With a mere thought, the Karma threads (Karma) in Ling Xiao's eyes vanished. He had finally achieved a preliminary mastery of the Law of Karma.
Previously, Ling Xiao had attempted multiple times to use the Chaos Pearl (Chaos Pearl) to sense transcendental Laws like Karma or Fate. However, such Laws are beyond mysterious; even with a supreme treasure, they are not easily grasped—they require a specific "spark" to enter the gate. As the saying goes: "Plants intentionally sown may not flower, but a willow branch casually stuck in the ground grows into a forest."
With this realization, Ling Xiao turned his attention to the Law Fragment rewarded by the System. He already possessed over a dozen Laws at the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal Perfection (Quasi-Saint Peak) level. If this fragment matched one of them, it could very well become his second Law to break through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal (Saint) realm.
"Let me see what you are."
Ling Xiao's magic power submerged into the Law Fragment. At his current realm, refining a fragment was as effortless as drinking a glass of cold water.
Hum—
A colossal wheel, embedded in the Void Realm, began to roar and spin. Even as a mere phantom, it possessed a soul-dragging force that made one feel an irresistible urge to fall into its cycle.
"Reincarnation Law?!"
Ling Xiao's face stiffened in shock, a trace of genuine surprise flickering in his eyes. He pointed a finger, and the wheel shot out six pillars of divine light that looked like celestial rivers. Simultaneously, behind his head, a six-path light wheel began to rotate, propping up a boundless galaxy and a dark, profound Reincarnation space.
"To obtain two top-tier Laws at the same time!"
A smile of pure joy broke across Ling Xiao's handsome face. At his level, he usually remained unmoved by emotion, but this was a windfall he couldn't ignore. While his understanding of Karma and Reincarnation was still shallow, complete mastery was now merely a matter of time.
With that, Ling Xiao rose and transformed into a streak of light, stepping directly into the cycle of Reincarnation.
The Great Desolation
Since the apparent loss of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, the Wu Clan had suffered a great catastrophe. Without their peak combatants, even their massive numbers couldn't prevent the remnants of the Yao Race from pushing them back. Aside from Bai Ze and Ji Meng, the old giants Jiuying and Guiche had risen again, leading the demon hordes to route the Witches.
This was the Yao's grand counter-offensive—revenge for the countless massacres they had endured. The Witches' territory shrank until they were pinned against a corner of the Eastern Honghuang, making a final stand at Mount Buzhou.
Just as the Yao army gathered for the final killing blow, a world-shaking event occurred.
High above the firmament, a blood-stained divine temple was slowly descending toward the Primordial Great Earth. It was ancient, heavy, and saturated with an Evil Qi (煞气) that reached the heavens. As it drew closer, it expanded until it felt as large as an entire world.
Every living being who saw this felt their scalp tingle with fear.
"The Pangu Temple has returned?!"
"Impossible! Didn't Ling Xiao strike it into oblivion?" the Yao experts shouted in horror. The fear etched into their souls over the eons began to resurface. They had been beaten for too long; the trauma was deep.
"Don't panic! Look, the outside of the temple is covered in blood. Maybe the Ancestral Witches inside are all dead!" one expert said with a forced laugh that fooled no one. It was pure self-consolation.
Rumble!
The Pangu Temple landed heavily in front of Mount Buzhou, the impact shaking the earth and kicking up dust clouds ten million feet high. Chaos Qi and thick Evil Qi shot into the Nine Heavens. The world fell silent, as if waiting for a final judgment.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, a roar like that of a peerless Vicious Beast erupted from the temple, echoing across the universe.
"The Witches are alive?!"
That single roar shattered the last of the Yao army's hope.
"Retreat!" Guiche and Jiuying gave the order immediately, fleeing without looking back. The Yao army receded like a tide, abandoning the Eastern Desolation. They didn't know how many Witches were left, but even one was more than the leaderless Yao could handle. Nuwa was missing, Fuxi was gone, and the rest were simply "shrimp and crabs."
In contrast, the remaining Witches were weeping with joy. For them, it was like the dawn of a new era. They knelt in unison toward the temple, welcoming their masters' return.
Inside the Temple
The Ancestral Witches had finally awakened. Ling Xiao had beaten them into a coma, and they had only just regained consciousness.
The hardest reality to face was that several of their brothers were gone forever. Candle Nine Nethers (Time), Ru Shou (Metal), and Ju Mang (Wood) had been so heavily wounded that Ling Xiao's final strikes had completely extinguished their life force. Their bodies were pulverized; they couldn't even scavenge enough parts to piece together one complete brother.
The Witches cultivated the Physical Body (Physical Body). Their body was their everything. This battle had been so brutal that it had consumed their entire essence.
"Dammit! Dammit! This is a supreme humiliation!" Zhu Rong (God of Fire) roared, his flames nearly consuming him in his rage.
"Revenge! We must have revenge!" Gonggong joined in. Even though he had been nearly killed, his arrogance was unbroken.
"We are missing three brothers. We cannot form the Formation. How do we take revenge?" Qiang Liang spoke up, his voice filled with self-reproach. "I ran with everything I had... but I still couldn't save them."
The temple fell into a suffocating silence as despair began to spread. Without the array, their greatest trump card was gone.
Just then, a Great Witch requested an audience. Di Jiang waved his hand, and Xing Tian entered the hall.
"Urgh..."
As soon as Xing Tian entered, he was hit by a stench of blood so thick it was almost physical, mixed with other strange odors. Even as a veteran of a thousand battlefields, he nearly vomited. The smell was overpowering!
"If you have something to say, say it quickly," Di Jiang said, his mood sour.
Xing Tian, eager to leave the stench, quickly summarized recent events. He left out the minor details and focused on the two major shocks: Ling Xiao's "Death" and the Yao Race's counter-attack.
Silence returned to the hall, followed by a sudden, booming eruption of noise.
"Hahahaha!" "Ling Xiao is dead?!" "This must be the work of our Father's will!" Zhu Rong and Gonggong's voices were the loudest; they were nearly laughing themselves mad.
Even Di Jiang couldn't maintain his composure, a grin splitting his face. They had been mourning the loss of the array, but hearing that their primary nightmare had "perished" made the loss of three brothers feel much more bearable.
"Hehe, the Yao dare to counter-attack? This time, I will exterminate their entire race!" one Witch sneered with bloodthirsty cruelty.
Suddenly, a Supreme (Supreme), boundless, and holy aura descended upon the temple.
Di Jiang's face changed instantly, and he stood up with a start.
"This... who is Achieving Sainthood?"