The Calamity Scepter was unstoppable as it swept through the void. No matter how strong these expedition members had once been, even if they had reached the peak of the Supreme realm, in front of the Calamity Scepter they were still unable to withstand a single blow. Whoever it touched died.
Right now Lin Moyu could only bring out a tiny fraction of the Calamity Scepter's power, but even so he already surpassed the former Heavenly Calamity Supreme. With one strike, the void was suddenly cleared. Only a seven story pagoda of interwoven ice and fire remained, slowly revolving there.
A roar shook the void and exploded before Lin Moyu. Enormous force slammed into him, blasting him a thousand kilometers away and drawing a long ribbon of mixed ice and fire across the void.
Ice and fire surged out from the seven story pagoda and turned into a colossal beast of ice and fire. Half of its body was flame, half was ice. One eye was red, the other blue, and they locked firmly onto Lin Moyu.
A rules lifeform.
Lin Moyu steadied himself and looked at it from ten thousand kilometers away. This rules lifeform was very strong. Its earlier attack had already surpassed the Supreme realm and broken through his body and soul defenses. The Technique Domain, the Ten Directions Domain, and Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had all helped share the impact. Otherwise he would definitely have been injured.
The Calamity Scepter swung up and swept across a span of ten thousand kilometers, smashing toward the ice and fire beast.
The beast roared again and again. The void thundered and kept exploding. The power of ice and the power of fire clashed and collided, bursting out even more terrifying destructive force that forcibly knocked the Calamity Scepter aside. Lin Moyu's strike failed to land.
Very strong. This was the first time the Calamity Scepter had suffered a setback. The other side's power truly exceeded the Supreme realm. Although it was not yet a true Supreme, nor on the level of Dao, the tier of its power had shifted slightly. Just that slight change gave it astonishing strength, enough to knock the Calamity Scepter off line.
The ice and fire beast's roar suddenly became urgent. The void twisted and in an instant countless explosions were born at the same time. The rules of ice and fire clashed violently. All around Lin Moyu everything blew apart. He was immediately swallowed by endless explosions. The violent detonations went on and on as if they would never end.
As a rules lifeform it possessed the ability to manipulate rules. The rules of a seven wheel Heaven-and-Earth were very powerful and that power had no end. It could keep blowing him up like this for thousands of years without any problem.
Flames surged and bitter cold spread, engulfing Lin Moyu.
Utmost Undying.
Vast power tore through the fire and ice. Lin Moyu activated Utmost Undying and entered an undying and indestructible state. Ignoring the explosions of ice and fire, he charged out of them with the Calamity Scepter in hand. In an instant he crossed ten thousand kilometers and arrived right in front of the seven story pagoda. The Calamity Scepter smashed down directly onto the ice and fire beast.
Boom.
Another violent explosion shook the Calamity Scepter aside, and at the same time the ice and fire beast turned into water and flame and vanished.
"Master, you did not hit it. This thing merged into the Heaven-and-Earth rules," the Hongmeng Gem shouted.
Once a rules lifeform merged into the rules, it could exist in any corner of the Heaven-and-Earth, nowhere to be seen yet everywhere at once.
It could escape, but the Heaven-and-Earth core could not.
Flames flashed and the Undying Fire fell upon the seven story pagoda. The pagoda was instantly shrouded in flame and began to burn. Once it was swallowed by Undying Fire, it was only a matter of time before this Heaven-and-Earth was refined.
But in the next breath Lin Moyu felt something was wrong. The Undying Fire had not managed to refine the seven story pagoda. Firelight flickered before his eyes and countless seven story pagodas appeared in the void. Some were pure fire pagodas, some pure ice pagodas, others carried both ice and fire.
Roars rang out again. On top of every seven story pagoda a beast manifested. Ice pagodas gave birth to ice beasts, fire pagodas to fire beasts, and the pagodas of both ice and fire produced ice and fire beasts.
It was not just two rules of ice and fire. Lin Moyu realized this Heaven-and-Earth was not limited to only those two rules. They were merely the most conspicuous. The seven story pagoda he had seen before, the Heaven-and-Earth core, had not been real. The true Heaven-and-Earth core was here, though he did not yet know which one it was.
Endless attacks were already descending. Countless pagodas and countless beasts attacked Lin Moyu at the same time. Power of rules surged as Lin Moyu was once more engulfed in violent explosions. But in his undying and indestructible state, he ignored all these attacks.
The Hongmeng Gem howled, "It actually fooled even me." It was clearly furious. No one was happy about being tricked.
"Find the real Heaven-and-Earth core," Lin Moyu said.
"Master, rest assured, I will find it now," the Hongmeng Gem replied.
The Elemental Gem glittered. The forces of ice and fire swiftly receded. The explosions ceased and the void of the Heaven-and-Earth went quiet. The Elemental Gem controlled all elements. No matter what Heaven-and-Earth they belonged to, it could command them. Ice and fire flowed back into the seven story pagodas. No matter how the rules lifeform tried to command them, the elements no longer obeyed. In that moment the rules of ice and fire in this Heaven-and-Earth rebelled against it.
"Get out here," the Hongmeng Gem shouted angrily. This time it was truly enraged.
As it shouted, ice and fire kept shrinking back, pouring into the pagodas. The ice and fire beast reappeared, roaring without pause. But now it clearly could not control the power of ice and fire. All it could do was roar and howl, to no effect. The Elemental Gem was utterly unreasonable and overbearing, directly seizing control of the Heaven-and-Earth rules.
As the spirit of the Calamity Scepter, the Hongmeng Gem could control the Calamity Scepter to a certain degree. Right now it was showing off a small part of its abilities, opening Lin Moyu's eyes.
"Explode."
The Hongmeng Gem shouted, and the powers of ice and fire erupted. Countless pagodas shattered at once. In the end only a single seven story pagoda of ice and fire remained in the void. This was the Heaven-and-Earth core.
Without needing the Hongmeng Gem to say anything, the Undying Fire had already flown over. The ice and fire beast seemed to sense the terror of the Undying Fire. Its roar turned to a shriek. The seven story pagoda exploded, turning into rules of ice and fire that tried to flee.
"There is no door for you to run through," the Hongmeng Gem shouted.
The Elemental Gem flashed and forcibly condensed the shattered seven story pagoda back together. Undying Fire fell on it at the same time and began refining it in earnest.
The ice and fire beast shrieked again and again. For the first time it tasted what it was like to be refined. Its screams were full of pain. Its once mighty aura was steadily weakening. No matter how it struggled it could not escape the fate of being refined.
Lin Moyu exhaled slightly. "Well done."
"In truth, even if I did nothing, Master could deal with it," the Hongmeng Gem said.
"If there is a nearer, faster road, why should I walk the long one?" Lin Moyu laughed.
He could indeed handle it. After all, he still had Undying Fire. It would just be more troublesome.
The Hongmeng Gem snorted. "That thing almost fooled even me. It has already fooled me once." But the Hongmeng Gem cared about face and Lin Moyu naturally would not point that out.
What came next was just a matter of time. Undying Fire was refining the Heaven-and-Earth. As it refined, the Undying Fire itself grew stronger and its refining speed kept increasing. Large amounts of rule crystals were extracted and all fell into Lin Moyu's pocket. The ice and fire beast originally still had the power to counterattack, but the Elemental Gem held it firmly. Aside from screaming, it could do nothing.
Lin Moyu's eyes gleamed. He wondered whether this time Yushen Heaven-and-Earth could finally undergo a qualitative change. After strengthening Yushen Heaven-and-Earth earlier and gaining a deeper understanding of Heaven-and-Earth strength, Lin Moyu had basically determined its tier. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was not low tier. It was a bit stronger than the Chaotic Ancient Wilds, either a five wheel Heaven-and-Earth or a six wheel Heaven-and-Earth, still far from seven wheels.
Fortunately, Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had not yet fully taken shape. As long as he handled it properly, he could completely raise Yushen Heaven-and-Earth to a seven wheel Heaven-and-Earth or even higher. This time he had gained another seven wheel Heaven-and-Earth. Not only would Undying Fire grow stronger, Yushen Heaven-and-Earth could also gain enormous benefit. But whether it could successfully ascend and trigger a qualitative change, Lin Moyu was not very sure.
"Master does not need to worry," the Hongmeng Gem said. "If this is still not enough, then we just find another Heaven-and-Earth. There are not many Heavens-and-Earth of seven wheels and above, but there should still be some to find."
"You know my goal. A seven wheel Heaven-and-Earth is only the foundation," Lin Moyu said.
His ideal target was to raise Yushen Heaven-and-Earth to a nine wheel Heaven-and-Earth. That would be very difficult. If he could not achieve it, he could not force it. At the very least Yushen Heaven-and-Earth had to become seven wheel. He had a feeling that only once he possessed a Heaven-and-Earth of seven wheels or above would he have a chance of resisting the power of the Life-Forbidden Zone and reach a level where no one had ever set foot. The road was set. All he could do was grind forward step by step.
He hoped Little Tree could successfully find more Heavens-and-Earth so he could refine them one by one and complete the ascension before Yushen Heaven-and-Earth faced its first Heaven-and-Earth great calamity.
Several days later, the ice and fire beast's howls ceased. It was refined, leaving only a huge amount of rule crystals. The rules of this Heaven-and-Earth were very simple, almost all concentrated in the ice and fire beast, so the number of rule crystals obtained was enormous. These rule crystals could strengthen the rules of Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and be used to balance the Heaven-and-Earth.
Undying Fire burned hotter and stronger. The refining speed kept growing. Lin Moyu had already ordered it to slow down the pace so he would have more time to comprehend Heaven-and-Earth rules. Even so, it took only a dozen days for this seven wheel Heaven-and-Earth to be completely refined. He truly could not slow it any further.
When the Heaven-and-Earth was fully destroyed, the return spatial passage revealed itself. Lin Moyu dove headfirst into it. Undying Fire, wrapped around the outer shell of the Heaven-and-Earth core, followed him into the passage.
He stepped onto the path of return. The journey back was no longer as urgent as before. The spatial passage Little Tree had created was very stable. Even after that Heaven-and-Earth collapsed, the passage remained firm.
Inside the passage Lin Moyu watched with his own eyes as a Heaven-and-Earth vanished. It was like a bubble popping. No matter how powerful it had once been, in the end it could only turn into nothingness. In the boundless Life-Forbidden Zone, the destruction of a single Heaven-and-Earth did not stir even the slightest wave. The ripples from the destruction force swept through and erased all traces. That Heaven-and-Earth was as if it had never existed.
Lin Moyu could not help but sigh. No matter how powerful something once was, this was its final end.
"In the face of the Great Annihilation, all Heavens-and-Earth, no matter who they belong to, are treated the same," the Hongmeng Gem said.
A thought suddenly surfaced in Lin Moyu's mind. "Tell me, how many times has the Great Annihilation occurred?"
The Hongmeng Gem froze. It was clear it had never considered that question. It shook its head. "I do not know."
"If the Great Annihilation has happened more than once, did you exist before?" Lin Moyu asked.
"Master, that is a soul question. I have never thought about it," the Hongmeng Gem said, its expression odd. It did not quite understand why Lin Moyu was asking this.
"I am just thinking. If this Great Annihilation is not the first one, then were there earlier Great Annihilations? If there were, were there so many Heavens-and-Earth at that time? Or so many powerful living beings? In what form did they exist? If we treat each Great Annihilation as an era, are you from this era, or have you experienced other eras?"
The Hongmeng Gem's head suddenly grew larger. It held its enlarged head. "Master, your question is too frightening."
Smiling, Lin Moyu shook his head. "Frightening? I do not think so."
"I have never thought as deeply as Master," the Hongmeng Gem said. "We live in the present. The past might be useful, but things too far back are not worth digging into. I only know that Master now needs to step across the Life-Forbidden Zone. Then you can avoid the Great Annihilation. Maybe Master's questions will also find their answers then."
Lin Moyu laughed freely. "Indeed, I am thinking too much. Many things do not need to be thought about this way. Live in the present and walk each step well."
There was a hint of self mockery in his words. After experiencing the Great World and three eras of the Origin Continent, he did sometimes overthink. This Great Annihilation might have something to do with him, but if there had been other eras before this Great Annihilation, those had nothing to do with him at all. There was no need to think about them.
This place was not like the Origin Continent. There was no World Will, no schemes or plots. Compared to that time, things were simpler and more direct now. Everything was measured by strength. Only with sufficient strength could he carve out a path for himself. Everything else was illusion.
When he returned to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, Little Tree swayed gently. "Master, you are back. Did it go smoothly?"
Lin Moyu nodded. "Everything went smoothly."
On Little Tree's body were two branches and six leaves. The leaf where Lin Moyu stood was no longer transparent. As he returned, the spatial passage collapsed and the leaf began to wither.
"The leaf is withering. Will that affect you?" Lin Moyu asked.
"Master, do not worry. A new leaf will grow very soon. It does not affect me. The flourishing and withering of leaves is like a cycle. It does not impact Little Tree itself. The total number of leaves will not change. Only when I become stronger will the leaves increase. Otherwise they will decrease," Little Tree said.
Lin Moyu nodded. "You have worked hard. Keep searching for Heavens-and-Earth. I will go take care of other matters first."
"I will search with all my strength," Little Tree said.
Lin Moyu turned, took one step, and arrived in a barren stretch of void. He took out the seven story pagoda that now retained only its shell.
Heaven burst and earth cracked.
He activated his techniques and the seven story pagoda instantly exploded. At the same time, a sphere of light brimming with vitality was born.
By the same method as before, Lin Moyu repeated the process, carrying out an act akin to opening the heavens and splitting the earth. The Heaven-and-Earth power and the Primordial Qi born in that opening were all absorbed and refined by Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
The Balance Gem flashed, balancing Heaven-and-Earth and rules. All the rule crystals were taken out and gradually merged in. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth began to grow stronger once again.
Little Tree swayed non stop. As the Heaven-and-Earth strengthened, Little Tree also benefited. A new branch slowly extended, with three tender leaves growing upon it. Little Tree's roots grew even more robust, driving deep into the Life-Forbidden Zone, absorbing destruction force, turning it into Heaven-and-Earth power. Part of it nourished itself, part became soul power to supply Lin Moyu, and another part flowed back to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.