Chapter 68

Nie Li moved forward, his body concealed in void form, step by step approaching the Thunder God's Meteorite Sword. As he ascended the altar, the oppressive, murderous aura radiating from the sword gradually diminished.

When he was within two meters of it, his figure emerged, no longer feeling the suffocating pressure. He did not immediately try to seize the sword; instead, he called out to his A.I. Chip.

"A.I. Chip, put the inventory control under automatic protocol. If I lose consciousness or can't retreat into the inventory, withdraw me immediately."

[Beep! Task Established! Protocol activated!]

With that he also activated his defence force field, a layer of protective force surrounded Nie Li, then he closed his eyes and unleashed waves of soul force, sending them crashing against the Thunder God's Meteorite Sword like an unrelenting storm.

Ohmm!

A deafening thunderclap erupted from the sword, shaking the very air around him. In an instant, tens of millions of demon beast spirits materialized, transformed into flashes of lightning, and hurled themselves at Nie Li like a vengeful tempest.

"Show yourself!"

Two mighty figures emerged from within Nie Li's soul realm.

A colossal black-striped golden lion—the Abyssal Regal Lion—stood on two feet, its golden-black fur bristling with raw, primal power, let out a thunderous roar, shaking the very air. It was exuding an aura of unparalleled dominance. It lunged at the incoming spirits with earth-shattering force.

Beside it, a gigantic celestial dragon, cloaked in wind and lightning, let out a thunderous roar. Tempestfang Dragon had arrived.

The Abyssal Regal Lion unleashed savage blows, tearing the spirits apart with sheer brute force, while the Tempestfang Dragon obliterated them with devastating wind and lightning attacks.

As each demon spirit was shattered, their remnants were drawn into Nie Li's soul realm, where an endless vortex of power greedily devoured them. His soul realm, like a bottomless abyss, consumed everything.

The two spirits guarded him fiercely, allowing only one demon spirit fragment to enter at a time.

The sheer amount of soul force he was absorbing was beyond comprehension, pushing his cultivation to terrifying heights.

Nie Li devoured the spirits relentlessly. His cultivation, which had long been at the peak of Gold rank, surged upward.

Nie Li had voluntarily suppressed his breakthrough to consolidate his realm and curb the side effects of Heavenly Anarchy cultivation technique.

Boom!

His body trembled as he ascended to One Star Black Gold rank Demon Spiritualist.

More demon spirits fell, their essence turning into his strength. He felt an incredible power welling up within, but soon, a problem appeared. His Heavenly Anarchy Technique spiraled out of control and began to resist Nie Li control.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath him as his soul force exploded outward. The surrounding air vibrated, and the Thunder God's Meteorite Sword began to tremble.

Although he was just at One-Star Black Gold Rank but the raw pressure of his soul force had already reached the level of a Legend rank Demon Spiritualist. It was getting out of control.

'Need to stop it,' Nie Li thought. He pushed forward, moving closer to the Thunder God's Meteorite Sword.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His overflowing soul force clashed violently with the lightning barrier around the sword. It was like the heavens themselves raged against his approach.

Watching from a distance, Ye Yan was shocked beyond belief.

"Nie Li's soul force is only at Black Gold rank, but… that pressure—it's as pure as a Legend rank! What kind of monster is he?!"

Nie Li was attempting to subdue the sword by force.

In the past, Sheng Mu, a Legend rank Spiritualist, had changed his physique into a lightning body to control the sword. But that method had damaged his soul realm, leading to his death at only thirty-nine years old.

But Nie Li was different.

He wasn't just overpowering the sword—he was using two techniques at once, devouring its demon spirit powers and resonating with its lightning attribute through Tempestfang Dragon.

A soft approach and a brutal one, both at the same time.

Ye Yan watched in awe. "How is this possible? Controlling two demon beasts, stabilizing his realm, achieving a breakthrough milestone, all while subduing the sword—it's like he has multiple minds working at once!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sword's lightning aura burst outward in resistance, but slowly, it dimmed.

Nie Li, breathing heavily, took another step forward. His cultivation surged uncontrollably, his Heavenly Anarchy Technique spiraling out of control.

[Beep! Heavenly Anarchy Cultivation Technique is utilizing its demon spirit devouring ability! The soul realm of host is increasing exponentially! Realm growth out of control! Protocol Inventory is starting in 5… 4… 3…]

'Withhold! I'm about to subdue the sword!'

Agony flooded through his body. It felt as if his mind was being shattered, like a hammer slamming into his skull.

His cultivation skyrocketed—from One Star Black Gold to Two Star, then Three, Four, Five…

Pain. Endless, unbearable pain.

As his cultivation speed sky rocketed, his soul realm was like an ancient being awakened, it was like a slumbering catastrophe enraged into ensuing carnage. Like an hungry all-devouring beast that wished to erase all existence.

Blood streamed from his eyes, nose, and mouth. His body was changing—half of him turning into something… not human.

His consciousness blurred, something whispering to him from the depths of his mind.

[Beep! Activating Invent.. ]

"No!" Nie Li screamed, but he wasn't only shouting at the A.I. Chip—he was answering something else.

Voices. Memories. From another life.

"You can't do it. Useless!"

"Why try, little boy? Be a good servant and do what you're told."

"You think you're smart? That peasant family bitch you funded—she's worthless!"

"You're demoted, Leonard."

"Nobody loves you."

"Nobody needs you."

The name Leonard echoed in his soul. A past self. A life of servitude, betrayal, isolation, suffering. Pieces of memories, moments of pain, faces of people he doesn't with to remember all flashed before him.

That past that he was rejecting was before him.

Darkness engulfed him, whispering… tempting him… devour, destroy, hate.

His Heavenly Anarcy cultivation technique had a demon spirit devouring ability which can devour and merge various demon spirits together, transforming their essence into one ultimate soul but unlike what it should be, a mutation was occurring.

A demon spirit was morphing from devouring uncountable amounts of demon spirit bound to the Thunder God's Meteorite Sword, but it wasn't a different entity merging into Nie Li soul realm... Instead it seemed as if, it was devouring him, enchanting Nie Li into darkness. He was becoming something demonic, something monstrous.

He fought against it, but his cultivation surged past his limits. His mind was unraveling. His body twisted further.

The A.I. Chip prepared to activate the Inventory Protocol, ready to pull him into safety.

But then—Before he lost control completely, something appeared.

A second Tempestfang Dragon—but this one was different. It wasn't his.

It was Xiao Ning'er's.

It gazed at him with warm, knowing eyes and suddenly, her voice filled his mind.

"I will always trust you."

"I will always believe in you."

"Even if you change, even if you become something else… I will still be thankful for you."

"Even if I die and I'm reborn, the one person I would always remember is you."

Nie Li's vision changed, he found himself to be in the body of a girl. He was Xiao Ning'er, his soul entered into her memories. He felt her pain. A world that treated her as nothing but a commodity. A family that sold her. A future without hope.

Her own father couldn't save her, being betrothed is just a good word, but she was essentially being sold by ber family for benefits.

The world is against her, the only hope she had was her cultivation but even that was failing her, much worse it was killing her.

Nie Li felt an unbelievable cold and darkness surrounding Xiao Ning'er, a brutal pain tormenting her day and night. While shivering in that coldness, a streak of tear fell from her eyes, that tear was the only warmth in that cold deteriorating body.

Then he saw something change, he saw himself—from her perspective. The boy with messy orange hair and blue eyes who had saved her.

From her vision he saw himself, that indifference that hid care in them when he treated her, that soft smile when he looked at the moon.

All that he unknowingly mean to her, from her point of view, a new Nie Li he never knew.

Nie Li then shook his head, he still didn't think he did anything special, but just as he thought that, the vision change he was in a room.

Alchemy Association Public Library, both Nie Li and Xiao Ning'er were reading their seperate books, not speaking a single word.

But while he was emersed in books, Ning'er looked at him with tenderss and Nie Li could hear her thoughts, 'I wish we could stay like this forever....Even if I want more, but as long as I can stand with you, as long as I can see you, I am happy. Even if I die I would never forget you.'

He saw it all. The silent moments. The secret smiles. The feelings she always had for him.

Then—He was back.

His body, still half-demon, trembled. He gasped, his monstrous transformation reversing. The darkness inside him shattered, the abyss retreating.

The Abyssal Regal Lion, Shadow Devil, and Tempestfang Dragon surrounded him, their eyes watchful.

Tears fell from his eyes.

He turned, his vision piercing through the soul realm, across distance, across space—

And saw Xiao Ning'er. She stood, hands clasped near her heart, lips moving silently.

"I love you."

Nie Li and Xiao Ning'er (image in comment)

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A/N: Hope you like it.