Chapter 679 - 51: Victory and Defeat Are Decided, but Life and Death Are Not

In the deep, dark void, the massive Returning Ruins Vortex spun slowly, seeming to pull and twist the very fabric of space.

A thousand-zhang-long Heaven-Soaring Giant Kun, its body flickering with an ethereal light and suffused with a vast demonic intent, slowly advanced toward the vortex’s edge.

After passing the Nine Tribulations, Fang Cheng’s Dharma Aspect had become more solid and resilient, allowing him to travel farther than before.

The great kun advanced continuously through the void, periodically opening its massive maw to release a ray of Profound Light toward the Returning Ruins Vortex.

Without exception, all these rays of Profound Light landed lightly in the depths of the vortex, vanishing in a flash.

After an unknown amount of time, the body of the Netherworld Giant Kun began to distort, at times stretching out, at others compressing into a ball.

The great kun’s tail even showed faint signs of collapsing.

A ray of Profound Light gracefully flew out, as light and insubstantial as if it were nothing, and landed in the depths of the vortex.

Suddenly.

A pinprick of light flared to life within the Returning Ruins Vortex.

Fang Cheng’s heart jolted. An unprecedentedly clear sensation washed over him. In that instant, his vision expanded infinitely. Countless bizarre and dazzling sights flooded his sea of consciousness, only to vanish in the blink of an eye.

"I succeeded!"

He breathed a sigh of relief as a faint sense of joy lingered in his heart.

’I finally succeeded.’

The Divine Power Mark he had left in the Returning Ruins Vortex was insignificant, as fine as a gossamer thread, yet it was incomparably clear.

With this wisp of a connection, his technique, Primordial Void, could truly borrow the power of the Returning Ruins Vortex without spiraling out of control and devouring the entire World Heaven.

「In the Heaven Crossing Hall.」

A faint smile touched Fang Cheng’s lips. The Netherworld Giant Kun, having shrunk to a minuscule size, leisurely flew out from a crack in the Immortal Copper Treasure Box, settled into the Demonic Light behind him, and vanished.

He stood up and walked out of the hall. Jia Yin, Feng Yan, Beiming Cang Xue, Beiming Qingqiu, the Dragon Elephant Wanderer, and the many Tribulation Realm masters of the Mingxiao Domain all came forward to congratulate him.

To Venerable Jiayin and the other three women, this meant their mission was a resounding success.

Jia Yin possessed the strongest Spiritual Sense. She could already tell that Fang Cheng, having just consolidated his Cultivation Realm, was already on the verge of ascension. She nodded to herself, merely waiting for him to tie up the loose ends in this world before joining him on the path to the Milo Immortal Road.

Feng Yan looked at Fang Cheng with a smile, seeming to want to speak but holding back. Her stunningly beautiful face held a trace of captivating charm, and her eyes contained something indescribable.

As for Beiming Cang Xue and Beiming Qingqiu, one’s smile was like a blooming flower, while the other offered a graceful, subtle smile. The affection in the eyes of both women was plain for anyone to see.

The Dragon Elephant Wanderer said, "Fellow Daoist Fang, although the Demon Lord has reclaimed his right arm, our own cultivation has reached its consummation, and we will soon be able to ascend. However, before we ascend, the other Cultivators of this world must be properly settled."

He glanced at Venerable Jiayin and added, "Venerable Jiayin and I have already come to an agreement. The cultivators of our Red Profound Realm can all migrate to Yuelang Heaven. In the future, one person will be chosen to wield the Demon-Suppressing Celestial Stele. When their cultivation is sufficient, they can return to the Red Profound Realm, find an opportunity to undergo their tribulation, or ascend to the Spiritual Sky Realm."

Though he said this, the assembled cultivators could only smile bitterly in their hearts.

By that time, the Demon Lord would surely have refined the Red Profound Realm into a Demon Country. Who would dare return to undergo their tribulation then?

The destiny of this World Heaven had run its course.

The Dragon Elephant Wanderer and Fang Cheng would be the last two Ascension Cultivators from this world.

As for the others, their only option was to go to Yuelang Heaven and enjoy a peaceful retirement.

Since ancient times, those who achieved ascension had always been few and far between. It was an accomplishment impossible for anyone who did not possess great wisdom and immense fortune.

The crowd, however, felt no sense of regret.

Fang Cheng smiled faintly and said, "In our battle with the Demon Lord, though the victor has been decided, the matter of life and death has not. Coincidentally, I have just mastered a new Divine Technique. Allow me to test it."

As he spoke, he leisurely flew into the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Treasure Tower Formation, making his way to the depths at the base of the tower.

At the bottom of this Grand Array lay a massive Earth Palace. Surrounding it, Golden Seal Jade Talisman Profound Patterns coalesced into an eternal cage, sealing a giant arm.

The Demon Lord’s left arm.

The wrist of this left arm had been severed by some kind of sharp blade—the handiwork of the Demon Buddha from ages past.

Above this left arm, the illusory figure of the youth in the white shirt stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Fang Cheng with some surprise.

From behind the powerful seal left by the Spirit Immortal from the Upper Realm, Fang Cheng attempted to activate the seventh form of the Mixed Element Seven Tribulations Diagram: Primordial Void.

He pointed a finger.

The Demon Lord’s left arm instantly fell into a bizarre pocket of void. It was surrounded by a sea of chaos that immediately began to engulf it.

The Demon Lord’s left arm erupted with infinite Demonic Light, thrashing and struggling within the Chaotic Turbulence.

Expressionless, Fang Cheng summoned the Immortal Copper Treasure Box. A ray of Profound Light shot out from it, landing in the chaotic mass. The light instantly transformed into a pitch-black vortex.

A phantom of the Returning Ruins Vortex!

At the same time, the incarnation of the "Celestial Venerable of Universal Transformation" and the Golden Crow Incarnation joined forces to activate the Demon-Suppressing Celestial Stele. Layers of pure light enveloped the land for ten thousand li, completely severing the connection between the Celestial Dao Origin and the Demon Lord’s left arm.

In the next moment, the phantom of the Returning Ruins Vortex, enveloping the Demon Lord’s left arm, shrank continuously until it was no larger than a pinprick, then flew into the Immortal Copper Treasure Box.

Fang Cheng sent his consciousness into the Immortal Copper Treasure Box.

Within the dark, deep Outer Void, the phantom of the vortex flashed once before being utterly devoured by the real Returning Ruins Vortex.

...

「Chixiao Domain.」

The expression of the youth in the white shirt, who was in the middle of refining the right arm, changed drastically. He stared toward the distant sky in horror.

...