He journeyed on for a long time, for how long, he knew not.

His senses blurred by this world, his spiritual consciousness in constant conflict with its very fabric. Jiang Wang understood that Zhang Linchuan was using the power of this realm to wear him down, simultaneously granting himself time to recover. Yet, Jiang Wang’s steps never faltered, as if in a lengthy pilgrimage through life, he was accelerating towards his own demise. Fearless of others, he advanced alone.

For while this world consumed him, he, too, was consuming this world.

What kind of world was this? The sky was dim, the earth was dim, and the fog was dim. He could scarcely see his own hand before him. Yet, at a certain moment, Jiang Wang clearly saw Zhang Linchuan.

It was in the Faith Nation, beholding the Faith God.

Only when he saw Zhang Linchuan did he perceive the mountains and rivers of this place, only then did this square world take form.

Zhang Linchuan, within this realm, had fully recovered from his injuries. His eyes held an indifferent yet compassionate light, his aura soared to the heavens, descended to the earth, subjugating all. He simply stood there.

His black hair seemed to brush the very sky.

His features appeared to embody godhood itself.

His sleeves fluttered like forming clouds, and his gaze shone forth, a single glance that seemed to cleave the heavens.

Beneath the verdant mountains, the clear waters, and the azure sky, stood a solitary immortal deity, isolated from the world.

He was the Dao of this place, the god of this place, the focal point of all faith powers within this realm. All things and events existed because of him…

Jiang Wang, within this world, felt an involuntary urge to worship this god, to seek this Dao!

Worship… your mother!

The brilliant Fire Domain rapidly expanded, its boundary clashing against the God Dao World with his Spiritual Domain, opposing “his world” with “my world.” But only a faint popping sound echoed.

The Fire Domain was crushed, like a fleeting illusion.

After all, this was the God Dao World of a once True God, and it was not merely a simple God Dao World. With his absolute top talent, Zhang Linchuan had penetrated the path of the God Dao, almost evolving it into truth, making it infinitely approach reality. Jiang Wang’s Spiritual Domain could not withstand it. Even the consumption the Fire Domain inflicted upon this square world felt insufficient. In this rootless, causeless world, he could not obtain feedback, could not accurately judge – this significantly impacted the battle. If you know not the weight of your fist or the sharpness of your sword, you will find it difficult to know how to strike or how to wield your blade!

Under the influence of this rootless nature, Jiang Wang could only feel his own pain, the extent of his spiritual consciousness’s injury. The agony of damaged spiritual consciousness was more severe than being cut by flesh or gouged by bone.

But as the popping sound of the broken Fire Domain faded, Jiang Wang’s Voice Hearing Domain once again asserted itself, once again resisting this world!

As the only deity of this unborn world, the provider of all “fertilizer,” Zhang Linchuan at this moment raised his hand and foot, all movements infused with immense power. He lifted his pale hand and gently pressed downwards.

The Voice Hearing Domain silently extinguished.

Jiang Wang raised his head and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood!

Zhang Linchuan, having initially achieved True Godhood, held immense power within this unborn world. Had Jiang Wang fiercely clashed with him in this unborn world from the start, he might not have suffered such a great loss, even if he couldn’t win.

That one strike from Chong Xuan Chu Liang, following the threads of fate and causality, had directly bypassed the unborn world, crossing realms to strike at his main body.

The Unborn Cult had already been overthrown, and the unborn world had lost its vital source of immense power. Merely relying on himself was fundamentally insufficient to support the growth of the unborn world. Each use of the unborn world’s power was a self-consumption, a depletion of his reserves. Thus, the current him was actually very frugal in his use of the unborn world.

Jiang Wang, of course, deserved this. As the Marquess of Wu An of Da Qi, who had a hand in the overthrow of the Unborn Cult and forced him into his current predicament, he deserved such a death!

He stepped forward, his strides wide!

He approached Jiang Wang with overwhelming pressure.

But the battle was not over.

Far from it!

Jiang Wang, amidst the breaking of two consecutive Spiritual Domains, spat blood backward. The fresh blood he spat out became a blood-red arrow, whistling towards the sky. Then, from that crimson hue, white emerged.

From the blood, wind was born!

Howling frost winds rose from the northwest, instantly tearing open that vast expanse of white sky. Had the breaking of the two Spiritual Domains truly had an effect?

The sky gap was the answer.

In the northwest, a sky gap appeared, white winds swirling across the land, all things frozen by frost! The already blooming Buzhou Wind, within Zhang Linchuan’s unborn world, brought destruction and an end.

And at this time, Zhang Linchuan raised his head to gaze at the sky. He fully acknowledged Jiang Wang’s fighting will, fully recognized Jiang Wang’s combat talent.

But this would not influence the outcome of the battle.

The gap had formed long ago, in the years past, and he had never allowed himself to relax, never given the weak a chance to pursue. At this moment, he leaped upwards, feeling the power of the four directions gathering towards him… He had to admit, he liked this feeling. This feeling of controlling fate, grasping life, and breaking through all obstacles.

He knew not why, but at this moment, he suddenly thought of a figure holding a long saber, charging towards him coldly… but that was a story from a very long time ago. Although unimportant, time had long since erased the old marks.

He leaped into the high sky, and as the supreme god-master of this realm, he stood precisely before that sky gap, facing the frost winds head-on. He reached out and grasped forward, his body blocking the Buzhou Wind!

Vast, powerful forces washed outwards. The entire unborn world boiled for this!

But at this moment, a sudden chill ran down Zhang Linchuan’s spine, a surge of cold intent from deep within his soul. His fate pattern diminished, his power weakened. The immense power surrounding his body reduced layer by layer.

He suddenly realized—

His auxiliary body had failed the tribulation!

A successive failure!

Luo Huan Huan, a city drenched in blood, walked alone on the long street. She stepped into the void, her blood-stained robes billowing. In this obscure and weak country, she chose a remote small city and commenced a brutal killing spree. She absorbed power relentlessly, welcoming all benevolent individuals, righteous men, and martial artists who came to hear the news. She killed continuously, killed continuously…

Initially, she had come to this remote place voluntarily to create an opportunity to enter the higher echelons of the Three Points Fragrance Building, hoping to first build her own team… Ultimately, heaven did not fulfill her wishes. With the main body’s great defeat in the state of Qi and the impending danger of overthrow, she had to force the crossing of the Nine Tribulations, attempting to open a new path. The goal of this body had completely reversed. All long-term development plans had to be shelved, and the life-and-death tribulation became the top priority.

Among the life-and-death tribulations of all six identities, the one within the Three Points Fragrance Building was included. Because its development progress was the slowest, its innate talent the most insufficient, it lacked the necessary conditions, and there was absolutely no reliable plan… she could only take risks, walking the most difficult path. She knew this was a path of death, its endpoint an inevitable result of destruction.

Not to mention this identity, even if the main body came and sought a path through killing, there would be absolutely no chance. But she did not need to reach the endpoint. She only needed to keep walking forward, keep walking forward, kill enough people, encounter enough dangers… and wait for other identities to respond. The life-and-death tribulation could not rely on external forces; it had to be experienced through life and death. But with the seven souls substituting for life, there was still room for maneuver. Early on, when creating the Nine Tribulations method, the main body had already considered these possibilities. This was also a method born of necessity.

So, although she was constantly killing people, the process of killing was always measured. Her power was revealed little by little, so she could delay for as much time as possible.

When she saw a beautiful figure, graceful and ethereal, riding a cloud, her heart held no surprise. At the current stage, she had allowed the survivors to leak information, she had displayed danger, and a cultivator of the Inner Mansion realm was sufficient to resolve it. Moreover, this chivalrous woman rushing in already possessed the cultivation of the Outer Building realm. She was nothing more than another unconscious “righteous person,” that’s all. At most…

She was beautiful.

When this woman’s clear and beautiful face, unobstructed, appeared in her view, Luo Huan Huan’s heart suddenly felt a sense of disgust. This disgust was unrelated to the distant main body but stemmed from this body’s own feelings—this human world is muddy, the sea of suffering churns, I am stained with mud, I drink a belly full of blood and tears… by what right are you so utterly pure?

“Who comes?” Luo Huan Huan raised her head to look at the sky. The disgust in her heart deepened, but the charming smile on her face remained unchanged. This smile was the normal state of a pleasure quarter woman, the everyday repetition of the past.

The green-clothed woman suspended in the air had exquisite features like fine brushwork, her demeanor gentle and graceful like a person in a painting. With her left hand raised, three ox-horn horizontal knife puppets flew out. With her right hand flung, three four-winged ink warriors fell. With a stomp of her foot, she stepped onto a luxurious chariot. The flowing light of her green clothes rippled around her body.

She stood upon the chariot and said coolly, “Cloud Top, Ye Qingyu.”

The difference between the main body and the auxiliary body lay in the fact that Zhang Linchuan would never be jealous. He would only strive, only plunder, only seek. While Luo Huan Huan, in this identity, had too many innate desires she could not obtain, too much resentment she could not fully express.

She rolled her blood-red sleeve, and dense blood mosquitoes suddenly flew out from the blood river, buzzing and shaking the space, bringing malicious feelings. However, above the luxurious chariot, Ye Qingyu merely reached out a delicate hand, condensed like white jade, and in an instant, she changed her hand seals hundreds and tens of times. A sea of clouds appeared in the sky!

For a time, two colors shared the world, all other light fading. Below was a sea of blood, above a sea of clouds. Within the cloud sea, various Dao techniques poured out like a flood! Novel ones, classic ones, complex ones, grand ones, unconventional ones…

The representative Dao techniques of each sect and country at the Outer Building level were all embodied within this flood. From the Light Dispelling Technique of the Beigong Clan near the Yong Kingdom to the Eight Sound Flame Sparrow of the Marquess of Wu An of the Qi Kingdom. Whatever one could imagine, there it was!

At this moment, Luo Huan Huan’s heart felt a huge alarm. What made her fearful was not this display of peak divine power, but the strong foundation embodied by this cloud sea of techniques! Her mind, which had been muddled by the long period of killing, now began to outline threads of intelligence, connecting them into a relatively complete picture: Cloud Kingdom… Lingxiao Pavilion… Ye Qingyu…

The strong feeling of disgust in her heart had already surged through her heart, making it difficult for Luo Huan Huan to suppress. She could not say another word. She had to immediately see this woman’s fear, see this woman’s begging, see this woman’s pain! At this moment, the cultivation of her god-reaching realm was no longer concealed, and blood-colored killing intent wove into a demonic shadow. A huge blood python rose up.

She stood on the head of the blood python, flipped her hand to grasp a dagger, and her killing intent rushed straight towards the high sky! But then she suddenly turned and chose to escape.

The main body would never allow emotions to control herself. She also possessed the corresponding firmness and restraint. But just at this moment, a huge alarm suddenly arose! There was no time to think about where the danger came from. Luo Huan Huan had already leaped backward, continuously folding and turning, fleeing hundreds of miles. Then she saw a giant furry claw crossing the void, easily swatting the blood python she had summoned into a mist of blood.

A sudden strange beast revealed its true form, its hooves stepping on flowing clouds, its prestige overwhelming heaven and earth. It was a Cloud Stepping Beast! The guardian sacred beast of Lingxiao Pavilion!

Could she escape? Luo Huan Huan quickly thought, then struck ruthlessly downwards, biting the chilling dagger into her mouth. Clenching both hands into fists, her entire body ignited with blood flames! She did not retreat, but advanced!

She would see how strong this path of seeking Dao through killing truly was. Today, she wanted to challenge the limits of this body!

But in the very next moment, the blood waves filling the city all sank! No, was it only the blood waves that sank? Pavilions, buildings, space, Yuan force. The entire city was sinking!

Luo Huan Huan felt herself also sinking uncontrollably, sinking irrecoverably! The blood flames on her body extinguished. The Dao Yuan inside her body stopped. The blood-colored killing intent collapsed. This body was like in a deep abyss, this heart was like in a deep abyss!

Before the entire world turned dim, she saw a person stepping into the void, raising his hand without smoke or fire, yet occupying all the light in the sky. That was a handsome man in white clothes, graceful and ethereal, vaguely resembling a banished immortal. But in his hand, he led a pink, carved jade-like little girl. Beside the little girl’s small legs, a silly-looking gray dog hopped around.

Your mother… was Luo Miaomiao’s last thought. Is this entire family on an outing? The whole family, old and young, even the person with the dog, all came out…

With this last thought, she sank into silence.

Who was Li Daorong? He once served as the hall master of the Angry Whale Gang on Youxia Island; currently, he serves as the vice gang master of the Angry Whale Gang. This person’s battle record was brilliant, he once confronted Jiang Wang of the Qi Kingdom face to face and did not fall behind! And he loudly rebuked Jiang Wang!

Of course, these rumors did not earn him much prestige. In the eyes of those who truly mattered, the wider these words spread, the more ridiculous he, Li Daorong, became. Small fish and shrimp claiming every day that they had rebuked and repelled a whale shark would only cause laughter among any sea guest with a bit of common sense.

Until recently…

Li Daorong poisoned and killed the Nine Mystic Sect Master, Nine Mystic Upper Man, and the Nine Mystic Sect’s Great Protector, Shang Ji An. He killed off all the high-ranking members of the Nine Mystic Sect, thus his name spread throughout the various islands!

The Angry Whale Gang and the Nine Mystic Sect were both members of the Town Sea Alliance, each backed by a faction. Such a tragic slaughter was originally not allowed. But it is unknown what means Li Daorong used, connecting various parties, merging them from top to bottom, actually allowing this matter to finally be concluded as an internal competition between the Angry Whale Gang and the Nine Mystic Gate. The Angry Whale Gang, like a snake swallowing an elephant, swallowed and merged the Nine Mystic Gate overnight.

Seeing the rise of a new generation of strong men in the nearby archipelago, and the Angry Whale Gang expanding several times overnight…

Jueding Ming Island urgently convened an internal meeting of the Town Sea Alliance at this time! And at the internal meeting, it was declared that Li Daorong was the auxiliary body of the Evil Cult Master, and his main body was the Unborn Cult Ancestor Zhang Linchuan, full of evil deeds and positively wanted by multiple countries in the current world.

Jueding Ming Island, representing the state of Qi, showed a very strong attitude, allowing this matter to finally be resolved through the Town Sea Alliance, thus deciding to summon and imprison him and hold a public trial of this person.

While Li Daorong had been secretly operating for a long time and had already made his own hidden arrangements, he had detected the unfavorable situation before the resolution was passed. He abandoned his affairs and fled, hiding in haste.

And Chong Xuan Minghe, the Island Master of No Winter Island, personally led the pursuit and killing of Li Daorong at this time. The Town Sea Alliance was not monolithic, and the state of Qi could never dictate terms in the nearby archipelago.

Li Daorong displayed an escape level that could be called art, playing hide-and-seek overseas with the people from Qi. He was repeatedly surrounded and repeatedly escaped. With the cultivation of the Outer Building realm, he charged left and right, ascended to the sky, and entered the sea.

Until… the Fishing Sea Building also joined this pursuit.

“Kill her, and you can leave.” A person with half black and half white hair looked at Li Daorong expressionlessly, his voice flat, yet allowing no possibility of refusal. And behind this person stood a woman with a clear appearance, her temperament not strong at all, like a weak small white flower.

There was no induction between the main body and the auxiliary body. If the main body did not actively descend, they could not form a connection. So Li Daorong did not know about the encounters of other identities and was always alone and on the run in the nearby archipelago. He found it very difficult to understand why he would encounter Gu Huaixin! Why the fourth elder of the Fishing Sea Building would make things difficult for a small character of the Outer Building realm like him. Li Daorong’s life-and-death tribulation in this identity was something he had considered over a long period. In addition to the difficulty of swallowing the Nine Mystic Sect with Outer Building cultivation, the combination and connection between various forces were also tests he had set for himself.

He had nothing to say about the people of Qi unreasonably targeting him. He silently accepted Chong Xuan Minghe’s personal pursuit. He only viewed this as another change in the life-and-death tribulation, starting from the conflict between the Fishing Sea Building and Jueding Ming Island, and wandering through the gaps between the various forces in the nearby archipelago using the dark pawns he had buried overseas during this period. Thus, he cleverly won a chance to live.

But just when he thought he had passed the life-and-death tribulation, the True Man Gu Huaixin of the current world appeared before his eyes and suppressed him with a single hand! Even with his thousands of plans and myriad schemes, it was impossible for Li Daorong, with his cultivation, to escape from Gu Huaixin’s hands. This tribulation would surely end in death, with no means to overcome it!

But just as he was preparing to meet his death, Gu Huaixin gave him another chance and proposed such a strange rule.

“Kill him?” Li Daorong looked at the woman behind Gu Huaixin again. Having been in the nearby archipelago for so long, of course, he knew Gu Huaixin’s direct disciple, Zhu Biqiong. But he really didn’t think that with the same Outer Building cultivation, Zhu Biqiong could fight with him. Even though he had accumulated many hidden injuries during his escape during this time, his understanding of life-and-death combat was definitely not comparable to that of a disciple from a famous sect who was accompanied by a True Man when going out!

“But there is a rule,” Gu Huaixin said calmly. “This is a fair duel limited to the Outer Building level. Fairness is the prerequisite for you to get a chance. If you use power beyond the understanding of the Outer Building, you die.”

Li Daorong realized the problem and said calmly, “May I ask Elder Gu, what is power beyond the understanding of the Outer Building?”

Gu Huaixin said, “This old man will decide.”

Li Daorong completely understood. What kind of fair fight was this? This Gu Huaixin clearly intended to use his weight as the auxiliary body of the Unborn Cult Ancestor to pave the way for his precious disciple. These elders of famous sects and high-ranking members of large sects, over the years, their tricks have not changed much.

He did not feel angry, only regret at the fact that he “did not truly have a chance.”

“Alright, I accept this challenge,” Li Daorong said calmly. “I only hope that senior can keep his promise.”

At this moment, he had completely recognized his fate. From the moment he was captured by Gu Huaixin, he should not have held any hope of surviving!

But who was Zhang Linchuan? Who was Li Daorong? At one time, his cultivation realm was not inferior to Gu Huaixin’s! How could he allow Gu Huaixin to toy with him like this?

Everything has a price. Gu Huaixin lost his successor at the Tianya Platform earlier, and this matter was known throughout the nearby seas. Since he dared to look down on him like this today, even though he was powerless to resist, he might not be unable to use the last remnants of this identity to make Gu Huaixin regret it again.

Gu Huaixin casually pointed again, and a streak of light fell into Li Daorong’s body: “You can rest assured. For the sake of fairness, I will temporarily isolate the possibility of you connecting with your main body. Make good use of your current body, and I look forward to your performance to verify… the quality of my direct disciple.”

Li Daorong understood that not only had he lost the possibility of being supported by his main body, but Gu Huaixin had also left behind a means to erase him at any time. A dignified True Man of the current world, to ensure the safety of his disciple, truly spared no effort.

But he said nothing, pretending not to know. He would just see what kind of flower could be cultivated in a flowerpot. He would see if he could imitate Jiang Wang’s story and break through the limitations under the gaze of a True Man of the current world, and kill this True Man’s disciple.

Jiang Wang at that time relied on the pressure of the state of Qi to keep Gu Huaixin at bay and prevent him from acting. He, however, could only rely on himself and had to wait for a moment of carelessness from a True Man who had seen through the reality of the world.

He suddenly felt that, apart from the life-and-death tribulation, this was also a very meaningful challenge. Even if he died at the end of this tribulation, this experience would be able to provide a little help to his main body’s progress in the Dao… He could therefore be more at ease.

Such is life, why speak of misfortune? Such is life, why say it is uninteresting?

He felt himself walking on a brilliant path, in a game with the will of heaven, seeing more than ever before! If he could overcome this tribulation, the future would be vastly different!

The sea area casually enclosed by the True Man of the current world became the battleground. During Gu Huaixin’s communication with Li Daorong, Zhu Biqiong remained silent, like innocence, like clumsiness. Only at this moment, after separating from Li Daorong and taking a stance, did her aura become blurred.

Li Daorong felt that this woman’s eyes were like mirrors, receiving all emotions and reflecting all emotions, but completely lacking her own…

When the sea breeze brought the first ripple, this battle, witnessed only by Gu Huaixin, had already erupted. Li Daorong had already refined the secret techniques of the Angry Whale Gang and extracted the essence of the Nine Mystic Sect’s cultivation methods. Adapting to the environment of the nearby archipelago and conforming to the talent of Li Daorong’s body, he had already developed a unique combat system. Although it was far from the combat power of the main body in the Outer Building realm, it was sufficient to contend for fame among the ranks of Outer Building cultivators.

He had already scripted every step of this battle. How to initiate the first round of offense, how to defend, how to maneuver, how to feign weakness and lure the enemy into a vulnerable position, and most importantly… how to paralyze Gu Huaixin. In this so-called life-and-death duel, Gu Huaixin was his only opponent. How could he make Gu Huaixin unable to interfere in time? How could he kill Zhu Biqiong before Gu Huaixin killed him?

Flying high in the air, his body like a great roc spreading its wings, water elemental energy swirling around him, Li Daorong had already devised seven sets of tactics. But then, an ancient stone gate abruptly appeared in the sky. The gate descended from above, as if a hand from outside the heavens had pushed it open.

The world underwent a drastic change. Li Daorong suddenly lost the ability to fly and involuntarily plummeted! His many tactics all lost their possibility of connection. What kind of offensive style? For a moment, they all lost their framework.

“Heavenly Gate!” Li Daorong showed surprise. He had only heard of the legendary Heavenly Gate divine ability and had never seen it. At this moment, experiencing it firsthand, he immediately summoned a tidal wave to protect himself, attempting to shift the battle into the sea.

But before his eyes, only a flash of light was seen. Zhu Biqiong’s figure was so fast that he couldn’t react at all! In an instant, she had already passed by him, her delicate hand wrapped in frost wind, piercing through his chest!

“This is Buzhou Wind, perhaps you recognize it.” Zhu Biqiong ended this hasty battle with this calm sentence.

The beginning and end of the battle were images Li Daorong had never imagined. But he fell down, with a huge hollow left in his chest and abdomen. Gurgling sounds emerged from the surging tide.