Cracks.
Tiny cracks.
They began spreading throughout Lin Shuan's body.
At first, nobody noticed.
The battlefield was still trembling from the terrifying clash between Longshe and the combined forces of Yue Sha Empire and Yu Long Sect.
Mountains had vanished.
Ancient forests had become wastelands.
Countless priceless medicinal herbs had been destroyed during the battle.
The once-beautiful Primordial Medicine Garden now resembled a battlefield from the ancient ages.
But amidst all the destruction—
the most dangerous thing was happening inside Lin Shuan himself.
"Pffft!"
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
His body swayed violently.
The borrowed power was gone.
Every trace of Tian Wuchen's strength had vanished.
The backlash arrived immediately.
It was far worse than he had imagined.
His meridians felt as though they were being torn apart.
His bones creaked.
His muscles ruptured.
Even his Frost Divine Heart seemed unstable.
Another mouthful of blood exploded from his mouth.
"PFFFT!"
His vision blurred.
The world spun.
Yet somehow—
he remained standing.
Far away—
the newly arrived Yue Sha Empire cultivators finally noticed him.
One Soul Spark expert widened his eyes.
"Shuan Hao!"
Another shouted,
"That's Shuan Hao!"
"He is here!"
The surrounding cultivators immediately became excited.
"So that's him?"
"The genius who caused all this chaos?"
"But..."
One cultivator looked confused.
"Why hasn't he been killed yet?"
The Yue Sha Empire warriors quickly rushed toward the Yu Long Sect elders.
The elders immediately began explaining the situation.
Their expressions remained ugly.
No one had expected the battle to reach this point.
Meanwhile—
far away—
Longshe and the liquid cultivator suddenly stopped fighting.
Both sensed something strange.
Moments earlier—
they had clearly felt an enormous power gathering.
A terrifying power.
A power capable of deciding the battle.
Yet that energy had vanished instantly.
Completely.
The liquid cultivator narrowed his eyes.
Then—
he saw Lin Shuan.
Saw the fading frost.
Saw the disappearing lightning.
Saw the blood pouring from his mouth.
And suddenly—
he understood.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
"So..."
"It was merely a temporary enhancement technique."
His smile widened.
"What a pity."
The killing intent in his eyes intensified.
"The game is over."
Far away—
Longshe lowered his head.
For the first time since the battle began—
the gigantic Dragon Snake looked disappointed.
Because he understood.
The power Lin Shuan had used was gone.
Now—
everything depended on him alone.
The liquid cultivator suddenly looked toward Lin Shuan's mask.
His pupils contracted.
Then widened.
"Wait..."
His expression changed.
"Shuan Hao?"
"That was Shuan Hao?!"
His eyes immediately became colder.
A dangerous aura erupted from his body.
"So that's how it is."
He laughed softly.
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
Then his voice became murderous.
"I don't care what agreement existed between you and this guardian."
"I don't care why you helped him."
His smile vanished.
"But that boy..."
"...killed my nephew."
"He killed Hei Luo."
"And for that..."
"He must die."
The liquid cultivator still believed Longshe was one of the Medicine Garden's guardians.
And that Lin Shuan had somehow earned its cooperation.
But none of that mattered now.
Revenge mattered.
Longshe slowly raised his head.
Golden eyes locked onto the liquid cultivator.
Pure fury appeared within them.
Then—
something ancient awakened.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A terrifying golden aura erupted from Longshe's body.
The heavens darkened.
The earth cracked.
Golden bloodline runes illuminated his scales.
The pressure increased exponentially.
His body began expanding.
Larger.
Larger.
Even larger.
The surrounding cultivators became horrified.
The Dragon Snake now resembled an ancient divine beast from forgotten legends.
Its aura reached a completely different level.
Even the liquid cultivator's expression changed.
Because he recognized it immediately.
Divine Cycle Emperor.
Not true cultivation.
But battle power.
Longshe's bloodline had temporarily elevated him to a level comparable to a Divine Cycle Emperor.
The entire valley froze.
One Yu Long Sect elder nearly collapsed.
"A Divine Cycle Emperor..."
Another whispered.
"Impossible..."
The liquid cultivator immediately shouted.
"Elders!"
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
"Help me!"
"Now!"
"That thing is comparable to a Divine Cycle Emperor!"
The Yu Long Sect experts immediately reacted.
Their faces became pale.
No one dared underestimate the situation anymore.
Facing a Divine Cycle Emperor-level existence alone was suicide.
One by one—
the Immortal Seed experts gathered.
Yu Long Sect.
Yue Sha Empire.
Every available Immortal Seed cultivator rushed toward the liquid cultivator.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Nearly thirty Immortal Seed experts gathered together.
The sight alone was terrifying.
Their combined aura caused space itself to tremble.
Longshe's golden eyes narrowed.
The Dragon Snake understood.
This attack would determine everything.
The giant beast slowly opened its mouth.
Golden energy began gathering.
The surrounding space distorted.
Mountains shook.
Ancient medicinal plants exploded under the pressure.
The liquid cultivator immediately roared.
"Attack together!"
The Immortal Seed experts raised their hands.
Countless techniques erupted.
Dragon-shaped energies.
Sword lights.
Black liquid.
Fire.
Wind.
Earth.
Thousands of streams of power merged together.
An enormous attack formed.
The heavens darkened.
The earth trembled.
Then—
both attacks collided.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The world exploded.
No other description was sufficient.
It felt as though an entire continent had detonated.
Blinding light swallowed everything.
Shockwaves erupted in every direction.
Mountains disappeared.
Forests vanished.
The Medicine Garden was torn apart.
Every cultivator was thrown backward.
Yue Sha Empire cultivators screamed.
Yu Long Sect cultivators screamed.
Bodies flew through the air.
Thousands of feet.
Ten thousand feet.
The Immortal Seed experts themselves were hurled away.
Longshe roared in pain.
Even he had suffered injuries.
Blood dripped from several shattered scales.
Meanwhile—
the shockwave continued spreading.
Far away—
it reached the area where Lin Shuan stood.
Several Yue Sha Empire Soul Spark and Form Shaper experts immediately panicked.
"Defensive barrier!"
"Hurry!"
Together—
they formed a protective shield.
The incoming shockwave slammed into it.
BOOOOOOOM!
The barrier nearly shattered.
Meanwhile—
inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen acted immediately.
A portion of his remaining soul force enveloped Lin Shuan.
Protecting him.
Without that protection—
the aftermath alone might have killed him.
The battlefield slowly stabilized.
Smoke filled the sky.
Dust covered the world.
And then—
someone noticed Lin Shuan.
The Yue Sha Empire cultivators looked toward him.
Saw his weakened state.
Saw the blood covering his body.
Saw the instability of his aura.
And instantly—
their killing intent exploded.
One elder sneered.
"So the stories were true."
"He's already exhausted."
Another smiled coldly.
"This weakness must be a trap."
"But it doesn't matter."
A third elder raised his hand.
"Kill him."
Immediately—
multiple cultivators gathered their strength.
Powerful attacks formed.
Sword lights.
Palm techniques.
Energy blasts.
All aimed at one target.
Lin Shuan.
Far away—
Lin Shuan slowly raised his head.
Blood dripped from his chin.
His vision blurred.
Yet—
he smiled.
A faint smile.
"If that's how it is..."
His voice was weak.
But calm.
"Then come."
The attacks shot toward him.
Like meteors.
Like judgment.
Like death itself.
Lin Shuan slowly removed his mask.
The shattered battlefield became silent.
His pale face was revealed.
Blood stained his lips.
His breathing was weak.
Yet his eyes remained fearless.
The attacks continued approaching.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
a mark on his forehead began glowing.
A mysterious symbol.
An ancient symbol.
One Tian Wuchen knew all too well.
The Dao Seal.
The seal started shining.
Its light intensified.
The surrounding space trembled.
Lin Shuan's eyes widened.
Hope appeared.
The Yue Sha Empire cultivators froze.
Tian Wuchen's expression changed.
Could it be—
But suddenly—
the light weakened.
The symbol trembled.
Then—
it dimmed.
Completely.
As if something invisible had suppressed it.
As if a higher authority had forbidden its activation.
The seal became nothing more than an ordinary mark.
Lin Shuan froze.
"No..."
The hope vanished.
The attacks were already upon him.
There was no time left.
No strength left.
No escape left.
Even Lightning Immortal Path could no longer be used.
The opportunity was gone.
Completely.
For a brief moment—
everything slowed.
Longshe stopped fighting.
The liquid cultivator stopped moving.
The Immortal Seed elders looked over.
Everyone watched.
Because they all understood.
A rising sun—
was about to be swallowed by darkness.
Longshe's eyes trembled.
Yet even he could do nothing.
The attacks struck.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Blood exploded from Lin Shuan's mouth.
Like a crimson fountain.
His body was launched backward.
One hundred feet.
Five hundred feet.
One thousand feet.
He crashed through broken rocks.
Rolled across the ruined earth.
And finally stopped.
Motionless.
Blood covered the ground beneath him.
His body began splitting apart.
Cracks spread through his skin.
His meridians were collapsing.
His cultivation was unstable.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen's face became pale.
Yet he could do nothing.
Nothing.
He could only hope.
Hope that Lin Shuan's consciousness survived.
Slowly—
the silver glow vanished from Lin Shuan's eyes.
The white color faded.
Returning to black.
His hair changed as well.
White becoming black once more.
The power was gone.
The young man simply lay there.
Covered in blood.
Broken.
Silent.
Above him—
small butterflies drifted through the air.
Landing nearby.
As if mourning.
As if witnessing the fall of a hero.
The battlefield gradually became quiet.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Then—
suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The entire valley trembled.
Everyone froze.
The forests shook.
The mountains shook.
The sky shook.
Something had awakened.
Something far older than any of them.
Then—
an eye appeared.
A gigantic golden eye.
It materialized in the heavens themselves.
The moment it appeared—
every cultivator felt their souls freeze.
The eye resembled the one that had appeared at the gate when entering the Treasure Realm.
Yet somehow—
this felt different.
As if this were the other eye.
The true eye.
The watching eye.
The entire battlefield became silent.
Nobody dared breathe.
Nobody dared move.
Then—
another phenomenon occurred.
Lin Shuan's sword—
which lay abandoned beside him—
began trembling.
Tian Wuchen's eyes widened.
"What?"
The sword rose.
Slowly.
Gently.
As if held by an invisible hand.
Yet there was no one there.
Nothing.
The sword simply floated into the air.
The Yue Sha Empire cultivators stared blankly.
The Yu Long Sect cultivators stared blankly.
Then—
the sword moved.
One flash.
A crimson line appeared across the battlefield.
The next moment—
blood painted the world.
Bodies froze.
Heads fell.
Cultivators died before they even realized what had happened.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Fear exploded within everyone's hearts.
Even the Immortal Seed experts became pale.
The liquid cultivator staggered backward.
"T-That..."
"What just happened?"
"How...?"
Nobody understood.
Nobody could comprehend it.
Then—
the sword slowly turned.
Toward them.
Every remaining cultivator felt cold sweat appear.
The sword pointed forward.
And suddenly—
everyone ran.
Panic erupted.
Immortal Seed experts fled.
Soul Spark experts fled.
Form Shapers fled.
The liquid cultivator reacted immediately.
Without hesitation—
he stuffed several precious herbs into his storage space.
Then transformed into black liquid.
WHOOSH!
The darkness drilled into the earth.
Attempting escape.
But not everyone possessed such an ability.
Many could only run.
Desperately.
Pathetically.
Yet the sword followed.
One after another.
One after another.
One after another.
Every slash took a life.
Every flash erased another cultivator.
No one could resist.
No one could block it.
No one could survive.
And in the end—
the sword stopped.
It floated beside Lin Shuan.
Standing silently.
As if someone invisible still held it.
As if someone was looking down at the unconscious youth.
Watching him.
Protecting him.
Longshe stared.
Even the giant Dragon Snake lowered his head.
Then—
the golden eye in the heavens slowly descended.
It looked directly at Lin Shuan.
For several seconds—
it remained motionless.
Then—
it disappeared.
Like liquid sunlight.
Like a divine soul.
Like an ancient will.
It merged into Lin Shuan's body.
At that exact moment—
Lin Shuan slowly rose into the air.
The entire Medicine Garden trembled.
Countless herbs began releasing Luo Essence.
Golden streams of energy emerged from every corner of the valley.
From every plant.
Every root.
Every ancient treasure.
All of it flowed toward Lin Shuan.
Like rivers returning to the sea.
Inside the pendant—
Tian Wuchen suddenly felt something.
A gaze.
An indescribable gaze.
Something was looking at him.
Looking directly into the pendant.
Looking directly into his soul.
For a moment—
Tian Wuchen felt as insignificant as dust.
As if the being observing him could erase him with a single thought.
Yet—
nothing happened.
The presence ignored him completely.
As though he wasn't even worth acknowledging.
And then—
that presence transformed into light and entered Lin Shuan's forehead.