"System has detected the Tome of Ghost Path. Master is Youming, Lv3 Walker, Heart Codex Ability: Necromancy Control, Power Evaluation: Spirit Rank High Grade."

Although they had been engaged in constant strife, this was the first time Lin Luo saw the enemy's true form. Just as he imagined, Youming was shrouded in a ghastly aura. Though not unattractive, that spectral quality completely ruined any handsomeness, leaving only a chilling and terrifying impression.

Up to this point, Lin Luo had fought three Lv3 Walkers. Xige had left him with an impression of arrogance and stinginess, believing himself the world's best and scorning the idea of using his full strength even against a rabbit—always aiming for the greatest gain with the least cost, ultimately resulting in failure.

Mo Xinming, on the other hand, was characterized by wild arrogance and pride. Having finally risen from weakness to strength, he adopted an invincible posture, scorning everything, the very picture of a petty man in high office. He failed to realize that there is always a higher peak and a stronger hand; in the end, his demise was inevitable.

But in Youming, Lin Luo detected none of the flaws of those two. Indeed, he was arrogant, daring to challenge the World King at Lv3—a level of hubris likely unmatched among Walkers. He was also presumptuous, demanding the World King yield his throne. Who else would dare utter such words?

However, all of this was built upon his absolute power. Beneath this arrogance and conceit, Lin Luo sensed an overwhelming, unwavering confidence in his own strength. That look of absolute conviction told Lin Luo that this was a very dangerous enemy.

"Heh heh, are those two Hosts and that undying bastard not here?" As a Lv3 Walker, backed by one hundred percent Rule Force, Youming's sensory domain was slightly superior to Lin Luo's current range. Upon arrival, he immediately noticed Lin Luo was alone and sneered, "Good. They are just a few small bugs I don't care about. Once I kill you, I can crush those others at will. Today, I will achieve an upward overthrow and seize the World King's throne!"

"Boasting!" Although Lin Luo took the opponent seriously internally, his face betrayed only disdain. The Light of Fantasy ascended into the heavens as his words fell, and spheres of white light instantly blanketed the entire sky. "If you climb too high without commensurate strength, the fall will hurt."

As the words ended, countless spheres of light instantly encircled Youming. His previously slow speed accelerated to lightning quickness, but Youming paid them no mind, laughing loudly, "Hahaha! Bright King, I am meeting your challenge with my full strength. Aren't you going to use yours? Such an easy victory would be tedious!"

In an instant, wisps of soul power rose from behind him, immediately transforming into a colossal face. Its massive maw opened, emitting roaring sounds that generated an unparalleled suction force, swirling like a vortex and pulling in the majority of the light spheres. Moreover, that was not all; as the terrifying howl resonated, the earth began to tremble, and skyscrapers dozens of meters high seemed unable to withstand the pull, swaying precariously.

Lin Luo couldn't help but frown. Youming's strength surpassed his imagination; a single strike like that had shattered his Light of Fantasy. The destructive power was terrifying; no wonder he dared to challenge him.

With that thought, Lin Luo suddenly sensed a change beneath his feet. He looked down, his expression shifting dramatically. The ground had transformed into a massive vortex, seemingly connected to the abyss—so deep and black it chilled the core of one's heart—and a horrifying suction force surged toward him.

Without hesitation, Lin Luo executed Void Instantaneous Movement, leaping instantly to high altitude. But immediately after, a phantom face, entirely condensed from the Power of Death, opened its gaping maw to bite him, its speed nearly matching his Void Instantaneous Movement.

Shasha shasha... Countless iron filings gathered in Lin Luo's hand, forming a spectral, pitch-black Tachi. The Fantasy Law merged into the blade, and he slashed down immediately. A dazzling white light shot through the air—"Sword of Demon Slaying II: Great Sword—Absolute!"

The blade light fell, cleaving the phantom face in two. However, the suction force did not cease; instead, it intensified. Simultaneously, Youming himself attacked, looking like an aggregation of vengeful spirits. Countless wraiths draped his back, their incessant cries filled with resentment and hatred, a truly horrifying sight.

"Bearing so much resentment and hatred, can you sleep peacefully at night?" Even Lin Luo felt his scalp tingle seeing this spectacle. Consecutive Void Instantaneous Movements allowed him to evade the massive suction, and then an even larger pillar of white light erupted from his hand—Fantasy Impact—striking directly toward Youming's head.

"Haha!" Youming roared with laughter, reaching out and grabbing forward. A large number of wraiths flew out from his hand. Amidst ghostly wails and wolf-like cries, the wraiths opened their mouths and instantly devoured the white pillar clean. "I am one who has fallen into the Path of Degenerate Ghosts. Why should I fear the resentment of mere ants? As for you, one of the Three Kings, the most powerful Proxy of God—are you still pitying weak humans? That ill befits your station!"

With a mighty shout, Youming shook his body, and countless wraiths flew out from behind him.

Lin Luo's brow furrowed deeply. Even with his composure, looking at those faces filled with pain, hatred, and even mutual tearing, he could not remain completely calm... Just over half a month ago, these people were living their individual lives, but now they had all become Youming's power—billions of them!

Though Lin Luo was no savior and never intended to be one, such cruelty ignited his true anger. If such a Walker were allowed to remain, he would only bring disaster to the world. He must be slain today!

Hua la!

A plume of black flame rose from Lin Luo's hand. With a slight flick of his finger, the flame flew toward the incoming wraiths. Upon contact, the wraiths let out shrill screams, gradually vanishing as the black flame incinerated them.

"This is..." Now it was Youming's turn to change color. Those wraiths were his power, connected to his soul. Even if severed, it was inconsequential; they could be reformed. But these wraiths burned by the black flame were completely disconnected from him.

This was his Rule Force!

How could Rule Force be broken so easily? Youming could not believe it, but the reality before his eyes was undeniable. That black flame made him feel threatened.

Must not be touched by that black flame!

Youming knew the black flame could inflict fatal damage upon him, so he retreated without hesitation. The countless wraiths vibrated behind him once more, but before he could launch an attack, Lin Luo appeared before him like lightning, his fist, enveloped in black flame, rocketing toward him.

Youming's face drastically changed. With a fierce roar, the phantom face of wraiths rose again from the ground, seemingly intent on devouring Lin Luo, opening its mouth wide to bite.

"Scram!" Lin Luo shouted coldly, bringing his left hand down in a slash. A stream of blade light formed by black flame instantly struck the phantom face, which shattered like dry tofu.

"Damn it, what kind of ability is this?!" Another portion of wraiths vanished, causing Youming to finally lose his composure. He felt Lin Luo's black flame was the nemesis of Rule Force, capable of resisting even his one-hundred-percent Rule Force.

This was natural. The Rule of Destruction was the third evolution of point-line power, inherently a higher level than the second evolution of Rule Force. When first learned, it allowed him to contend with Mo Xinming; now, after so long, even if the power hadn't increased, with practiced use, it was incomparably stronger than before.

Coupled with the Fantasy Law, which was comparable in grade to Rule Force, facing a Spirit Rank High Grade enemy, Lin Luo was by no means at a disadvantage. It could be said that Spirit Rank High Grade Walkers were merely a dish when he faced them... Everything up to this point had merely been a ruse to confuse the opponent.

Why attack proactively... With a great weapon like the Black Flame of Destruction, is there a need to attack first?

No progress in creating new Rules... How much creation can be unlocked in three days? It's far more useful to focus on mastering the Fantasy Law and the Black Flame of Destruction than wasting time on rule creation.

What Lin Luo needed now was not a breakthrough in raw power, but an enhancement in technique.

Once the Black Flame of Destruction was unleashed, Youming's one-hundred-percent Rule Force could no longer hold. He was immediately forced into a continuous retreat. No matter how high he pushed his power, he couldn't withstand the scorching of Lin Luo's black flame.

"Damn it! You played me?!" Youming was nearly driven mad by hatred. Under Lin Luo's assault, he could only defend. He knew he had been tricked; the opponent truly couldn't use Rule Force, but possessed a power far stronger than it, hence his complete lack of fear toward him.

"I didn't trick you; you simply failed to understand your enemy's power," Lin Luo said with a cold smile. His figure flashed; before his afterimage faded, he was already behind Youming. The Blade of Black Flame struck directly toward his neck.

"Damn it!" Forcing himself to expend some of his wraith power, Youming violently fled outward, instantly retreating several hundred meters. He was pushed to desperation; the fierce aggression he started with was almost gone. One-hundred-percent Rule Force could not defeat the opponent, but could he accept leaving just like that?

I'll risk it!

Finally, Youming bit down hard. Eleven Stones of Killing Life appeared in his hand. "With the power of my soul, I shall unleash the strength of world annihilation!"

With a great roar, the eleven Stones of Killing Life began to radiate intense light. At this moment, the earth started to shake violently, countless evil spirits shrieked, and building after building collapsed, sinking into the earth. The roars of the wraiths behind Youming grew even fiercer, and his power continuously surged... In just an instant, Lin Luo felt his strength increase by at least fifty percent!

The wraiths struggled, wailed, and tore at each other. Youming's body trembled uncontrollably, seemingly unable to manage the excessively swollen power. Blood vessels bulged on his body, making him appear even more grotesque.

Boom!

Suddenly, Youming thrust his hand outward, sending out a spiraling torrent of death energy. It instantly annihilated the adjacent high-rises, and its momentum did not lessen, reaching over a thousand meters away. Even space began to crack due to his power.

"This is one-hundred-and-fifty percent Rule Force!" Youming looked back at Lin Luo with a cold sneer. Though the power of the Stones of Killing Life was terrifying, he could now largely control it. This strength allowed his Rule Force to break its limits. Unfortunately, he had not gathered all twelve stones; otherwise, his power would be even greater.

Even so, it was enough. He had absolute confidence in defeating Lin Luo, and he no longer feared the Black Flame!

To his surprise, his opponent did not appear shocked by this development. Instead, the look in Lin Luo's eyes was one of pitying surprise. He subconsciously asked, "What is the meaning of this? Do you think you still have a chance to win now?"

"No, I don't," Lin Luo shook his head calmly. "From the moment you revealed yourself, you lost any chance of victory."

"What did you say!" Youming's face contorted into a savage look. Lin Luo's dismissive gaze enraged him. He stomped his right foot heavily on the ground, and terrifying death energy surged up from the spot where Lin Luo stood, completely engulfing him. "Hahahaha! The World King is finished!"

After watching Lin Luo's figure be completely pulverized by the death energy, Youming couldn't help but laugh maniacally. But before his laughter finished, he heard Lin Luo's voice behind him: "That was merely an avatar."

Youming spun around violently. Standing opposite him, Lin Luo was unharmed, speaking calmly, "I admit you are strong and cunning, but by consuming the lives and souls of billions, carrying their resentment and hatred, you are no longer pure. Furthermore, by using the power of the Stones of Killing Life now, your rationality has already vanished. You cannot even make basic judgments."

"You..."

"Isn't that right?" Before Youming could speak, Lin Luo continued, "Only I am fighting you here. The other three have vanished without a trace. Do you not find that strange at all?"

"This..." Youming was suddenly startled. Yes, this was very strange. The entire world was now overrun by evil spirits, some even above Spirit Rank. Lin Luo hadn't brought those three with him; that made no sense. Even to avoid the collateral damage of their battle, they shouldn't be this far away, beyond even his sensory domain... Did he trust them that much?

"What... what did you do?" Thinking this, Youming sensed a faint unease.

"I did nothing, merely asked them to do what the Black and White Witches should be doing," Lin Luo shook his head slightly, then, as if Youming no longer existed, looked up at the sky. "It has begun."

Began... Begun what?

Youming felt a surge of bewilderment. He had some vague memory of the Black and White Witches, but the thoughts of those ants overwhelmed his mind, preventing him from immediately retrieving his own memories. He instinctively looked up, his pupils instantly dilating.

He saw two rays of light appearing in what was previously an ordinary sky.

One pure white, one absolute black. The light of black and white instantly enveloped the entire sky.

"This is the world purification by the Black and White Witches," Lin Luo looked back at Youming. "If you had used a conventional method to unravel the Rule Force, I would have feared you somewhat. But you were too eager for immediate results. By using such improper means to analyze world rules, didn't you know haste makes waste? Your failure was determined from the very beginning. Enjoy it—the feeling of being purified."

"Aaaah!!!!"

As Lin Luo finished speaking, Youming suddenly clutched his head, howling in agony. The death energy began to backlash against him!

"That's why I said it—bearing so much resentment and hatred, can you sleep peacefully?"

For more novels, visit storyread.net.