CHAPTER 79.1: WITH HEAVENLY DAO FOUNDATION, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO STOP ME?

Night fell, but the Five Elements Forbidden Zone was still bright as day. A vast black cloud stretched across the heavens, slowly creeping toward the full moon.

The deadline of one day was up.

Dragon Judge rose to his feet, saying in a deep and booming voice, "Since he hasn't come, then let's go first. Perhaps the Garment Division Master will catch up."

The others didn't say much. Only that same sarcastic man from before muttered under his breath, "Never underestimate a man's cowardice."

Flower Burial Fairy shot him another glare, and he shrank his neck back in silence.

In the crowd, Little Green stood cold-faced, lost in thought.

Pupil turned to Feather, "Before we fight... how about you divine the outcome?"

All fifty-two cultivators turned to Feather. He was the most skilled in divination, his art unmatched.

Feather, as always, was sparing with words. "Alright."

As his voice fell, the feathers on his robe detached one by one, drifting into the air. Feather raised his hand, palm open. At last, one feather came to rest upon his palm.

Everyone's eyes locked on him.

Flower Burial Fairy blurted without restraint, "What is the omen?"

Feather stared at the feather, his expression unchanged. "Certain death, no survival."

The atmosphere grew heavy.

An old man's face sagged with bitter disappointment. "Still certain death?"

Flower Burial Fairy, however, said coldly, "Even if it means certain death, we'll still shatter a few teeth from those alien demons!"

Even the sarcastic man's gaze said carefreely, "Rather than live each day in vain, it is better to end my life slaying demons!"

"Old bones like mine have rusted in this forbidden zone. It's time they moved again."

"The Demon-Slaying Assembly isn't for the world, it's for ourselves!" growled a one-armed powerhouse.

His wife had once been fished away by the alien demons. He had clutched her tight, refusing to let go, until a Divine realm expert severed his arm. He was the only one left behind.

Looking at them all, Pupil said, "There's no need to be so defeated. Men can triumph over heaven. Refine the Supreme Tortoise Shells. Half a day from now, we will go together."

Each of them held a piece of Supreme Tortoise Shell. It was an ultimate defensive treasure. Refining it wouldn't only shield against the alien demons' assaults, but also link them together into a formation.

In silence, Little Green refined her shell. She recalled her words to the Garment Division Master that day.

"If you can't kill the alien demons, I'll never let you go, not for all eternity!”

***

At the Moonlight Kingdom...

A colossal altar rose into the night. Seventy-seven feet tall, it had been painstakingly built over thirty years. Standing atop it made one feel like they could pluck stars and seize the moon. The altar was also known as the Moon-Chasing Tower.

Above, the heavens rolled with a looming lunar eclipse.

To the Moonlight Kingdom, whose very foundation was worship of the moon, such an omen was a calamity. Thousands of young women prostrated themselves. They pressed their foreheads to the earth, chanting quietly. Upon the tower, twelve newly anointed priestesses danced in ritual.

Meanwhile, a thousand meters away, a small figure gazed at the altar, her eyes glimmering with mixed emotions.

"Three hundred years..." she whispered.

It had been three hundred years since he departed. Three centuries, flowing like water. She lifted her gaze toward the lake not far away, eyes tinged with loneliness.

From behind, someone said in a crisp, chilling voice, "You bestowed the moon sigil so freely, you will not endure this eclipse. You'll be dragged into mortal dust."

She was the first Saintess of the Moonlight Clan.

Moon Maiden stood silently, the moons in her pupils waning crescents. If not for that man, she would have perished at the hands of the Hundred-Cities Alliance. She never would have lived to see the lunar eclipse. Back then, she had been nothing but a sacrifice.

Seeing her silence, the first Saintess sighed. "I... am I not fallen as well?"

***

Within Earth's End...

Qi Yuan's wounds had reached their limit.

Half-slumped against the great sealed gate, his breath ragged. These days, he had slain every last alien demon within the end zone.

They had sought peaceful death but Qi Yuan had granted them funeral rites of blood.

Now, the whole place was empty. Only Qi Yuan's panting and the drip of his blood echoed in the vast silence.

Suddenly, someone said in a cold mechanical voice, "As expected... of the one I chose."

The metal-armored man who had long fallen appeared once more before him. His hulking frame strode forward, helm and plates clashing. But unlike before, his pupils were now pure white, chilling to behold.

Qi Yuan gave a helpless smile. "I know the plot wasn't done. Look, at last, the real mastermind shows himself."

"You are not surprised?" The warrior who was formerly known as the Celestial God showed a flicker of shock. "But it doesn't matter. That changes nothing."

Qi Yuan looked up at him and mocked, "Hiding behind my dead father-in-law's body, what kind of 'mastermind' is that? Show your true form. My hands are itching for a boss fight."

The man's pale eyes showed no trace of emotion, yet his tone brimmed with awe, "I thought the rest of my life would be nothing but pitiful survival. Never did I expect, within the Five Elements Forbidden Zone, to find you. Such a perfect vessel... such terrifying talent! In mere months, from early Divine realm to its peak. This body doesn't belong to the world. It's Heaven's reward to me."

His voice dripped with greed, like an ancient monster starved for ten thousand years.

Qi Yuan sneered at the man's insatiable desire. "Looks like it's my fate to be an Elder Slayer."

He raised the greatsword and slashed.

Shrrrip!

A dazzling sword-light cleaved the metal-armored figure into pieces. The hulking body shattered into seven, eight fragments.

Yet, that greedy voice still echoed in the air. "Useless. What you killed was nothing but a puppet, you can't harm me. You are only at Divine realm, not even at its true peak. Nor have you touched the Origin. Resistance is futile. Be still. I will inherit your memories, seize your body, and walk out of this end zone!"

Qi Yuan tilted his head, mocking, "Old man, you've trained your Daydream Art into pure delusion. You think you can possess me?"

The greedy voice paused, then barked out a laugh, "So that whore told you, did she? And what of it? I have long since marked your body as mine! Do you recall the Divine Reflections within the Five Elements and Yinyang Forbidden Zones? With the faintest gesture, I swayed their decisions. All fifty-three Divine Reflections carry my imprint. Your thoughts, your mind, are all saturated with me! My will spreads within you, expanding without end until I devour you whole!"

That was his scheme.

Originally, he had planned only to drive the Demon-Slaying Assembly and swallow a few Divine realm cultivators for sustenance. But unexpectedly, he encountered this heaven-shaking genius. To him, this was heaven's mercy and gift.

His voice, greedy as ever, began to ring directly within Qi Yuan's mind.

Qi Yuan chuckled, wholly unfazed. "Great Sun, to be honest... you're easier to deal with than those alien demons."

He remembered the Great Sun's lingering essence from the Five Elements Trial Grounds. He had seen the Great Sun curse the alien demons, screaming like a beaten dog.

At first, Qi Yuan had mistaken the Great Sun for a fallen god, defeated by otherworldly demons. But after facing those 'demons' himself, he knew that the so-called enemies weren’t those geezers, but someone else entirely.

Seventh Moon had told him that this land once bore another name, White Sun Continent.

The Ascension Platform of Heaven's End... the level 119 Broken Metal-Armored God’s Remnant Soul...