Clad in white, Lin Chen tore through the void, traveling through its boundless expanse.
There was neither heaven nor earth here, neither beginning nor end. Even time and space had completely dissolved, leaving only the most primordial, purest power of the void. This power could erase every Great Dao and crush all existence. Even a supreme being from the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain would vanish into nothingness in an instant upon entering, unable to leave behind even a trace of soul.
Yet to Lin Chen, this ultimate forbidden land, where even the Great Dao dared not tread, was nothing more than an open road.
An eternal domain automatically formed within three feet of him. Whenever the power of the void approached, it settled and dispersed on its own, turning into the purest power of origin for him to absorb at will. Phantom chaos azure lotuses arose and faded beneath his feet. Each step carried him across endless void, his movements unhurried, his bearing serene, as though he were not entering a land of death but strolling through his own back garden.
As Lin Chen advanced, his divine sense had already spread into the depths of the void.
He could clearly sense a vast presence on the ancient continent ahead, entrenched there at the same level as himself. It was ancient beyond the end of eras and powerful enough to stand against him as an equal. It held not the slightest killing intent, yet carried the solitary pride and stillness of one who looked down upon eternity and stood alone over the void.
This was the first time Lin Chen had encountered a true equal since his hundred thousand years of check-ins and his emergence into invincibility.
The great emperors of the heavens-he could destroy them with one finger.
The Chaos Heavenly Venerable-he could subdue him with a glance.
The domain realm lords-he could suppress them with a thought.
Even the venerables of the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain were merely slightly larger ants before him.
Only this figure ahead had finally stirred an almost imperceptible ripple in the lake of Lin Chen's heart, still for ages.
"At last... someone who can fight me."
Lin Chen murmured to himself, a trace of quiet anticipation passing through his eyes.
After a hundred thousand years of check-ins, he had long since reached the end of everything. After being invincible for so long, only boredom remained. The heavens, chaos, and the heavenly domains could no longer offer him any challenge. But this existence within the void might allow him to truly make a move for once.
His white robes fluttered as Lin Chen accelerated again, becoming an eternal streak of white light that spanned the void and shot straight toward the ancient continent.
Deep within the void, the Eternal Continent.
The continent floated at the core of the void, forged entirely from the first divine gold of creation and the first divine jade of the era. Every inch of its land flowed with supreme Dao resonance that transcended all rules. Ancient trees towered overhead and spirit herbs covered the ground, yet no living beings existed there. Only an unadorned stone hall stood quietly at its very center, as though it had existed since the void's birth.
Atop the stone hall, an old man in gray stood with his hands behind his back.
His features were ordinary and his clothing plain. He looked no different from an elderly mortal, leaking not a hint of pressure, with not a trace of divine light flowing around him. Yet as he stood there, he seemed to be the center of the entire void, the Dao source of the whole Eternal Continent. Even the power of the void had to flow around him.
He was the Void Dao Lord.
An ultimate existence transcending the heavens, chaos, and the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain, he had lived through the birth and death of countless eras and witnessed the creation and destruction of every world. He was the sole master of this void.
Through the ages, the Void Dao Lord had waited.
He had waited for someone who could stand beside him, discuss the Dao with him, and explore the end of eternity with him.
And today, his wait was over.
"Lin Chen..."
The Void Dao Lord softly spoke the name. His voice was calm, yet it resounded throughout the void.
He had already seen through everything about Lin Chen-a hundred thousand years of check-ins, the accumulation of an invincible foundation, then an emergence that swept across the heavens, subdued chaos, ascended to the heavenly domains, and finally entered the void to stand before him.
"A hundred thousand years of check-ins in exchange for an invincible Dao foundation. What a fortuitous opportunity, what talent, what resolve."
"Since this void first opened, you are the first living being to reach me."
Before his words had faded, Lin Chen descended upon the Eternal Continent.
White robes faced gray robes as they stood atop the continent, within the void.
One had checked in for a hundred thousand years and emerged invincible.
One had sat alone within the void, countless ages passing as a single morning.
Their gazes met in the air. There was no earthshaking collision, no explosive roar of the Great Dao, only an understanding and recognition that crossed time and space.
Lin Chen looked calmly at the Void Dao Lord and asked evenly, "You were waiting for me?"
"Yes." The Void Dao Lord nodded. "I waited countless eras, and at last, someone who can stand as my equal has come."
"What were you waiting for me to do?"
The Void Dao Lord raised his eyes toward the end of the void, a hint of ages-long solitude in his voice. "You and I are both invincible, standing at the pinnacle of all existence. The heavens, chaos, and the heavenly domains are all dust. But what comes after invincibility? What comes after eternity?"
"I have sat alone in the void for endless years, yet I have never pierced this final veil."
"So I waited for you, for you to join me in seeking the ultimate truth beyond this void."
Lin Chen nodded slightly.
He understood what the Void Dao Lord meant.
Invincibility was not the destination, nor was eternity the end.
They stood at the pinnacle of every world, yet still could not see the ultimate direction clearly.
"How do we seek it?" Lin Chen asked.
The Void Dao Lord slowly turned, his gaze returning to Lin Chen. For the first time, a faint trace of battle intent flashed through his eyes. "Prove the Dao through battle."
"You and I have both attained perfection, without flaw or omission. Only by truly fighting can we touch that ultimate mystery within our clash."
"This battle is not for victory or defeat, nor for life or death, but only to prove the Dao."
The corners of Lin Chen's lips lifted slightly, revealing his first genuine smile in ages.
"Agreed."
As that single word fell, the void shook!
There was no earthshaking vow, no surge of imposing might. Yet that single word made the entire Eternal Continent roar and sent ripples spreading through the boundless void!
The first true ultimate battle in all the ages was about to begin!
Beyond the void.
Across the myriad worlds of the heavens, boundless chaos, and the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain, every living being's mind shook at once!
Stars trembled, the Great Dao resonated, and the providence of the era surged wildly. Countless powerful beings involuntarily fell to their knees, their minds cowed by a presence from the ultimate land.
"What happened... why does my heart tremble so?"
"This is... the Supreme One's presence! And another... an existence just as terrifying as the Supreme One!"
"They're facing off! They're about to fight!"
At the summit of the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain, the Eastern Domain Venerable trembled all over, staring toward the void with a horrified expression.
He could clearly sense two wills that transcended everything and stood above all Daos confronting each other deep within the void. That terrifying power was more than even the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain could contain. This was an ultimate battle they were not even qualified to look up to!
Within the Chaos Divine Hall, the Chaos Heavenly Venerable lay prostrate, his soul filled with the utmost reverence.
"That is... the Void Dao Lord's presence! The sole sovereign at the end of the void spoken of in legends!"
"The Supreme One has actually met the Void Dao Lord! They... are about to fight!"
Across the myriad worlds of the heavens, the three imperial rulers-the Heaven-Burning Great Emperor, the East Sea Great Emperor, and the Devil Abyss Great Emperor-exchanged glances, each seeing utter shock in the others' eyes.
They had thought Lin Chen was the world's sole invincible existence. Never had they imagined that another being of the same level lay hidden at the end of the void.
This battle would surely determine the order of the ages and be engraved in the history of every era!
"May the Supreme One remain invincible throughout the ages!"
Every living being silently recited this at once, offering the deepest worship toward the depths of the void.
Within the void, upon the Eternal Continent.
Lin Chen and the Void Dao Lord stood facing each other, a thousand miles apart.
Neither struck immediately. They simply stood quietly, their presences blending, their Great Daos resonating.
Lin Chen's white robes still fluttered. No Spiritual Qi, realm power, or Dao laws flowed around him, as though he were a mortal.
Yet standing there, he was eternity, he was invincibility, he was the master of all Daos.
Everything accumulated through a hundred thousand years of check-ins-the origin of chaos, era Principles, the Eternal Dao Body, immunity to all arts, the will of the heavens... had long since merged into one, becoming the simplest, most ultimate power, concealed within a single thought.
He needed no cultivation method, no Divine Ability, no moves.
With the rise of a thought, all Daos submitted; with its fall, eras collapsed.
The Void Dao Lord was the same, his gray robes plain and his presence restrained. Yet the space around him automatically evolved into countless worlds, born and destroyed in an instant, their Dao resonance endless.
He was the embodiment of the void, the true form of eternity, the beginning and end of everything.
"Be careful."
The Void Dao Lord offered a quiet warning and, holding nothing back, slowly raised his right hand.
There were no earthshaking manifestations, no power that could destroy heaven and earth. He simply pushed a plain palm slowly toward Lin Chen.
But the instant that palm thrust forward!
The entire void churned wildly, and the Eternal Continent shook violently. Scenes of countless eras rising and falling appeared within the palm's wind. Every Great Dao and rule of the heavens, chaos, and the heavenly domains was encompassed, crushed, and shattered by that palm!
This palm was no technique, no art, no Dao.
It was the void itself.
It was the sum of countless eras' power, the ultimate embodiment of the Dao of invincibility!
As the palm descended, all things fell silent, all Daos returned to nothing, and everything returned to the primordial void!
Even if every venerable and realm lord of the Heaven Beyond Heaven Domain joined forces, they would instantly turn to ash before this palm, leaving not a trace behind.
Yet Lin Chen's expression remained serene.
Watching the palm span the void, he neither dodged nor activated any power. He merely raised his right hand just as slowly and gently pushed a palm forward.
It was just as plain, just as simple, and just as devoid of manifestations.
This palm had no name, no origin, no Dao resonance.
It was simply the invincible strike of Lin Chen's hundred thousand years of check-ins.
The two palms met at the center of the void.
There was no deafening crash, no shock wave, no storm of power.
Only an exceedingly faint sound that nevertheless resounded through the ages-
"Hum..."
The instant the sound fell.
The void froze.
The continent froze.
Time froze.
Space froze.
Everything, without exception, froze completely at the instant those two palms collided!
The next second!
Boom-!!!
A terrifying power beyond description, imagination, or comprehension erupted!
It was not destruction, not devastation, but the resonance of Dao, the mingling of force, the collision of eternity!
The entire void was forced open. Endless worlds were born between their powers, and countless eras flowed through the collision. Before this power, the heavens, chaos, and the heavenly domains were as tiny and feeble as dust.
The Void Dao Lord shuddered slightly and took half a step back.
Only half a step!
Yet it was the first time in his endless years that he had been forced back!
Lin Chen did not budge. His robes fluttered as he remained where he stood, his expression entirely unchanged.
After exchanging one move, the two were evenly matched!
"Good!"
Boundless brilliance erupted in the Void Dao Lord's eyes. His battle intent, dormant for ages, was utterly ignited!
He had lived for endless years, yet no one had ever forced him back half a step. No one had ever met his attack head-on and remained undefeated!
Lin Chen was the first!
"Again!"
The Void Dao Lord gave a long cry. His gray robes snapped as the power of the void surged wildly around him, forming a gray longsword that spanned the void.
The blade gave off no light, yet encompassed all destruction and final silence. This was the Void Dao Lord's ultimate weapon-the Sword of Silent Nothingness!
One slash cleaved the void and split the ages!
This sword could sever eternity, cut through eras, and destroy all existence!
Facing this ultimate sword strike, Lin Chen's expression remained serene.
He drew no weapon and unleashed no Divine Ability. He merely raised two fingers slowly and gently pinched the Sword of Silent Nothingness between them.
Bang!
A faint sound rang out.
The Sword of Silent Nothingness, capable of shattering everything, was held firmly between Lin Chen's fingertips, unable to advance even a fraction!
"The power of the void amounts to no more than this."
Lin Chen spoke evenly and exerted a little force with his fingers.
Crack-!
The Sword of Silent Nothingness, whose renown resounded through the ages, shattered instantly, turning into power of the void that filled the sky before dispersing into the air!
The Void Dao Lord's pupils contracted slightly. For the first time, shock arose in his heart.
His Sword of Silent Nothingness was formed from the origin of the void. It could destroy anything, and nothing could withstand it. Yet Lin Chen had easily crushed it between two fingers?!
Such power, such a physique, such invincible bearing-even he was moved!
"A hundred thousand years of check-ins indeed! Invincible upon emerging indeed!"
The Void Dao Lord gave a long cry and held back no longer. Endless gray divine light erupted around him as he merged with the void, becoming a gray torrent that spanned the ages and came crushing down upon Lin Chen!
This was the Void Dao Lord's ultimate means-the Great Dao of the Void Returning to One!
Merging his body with the void and becoming all Daos, he would return everything to nothing with a single strike, bringing all things to final extinction!
Divine light flickered in Lin Chen's eyes. At last, for the first time, he grew serious.
He swept his white robes, and immeasurable white divine light erupted around him, colliding head-on with the gray torrent!
White was the eternal invincibility of a hundred thousand years of check-ins.
Gray was the origin of the void accumulated through endless years.
The two torrents collided, mingled, and roared at the center of the void!
At that moment, the heavens froze, chaos fell silent, and the heavenly domains held their breath!
Every living being held their breath, their minds fixed intently on the depths of the void, awaiting the final result.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly at that moment.
One second...
One epoch...
Ten thousand ages...
An unknown length of time passed.
The terrifying storm of power slowly subsided.
The gray torrent dispersed.
The white divine light withdrew.
The Eternal Continent still stood, and the void remained silent.
Lin Chen and the Void Dao Lord still stood facing each other.
Only now, a barely perceptible trace of dust clung to the Void Dao Lord's gray robes, and his presence fluctuated slightly. Clearly, he had fallen into a disadvantage in their clash.
Lin Chen's white robes, however, remained spotless, his presence as steady and calm as ever, as though he had merely struck casually without exerting any of his full strength.
Victory and defeat had been decided.
The Void Dao Lord gazed at Lin Chen in silence for a long time. Finally, he slowly shook his head, a relieved smile appearing on his face.
"I lost."
"For endless years, I believed myself invincible in the void, standing alone at the summit of all ages. Only today did I learn that beyond every master lies another, beyond every heaven lies another heaven. Above invincibility, greater heights still exist."
"You are stronger than I am."
Lin Chen slowly withdrew his power and said calmly, "There was never any victory or defeat between us. Our Daos simply differ."
"You guarded the void for endless years, while I emerged after signing in for a hundred thousand years. Our Daos differ, and our strength is close. My Dao is merely a little more complete."
The Void Dao Lord nodded. No fighting spirit remained in his eyes, only relief and admiration.
"You're right. I lost not in power, but in the foundation of my Dao."
"You built yourself up for a hundred thousand years, then unleashed it all in a single day. Your Dao foundation is complete and flawless, without an opening to exploit. I cannot match you."
With those words, the Void Dao Lord bowed. That bow expressed respect for the strong and acknowledgment of invincibility.
"From this day forth, the land of the void shall honor you as supreme."
"If you wish to seek the ultimate beyond the void, I am willing to accompany you."
Lin Chen gave a slight nod.
There had never been any enmity between him and the Void Dao Lord. This battle had been solely to prove their Daos, not to decide life or death.
Now that victory and defeat had been decided and his Dao heart was clear, he had taken another step forward on the path of invincibility.
"Beyond the void, there are still other heavens and earth." Lin Chen raised his eyes toward the farthest reaches of the void. "That is our true destination."
The Void Dao Lord's eyes lit up. "You sensed it long ago?"
"Yes." Lin Chen nodded. "That realm is vaster than the void, more ancient than eternity."
"Good!" The Void Dao Lord laughed, a heroic spirit rising within him. "Then I shall shatter the void alongside you and journey to that ultimate land!"
"From this day forth, you and I shall walk shoulder to shoulder and prove the ultimate Great Dao together!"
His white robes stirring gently, Lin Chen turned to gaze toward the end of the void.
He was already invincible throughout the heavens, chaos had bowed its head, the Heavenly Domain had pledged allegiance, and he had proven his Dao in the void.
Yet the curtain on the true ultimate had only just begun to rise before him.
Beyond the void.
Throughout the heavens, chaos, and the Heavenly Domain, all living beings sensed that terrifying presence of war subside at the same moment.
In its place, an even vaster, holier, more eternal will of invincibility enveloped everything!
The Eastern Domain Venerable, Chaos Heavenly Venerable, Heaven-Burning Great Emperor... all the mighty experts fell to their knees at once and cried out reverently, their voices piercing every realm and resounding through the spacetime of all ages:
"Congratulations, Supreme One, on proving your Dao in the void, invincible through all ages!"
"Congratulations, Supreme One, on ascending to the ultimate, eternal and undying!"
Their voices echoed for a long time without fading.
The legend of Lin Chen gained another chapter, its most glorious and invincible yet.
Upon the Eternal Continent.
Lin Chen and the Void Dao Lord stood shoulder to shoulder, white and gray robes snapping in the wind.
Both gazed toward the end of the void, anticipation filling their eyes.
After signing in for a hundred thousand years, I emerged invincible.
The heavens were subjects, chaos a servant, the Heavenly Domain a child, and the void a neighbor.
And their steps would not cease.
Beyond the ultimate, there were still other heavens and earth.
At the pinnacle of eternity, journeys still awaited.
Lin Chen's path of invincibility would never end!