnation and continue to comprehend the Laws through the slow process of his soul fragment's self-destruction into Reincarnation proved that Reincarnation still existed.

Then the only possibility was that Reincarnation had been hidden.

Or rather, it was stripped from heaven and earth by some existence using some means and sealed in some unknown corner.

As for who did it?

Heh, was there even a need to ask?

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord already had the answer in his heart.

The Heavenly Dao would not allow Reincarnation to be controlled by anyone.

Legend has it that before ancient times, when Reincarnation was manifest in the world, Cultivators could reset their Aptitude and talent through Reincarnation.

It was different from that crooked path of Possession and Rebirth.

Possession has many restrictions and will be tainted with Karma and Karma, and the slightest carelessness would lead to a backlash of Karma, resulting in Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

True Reincarnation is to wash away all past lives, change the mortal coil, and refresh the talent of this life.

That was the most thorough way to start over.

It was precisely because of this that the ancient period was the golden age of the Cultivation World. Nascent

Soul True Lords, although not exactly seen everywhere, were not as rare as they are now.

It was an era where the Immortal Dao flourished and a hundred flowers bloomed.

But since that Ancient Cataclysm that shook the universe, Reincarnation began to hide from the world.

First, talent could no longer be refreshed without limit through Reincarnation, and later, this privilege was directly removed.

Once a Cultivator died, they were truly dead.

Their entire cultivation, Dao attainment, and Laws were all returned to heaven and earth.

At that time, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord vaguely sensed that this should be the handiwork of the Heavenly Dao.

Because the Heavenly Dao already detested Cultivators plundering Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi by refining Qi to transform into the Dao.

Yet this group of people did not know how to be grateful, shouting "Heaven-Defying, Heaven-Defying" all day long.

In the end, they even excessively wanted to share Its authority.

This was something the Heavenly Dao would never allow!

Therefore, cutting off the path for Cultivators to refresh their talent through Reincarnation and live again and again by exploiting the loopholes of Reincarnation was the most direct and effective method!

Because in this way, Cultivators were no longer the "plunderers" of heaven and earth, but "nutrients" and "consumables."

After a Cultivator died, all their gains would return to heaven and earth, nourishing nature.

It both maintained the balance and eliminated hidden dangers.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord did not care about the Life and Death of these ants; he only knew that Reincarnation had been hidden by It.

Hidden in the deepest part of this world, in a place that even Nascent Soul True Monarchs could not reach.

Previously, he had no clues, but now it seemed that the place where Reincarnation was hidden was very likely the Xuanling Secret Realm.

This would explain why there was the aura of Reincarnation in the Secret Realm.

It also explained why his thousands of years of searching had always yielded nothing.

But even if that were the case, how could he find it?

Never mind the Xuanling Secret Realm; even leaving the Soul-Devouring Grotto-Heaven now was quite a difficult task for him.

Despite being a Late Stage Nascent Soul Great True Lord, his current situation was actually no different from being in prison.

The Soul-Devouring Demon Lord slowly sat back on his throne, the Chaos in his eyes churning incessantly.

He pondered for a moment and finally made up his mind—he must go to the Xuanling Secret Realm to see!

If for nothing else, this might be the most likely opportunity in his tens of thousands of years of cultivation to come into contact with Reincarnation.

Although if he missed this time, he could wait for the next time the Secret Realm opened.

Those lower Golden Core Cultivators could not survive the tribulation of Lifespan, but as a Nascent Soul True Monarch with a Lifespan of tens of thousands of years, he was not worried about this issue at all.

But as the saying goes, delays bring trouble, and the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord could not guarantee what changes would occur in the next thousand years.

Now the situation was becoming more and more chaotic, and the True Lords of various parties were also restless, secretly biding their time to make trouble.

Take himself for example; he was already prepared to pry at the Seal.

If the Dao Venerable of Spirit Transformation of the Asura Clan were to be released to restrain the Heavenly Dao, what actions the other imprisoned True Lords would take was unpredictable!

If some clever person had a sudden inspiration and provoked the Heavenly Dao into taking action, ruining his plans, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.

Therefore, now was the best time to take action!

Through the final bit of Karma left by Bone Underworld, the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord had sensed that he had already found that Sealed Land, and Reincarnation happened to appear there.

Since that was the case, he could simply go and snatch Reincarnation first, then release the Dao Venerable of Spirit Transformation to restrain the Heavenly Dao while he himself could beautifully hide away!

The plan was perfect, but the risks involved were also great; it might even be a trap itself!

But the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord felt he could take a gamble.

If nothing else, his own strength was his greatest reliance. Now that Soul Transformation experts do not appear, Nascent Soul is the greatest chess player in the world.

Although they were usually confined to a corner, this did not mean that Nascent Soul True Monarchs were easy to provoke.

It was just that they would weigh whether the benefits were worth it before taking action.

And now he felt the time had come!