If you could read only one infinite-worlds novel in your life, it might be Swallowed Star: Starting by Binding the Epiphany System.
Outside the Heavenly Fiend Palace, a figure stood in midair, unleashing his Domain Lord-level aura without restraint. The crowd below stopped to look up at him.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, but this book was first published across the web at ."
"I'm already here. Why hide inside the palace instead of showing yourselves?" Xuan Ming's deep voice carried into the distance.
Before his words had faded, three figures shot out from the depths of the palace.
The leader looked identical to Xuan Ming, prompting a wave of astonishment from the onlookers:
"How can there be two Lord Xuan Mings? Are they twin brothers?"
"What twins? One of them is obviously a fake!"
"What's that cloud of black mist beside them?"
Looking at the figure before him, who was identical to himself, Xuan Ming couldn't help but chuckle. "Though Phantom Beasts can take on countless forms, they're only similar in appearance. Keluolü, do you really intend to fight me while wearing my face?"
Keluolü snorted. His body shifted, revealing his true form.
It was a cute little beast with snow-white fur.
Though Phantom Beasts had the innate ability to transform into all things, they were not particularly impressive in either combat strength or talent.
Even with the Heavenly Fiend World Lord's full support, it had never managed to break through the Domain Lord Ninth Stage bottleneck.
Xuan Ming turned his gaze to Tianmu, a trace of helplessness in his voice.
"Brother Tianmu, our teacher warned you more than once that the path of cultivation was full of talented people. There's no need for jealousy or anger. You only need to follow your own path."
"I was sealed for ten thousand years, and even now, you still haven't gotten over this."
Tianmu's face darkened. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
It wasn't that he didn't understand the principle. He simply couldn't let go of his obsession, and had never been able to take that step.
Finally, Xuan Ming's gaze settled on the surging black mist. His voice turned cold.
"You were the one who ambushed me with a Soul Attack back then, weren't you? That sealing formation must have been your handiwork too. What grudge do you have against me?"
A hoarse laugh came from within the black mist.
"Indeed, it was me. The Xuanming Domain Lord truly lives up to his reputation. You managed to withstand my Soul Secret Technique back then, forcing me to change my plans at the last minute and seal you instead."
Boom!
Before the words had faded, Xuan Ming's figure appeared behind him as if he had teleported.
A blood-red spear had appeared in his hand at some point. Dark-red light flowed along its tip, as though it held an overwhelming killing intent.
"Light of Annihilation!"
The thrust didn't unleash an earth-shattering force. Instead, it seemed to devour all the surrounding light, leaving behind only a thin, dim, blood-red fissure.
It was a mark of destruction born when the Nine-Layer Light Domain was compressed to its absolute limit and fused completely with a trace of the Law of Light.
Space split apart without a sound. Wherever the fissure passed, all color vanished, and everything was reduced to nothingness beneath that thrust.
The spear had yet to reach him, but the aura of destruction locking onto his body already had the black mist churning violently!
"Domain Lord Ninth Stage! He's grown this much stronger!"
The man in the black mist panicked.
His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds over the years, and he had been confident he could kill Xuan Ming.
He hadn't expected Xuan Ming to break through despite being trapped in Red Stone Mountain!
It wasn't just that he had advanced by one stage. His spear techniques, mastery of his domain, and understanding of the Law of Light had all improved considerably.
Pfft!
The man in the black mist suddenly vanished, then rapidly re-formed elsewhere. The mist around him, however, had grown noticeably thinner.
"Damn! One move was enough to gravely wound me. Two more and I'm dead for sure! I'll risk it!"
In an instant, the man in the black mist struck without hesitation.
An invisible Soul Attack slammed into Xuan Ming's sea of consciousness.
Xuan Ming's eyes dimmed ever so slightly, then quickly cleared.
"Not a bad Soul Attack. Ten thousand years ago, it could indeed have gravely wounded me. But over these ten thousand years, I've improved in more than just cultivation. My willpower and soul defenses have grown stronger too."
His ten-thousand-year imprisonment had kept him away from the mundane affairs of Heavenly Fiend Planet, allowing him to devote himself entirely to cultivation.
As a Giant Axe Martial Artist, how could he not have a way to defend against soul attacks?
He had simply been ambushed without warning back then.
Seeing that Xuan Ming was unharmed, the man in the black mist panicked completely. He hurriedly shouted to the other two:
"What are you waiting for? Attack him together!"
But just as he expected Tianmu and Keluolü to come to his aid, the man and beast acted as if they hadn't heard him. Neither showed any intention of intervening.
Just as Xuan Ming understood them, they understood him as well.
From Xuan Ming's attitude, they could tell that he had no intention of attacking them, but that the man in the black mist was certain to die today.
The alliance between the three had been fragile from the start. Naturally, no one was willing to risk their life for him now.
Besides, even if Tianmu and Keluolü joined forces, they would only be two more opponents for Xuan Ming to crush.
"Damn it! The Human Race really can't be trusted! You brought this on yourselves!"
The man in the black mist growled. A crystal suddenly appeared in his palm, wrapped in lightning. Its dazzling light instantly illuminated the surrounding gloom!
"The Heavenly Thunder God Crystal!"
Tianmu's pupils contracted. He quickly retreated.
The Heavenly Thunder God Crystal was refined by a World Lord with thunder affinity, who forcibly compressed his own World Power.
But Xuan Ming's eyes remained calm. Instead, he stepped forward and attacked the man in the black mist again.
"You want to take me down with you?" the man in the black mist rasped with a mad laugh.
"Then we'll die together!"
Without hesitation, he activated the destructive power within the crystal.
Keluolü's expression changed. He swept out a huge paw, and a solid barrier instantly spread out, shielding the crowd below.
Boom!!!
Lightning exploded, turning the world into a blinding expanse of white.
The violent power of thunder surged like a raging sea. Space shattered inch by inch, and amid the ear-splitting blasts, waves of destruction spread wildly.
Xuan Ming's figure disappeared completely into the center of the blinding white thunderstorm.
At the critical moment, a crimson mountain peak suddenly shot up from the center of the thunderstorm, crushing most of the lightning by sheer force.
Red Stone Mountain was also at its limit. Cracks covered its surface, and it looked ready to crumble.
Hum!
Another curtain of light unfolded from the mountain's peak, destroying all the remaining lightning.
Xuan Ming stood atop the peak. His armor was shattered, and one side of his body was charred black, bone showing through. His aura was feeble.
But in the end, he had survived!
"Whew. At least our teacher's territory wasn't damaged."
After seeing that no one had been caught in the blast, Xuan Ming let out a long breath of relief.
In the distance, Bai Yuan, who had watched everything unfold, also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Big Brother Xuan Ming won! But who was that black mist?"
Suddenly, a hoarse, sinister laugh pierced into his mind.
"Kid! That body of yours is mine now!"
In Bai Yuan's sea of consciousness, before he could react, a mass of black shadow wrapped around his soul and began frantically devouring and refining it.
"You're still alive! And now you want to possess me!"
Bai Yuan's mind shook violently.
He had thought the enemy truly intended to die together with them, but it had only been a ruse.
His real goal had been to use the lightning as cover to escape with his soul!
What he hadn't expected was that, out of everyone present, the black mist would choose him!
Even a Domain Lord Ninth Stage soul, gravely wounded and on the brink of death, was more than he could handle.
"What do I do? What do I do?"
Bai Yuan racked his brains, but couldn't find the slightest chance of survival.
At the same time, Gu Suiting was secretly astonished.
"What tenacity. If his cultivation hadn't been so low, and the difference between the essence of our souls so vast, I might not have been able to do anything to him in my current, damaged state."
Bai Yuan fought with everything he had, but could only feel his soul being devoured inch by inch.
In his despair, he abruptly turned to his last remaining hope.
"System, use Epiphany!"
Before you continue