121: Ring of Destiny, Shadow of Reincarnation

Liu Qingtian lay on the cold Star Remains Ruins like a completely withered piece of rotten wood. His consciousness was submerged in darkness most of the time, relying only on a faint tremor originating from the tree heart's instinct, extremely slowly drawing that strange, decaying energy from the crevices of the rocks beneath him.

This energy was as weak as dust, and the process of absorption was so long that he could barely feel any progress. But this tiny bit of insignificant “nourishment” was like a drop of sweet dew falling onto cracked earth, barely sustaining the flicker of Spirituality deep within the tree heart, preventing his consciousness from completely dissipating into the Void Realm.

Right on this blurred boundary between life and death, he seemed to have a long and fragmented dream. In the dream, he was no longer this broken, dying Demon Willow, but an Incarnation of an Ancient Chaos Willow supporting the heavens and propping up the earth. The swaying of its branches marked the birth and destruction of stars, and its spreading roots pierced through the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms. He saw endless Star Seas, the rise and fall of civilizations, terrifying wars affecting ten thousand Realms, and he also saw... a cold, absolute shadow that constantly shrouded everything.

That shadow was named Fate.

Just as the dream and reality intertwined and his consciousness was at its most chaotic and fragile—

Buzz!

Above this expanse of dead Star Remains, without warning, space was forcibly torn apart by an indescribable mighty power! A dazzling figure, containing majestic Heavenly Might, stepped out of the rift!

This figure was enveloped in pure Dao Light, Laws submitted beneath its feet, and its aura was far stronger than the Profound Void Realm and Fuhai Realm known to Liu Qingtian, and even countless times more terrifying than the Star Shattering Realm pressure he felt in his prime! Just the energy fluctuations naturally emitted by it caused the vast Star Remains Ruins below to tremble slightly, and countless already fragile remnants instantly turned to dust!

This was a powerhouse from the Tianhua Great World! His Realm was astonishingly the Dao Mastery Realm, which ranks above the Fourth Realm! He wielded the Great Dao of one region, his words becoming Law!

The Tianhua Powerhouse's gaze was like lightning, instantly locking onto the "remnant" in the ruins below that was almost merged with the environment—Liu Qingtian!

"A remnant of the evildoer, a trace still remains!" The Tianhua Powerhouse's voice was cold, devoid of emotion, like a Heavenly Dao judgment. "By the Heavenly Venerate Decree, this future trouble must be eliminated. Variations like you are not allowed to exist!"

He raised his hand, and Dao Light converged in his palm, transforming into a Destructive Divine Light capable of easily annihilating stars, ready to descend upon Liu Qingtian! For a Dao Mastery Realm practitioner, erasing an ant whose dao foundation was destroyed and who only had one breath left was easier than breathing.

However, at this critical moment—

"Alas..."

A sigh, as if traversing eternal time and space, carrying endless vicissitudes and exhaustion, abruptly echoed in this dead Star Domain.

Immediately afterward, in the Void Realm between Liu Qingtian's broken body and the Tianhua Powerhouse, an indescribably massive Willow Tree Phantom slowly condensed and appeared!

This willow tree was entirely Chaos-colored. Its branches and leaves seemed woven from the light and shadow of countless worlds, its roots pierced into the Void Realm, and its canopy shrouded the Star Sea! The aura it emitted was no longer simply powerful, but a supreme Concept that suggested... it was the Law itself, Samsara itself, the source and destination of everything!

The future Liu Qingtian! His Realm was astonishingly the Samsara Realm, surpassing the Dao Mastery Realm! He controlled life and death Samsara, and possessed insight into the past and future!

The Incarnation of the future Liu Qingtian did not immediately attack. The Chaos willow branches swayed gently, blocking the Destructive Divine Light. His gaze pierced through endless time and space, settling on the Tianhua Dao Mastery Realm powerhouse. His eyes held complexity, pity, helplessness, and a profound, bottomless exhaustion.

"Tianhua... are you still unwilling to let go of any possibility?" The future Liu Qingtian spoke slowly, his voice calm, yet it caused the Dao Mastery Realm powerhouse to tremble violently, as if struck by lightning, and the converging Destructive Divine Light instantly dispersed!

Before the Samsara Realm, simply standing was a luxury for the Dao Mastery Realm! That was an absolute, insurmountable chasm in the level of life!

The Tianhua Powerhouse's face showed shock and disbelief for the first time: "Sa... Samsara Realm?! How is this possible?! You, this variable..."

Before he could finish speaking, another anomaly occurred!

An aura more terrifying, profound, and Soul-freezing than when the future Liu Qingtian manifested descended without warning!

It was an extremely faint wisp of purple-black Qi mass, silently appearing in the Void Realm. It had no specific form, yet it seemed to be the Incarnation of all "ending" and "annihilation." The aura it emitted had already surpassed the scope of the Samsara Realm, reaching a level that caused the Laws of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms to mourn and submit—the aura of an Eighth Realm Supreme!

Although it was merely a manifestation of a wisp of Qi, its might already surpassed the future Samsara Realm Incarnation present!

"Hmph."

A cold snort, indifferent and seemingly originating from the beginning of eternity, came from the purple-black Qi mass.

Poof!

There was not even any substantial attack. Merely the supreme Dao Rhyme contained within that cold snort caused the Chaos Willow Tree Phantom, which overshadowed the Star Sea, to tremble violently. Cracks instantly covered its thick trunk, as if it would shatter at any moment! The future Liu Qingtian let out a muffled groan, and the phantom became much dimmer, clearly having suffered a significant dao injury!

"A mere Samsara Realm dares to pry into the trajectory of Fate?" Luo Jiuxuan's cold and indifferent voice came from the purple-black Qi mass, sounding as if it resonated directly on the Law level. "You people still don't understand... the reason I am an Eighth Realm Supreme is not because of Opportunity, nor because of talent, nor because of destiny."

The Qi mass rippled slightly, manifesting a phantom of Luo Jiuxuan's cold eyes, which overlooked eternity.

"It is because I will be the Eighth Realm Supreme in the future, that I have always been the Eighth Realm Supreme in the past and present. Karma is not linear for me; it is... a closed loop."

As soon as these words were spoken, they were like thunder exploding in the heart of the future Liu Qingtian, and through some profound connection, they faintly transmitted into the vague consciousness of the dying Liu Qingtian below!

The truth was so cruel! Becoming the supreme Eighth Realm Supreme was not due to effort, Opportunity, or talent, but because the outcome was already destined! Luo Jiuxuan's very existence was a self-fulfilling paradox of Fate! His power originated from the future, and with it, he anchored the past and present!

The future Liu Qingtian (Samsara Realm) bitterly sensed that under the pressure of the Eighth Realm aura, he could vaguely perceive that Luo Jiuxuan's Future Incarnation had already broken through the boundaries of the Eighth Realm, reaching a Chaos Realm that even he could not comprehend! The Eighth Realm aura manifested now was merely a "projection" or "slice" of his endless power, permitted by the rules of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms!

As for himself, after enduring endless hardships and struggling through Samsara countless times on the brink of life and death, he had barely touched the Peak of the Samsara Realm, glimpsing a sliver of Opportunity to Breakthrough to the Guiyi Realm—the theoretically highest Realm in the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms.

And the method of Breakthrough, which he had deduced over countless years, turned out to be—shattering Fate! He must use the supreme magic power of the Samsara Realm to forcibly interfere with the past, changing the established Karma chain at its root, in order to twist the future and take that final step!

Luo Jiuxuan, this "native" originating from the Tianhua Great World, due to his destiny to become the Eighth Realm Supreme (or even higher), had long been regarded by the supreme powerhouses of the Tianhua world as an existence that must eliminate all potential threats.

Liu Qingtian, this unexpected "variable" who could grow to the Samsara Realm in the future, was naturally the primary target for elimination. The Dao Mastery Realm practitioner who came this time was merely the vanguard executing the cleanup mission.

However, in the face of an absolute disparity in power, the cleanup became a joke. Before even a wisp of Qi from the Eighth Realm Supreme, the Samsara Realm found it extremely difficult even to withstand a single wisp of its pressure.

Just as the future Liu Qingtian thought this wisp of Eighth Realm aura would erase his Divine Thought manifested across Realms along with his past self below, the cold eyes in the purple-black Qi mass seemed to lose interest.

"The struggles of the Samsara Realm are essentially no different from the ants of the Dao Mastery Realm to me." Luo Jiuxuan's voice carried a condescending indifference. "I shall leave your remnant thought, so you may witness the inevitability of Fate. This chess piece is already spent; whether it lives or dies is irrelevant to the overall situation."

As the voice faded, the terrifying wisp of Eighth Realm aura vanished into nothingness as abruptly as it had appeared, as if it had never existed.

The pressure suddenly decreased, but the dao injury remained on the manifested body of the future Liu Qingtian. He cast a complicated glance at the broken "self" in the ruins below, who was still unaware of the level of confrontation that had just taken place.

Hope? Perhaps there was some, but that hope was as faint as searching for a specific grain of sand in endless darkness. Despair? Yet he was unwilling for his struggles in this life, this world, and countless cycles of Samsara, to ultimately become nothing more than a destined foil for Fate.

He did not look again at the Tianhua Dao Mastery Realm powerhouse who was already terrified and immobilized. The Chaos Willow Tree Phantom slowly faded, finally disappearing completely from this Star Domain.

The Tianhua Dao Mastery Realm powerhouse stood frozen in place for a long time before daring to move slowly, his face filled with lingering fear and horror. He glanced at Liu Qingtian below, whose aura was still as weak as dust, his eyes complex. Ultimately, he dared not make any further move, tearing space and fleeing in panic.

The Star Remains Ruins returned to dead silence once more.

Only Liu Qingtian, lying on the cold rocks, twitched slightly in his unconscious coma. Deep within his withered tree heart, a subtle, imperceptible fluctuation generated after Fusion with the decaying energy seemed to undergo an extremely tiny transformation, stimulated by the supreme aura that surpassed all comprehension.

The Ring of Fate continued to spin coldly, but a tiny, insignificant variable had perhaps planted a seed in an unnoticed corner. And whether this seed could ultimately gain the power to shatter Fate through the accumulation of countless cycles of Samsara? No one knew.