Chapter 2096: “Mmhmm.”

Vast Dragon Seaturner.

Peng of Kun.

Starstream Stroke.

These were the moves that Lu Yun invented when he first established sword dao in the world of immortals. They were the foundations of his sword dao.

He was caught on the back foot at first because he was no match for God. God’s sword dao was marvelous and unbelievable; it fully suppressed Lu Yun and destroyed the young man’s sword dao.

But gradually, Lu Yun entered a profound state in which he slowly comprehended the strength within his body. The power of reincarnation, the power of civilization. The power of reincarnation retreated back into the Tome of Life and Death, leaving room for the fire of civilization to sweep through his body.

Fire.

The physical manifestation of reincarnation was fire, as was the origin of civilization. When living beings lit the first bloom of fire, it proclaimed the birth of civilization.

And so, Lu Yun lit a flower of flame now. He illuminated civilization.

Quietus transformed into blazing flames and the aura of civilization spread through the premises, sans the sword’s aura. To living beings, sword dao, immortal dao, great dao, rules, laws, and everything… All had to do with civilization.

Only when there was civilization was there everything else. Civilization was the divine weapon of life.

Barbaric life could become masters of themselves, rule over creation, and defy objectivity only after they grasped civilization. At this moment, the sword in Lu Yun’s hand was the Sword of Civilization.

From Vast Dragon Seaturner to Dragonrise, every stroke was sufficient to establish an undying civilization.

God backed up rapidly, his face settling into a hideous grimace. He’d lost to Lu Yun in Dusk Province and he was still losing to the young man in a tomb that’d never seen the light of day!

God was stronger than Lu Yun. He wasn’t lesser in terms of cultivation level or strength, but mentality.

The Tome of Life and Death carried the weight of civilization and everything that God had ever experienced—everything that he was was also civilization. It was encompassed by Lu Yun’s Sword of Civilization.

One stroke could sever God’s civilization and return him to the state of drinking blood and tearing at raw flesh. He would devolve from civilization to barbarism and be crushed by endless objectivity. He would succumb to its rhythm, to drift along with the ebbs and flows of nature.

Clink!

The Sword of Chaos shattered with a sharp collision. The Sword of Civilization had broken it.

God slowly backed away with a long exhale and threw away the sword’s hilt. “I have been defeated.”

“Yes, you have been defeated,” Lu Yun nodded. The Sword of Civilization dispersed as motes of light and Quietus reappeared in his hand.

Civilization had coalesced as a formless, intangible sword that could not be traced. It came with a beckon and was dismissed with a wave.

This was a cultivation level infinitely close to the pinnacle.

What was meant by the pinnacle was the highest peak that a subjective being could reach. They could affect the objective with the subjective then. No life or objectivity would be able to withstand it.

Not only was it the pinnacle of a being, it was the pinnacle of objectivity.

There could only be one.

“But I do not yield.” Resolution flashed through God’s eyes. “I broke into the nothing from reality and set up plot within plot so I could reach the pinnacle. I may be defeated, but I have not lost!”

Lu Yun frowned as a foreboding feeling rose from the bottom of his heart.

Hummm.

Tremendous force converged from all sides. A destructive force similar to the force generated by the nothing touching the barrier of nothing suddenly erupted.

The tomb from reality… exploded.

God had been defeated, there was no coming back when faced with the Sword of Civilization. But he had one final ace up his sleeve—detonate the tomb!

“Dragonquake Scripture!!” Lu Yun howled. Dragons surged toward him and collected as the core essence of the Dragonquake Scripture. He furiously propelled the power of civilization and reincarnation within his body, trying to corral the tomb and prevent it from exploding.

But across from him, he saw a cruel smile grace God’s face.

KABOOM!

Heavenfall exploded. God had detonated his genesis weapon!

“YOU!!” Lu Yun never imagined that God would do something like this! The tomb was embedded in the barrier of nothing and connected to the Divine Temple of Nothing. This detonation would destroy the temple as well!

Everything in the temple would be destroyed!

God had gone completely mad. If the tomb and divine temple exploded, he would die too!

He would take Lu Yun with him!

Quietus lit the flame of civilization again and returned to being a Sword of Civilization. He raised it high with both hands and desperately brought it down on the strength that was nearly the great destruction.

Terrifying strength bore down on him from all sides, swallowing his body and destroying the sword. Quietus exploded as well.

A massive mushroom cloud rose in the air as the entire divine temple exploded. Everything returned to nothing.

The Divine Temple of Nothing existed in people’s hearts. The temple couldn’t be destroyed as long as they still held faith. Only the strength of the great destruction could destroy it—the collision with the barrier of nothing.

The divine temple was gone and the ancient tomb that’d stood for countless eons was also gone.

A massive crater ripped through the barrier, but it started closing after that split second. When it closed, it was as if it’d never appeared at all.

……

The Dao King was here. He held a ball of light in his hand that contained the territory of the five elements. The Fire God, Wave God, and all those they’d saved were safe and sound within the ball of light.

“Was it worth it?” he gently asked the last vestiges of God.

“Mmhmm,” God grunted before vanishing. There would never be a God within existence again.

The Dao King raised his head and looked at the barrier of nothing, his eyes devoid of emotion.

……

Grayish-yellow clouds loomed over a devastated city like a heavy pot lid. Weathered wagon wheels groaned under overburdened carriages. They creaked as they trundled over dirt mixed with patches of bloody mud. The wagons made slow progress to the outskirts of town.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

Tattered corpses were flung from the wagons into a pit three hundred meters deep that held thousands of bodies. Their handlers were numb-faced and occasionally looked up at the dreary sky. There was no hope to be found there.

This was a broken world, one entirely without vitality. It was a world of despair.

Once the first wagon emptied, several people pushed it back into the devastated city. No one noticed a rag doll of a body appear out of thin air and crash into the pit.

A ghastly white sun rose listlessly from the east and scattered weak illumination over the gloomy land.

Another night had passed. Another hopeless day was here.

It was the start of despair once again.