End of Everything

With no other choice, the nine elders decided to activate their immortal bloodlines or physiques.

Instantly, the void lit up with lights of various colors, each one reflecting the type of physique or bloodline being activated. Currents of ancient energy surged from their bodies, and the pressure of their cultivation reached its peak. It was the power they had inherited from the immortals, along with the strength accumulated over hundreds—if not thousands—of years. But… would that truly be enough?

The first to act was Elder Lei Wu, whose eyes now glowed with silver lightning. With a roar, his body became covered in dragon scales, and a celestial serpent made of thunder emerged from his spiritual sea.

"Forbidden Art — Primordial Tribulation!"

He pointed at the outer god, and thunder fell like divine wrath, ripping through the void with its roar.

Elder Mo Fan followed shortly after, his body turning translucent, like glass containing an inner hell.

"Crimson Phoenix Breath — Second Reincarnation!"

A flaming phoenix emerged from his back and flew straight toward the outer god, its flames capable of incinerating souls.

Around them, the other elders activated their legendary physiques.

Bai Xuan revealed the Spectral King Physique, causing the shadows around the void to take form, creating thousands of specters wielding ethereal weapons.

Qiu Lan revealed the Eye of Celestial Malice, sealing part of the space with black runes, attempting to prevent the outer god from moving freely.

Jin Zhi activated the Heart of the Supreme Dao, making his body radiate a golden light that distorted space, forcing the natural order of the world to obey his will—if only for a moment.

For an instant… the impossible seemed within reach.

The outer god was struck by multiple attacks. Its dozens of arms rose to block most of them, but a few managed to land. A bolt of lightning sliced part of its torso. The crimson phoenix pierced its shoulder, exploding in celestial flames. Shadows began corroding smaller parts of its vessel, while the space around its head began to solidify.

And at that exact moment, Han Xinrou moved.

Like a scarlet flower blooming on the battlefield, her presence eclipsed all others. The spear in her hands absorbed the sacrificed life force, her murderous aura intensifying, runes roaring in agony and ecstasy. She advanced in the blink of an eye, the space around her shattering like glass before her power.

"Crimson Dao Supreme Art — Lotus of Annihilation."

The strike was delivered with such lethal perfection that even time seemed to hesitate. The spear cut a spiraling trajectory, its edges vibrating between dimensions. When it struck the outer god's chest, a deafening explosion tore through the silence of the universe.

KRAAAAAAASH!!!

The outer god was thrown back. The darkness that once cloaked its seemingly invulnerable body now cracked where the spear had struck, a deep wound opening. Black mist gushed from the injury, releasing distorted screams—not of pain, but of fury.

"YOU…!"

The god roared, its voice distorting the reality around it. Arms emerged from the wound like desperate tentacles, trying to prevent the corrupted essence from dissipating.

Because the avatar had failed to buy time, the outer god hadn't managed to refine its corpse. At this point, it was merely using its corpse as a power source—its true power not much stronger than a Mahayana realm cultivator.

But even weakened, the power of an outer god could not be underestimated.

The crack on its body seemed to regenerate at a grotesque pace, like tentacles of flesh growing in reverse spirals. The space around its twisted form began to tremble again, as if the very world were screaming at the existence of that abomination.

Han Xinrou remained suspended in the air, her black hair fluttering amid the destructive pressure. Her crystalline eyes observed every detail with absolute coldness, though her chest rose and fell slightly—that strike had drained a significant portion of her vital essence.

Or so it seemed. In truth, it was an act. From the very first exchange, Han Xinrou had realized she couldn't defeat the outer god. Even if she could injure it, it could endlessly regenerate its body. And while she too could regenerate, her energy was limited—her regeneration would eventually fail, and in that moment—she would die.

So her intentions shifted. She now aimed to retrieve Yu Yui's body, all in order to recover Han Ling's soul later through a temporal reversal.

Han Xinrou began to regret coming to this place without a proper plan. She could have at least retrieved Lin Mei's immortal seed—it might have eased the burden of wielding an immortal weapon.

Knowing the outer god would give no chance to flee, and that continuing the fight was pointless, she gripped her spear tightly and decided to make a bold move. Accumulating Qi at the tip of her spear, she hurled it at the outer god with all her strength, taking advantage of the opening the nine elders had created with their attacks.

The crimson spear struck the outer god's chest squarely, but it didn't seem to cause any significant damage. On the contrary—it made the outer god laugh.

"Foolish woman! What will you do without your weapon?"

Suddenly, the cracks on the tip of the spear widened, red light leaking through the fractures—and without any warning, the spear exploded. There was no sound—only a scarlet sun blooming in the void from the explosion.

Han Xinrou opened a portal to another dimension, taking Yu Yui with her just in time to escape the blast. As for the golden cocoon, Han Xinrou had no time to think about it—besides, deep in her soul, she didn't want yet another woman infiltrating her Han Ling's life.

The barrier of the outer god absorbed most of the explosion's impact, but because the spear had pierced through its protection, his body was directly struck by the blast.

The flesh and bones of his body were disintegrated atom by atom. Han Ling's body — even with all the modifications made by the outer god — was still not prepared to withstand an explosion of that magnitude.

The situation of the nine elders wasn't any better. They didn't even have a chance to react, because the moment the crimson light engulfed their bodies, they were erased from existence. Their bodies and souls were destroyed simultaneously.

The impact of the explosion didn't stop there, as everything the crimson light of the scarlet sun touched was destroyed.

In a short time, the crimson light broke through the stacked layers of warped dimensions at the "end of the world."

Its crimson glow outshone the Sun, illuminating the entire world—until, within minutes, there was no world left. The only thing remaining was a scarlet sun floating in the void, lighting the darkness with its red brilliance.

The only survivors of that annihilation were Yu Yui, who was still unconscious, and Han Xinrou, who had teleported together with Yu Yui to a higher dimension, trying to escape the explosion, thinking to herself:

In the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, a cultivator is no longer bound by the world. With some effort, they could destroy it... The explosion of that immortal weapon was equivalent to one of the weakest attacks of an immortal... To destroy the mortal world so effortlessly...

In that moment, Han Xinrou saw the true gap between a mortal and an immortal. Her plans to face the immortal official who would come in a few years now seemed like a joke. How could she defeat someone who could destroy an entire world with a single attack?

As she silently pondered this, a reaction occurred in the scarlet sun. Its crimson light and brilliance, as suddenly as they had appeared, vanished without a trace.

At the exact moment the crimson light disappeared, the void was filled with an abyssal silence. Not the peaceful kind, but an oppressive one, as if the universe were holding its breath. Han Xinrou narrowed her eyes.

In the place where the scarlet sun had vanished, a black sword had appeared. It didn't radiate light, nor emit any aura. It was… different. Something that didn't even seem to belong to this plane of existence.

Han Xinrou felt a chill run down her spine. That wasn't part of the spear's explosion. That was something that shouldn't be there.

Han Xinrou didn't know what it was, but she had the feeling that even the slightest movement in the presence of that sword could kill her.

Even in a higher dimension, Han Xinrou still felt danger, as if she wasn't yet safe from the sword. As if she could still die at any moment.

Han Xinrou instinctively took a step back, tightly embracing Yu Yui's unconscious body. Her gaze was locked on the black sword — a blade that seemed not to cut flesh, but reality itself. It didn't emit any visible pressure, but precisely because of that, it was even more terrifying. It was as if the very concept of "existence" was denied before that sword.

She pressed her lips together. Using her gift — the All-Seeing Eye — all she saw was an infinite void. Thoughts of escape immediately surged in her mind.

Escape… But… to where?

The universe below had been obliterated. The higher dimension where she now was might be stable, but it was far too fragile to contain something of that level. The sword's presence wasn't just physical, but also spiritual, temporal, and conceptual. It wasn't something that was there — it was the there. The sword had become the new center of everything.

Han Xinrou felt her breath catch in her throat. It was as if the universe were being rewritten around that blade. A new axis had been established — and everything that existed now revolved around it. Her intuition, sharpened by countless battles and the divine gift of the All-Seeing Eye, told her only one thing: the sword didn't belong to the universe, but now, the universe belonged to it.

She swallowed hard.

Gods, immortals, cultivators, realms and dimensions — none of that mattered anymore in that moment. It was as if every concept that formed the foundation of reality was beneath the existence of that blade.

Yu Yui, still unconscious, trembled slightly in Han Xinrou's arms. Not because of the environment, but due to the intense pain her soul endured as the chaotic energy still tried to escape her body. Han Xinrou wrapped her in a silent barrier, instinctively protecting her — a gesture not just of precaution, but of possessiveness. Not for Yu Yui, but for the last remnants of Han Ling within her — the only chance to bring him back.

"Sweetie…" Han Xinrou whispered, looking down at the non-existent remains of the world. Her voice trembled, but not out of fear — rather, from rage.

Everything she had done, her plans, her massacres, her thefts. It was all for the sake of having Han Ling for all eternity. And yet, all of it had come to a sudden end.

Her only hope was to revive Han Ling and find another universe to live in. But she didn't even know if she would survive this situation, because she was sure that if she used her powers — she would die.

Yu Yui awoke in Han Xinrou's arms at that moment. For some reason, the chaotic energy inside her body became static. As if an even more absurd force had imposed silence on the chaos.

Yu Yui slowly opened her eyes, her red irises briefly flaring like lit embers — only to be immediately extinguished, overshadowed by the presence of the sword that now ruled everything around them. She nestled closer into Han Xinrou's arms, like a child seeking protection, then murmured in a weak voice:

"What is that?"

Han Xinrou didn't respond immediately. She just kept her eyes fixed on the sword, her fingers digging into Yu Yui's shoulders in an unconscious grip. But then, something unexpected happened.

The sword seemed to awaken and move.

Not toward them, not even physically — but the concept of its focus shifted. A moment before, it was the center of the universe. In the next instant… it turned toward Yu Yui.

"No…!" Han Xinrou stepped back, instantly forming seven layers of dimensional barriers around them both. It was useless, and she knew it. But the instinct to protect Han Ling — or rather, the remnants of him inside Yu Yui — was stronger.