Chapter 96: Where’s the Spirit of a Fearless Warrior?

“Forbidden Law Light!”

Dazzling white light radiated for a hundred miles, centered on the Palace of All Things. Within this hundred-mile radius, everything was obliterated, leaving behind a massive crater where even the earth had been dissolved.

The yellow water, illusionary mist, flames, sword energy, white crane, giant—everything vanished.

In front of the Palace of All Things, the faces of the dozen Law Manifestation practitioners were dark and grim.

They had strengthened their defenses beforehand, but if they hadn’t sensed something amiss at the last moment and gathered together to defend collectively, they would have been annihilated by the white light.

“What terrifying power!” Patriarchs Jinghun and Chonglang, among others, were filled with fear.

Before the Law Manifestation practitioners of the ten major forces lay two pale, cracked corpses. Judging by their appearances, these were the two rogue Law Manifestation cultivators.

“It even broke through our combined defenses. If it weren’t for the sacrifice of these two Law Manifestation friends, standing in front of us to block the final burst of white light, we would have been dead or severely incapacitated.”

“The counterattack of someone wielding a demi-god artifact is indeed formidable. But now, the outcome is decided.”

As they conversed, a fantastical butterfly suddenly appeared beside Li Donglai in front of the Palace of All Things.

From it emerged a giant skeletal hand, reaching for Li Donglai.

This all happened in an instant, in the terrified gaze of Li Donglai. The skeletal hand pierced through the thin protective aura around Li Donglai’s body with a sizzling sound, grabbing him firmly.

In an instant, numerous thick bone spikes shot out from the skeletal hand, piercing through Li Donglai’s body, leaving him gravely wounded and near death.

“How… how is this possible! I… how could I…” 

Overwhelmed by immense pain, Li Donglai struggled in disbelief and despair. Only then did a towering skeletal Law Manifestation fully emerge from the butterfly.

“Nothing is impossible. With me, White Bone Patriarch, and Void Butterfly Patriarch working together, how could you possibly escape?”

The Void Butterfly was capable of traversing the void. It had spatial abilities rare even among early-stage Law Manifestations. Additionally, it came with its own storage space.

From the start of the battle, Void Butterfly Patriarch had hidden in the void, waiting for the right moment to strike.

After the Forbidden Law Light attack, Void Butterfly Patriarch secretly communicated with White Bone Patriarch, bringing him into the Void Butterfly’s space to deliver this fatal blow.

The White Bone Law Manifestation, impervious to all techniques and indestructible, was best suited for breaking through protective auras.

White Bone Patriarch looked at the skeletal giant hand holding Li Donglai, which was pitted and exuded a sense of decay. He was shocked.

“Even after such a tremendous strike, the remaining power in the protective aura is still so formidable.”

He then looked at the massive crater stretching into the distance.

“The power of a demi-god artifact is indeed formidable.”

His gaze became fervent as he looked at Li Donglai. If he could obtain the method to control the Palace of All Things from this person, that power would be his. Moreover, it was highly likely that Li Donglai had the demi-god’s inheritance, which was even more coveted.

At that moment, other members of the ten major powers also flew over.

In such circumstances, no matter how exhausted or unwell they were, they had to come over. If they weren’t present when it came time to divide the spoils, they would only get what others deigned to give them.

But in truth, did they have any conscience?

In the face of benefits, conscience was merely an ornament, worthless.

White Bone Patriarch felt a chill as he sensed the covetous eyes behind him and abandoned the idea of acting alone. Angering the others would lead to a fate similar to those two sacrificed rogue cultivators. Even with his fellow sect brother’s help, they couldn’t withstand the others’ fury.

Why did the two rogue cultivators sacrifice themselves?

The fewer people sharing the spoils, the better.

“Let’s do this together, soul-search and extract memories,” Jinghun Patriarch suggested directly.

An interrogation was too risky. If this person intentionally omitted something, it could be fatal. Letting one person soul-search alone was also risky. A joint soul-search was the safest approach.

Soul-searching carried the risk of soul loss. With a dozen Law Manifestations searching the soul of a weak Innate cultivator, his soul would undoubtedly be shattered afterward.

But so what?

Others’ lives meant nothing to them. Given that this person nearly killed them earlier, there was no need to show mercy.

No one objected, and they acted together.

Li Donglai, already on the brink of death, was enveloped by a dozen forces. His body twisted grotesquely, his head lolled to the side, his eyes rolled back, and drool dribbled down his chin.

His memories were forcibly read by the consciousnesses of a dozen Law Manifestations.

They frantically searched his mind for information about the demi-god inheritance.

“Found it!”

Almost simultaneously, the dozen Law Manifestations discovered what they sought.

It was an extraordinarily profound cultivation technique. Even a brief glance left the Law Manifestations cultivators enchanted and deeply absorbed. They desperately wanted to memorize the technique, unable to think of anything else. But unlike other techniques, this one was exceptionally abstruse and complex. Even with the immense spiritual power of Law Manifestations, it was difficult to comprehend.

For a moment, it was almost impossible to remember.

Rather than deterring their greed, this only made them more excited.

This was expected. If a Demi-God level technique wasn’t abstruse and difficult, would it still be a demi-god technique?

The difficulty was a testament to its authenticity. The harder it was, the more it proved its worth.

However, in their increasing obsession, they failed to notice something crucial. Their consciousness wasn’t just entering Li Donglai’s body. Their entire focus and spirit were being absorbed into it.

They reached a state of obsessive madness, unable to perceive the outside world.

The dozen Law Manifestations surrounding Li Donglai gradually lost the light in their eyes.

A suction force burst forth from Li Donglai.

Through the channels formed by the conscious links the Law Manifestations had established with Li Donglai, their soul energy, blood essence, and all their power were being drawn away.

And the dozen Law Manifestations showed no reaction.

The Palace of All Things radiated a gentle glow, enveloping and protecting both Li Donglai and the Law Manifestations.

However, just before the enveloping was complete, a rainbow light shot out from the giant pit below.

Li Donglai, whose eyes had been rolled back, furrowed his brow. The light from the Palace of All Things covered the rainbow light.

But it was too slow.

The speed and sensitivity were less than a third of what they had been before.

The rainbow light bypassed the glow of the Palace of All Things and directly charged into the light surrounding Li Donglai, striking him.

At the critical moment, Li Donglai’s rolled-back eyes snapped back into focus.

“Hmph!” 

With a cold snort, a powerful oppressive force swept out in all directions. The rainbow light shattered on impact, revealing what was inside.

It was a puppet.

Li Donglai’s pupils contracted.

“Damn it, you despicable scoundrel! Too afraid to come yourself, you send a puppet instead. Have you no decency?” Li Donglai couldn’t help but curse.

As Lin Fanyun flew away, he was on guard for the possibility of a diversionary tactic. He had deliberately left a countermeasure in place. He pretended to be dazed and severely injured in the spirit, he intended to lure Lin Fanyun back.

In the end, it was just a puppet.

Li Donglai gnashed his teeth.

‘As a martial artist, how can he be so cowardly? Does he have no shame? Couldn’t he be a bit braver and show the spirit of a martial artist who is fearless in the face of death?’

While Li Donglai was cursing inwardly, a dangerous light shone from the puppet, which was suppressed by his aura.

Li Donglai’s eyelid twitched.

He recognized this light very well, having seen it several times before.

Li Donglai hurriedly tried to use the power of the Palace of All Things to throw it away. However, the puppet remained motionless. Various magical artifacts and treasures inside it began to shine with dangerous light, temporarily resisting the power of the Palace of All Things.

Li Donglai’s eyes twitched uncontrollably.

Amidst the deafening explosion, Li Donglai had only one thought.

How could this person have so many treasures? Is he that rich?

A massive explosion, comparable to the Forbidden Law Light, erupted in the giant pit.

Unlike the silent annihilation of the Forbidden Law Light, which destroyed everything in silence, this explosion was much more spectacular. 

The mushroom cloud that rose from the explosion could be seen for thousands of miles, shaking the heavens and the earth. On the ground, a deep chasm stretched for thousands of miles, like a ghastly scar, dark and terrifying.

Watching from a safe distance, Lin Fanyun pondered.

“This should be enough to kill Li Donglai, right?”

With all these consecutive self-destructs, he had only a few high-end magical artifacts and treasures left. If this didn’t work, he would have to make a run for it.

Next to him, Ye Xiaoshu had already collapsed to the ground.

What had happened in the past half-day was too overwhelming for him, his little heart couldn’t handle it.

Whether it was his old friend suddenly becoming so fierce, fighting against a dozen Law Manifestations. Or Lin Fanyun recklessly self-destructing high-end magical artifacts and Law Manifestation-level treasures.

All of this had given his small heart quite a shock.

These were things beyond the reach of a mere Innate cultivator like him.

However, Ye Xiaoshu had an extraordinary character. After a brief moment of disorientation, he quickly regained his composure.

“Is Donglai dead?” Ye Xiaoshu asked with a complex tone.

“If it’s Li Donglai, then he should be dead. But if this Donglai isn’t the Li Donglai you know, then it might not be certain,” Lin Fanyun said gravely.

A big question mark appeared in Ye Xiaoshu’s mind.

‘Why do I understand every word you said, but not the sentence as a whole?’

Lin Fanyun didn’t offer further explanation.

Under Ye Xiaoshu’s horrified gaze, Lin Fanyun removed his clothes and took out a sharp sword, slicing his own back.

A line of blood appeared on his back.

Controlling the wound to prevent it from healing, Lin Fanyun pulled the wound apart with his hands, revealing the spine and fresh red flesh underneath. Even though Ye Xiaoshu had seen his fair share of bloodshed, the sight made his hair stand on end and his heart tremble.

Lin Fanyun struggled to peel off his skin.

Normally, skin and flesh are connected, making it extremely difficult to separate them.

But Lin Fanyun used his Body Manipulation divine technique to sever the connection between the skin and flesh.

He forcibly separated the two.

Thus, a skinned, bloody body appeared before Ye Xiaoshu. And the limp, floating skin remained intact except for the fine line on the back.

Ye Xiaoshu gulped repeatedly, finding the scene overwhelmingly intense.

With his skin peeled away, Lin Fanyun no longer suppressed his body’s healing ability.

New flesh quickly grew over his body, generating fresh skin.

This process consumed a great deal of Lin Fanyun’s physical energy, but seeing the intact skin before him made it worthwhile.

Simultaneously, Lin Fanyun borrowed physical energy from his main body. The next task also required a large amount of physical energy.

Calling the peeled skin to him, Lin Fanyun carefully placed a glowing lamp inside it.

The lamp contained a wisp of Lin Fanyun’s divine sense. Encased in the lamp’s glow, the divine sense resembled a complete soul.

With a swipe of his hand, the fine line on the back of the skin healed.

Next, Lin Fanyun infused the skin with a significant amount of physical energy.

Divine Technique: Body Manipulation!

Flesh began to rapidly regenerate within the skin, forming a complete internal structure. The previously limp skin filled out instantly. A vibrant, fleshy body appeared before Lin Fanyun.

“Unfortunately, it’s not a complete blood and flesh avatar. It only has a wisp of divine sense controlling it. Once the divine sense is exhausted, it’ll just be an empty shell. If it encounters someone skilled in soul techniques or with strong soul power, they could easily wipe out this wisp of consciousness. But with the help of the divine lamp, it’s still useful.”