Cultivators... a distinct path to power, separate from unlocking the genetic lock. Based on available clues, the progenitor of cultivation must have been one of the Sages. Though no Sages have emerged since, the sheer destructive power of cultivation was enough to wage devastating primordial wars against the other Sages, forcing them to cease hostilities—a testament to cultivation's unimaginable might.

If the growth of a Sage is about unlocking internal power and drawing upon the universe's might, then cultivation resembles science more closely: utilizing rune technology to forge incredibly powerful magical artifacts, employing rune technology to temper the self, reaching a level comparable to the Sages. In essence, the greatest power of cultivation techniques lies in their initial knowledge—Rune Technology! That is their true core.

Currently, the two representative figures of cultivation present different aspects. Luo Yinglong possesses only the cultivation methods for tempering the self, yet his foundation is supremely orthodox, derived from ancient texts obtained within the Cycle World—a treasure outsiders could never acquire. The other cultivator not only has self-tempering techniques but also weapons forged by the clone Chu Xuan using technology to replace rune technology. However, his acquisitions are less orthodox; his techniques are incomplete, and his weapons imperfect. Even so, their clash reduced the surrounding tens of miles to dust, akin to a nuclear detonation.

The man riding the sword then utilized a mysterious artifact to summon the power of the Heavenly Dao, managing to blast the unprepared Luo Yinglong deep into the earth.

Following this, he merged with the Heavenly Dao's thunder, attacking Luo Yinglong ceaselessly in an act resembling self-destruction. When the assault finally ceased, a colossal impact crater, thousands of meters long and immeasurably deep, scarred the ground. Astonishingly, the man riding the sword was still alive, though hovering in the air with a ghastly pale complexion.

He looked close to death.

(The True Essence consumption is too great; it has drained my life force and the Light of the Soul along with it. I have only a few minutes left... Chu Xuan was correct. This Heavenly Dao Thunder is infinitely potent. I could only manifest one percent of its power; if I had already ascended to Immortality, perhaps this single strike could ripple a continent. Truly a top-tier cultivation weapon comparable to the Demon Cannon... Luo Yinglong must be dead? Then my little sister's life can be...)

"...We are all merely chess pieces, why bother? Why endure this?" A profound voice resonated within the mind of the sword-riding man. It was unclear where the sound originated. As the voice faded, a streak of green light shot out from the deep crater like lightning, stopping motionlessly before the sword-riding man. This green light was a flying sword, upon which Luo Yinglong stood, unharmed.

Not entirely unharmed—Luo Yinglong's clothing was almost entirely shredded, and the several flags protecting him had cracked. Beyond that, he appeared significantly better off than the sword-riding man. What was strange, however, were his eyes, which held a vacant, ethereal quality. It wasn't the dullness of one who had unlocked a genetic lock; rather, it was as if the myriad worlds existed within them, unfathomable and boundless. His expression was more severe than ever, devoid of his usual mocking demeanor.

"Forget it. Since I’ve shown my power, he must already know. Why pretend to be weak any longer?" Luo Yinglong sighed. He suddenly rubbed his palms together, releasing a thousand streaks of green light, each a razor-sharp sword qi. Within seconds, a thousand-meter radius was enveloped in this light. Rock and steel alike were sliced into powder before it. The sword-riding man didn't even have time to utter a sound before he vanished, reduced to ash.

(Damn it, I am too heavily wounded from this battle; even my natal magical artifact is damaged. I can no longer deploy the Grand-Heavens Divine Fiend Array. Although I knew I would die in this final confrontation, relying on Zheng Zha's protagonist luck to revive among the Central Team, and then joining forces with Zheng Zha and the others to fight him, perhaps I could escape and become the puppet master... I thought that by refining the Grand-Heavens Divine Fiend Natal Flag, I could forcibly pass this calamity using supernatural power. Who knew that divine power ultimately yields to destiny? Before I could even settle my score with my nemesis, Luo Gandao, my natal flag was shattered here. Alas, it seems I must die this time...)

A thousand thoughts raced through Luo Yinglong's mind. After a long while, he finally contemplated his impending deathly tribulation, feeling a pang of anxiety. Zheng Zha's protagonist luck still had potential twists; with two Zheng Zhas, the title of protagonist was not set in stone. While this final battle wasn't the absolute final battle, it was pivotal in determining the protagonist status. If his choice was flawed and the clone Zheng Zha became the protagonist, his resurrection would become an illusion. Thus, the best course was to survive. With his greatest reliance, the Grand-Heavens Divine Fiend Flag, broken, who knew how he would face the death tribulation?

(Alas, if only the Eight Trigrams Formation Chart were still here. If I could activate the Doushuai Eight Trigrams Furnace, its power would rival the Grand-Heavens Divine Fiend Array. Furthermore, using the Vermilion Bird True Fire from the Eight Trigrams Array to incinerate that EVA might be even more effective than summoning the Grand-Heavens Divine Fiends. Sigh, I wonder if Zheng Zha still has the Eight Trigrams Formation Chart flag intact?)

Luo Yinglong was unaware that Zheng Zha’s eight flags had long been used up in the experiment to achieve True Essence. It is said that cultivating the Dao to Immortality is easy, but cultivating without the Dao is difficult as ascending heaven. Zheng Zha, lacking cultivation techniques or the requisite constitution, achieved True Essence only through Chu Xuan’s assistance, with those eight small flags playing an indispensable role.

Linley (Forget it, forget it. There is still one karmic thread unfinished. Although I calculated that she was certainly doomed... but since Adam has successfully completed his integration, why would he still lose? Fine, if Adam does not die, he will never be at ease, and perhaps our world will be instantly destroyed. Moreover, if Adam survives, the souls he absorbed cannot be revived. All things considered, it is better this way... I will go see Adam first, resolve this karmic thread, and then fight with all my might.)

Luo Yinglong sighed deeply again, then looked towards a certain direction. He mounted his flying sword and sped off. As Luo Yinglong fully displayed his strength, far away, Adam was being devoured by Luo Gandao. The surviving members of the Central Team also began moving towards the direction where the rope had flown. In the battlefield after the great fight, only the EVA, enveloped in a ball of light, remained.

"Awooo!" The EVA, originally a biomechanical lifeform with an external mechanical shell, stood dozens of meters tall. Its external mechanical casing had mostly broken away; save for a few joints or critical areas, its entire body was now saturated with purple muscle tissue. The more than ten pairs of light wings on its back had extended to lengths of thirty to forty meters.

(Where is this? I remember merging with the EVA, planning to fight Luo Yinglong and those people from the Central Team. Did I kill them? Or did they flee?) Luo Gandao moved his limbs, seemingly not yet fully awake from the confusion. He looked around, finding the surroundings utterly ruined, as if subjected to a brutal battle. This scene did not appear to be the work of his EVA.

(How strange. Who did I fight? Did I deplete my Light of the Soul, causing me to separate from the EVA and awaken? Did the opponent fail to kill me? Or did I utterly destroy the opponent?) Luo Gandao was somewhat bewildered. He moved his limbs again. Only then did he realize he was suspended in mid-air, and the arms his eyes perceived were not human arms but massive purple limbs. These were clearly EVA arms, now fused into his flesh! What in the world happened?

(...This power... what is this power within me?! An endless stream of the Light of the Soul burst forth from the depths of my soul. Heavens! This power... is this the power of unlocking the Fifth Stage Genetic Lock?) Luo Gandao stared in disbelief at his hands—or rather, viewed the EVA's arms through the eyes of Evangelion Unit-01. He flicked them gently, and visible square patches of AT Field materialized on the EVA arms. With this flick, about one to two cubic meters of AT Field were thrown onto the ground. The moment the cubic AT Field touched the earth, it erupted with light as intense as the sun, then exploded thunderously, pulverizing the ground within hundreds of meters. The resulting dust cloud even completely enveloped Luo Gandao in the air until the entire EVA shot out like a purple bolt of lightning, cloaking the area above a hundred meters in rising dust.

"Hahahahaha... I can finally get my revenge! This power! With this power, I can definitely eliminate everyone in the Central Team; no one can stop me now, hahahaha, no one can stop me anymore!" Luo Gandao laughed madly. Perhaps the sudden possession of unimaginable power had sent his mental state spiraling into madness. Just as his roar subsided, the more than ten pairs of light wings behind him snapped open. Over ten cubic meters of AT Field erupted behind him. Then, powered by the explosion of the AT Field, this massive EVA moved with the speed of lightning, vanishing into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.

Luo Gandao had been in a deep slumber since absorbing Adam. This period was quite long. About half a minute after he flew away, a green lightning bolt shot in from the opposite direction—it was Luo Yinglong riding his flying sword at full speed. But he was a bit late; Adam had already been consumed, and Luo Gandao had evolved into Luo Yinglong’s true death tribulation.

(Indeed, divine power yields to destiny. I didn't expect Luo Gandao to benefit from misfortune and grow to this extent. This must also have been his calculation...) Luo Yinglong showed no haste in pursuing Luo Gandao. Instead, he halted his sword and descended to the location where Adam had been integrated. He pulled out a tortoise shell from his robes and several round tokens made of neither metal nor wood, sitting on the ground to fiddle with them.

He placed the tokens inside the tortoise shell, then began shaking it gently. Slowly, the shaking grew faster, and his expression became increasingly grave. After several minutes, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood, which splashed directly onto the tortoise shell. He slumped to the ground, unable to support himself. After a long while, he managed to stand up and took out the shell. The round tokens inside had turned to powder. As the wind blew, dust diffused around Luo Yinglong.

"It is so, this is how the integration is completed? Reducing all life forms into the most fundamental life units: amino acids, gene chains, various cells, forming a substance akin to amniotic fluid, then absorbing the life form's inherent Light of the Soul. These Lights of the Soul merge to become the unique... final life form that unlocks the Sixth Stage Genetic Lock. It is such an existence. But this final life form is incomplete, or perhaps Adam was severely injured in the initial stages of integration, requiring the absorption of vast amounts of the Light of the Soul to reintegrate. And at that moment, Luo Gandao..." Luo Yinglong muttered to himself. He gestured with one hand, and the powder shifted again, reverting into the round tokens in his palm. Only then did Luo Yinglong finally stand up straight.

(Adam being severely injured initially was coincidence. The Central Team's secret weapon later was coincidence. Luo Gandao appearing at the opportune moment was also coincidence. Had he been slightly earlier or later, he would have been absorbed by Adam. All these coincidences occurring together. The probability of this happening can only be described as a miracle... But there are no miracles in this world. Everything that happened could only be the action of a single will. He... he was too afraid of Adam's Sixth Stage Genetic Lock. Too afraid Adam would break through the boundaries of this universe, so...) Luo Yinglong took a breath, a hypothesis suddenly forming in his mind.

(Could it be... that while he is the unique supreme existence in our world, he is merely a weakling in the world he inhabits?) But dwelling on such thoughts was useless now. Luo Yinglong had already lingered here too long. He didn't know if Luo Gandao had already reached the site where Zheng Zha and the clone Zheng Zha were fighting. That battle would determine the existence of the protagonist's luck and absolutely could not be disturbed by outsiders. Although he couldn't be certain if Luo Gandao currently possessed the strength to deal with Zheng Zha and the clone Zheng Zha, he dared not risk Luo Gandao interfering with his only chance of survival. Therefore, no matter what, he had to stop this harbinger of disaster.

The entire final battle had reached its white-hot climax. The engagements of every faction had either commenced or concluded. For example, the Angel Alliance, one of the three decisive powers, was utterly annihilated; the incomplete activation of Adam’s integration plan had failed; and the entity that became the final life form had been devoured. All these shifts were enough to alter the outcome... Of course, the true decider remained the fateful duel between those two individuals.

"...Finally, we meet again!" Time rolled back to the moment Zheng Zha and his clone faced each other. The clone Zheng Zha had been guarding the entrance to the underground laboratory valley, not only sealing the entire valley mouth with his Black Flame but also locking down the entire small mountain where he stood. Ordinary people could never approach this area. Not until Zheng Zha flew in and struck with might, actually cleaving the boundless Black Flame completely in two. The clone Zheng Zha released no more flames, instead watching calmly as Zheng Zha walked before him. The two faced each other directly.

"It's been a long time; you finally caught up to my pace... Before, I believed no one could ever catch me. I never expected the first to do so would be myself, whom I once killed..." Clone Zheng Zha sat on a massive rock, watching Zheng Zha as he spoke.

"No, not catching up... I was always chasing your steps. I thought that as long as I surpassed your power, I wouldn't lose anything again. But I was wrong, completely wrong... Power isn't everything to me. I only need power sufficient to protect my beliefs. I don't need to follow your path, because what determines whether I can defeat you isn't the height of our power... but whether I possess the belief to guard!" Zheng Zha said steadily, gripping the Tiger Soul Blade.

He paused, then continued, "The closer I get to you, the more I feel your strength. The gap between us remains immense. Perhaps it has narrowed significantly since Biohazard 2, but I still have to look up to you... But this is no reason for me to lose! I have no reason to lose to you! I have people I must protect, and we agreed to lead the Central Team to the pinnacle of the Cycle World! I cannot lose; I have no right to lose! Clone of mine, fight!"

The clone Zheng Zha watched him closely until he finished speaking. He then shook his head and sighed toward the sky. "I thought we were the same person. After experiencing total annihilation once, you would become as strong as me. Who knew... you would walk down a path completely opposite to mine? Forget all that! Feelings, beliefs, protection—those are merely excuses for the weak. They are just ways to mask one's own narrow scope. Come, let me show you what true power is!" As his voice fell, the clone Zheng Zha leaped from the giant rock. The enormous black flame longsword swept down from the air.

With a crisp clang, the Black Flame Longsword collided heavily with the Tiger Soul Blade. However, the result was surprising: Clone Zheng Zha, utilizing the downward force, was actually shoved back by the unmoving Zheng Zha’s single strike. In terms of sheer strength, Zheng Zha was far superior to his clone.

"Use your Black Flame. In terms of raw power, ten of you are no match for me. After all, our paths to strengthening are different; mine is only power," Zheng Zha stated, not pursuing the attack. He shook the Tiger Soul Blade, and a layer of black flame instantly ignited on the cold edge, burning away into nothingness as he flicked it.

The thrown-back clone Zheng Zha spread his muscular wings, hovering in mid-air. He said nothing but silently looked up at the sky. When he looked down again, the black flames surrounding him surged violently, encircling his body within a two-meter radius. This black flame seemed to possess life, hovering obediently around his body and giant sword, neither flying away nor drawing closer, more compliant than a pet.

"This is my Light of the Soul, the Malice Flame—the embodiment of the hatred, brutality, weakness, and all negative consciousness within my heart. Want to see my true power? Then survive and keep fighting me!" Clone Zheng Zha beckoned with one hand, and a black flame ribbon, like a bolt of silk, swept straight toward Zheng Zha. Zheng Zha dared not be careless. He held the Tiger Soul Blade with both hands, already channeling the Instant Annihilation state upon them. He brought the blade down with immense force, enough to cleave a small mountain in half. But when the Tiger Soul Blade met the black flame ribbon, it sank in as if striking cotton, offering no resistance. Unlike the previous time when he easily cut through the wall of flames, this time the flame seemed to flow along the Tiger Soul Blade toward Zheng Zha.

"Hm?" Zheng Zha flicked his wrist. A burst of blade light shimmered from the Tiger Soul Blade. After channeling True Essence into the blade's power, he didn't retract it; instead, he swept it outward. The blade light sliced through a section of the flame ribbon, and the remainder curled back toward the clone Zheng Zha as if the ribbon had never existed.

"Does your Malice Flame have a force-nullifying effect? What terrifying attributes. The force of that last strike was likely more than your physical body could withstand, yet this small section of flame could resist it..." Zheng Zha murmured in awe, but his movements didn't cease. He employed the Shave technique with his feet, instantly flashing before clone Zheng Zha. The Tiger Soul Blade, carrying shimmering blade light, swept down, slicing through the outer layer of black flame like scissors meeting cloth. Beneath that layer, clone Zheng Zha raised his giant sword to meet the Tiger Soul Blade.

With another resounding clang, this time both sides locked in a struggle of equal footing. For some reason, with the boost of the black flame, the clone Zheng Zha's strength was enough to match Zheng Zha's Instant Annihilation state. Though it was only a momentary surge of power, it was immense. It seemed this flame possessed other mysterious abilities besides burning, defense, and force nullification.

(It had to be this way, otherwise, with only the power of his flames, he could never have become the strongest in the entire Samsara World; he had always been the undisputed strongest, and who knew how many profound secrets he had unlocked with these flames... True power isn't defined by the strength of the skill itself, but by the user and their method of application—this saying was proven absolutely correct. He truly deserved the title of the strongest, my copy...) From the very start, Zheng Zha entered his Explosion State. Facing a man hailed as the strongest, he was extremely cautious from the depths of his heart, daring not to let down his guard even slightly. Even in this state, his physical attributes were only comparable to the true body quality of the copied Zheng Zha when the copy wasn't using Black Flame. In fact, the copy's baseline physical quality was roughly equivalent to Zheng Zha’s Explosion State, but when the copy used Black Flame, he reached a level similar to Zheng Zha's when using the Explosion State combined with Qianlong Transformation. Moreover, wielding the greatsword gave him power capable of contending with the Annihilation State, leading to a temporary stalemate between the two.

Although it appeared the two were locked in a back-and-forth struggle, an even match, Zheng Zha was secretly finding it difficult. After all, he was the one pressing the attack, constantly relying on the Annihilation State alongside various combat techniques—such as Shave and Moon Walk—just to maintain parity. Furthermore, that Black Flame was truly formidable. While it seemed no flame touched him, that was only because he was continuously using his True Essence Power and Demonic Energy, mingling them around his body to create a barrier against the Black Flame. The copied Zheng Zha, however, seemed to still have reserves of energy left. Although the copy was also probing his opponent and not unleashing his full might, this kind of fight was proving somewhat tedious.

"Copy of me! Come on, use everything you have, and let's decide this battle!" Zheng Zha roared, his inner strength and Vampire energy surging as he prepared to engage in true Destruction-level combat.

"No, wait, there's something still missing... Yes, you haven't reached that level yet, so you cannot sense him. Only by reaching that plane, or perhaps through sheer innate talent, can one perceive him..." The copied Zheng Zha suddenly uttered these cryptic words, leaving Zheng Zha completely baffled as to their meaning.

"Him? Who? Chu Xuan?" Zheng Zha thrust his blade out, asking casually in an opening.

"You can call him the beginning, and also the end; you can call him creation, or destruction; you can say he is the creator, or the author... The name I use for him is the Beacon... the controller of our future."

The copied Zheng Zha murmured these words, closed his eyes, and then fell silent completely.

(How tedious. This other version of me utterly lacks the capacity to shoulder a weighty responsibility. The protagonist, the protagonist, is it just protagonist's luck? An opponent who could be wiped out with a mere turn of the hand. To watch him enjoy all that I have lost, slowly decaying in that so-called 'happiness'? How uninteresting...) The copied Zheng Zha let out a breath, then tilted his head back to look at the sky. The Black Flame around him surged increasingly violently, slowly enveloping the entire area spanning several tens of meters where they fought. This place had completely transformed into the domain of the Black Flame... Leaping to