Becoming a Midgod, establishing might in the first battle

Energy swirled like mist within the meditation chamber.

Lin Yinuo sat cross-legged, his mind fully immersed in his body. Mana surged through his meridians like a rushing river, having already reached the absolute limit of the Saint level, with no room to advance. Nourished by the power of his will and Soul Stone essence, his soul had condensed like crystal, radiating a faint, multicolored sheen.

His consciousness, meanwhile, was completely immersed in the ocean of laws and edicts.

Within the Fire Elemental Laws, the patterns of the Profound Mystery of Explosion and the profound mystery of the Fire Body Technique grew increasingly clear, sparks seemingly colliding between them; within the destruction rule, the concept of annihilation resembled the deepest black hole, devouring and ending everything; within the Laws of Space, the profound mystery of pulsation allowed him to "hear" space rippling like water; his understanding of "swiftness" within the Laws of Lightning infused his speed with vitality.

Yet powerful as these forces were, they were like scattered pearls, lacking a thread that could truly string them together. He knew that the key to breaking through to Midgod was not merely accumulating energy, but attaining a "complete understanding" of a particular law or edict, then using it as the core to construct his own godhead and ignite his divine flame!

My path is different from that of others. I possess laws and edicts of multiple types. Simply choosing one to condense a godhead would certainly be safe, but it is not what I want. My core... should be destruction! Destruction is not pure devastation; it is also the beginning of new life, one of the ultimate principles governing all things! With destruction as my core, I will command all laws!

He made a bold decision-not to attain godhood through any single elemental law, but to condense his godhead with the far more difficult and dangerous destruction rule as its core!

Had word of this decision spread, it would have shocked countless Highgods. Attaining godhood through edicts, especially the four edicts, was far more difficult than through elemental laws, because edicts were more abstract and elusive. But once successful, one's strength also often far surpassed that of others at the same rank!

He devoted his entire mind to comprehending the concept of "destruction rule." Within his sea of consciousness, the [Destruction Edict Fragment] shone like a beacon in the darkness, guiding his way. He recalled how it had felt each time he wielded the power of annihilation, recalled the scenes of all things returning to nothingness before the destruction rule...

Time slipped silently past during his deep seclusion.

He had no idea how much time had passed. It seemed like an instant, yet also like an eternity.

Deep within Lin Yinuo's soul, his countless insights into annihilation finally reached a critical point! Every thought, every understanding, converged like rivers flowing into the sea, frantically condensing and compressing toward a single core!

Humm-

A hum that only he could hear rang out from the very source of his soul!

At the center of his Soul Ocean, an utterly dark point of light suddenly lit up, seemingly capable of swallowing all light! Then it rapidly expanded, becoming a pitch-black, diamond-shaped crystal, countless fine patterns of destruction flowing across its surface as it radiated a heart-racing aura-the Destruction Godhead!

The instant the godhead took shape, an invisible, vast power of laws and edicts, seemingly originating from the source of the universe, descended with a crash! It pierced the courtyard's defensive formation, ignored spatial distance, and enveloped Lin Yinuo directly!

The laws of heaven and earth had descended!

At that moment, throughout the area surrounding the courtyard, light dimmed and elements retreated. Only the purest aura of the destruction rule spread and sang! A vast pressure radiated outward from the courtyard, alerting many powerful figures within the inner city.

"The laws of heaven and earth? Someone attained godhood?"

"Judging by the direction... isn't that the residence of the newly risen Dragonblood Asura?"

"What a pure aura of destruction! He actually attained godhood through an edict?!"

Countless streams of consciousness, curious, surprised, or grave, swept toward the area, but all withdrew in awe when they touched the range of the laws of heaven and earth.

The laws of heaven and earth enveloped Lin Yinuo's soul, and a strange force acted upon it. Excruciating pain struck, as though his soul were being forcibly torn apart!

Rrrip!

The laws of heaven and earth forcibly split half of his soul away and fused it with the newly born Destruction Godhead! The remaining half stayed within his original body.

The agony of having his soul torn apart exceeded physical injury hundreds, even thousands of times over! Yet Lin Yinuo held his mind steady and endured it through the essence of his soul, which far surpassed that of ordinary people, and that trace of willpower!

Having fused with half his soul, the godhead blazed with light. Then a completely new, purer, vaster divine power bearing the properties of destruction was born within it. It surged out like a flood bursting through a dam, instantly filling his entire body, transforming it and nourishing his remaining soul!

At that moment, the very essence of his life underwent a leap!

From Saint, he stepped straight into-Midgod!

And a Midgod with the destruction rule as his core!

The laws of heaven and earth slowly receded.

Lin Yinuo opened his eyes, and black vortices of destruction seemed to flash through his pupils before vanishing. He sensed the new power surging within him. It was a qualitative transformation! Compared with it, his previous mana was like a stream beside rivers and seas! The strength of his divine body, his soul perception, and his affinity for and control over the destruction rule had all increased more than tenfold!

I succeeded! A destruction Midgod! And... because the essence of my soul is unusual, this splitting of my soul doesn't seem to have damaged my foundation too badly. Instead, my soul feels even more condensed and pure!

With a thought, a faint black halo naturally spread around him as Destruction Divine Power automatically protected his body. He tried channeling his divine power and thrust out an ordinary Fire Condensation Finger. No longer did a dark-red spark appear at his fingertip, but a black ray condensed as though solid, faster and more powerful, with an even deeper concept of annihilation contained within it!

My strength has soared! If I faced Golden Eyes again now, I'm confident I could defeat him head-on without using fusion techniques! Even against an ordinary Highgod, if he hasn't fused his profound mysteries, I might still be able to put up a fight!

He adapted to his new power, bold confidence surging within his heart.

Yet his breakthrough did not keep trouble away.

On the second day of consolidating his realm, the defensive formation outside his courtyard was triggered again, and this time, more than one person had come.

Lin Yinuo frowned slightly and left the meditation chamber. Outside the courtyard, besides Jin Yan, the gold-robed Highgod from Golden Flame Castle who had come before, stood two more powerful figures who likewise radiated Highgod auras. One was shrouded entirely in black robes, his aura cold and sinister; the other was a burly rock giant. The three Highgods stood in a triangular formation, vaguely surrounding his courtyard.

"Brat, it seems you insist on doing this the hard way!" Seeing Lin Yinuo emerge, the killing intent in Jin Yan's eyes intensified. "You think breaking through to Midgod gives you the right to act so arrogantly? Before a true Highgod, you're still nothing but an ant! Today is the day you die!"

The other two Highgods also unleashed powerful pressure, locking onto Lin Yinuo. Clearly, Golden Flame Castle had gone so far as to enlist help to deal with him, determined to kill him!

Three Highgods... it seems there's no settling this peacefully. Just as well. I'll test my sword on you and establish my reputation in this inner city!

Lin Yinuo's gaze was cold, without a trace of fear. He slowly rose into the air to confront the three Highgods. Destruction Divine Power surged and roared within him, while the Destruction Thunderblade in his hand sensed its master's fighting spirit and gave a soft hum, the arcs of lightning and dim light on its blade growing more active.

"If you want to fight, then fight. Why waste words!"

His voice was calm, yet carried an unyielding resolve as it spread through the surroundings. Many powerful figures from the inner city, drawn by the commotion, appeared in the distance and watched the scene in shock.

A Midgod who had only just broken through actually dared to face three veteran Highgods alone?

Was this Dragonblood Asura confident, or arrogant?

Jin Yan laughed in extreme fury. "Good! You've got guts! You two, attack! End this quickly!"

The three Highgods unleashed their divine power simultaneously, and heaven and earth changed color! Golden flames, cold black mist, and ponderous earth power swept toward Lin Yinuo from three directions like three destructive torrents! Before the attacks even reached him, their terrifying pressure had already turned some of the Midgods watching from afar pale.

Facing this deadly predicament, Lin Yinuo drew a deep breath, lightning and silver light flashing fiercely in his eyes!

"Thunder Shadow Void Escape!"

His figure instantly transformed into a barely discernible lightning shadow, slipping through the gaps between the three attacks with no time to spare! His speed far exceeded what it had been before!

"What?!" Jin Yan and the other two were shocked. Their opponent was actually so much faster than their intelligence had indicated!

"Annihilation Tremor!"

Lin Yinuo appeared diagonally behind the rock giant and brought the Destruction Thunderblade slashing down! This time, instead of dispersing shock waves, he condensed all his destruction and spatial power upon the blade!

Boom-crack!

The earthen-yellow divine power shield that the rock giant hastily conjured was like paper before the Destruction Thunderblade, shattering instantly! Without losing momentum, the blade slashed viciously into his rocky arm!

Shhk-!

Sword energy imbued with the power of annihilation ravaged him. The rock giant's hard arm, comparable to a Midgod Artifact, was actually severed at the shoulder like rotten wood! The cut was smooth as a mirror, and continued to undergo annihilation, dissipating!

"Ah!" The rock giant let out an anguished roar, his eyes filled with horror!

One strike had severely wounded a Highgod!

Silence fell over the entire gathering!

Everyone was stunned by that earth-shattering sword strike!

The expressions of Jin Yan and the black-robed Highgod changed completely. They finally realized that the newly advanced Midgod before them was by no means the easy target they had imagined!

Lin Yinuo stood with sword in hand, Destruction Divine Power burning around him like black flames. His gaze was imperious, and his voice reached every spectator's ears clearly:

"Who else?"