The Western Heaven Realm is vast and boundless, home to numerous divine kingdoms and countless races.
However, in a corner of this vast territory, there exists a forbidden place that even the gods are unwilling to mention.
The Great Demon Mountain Range.
This place was once the temple of the Thunder God, who wielded the power of thunder and possessed immense power.
In the past, lightning flashed like dragons, weaving between the majestic palaces, its roar echoing through the sky. The prayers of countless believers converged into an ocean of faith, filled with holiness and majesty.
But now, all glory has vanished, leaving behind only a terrifying, demonic land.
Looking around, charred black and dark red are the dominant colors of this land.
The once towering temple has been reduced to ruins, like bones gnawed by an invisible behemoth, pointing menacingly at the gloomy sky. The air is filled with a nauseating, complex stench; the dense, viscous demonic energy is like a tangible liquid, mixed with the unique, pungent sweetness of decaying divine blood, and the bone-deep desolation brought about by the withering of all things and the collapse of laws.
Here, the light becomes distorted and dim, as if swallowed by an invisible force, making it difficult even for divine eyes to penetrate the layers of demonic mist.
Sound was completely cut off, and all was silent except for the occasional low groaning from the depths of the demonic energy, or the teeth-grinding, subtle sound of corpses rubbing together.
Instead, it only served to accentuate the deathly stillness and terror of this place.
On that shattered land, amidst the surging demonic energy, countless corpses floated and sank, forming an apocalyptic scene.
There were Titans, their bodies as large as mountains, their skin as hard as granite, their eyes wide open in fury, seemingly dying with their eyes still open;
There were angels of light with tattered wings and completely dimmed holy light, their pure white feathers stained with blood and demonic energy into eerie colors;
Elemental spirits, their elemental cores crumbling and their forms gradually dissipating, are like candles flickering in the wind.
An ancient dragon with shattered scales and dulled eyes lay sprawled, its massive body resembling a mountain range.
Furthermore, the remains of numerous Divine Race warriors of various forms and races, abyssal demons, and even some rare and powerful creatures, their flesh and blood, and fragments of their souls, all became nourishment for this demonic land, making the dark demonic energy, which pulsated like living things, even more turbulent and surging.
This demonic realm has become an independent domain filled with death and destruction, a " Great Demon Mountain Range " that constantly radiates ominousness and fear.
The various forces in the Western Heaven Realm had long since listed this place as a top taboo. It was rumored that even when God King level expert joined forces to break in, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, and there was no news of them ever again.
Its fearsome reputation is enough to stop a child from crying and to make even the most valiant warriors tremble.
At the very center of the Great Demon Mountain Range, the supreme palace where the towering statue of the Thunder God once stood has now collapsed, leaving only the largest foundations and broken pillars.
In the very center of this highest ruin, Dao Body, seemingly existing since time immemorial, sits quietly in meditation.
It was Li Qingshan.
The aura emanating from him was completely different from the overwhelming demonic power and destructive force he displayed five years ago when he annihilated this place.
At this moment, he was like a deep Return to the Ruins, all his fluctuations contained to the extreme, leaving only a heart-pounding, extremely oppressive tranquility, like the calm before a storm.
His eyes were closed, his face calm, as if everything in the outside world, whether it was mountains of corpses and seas of blood or surging demonic energy, was irrelevant to him.
But within his body, in the deepest part of the Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm, a war was taking place that was ten thousand times more dangerous and intense than any divine war in the outside world!
The first stage of the " Eight-Nine Profound Art," "Summoning Demons and Implanting Embryo," has reached its culmination after absorbing immeasurable energy and the essence of life.
The newly born Demonic Embryo had now expanded to its limit, like a chaotic chicken egg nurtured to its fullest extent, slowly rotating and pulsating within Li Qingshan's life essence.
Its interior is not simply a collection of energy, but contains the primordial chaos of Heaven-Opening and the deathly stillness that brought all things to their final Return to the Ruins!
The chaotic flow of energy churned wildly on the surface of the Demonic Embryo, causing the five colors of demonic light—blue, red, yellow, white, and black—formed by the reverse of the five elements to flicker alternately.
The Daoist principles of destruction and rebirth collided and intertwined fiercely, reaching a dangerous balance.
Things will inevitably turn around when they reach their extremes; after the worst comes the best.
This extreme destruction is precisely the only opportunity for Nirvana and the reversal of Yin-Yang!
This is the crucial moment when the Demonic Embryo is about to "hatch," triggering all its accumulated energy to ignite the divine fire from the ashes of destruction and give birth to the " Indestructible Divine Embryo "!
However, this path to Nirvana is fraught with danger at every step, like walking a tightrope over a bottomless abyss.
The Demonic Embryo itself is an aggregate of all of Li Qingshan's demonic nature, bloodlust, negative emotions, and the resentment of the creatures he has devoured. Its essence is unruly and filled with a will of destruction and chaos.
To avoid being devoured at the moment its power explodes to its peak, one must instead guide this overwhelming power to achieve a fundamental reversal.
What this requires is an "undying will" that transcends ordinary imagination and endures countless hardships!
Li Qingshan's sea of consciousness had long since transformed into the most brutal battlefield of the clash of wills.
There are no dazzling supernatural powers here, no deafening energy explosions; there is only the most essential, direct, and dangerous clash of wills.
On one side is Li Qingshan's "true self" will, forged through countless reincarnations and trials on the brink of life and death.
It transformed into a blurry yet resolute human figure, like the only lighthouse standing in an endless dark ocean, radiating a brilliant light that pursues transcendence and adheres to one's true self.
The light was not intense, but incredibly resilient, as if it had existed since time immemorial and would never perish.
On the other side was an endless wave of demonic thoughts manifested by the Demonic Embryo's consciousness.
This wave is formed from the purest killing intent, destructive desires, greed, violence, fear, despair—all the evils of the world.
They transform into billions of hideous and twisted demonic shadows, emitting seductive and alluring melodies, soul-tearing curses, and various terrifying illusions that can drive one's mind to the brink of collapse.
They recreate the boundless carnage that Li Qingshan personally committed, amplifying every hidden darkness deep within his heart, like a never-ending black tidal wave, wave after wave impacting, eroding, and tearing at that seemingly faint light of will.
"Give up, merge into this Eternal power,"
"Destruction is rebirth; become the supreme demon lord, controlling the life and death of all beings,"
"What's the point of struggling? You are a demon by nature, why bother pretending?"
"Look, this devastated beauty, isn't it exactly what your heart desires?"
The demonic thoughts were like countless fine, cold, poisonous needles, penetrating every inch of the will's perception.
Sometimes they transform into priceless treasures, tempting the will to succumb;
At times, it transforms into boundless terror, attempting to break down their defenses.
This is the deepest torment and struggle of the soul, far more dangerous than physical injury, and can easily lead to the annihilation of the true spirit and eternal damnation!
Li Qingshan's "True Self Will" is like a reef in the Chaos Sea that has been eroded by countless eons; no matter how turbulent the demonic waves are, he remains unmoved. At times, it transforms into a sword of wisdom that cuts through illusions, cleaving through layers of delusion.
At times, it transforms into a furnace that burns away all distracting thoughts, forging away the negative emotions that have crept in into nothingness;
At times, it returns to the essence of that inextinguishable flame, burning alone and tenaciously in the boundless darkness, illuminating the way forward.
"My path is the path of transcendence! How could mere demonic energy possibly obstruct it?"
"As long as the will endures, the true self is Eternal!"
" The Demonic Embryo is also a power within me, a tool. I should control it, not become its slave!"
Each time he repelled a raging tide of demonic thoughts, his will seemed to be tempered by the extreme pressure, becoming purer, more refined, and unshakable.
This is a mad process of putting oneself on the brink of destruction, seeking a way to survive in a death trap; in a single day, such clashes occur countless times.
Time loses its meaning here; what may be a fleeting moment in the outside world has already witnessed countless lifetimes of sinking and awakening within one's consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, when the expansion of the chaotic Demonic Embryo reached its true limit, the destructive energy contained within it surged to its peak.
It seemed as if it would erupt completely at any moment, dragging everything about Li Qingshan into ultimate nothingness.
His "true self" will, honed through countless trials, has finally reached an unprecedented peak!
That light was no longer just about perseverance, but also carried an unwavering determination to take initiative and reverse the tide!
"The time has come! Without destruction, there can be no construction; destruction precedes construction!"
Within the sea of consciousness, the humanoid will suddenly erupted with a dazzling divine light that illuminated the entire dark world!
It no longer passively endured the impact, but actively transformed into a stream of light tearing through the Eternal night, rushing headlong into the very core of the demonic tide, the chaotic Demonic Embryo that was about to shatter and unleash endless destruction!
"Let my will be an inextinguishable flame! Burn away the old body to reveal my true self!"
Reversing Yin-Yang, turning the universe upside down!
The Indestructible Divine Embryo! If it doesn't emerge now, when will it ever emerge?
"Boom!!!!!"
Like the first thunderclap at the beginning of Heaven-Opening, or the final lament at the end of the universe, an indescribable roar did not act on the eardrums, but resounded directly in the deepest part of Li Qingshan's soul!
Outside, his body, which had been sitting cross-legged for many years and seemed petrified, suddenly trembled violently!
The chaotic demonic energy around him, which had been restrained to the extreme, could no longer be suppressed. Like a volcano that had been accumulating for thousands of years, it suddenly erupted!
A massive pillar of demonic energy shot into the sky, stirring up the winds and clouds for thousands of miles, completely dyeing the already dim sky above the Great Demon Mountain Range into an inky black!
Within the pillar of light, countless agonizing, struggling demonic figures, shattered runes of law, and fragments of annihilated divine light could be vaguely seen!
Below, the endless corpses floating in the demon cave, under the sudden burst of Nirvana power, melted and vaporized like ice and snow under the sun, turning into the purest primordial energy.
Greedily devoured by the towering pillar of light, it was swept back into Li Qingshan's body, becoming the resources for his Nirvana!
The Chaotic Demonic Embryo within his Sea of Bitterness Secret Realm, which had expanded to its limit, did not release its destructive power as expected the moment the Flame of Will merged into it.
Instead, guided by that single spark of brilliance, it collapsed inward in a way that defied common sense!
Ultimate destruction does not bring about widespread devastation, but rather a profound inward return to the source, a final " Return to the Ruins."
I
The Demonic Embryo "shattered".
But this shattering is not a simple explosion; rather, it is a self-annihilation and reorganization at the level of laws.
The Demonic Embryo structure, containing endless chaos and destructive power, was ignited by the fire of will and the power of Nirvana.
As if thrown into the furnace of heaven and earth, it quickly disintegrated and transformed into the Dao, returning to the most primitive and original chaotic energy and fragments of laws.
These currents and fragments have lost all attributes; they no longer possess either demonic or divine qualities, but are merely an "energy ruin" and "ashes of laws" filled with an atmosphere of destruction and death.
However, in the very center of this "ruins" that symbolizes the end of everything, amidst absolute "nothingness" and "deathly silence."
A faint yet incredibly pure and resilient " Innate Spiritual Light " containing boundless vitality and wisdom.
Like the first star born in the night sky, it quietly lit up!
This inspiration did not come from outside; it was the essence of Li Qingshan's "true self will," which had endured countless battles and tribulations without being worn down or destroyed, refined at the extreme of destruction!
It is the most fundamental imprint of his life, the original source of order, sublimation, and divinity!
The moment the inspiration appeared, it seemed to possess its own life and will, and began to spontaneously and gently attract the purest and gentlest life essence and law insights that had been refined in the surrounding " Demonic Embryo Ruins".
Like the beginning of the universe, when nebulae gathered, a tiny yet incredibly stable point of light, radiating a soft and sacred glow, began to form.
And following a profound and mysterious path, it began to rotate slowly and steadily.