Lin Luo's Rule of Destruction had been comprehended within Evangeline's scroll world, which might give the illusion that he needed to enter her domain again to re-grasp the principle, but in truth, that was unnecessary.

At that time, Lin Luo's realm and strength were relatively low; Evangeline's scroll world had merely provided him with an environment where his realization could manifest as reality. After all, the initial comprehension process inevitably involved failures, and while failing in the scroll world caused excruciating mental anguish, it wasn't fatal. Thus, after failing nearly a hundred times, Lin Luo emerged still robust and vigorous.

But now, although his raw power was insufficient, his cultivation realm and vision far surpassed that previous level. Moreover, he possessed the experience of that initial comprehension. While changing the rules of Creation was not without the possibility of failure, the probability of success was infinitely high. At this moment, Lin Luo chose the path offering the greatest risk alongside the greatest reward: driving the Rule of Creation in reverse using his own enlightenment, transforming it directly into the Rule of Destruction, and then using his Black Flame to incinerate his physical body for tempering, thereby synchronizing enlightenment with reality.

And this time, what he was reversing was one hundred percent of the Rule of Creation!

The benefit of this action was that his body would instantly master Destruction, merging with it completely. If successful, he would never again have to worry about self-damage when wielding Destruction. The drawback, however, was that if he failed, he would be instantly reduced to ashes.

The previous time in the scroll world, partly because he was tempering a spiritual body and partly out of fear of that destructive power, he had opted for a comparatively safer method. Although he succeeded, every deployment of Destruction required careful management to avoid harming his own flesh, which was immensely troublesome.

The reason Lin Luo chose such a bold, extreme approach at this moment was not due to sudden impulse, but a decision made long ago. Originally, he had intended to achieve this breakthrough in a safer setting; the current environment could hardly be called secure.

However, compared to the environment, Lin Luo placed greater importance on enlightenment. The environment was merely an external factor, whereas enlightenment stemmed from one's own soul, something that must be seized when the opportunity arises. He did not deny that better environments existed, but he couldn't guarantee that such a reckless, all-consuming enlightenment would manifest again.

Since such an opportunity presented itself, he naturally could not let it pass. Failure was possible, but he trusted his success more, given the immense burden he carried and the unique advantage he possessed. If he failed now, success might not be guaranteed even in a safer environment!

Often, things that could succeed are ultimately ruined by small hesitations in the heart, simply because most people lack the spirit to fight with everything they have, or even if they fight, they don't bet everything on the outcome.

Lin Luo staked everything on this single 'gamble.' As he reversed the entirety of the Rule of Creation, he used his Mind's Eye to observe his own energy with the most minute scrutiny... Distributing the one hundred percent Rule of Creation throughout his body, every shred of Creation converted into Destruction would immediately be overlaid by newly generated Creation, ensuring they remained in perpetual sync.

The most direct manifestation of this process was: Lin Luo’s body, centered on his chest, was consumed by Black Flame, instantly incinerating his flesh, only to be recreated—or perhaps, regenerated—at a speed invisible to the naked eye. This expansion continued, destroying and recreating every part of his physical form in a complete metamorphosis!

Because the realization was converted directly into reality, this transformation process was extraordinarily brief, concluding in less than a second. To an outside observer, unless deliberately watching him, the change would be undetectable.

Yet, for Lin Luo himself, it was an excruciatingly long ordeal. From the moment of reversal, he had to endure inhuman pain, and the regeneration provided by Creation did nothing to lessen the agony; if anything, it intensified it. Imagine having your lower body severed while simultaneously being fitted with a new lower body—never mind survival—what mortal could bear such suffering?

Given the near-zero time required for the destruction, Lin Luo would not die. As for the pain? This was the path he chose, and he could only bear it himself; this was not his first time.

In that inhuman agony, Lin Luo felt as if a year, or perhaps several centuries, had passed. When the torment finally subsided, his transformation was complete. He snapped his eyes open, and the fist of the Martial Emperor Bear was less than a meter away, capable of shattering him in the blink of an eye.

The Lin Luo before this metamorphosis, even possessing the Rule of Creation, could not have withstood it. But now, his Mind's Eye power had strengthened along with his own capabilities, allowing him to effortlessly capture the energy trajectory generated as the attack approached. With a subtle alteration, the punch, laden with immense destructive force, grazed past his cheek.

The Martial Emperor Bear's attacks were not only fierce but concentrated. Its power was delivered not as an area of effect, but entirely focused on a single point, maximizing destructive output while conserving energy—an attack style characteristic of peak experts at the Return to Simplicity level.

If the trajectory of such an attack is altered, causing it to miss, inflicting damage becomes extremely difficult.

By shifting the energy trajectory, Lin Luo easily neutralized the Martial Emperor Bear's assault. Simultaneously, a trace of black flame flickered on the index finger of Lin Luo's right hand, striking toward the Martial Emperor Bear's chest, also in a single point.

The Martial Emperor Bear, being a powerhouse infinitely close to the Earth Tier, was already preparing its next move when its attack missed. Sensing Lin Luo's destructive might, it roared and instantly retreated backward.

Swish!

With lightning speed, Lin Luo followed, his finger brimming with destructive power still aimed at the Martial Emperor Bear's chest.

The Martial Emperor Bear dared not meet the blow head-on and retreated again, while Lin Luo pressed the pursuit in the same manner. Both utilized instantaneous movement capabilities, rendering the speed and posture changes imperceptible, like mere scene cuts in a film.

The only difference was that where the Martial Emperor Bear was once the pursuer, it was now the fugitive.

Seemingly realizing it couldn't shake off Lin Luo, the Martial Emperor Bear let out a massive roar and, during its latest instantaneous shift, unleashed its massive fist like a comet.

Lin Luo neither dodged nor evaded, thrusting his fully charged Destruction forward with a single point of his finger.

Having mastered Destruction, Lin Luo’s overall power had not increased drastically; it remained comparable to the Martial Emperor Bear's level, just below the Earth Tier. This wasn't due to the weakness of Destruction, but a deliberate choice. If he released the full power of Destruction, he would undoubtedly reach Earth Tier, but a large portion of that power was fused within his body, becoming unusable energy. Only about thirty percent of the Destruction remained readily available.

This approach was intended for a future explosive advancement. Once his Walker rank increased, releasing that stored Destruction would result in a startling leap forward... It was like a runner; if one sprints continuously, they can achieve great initial speed but will quickly collapse from exhaustion. If, however, one runs a while, then rests or slows down, although the pace is slower, the sustainable duration and total distance covered will certainly be greater.

In any case, he was unlikely to encounter any real enemies in this world. Even if an agent of a deity attacked, Yao Yao was there to handle it; there was no need for him to intervene. It was far better to walk three hundred meters slowly than to run one hundred meters and stop dead.

Theoretically, among cultivators of similar strength, a powerhouse from the Hegemonic Path generally held the advantage over one from the Mysterious Path. However, this was a general rule applicable only to common Mysterious Path practitioners; if the opponent's Mysterious Path level was exceptionally high, the outcome would differ significantly.

Both Lin Luo's Rule of Creation and Rule of Destruction were top-tier among rule forces. Mastering just one would be enough to dominate other rule-level experts. With both rules in hand, Lin Luo was far beyond ordinary strength. With a single finger thrust, the Martial Emperor Bear's chest was pierced by the Black Flame.

Guardian Beasts possess no inherent definition of life and death. At least for entities like Sakagami Tomoyo and Misaka Mikoto, those summoned from their spiritual worlds as Guardian Beasts, the concept of life and death does not apply. Therefore, having struck true, Lin Luo showed no mercy but pressed the offensive with even greater speed.

His right hand struck out repeatedly, black flames shooting toward the Martial Emperor Bear like scattered raindrops.

Although severely disadvantaged, the Martial Emperor Bear was not weak. Ignoring the pain of its wounds, it roared back, launching its own continuous, torrential assault.

However, Lin Luo had already anticipated this desperate struggle. His evolved Rule of Creation manifested frequently, and although the pressure was significant, it completely blocked the beast's onslaught.

After a brief entanglement, the final blooming Black Lotus exploded in the Martial Emperor Bear’s chest, instantly incinerating half of its body.

"That’s enough!" Sakagami Tomoyo cried out sharply, instantly retracting the Martial Emperor Bear. Although Guardian Beasts wouldn't truly die, if one died outside their summoning space, it would deplete her vital energy.

Since the outcome was clear, there was no point in continuing the fight.

As Tomoyo's voice sounded, Lin Luo’s attack ceased instantly. He then used instantaneous movement to appear before the girl, a slight, triumphant smirk gracing his face. "What is the result of this match?"

Tomoyo found his smile infuriatingly cocky, yet she conceded, "You won."

"Then what about our previous wager?" Lin Luo asked, his eyes narrowing playfully.

The girl blushed. Once a decision was made, she never went back on her word. Having lost, she had nothing to say, though she hadn't expected Lin Luo to be so 'aggressive.' Shouldn't he at least spare her some face at a time like this?

Of course, she didn't know that Lin Luo's hidden S-tendencies had flared up, and he was intentionally provoking her.

"From now on, I belong to you!" Finally, under Lin Luo's 'pressure,' the girl shouted, her face bright red. As she spoke, perhaps intentionally or accidentally, her fist lightly bumped against Lin Luo's abdomen—thump!

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