In the cloak of night, illuminated by starlight, the battle between Lin Luo and the Creator raged on with fierce intensity. Though both combatants were pushed to their absolute limits, lacking the explosive initial vigor, every collision remained earth-shattering and unstoppable—an impact powerful enough to instantly grind a World-Class expert into dust.

"Hah!"

Under the Creator's command, the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace swept across the sky with the sound of crashing thunder, carving brilliant straight lines like a falling meteorite. Opposing it, at Lin Luo’s mental direction, the Floating City spun rapidly, resembling a colossal top tearing through the very air.

BOOM!!!

The two forces collided once more. This time, however, they did not rebound as before but locked together, locked in a brutal test of pure strength. Due to the rapid rotation of the Floating City, the resulting friction produced a shrill, agonizing sound—perhaps the most piercing shriek in history—accompanied by an eruption of countless sparks.

"Ugh...!" The Creator felt the pressure acutely, her brow deeply furrowed, sweat beading on her face. The destructive force of the Floating City’s rotation was surpassing the defensive limits of her magical barrier. If this continued, her Graveyard Keeper’s Palace would shatter! Yet, her strength was nearly depleted, leaving her unable to reinforce the defenses. Her magical power, after all, had its limits.

"If that is the case, then I will press the attack to the very end... Burn! Ardent Earth!"

With a loud cry, the Creator unleashed a torrent of magma from the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace. These molten streams did not scatter into the void; instead, as if guided by an unseen will, they coalesced entirely around the palace’s outer surface, enveloping it completely. In an instant, the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace transformed into a massive fireball, blazing furiously.

Crap!

Seeing this, Lin Luo instantly recognized the peril. While the palace’s structure could withstand the burning, it posed extreme danger to his Floating City, which was akin to willingly diving into a sea of fire. In mere moments, the high-temperature erosion caused the Floating City to shrink noticeably.

That flame is no ordinary fire!

"Well played, Creator. Then let us make our final gamble... Summon the Heavenly Thunder!"

Lin Luo pointed toward the high heavens. Instantly, dark clouds billowed above, and boundless, savage lightning descended from the sky... Unlike the Creator’s Palace, his Floating City lacked built-in weaponry, forcing him to rely on the majesty of heaven and earth to counter his opponent. The only natural force he could harness at this critical juncture was lightning!

CRACK! CRACK!……

Lin Luo pushed his power to the absolute limit. Hundreds of colossal bolts struck the Floating City almost simultaneously. This was not the end; the dark clouds above continued to churn violently, sending more lightning cascading down. Soon, the entire Floating City was wreathed in a tempest of violent electricity, making it resemble a peerless, battle-frenzied general from the Three Kingdoms era imbued with an unyielding body.

City against city, thunder against fire—the confrontation shook the heavens and roared across the earth, every blow imbued with world-destroying might!

"Good, very good!" The Creator suddenly laughed aloud, her impassioned voice tinged with recollection. "Thirty-five thousand six hundred years—that is how long I have existed. Apart from the Holy War of old and the final battle that followed, I have never known defeat. Your emergence now feels like a glimpse back into that powerful, ancient era, stirring the blood that had long cooled within me. I should thank you, but... this is my era now!"

The Graveyard Keeper’s Palace, shrouded in searing flame, hurtled toward Lin Luo, its momentum utterly unstoppable.

"Whether it is the ancient era or this one of yours, it has nothing to do with me. You carry the deferred will of the last age, and the burden of this world—that is the source of your strength. But... what I carry is also the wellspring of my power. Let this final strike determine whose burden is heavier, and whose will can carry them further!"

The Floating City, wreathed in earth-rending, furious lightning, carved a path of brilliant light across the sky as it surged forward.

Both the Creator and Lin Luo were nearing zero in power reserves. This was their final blow—no trickery, no complex maneuvers, just a pure clash of fundamental force... This single attack would decide the victor.

The moment the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace slammed into the Floating City, the result was manifest. Amidst a deafening explosion, all the lightning surrounding the Floating City vanished in an instant—the 'Unstoppable Body' was broken—as the shockwave alone blasted apart the cloud layer overhead.

Yet, the Floating City had not lost. Before the lightning dispersed, it had already extinguished every last trace of flame clinging to the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace. The Creator’s magic was utterly emptied at that moment, beyond her control. With a spray of countless fragments, the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace... plummeted!

"Ah, I have lost," the Creator murmured. She had no intention of perishing with her palace. As the structure fell, she fled using the last dregs of her magic, her body hovering in the void, letting out a soft sigh.

Only now did Lin Luo get a true look at the Creator’s appearance. Setting aside the weariness etched on her face and the immense power she wielded, she looked strikingly like any ordinary woman.

Though Lin Luo had won, he felt little elation. He had deployed every scrap of power he possessed—the inherent rules he carried and the capabilities of the World King—and even then, he had only managed to edge the Creator out by a hair. Furthermore, she was an incomplete version of the Creator. Had she been at the Earth Tier, he would have stood no chance.

As the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace descended, a massive black shape—another Floating City—appeared in the sky, rapidly flying toward the falling debris. Lin Luo immediately flew out of his own city. The preceding battle had drained him completely, leaving him unable to pilot the city or suppress the world’s inherent rejection. The Floating City was about to return to its original plane.

Moments later, the Floating City was swallowed by the black void, and from below came a sound of cataclysmic impact as the Graveyard Keeper’s Palace made its most intimate contact with the earth, though it did not completely disintegrate.

"Creator, do you have anything left to say now?" Lin Luo floated before her, his expression serious.

"Hahaha." The Creator threw her head back in laughter. "Nothing to say. You won this fight. What I promised before still stands; you need not worry."

"I wasn't referring to that," Lin Luo retorted, unable to help rolling his eyes. He knew the Creator meant Evangeline, but even if she disagreed, no one could stop him from taking Evangeline—the Starlight Avenue was true absolute defense, impervious even to Gaia. "I was asking about the humans of this world. Do you still intend to destroy them?"

"Do you believe I shouldn't?" The Creator was, after all, the Creator. Even defeated by Lin Luo, she showed no discouragement, remaining a supreme figure looking down upon the firmament. "The humans of this world are merely projections of my will; I am their originator. Since they have failed to satisfy me, I have the right to annihilate them."

Though the Creator’s words were impossibly arrogant, Lin Luo found no immediate ground to refute them. As she claimed, everything in this world was hers to dispose of as she saw fit, needing no one's permission unless someone could kill her.

In this world, no one could kill the Creator. Not even Lin Luo, despite defeating her, lacked the capacity to end her life. Moreover, she was Evangeline’s mother; even if Lin Luo possessed the ability, he could not bring himself to strike her down.

"What you say has a certain logic. If I were created by someone, it is their prerogative to destroy me," Lin Luo conceded, nodding before shaking his head. "However, my desire to live is also my right. If someone tried to kill me, I would certainly resist, just as the humans of this world would."

"A remarkably objective assessment," the Creator remarked with a faint smile, offering no agreement or denial. "So, what do you suggest I do? Seeing as you are to be my son-in-law, I permit you to offer an opinion. If your advice is sound, I might even attempt to accept it, as a reward for your victory."

I certainly don't want your reward, and what happens to this world has nothing to do with me... Lin Luo felt exasperated. Still, grumbling aside, since the opportunity presented itself, he might as well exert a small effort for this world within his capabilities. After all, he had friends he recognized here, and watching an entire world perish was something he couldn't easily stomach.

"My suggestion is to give the humans of this world another chance. After all, only a minority are ambitious enough to start a war. You saw what happened in New Ostia; the vast majority desire peace. As for those ambitious ones, simply eliminate them. What do you think of that approach?" Lin Luo proposed.

"An interesting thought, but the ambitious are endless. Where there are people, there will be war. Furthermore, without the correct leadership, an erroneous age will inevitably return." The Creator shook her head, sighing.

"I have someone in mind for the right leadership. If it were that person, I believe they would satisfy you," Lin Luo countered with a smile.

"If that is the proposed course of action, we can accept it..." Suddenly, a voice spoke up from nearby. Both turned to see that everyone from the airship had arrived. The speaker was Naji, who had awakened, now standing before the Creator with a grave expression. "At least ninety percent of the mages in this world desire peace. All of us will strive toward that goal, building a world ideal for both you and us, even if it takes a very long time—perhaps several generations."

"Hmph." The Creator snorted, but after a long pause, she broke into a slight smile. "...Very well, let’s try it. I will grant this world’s humans one more chance, but I will give you only fifty years. And I will watch from the highest point of this world. If, after fifty years, I do not see the world I wish to see, then at that time, I will no longer..."

"Absolutely no problem!" Before the Creator could finish, Naji and the others nodded immediately.