The octopus-like figure within the massive cocoon was none other than the true body of the Innate Dark God—a genuine primordial deity, born directly from the laws of darkness. He was a child of the Heavenly Dao, a true favored one of heaven and earth. The Law of Darkness itself was one of the most supreme among all universal laws—its endless depth not mere metaphor. It possessed the power to overturn the sun and moon, to shatter the balance of heaven and earth.
This was also the true form of the Dark City Lord.
Originally, he had yet to be born. He remained inside the cocoon, nurturing in seclusion. What moved through the world and guarded Dark City was only one of his avatars. Not long ago, some fat bastard snuck in and stole the kidney from his avatar. And now, someone had dared launch a surprise attack, slashing open the cocoon that nurtured him.
This cocoon was his embryonic shell. To rupture it meant to force him prematurely into the world, to end the natural process of his birth. Once broken, he could no longer bathe in the pure laws of heaven and earth or rapidly comprehend the power of darkness. It was a severe interruption to his great opportunity.
Had the cocoon remained intact, he was confident he could have refined his mastery over darkness even further. At this level, each refinement might take tens of thousands of years—yet here, inside the cocoon, he could have saved eons of time.
He could have reached the pinnacle of the Dao-Proving Realm and comprehended more laws.
But now, all of that had been forcibly severed. His cultivation opportunity had been completely ruined.
To a cultivator, severing a great opportunity was no different from killing one's parents. It was a hatred that could not be shared under the same sky.
What's worse, the one who had just struck—the one who had broken his cocoon—he had recognized him. Yi Tianxing! The very one who had once infiltrated his secret chamber and escaped. And now, he had returned, bold enough to challenge him again.
Unforgivable.
Absolutely infuriating.
This time, Yi Tianxing would die for sure. He, the Dark God, would show the world that he was no sick cat.
Shua!!
In a flash of dark light, the true form of the Dark God transformed into human shape. Behind him, countless tentacles writhed menacingly, each covered in eerie demonic eyes, glowing with strange brilliance. Standing in midair, his very presence absorbed all surrounding light, forming an invisible field of pure darkness.
He stood at the absolute center of the void—the heart of darkness itself.
The giant Dark War Spears, formed from his tentacles, clashed violently with the Demon Slayer Blade. These weren't just a few strikes—they collided millions of times within mere moments. Every strike was a masterwork of divine technique, fast as lightning, filled with overwhelming power that shattered space and split the sky.
"Dark Oblivion!!"The Dark God coldly spat out the words, eyes locked on Yi Tianxing.
The moment the words left his lips, a terrifying scene unfolded. Centered on Yi Tianxing, the boundless darkness within a radius of several thousand feet suddenly began to collapse inward, wildly compressing and folding onto itself.
It was as if the entire world was collapsing—utterly annihilating itself.
Within this collapsing space, an endless force of destruction surged from all directions, crushing everything without exception. Space was sealed. Escape routes were blocked. The Law of Darkness dominated everything within.
Once the compression reached its limit, everything inside would be obliterated, erased from existence.
This divine ability was so terrifying it erased all possibility of retreat. A single blow meant to kill instantly.
Among top-tier cultivators, there was no back-and-forth of ten thousand exchanges. If you could kill in one strike—you did.
Clearly, the Dark God had no intention of holding back. He wanted Yi Tianxing dead.
"Heavenly Emperor's Fortune Hand—Primal Dao Fusion!!"
Yi Tianxing's eyes flashed with light. A towering fighting spirit erupted from him.
If the Dark God wanted a fight, he'd give him one.
This was just an avatar. The Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower was merely a projection. Even if it was destroyed, there would be no loss to his true self.
He never feared battle.
The Heavenly Emperor's Fortune Hand was deeply linked to the Hongmeng Tower. Its essence came from one of the tower's own primal creation artifacts—his lifebound treasure. Comprehending it was only natural.
Among its techniques, it held a terrifying ultimate move: one that condensed all his martial divine wills into a single, devastating strike.
Boom!!!
With the strike, a brilliant forty-four-layered tower appeared beneath his palm. It was fully condensed from martial will—each floor radiating the power of Eight-Tribulation Martial Intent.
Each layer housed an artifact formed from that intent: divine blades, war spears, and more—forty-four pieces in total.
The combined power was nearly equal to that of Nine-Tribulation Martial Intent.
Simultaneously, the projection of the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower fused with it. Through a mystical connection, the projection contained power from countless middle worlds—even if ultimately expressed as a small world's strength, it was still not to be underestimated.
This strike possessed power no weaker than a Dao-Proving powerhouse.
The tower crashed into the collapsing dark realm with unstoppable force.
Boom!!
Darkness roiled.
Divine light blazed.
The terrifying light engulfed the entire City Lord's manor. Countless structures were instantly shattered into ruins.
Even the Dark God was caught in the blast, his furious roars echoing through the void.
Darkness surged like an ocean. The Hongmeng Tower unleashed ancient heavenly chants. Each artifact exploded with primal force, constantly smashing the darkness.
Two great powers clashed—neither giving an inch.
The destructive storm lasted a full fifteen minutes before finally subsiding. Darkness once again shrouded the manor, cutting off all vision and external detection.
"Good... good... very good. So it was you—Yi Tianxing, Holy King of Great Yi, master of the Hongmeng Tower.I hadn't come looking for you, and yet you dared walk into my domain.You… must… die. A monster like you cannot be allowed to live."
The City Lord's mansion had been completely obliterated.
All life inside was annihilated. The Dark God's avatar, his Dark Saint Son—all perished.
The avatar was replaceable. But the Saint Son was truly dead. He could not be revived.
Worse still—he now recognized Yi Tianxing's identity.
Furious, he cast a divine spell: fusing his innate treasure, the Dark Millstone, with a great divine power, attempting to annihilate both Yi Tianxing and Nannan in a single blow.
But—too late. That had not been Yi Tianxing's true body.
It had only been an avatar.
To the real Yi Tianxing, the loss meant nothing.
"The Holy King of Great Yi has entered the Dark Realm?Good... very good.If you've ruined my fortune, then you'll pay with your life."
The Dark God sneered coldly.
Outside Dark City, inside a hidden cave…
Yi Tianxing and Nannan opened their eyes at the same time, flickers of light in their gaze.
"So that Dark God is a Dao-Proving Realm powerhouse… Are cultivators at that level really that strong?"Nannan asked, inhaling deeply.
"He's an Innate God, born of the Law of Darkness. In the night, his strength doubles.That companion treasure of his should be a supreme spiritual treasure.With it, his power can suppress most Dao-Proving experts.This is his home turf. Unless I act personally and bring the true Hongmeng Tower, there's no way to truly suppress him.But… there's no need to do that just yet."
Yi Tianxing spoke calmly.
This had only been a test—a probe of the Dark God's foundation.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would never reveal his trump cards. This was the Dark Realm, and clearly not a simple place. The Dark God was likely not the one truly pulling the strings.
According to prior intelligence, the real mastermind was someone else.
As for who—that still required further investigation.
More importantly, Yi Tianxing had sensed something strange during the battle: a faintly familiar aura.
"Let's go. To the White Lotus Forbidden Zone.I believe the answers we're seeking can be found there."
No matter what, heading to the White Lotus Forbidden Zone was now a must.