Ninefold Nirvana

The excruciating pain of demonic energy entering his body was like a thousand ants gnawing at his bones. Veins bulged on Ren Xiaoyao's forehead like writhing dragons, and cold sweat streamed down his face, soaking his clothes and spreading into large, dark patches on his chest. Within his Dao Origin, the Black Airflow flowed like countless shattered blades tempered with the Nine Netherworlds chill of the Netherworld, each flow accompanied by a tearing pain, even his bone marrow felt chilled to the bone, as if it would freeze his meridians completely. His Dao Yuan, originally surging like a river, froze into a frozen lake wherever the demonic energy passed, even the slightest movement becoming difficult. Soft cracking sounds emanated from the points where the Dao Origin collided with the demonic energy. At the edge of his sea of consciousness, countless ferocious demonic shadows roared and crashed against the barrier of his Dao Heart —some of these shadows wielding broken... The shattered Demon Blade, some shrouded in pitch-black demonic energy, spewed forth black mist that spread like ink, attempting to corrupt his pure Dao Heart. Yet, Ren Xiaoyao's Dao Heart remained as unmoved as a solitary peak in the deep sea, allowing the three forces of "life," "devouring," and "annihilation" to surge and collide within his body—the gray-gold Weapon Dao Current flowed like supple green vines, tightly binding the rampant demonic energy, refusing to loosen its grip even as Demonic Qi Erosion and the edges of the vines began to wither; the Heavenly Tribulation Black Markings transformed into silver-white lightning, cleaving fine cracks at the core where the three forces intertwined, each crack radiating a faint light of "destruction followed by rebirth," like new buds quietly sprouting in the darkness, nurturing Hope of Life despair.

"A single turn to Nirvana, shattering all shackles!"

Ren Xiaoyao let out a deep shout, his voice carrying the weight of Chaos Current, causing visible ripples in the surrounding air. Even the pebbles on the ground trembled slightly, and some tiny stones even jumped half an inch into the air. He pressed his palm down hard on the deepest crack of the Chaos Cauldron. The instant his palm touched the cauldron, the gray-gold energy condensed at the point of contact into a cauldron-shaped phantom the size of a fingernail. The phantom echoed the Chaos Cauldron, pouring all the surging "Life" (the Way of War), "Devouring" (Demonic Energy), and "Destruction" (Heavenly Tribulation) energies within him into the cauldron. The Chaos Cauldron suddenly erupted with a blinding gray light, piercing through the black mist that shrouded the battlefield. In mid-air, it condensed into a pillar of light over ten feet thick, piercing the clouds and tearing a gap in the heavy black clouds. Sunlight streamed through the gap, intertwining with the pillar to form a golden-gray curtain of light. From the cracks in the cauldron, fine, hair-like silver-white electric wires seeped out, intertwining with the gray-gold energy to form a tough rope the thickness of a thumb, like a giant python fiercely constricting the demonic energy that had invaded the cauldron. That originally arrogant and domineering demonic energy, capable of corroding metal and stone, now met its nemesis, emitting a sizzling, burning sound. The sound, swirled into a thick black mist by the electric wires and the Weapon Dao Current, did not dissipate. Instead, it was forcibly incorporated into the Weapon Patterns —the silver spear pattern was tinged with a layer of light black, its originally pure sharpness now possessing a more domineering, devouring quality. The illusory shadow of the spear tip flickered, seemingly capable of piercing through any defense, even the air itself whistling as it was pierced; the golden axe pattern was wrapped in dancing electric wires, the Flame Sect burning ever more fiercely, the edges of the flames tinged with a faint black, even the air itself was distorted into waves, and any nearby rubble was instantly incinerated to ashes; the Purple Shield pattern condensed a layer of light, alternating between black and silver, thick and heavy. Concealing a sharp edge of retaliation, the flowing patterns on the surface of the light layer spread like ripples, seemingly capable of reflecting incoming attacks amplified, even deflecting weapon fragments flying from afar several feet away. Upon seeing this, the Demon Emperor's pupils constricted to needle-like sizes, his fingers beneath his black robe clenched tightly, the weapon fragments embedded in his knuckles deeply embedded in his palms, oozing blackish-purple beads of blood. These beads, upon hitting the ground, dissolved into wisps of black smoke and dissipated into the air. "This is impossible! Demonic energy is a grave taboo in the cultivation world; contact with it damages Dao Foundation, at best causing a regression in cultivation, at worst leading to the annihilation of one's cultivation and death. How could he have refined it?"

"A second nirvana, a new foundation for creation!"

Ren Xiaoyao's figure slowly floated into the air, his feet three feet off the ground. The gray-gold vortex around him expanded in reverse, growing from a few feet to several feet in size, forming a rotating Energy Storm. The airflow at the edge of the storm could even shred rocks into dust. The Chaos Moss fragments and scattered weapon shards on the ground were forcibly sucked up by the vortex, condensing into a semi-transparent ring of light around him. The ring of light was about half a foot thick, and the three-colored airflow flowing inside could be vaguely seen. Within the ring of light, the phantoms of a silver spear, a golden axe, and Purple Shield repeatedly shattered and reformed. Each reformation added a touch of dark demonic energy and the silver of Heavenly Tribulation Power. The white-silver spear tip gleamed even brighter, and fine black lines appeared on the shaft, winding like chains; the patterns on the golden axe blade became increasingly clear, with silver-white electric wires wrapped around its edges, producing a faint crackling sound as the wires flickered; pale golden energy seeped from the scratches on the Purple Shield, its defensive aura growing increasingly heavy, even the light band becoming more solid due to this aura. The Weapon Phantoms became increasingly solid, and one could even hear the sharp sound of the silver spear cutting through the air, the dull sound of the golden axe chopping, and the crisp sound of the Purple Shield blocking—these sounds intertwined, forming a unique Way of Weapons Rhythm. Within his dantian, Chaos Current was no longer a single gray-gold color, but transformed into a torrent interwoven with black, gold, and silver, flowing three times faster than before, like a surging river washing over the Damaged Meridians. Wherever it passed, the meridians repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye—at the originally broken meridian joints, a pale golden repair fluid first seeped out, then was enveloped and reshaped by the three-colored torrent, ultimately forming meridians that were even more resilient than before. Faint three-colored patterns appeared on the blood vessel walls, covering them like armor, making them difficult to break even under the impact of demonic energy. The Chaos Hundred Weapons Cauldron also changed accordingly, the cracks in its body... The cauldron closed slowly but surely, revealing three interwoven patterns representing "birth, Life-Annihilation-Devour" at the point of closure. These patterns flowed like living things, sometimes leaning towards gold (birth), sometimes towards black (devouring), and sometimes towards silver (death). The crimson bow marks on the cauldron's handles lit up again, and the flow within the bow marks was no longer simply fire, but a fusion of demonic energy and lightning from Heavenly Tribulation. The dark flames and lightning intertwined and burned within the bow marks, emitting an aura of "drawing all forces" several times stronger than before. Even the surrounding spiritual Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and earth was attracted by the bow marks, transforming into tiny threads of air that slowly converged towards the Chaos Cauldron.

"Three cycles of Nirvana, merging with the Way of War!"

Ren Xiaoyao's fingertip hand seals increased dramatically, so fast that only afterimages remained. The trajectory of his fingertips left faint three-colored light spots, which condensed into brief afterimages of the hand seals in the air, leaving behind faint energy fluctuations after they dissipated. The hand seals quickly transformed from the initial "cauldron shape" to the "Hundred Soldiers Pay Homage" shape—his thumb and forefinger formed the cauldron's handles, while the other three fingers transformed into phantoms of spears, axes, and shields respectively. As the airflow surged from his fingertips, it seemed as if a hundred phantom weapons, including swords, halberds, spears, and axes, surrounded him. Although the images were indistinct, one could sense the True Meaning of the Way of Weapons contained within them. The Chaos Cauldron suddenly rose into the air, along with him... The rings of light around the cauldron echoed each other, and the Weapon Phantoms within them flew into the cauldron, merging into the Weapon Patterns like birds returning to their nests. The Weapon Patterns on the cauldron instantly lit up, their light even more dazzling than before, illuminating the battlefield several miles away and dyeing distant mountains a golden-gray hue. What flew out of the cauldron were no longer single weapon phantoms, but composite Weapon Soul interwoven with Black Gold —the tip of the silver spear was wrapped in dancing electric wires and dense black mist. With a thrust, the space torn open actively absorbed the surrounding demonic energy, the edges of which shimmered with a faint tri-colored halo. After being absorbed, it was transformed into energy to nourish the Weapon Soul, making the silver spear even more solid; the golden axe's blade was condensed with tri-colored flames, within which tiny Weapon Patterns could be seen dancing. When it struck, the flames landed and transformed into a small Weapon Tomb over ten feet high. The Weapon Tomb, however, turned around and devoured the Demon Emperor's weapon remnants, stripping the demonic energy from those remnants and converting it into its own power. The weapon remnants on the surface of the Weapon Tomb gradually became tinged with tri-colored luster and no longer emitted a cold aura; the Purple Shield's surface was covered with three Dao Patterns "Life-Annihilation-Devour," which could not only resist attacks but also reflect demonic energy, turning it into streaks of black light. A blade, crackling with silvery-white electric wires, pierced straight at the Demon Emperor. Wherever the blade passed, tiny slits were cut into the air. The Demon Emperor's ten-zhang-long weapon Weapon Tomb began to tremble violently. Among the piled weapon fragments, half of them broke free from the shackles of demonic energy, emitting a slight hum, as if they had regained their freedom and flew towards the Chaos Cauldron, becoming a continuous source of "weapons" for Ren Xiaoyao. The Weapon Tomb, having lost half of its fragments, instantly shrank by half in size, and the Black Demonic Qi on its surface became thinner, shrouded like a veil, greatly reducing its intimidating power. Some fragments even began to fall off, hitting the ground with dull thuds.

"Fourth revolution, fifth revolution, sixth revolution— the Nirvana Dao, Demon-Bane power!"

Ren Xiaoyao's voice grew louder and louder, like thunderclaps blasting across the heavens. Each word caused tiny cracks to appear in the ground, spreading from his feet outwards to a depth of half an inch. The distant mountains trembled slightly, and boulders tumbled down from their peaks. The ring of light around him suddenly contracted, transforming into a set of three-colored armor that fit his body perfectly. The armor covered his entire body; the shoulder armor was shaped like the tip of a silver spear, pointing upwards and gleaming with a cold, sharp light; the breastplate was engraved with the phantom of a golden axe, the blade facing outwards, with flame patterns flowing around the phantom; the back armor was adorned with Purple Shield patterns, the shield surface convex, forming a natural defensive arc. Each Dao Patterns autonomously absorbed and released the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The demonic energy transformed the surrounding energy into power to nourish the armor. The tri-colored light flowing across the armor's surface moved slowly like flowing water, emanating an awe-inspiring pressure that kept the surrounding demonic energy at bay. The Chaos Cauldron expanded once more, growing from five zhang to ten zhang in a flash. The "Life-Annihilation-Devour" patterns on the cauldron's body became increasingly clear, and the tri-colored energy flowing within the patterns seemed to be able to draw upon the power of heaven and earth, causing subtle ripples in the surrounding space. The cauldron's mouth was no longer just a simple gray light, but had condensed into a "Nirvana Fire" of Black Gold. The flames reached several zhang high, blooming like a lotus flower, with layers of petal-shaped flames. As they licked, the Demon Emperor's Devouring Soldier Demon Cauldron was actually imprisoned by the flames. Bound tightly, like a trapped behemoth unable to move, the demonic energy on the surface of the Demon Cauldron scorched by the flames, emitting a sizzling sound. The Blood-Colored Patterns on the body of the Devouring Soldier Demon Cauldron began to fade, gradually changing from deep blood red to light pink, and finally almost disappearing. The weapon fragments that had been surging forth instantly stopped, like frozen tides, suspended in mid-air without moving, not even the slightest tremor, and the black luster on the surface of the fragments gradually faded. The Demon Emperor frantically urged the demonic energy within his body, his black robes fluttering like a black flag torn by a gale. The Demon Blade that flew out from the corners of his robes landed on the ground and embedded themselves deeply in the rock, leaving only half of the blade trembling outside. The bones beneath his black robe creaked under the immense weight, as if about to shatter. His face contorted with rage, dark purple veins bulging beneath his skin like a spiderweb. "You dare to destroy my tens of thousands of years of Demonic Dao foundation! I will grind you to dust, Soul Annihilation, and condemn you to eternal damnation!" But the moment his demonic energy touched the Nirvana Fire, it was instantly Void, leaving not even a wisp of black smoke. Even the fragments of weapons embedded in his finger bones began to melt, turning into a dark purple liquid that dripped from between his fingers, corroding the ground and creating tiny pits. Black smoke still hissed from the edges of these pits, turning the soil black.

"Seven cycles of Nirvana, golden body manifests!"

Ren Xiaoyao's tri-colored armor shattered instantly, transforming into countless tiny tri-colored light points that circled him like a sky full of stars. These points formed a temporary protective shield around him, radiating a soft yet resolute light that completely isolated the surrounding demonic energy. Then, the light points merged into his body, his skin gleaming with Glazed Ice sheen. Black Gold hues flowed beneath his skin, forming the "Indestructible Golden Body" pattern—the pattern spreading from his chest to his limbs, covering his entire body like a network. Every inch of his skin was as hard as Chaos Cauldron, radiating a faint metallic sheen. Under sunlight, it reflected a faint tri-colored halo, appearing sacred and majestic. Demonic energy that touched it instantly burned away. Wisps of black smoke couldn't even get within three feet of him; in the distance, a fragment of a weapon the size of a millstone, carried by demonic energy, flew towards him with a whistling sound, slashing fiercely at his arm. With a crisp "clang," the fragment instantly shattered into countless small pieces, falling to the ground like scattered sand. His skin remained completely unmarked, without even a trace of white, and he felt almost nothing. Seeing this, the Demon Emperor's eyes were filled with madness and despair, his bloodshot pupils glowing crimson. He raised his hand, conjuring a black Demon Blade Demon Blade and longer than before—three zhang long, forged from countless fragments of weapons, its blade covered in barbs, each gleaming with a chilling light, radiating Destructive Aura capable of severing even the Dao Foundation. The Destructive Aura, its aura extinguished, was still wreathed in black demonic flames. As the flames flickered, even the space itself was scorched with tiny marks. He roared as he slashed the Demon Blade at Ren Xiaoyao, his voice hoarse like a broken gong. The Demon Blade sliced through the air, leaving a black afterimage, and wherever it passed, tiny cracks appeared in the space, from which a faint black mist seeped. Ren Xiaoyao, however, neither dodged nor evaded, his eyes calm as a mirror, Buddha-Demon blade was not a fatal attack, but a gentle breeze. He raised his hand and grasped the Demon Blade. The instant his palm touched the Demon Blade, three-colored energy flowed from his palm into the Demon Blade. The Demon Blade, capable of severing Dao Foundation, shattered inch by inch in his palm. The fragments were instantly incinerated by the Nirvana Fire upon hitting the ground, not even a trace remaining. No trace was left. The Demon Emperor's pupils were filled with terror, as if he had seen a vengeful ghost. He turned to flee, his demonic energy condensing into a pair of enormous Black Wings, each five zhang wide when spread. The feathers were formed from demonic energy, and with each flap, they stirred up a cloud of black mist, attempting to conceal his form. However, Ren Xiaoyao grabbed at him from afar, and a Golden Palm formed from Chaos Current appeared out of thin air. The palm was the size of a millstone, with the three Dao Patterns "Life-Annihilation-Devour" imprinted on its palm. It firmly gripped the Demon Emperor's neck. The power of the Golden Palm was as heavy as a mountain. No matter how the Demon Emperor struggled by urging his demonic energy or how he flapped his wings, the restraint on his neck did not budge. In fact, it tightened even more, making it difficult for him to breathe, and his face gradually turned purple.

"Eightfold Nirvana, Devouring Demon Cauldron!"

Ren Xiaoyao gazed at the Devouring Soldier Demon Cauldron, suspended in mid-air and enveloped in Nirvana Fire, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if it were not a Demonic Dao artifact from tens of thousands of years ago, but merely an ordinary object. He lightly flicked his finger, sending a thin stream of three-colored energy flying towards the Chaos Cauldron. The Chaos Cauldron pounced on the Demon Cauldron like a hungry tiger, its "Life-Annihilation-Devour" patterns lighting up and radiating a powerful suction force. The surrounding Spiritual Qi and demonic energy was drawn into the cauldron, forming a small Energy Vortex. The instant the two cauldrons collided, Nirvana Fire completely enveloped the Devouring Soldier Demon Cauldron, its flames piercing the demonic energy... Every crack in the cauldron gnawed at its foundation like a venomous snake. The cauldron emitted a mournful wail, its sound filled with resentment and despair, like the howl of a dying beast. This sound pierced the void, causing even distant birds and beasts to collapse to the ground in fear. Tiny cracks began to appear on the cauldron's body, spreading from its mouth to its legs, becoming more numerous and deeper until they covered the entire cauldron, as if it would shatter into countless pieces at any moment. The Blood-Colored Patterns on the cauldron's body were gradually stripped away, transforming into pure energy that merged into the Chaos Cauldron, causing the Chaos Cauldron to grow even larger. The size of the cauldron increased from ten zhang to twelve zhang, and the "Life-Annihilation-Devour" patterns on its body became increasingly dazzling. Three-colored energy surged within the patterns, as if hundreds of phantom soldiers were moving within the cauldron. The Nirvana Fire at the cauldron's mouth burned even more fiercely, and even phantom soldiers appeared within the flames, circling the cauldron's mouth like guardians protecting the Chaos Cauldron. The Demon Emperor, gripped by the Golden Palm, watched helplessly as his Demon Cauldron, which he had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, was refined. His eyes were filled with despair and madness, tears mixed with Black Blood streaming down his face as he let out a heart-wrenching roar, "My Demon Cauldron! That's the culmination of tens of thousands of years of my life's work, the one I called..." "The foundation of the Demonic Dao! Give it back to me! I'm going to kill you!" But his struggles were futile. The power of the Indestructible Golden Body locked him in like iron clamps, even causing the demonic energy within his body to flow backward, along his meridians to the Golden Palm Golden Palm, and then into Ren Xiaoyao's body, where it was transformed into energy to nourish the Golden Body. His body became visibly withered, his skin lost its luster, and became wrinkled like withered tree bark. The outline under his black robe became clearer and clearer, and his already thin figure became even more frail, as if a gust of wind could blow him over. Even the shape of his bones was faintly visible.

"Ninefold Nirvana, Demon Emperor Destroyed!"

Ren Xiaoyao condensed a ball of three-colored Nirvana Fire in his palm. The flame was more refined than before, only the size of a fist, yet it exuded a world-destroying aura. The space around the flame slightly distorted, and even the light was refracted. Without hesitation, he slammed the flame into the Demon Emperor's chest. The flame instantly pierced through the black robe and surged into the Demon Emperor's body like an arrow, encountering no resistance whatsoever. The power of "Life" nourished the Demon Emperor's meridians like spring rain, but at the same time destroyed his Demonic Dao foundation—the meridians, originally nourished by demonic energy, began to shrink and break under the power of "Life," leaving his demonic energy without support and unable to be mobilized even a trace; the power of "Devouring" sucked up the remaining demonic energy in his body like Black Hole, even absorbing his Dao Origin cultivated for tens of thousands of years. The Demonic Core in his dantian gradually dimmed and shattered, eventually turning into a wisp of black smoke and being absorbed into the flame; the power of "Annihilation"... Like a sharp blade, his soul was severed. The fragments of his soul were instantly incinerated by the Nirvana Fire the moment they left his body, leaving not even a sliver of opportunity for reincarnation. The Demon Emperor's body withered at a visible speed, his skin lost its luster, becoming like withered tree bark. The outline beneath his black robe gradually became transparent, eventually turning into a wisp of black smoke, completely burned to Void by the Nirvana Fire, leaving not a trace. Only the spot where he had stood remained, with a faint black aura, which was quickly purified by the Nirvana Fire. Meanwhile, the Devouring Soldier Demon Cauldron was completely refined by the Chaos Cauldron, becoming part of Chaos Cauldron. The "Life, Life-Annihilation-Devour" patterns on the cauldron's body became increasingly clear, and the Nirvana Fire at the cauldron's mouth burned fiercely. Even the spiritual Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth was converging towards the Chaos Cauldron, forming a huge Spiritual Energy Vortex, tens of feet in diameter. The vortex also contained a faint demonic energy, which was transformed into pure energy by the Chaos Cauldron and integrated into its body.

Ren Xiaoyao landed slowly, his feet touching the now-calm ground. The rocks beneath his feet no longer cracked; instead, they shimmered with a faint vitality due to the three-colored energy emanating from him. The luster of his Indestructible Golden Body gradually faded, leaving only faint three-colored lines beneath his skin, like tattoos adorning his complexion. His breathing became steady and long, each breath drawing in a large amount of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which he transformed into his own Dao Origin. He raised his hand and grasped the Chaos Cauldron. The cauldron trembled slightly, as if resonating with him. The Nirvana Fire at the cauldron's mouth gradually shrank, eventually merging into the cauldron, leaving only a faint halo around its surface. Within this halo flowed the aura of "Life-Annihilation-Devour." Warm and powerful. In the distance, the rocks crushed by the Weapon Tomb began to revive. The rubble slowly gathered together, as if drawn by Invisible Power. The sharp-edged rubble interlocked and reformed into a complete rock. A faint Spiritual Qi remained on the surface of the rock, and tiny green shoots could even be seen peeking out from the cracks. The Chaos Moss on the ground regenerated, but it was no longer a dark green that would rot at the touch. Instead, it was a vibrant emerald green, with a faint golden edge on the leaves. The glistening dewdrops that condensed on the leaves no longer turned into black smoke when they fell. Instead, they seeped into the soil, nourishing the surrounding vegetation and gradually restoring the ground to its former vitality.

Ren Xiaoyao gazed at the world before him, now restored to life, a clear light shining in his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips. He raised his hand and gently stroked the Chaos Cauldron, his fingertips tracing the three Dao Patterns "Life-Annihilation-Devour," clearly sensing the three-colored energy flowing within the cauldron, and the True Meaning of Hundred Weapons contained within it—that True Intention was no longer simply "suppression and control," but also contained "transformation" and "breakthrough," as if even the cauldron had undergone a transformation along with him.

In the distance, from the forests that had been polluted by demonic energy, came the clear chirping of birds. Several brightly feathered birds landed on the branches, curiously observing the figure in the center of the battlefield.