The ruins of the Immortal World shone with dazzling light as, in the rest of the 1,080,000 worlds, the Mortal Renegade’s Dao clones suffered defeat after defeat. In fact, in many of the ruins, Bai Xiaochun’s Dao clones were sending out enough light to drive away the darkness!
Because of the varying levels of light in different areas, it was no longer possible to assess the struggle between Bai Xiaochun and the Mortal Renegade merely by counting how many sets of ruins had been occupied by whom. However, if one could look down on the starry sky from an enormously high vantage point, they would see… brightness overtaking darkness in numerous locations!
Although the locations of the light were scattered randomly, the percent of the whole that was filled with light was now close to seventy!
The whole starry sky seemed to be lighting up, with life force growing more abundant. Furthermore, because the ruins of the Immortal World had been lit up by Bai Xiaochun’s true self, who possessed some of the qi flow of that world, it ensured that those ruins shone especially brightly.
Although Bai Xiaochun’s aura was rising rapidly, he felt little emotion. He had slipped into a strange state in which that mysterious energy was growing more and more clear.
“It’s… the Essence of all living things… from the Eternal World!” Eventually, Bai Xiaochun realized that in addition to his Dao clones, the 1,080,000 worlds in the starry sky also had innumerable skeletons, which also contained some of that energy.
It was the same even in that enormous river of coffins out in the starry sky.
“It’s… the ultimate source… of the Eternal World!” Even the ruins themselves actually contained some of that energy, as did the countless particles of dust in the starry sky.
“It’s… the source of the Eternal Flower itself!” At this point, he could sense that, as the Eternal Immortal Domains floated through the starry sky, all of his friends and relatives there were on their knees, praying.
At the same time, the mysterious energy was even more prevalent there. In fact, within the starry sky, there were two locations where it was strongest. The first was in the ruins of the Immortal World, and the second was in the Eternal Immortal Domains!
Apparently, as nirvanic extermination had been brought to the countless races of living beings in the starry sky, that mysterious energy had begun to pour into the Eternal Immortal Domains.
And as the ruins of the Immortal World grew bright, Bai Xiaochun began to gain enlightenment. Now he understood.
“It’s Essence,” he murmured to himself. “It’s… the Essence of the Eternal!!
“The Eternal Flower was born out of the Essence of the Eternal. That’s why that legend existed to begin with, that by consuming the Eternal Flower, one could step into the Eternal Realm…. And thus, the Mortal Renegade’s Dao was to bring nirvanic extermination to everything in existence. It was how his Dao came to be to begin with. And destroying everything was the only way to make sure the Eternal Flower had enough of the Essence of the Eternal!
“That method to become Eternal is correct, but at the same time, incorrect…. Consuming the Eternal Flower won't put you in the Eternal Realm. Instead… it enables you to unrightfully absorb the Essence of the Eternal!
“That is the Mortal Renegade’s final Dao!!”
As he gained enlightenment of these matters, the mysterious Essence of the Eternal grew more clear…. But then, his eyelid twitched, and his trance was interrupted by the sensation of a powerful force of destruction rising up from within his Waterswamp Kingdom!
Almost as soon as he sensed it, a rift opened up above the ruins of the Immortal World, and a voice spoke that boomed like heavenly thunder.
“I’ve heard that your name is Bai Xiaochun!” It was like a growl of utter madness that echoed out from within the rift that had just opened up.
In response, the starry sky twisted and distorted, and black smoke poured out, pulsing with frigid coldness that seemed capable of sealing anything it touched.
Then, an incomparably shocking battleship began to emerge from the rift, pulsing with an insane, domineering air, and momentum to crush anything in its path!
As the battleship slowly emerged from the rift, the rift itself began to shatter and crumble.
Standing at the prow of the ship was a man with flowing black hair, whose eyes glowed with black light. He seemed like the most supreme being in all of heaven and earth, in all of the starry sky. He was… the Mortal Renegade, Devil Imperator!
Chaotic fluctuations rolled off him, making the starry sky in the area twitch and seize. And on his forehead, there was a sigil, a mark that almost looked like… a wound!!
And yet, that was nothing compared to the most shocking aspect of the scene: there was no corpse on the ship! Instead, an illusory figure could be seen behind the Mortal Renegade, standing tall and straight.
It was an old man in a gray robe, whose forehead had a wound just like the Mortal Renegade’s!
As soon as that old man became visible, a boundless air of nirvanic extermination appeared!
Bai Xiaochun slowly looked up at the descending Mortal Renegade, and took note of the illusory old man standing behind him. From what he could tell, the Mortal Renegade was stronger than before, both in terms of his cultivation base and his battle spirit. However, it was also obvious… that he had been wounded while in the world of the Waterswamp Kingdom!!
It was not a physical wound, but a wound to his soul, and to his Essence…. And that wound was made manifest by the mark on his forehead!
Bai Xiaochun rose to his feet and spoke, his voice echoing out, causing the starry sky to tremble and shake!
“That’s right, I'm Bai Xiaochun. But what about you…? Are you the Mortal Renegade? Or are you from the outside world, the so-called… Holy Extermination?!?!”
It was almost as if he had formed a resonance with the starry sky itself, which caused his voice to speak from all of the 1,080,000 worlds that existed there!
From the dark gleam in the Mortal Renegade’s eyes, it was possible to not only see how he was weakened by the repeated exchanges earlier, but also that he was coming to realize how difficult Bai Xiaochun was to deal with. Even worse, Bai Xiaochun had clearly experienced a breakthrough of some sort. It was in that moment that the Mortal Renegade felt something he had never experienced after becoming a sovereign: fear!
Their eyes met, and they looked at each other for a moment without exchanging any further words. Then, the rift completely fell apart as the battleship appeared fully in the open!
At that point, the Mortal Renegade reached out and waved his hand!
As he did, the light which had begun to overtake the 1,080,000 worlds suddenly shrank back. And then, the darkness that filled more than thirty percent of the starry sky suddenly erupted with a frigid qi.
The light shining off of Bai Xiaochun’s Dao clones could do nothing to the frozen thirty percent of the starry sky as the Mortal Renegade’s Dao clones suddenly collapsed into black smoke that disappeared into the various ruins of the 1,080,000 worlds.
When they reappeared… they were streaming toward the Mortal Renegade!
As the black smoke fused back into him, and he recollected the Dao clones he had sent out, he began to grow larger and larger. In a very short time… he was the same enormous giant that he had been when he loomed over the Eternal Flower!
Bai Xiaochun’s eyes glittered upon the realization that this would be the final battle between himself and the Mortal Renegade. Taking a deep breath, he sent his divine sense out into the 1,080,000 worlds, and called back his Dao clones as well!
Instantly, they all transformed into dandelion seeds, which swirled back to him, entering his body, and simultaneously causing him to grow larger and larger!
Rumbling sounds echoed out as, from a distance, it was possible to see two enormous giants standing there, dwarfing the Immortal World, large enough to hold up the starry sky itself. The time had come… to fight!!