To shatter the mortal coil, to see through the dust of the mundane—this was the supreme, unparalleled technique Ye Jingyu had grasped through his Eye of Reincarnation. It was a transcending art, a skill born of utter vacancy, a power that could see through everything.

At that moment, Gui Jianchou felt as if he stood naked before Ye Jingyu, stripped of every secret. He felt that Ye Jingyu was no longer merely a man, nor a god, but rather a complete realm, a heaven and earth born of nothingness and longing, embodying the very Dao of Heaven itself.

His cleaving attack, the crescent blade of blood moon, halted quite naturally. After all, what use was one’s own strength when facing the Dao of Heaven?

Could one truly fight against an entire world? A white radiance shot forth from the moon wheel situated between Ye Jingyu’s brows, piercing directly into Gui Jianchou's mind.

Instantly, scenes from Gui Jianchou’s present life began to unfold in his consciousness: being taken in by his master in childhood, being taught peerless martial arts, the subsequent appearance of Junior Sister Jiu Feng, and then… Every scene of joy and sorrow, of parting and reunion, flashed through his mind. Finally, he suddenly felt that all of it was illusory, ethereal, as if it should never have existed in the first place.

Annihilation? Emptiness?

Is everything ultimately void? Coming into being empty, departing into emptiness—was this his destiny?

Vaguely, the power within Gui Jianchou began to dissipate slowly, much like water draining from a pond; there was no need for anyone to absorb it, no action required from another. Merely opening the drain, and the essence would slowly leak away.

Just as his power threatened to drain faster and faster, a blood-colored light suddenly flickered at his brow, and his entire demeanor convulsed. “No… I may have come into this world empty, but I will not depart empty!

I still seek boundless power, I must win the heart of Junior Sister Jiu Feng! I absolutely cannot leave like this!” Gui Jianchou snapped back to reality instantly.

Yet, Ye Jingyu’s palm was already pressing toward his chest… “The Palm of All Things to Emptiness!” With a sharp smack, Ye Jingyu’s palm slammed into Gui Jianchou’s sternum. The sound of shattering bone immediately followed, and Gui Jianchou’s body was flung backward, blood erupting from his mouth like a crimson spring.

Seeing Ye Jingyu send Xuanyuan Jing and Gui Jianchou flying in the blink of an eye, Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s face was etched with horror. He had never imagined Ye Jingyu’s inherent strength to be so terrifying.

However, Ye Jingyu himself was not unscathed. Pierced through the heart by that ancient sword, his wound had not fully healed; then he was struck on the back by Gui Jianchou’s saber, tearing away a large swath of flesh.

Now, his right arm had been completely mangled, a fresh gash had been scored across his chest again, and his whole body was drenched in his own blood. Despite the grievous injuries, a confident smile touched his lips.

All this time, he had never met an opponent truly capable of matching him—they were either overwhelmingly stronger or far too weak. Even those near his level were defeated easily thanks to the Donghuang Bell or the Twelve Heavenly Witches Great Annihilation Array.

Now, without those supreme treasures, he had still defeated both Xuanyuan Jing and Gui Jianchou, two powerhouses of the same realm, relying solely on his own might. For the first time, Ye Jingyu displayed his true power to all.

The Thunder Roaring Dragon Break Fist, the Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens, the Star Burst—these were the supreme techniques he had comprehended himself, the power truly belonging to him. Gazing upon the heavily injured Xuanyuan Jing and Gui Jianchou, the confidence blazing in Ye Jingyu’s eyes was intense.

He truly was the strongest among the younger generation. He shifted his gaze back to Xuanyuan Ruoxing.

Now that Xuanyuan Jing and Gui Jianchou would be out of the fight for a short time, he had to seize this opportunity to utterly annihilate Xuanyuan Ruoxing. Otherwise, if he waited until the other two recovered their strength, he might never get another chance.

His current physical state could not sustain him much longer. His hands slowly clasped together.

The Flame Golden Core, the Thunder Golden Core, and the Star Golden Core within him began to rotate ceaselessly. Streaks of seven-hued lightning, fiery red flames, and silvery-white starlight radiated outward, vaguely forming a colossal blade above him—a blade of light forged from the convergence of these three core energies.

Flashes of lightning, bursts of fire, and the scattering of starlight unleashed a terrifying pressure. He was drawing upon every ounce of his available power… Sensing the continuously escalating strength emanating from Ye Jingyu, Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s face darkened.

He quickly summoned the Haotian Pagoda, letting it hover above his head, while simultaneously communicating with the Haotian Pearl with his spirit sense, attempting to recall it. For the Haotian Pagoda, the Haotian Pearl was the wellspring of its power.

At least until the Pagoda had fully recovered, it required the Pearl’s inexhaustible flow of energy. Without the Pearl now, Xuanyuan Ruoxing felt deeply uneasy.

But Ye Jingyu’s Twelve Heavenly Witches Great Annihilation Array was not to be trifled with, especially as Zhurong was close to manifesting its true form. Currently focused entirely on suppressing the Haotian Pearl, it would take some time before Xuanyuan Ruoxing could retrieve it.

“Pangu opens the heavens and earth, Donghuang stabilizes the universe! Today, I shall let you sample my ultimate technique—the Primordial Chaos World-Annihilation Slash!” Ye Jingyu roared suddenly, then pointed a single finger directly at Xuanyuan Ruoxing.

The colossal blade-light, gathered from his combined power, rushed forward with a whistling sound toward Xuanyuan Ruoxing. It was a blade, one that seemed phantom yet possessed undeniable reality, composed of condensed lightning, fire, and starlight.

Beneath this single strike, the void shattered, time seemed to stall, as if the entire world was about to be destroyed. An intense energy field whipped up a massive wave of white air currents in the sky—an energy wave potent enough to grind a Nine-Heavens Martial God to dust.

Even the heavens, sensing this supremely ferocious blade-qi, became overcast with dark clouds, as if in fear. Xuanyuan Ruoxing desperately channeled the immortal power within his body.

The Haotian Pagoda emitted streams of white light, which grew increasingly intense, stacking up over nine thousand layers, ultimately enveloping Xuanyuan Ruoxing entirely… Rumble… That enormous blade-light slammed directly into the Haotian Pagoda. The white radiance cracked incessantly; each fracture brought forth an explosion in the void, causing countless torrents of vacuum energy to surge outward, obliterating everything surrounding it that was already scarce.

The power coalesced from lightning, starlight, and fire was fully nine times greater than any single constituent force—it was energy approaching the threshold of another realm entirely. Had Xuanyuan Ruoxing been without the Haotian Pagoda, he would have been reduced to ash by this single slash.

Even with the Pagoda, he was shaken so violently that blood sprayed from his mouth… Boom! With a final, tremendous concussion, the white light radiating from the Haotian Pagoda was instantly shattered.

The colossal blade-light struck the Pagoda once more, and the three streams of light exploded in unison—a release of power equivalent to at least dozens of nuclear bombs detonating simultaneously.