Chapter 3080: The Final Step (1)
The storm of emotions within Yun Lintian—the grief, the gratitude, the rage, the love—did not vanish. Instead, they coalesced. They cooled and hardened in the crucible of his resolve, transforming from a chaotic tempest into a still, deep, and impossibly dense core of determination.
The fluctuations in his spirit ceased entirely. His mood was no longer subject to the tides of feeling; it was the bedrock upon which those feelings now stood, unshakable and absolute.
He had reached the final Chapter. There was no one left to lose. No more distractions, no more vulnerabilities. The path ahead was singular and clear. He would go all out, holding nothing back, fighting with everything he had and was.
And his ultimate goal, the shining beacon at the end of this bloody road, was not just victory, but restoration. To bring everyone back. That was the hope that fueled his cold fury.
The World Tree seemed to sense this final, absolute shift in him. It rustled gently, a sound like a sigh of approval mixed with sorrowful farewell. Then, its mighty branches, which had stretched into infinity, began to bend and descend. They wrapped around Yun Lintian’s spiritual form not as restraints, but in a tender, encompassing embrace.
A torrent of pure, primordial energy—the essence of the World Tree itself, the foundational power of all existence—flowed into him. It was not a violent transfer, but a gentle merging, a passing of the torch. The tree was entrusting him with its very heart, its purpose now fulfilled. Its light dimmed as Yun Lintian’s form grew brighter, more solid, more real within the spiritual sanctuary.
Long Yi watched the sacred transfer, his own heart filled with a complex mix of emotions. He felt the awe of witnessing a cosmic changing of the guard, the grief for the sacrifices made, and the fierce pride for the young man who had endured it all.
He knew his own role in the coming conflict was negligible. Against beings like Nian Shi and Yin, his power was indeed pitiful, a flickering candle next to twin supernovas.
But he had a part to play. A crucial one. His gaze fell upon the faint, shimmering outlines of the golden Chains of Primordial Order that still lingered on Yun Lintian’s spirit, and he felt the suppressed auras of the Eight Divine Beast Souls within him, bound and silenced by Nian Shi’s stolen authority.
I cannot fight your battles, Long Yi thought, his determination solidifying. But I can give you back your weapons.
He would not act yet. The moment had to be perfect, a single, decisive strike at the exact instant Yun Lintian made his move. His role was to wait, and then, when the time came, to burn his own Dragon God Soul in a final, catastrophic conflagration.
That immense, self-annihilating burst of primordial draconic power would be enough to shatter the Creator’s own chains from within and unleash the full, furious might of the Divine Beast Souls at the critical moment. It would be his last, and greatest, contribution to the legacy of his clan.
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In the external world, within the ravaged Land of Beyond Heaven, time held little meaning. Eons flowed like water.
Nian Shi, seated in the lotus position within Yun Lintian’s body, was immersed in a sea of profound enlightenment. The power of Creation and Uncreation swirled around him, no longer chaotic, but moving in a complex, beautiful, and terrifyingly precise dance under his ruthless will. He was a master craftsman, finally understanding the true nature of his tools and forcing them to obey his every command.
He felt no disturbance from within. The Chains of Primordial Order held firm, and the soul they suppressed felt like a dormant, extinguished ember. He was completely unaware of the spiritual sanctuary, the World Tree’s sacrifice, or the resolve hardening in the heart of the man he thought he had erased.
A hundred years passed. A thousand. Ten thousand.
The dual auras around him refined, purified, and finally achieved a state of perfect, sublime balance. The grey-silver of temporal endings and the vibrant light of new beginnings didn’t just coexist; they became one, a new, unified energy that was both and neither, humming with the potential of all things.
Finally, the eyes of Yun Lintian’s body snapped open.
One eye swirled with the silent, absolute darkness of Uncreation. The other blazed with the vibrant, life-giving light of Creation. Both glowed with an ancient, cold intelligence that was utterly Nian Shi’s.
A wave of aura burst out from him, silent yet all-consuming. It did not destroy; it reshaped. The scorched earth around him instantly bloomed with impossible, radiant flora, while meters away, the same energy caused ancient rock formations to silently decay into dust and then reform into crystalline structures.
Nian Shi could feel the fabric of the universe around him, pliable and responsive to his will. He could shape galaxies, ignite stars, or unmake epochs with a thought.
"HAHAHA!"
A laugh erupted from his throat—low at first, then rising into a wild, uncontrollable peal of triumph that echoed across the timeless landscape.
"I did it! I HAVE DONE IT!" he roared to the heavens. "I have surpassed her! I have achieved what the Creator could only dream of! I am not just a god of time! I am the master of existence itself! I AM THE TRUE CREATOR!"
Tantai Lanling, who had been meditating at a distance, was jolted awake by the overwhelming pressure. She felt the absolute, balanced power radiating from him, a force that made her own divine authority feel like a faint whisper. Any last shred of independent thought vanished, replaced by utter, fanatical devotion. She prostrated herself immediately.
"Congratulations, Master!" she cried out, her voice trembling with awe. "You have ascended to the ultimate pinnacle! The universe is yours to command!"
Nian Shi slowly stood up, relishing the feel of limitless power coursing through the vessel. His mismatched eyes scanned the horizon, and with a casual flick of his will, he summoned the God Slaying Sword from where it lay discarded.
The obsidian blade flew into his hand, humming with a new, terrifying harmony under his command. He curled his lips in a disdainful smirk.
"Such a waste," he mocked, his voice dripping with contempt for the sword’s previous owner. "To have a weapon like this and lack the vision to use it properly. It is not a tool for protection or justice. It is a tool for enforcement. For absolute rule."