"The hidden threats have all been eliminated!"
Contrary to what outsiders might have guessed, Lin Lei was in an exceptionally good mood upon returning to the Great Serpent Castle.
After eliminating the Twisted Shadow, he felt his Original Sin True Spirit had grown purer, and he could even faintly sense himself touching the threshold of space-time.
This was not merely the enhancement gained from devouring three peak combatants — it was also the spiritual transcendence that came from removing a hidden danger.
"My core forces suffered no losses, and while the Mother of the Earth's Core has been severely wounded and will need time to recover, it could be considered a blessing in disguise..."
Lin Lei stroked his chin.
The Mother of the Earth's Core had been nothing short of frenzied in this battle. To bring down the Earth Mother Goddess, she had given nearly everything she possessed, suffering tremendous damage to her very essence. Only with Lin Lei's help had she finally succeeded in slaying her opponent and devouring Shantiya's Earth Divine Power.
But for the Mother of the Earth's Core, this was an absolutely worthwhile exchange. Once she healed her wounds, she would be able to advance even further and perhaps even attempt to draw upon the power of space-time.
"My true plan... should begin now!"
Lin Lei sighed, then took a single step forward.
Across from the Swamp
At that moment, accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, Lin Lei's Nightmare Hydra avatar plunged headlong into the Nether River without the slightest hesitation — like some colossal leviathan of the deep — sending towering waves crashing in all directions. The corrosive and bewitching properties of the Nether River's waters seemed to have absolutely no effect upon the Nightmare Hydra.
CRASH!
Amidst the surging spray, Lin Lei broke straight through the Nether River's defenses and arrived in a region that bore a striking resemblance to the Netherworld itself.
"The Lord of Original Sin!"
A powerful deity wreathed in the divine power of
This was Kelenvo, the God of Death — Lin Lei's principal adversary in this sector.
But the Death God's shock was no pretense. In his view, even though the Wizards had achieved a major victory, they had also suffered considerable losses — Lin Lei in particular. Rumor held that he had shielded the Mother of the Earth's Core from the Earth Mother Goddess's final, desperate strike; otherwise, the two peak existences of the Path of Earth would have perished together, with no other outcome possible.
Yet now, his opponent appeared to have returned to peak condition, without the faintest hint of weakness.
"Die!"
The Nightmare Hydra shrieked as a streak of silvery light shot from the Nightmare Eye that had swallowed the serpent head, trailing a dreamlike glow.
"Aargh… you won't get away with this!"
Kelenvo still tried to cling to life, but before he could, a layer of shadow instantly surfaced across his body. The shadow bore the same face as Kelenvo's, yet it was drenched in pride and envy: "Heh heh heh… the aloof God of Death. So all along you've been jealous of
This was the Seed of Original Sin that Lin Lei had planted inside Kelenvo through the Power of Emotions — much the same way the Shadow of Twisted Fate had once dealt with
*Boom!* The silvery arrow forged from the
Lin Lei closed his eyes briefly, savoring the way the Seven Deadly Sins greedily devoured the god's death energy. For him, this kind of rule-power was an enormous supplement.
Lin Lei had always been stronger than Kelenvo. He had merely held back to conceal his true strength, toying with the Death God for a while. Now that he grew serious, this Greater Deity turned out not to be a match for even a single exchange!
"The Seven Deadly Sins carry the attribute of
Lin Lei gazed at the spot where Kelenvo had stood, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Unfortunately, Kelenvo had now been erased from the Spacetime Coordinates by Lin Lei, every trace of his existence obliterated. Short of a Ninth-Cycle Wizard's intervention, there was no longer any possibility of resurrection.
*Hissss…* The Nightmare Hydra reared its heads and bellowed to the sky, spewing torrents of floodwater, venom, flame, and lightning from each maw…
Destructive rule-power rained down, delivering devastating blows to the army of Death
Once everything had nearly reverted to primordial emptiness, the figure of an unassuming old man dressed in linen suddenly materialized from the void.
He simply stood there in the emptiness. Not the slightest aura of a powerhouse radiated from him — only a pair of eyes that appeared somewhat bright, carrying a hint of vigor.
"Jergal! I thought you might intervene to save your student's life!"
The colossal Nightmare Hydra collapsed into smoke and condensed, reverting to Lin Lei's form.
"The God of Death ultimately returns to the final end of all things — this is the law of the world!" Jergal said meaningfully.
Although most of its divine authority over death and divine power had been handed over to
"You should already know what my goal is, correct?"
With a wave of his hand, Lin Lei used the power of Original Sin to firmly seal off the area, projecting all manner of illusions. Other entities could only perceive him and Jergal locked in a prolonged standoff and battle.
"Of course. The pursuit of truth and eternity is the lifelong goal of all Wizards. Even I, as a deity, am moved by your spirit..."
Jergal smiled gently. "My long life has indeed afforded me knowledge beyond what others possess. The current location of the Supreme God and the
"Wizard! You need my help!"
Jergal regarded Lin Lei. It was clear that this ancient God of Death was not entirely devoted to the interests of the divine world — just like Lin Lei, he yearned for self-transcendence.
"Agreed!"
This was precisely Lin Lei's purpose in coming here. For the sake of his own transcendence, he had no qualms about temporarily allying with a deity.
"Very well, follow me!"
Jergal waved his hand, and a tributary of the River Styx instantly tore open, surging ever deeper toward the bowels of the earth.
Lin Lei stood upon the surging waves of the Styx without the slightest trace of fear. The various powers of enchantment and purification had absolutely no effect on his body of Original Sin, drawing several peculiar glances from Jergal beside him.
"The heart of the Land of Annihilation possesses the most impenetrable and formidable defenses in the entire Astral Plane. I have spent this much time and only managed to carve out half a passage with the Styx..."
After what could have been an eternity underground, the Styx carried Lin Lei and Jergal to a stretch of absolute void.
No other conceptual laws existed here. The turbulent currents of space and time roared continuously, carrying the power to annihilate all things.
Only the power of an Archwizard's Path could offer even a modest measure of protection.
At the very center of this void, Lin Lei could sense two wills of terrifying magnitude — both having already touched upon the laws of space and time — locked in a desperate battle to the death. It was a prolonged state of mutual consumption, with two great worlds ceaselessly feeding them power.
"I suspect... once the Final War concludes, the victor will be able to directly devour the loser and ascend to the true Ninth Tier..."
In Lin Lei's estimation, both the Will of the Gods and the Will of the Wizards were very likely at a half-step Ninth Tier state. Only by completely devouring the other could either ascend to the true Ninth Tier — this was what the prophecy's recurring mention of "eternity" truly meant.
"Although we could receive blessings by assisting the other's ascension, another's charity can never compare to claiming it for oneself..."
Yageth's face held a look of wonder as well: "The primordial power from the fusion of two great worlds will inevitably be seized by that Ninth Tier Wizard — there will be nothing left for us. Eternity remains nothing more than an unattainable dream..."
"What do you propose?" Lin Lei asked woodenly.
"You and I form an alliance, each of us draining the strength of the Wizards and the Gods, keeping the war deadlocked — one thousand years, ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, a million years... continuously weakening the two great Wills until, at last, each of us devours one side's World Will!!!"
Yageth's face was suffused with madness as he brazenly laid out this plan.
In his view, Lin Lei had no other viable option.
Right now, he and Lin Lei were each the strongest within their respective camps. As long as they joined forces, prolonging the Final War for tens of millions of years would be child's play.
Once they had eliminated all competitors, the two great Wills would inevitably have exhausted each other to a state of extreme weakness — and then they could attempt to devour the other, seizing the path to eternity.
"A fine plan, with a very real chance of success..."
Lin Lei clapped his hands, looking at Yageth before him. "But two shattered great worlds and World Wills weakened to the point of ruin — would that truly be enough to support our ascension?"
"Then do you have a better idea?"
Wariness surfaced on Yageth's face, and dark death energy — thick and profound — swirled around him in a form even mightier than Clavol's, coalescing into numerous black skull-shaped barriers.
"Those two World Wills are already weakened enough! Devour them, and that will be sufficient to ascend to the Ninth Tier!"
Lin Lei threw his head back and laughed. The Seven Deadly Sins in his hand abruptly transformed into the Cross Sword and slashed downward.
Boom!
A black Necronomicon materialized in Yageth's grasp, its twisted scripture seemingly recording the end and death of all things — and it, too, had transcended the rank of divine artifact.
"I knew our cooperation was bound to break down, but I did not expect it to happen now..."
Yageth sighed slowly.
"Your ambition is too small, Yageth!!! Tens of thousands of years of lying dormant have stripped you of the most essential quality — your sharp and unyielding spirit!"
Lin Lei roared, and behind him, the Death's Head of his Hydra ally fixed its gaze upon Yageth, as though it had locked onto the most delectable prey of all...