Utmost Undying. Lin Moyu's aura surged wildly as he instantly entered the undying state. Under the Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon's stunned gaze, Lin Moyu drove a fist straight into that enormous maw. For this punch, he used his full strength, nearly gathering the power of all Undying Spirit Soldiers, drawing on the Language-God Heaven-and-Earth, and even fusing in Death Force. This was the strongest punch he could currently unleash, surpassing the limits of his flesh. Only in the undying state could he throw such a blow.
At the same moment, the Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon's massive jaws bit down, clamping onto Lin Moyu's fist. The impact rang through the void, a soul-shattering crash. Yet Lin Moyu's fist did not budge. The Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon could not believe he could not bite through Lin Moyu. With all his strength, his fangs actually cracked. Even though this was only an avatar, such a thing should have been impossible.
Lin Moyu's fist force erupted. The space before his knuckles shattered to powder and a gigantic rift tore open in the void, stretching for an unknown number of li. This punch had already surpassed the Supreme level and touched another realm. The Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon's avatar was pierced through and immense power ripped it apart, blowing the avatar to pieces in a violent explosion.
Lin Moyu casually shook his fist. "So much for being number one." He knew very well there is never an absolutely strongest defense, only power that is not strong enough. As long as strength is sufficient, any defense can be broken. For example, in the Life-Forbidden Zone, no being could currently withstand the Destruction Force there. The Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon's true body could have taken this punch, but his avatar could not.
He also knew the true body would not show up, just as Dao would not use full power against him. Now there was no one left to stop him from becoming a Supreme. As for the other one, Lin Moyu glanced absently into the distance, then retracted his gaze. He knew the Calamity Supreme had arrived, though he did not reveal himself. The Calamity Supreme was not here to stop him. Lin Moyu's ascension to Supreme had always been part of that one's plan. He had come mostly to see what Lin Moyu's current strength had become. Lin Moyu suspected he was feeling quite conflicted at the moment.
"Keep struggling. That is just the kind of person you are." Lin Moyu sneered inwardly. The Calamity Supreme's nature was exactly so: seemingly decisive, yet in truth perpetually conflicted. He liked to plan everything out and act only after exhaustive calculation, which made his adaptability weak. Some things simply cannot be calculated. No one is perfect, not even a transcendent powerhouse.
Lin Moyu ignored him and pretended not to know he was there. He took the final few steps and sat upon the Supreme throne that belonged to him. The illusory throne vanished, turning into Heaven-and-Earth power that wrapped around him. Lin Moyu felt Heaven-and-Earth's recognition. He, a Heaven-and-Earth public enemy, was now acknowledged as a Heaven-and-Earth Supreme. The absurd had become reality, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. He knew very interesting things were about to happen.
When a Heaven-and-Earth Supreme is forged, Heaven-and-Earth descends blessings in celebration and, according to the rules, proclaims to all beings above the Chaotic realm that a new Supreme has appeared. Radiant glow shrouded Lin Moyu and countless golden flowers manifested out of thin air in the void, Heaven-and-Earth's congratulation. Amid these blessings, the dazzling red light of the Heaven-and-Earth public enemy around him gradually faded.
Yet only a few breaths later, the glow disappeared and the golden flowers shattered. The recognition he had just received from Heaven-and-Earth rapidly weakened and the blinding red light erupted around him again. He was once more a Heaven-and-Earth public enemy. After a few more breaths, Heaven-and-Earth's congratulations reappeared.
The rules of Heaven-and-Earth were in chaos, treating him as a public enemy one moment and acknowledging him the next, the two states clashing in utter contradiction. Lin Moyu used that chaos to feel the shifts in the rules and then to observe the changes in the Great Calamity. The calamity, affected by the confusion in the rules, rose and fell like waves. In his sight, something hidden within the calamity, tied to its core, finally surfaced.
A severed root.
Lin Moyu saw that thing clearly. It was a broken tree root. The moment he saw it, a name surfaced in his mind by instinct: the root of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree. In the Canglong Heaven-and-Earth he had obtained a Hongmeng Spirit Tree leaf and used it to let the little tree break and be reborn, transforming from a Chaos Ancestral Tree into a Hongmeng Spirit Tree. Now a Hongmeng Spirit Tree root had appeared. If he obtained it, the little tree would likely gain immense benefit. If he wished to become the Chaotic Primewild's Transcendent, he could also use refining it as one path.
A few breaths later, the thing vanished again. It was not yet time for it to appear. It hid within the Great Calamity. Unless it took the initiative to show itself, only a Transcendent could pull it out from the rules. Yet once a Transcendent appears within a Heaven-and-Earth, there will be no more Great Calamity. That made the idea self-contradictory and nearly impossible.
Lin Moyu glanced down at himself and could not help but smile. One moment he was a public enemy, the next a Supreme, constantly alternating. Who knew when it would stabilize. With this ascension to Supreme he had completed several things. Chaos Child and Xiaopeng had finally detached from the Chaotic Primewild and their safety no longer needed to be a concern. Thanks to the bloodline resonance, Lin Mohan had also likely benefited greatly and stabilized her realm. When she moved, it would probably shake the world.
He had toyed with Dao, destroyed one avatar of the Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon, and most crucially had seen their combat power firsthand. It was not as terrifying as he had imagined. Their true bodies would of course be stronger, but by then he would also be stronger.
"Master, Master, I just sensed a strange aura." The little tree's voice suddenly echoed. Lin Moyu knew that the moment he had seen that severed root, the little tree had also sensed it.
"Tell me your feeling," Lin Moyu said.
"Master, did you just see something? I suddenly felt a very strange aura and seemed to have a very strong need for whatever you saw. That thing should be of immense benefit to me. If I can obtain it, I can become very strong."
"That was a severed root," Lin Moyu replied. "If I am not mistaken it should be a broken root of the Hongmeng Spirit Tree. It will indeed be very good for you."
"Then can Master obtain it?" the little tree asked in a small voice.
"I can, but now is not the time. We still need a bit more time."
What intrigued Lin Moyu more was why a Hongmeng Spirit Tree root would appear here. A leaf was easier to explain, but the presence of a root meant the Hongmeng Spirit Tree had been broken. How could such a mighty tree have had its roots severed? What exactly had happened? Did it have anything to do with Heaven-and-Earth, the Heaven-and-Earth Wall, or the Life-Forbidden Zone? He could not figure it out yet. When he obtained the severed root in the future, he would see whether it contained any answers.
His awareness fell upon the gestating forms of Chaos Child and Xiaopeng. The two light clusters were developing rapidly. Judging by the state of their soul flames, it would not be long before their consciousness returned. Once awake, with limitless Primordial-Beginning Qi available in the Language-God Heaven-and-Earth, regaining and even surpassing their peak would not be difficult.
"Congratulations to Daoist Lin on attaining the Supreme throne." The Wine Venerable's clear voice rang out, his congratulations entirely sincere. Lin Moyu was now the ninth Supreme of the Chaotic Primewild. In rank and status he stood at the very peak. At this moment his aura was strange: one instant a Heaven-and-Earth public enemy, the next a Heaven-and-Earth-recognized Supreme. The rules of Heaven-and-Earth were tangled chaotically around him. News of his ascension would soon spread throughout the Chaotic Primewild.
With a Supreme throne now under him, his identity as a public enemy was greatly diluted. Some people, seeing him, would no longer lose all reason as before. Of course, there would still be plenty who struck on sight, for he also bore the identity of a calamity-bearer. Such a tangled identity was truly unprecedented and would never be repeated.
Lin Moyu glanced at Tang God Sect. Half the sect land had been ruined by the earlier battle and the casualties were innumerable. If the Wine Venerable had not shielded it with all his strength, Tang God Sect would already have been erased from Heaven-and-Earth. For top experts, even the residual shockwaves of their battles were all lesser beings could endure.
"This time, I have brought disaster to your sect," Lin Moyu said. "I have nothing fixed on me and do not know how best to repay you. How about this." He thought for a moment as a soft glow gathered in his palm. Immense Life Force condensed into a sphere, then split into ten, then into a hundred, becoming a hundred pills brimming with vitality. "Here are a hundred pills refined by me. I dare not claim they can restore the dead, but as long as there is a single breath left, no matter how severe the wounds to flesh or soul, they can be restored to their original state."
This was his confidence. With the Undying Dao as it now was, he could save anyone short of the truly dead. All injuries could be healed. As long as a single shred of soul remained, he could restore it fully. Lin Moyu put the hundred pills into a bottle and handed it to the Wine Venerable. "This is a small token of my regard. Brother Wine, please do not refuse."
The Wine Venerable accepted the bottle. "Then I will not be polite."
Lin Moyu continued, "Heaven-and-Earth has its cycles, and all beings their allotted fate. I will not say those who died this time were without injustice, only that this calamity was part of their destined tribulation. Now that it has passed, with Brother Wine guarding it, Tang God Sect should come through this Great Calamity unharmed. I will also lay down a grand array. With this array in place, your safety will increase further. As long as your sect does not leave these grounds during the calamity, you should be able to remain safe."
The Wine Venerable understood his meaning at once. "Rest easy, Daoist Lin. During this Great Calamity, we will close the sect. None will enter or leave."
Lin Moyu drew rune after rune. Strange symbols flew out and sank into the void, merging with Heaven-and-Earth. These were all of his own creation, unusual in form and varied in effect. At his current realm he no longer cared about what runes looked like. What mattered was their inner structure. Each rune accorded with the rules of Heaven-and-Earth and took pure Heaven-and-Earth power as its foundation. As long as Heaven-and-Earth endured, the runes would exist forever.
In a moment the array was complete. Over ten thousand runes interwove into a vast net that enveloped the battered Tang God Sect. Lin Moyu handed control of the array to the Wine Venerable. "With this array here, unless a Supreme strikes personally, your sect will be safe. You yourself are a quasi Supreme, not much weaker than a true Supreme. With you sitting in town and the grand array on top of that, as long as Tang God Sect does not court death, you should have nothing to fear in this cycle of the Great Calamity."
"Many thanks, Daoist Lin," the Wine Venerable said loudly. He understood the gains and losses clearly. Had Lin Moyu never come, the sect might not have suffered such destruction or lost so many disciples. Yet during the Great Calamity, it was entirely possible the sect would have been wiped out with no survivors. In exchange for relative small losses now, he had secured the sect's future peace. Whether that trade was worth it only he could judge. In his eyes, it was worth it, especially with the pills Lin Moyu had given. He did not doubt their miraculous power in the slightest and trusted Lin Moyu completely.
After Lin Moyu left, the Wine Venerable turned back toward Tang God Sect, muttering under his breath, "The Patriarchs can be saved."
Lin Moyu departed Tang God Sect riding the Calamity-Ferry Boat toward the Central Region God Alliance. With his step into the Supreme realm, many things had changed. He was still the Heaven-and-Earth public enemy, yet also a Heaven-and-Earth Supreme. His public enemy and Supreme identities flipped back and forth, greatly weakening others' hostility toward him. So long as their Dao hearts were firm, they would not want to kill him on sight any longer.
Now it was time for him to head to the Upper Region and see the last grand array the Calamity Supreme had left behind. He wanted to know the ultimate purpose of that layout and what tricks the Calamity Supreme intended to pull when all those arrays were fully activated.
Previously, to reach the Upper Region he had needed to use the Central Region God Alliance's teleportation array. Now that was unnecessary. As long as he approached the alliance he could locate the spatial connection point to the Upper Region. There was no need to construct a new spatial passage. He could simply tear space open and step through. In a Supreme's eyes, the spaces within a Heaven-and-Earth were perfectly clear. With Supreme power, space could be folded and twisted at will, creating effects similar to teleportation or spatial tunnels. The Supremes' speed far surpassed that of Chaotic realm experts, and even teleportation arrays were not necessarily faster.
Lin Moyu could have discarded the Calamity-Ferry Boat entirely, but he was lazy and also wanted to use this time to comb through himself. After becoming a Supreme, his techniques had not undergone a qualitative change. They had simply grown stronger in step with his realm. The combat strength of the Undying Spirit Soldiers now surpassed the Chaotic realm and approached the quasi Supreme level. As long as their number exceeded ten thousand and they formed battle formations, they could contend with quasi Supremes.
He had a trillion Undying Spirit Soldiers. What did that mean? It was equivalent to over one hundred million quasi Supremes. How many quasi Supremes existed in the entire Heaven-and-Earth? Even if he added in all the Supremes as well, they were nowhere near his side. Even Dao, trying to kill so many Undying Spirit Soldiers, would probably hack until his heart trembled. To put it bluntly, if Lin Moyu wanted to destroy this Heaven-and-Earth, no one could stop him.
Under such conditions, Heaven-and-Earth still treated him as a public enemy. The rules truly seemed foolish, not understanding who they were picking a fight with. The Undying Spirit Soldiers were also the main source of power for Utmost Undying. As they grew stronger, Utmost Undying grew stronger along with them. His full-force punch earlier could already surpass a Supreme and had smashed the Primal-Chaos Wild Dragon's avatar. Now he had become even stronger, likely able to contend directly with the likes of Dao.
It was precisely because of this that he had the confidence to activate the final array. After this battle, the Great Calamity's progress had accelerated again. It was nearing its peak. Heaven-and-Earth was now in extreme chaos, but what came next would be true, all-encompassing chaos. Bloodshed and slaughter would be unending and no one could easily escape. The countless corpses he had seen along the way were proof enough. The Chaotic Primewild had gone mad. This was a cleansing on a scale beyond imagination. The Great Calamity of Heaven-and-Earth was not only a tribulation for Heaven-and-Earth itself, but also for all beings within it.
Lin Moyu was not without compassion, but he knew this was an inevitable process, the destined course of Heaven-and-Earth. He would not interfere, because interference would be useless.
After flying for over a month, when he was still several days from the Central Region God Alliance, a soft green radiance appeared. Boyang Supreme stepped out from it, smiling with narrowed eyes. "Daoist Lin, long time no see."
Lin Moyu put away the Calamity-Ferry Boat, moved in front of Boyang Supreme, and suddenly drove a heavy punch at him.
"Beating the crap out of you."