Soul-Slaying Maiden: Master Of Ancient Divine Weapons

When the Heaven and Earth Grand Array took shape,

All the darkness and void within the array began to be refined under the burning suns, shrinking and condensing into the world's origin.

If light cannot illuminate the darkness, then use fire.

The void felt an unprecedented crisis, and its voice was no longer calm.

Under the intense scorching heat, it felt as if a burning sun was trapped within its body—no, nine suns.

"You're insane! Only a lunatic could come up with such a method!"

"Insane? So what if we are? As long as we can bite off a chunk of you, the invader, it doesn't matter if we're all lunatics."

"Courting death!" The void was enraged, and it began indiscriminately attacking the nine blazing suns. Each sun was a core of the array. If it could corrupt even one, it could destroy the Heaven and Earth Grand Array and prevent its annihilation.

Within each sun's core were the nine strongest of the Sacred Warriors.

Faced with the devouring attacks, they remained silent and immovable.

The moment the array was formed, they had already accepted their sacrifice.

The features of Plain Maiden were swallowed by the void, turning her into a faceless and terrifying creature.

The Heavenly Emperor's head was severed, leaving only half his body standing tall, clutching his celestial sword, unyielding.

Shennong, on the verge of death, decisively swallowed a newly discovered, potent poison, 'Heartbreak', whose toxicity was so fierce that even a ninth-tier powerhouse dared not casually try it.

Devouring works both ways; it can consume both the good and the bad.

Before Shennong was completely consumed by the void, the poison he ingested spread into the void's body.

From the infinite darkness, the void's shocked and furious voice carried a hint of panic and agitation.

"You knew I had glimpsed that threshold. You should understand that I could comprehend methods targeting the origin. Each individual chooses their own way to cross that threshold, but its essence remains unchanged. With this array, I'll sever half your origin. So that for endless ages, you'll never surpass the ninth tier."

The Heavenly Emperor's voice, clear and unwavering, rang out despite his half-torn body.

The next moment, the nine blazing suns unleashed their most scorching and radiant light, burning away all the darkness in the sky.

———

"Li Shutong, you've truly aged."

As the darkness receded, one man and three insect emperors resumed their positions.

The endless darkness now carried a trace of fatigue.

The Blood Beast Puppet had lost an arm.

Nightmare's left eye was swollen shut, unable to reopen.

Surrounded by the three, Li Shutong staggered slightly, silent, his figure wreathed in increasingly dense white mist.

"You've also glimpsed that threshold."

"Indeed, worthy of being humanity's greatest combat genius over millennia. Even without a contract spirit, you remain the Great Xia's foremost War God."

"This makes killing you even more thrilling." The speaker was Blood Beast Puppet.

Ninth-tier insect emperors rarely allied with each other. Among the insect race, wars were as common as they were among humans.

For them to join forces, each had their own ambitions.

The ninth-tier insect emperor, Void, sought to reclaim its lost origin from the Bodhi Treasure Tree.

The Blood Beast Puppet desired Li Shutong's physical body. If it could devour his mortal shell, it could ascend beyond the ninth tier, much like Void aspired to transcend.

With such temptation, who could resist?

"Nightmare, your reward has been prepared. How much longer will you wait?"

Called out by Void, Nightmare chuckled softly.

From its robes, it produced a crystalline, exquisite pearl.

The pearl emitted a faint white glow, appearing ethereal and illusory yet tangible.

This was the reward for Nightmare's participation and its deliberate "gift" of the Bodhi Treasure Tree to Han Zhen— The Mirage Pearl.

A treasure that perfectly complemented Nightmare's illusionary talents.

With this artifact, Nightmare's ninth-tier strength could rise further. Continuous study with the pearl's aid would undoubtedly allow it to see the threshold and carve its own transcendent path.

Activating the pearl, it ascended above Nightmare's head, casting hazy, dreamlike light over the sea.

Illusion and reality merged, forms materializing.

Under its power, anything created by Nightmare's illusions became real within the pearl's domain.

In an instant, several terrifying presences materialized on the battlefield—records of ninth-tier insect emperors Nightmare had once witnessed.

What was once a 1v3 fight now turned into 1vMany.

The situation was perilous.

———

[Heavenly Palace, Sacred Heart of Hundred Herbs World]

Han Zhen felt as though he'd just watched a grand, high-definition movie.

The conclusion was tragic yet satisfying.

The world's strongest successfully defended the Sacred Heart of Hundred Herbs World, preserving its origin and severing half of Void's origin, weakening its level significantly.

Void retreated in disgrace, the nine blazing suns dissipating into the horizon.

Only the unified origin remained, transforming into a new sun that hung high in the sky.

"So this is the truth of the world. The world wasn't destroyed; the strong vanished; the enemy retreated. Perhaps this is the best outcome," Han Zhen murmured.

Even now, he hadn't discovered anything directly related to the curse or illness.

But when he looked up at the blazing sun suspended in the sky, Han Zhen squinted.

Because of his position in the Heavenly Palace, he could vaguely see a miniature version of the Heaven and Earth Grand Array within the sun.

"The array hasn't disappeared?" Han Zhen was stunned. "So the Nine Suns Array continues to envelop this world. Why?"

In his muttering, a sudden realization struck him.

At the same time, the three alchemy formulas he carried floated into the air, merging under the sunlight.

The combined formula transformed into a brand-new recipe: the legendary Fourth Alchemy Formula, Nine Turns Pill.

Nine suns, one cycle.

Nine cycles unite, birthing creation and life.

"The ingredients for the Nine Turns Pill: the souls of nine ninth-tier powerhouses, and a purified world origin. Successor, this is our final gift to you."

Staring at the formula, Han Zhen finally understood the meaning of "Death is not a curse; reincarnation is not the end."

The severed portion of Void's origin ascended with the suns. Originating from Void, it was steeped in malevolence and cursed energy.

The Nine Suns Array purified it over a long process. To shorten the process, they chose to involve the entire world.

This is why the world became ill.

Everyone living within this world bore a portion of the curse.

Birth and death occurred repeatedly.

Through the life cycles of billions, the origin of Void was successfully purified.

What Void disregarded as ants ultimately cleansed its origin. A deeply ironic and dramatic twist—that was the truth of the curse!

Han Zhen was shaken by the revelation.

Now that the Nine Turns Pill was complete and the truth uncovered, consuming it would allow him to leave this world and return to reality.

Whether the Heavenly Emperor or Shennong, they were unparalleled talents in their time, capable of towering above any realm.

Their intellect, methods, and abilities far surpassed ordinary individuals.

Yet the heavens, indifferent as always, crushed them still.

Knowing the truth evoked a sense of heartbreak.

But they succeeded in defending the world they loved!

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