115: Five ways to turn a dead end into a new life
The Kunlun Mountain Range, the Ruins of Myriad Ancestors.
This place was originally the ancestral court of Dragon Veins, a convergence point of Spiritual Qi, but now it had turned into a dead and desolate land. The sky was no longer the familiar azure, but displayed a strange dark purple, as if all its brilliance had been sucked away by some invisible force. A massive spiritual ripple vortex, like a funnel, gathered from all directions, frantically pouring into the deepest part of the ruins. At the center of the vortex, space twisted and light dimmed, revealing only a blurry figure sitting cross-legged, like the core of a black hole, devouring all energy and vitality.
It was Luo Jiuxuan!
He was no longer the ordinary young man from the barbershop, but had reverted to his true form as the Nirvana Dao Master. Clad in a profound black Daoist robe, patterns of star annihilation and all things returning to Void seemed to flow upon it. His face was cold and perfect, his eyes tightly shut, yet he naturally exuded an awe-inspiring majesty that made heaven and earth tremble. Substantial black Nirvana Dao Force swirled around him; wherever it passed, even space groaned under the unbearable pressure, slightly collapsing.
Beneath him, thick ancestral earth Qi veins, originally supposed to emit a shimmering precious light, were now being forcibly extracted, turning into withered yellow streams that flowed into his body. The entire Kunlun Mountain Range trembled slightly, rocks rolled down, and vegetation withered and died at a visible rate, as if the life force of the entire divine mountain was being rapidly drained.
Liu Qingtian, Wang Gou, and Fu Yisheng, relying on the final route information provided by Wang Hao and Lin Feng's costly remote guidance, finally broke through the natural barrier formed by the chaotic energy in the periphery and reached the edge of this destructive scene.
Just standing at the edge, the terrifying devouring power and the pervasive Nirvana Dao charm made them gasp, and the circulation of energy within their bodies became sluggish. Wang Hao had already been arranged to provide support in the outer perimeter; at this level of combat, he didn't even have the qualifications to approach.
"Is this... the might of an Eighth Realm Supreme's past self?" Fu Yisheng's face turned pale. His aura of misfortune seemed to be suppressed in this absolutely dead environment, becoming timid and hesitant.
Wang Gou took a deep breath, Karma lines flashing wildly in his eyes, trying to deduce a sliver of hope, but ultimately he just shook his head bitterly: "The energy level is too high, and the devouring process is more than halfway complete. Our chance... is less than one in a billion."
Liu Qingtian said nothing, his dark golden pupils fixed intently on the blurry figure at the center of the vortex. His Eye of Delusion Breaking operated to its extreme, penetrating layers of energy turbulence, trying to discern Luo Jiuxuan's state. He saw Luo Jiuxuan's dao foundation was flawless, five Nirvana Cores slowly rotating like black hole cores, their connection with the Kunlun Origin tight and stable, making it almost impossible to find any obvious weakness.
However, the Eye of Delusion Breaking also fed back an extremely subtle piece of information: perhaps because of ten years of Mortal Transformation and the profound Karma entanglement with this Primordial Realm, when devouring the Origin, there was an extremely faint, almost negligible "resonance ripple" between Luo Jiuxuan's Dao Heart and the Origin of this world. This ripple was not a flaw, but it might be the only leverage point to shift the situation!
"Five moves!" Liu Qingtian's voice was hoarse, yet filled with an undeniable resolve. "Act according to the plan! I'll take the main assault, you two provide support and search for the fluctuation pattern of that 'ripple'!"
Before his words finished, he stepped forward!
Boom!
The dark golden Wither and Flourish Star Annihilation Domain burst open! No longer the previous tentative range, but compressed to the extreme, only covering three zhang around himself! Within the Domain, the cycle of life and death accelerated, star phantoms flickered, and the true meaning of Nirvana flowed, forming an impregnable, absolute defensive barrier! This was the pinnacle of his five years of arduous cultivation at Meteorite Slope, fusing multiple powers!
Almost simultaneously with Liu Qingtian's step, Luo Jiuxuan, at the center of the vortex, seemed to sense the ant's provocation and slowly opened his eyes.
What kind of eyes were they? Black, profound, devoid of any emotion, only absolute coldness and indifference, like an eternally unchanging abyss of death. Wherever his gaze fell, space seemed to freeze.
He said nothing, nor did he make any unnecessary movements; he simply, casually, raised the index finger of his right hand and lightly pointed it in Liu Qingtian's direction.
The first move!
Whoosh!
A subtle black finger-wind shot out, seemingly slow, yet it instantly traversed space, ignoring distance, and directly struck Liu Qingtian's Wither and Flourish Domain!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a grating "hissing" sound. Liu Qingtian's entire body shook violently, and the Domain's light screen rippled intensely, the dark golden light rapidly turning dim and withered around the point of impact. The Nirvana Dao Force contained within it was directly eroding and decomposing the Origin of his Domain!
"Wither and Flourish Cycle, Star Suppression!" Liu Qingtian roared, the Qi of Life and Death within his Domain frantically reversing, and the star meridians erupted with dazzling light, forcibly grinding down and transforming that wisp of Nirvana finger-wind. But his face paled, and the Domain's light visibly dimmed by a fraction. Just a casual flick of a finger had made him feel immense pressure!
"Misfortune Entanglement!" Fu Yisheng dared not approach, forming hand seals from afar, transforming the misfortune power he had accumulated into invisible threads, attempting to entangle Luo Jiuxuan. However, those threads of misfortune were directly annihilated by the pure Nirvana Dao Force when they approached within three zhang of Luo Jiuxuan's body, unable to get close at all!
"Karma Diversion!" Wang Gou struck simultaneously, his fingertips pulling countless Karma lines, attempting to distort the trajectory of Luo Jiuxuan's next attack. But Luo Jiuxuan's Karma lines were as heavy as flowing starlight; Wang Gou, despite his best efforts, could only make the Karma lines tremble slightly, with almost no effect!
Luo Jiuxuan's gaze remained cold. He seemed to show a trace of imperceptible surprise that Liu Qingtian could withstand his finger, but that was all. He raised his hand again, this time with five fingers spread, and pressed down on the Void towards Liu Qingtian.
The second move!
A gigantic black palm, entirely condensed from Nirvana Dao Force, appeared out of thin air, covering the sky and sun, carrying the will to annihilate everything, and pressed down towards Liu Qingtian's Domain! Before the palm print arrived, the terrifying oppressive force had already solidified the space around Liu Qingtian, making even evasion difficult!
"Myriad World Roots, Absorb!" Liu Qingtian's pupils contracted. He frantically activated the spiritual ripple vortex, forcibly drawing Origin power from the Jade Dream Realm and the Bone Abyss through the Myriad World Roots to replenish his own consumption. Simultaneously, the Wither and Flourish Domain contracted to its extreme, and the Power of the Stars of life and death condensed into a thick dark golden shield, meeting the black giant palm!
Boom—!!!
A terrifying collision sound erupted, and an energy storm swept in all directions, leveling nearby mountaintops by a layer! Liu Qingtian was struck hard, spitting out a mouthful of golden blood. His Domain shield was covered in cracks, and he flew backward several hundred zhang before barely steadying himself. The Domain's light dimmed again, flickering precariously!
Luo Jiuxuan remained expressionless, seemingly finding it a bit uninteresting. He joined his fingers like a sword, and a pitch-black sword light, condensed to the extreme, as if it could cleave through time and space, shot out silently, aiming directly at Liu Qingtian's glabella!
The third move! This was a killing blow!
Too fast! Too powerful! Liu Qingtian's Eye of Delusion Breaking frantically warned him, but his body couldn't keep up with the reaction! He was about to be pierced by the sword!
"Shifting Stars and Changing Dipper!" Wang Gou's eyes were bloodshot. Burning his vital blood, he forcibly cast a forbidden Karma technique, not to twist the sword light, but to instantly swap Liu Qingtian's position with a distant boulder!
Pfft!
The black sword light annihilated the boulder into nothingness. Liu Qingtian narrowly avoided it, but Wang Gou, due to the backlash, spat out a large mouthful of blood, his aura instantly weakening.
Luo Jiuxuan's gaze truly shifted for the first time, falling upon Wang Gou with a hint of scrutiny. He seemed to have developed a slight interest in this "insect" that could somewhat interfere with his attacks. But he did not pursue Wang Gou, instead looking back at Liu Qingtian.
"To be able to withstand three of my moves, you, demon plant, are quite interesting," Luo Jiuxuan finally spoke, his voice cold and indifferent, like the voice of the Heavenly Dao. "Unfortunately, this is as far as you go."
The Nirvana Dao Force around him began to boil, clearly indicating he was about to use stronger power.
Liu Qingtian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, madness and calmness intertwined in his dark golden eyes. Three moves had passed; he was severely injured, his Domain on the verge of collapse, and Wang Gou and Fu Yisheng had exhausted their means with little effect. And Luo Jiuxuan hadn't even truly moved from his spot!
Despair, like an abyss, consumed everything.
But at the moment Luo Jiuxuan's power increased, Liu Qingtian's Eye of Delusion Breaking finally caught it! Because he was using stronger power, that faint "resonance ripple" between Luo Jiuxuan and the Kunlun Origin showed an extremely brief, yet clearly discernible, fluctuation gap!
Now is the time!
"Fourth move! Fifth move! Come together!" Liu Qingtian let out a roar, no longer defending, but pouring all his remaining power, along with his Wither and Flourish Domain, the Power of the Stars, and even a portion of his Origin, into his right index and middle fingers!
At his fingertips, a point of ultimate gray light illuminated. That was not Nirvana, but the Gui Xu Finger, formed by the Fusion of life and death, Wither and Flourish, the destruction and creation of stars, and even a trace of the true meaning of Nirvana he had comprehended from the burying netherworld!
This was the strongest strike he could unleash at present! A strike betting everything!
He ignored the terrifying attack Luo Jiuxuan was about to unleash, focusing all his mind and power on that fluctuating gap of the "resonance ripple," and pointed his finger!
At the same time, Luo Jiuxuan's fourth move, a Nirvana torrent capable of annihilating all things, and his fifth move, a Nirvana ghost hand seemingly reaching out from the Nine Netherworld to grasp Liu Qingtian's Divine Soul, had already arrived!
Victory or defeat, life or death, all depended on this single finger!
Note: The Realm division in Luo Jiuxuan's world is simply divided into one to nine Realms. The First Realm corresponds to the Initial Profound Realm and Penetrating Seclusion Realm; the Second Realm corresponds to the Spirit Refining Realm and Heaven Enlightenment Realm; the Third Realm corresponds to the Mountain Opening Realm and Golden Body Realm; the Fourth Realm corresponds to the Sea Overturning Realm and Profound Void Realm; the Fifth Realm corresponds to the Star Shattering Realm, Star Picking Realm, and Star River Realm; the Sixth Realm corresponds to the World Opening Realm and Universe Expansion Realm; the Seventh Realm corresponds to the Dao Control Realm and Reincarnation Realm; the Eighth Realm corresponds to the Unity Realm and Chaos Realm; and the Ninth Realm corresponds to the Eternity Realm.