Chapter 1008: Creation (II)

Howling wind, rumbling thunder, and falling snow filled the skies, yet everything seemed strangely silent. Though the cold cut to the bone, not a single Eminent One flinched. The lower-ranked disciples of the immortal sects had already retreated to safety, but even from afar, they stared at the scene before them, utterly at a loss.

A new ninth-realm existence had emerged, and it had happened under circumstances that no one could have anticipated.

No matter how many times they tried, no one had managed to kill the Noble Dharma. Instead, he had pressed forward, step by step, until he reached this very point. It was as if the heavens themselves had been protecting him.

Could it be that... the heavens truly intend to wipe out the human world?

As endless spiritual qi flooded into him, the Noble Dharma's appearance remained unchanged. Yet in the eyes of the crowd, he seemed to grow taller by the second, like a giant rising above the world, impossible to resist.

Even among those who had stepped into the Profound Realm, there were vast differences in strength.

The Demon God that had once possessed Tuntun with its life essence stood at the very bottom among ninth-realm beings, like a stone on the ground. It had not been much stronger than Evil Ksitigarbha, who had nearly reached the ninth realm.

But the Noble Dharma was different. Even before his ascension, his strength had already neared the ninth realm. Now, after receiving a massive surge of power, his cultivation had reached a level that defied imagination. With tens of thousands of years of battle experience behind him, the stronger he became, the more devastatingly effective he was at using that strength.

His combat power now would make him one of the strongest among all ninth-realm beings.

And now, no one could figure out how to defend against the current Noble Dharma.

"

Hee-hee-hee...

"

The Noble Dharma's chilling laughter echoed through the air, making the divine chains tremble. The Demon-Refining Pagoda shook violently, no longer able to hold him down.

"Today, I've returned to the Profound Realm!"

Boom!

With one hand, the Noble Dharma seized two of the divine chains dangling from the Demon-Refining Pagoda and swung his arm, intending to hurl the legendary artifact like a weapon!

"Fall back!" Chu Liang shouted.

He knew how much divine power was sealed within the pagoda and how dangerous it would be even to touch it. Without hesitation, he rushed forward to stop the Noble Dharma.

Boooooooom!

As the wielder of the Demon-Refining Pagoda, Chu Liang still retained a sliver of control over the divine power within. That was the only reason he wasn't crushed on the spot. Even so, the unleashed force sent him hurtling away.

As the Noble Dharma swung the pagoda, Chu Liang was flung straight into the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin. The Noble Dharma didn't spare him a second glance. He knew exactly what kind of world lay beyond that gate. Even an eighth-realm cultivator would freeze to death in that unbearable cold. To him, Chu Liang was as good as dead.

The Noble Dharma turned to face the remaining Eminent Ones from the immortal sects, a savage glint gleaming in his eyes.

But behind him, a figure in white streaked across the frozen plain.

"Chu Liaaaangggg!"

It was Jiang Yuebai. Just moments ago, she had been trembling in fear. Now, without the slightest hesitation, she leapt into the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin!

"Yuebai!"

The Whale-Riding Immortal and Bai Yuxian both turned pale. Seeing their daughter dive into the portal, they moved to follow without a second thought, ready to risk everything.

But the Noble Dharma's slaughter had already begun!

Those who had wielded the six demon-eliminating treasures earlier were the first to be targeted. A flash of golden light erupted, and their life force was ripped away in an instant.

Swishhhh!

Several Eminent Ones, all at the peak of the eighth realm, were slain before they could even react. They had no chance to resist.

There were still other Eminent Ones clutching legendary artifacts, but before the Noble Dharma, even those weapons could not endure a single clash.

Before a being who had reached the pinnacle of the Profound Realm, eighth-realm cultivators were no different from those at the first realm.

It truly felt like there were no miracles left for this world, not a single one.

...

Chu Liang, who had created miracle after miracle, now seemed to have reached the end of his life.

The Noble Dharma had swung the Demon-Refining Pagoda, already unimaginably heavy from the torrents of spiritual qi pouring into it, and struck Chu Liang straight into the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin. That single blow shattered the stability of his sea of qi and left his soul trembling. He went limp, unable to move.

The moment Chu Liang passed through the portal, a terrifying cold surged into him. It was not just bone-deep; it pierced into his very soul and spread through every inch of him like a deadly poison, leaving no gap untouched.

Already gravely wounded, Chu Liang froze at once. He tried to circulate his qi to protect himself, but in that brief instant, he simply could not recover. The cold was far too intense. Within just a few breaths, his entire body was sealed in ice.

Am I dying?

The question flashed through his mind, but he couldn't think beyond that.

As his vision grew hazy, he caught a glimpse of a figure in white beyond the thin layer of ice. It was someone he knew well—Jiang Yuebai.

She had thrown herself into the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin without a moment's hesitation. Though she was only at the seventh realm, just catching up to Chu Liang mid-fall had already left her face covered in frost. Her limbs and bones were saturated with cold.

Yet, she seemed unaware of it. She moved behind Chu Liang, and the moment her hands touched his back, they froze together with his shoulders.

Then Jiang Yuebai began to push, using all her remaining strength to shove Chu Liang back toward the edge of the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin.

The distance back and forth was barely a hundred zhang. For most seventh- or eighth-realm cultivators, it would have taken no more than a flicker of time to cross. But in this place, where the cold pierced the soul and froze even thought itself, a short journey became endlessly long.

In that world of endless white, even their thoughts had frozen. Chu Liang could not turn to look at her. Yet, in his mind, it felt as if he had returned to a world of spring blossoms. He remembered the day they first met, when she sat in a mountain cave, quietly slurping noodles.

Jiang Yuebai seemed to have lost her spiritual sense as well. Guided by nothing more than a lingering thought, she continued forward. Bit by bit, she pushed Chu Liang out of the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin.

A muffled thud rang out.

Outside the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin, the world was still covered in ice and snow. But compared to the realm within, the difference was like night and day. The cultivators from the immortal sects and the Noble Dharma were nowhere to be seen. They had likely continued their battle elsewhere.

Only countless frozen corpses remained here, silently standing still.

After a long time, a faint flicker of Chu Liang's soul finally broke free from the frost. As his divine sense returned, his sea of qi began to stir. In an instant, the ice around him shattered.

He sat up and saw Jiang Yuebai right in front of him.

A cry escaped his lips. "Ah..."

She was still frozen in the motion of pushing him forward. Half of her body was trapped inside the Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin, sealed in solid ice. The light in her eyes was gone, but her gaze still looked as gentle as ever.

In her final moment of consciousness, she must have seen that Chu Liang had made it out safely. But with her level of cultivation, there was no way she could survive the deadly cold in that place.

Chu Liang gently ran his hand over her body, breaking the ice around her bit by bit. Using his qi, he slowly warmed her frozen limbs. Once her body softened, he carefully pulled her into his arms.

But her eyes, now closed, would never open again.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Chu Liang held her close, but his expression remained eerily calm.

There was no grief or sorrow, only a deep, unwavering focus, as if he were lost in thought.

Jiang Yuebai's condition was different from Tuntun's. Tuntun had been close to death, but her original life essence had still remained. Jiang Yuebai, on the other hand, was truly gone. Her soul had already faded into the frost, leaving no way to bring her back.

Even so, Chu Liang stayed calm.

When Jiang Yuebai sacrificed herself to save him, she must have believed the same thing he did now. They would either live together or die together. Neither of them would have ever accepted being separated by death.

He recalled how the Celestial Talisman Master had reacted. When the one he loved died, had he too fallen into such a state, which led to the creation of the brilliant Talisman of Life Restoration?

But unfortunately, the Talisman of Life Restoration was not enough.

Building on the foundation that the Celestial Talisman Master had set, Chu Liang discovered a divine technique that allowed him to replicate a being's life essence. It was this that had saved Tuntun.

But now, that was not a method he could use since Jiang Yuebai's life essence had already vanished. Reconstructing that same life essence from nothing was something only someone at the absolute peak of the Great Dao of Creation could hope to achieve. In fact, even if he reached the Profound Realm, there was no telling whether he could succeed.

What could he possibly use to bring her back?

If this had been the old Chu Liang, he wouldn't have believed it was possible, no matter how hard he tried to figure it out. But after studying immortal qi, he had gained new insight into the Great Dao of Creation.

Raising the dead seemed like a power reserved only for the gods, but was a miracle like that truly impossible in this world?

He looked at Jiang Yuebai's face, and it felt as if all their memories flashed before his eyes. Her spirit had once burned so brightly, full of life and warmth. But now, that flame was gone, and those moments had scattered like ashes in the wind.

But what if I'm willing to give her my flame?

Chu Liang thought.

He didn't yet have the power to recreate original life essence from nothing, but if it was something close, could he reshape it instead?

Life could burn like fire. It could also flow like water, couldn't it? If vitality could not be created from nothing, then he would give her half of his own.

With that thought, light returned to Chu Liang's eyes. He placed his palm on Jiang Yuebai's forehead, drew out a portion of his life essence, and began transferring it into her body, slowly reshaping it to match hers.

It was like pouring water from one vessel into another. Some loss was inevitable. But when it came to transferring life essence, any loss was significant. By the time it reached Jiang Yuebai, less than half remained.

Without hesitation, Chu Liang transferred even more of his own life essence into her.

As he carefully reshaped the life essence, a faint reaction stirred within Jiang Yuebai's body. It was like trying to relight a flame that had already gone out, but Chu Liang refused to give up. He kept going, and little by little, the spark returned. At last, her life essence was rekindled!

Whoooosh!

Her eyelids twitched twice. There was a sign of consciousness, though she had not yet woken. Still, the flame had been reignited.

Chu Liang let out a long breath.

His mental power was utterly exhausted, yet the light in his eyes grew brighter. In the process just now, his comprehension of the Great Dao of Creation had reached an even deeper level.

With two breakthroughs in such a short time, he had already reached the threshold for ascension.

Unfortunately, a new ninth-realm being had already emerged. It seemed there was no place left for him to rise to.

At that thought, Chu Liang looked into the distance.

The frozen plains were shattered and scattered with corpses. The air was heavy with the scent of death. Countless familiar faces from the immortal sects lay lifeless across the battlefield. Even now, with his newfound ability to pull someone back from the brink, he could not save that many.

His vitality was limited. He had already given most of it to Jiang Yuebai, and that alone might shorten his life to less than a hundred years.

He followed the trail of destruction southward. Mountains had collapsed, rivers flowed backward, and entire cities had been swallowed whole. The farther he looked, the worse the devastation became.

But it also told Chu Liang one thing. The battle was not over. The living beings of this world were still fighting back.

...