143: Peak Demon Shadow's Mortal Heart Settled
The Ancient Abyss of Ten Thousand Burials no longer resembled its previous desolate state of demonic clouds. Centered on the solitary Peak where Liu Qingtian resided, a massive energy vortex, spanning thousands of miles, churned wildly.
It was no longer solely Yin Evil Demonic Qi; the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the entire Great World of Brilliant Moon, and even deeper elements like the Power of the Stars and Earth Vein Essence, were forcibly dragged by the terrifying devouring power and converged into the center of the vortex.
At the center of the vortex, Liu Qingtian's temporary Immortal Cave had long since collapsed. He sat suspended in the Void Realm, the demonic flame surrounding him no longer dark red, but a deep, abyssal darkness that seemed capable of absorbing all light.
The bone patterns on the Myriad Skeleton Demonic Body seemed to come alive, winding and moving, emitting low murmurs.
The vengeful spirit willow floated behind him, the wails of billions of vengeful spirits transforming into tangible sound waves, distorting space.
The Wither and Flourish Star Annihilation Domain unfolded automatically. Within the Domain, the speed of star creation and destruction reached its Peak. Furthermore, wisps of the true Concept of Finality of Guixu flowed, making this Domain resemble a miniature Universe heading toward its end.
Devour! Devouring without reservation!
As a top-tier Middle Thousand Worlds, the Great World of Brilliant Moon's foundation far surpassed the sum of all Minor Thousand Worlds Liu Qingtian had previously plundered. At this moment, he was like a starving beast that had stumbled into a fertile hunting ground, frantically tearing at everything that could be converted into power.
"Not enough! Still not enough!" Liu Qingtian's Demonic Consciousness roared. The barrier between the Late Stage and the Peak of the Profound Void Realm was far more solid than any previous Breakthrough. It was not just an accumulation of energy, but a deep excavation and integration of one's own Dao.
He had plundered too many disparate powers: Demon Willow Origin, Demonic Path Evil Qi, Power of the Stars, Myriad Poison Essence, countless Laws of skeletal remains, vengeful spirit resentment, the Concept of Annihilation of Guixu, and even that wisp of strange Karma... These powers barely coexisted under his forced suppression but had not truly achieved Fusion.
Now, under the immense pressure of assaulting the Peak, these powers began to stir, conflicting with each other, as if they intended to use his Demonic Body as a battlefield and completely self-destruct.
"For me... Fuse!"
A fierce glint flashed in Liu Qingtian's eyes. He actually took the initiative to trigger the paradoxical energy held in a dangerous balance within him—the faint Chaos Qi produced by Karma, resentment, and Demonic Essence under the pressure of Guixu!
Boom!
This wisp of Chaos Qi was like a spark thrown into a pan of oil, instantly igniting an unprecedented energy storm within him! All the restless and conflicting powers began a savage and painful process of Fusion under the forced intervention of the primal, all-encompassing Chaos Concept.
His Demonic Body constantly shattered, only to be rapidly repaired by the infusion of Origin power, repeating the cycle. His aura fluctuated violently, sometimes soaring to the limit of the Profound Void Realm, and sometimes plummeting sharply, as if his Realm might collapse at any moment.
Above the Ancient Abyss of Ten Thousand Burials, the strange phenomena grew increasingly terrifying. At times, stars fell and blood rained down; at times, ten thousand devils chanted scriptures, interwoven with Buddhist chants; and at times, there was absolute silence, where even light and sound were devoured. The top-tier powerful experts of the entire Great World of Brilliant Moon were alarmed, and powerful Divine Thoughts swept across endless mountains and rivers toward the Ancient Abyss of Ten Thousand Burials.
"What kind of Devil Head dares to be so reckless in my Brilliant Moon Realm!"
"This devil's aura is strange; he seems to have integrated ten thousand Evil Paths into one body. He must not be allowed to live!"
"He is assaulting the Peak of the Profound Void Realm? Judging by the strange phenomena, if he succeeds, he might bring disaster upon the common people!"
Several Intentions containing killing intent converged in the Void Realm, and even Star Shattering Realm auras began to gather, locking onto the Ancient Abyss of Ten Thousand Burials.
Just as the external experts were restless and preparing to join forces to execute the devil—
Liu Qingtian, at the center of the vortex, abruptly opened his eyes!
His eyes no longer held pure madness and brutality, but rather a depth and coldness gained after enduring countless tribulations and smelting various paradoxes. The fierce Fusion within his body finally reached a temporary, fragile balance under the harmonization of Chaos Qi and the forced unification of his own unyielding will.
All the disparate powers did not vanish, nor did they perfectly fuse. Instead, they were like various rare metals forcibly hammered into tempered steel; though traces remained, they collectively formed an even tougher and more terrifying Demonic Body and Demonic Essence!
Buzz—!
A terrifying coercion, ten times more powerful than the Late Stage of the Profound Void Realm, descended like an ancient Demonic Mountain that had been silent for hundreds of millions of years! The energy vortex covering tens of thousands of miles was instantly burst open by this nascent power, transforming into the purest Origin Qi, which rolled back into Liu Qingtian's body!
Profound Void Realm! Peak!
Achievement!
He slowly rose. The demonic flame surrounding him was retracted, but the profound sense of oppression, seeming to contain the creation, destruction, and Reincarnation of countless worlds, caused the Star Shattering Realm Divine Thoughts peering from afar to momentarily halt!
"This devil... has achieved great power!" An aged voice sounded, heavy with seriousness.
"That Chaos Qi just now... what is the Origin of this person?" Another Divine Thought was filled with shock and suspicion.
Liu Qingtian coldly scanned the Void Realm, seemingly able to see the true bodies of the observers through endless space. He did not speak, merely clenched his fist lightly.
Crack!
The space within a thousand miles was covered in cracks like a mirror! This was not done intentionally, but merely the natural manifestation of his power not yet being fully restrained after his recent Breakthrough!
The Divine Thoughts bearing killing intent that had locked onto him quickly retracted and retreated as if scalded. They realized that the price required to execute this devil now would likely far exceed imagination. Since the Devil Head had not directly massacred important areas of this Realm, no one was willing to stick their neck out.
With the powerful enemies temporarily retreating, Liu Qingtian showed no joy. Sensing the immense, yet slightly disharmonious power within him, his gaze pierced through the Great World of Brilliant Moon's barrier and looked toward the boundless Star Sea.
The Peak of the Profound Void Realm had been reached; the next step was Star Shattering.
And the Gate of Star Shattering required the Mortal Heart as its key.
He recalled his journey: from a humble Soul on Water Blue Star, to the body of a Demon Willow, then shattering his Dao and falling into the Demonic Path, slaughtering ten thousand worlds... All the struggle, pain, hatred, and madness ultimately condensed into an extreme desire for power. But what lay behind this desire? Was it revenge? Survival? Or... a twisted proof of his own existence?
He needed answers. He needed to search for the Original Heart, which had been obscured by endless Karma and demonic nature, within the most ordinary and primal life journey.
"It is time..." Liu Qingtian muttered softly, his eyes becoming profoundly deep. "I shall Seal my Demonic Essence and memories, throw myself into the Mortal World, and experience birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, meeting those one hates, and the inability to obtain what one desires... In the vast Mortal World, I shall wash away the superficial and see my true self."
In the mundane atmosphere of the Mortal World, he wanted to re-examine his Dao, his Demonic Path, his Karma, and his virtue.
He would use the body of a Mortal to bear this monstrous sin and Karma, to see what kind of flower it would ultimately bloom into.
"Luo Jiuxuan, you sought Perfection through Mortal Transformation to pursue the Dao. I, Liu Qingtian, undergo Mortal Transformation to seek... Planting the Dao in the Demonic Heart, bearing Karma with a Mortal Body, and using the Mortal World as a furnace to refine my... Star Shattering Demonic Soul!"
With his resolution set, he no longer lingered. His figure slowly faded, like ink dissolving into water, silently leaving the Ancient Abyss of Ten Thousand Burials and the Great World of Brilliant Moon.
He needed to find a suitable world—one where the Laws were relatively stable, capable of withstanding the impact of his power when he returned from his Mortal Transformation, and one that was also sufficiently "ordinary."
The Star Sea was vast. A demonic shadow, carrying the power of the Peak yet harboring a heart about to sink into the Mortal World, embarked on the path of seeking a "Mortal Cage." His next awakening might shake the heavens and earth.