"Yes, a profoundly deep memory... That blow almost utterly destroyed me, but thankfully, I have many trustworthy companions. Relying on their strength, I finally arrived at this point! My clone, today is the day we settle everything!" Clang! With a loud crash, Zheng Zha's Hu Po Blade collided with the giant black-flame greatsword. The immense force transformed into a shockwave that lashed out in all directions. The ground between the two instantly cracked, and even the black flames surrounding the clone Zheng Zha trembled violently.

Zheng Zha had completely entered the Latent Dragon Transformation state. His physical attributes surged, and he simultaneously unleashed his true Destruction state. His speed and power far exceeded normal human imagination; even a casual strike carried devastating might, easily capable of cleaving small mountains. After colliding swords with the clone Zheng Zha.

He did not retreat; instead, he immediately raised his blade and powerfully slashed down again onto the edge of the black-flame greatsword. The interval between the two strikes was definitely less than 0.1 seconds. Instantly, the two forces merged, generating an even greater recoil force that shoved the clone Zheng Zha back over a hundred meters.

"You won't escape!" Zheng Zha roared, stomping hard on the ground.

As the ground exploded beneath his foot, he flashed instantly above the clone Zheng Zha's head, driving the Hu Po Blade downward with crushing force.

With this kind of speed and power, no matter how fast the clone Zheng Zha reacted, he could not possibly defend as easily as before, Zheng Zha thought.

He immediately increased the force in his hands by several more points.

But just as the Hu Po Blade was about to strike the clone Zheng Zha.

Another collision sounded. The black greatsword had once again blocked the path directly above the clone Zheng Zha. The two weapons crashed together again, and the force transmitted through the sword was no less than Zheng Zha’s Destruction-level power. Under this crushing collision force, Zheng Zha could only be reluctantly pushed back, temporarily having no energy left to press the attack on the clone Zheng Zha.

The clone Zheng Zha’s expression remained unchanged, as if what had just happened was trivial. Wielding the black greatsword, he sneered, "Did you think the title of the strongest was so easily attained? If you wish to claim that title from my hands, unless you are prepared to sacrifice your life, you’d best not even think about it..." "Sacrifice my life?" Zheng Zha roared, "I accepted that fate long ago. Forget sacrificing my life; even if I am utterly annihilated after this battle, I will never be defeated by you again... I promised my companions. We must stand at the absolute apex of the entire Reincarnation World, the Middle Continent Team. We must become the strongest; they have already paid too much for this. That is why I must win!"

"...Is it those ropes in your hand? How foolish..." The clone Zheng Zha continued to sneer, pointing at the ropes on Zheng Zha’s left hand. Judging by their number, almost all members of the Middle Continent Team were accounted for; only two or three ropes remained in the hands of the living. The clone Zheng Zha pointed at the ropes and said, "A swarm of insignificant ants, even staking their lives, cannot contend with humanity. Is this how you lead your companions to madness, Captain? You... are truly childish."

"Shut up!" Zheng Zha flashed again violently, hacking furiously at the clone Zheng Zha with the Hu Po Blade. Each strike brought forth a violent clang, each one causing the ground to shatter. The power level of both sides had reached a superhuman degree.

"Do not insult my companions! They are the best comrades, the best partners! They fought alongside me without complaint, even unto death... Perhaps they weren't the strongest members, perhaps they all had their own pasts and their own spiritual flaws, but every one of them was a powerhouse striving to realize their convictions step by step! Unlike you, one who possesses strength but whose mentality is utterly weak. Besides the hatred rooted in memory... what else remains of you?" Zheng Zha unleashed several frantic strikes, each one forcing the clone Zheng Zha back a large step. Yet, what struck Zheng Zha as strange was that no matter how fast he attacked from any direction, the black greatsword always blocked him. Even if the clone Zheng Zha didn't turn his head, strikes aimed at his back were also intercepted. This situation utterly baffled Zheng Zha. Could the clone Zheng Zha’s reflexes truly match the Latent Dragon Transformation combined with the true Destruction State?

(What kind of monster is he? Not only does he possess the infinitely powerful Li Yan, but his physical constitution rivals my Destruction State. Could such a near-perfect being truly exist?) As Zheng Zha’s words faded, the clone Zheng Zha shuddered violently, and even the boundless black flames paused for a moment. Then, centered on the clone Zheng Zha, an indescribably tyrannical aura erupted. The clone Zheng Zha’s eyes suddenly turned blood-red.

"You deserve death, my true self; you understand nothing of pain!" "Li Yan, Tornado Sky!" the clone Zheng Zha stated coldly. Then, with a wave of his hand, the boundless black flames surrounding his body rapidly condensed, forming a black-flame tornado over thirty meters high and ten meters wide. The flames seemed to have coalesced into matter, so utterly black that light could not penetrate it.

This massive black-flame tornado swirled toward Zheng Zha with a rushing sound.

Zheng Zha showed no fear. Watching the black-flame tornado approach, he merely remarked, "Are you angry because you’re losing face? What is pain... Was the pain you inflicted upon me in Resident Evil 2 insufficient?" As he spoke, Zheng Zha moved his feet and utilized Shave, his body flashing away at a speed barely visible to the naked eye. Seeing how slow the movement speed of the black-flame tornado was, no matter how immense its power, if it couldn't touch him, its might was useless.

However, after Zheng Zha had moved only a few meters away, a greatsword burning with black flame materialized, blocking his path. It appeared incredibly suddenly, and he had no idea when it had positioned itself there. Zheng Zha was currently in the Destruction State; his speed, power, and reaction time far surpassed human limits. Moreover, being a seasoned veteran, his spirit was steadfast, unwavering even in the face of deadly peril. Even being intercepted at the speed of Shave, he did not panic. Stomping hard, he caused the ground to explode, using the force to flash backward.

But Zheng Zha had barely retreated a few meters when an intensely hot surge struck from behind him. He didn't need to turn around; by instinct, he knew it was a massive black-flame greatsword. In front of him, and behind him—two black-flame greatswords had appeared simultaneously.

Instinctively, he looked toward the clone Zheng Zha.

He saw that the clone Zheng Zha still held one black-flame greatsword, and what puzzled him most was... the clone Zheng Zha’s eyes weren't focused on him, but rather on the spot where he had been standing just before using Shave.

(I understand now. So that’s how it is... Li Yan, terrifying Li Yan...) Zheng Zha’s mind cleared. With his immense battle experience, his combat intuition was profoundly deep, arguably not inferior even to the clone Zheng Zha. In this exchange, especially when the two black-flame greatswords appeared, he instantly grasped the mystery of the clone Zheng Zha's Li Yan. This Li Yan was far more wondrous than he had imagined.

It happened in an instant. Zheng Zha’s two evasions and retreats, met by the interception of the black-flame greatswords, all occurred in the blink of an eye—less than the time it takes to draw a breath. Yet, five greatswords now filled the arena, blocking Zheng Zha from the left, right, front, and back, above and below—five directions. No matter how great Zheng Zha’s strength, he could not shatter these swords; no matter how fast his speed, he could not evade them. It was as if the greatswords possessed prescience, anticipating his intentions every time, forcing him back into the center of the field until the black-flame tornado reached him, finally engulfing Zheng Zha.

The black-flame tornado violently consumed Zheng Zha, instantly lifting him off the ground and spinning wildly, like a drill bit rotating frantically in mid-air. While unleashing astonishing tensile forces, the black-flame tornado also compressed increasingly terrifying heat, heat so extreme it was comparable to the surface temperature of the sun. As this black-flame tornado spun, everything within several thousand meters centered on the ten-plus-meter-wide vortex began to melt and soften. The ground closest to it had already turned into glowing red magma.

Even the protection of the Ten Directions Reincarnation Array was insufficient; the clone Zheng Zha’s power was simply too terrifying. Even this reinforced ground could not endure it... It seemed that this massive cylindrical battlefield, hundreds of meters high, was destined to collapse eventually... It was only a second or two after Zheng Zha was sucked into the black-flame tornado, but he felt his body being torn apart by a crushing weight. No matter how solid his Latent Dragon Transformed physique was, under such colossal force, he would eventually be ripped in two. Even more terrifying was the indescribable, horrific high temperature emanating from the black-flame tornado. In just one or two seconds, blisters and burns appeared on his body. This was his body in the Latent Dragon Transformation state, where even a direct hit from a cannonball would only cause pain, not injury. Yet here, in the black-flame tornado, in just a couple of seconds, he was already burned. If it were anyone else, they would have turned to ash long before getting close? Without a second thought, crimson, blood-like flames erupted from Zheng Zha's body. These flames were not a materialized form of the Light of the Heart but merely a skill from the Blood Clan. However, it possessed a peculiar effect: the ability to resist extreme high temperatures—a fact he had tested during Resident Evil 2. Only, the black flames back then were clearly not as potent as they were now, capable of melting gold and burning earth, dissolving all things.

As expected, the blood-red flames only lasted for two seconds before being completely consumed and assimilated by the black flames. It was strange—how could fire be burned? But that was the reality. The black flames genuinely incinerated and assimilated the blood-red blaze. Perhaps this was the true Fire of Destruction, the fire that consumes all.

Seeing the blood-red flames breached, Zheng Zha dared not hesitate further. He channeled the True Essence Power and Demonic Power within his body to his skin's surface. A black stream and a white stream of energy appeared in the palms of his hands. He brought his hands together, and the black and white energies merged like a sphere.

However, the combined energy ball no longer exhibited black and white colors; instead, it was a hazy, chaotic mass. Within this chaotic sphere, countless minute energies twisted and transformed, with lightning seeming to flash incessantly.

Zheng Zha had no time for deep thought. He hurled the sphere violently toward the ground.

The sphere was about the size of an egg in Zheng Zha's hand, but the moment it left his grasp, it expanded to the size of a basketball, its volume continuing to grow. The reactions and auras within it became more intense, with black and white energies seemingly reacting violently. When the basketball-sized sphere finally contacted the ground, it reacted explosively. From chaotic haze, it shifted to black and white, then exploded into a dazzling spectrum of countless colors within the sphere, followed by a massive detonation.

Centering on the point of the sphere's explosion, shockwaves radiated outward incessantly. The ground spanning several hundred meters violently collapsed and shattered. The closer one got to the center point, the more chaotic and indistinct the scene appeared; the surrounding pulverized earth was churned into a mass by the explosion’s immense force.

It was like the dawn of creation, with earth, water, fire, and wind boiling chaotically.

The black flames constituting the black-flame tornado were indeed extraordinary. Except for the flames closest to the ground which were instantly annihilated by the sphere, the majority of the black flames were merely scattered. Along with the five shattered greatswords, they reformed into boundless black flames around the clone Zheng Zha, becoming the omnipresent mass of black fire, consuming all things, like the wrathful aspect of a Vajra Buddha filling heaven and earth.

(Phew, I’m free. But this move consumed far too much energy. Although it isn't as life-risking as the creation of the Primordial Era, the True Essence Power and Demonic Power wasted was more than ten times greater than in the Primordial Era. I’ve lost at least one-tenth of my True Essence Power and Demonic Power. I must be more cautious.) As soon as Zheng Zha broke free from the black-flame tornado, he let out a breath. The self-healing ability of the Latent Dragon Transformation body was top-tier; within a few breaths, the minor burns had almost completely healed. Simultaneously, he used Moon Walk several times, leaping away from the collapsed ground onto stable terrain nearby.

"...As expected. My true self indeed. Merely relying on the small pain from that incident in Resident Evil 2... such minor pain, coupled with your small capacity for empathy, has somehow allowed you to reach this level. Possessing this tier of power is truly a matter of destiny; this reincarnation cycle might indeed belong to you as the protagonist..." The clone Zheng Zha watched the chaotic epicenter gradually fade away for a long time before sighing.

"That minor pain from that incident?" Zheng Zha’s heart flared with anger. He had always been sensitive about that event. Although the clone Zheng Zha’s words were harsh, that battle truly was the catalyst for his growth. It was after enduring the pain from that battle that he gradually began to crave power, growing stronger step by step until this very day... He finally had the strength to contend for the title of the strongest against the clone Zheng Zha. And the clone Zheng Zha also became so strong relying on pain and hatred—could pain and hatred truly be the catalyst for becoming stronger...? No! Pain and hatred are not the true catalysts for strength; they are merely the surface manifestation of power! Zheng Zha had long since overcome his inner demons through self-sacrifice, his will forged into an unbreakable, incorruptible state. Although momentary doubt arose regarding his own convictions, it lasted only an instant. His will immediately asserted that his path was correct, ensuring he would never fall into a demonic state like other Fourth Stage experts who hadn't passed their trials. It could be said that with the unwavering wills of Zheng Zha and his clone, even the illusions produced by Adam’s Human Instrumentality Project could not deceive them. To defeat them, Adam would have to rely on brute force. This was precisely why Adam intended to absorb everyone near him first, reaching a certain level of strength before confronting the two Zheng Zhas; he possessed self-awareness and keen judgment of character.

(So-called pain and hatred are merely wounds inflicted upon the most important people or things in one's heart—like my companions and Lolita, or Zhao Yingkong’s memories and her brother, or Zhang Heng’s lover Ming Wei, or perhaps Wang Xia’s devotion to his country, and so on. Only when these core beliefs are hurt can etched pain and hatred arise. And once one endures this pain and hatred, most people frantically seek power. Thus, it seems power stems from pain and hatred. In reality, it stems from the conviction itself. Only the deeper the conviction, the greater the power born from its wounding... Which is stronger: my conviction, or his, which has completely transformed into hatred and madness?) Considering this, Zheng Zha’s expression turned solemn. "I know the pain and hatred in your heart... and I cannot help you with it. Therefore, I can only fight you in the fairest way possible, letting our strength decide the victor. Let’s see if my conviction is stronger, or your pain and hatred... I am different from you. In terms of power, I have chosen a path entirely opposite to yours. That last move was the convergence of True Essence Power and Demonic Power, like the chaotic unity before Yin and Yang separated. I named this move Primordial Era... though this is not the true Primordial Era. What say you? Unleash the true power of your Li Yan. Force out my final killing move, Primordial Era. Don't tell me your Li Yan is merely capable of simple burning. If so, how did those five black-flame greatswords appear and attack earlier?"

"...Li Yan is both substance and non-substance; it is the material manifestation of the violence in my heart. It is inherently linked to the spirit. Only those whose minds are not firm, who are not impervious to all evil, would, even if not burned by this black flame, suffer corrosion from inner demons and slowly bring about their own ruin. Moreover, violence springs from the heart; it can be fire, sword, blade, or anything... The moment a thought arises in your heart, like killing intent or impulse, it reflects in my Li Yan. I admit, your Destruction Ray surpasses me immensely in terms of speed and power, but if my mind cannot react, it does not mean your intention cannot. The moment you conceive a thought, myriad phenomena arise, and Li Yan naturally reacts to block you."

The clone Zheng Zha paused after saying this. "Perhaps you truly are worthy of forcing me to exert my full strength. No one before you has managed to push me that far. Strive then..."

"Is that so? Then I should truly feel honored?" Zheng Zha let out a cold laugh. Using Shave, he charged toward the clone Zheng Zha. He brought the Hu Po Blade down with force, but the light emanating from the blade was not the vast expanse of input True Essence Power, nor the tangible presence of input Demonic Power. Instead, it was murky and indistinct, like a mist the eye could not penetrate.

When Zheng Zha first utilized the Hu Po Blade’s full potential, he only input True Essence Power. Later, having acquired Demonic Power, he used it instead, achieving much greater effect. Now that his cultivation level continually ascended, especially after building his foundation with Chu Xuan's help, he gained the ability to control both True Essence Power and Demonic Power. While he couldn't yet form a momentary Destruction State like in his Destruction State to instantaneously change Primordial Era into a momentary Primordial Era state, simply inputting and converging True Essence Power and Demonic Power yielded a force far surpassing either energy alone. In essence, this power was strikingly similar to the principle behind a Magic-Powered Cannon, making its destructive force boundless.

The Hu Po Blade, shrouded in that indistinct chaos, held no fancy maneuvers; it was a single horizontal slash, possessing incredible speed and force. Combined with the power of this beginner version of Primordial Era, it embodied the principle of the Heavy Sword Lacking Sharpness—greatness achieved through simplicity—overcoming a thousand complex techniques with one unified force.

Indeed, upon contact, the great black flame sword in the copy of Zheng Zha’s hand shattered with a peng, and he himself was hurled hundreds of meters away by the sheer force unleashed from the sword's destruction. Just as Zheng Zha prepared to charge forward again for further attack, the boundless black flames surged and reformed. These black flames coalesced sometimes into swords, sometimes into sabers, sometimes into spears, and also bows, hammers, axes, and whips—in an instant, there were no fewer than eighteen kinds of weapons surrounding Zheng Zha.

In total, there were at least a hundred black flame weapons, all billowing with rolling black fire, their imposing aura in no way inferior to that of the great black flame sword. Watching the scene from the center of the encirclement, Zheng Zha couldn't help but swallow hard.

(Damn it, is he even human? It took such immense effort to shatter just one black flame sword, and there are at least a hundred black flame weapons here. Is his Light of the Mind endless?) "Li Yan. Hundred Armaments Tomb…" hundreds of meters away, the copy of Zheng Zha silently rose from the ground. He gestured toward the hundred black flame weapons, and those weapons abruptly plummeted downward.

This was no ordinary condensation of black flames like the Black Flame Tornado; these were actual physical entities materialized from the black flames. Their destructive power was easily a hundred times greater than that of the Black Flame Tornado. Zheng Zha could handle three or four weapons head-on in his Destruction state.

But after that came a relentless torrent of ten, then twenty weapons falling upon him.

If he used the True Essence Force and Demonic Power condensed by the Hu Po Blade to meet the black flame weapons head-on, it would instead cause the black flame weapons to explode violently. Just a few blasts were enough to injure his Quiescent Dragon Transformation body significantly, and gradually, he began to feel overwhelmed.

(…… Primordial Chaos……) "Primordial Chaos, Heaven and Earth Split!" The True Essence Force within Zheng Zha streamed down rapidly from his spiritual Purple Mansion, while his Demonic Power surged upward from his Dantian. These two energies, with completely opposite attributes, violently merged at his heart.

Instantly, a power so immense it was unimaginable burst forth from his body. This power was so vast that even his Quiescent Dragon Transformation frame could barely contain it; using it caused his body to begin breaking down incessantly.

But power, after all, is power.

This unbelievably massive force was finally unleashed by Zheng Zha.

A monumental surge of power pierced out from the Hu Po Blade. With a single wave of his hand, he struck.

In an instant, dozens of black flame weapons were tossed high into the air, then pulverized by this overwhelming force, dissolving back into boundless black flames. The remaining black flame weapons didn't even have time to continue their slashing attacks. Zheng Zha merely stomped forward; the ground beneath his foot shattered and exploded from the sheer force, and this explosive airflow blew the black flame weapons apart, resembling a gale—no, a tornado. As Zheng Zha advanced with his steps, such a colossal destructive current was generated behind him, and in that same moment, he had already closed the distance to the copy of Zheng Zha, sweeping a horizontal slash toward him with his blade.

It is said that extremes beget their opposites. In the world experienced by the Reincarnation Squad, mere speed and strength only make one a fighter, and a second or third-rate one at that. To grow stronger, one must enhance their attributes or master specialized skills, such as assassination techniques. However, just as the saying "extremes beget their opposites" implies, when speed and strength surpass the limits of imagination, reaching a degree that cannot be described in words, it becomes the ultimate killing move that no attribute or skill can counter. This is precisely like Zheng Zha's Primordial Chaos, Heaven and Earth Split—every movement of his hands and feet was akin to cleaving the heavens and the earth, possessing immense power. Even the mysterious Li Yan of the copy of Zheng Zha could not withstand it in the slightest. If he lacked a technique of equal magnitude… he would surely die.

As the Hu Po Blade reached him, the black flames surrounding the copy of Zheng Zha’s body shifted again, driven by Zheng Zha’s killing intent. But this time, instead of manifesting physical entities like black flame weapons, the flames transformed into a pure black substance even darker than the black flames. The black flames, several meters thick moments before, thinned into a mere film, only one or two millimeters thick, which positioned itself before the Hu Po Blade. All of this happened in less time than an instant. The Hu Po Blade slashed down onto this thin black film, but unexpectedly, the film's tenacity was astonishing. This attack, imbued with infinite power, only managed to slice through the black film without shattering it. Instead, the power of the entire blade was lost, constantly draining away. In less than half a second, not a shred of power remained in the blade. Zheng Zha, however, remained unperturbed. He released one hand from the hilt and drove his other fist through the gap torn in the film. Although this punch also passed through the membrane and had a significant portion of its power absorbed, the remaining force violently struck the copy of Zheng Zha's left shoulder, blasting half of his entire body into shreds.

The power of Primordial Chaos, Heaven and Earth Split truly possessed the colossal might to cleave the heavens and the earth. With only forty to fifty percent of its force remaining after one punch, it managed to obliterate half of the copy of Zheng Zha’s body, along with the black flames that had just formed around it, causing them to shatter and vanish. The remaining mangled torso was blasted hundreds of meters away, falling to the ground, its fate unknown.

Zheng Zha was about to press the attack, but this film, whatever its substance, exerted a massive pulling force, drawing him toward it. Forced to retreat rapidly while holding the Hu Po Blade, in that brief moment, boundless, surging black flames ignited around the location of the copy of Zheng Zha's remains.

“Ancient tradition… the Phoenix can be reborn from fire, and Li Yan can transform into all things, and also into my flesh and blood… Very good, very powerful. To force me to this extent, my main body, you can be proud. Now, as a gesture of respect for your strength and conviction, here is my return gift…” "Original Darkness, Universe End!" Leaping towards...

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