With the Heart of the World cores spread across seven groups, the sixth group, having no host and freed from Lin Luo’s previous incarnation’s seal, had completely severed its ties with him. Thus, only after successfully bringing Shana down did Lin Luo finally establish an intrinsic connection with all the hosts, whereupon he immediately began refining the nine strands of Reverse Karma power within his body once more.

Establishing intrinsic connections with the hosts was a mandatory prerequisite for refining the nine strands of Reverse Karma power, yet these connections offered no tangible aid to Lin Luo during the refinement process... they were merely the starting condition.

Consequently, Lin Luo's endeavor to refine the nine strands of Reverse Karma power remained a perilous journey, fraught with near-certain death.

The First Death: Heavenly Punishment Kill!

The Second Death: Earth Annihilation Kill!

The Third Death: Human Dao Kill!

The Fourth Death: Fate Termination Kill!

The Fifth Death: Life Flow Depletion Kill!

The Sixth Death: Soul Obliteration Kill!

The Seventh Death: Inevitable Destiny Kill!

The Eighth Death: Karma Cycle Kill!

The Ninth Death: Conceptual Existence Eradication Kill!

These Nine Deaths encompassed virtually every form of demise imaginable in the world. Heavenly Punishment and Earth Annihilation were calamities of nature, insurmountable by mortal means. The Human Dao Kill involved deliberate slaying by others. The Fate Termination Kill belonged to the category of accidental death. The Life Kill represented natural demise. The Soul Kill meant death that barred reincarnation. The Destiny Kill was death preordained by fate. The Karma Kill was retribution through cause and effect. And the final Conceptual Kill involved bizarre, anomalous methods of dying that fundamentally erased existence.

For Lin Luo to refine the nine strands of Reverse Karma power, he had to endure these Nine Deaths!

Of course, enduring the Nine Deaths did not simply mean dying nine times. Much like Xiao Wei’s one hundred ways of dying in the Witch’s Manor—which were all essentially acts of Human Dao Kill, initiated by others—those would only count as a single instance here. Therefore, although Lin Luo superficially needed to experience nine deaths, in reality, the number of times he would need to die could be a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred million times!

How many times he would actually die depended entirely on how swiftly he could complete the refinement.

This was because the experience of death was not merely ceasing to exist; he was simultaneously forced to feel the terror and anguish from the perspective of the deceased. For instance, if Lin Luo died due to the natural disaster of Heavenly Punishment Kill, he would experience the dread and panic ordinary people felt facing a cataclysm. If he was killed by someone in a Human Dao Kill, he would feel the exact sentiments of the victim... Thus, with every death, the suffering Lin Luo endured was not just physical agony, but a torment of the spirit.

More critically, each death consumed the refiner’s actual lifespan.

Should his remaining life force prove insufficient for another round of the Nine Deaths, or should his spirit finally collapse, the Nine Deaths would transition from a trial into true, permanent death. However, Lin Luo possessed the ability of ‘Creation from Nothingness,’ and at his Heaven Rank, his life was virtually infinite and could not be exhausted. As for his willpower, there was no need to even mention it... meaning he was absolutely incapable of dying permanently within these Nine Deaths.

Yet, this might not necessarily be a good thing.

Nine deaths for one chance at life; the Nine Deaths would arrive in turn. Only when Lin Luo successfully refined the nine strands of Reverse Karma power would that final ‘life’ open up to him. If he failed to refine them, he would be trapped in an endless cycle of the Nine Deaths forever.

After the Heavenly Punishment Kill came the Earth Annihilation Kill, which was immediately followed by the Human Dao Kill, only for the Fate Termination Kill to suddenly descend... again and again, in an endless loop that felt eternal.

When would liberation come?

Lin Luo did not know, just as those waiting for him outside did not know.

"Can he truly succeed?" Yaoyao frowned deeply, her expression etched with tension and anxiety. It wasn't just her; others like Misaka Mikoto and Tohsaka Rin shared nearly identical feelings.

Transcending the Nine Deaths and refining the nine strands of Reverse Karma power were things they found utterly unimaginable.

They had witnessed the nearly demonic World Cores in the Ancient Illusory Realm and thus learned much more. According to what they knew, there was once a powerhouse at the ninth layer of the Heaven Rank who accidentally acquired a strand of Reverse Karma power and attempted to refine it to break into the Outer Heavens. Despite a lifetime of strenuous effort, he ultimately failed, resulting not only in the complete annihilation of his soul but also dragging countless surrounding worlds into ruin, causing the demise of innumerable lives.

If even a ninth-layer Heaven Rank expert could not successfully refine a single strand of Reverse Karma power, Lin Luo attempting to refine nine simultaneously—this... even with their immense faith in him, it was hard for them to remain calm.

"We just have to believe in him," Qi Qi suddenly said, closing her eyes with a tranquil expression. "Countless miracles have been born from his hands. In the eyes of others, those things were impossible to achieve, yet he accomplished them, which is why he became a legend. Now... we just need to continue believing in him, believe that he can turn the impossible into the possible... A legend?"

"Yes, he has always been a legend," simultaneously, in another location shrouded by clouds, Luo Tianyi murmured to Number 36. "You have genuinely crossed swords with him; you must surely have an impression."

Number 36 closed her eyes and contemplated briefly, then opened them and stated, "My faint memories recall a little. That man was once trapped within our Seven Desolation Array. Given his battle strength, he absolutely should not have been able to break through it; even with the power of Creation from Nothingness, he should have faced certain death. Yet, in the end, not only did he survive, but he nearly shattered our Seven Desolation Array... Indeed, as you say, he is a legend."

Due to the subtle connections between their attributes, each set of World Cores could form an ultimate killing array. Once deployed, virtually no one could survive within the formation; even members of the Time Legion would face certain doom.

Of course, given the uniqueness of each World Core, the opportunity for them to form such an array was rare. In their battles against the Time Legion, it had only occurred twice—the Seven Desolation Array formed by the Sixth Group. The first time was against Lin Luo and Qi Qi, who could only barely resist within the formation; they were only saved when other members of the Time Legion finally arrived with reinforcements.

The second time the Seven Desolation Array materialized, Lin Luo was alone.

But of this incident, no one knew except Lin Luo and the World Cores of the Sixth Group.

Now, Luo Tianyi was the ninth person to know.

However, she didn't seem the least bit surprised, nodding slightly. "That's just how he is. Things that are fundamentally impossible for anyone else, things that defy theoretical logic, he always manages to complete without reason, creating miracles time and time again... Even I don't understand why he possesses this characteristic."

"Then do you think he can refine the nine strands of Reverse Karma power this time?" Number 36 asked.

Luo Tianyi nodded. "Because it's him, he can."

"I don't understand," Number 36 shook her head, frowning. "Initially, after he recovered his past life's strength, he was no longer constrained by Reverse Karma. His final strand of Reverse Karma existed only in the unknown, completely beyond collection. But after you erased his 'opposition nature,' rendering him mortal and sending him into the world connected to that final strand of Reverse Karma, you indirectly allowed him to gather it, thus manifesting the nine strands of Reverse Karma power... Why?"

Looking at Luo Tianyi, Number 36’s eyes were filled with confusion.

On the surface, Luo Tianyi's adversarial relationship with Lin Luo was immutable, and her actions seemed to follow this stance. Yet, the results of her actions were the exact opposite... Erasing Yao Luo's opposition nature could have led to Lin Luo’s utter demise, but the outcome was Lin Luo integrating the nine strands of Reverse Karma power. The True Mirror, fully activated, should have been able to kill Lin Luo, then at the first layer of the Heaven Rank, completely, but the result was sending Hatsune and Haruhi into the Ancient Illusory Realm instead.

For Lin Luo and his allies, these outcomes brought not disadvantages, but endless benefits.

Was Luo Tianyi giving them aid?

If judging purely by the results, it seemed so, but when observing Luo Tianyi's actions, it appeared completely different.

Thus, Number 36 could not grasp the meaning behind Luo Tianyi's maneuvers.

If she truly intended to help Lin Luo, why employ such means? Wouldn't direct kindness have been better? If she intended to destroy Lin Luo, why always leave behind a contingency that benefited them in the end?

"Yes, why is it so?" Luo Tianyi did not answer, gazing at the distant clouds and mist with a faraway expression, murmuring to herself.

Number 36 stared at her for a long time, finally letting out a sigh, releasing the frustration from her face, and said lightly, "Forget it. Regardless of your objective, we will support you."

Luo Tianyi remained silent.

After a long pause, a subtle disturbance arose in the air, and six young women appeared silently beside the pair.

"Is it complete?" Luo Tianyi asked without turning her head.

One of the young women stepped forward, nodding confidently. "The Outer Heavens... Although we have not reached our absolute peak state, if the enemy is only at the Ninth Heaven Realm, no matter how many come, I alone will be sufficient to handle them!"

"Then, let us depart," Luo Tianyi stepped forward and vanished instantly into the sea of clouds.

The seven young women, led by Number 36, followed close behind.

In the Sky City, the hosts were either standing or sitting, eating or sleeping. Some played games, some cared for children, some chatted with those nearby, some stared blankly into space, and others paced restlessly—each engaged in activities they were accustomed to in daily life, striving to appear completely unworried.

They did this both to bolster their own confidence and to instill confidence in those around them.

Time trickled by, yet no one paid it any heed.

Splash!

After an unknown duration, a strange sound suddenly echoed in everyone's ears, and a familiar figure materialized before them out of thin air.

"Well then, for the final, final act, it is time to bring this all to a close."

Lin Luo looked at the crowd, a confident smile spreading across his face, and spoke these words.