Section 124 (Part 2) Lin Qiye: You are the mere ant here.

It has to be admitted.

The concealment ability of the Skin-Carving Fiend was terrifying to the absolute extreme.

Perhaps.

Their innate talents were related to concealment, and even connected to space, shadows, and illusions.

Otherwise.

Why couldn't Lin Qiye perceive their existence?

Take right now, for example.

Lin Qiye’s [Celestial Consciousness and Soul] had spread across a radius of ten thousand meters. Even if a wisp of wind blew by, even the heartbeat of a fly, Lin Qiye would be able to perceive it.

Furthermore.

Lin Qiye’s thunder particles were pervasive and omnipresent, yet he had completely failed to notice the Skin-Carving Fiend infiltrating within the ten-thousand-meter radius.

However!

Lin Qiye’s intuition told him.

The Skin-Carving Fiend had already infiltrated within a radius of one thousand meters.

It would only take an instant.

For it to assassinate him.

"Truly remarkable. Is this the power condensed from devouring the Wind Emperor, the Fiend Emperor, the Winged Wolf Royal Clan, and the Fiend Clan?"

"Is this a Supreme-level Skin-Carving Fiend?"

"Simply breathtaking..."

Lin Qiye couldn't help but click his tongue in awe.

While clicking his tongue.

Lin Qiye activated the Grudging Celestial Pupil in his left eye. Thick, billowing resentment surged forth like a demon-detecting mirror, illuminating a radius of one hundred meters.

At this moment.

Beside Lin Qiye.

There were no other living creatures whatsoever.

Therefore.

The Skin-Carving Fiend was as conspicuous as a firefly in the pitch-black night.

"What?"

When the Skin-Carving Fiend saw Lin Qiye’s Grudging Celestial Pupil, a chill ran down its spine.

It hurriedly turned to flee.

Yet the very next second.

Boundless threads of lightning trapped the Skin-Carving Fiend. Tiny thunder particles formed a storm within the Thunder God Domain, churning across the fiend's body like millions of atomic-sized blades.

The scales of the Skin-Carving Fiend were shaved away inch by inch into bloody gravel.

Falling off.

"Ah!"

The thunder, brimming with annihilative power, frictioned against the Skin-Carving Fiend's body, grinding it into a bloody mass of flesh.

The extreme resentment transformed into countless skulls that tore and bit at the Skin-Carving Fiend.

The Skin-Carving Fiend let out a heart-wrenching, miserable howl.

It struggled violently.

The tentacles behind it stretched for tens of thousands of miles, resembling rubber.

Its flesh wings were like clouds hanging from the sky.

Scale after scale continued to grow back.

Lin Qiye’s gaze was cold and stern.

With a thought.

The [Celestial Consciousness and Soul] guided a crimson long saber as it descended from the sky, spinning and slashing toward the head of the Skin-Carving Fiend.

The speed of the saber was extremely fast.

In the blink of an eye.

It lopped off the head of the Skin-Carving Fiend.

Along with several hundred tentacles and both flesh wings, all severed cleanly from their roots.

Thunder and fire burned upon the chunks of flesh.

Incinerating the flesh and the head of the Skin-Carving Fiend into ashes.

"Whoosh—"

The long saber spun.

Flying into the distance.

A thousand meters away.

The torso of the Thunder God Incarnation manifested.

Catching the long saber.

With cold and piercing facial features, it threw a slash forward.

Striking the back of the Skin-Carving Fiend.

Rending open the fiend's spine and shattering it to pieces.

All movements of the Skin-Carving Fiend came to an abrupt halt.

Two bleeding faces protruded from its chest.

Both faces wore expressions of extreme terror.

"How is this possible..."

"Mere ants, yet you instantly killed me?"

The bewildered voice of the Skin-Carving Fiend dissipated into the surroundings.

Lin Qiye’s gaze remained cold.

"You are the only ant here."

As he spoke.

Thunder danced wildly.

Blasting the Skin-Carving Fiend into pieces!

The Skin-Carving Fiend finally vanished into smoke and dust.

Lin Qiye’s celestial pupil flashed with a red light, and the endless intent of resentment turned into hooks, gripping the soul of the Skin-Carving Fiend.

Pulling it into the celestial pupil.

In just a split second.

The Supreme-level Skin-Carving Fiend felt as though it had plummeted into the eighteenth level of hell.

Countless lives that it had slaughtered now converged into a universe of resentment.

It plunged straight into the midst of it.

The majestic resentment battered its soul, nearly shattering it into non-existence.

"No! No! Don't come over! Don't come over! Ah!"

The army of resentment instantly overwhelmed the Skin-Carving Fiend, devouring its soul and sucking away its fortune.

"This is all fake! This is all fake!!"

The Skin-Carving Fiend roared frantically.

It struggled angrily.

Yet it was all in vain.

It could only be ground to dust within the celestial pupil.

The Supreme-level Skin-Carving Fiend.

Was instantly killed.

The eerie blood-red eyes in the firmament dissolved into black mist and vanished.

The entire universe became clear and bright, swept by a gentle breeze.

Only Zhu Yuheng’s soul remained, growing increasingly faint on the side.

"So cold... Little Seventeen... Can you still hear me?"

"I'm so cold... Little Seventeen."

Lin Qiye froze.

He looked at Zhu Yuheng’s soul, momentarily at a complete loss.

He understood.

Zhu Yuheng had already struggled through a thousand reincarnations.

She was already dead.

Only her soul remained, and now... even her soul was about to dissipate...

Lin Qiye wrapped Zhu Yuheng’s soul with his [Celestial Consciousness and Soul], attempting to delay the rate at which it was fading.

"I'm right here... Can you feel me?"

Lin Qiye’s heart was in a flurry.

Seemingly sensing the warmth in Lin Qiye’s soul.

A trace of a smile appeared on Zhu Yuheng’s face.

"I'd love to go burn down the imperial palace with you once more... I'd love to fight side by side with you... It's just a pity that the time we spent together was far too short."

"I thought that once I cultivated successfully, I could fight by your side... But I never expected things to turn out this way... As it turns out, I couldn't hold on much longer after all..."

Zhu Yuheng’s consciousness grew increasingly hazy.

"Little Seventeen... Thank you for coming to save me, for saving my soul and preventing me from falling into darkness as a demon..."

"It's just such a pity, I want so much... so much for you to hug me, to feel the real you..."

Zhu Yuheng’s soul grew thinner and thinner.

Her smile turned profoundly desolate.

Lin Qiye could not speak; he did not know what to say.

" Fortune plays tricks on people... I really want to hold you... Little Seventeen..."

Zhu Yuheng smiled bitterly.

Lin Qiye was struck dumb.

At this moment.

His chest felt as though it had been blocked by cement, or struck by a heavy blow, leaving him unable to breathe.

"Why? Why did it turn out like this? Wasn't I saving the Empress? In the end, it was just preventing her soul from falling into demonic corruption?"

"What kind of salvation is this? Looking down on me?"

Lin Qiye silently opened the Genesis Deduction.

And the moment he opened the Genesis Deduction.

Lin Qiye thought of a person.

"Elder Chen! Elder Chen can do it!"

Lin Qiye’s eyes lit up.

He hurriedly called Elder Chen.

Yet to Lin Qiye’s astonishment.

Elder Chen appeared not far away.

"Back then, when I wanted to impose [Law Follows Spoken Word] upon Zhu Yuheng, I discovered... this little girl was already dead."

"Only her soul was left..."

"Let me do it. I can save her."

"When the truth of the world surfaced, I understood my mission."

As he spoke.

Elder Chen began to cast a spell.

He traced an extremely complex spell pattern in the void.

The moment the spell pattern appeared.

Elder Chen aged at a visible rate to the naked eye.

Even the power of his soul was being drained away.

"Elder Chen!"

Seeing this scene, Lin Qiye murmured.

Elder Chen waved his hand.

"You don't need to stop me. I've long wished for release... This is a good thing for me. I am going to seek atonement."

Elder Chen coughed twice.

His body tended toward decay.

He reached out and tapped the jade pendant on Lin Qiye.

"I will place the Empress's soul into this vessel and nurture it using Law Follows Spoken Word, but... this is an act of defying the heavens to alter fate in the first place, so it cannot last for long. You must find a way. Become an immortal, or find some treasure to preserve her soul from perishing..."

"I can only do this much."

As his voice fell.

Elder Chen’s white hair withered away, and his entire body began to dry up until only skin and bones remained.

Following that.

He dropped to his knees on the ground.

As if kowtowing in apology to his departed brothers and sisters.

Kneeling there for a long time.

Until he decayed and turned to ash...

"Elder Chen..."

Looking at the ashes that remained of Elder Chen.

Lin Qiye sighed in his heart and bowed deeply toward the remaining ashes.

"Rest assured, the Skin-Carving Fiend has been slain by me. From now on, the human race will surely thrive and prosper!"

"Future generations will certainly remember the contributions you have made!"

Lin Qiye glanced at the jade pendant carrying Zhu Yuheng’s soul, then carefully put it away.

1000 reincarnations to save the world.

Had caused massive trauma even to Zhu Yuheng’s soul.

Although [Law Follows Spoken Word] preserved her remnant soul, she slept within the jade pendant without the slightest movement.

If he wanted to wake her up.

He would probably have to return to the main world to figure out a way.

However, regardless of the outcome.

There was at least a glimmer of hope after all.

Lin Qiye let out a deep breath.

"I hope Ji Qinghuan and the Great Xia Universe do not suffer such hardship..."

Lin Qiye’s gaze was profound.

Meanwhile.

The prompt tone of the Destiny Lamp Gem echoed in his mind.

[Defying the heavens to alter fate successful: At the age of six, you cultivated to the extreme in the Empress's Universe, slew the Supreme-level Skin-Carving Fiend, saved the Empress's soul, and prevented her soul from plunging into darkness. The human race survived.]

[Destiny Lamp Gem prompt: Your journey this time has tended toward completion, earning an SSS+ rating (having reached the peak of this spacetime). The Empress's soul within the jade pendant requires the reinforcement of your destiny lamp energy. Do you wish to consume the remaining destiny lamp energy to maintain the strength of the Empress's soul? This consumption can sustain her for fifteen days in the main world. After returning to the main world, you will need to find another way to keep the Empress's soul from perishing.]

"Return!"

Lin Qiye sighed wistfully.

This lifetime's journey had reached its peak.

Lingering any longer was meaningless.

Preserving Zhu Yuheng’s soul was the most important matter.

As for the remaining affairs of this world, he had nothing left to worry about.

After all, the greatest threat had already been eliminated by him.

The remaining remnants of the alien races were simply incapable of causing any harm to the human race in front of Jiang Lianyi.

Lin Qiye shook his head slightly.

Descending toward the villa.

In front of the villa.

Gu He’s eyes were red-rimmed.

Looking at everything before her.

"Little brother, Mom and Dad..."

"And Little Yuheng..."

She burst into tears.

"Stop crying, be strong from now on. Drink less soda and eat fewer chips, follow Jiang Lianyi and cultivate properly..."

Like an older brother, Lin Qiye patted Gu He’s head.

Then.

He looked at Jiang Lianyi.

Jiang Lianyi sensed his gaze.

"Are you finished already? An SSS rating?"

Lin Qiye nodded: "Yes, I must go back in order to save Zhu Yuheng."

Jiang Lianyi sighed wistfully: "I understand... I will stay behind to handle the aftermath."

"Then... I'll leave everything hereafter to you. Wish you an SSS, and take good care of my sister."

Tears flickered in the corners of Jiang Lianyi’s eyes.

"You fellow, you've done everything that should and shouldn't be done. I'm practically getting a free ride this time, so I'll take some time to repay this massive favor of yours!"

Nearby.

Gu He looked somewhat dazed.

However.

She also caught the hint of farewell in their conversation.

"Little brother... You're not leaving too, are you? You..."

"I must find a way to save Zhu Yuheng, so I have to leave."

As he spoke.

Lin Qiye vanished from where he stood.

The next moment.

Lin Qiye stood loftily above the high heavens.

Countless bolts of thunder gathered and closed in.

The clear, cloudless sky was instantly entwined with thunder clouds in the blink of an eye.

Violent thunder erupted from the void, bolts of thunder dragons piercing through Lin Qiye’s body.

In an instant.

Lin Qiye transformed into brilliant feathers floating across the sky.

Jiang Lianyi gazed at the direction where Lin Qiye had disappeared, unable to help a soft sigh:

"Such an elusive person... The prodigy of Heavenly Court Island truly lives up to his reputation. From now on, I probably won't even have the chance to come into contact with him anymore, right? This kind of foundation is terrifying to the extreme..."

"Before a prodigy of Heavenly Court Island, even someone who considers herself a proud daughter of heaven like me feels it's out of reach..."

Jiang Lianyi wore a wistful expression.

...

The universe underwent drastic changes.

Zhu Yuheng was gone.

Elder Chen was gone.

Gu Shaoshang was gone.

Ninety percent of the human race's higher echelons had vanished.

The strongest person became Jiang Lianyi.

Carrying Lin Qiye’s will, she ascended to the highest throne of the human race.

Forming a brand new Demon Hunter Alliance.

Three days later.

News of victory spread out.

Commander Gu Shaoshang had annihilated the most terrifying enemy of the Empress's Universe, the Fiend Supreme.

Only.

The disaster this time had been too severe.

The Empress had gone through 1,000 reincarnations just to win a sliver of survival.

During the battle with the Fiend Supreme.

The Empress fell, and Gu Shaoshang fell.

Elder Chen, formerly the greatest contributor to the human race, had likewise fallen.

The entire world was filled with grief, and the whole of China fell into deep mourning.

A month later.

Jiang Lianyi began purifying the entire Empress's Universe.

The surviving fiends had nowhere to hide and were all exterminated.

Three years later.

The human race began to recover and recuperate.

Ten years later.

Travelers possessing the Heavenly Dao Mark began to emerge, becoming yet another top-tier SSS-level gifted individual in China.

Thirty years later.

China was peaceful and prosperous.

Jiang Lianyi and the Heavenly Dao Mark bearers jointly healed the Empress's Universe; the universe was healed, all things burst with vitality, and not a single trace of fiendish aura remained.

A hundred years later, the two travelers successively left China.

Ten thousand years later, a squad of Skin-Carving Fiends found the Empress's Universe according to remaining coordinates, only to be slain by the mysterious power on the outer periphery of the Empress's Universe.

Thirty thousand years later, a second batch of Skin-Carving Fiend squads descended, likewise slain by the mysterious power, resulting in total annihilation.

Three hundred thousand years later, Qin You pursued fiends and discovered the Empress's Universe.

"This is... the Sovereign's faith statue?"

"The Sovereign has been here before?"

"If that's the case, then this place should hold the secret to crossing over into the Immortal-level spacetime..."

As he spoke.

Qin You entered the Empress's Universe.

...

With Qin You's arrival.

The scene before his eyes gradually faded away.

"My faith statue? This thing automatically protected the Empress's Universe from the invasion of the Skin-Carving Fiends..."

"Yet, I have no idea what kind of power that was either... I couldn't feel it at all!"

Lin Qiye felt somewhat helpless.

Regarding the power of faith, Lin Qiye was completely in the dark for the time being.

And just as Lin Qiye was preparing to spend some time pondering it.

In his mind.

The prompt tone of the Destiny Lamp Gem slowly resounded.

[This journey, in the Empress's Universe, you cut through thorns and brambles with an exaggerated posture, forging one impossible-to-accomplish myth of defying the heavens after another.]

[You slew a true Skin-Carving Fiend! Furthermore, it was a Skin-Carving Fiend with Supreme potential!]

[You created unprecedented achievements; your life was dazzling and brilliant. You saved the Empress's soul, preventing the Skin-Carving Fiend from devouring the Empress and stepping into invincibility.]

[Your influence in this world has reached its peak, and your rating has reached SSS-level (Note: Peak rating for Diamond-level spacetime).]

[Your Destiny Lamp Gem has increased in quality, reaching Diamond Peak quality. At the same time, all consumed destiny lamp energy has been fully replenished.]

...

[You have obtained the reward: 50 million traveling points. After obtaining them, your remaining traveling points total 55.89 million.]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Flawless control experience over thunder within the Empress's Universe—capable of manipulating thunder into tiny silk threads, capable of weaving a network covering an entire city...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Thunder God Incarnation, using thunder to condense a divine sculpture with extremely high defense. As long as the Thunder God Incarnation is undestroyed, the main body remains unharmed. The divine sculpture can also engage in combat.]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Thunder Light Transition...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Thunder God Domain...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Celestial Consciousness and Soul...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Possession Technique, Soul Cultivation Technique...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Grudging Celestial Pupil—a treasure refined by a youthful Supreme. Devouring the souls of Skin-Carving Fiends can enhance its quality. Current quality: Immortal-level. If a Skin-Carving Fiend appears within a radius of one thousand meters, the celestial pupil will give a prompt. However, due to the uncanny nature of Skin-Carving Fiends, it cannot pinpoint individual targets precisely.]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Three wisps of immortal Qi...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: A section of immortal bone...]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Ancient God Suspended Island—a suspended island with an Ancient God presiding over it, covering an area of ten thousand square miles. Due to the presence of the Ancient God's coercion, fiends dare not invade. Forcing entry onto the island will result in suppression by the Ancient God's coercion.]

...

[You have obtained the SSS-level rating reward: Zhu Yuheng’s Soul Jade Pendant (Under the reinforcement of destiny lamp energy, Zhu Yuheng’s soul can be sustained in the main world for fifteen days. It requires continuous replenishment using destiny lamp energy, but can be replenished a maximum of three times. After three times, it can no longer be replenished. You will need a better treasure to store Zhu Yuheng’s soul).]

...

[Please note that the rewards you have obtained, along with the spoils of war acquired from slaying the Gold Traveler, are all stored in the space of the Destiny Lamp Gem and can be retrieved at any time.]

...

Listening to the series of prompt tones.

Lin Qiye let out a breath.

"The rewards from this journey are not bad..."

Lin Qiye shook his head slightly.

"It's just that Zhu Yuheng’s soul still requires a way to be preserved."

"Moreover... I also need to consume resources to elevate my cultivation to Diamond..."

"Huh?"

As Lin Qiye analyzed the situation.

His expression suddenly froze.

He instinctively checked his own cultivation realm.

Who would have thought that with a single thought.

It was actually the [Celestial Consciousness and Soul] circulating within his body.

Lin Qiye was filled with doubt and confusion.

"Why is it like this? It shouldn't be... Is there some kind of loophole?"

Lin Qiye found it somewhat difficult to comprehend.

...

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