Chapter 688: Finale (3)

The Deities stared at the Firmament's Compass, standing like stone statues, entirely speechless.

Only their trembling pupils betrayed any life.

Before this, their fear of the Firmament had stemmed from the unknown.

Shrouded in night, that overwhelming power to slaughter everything at will had created an intense air of mystery.

It had brought both terror and absolute deterrence.

But now, the Firmament's methods were laid bare. The mystery was gone.

In its place was a far deeper terror.

Only upon seeing the Firmament's methods clearly did they truly comprehend His power.

He had replicated every single one of Yan Jing's abilities!

This meant He had mastered every Pathway Yan Jing had taken! He grasped every path Yan Jing grasped!

The Deities fell silent.

The underlying reason was self-evident—the Firmament had ruled this realm for far too long.

By controlling the Divine Thrones, He had the opportunity to study them.

In other words, He was the Deity of all Divine Thrones!

And He clearly possessed far greater power than Yan Jing.

Behind the Firmament, the Compass needle spun, slowly settling toward a certain direction.

The next instant, a Fear Thorn materialized in His palm.

He hurled it forward!

In that split second, the strike tore through the sky like a raging dragon. The heavens fractured, light withered, and everything was swallowed by darkness as the world began to plummet.

Yan Jing's own Fear Thorn shattered once more, fading into stardust. Scattering alongside it was the fresh blood weeping from his wounds.

"This ability isn't bad—"

A searing light flared in the Firmament's eyes.

He had known it.

The man before Him was a treasure trove.

The strike He had just unleashed had shattered the shackles of the Desolate Origin Realm, truly stepping into the Star Sea Realm.

And this was merely an ability derived from studying the flow of Yan Jing's weird energy.

Clearly, the man still had far stronger abilities he had yet to use.

If He could just learn them all—

Then, upon returning to the Clan, He would become a true heavenly prodigy.

Someone capable of fighting above His realm!

Especially—

Thinking of the ability Yan Jing had just displayed—the one capable of disintegrating His ultimate origin strike.

A fiery greed surged in His heart.

The execution and application of that ability were highly complex; He had to see it a few more times.

"Swish!"

The clash between the two resumed. Fear Thorns rained down like a squall, bombarding each other in midair.

The black dust from countless shattered Fear Thorns sprinkled across the boundless earth.

Any entity touched by it plunged into fear, unable to break free.

They cowered in corners, shivering, or plunged into illusions, shrieking madly, or froze entirely, looking as though they were truly dead.

Even the surrounding Deities were not spared.

Their breathing grew heavy as countless illusions flashed before their eyes—the deepest terrors buried in their hearts.

The aerial battle shifted constantly. A second later, the two simultaneously discarded their Fear Thorns and swung their scissors, clashing with a flurry of metallic clangs.

Next, the two let go of their weapons entirely, shifting to clashes of pure physical strength.

But just as Yan Jing had previously failed to suppress the Firmament Envoy, this time, the Firmament held the upper hand in every single exchange.

Yan Jing was beaten back step by step. Wounds multiplied across his body, spilling dark golden blood that morphed into blood rain in the air. It poured from the dwindling clouds, plunging the entire world into a rainy season.

But this was a deeply welcome rain.

All things began to revive. Vegetation grew wildly, the ruptured earth mended, and the dried oceans steadily grew moist.

Everything seemed to hint that Yan Jing's death was the right choice.

His death alone would allow this world to gain a new life.

Faintly, Yan Jing felt the Firmament's power surge once more.

"This is the will of Heaven."

The Firmament attacked madly, smiling as He spoke, "You must have felt it by now. This world has begun to reject you."

"When a whale falls, all things thrive. This world is hoping for your death."

"You must also feel disappointed. You thought you were doing what was better for them, but they don't understand, and in fact, it isn't."

"Look at this world. If you hadn't intervened, how could it be so devastated?"

"You are the sinner. I am the will of Heaven."

Yan Jing looked at the surrounding world. It was true—an invisible energy was constantly interfering with his movements.

It was the malice of all living things. They hoped for his death so they could recover their vitality; this collective resentment had fused into one, transforming into a power capable of affecting him.

"Stop now, and I'll take you away," the Firmament said slowly, His tone mocking yet hiding a genuine seriousness. "Such a world is not worth your sacrifice."

This was no simple persuasion. Yan Jing felt the opponent utilize a new Pathway ability, burying a mental power within it.

For a moment, his heart truly wavered.

A voice echoed in the depths of his heart, constantly suggesting to him.

Such a world truly was not worth it, and he had no need to fight so desperately.

If he simply agreed to the other party now, everything would end. Later, he could find a chance to retaliate against all these existences showing him malice.

But if he continued, that might not be the case.

He might simply die right here.

And when he did, his death would harvest nothing but boundless mockery.

Those malicious existences would sneer at his stubbornness and celebrate.

None of this should happen.

A trace of clarity flashed through Yan Jing's eyes.

He knew he had been influenced.

But—the motion to activate the State of Stone forcefully halted at the final instant.

He looked at the Firmament across from him and suddenly smiled. "You did that on purpose."

...

The Firmament did not speak, but a flicker of astonishment flashed through that layer of mist.

He hadn't expected Yan Jing to see through it.

Not only had he seen through it, but he could maintain his clarity at such a moment.

He was indeed doing it on purpose.

He knew Yan Jing possessed methods to resist mental pollution.

Therefore, He wanted to learn it.

"So what?"

He smiled slightly. "Do you have a choice?"

"I didn't fabricate that malice; they truly hope you die."

"If you don't use other methods, you'll only die faster."

"Heh." Facing the Firmament's new round of mental attacks, Yan Jing suddenly laughed aloud.

He lifted his head, the loose hair on his forehead trembling, and looked at the Firmament across from him. An indescribable light flickered in his eyes.

"You seem to have misunderstood something."

"I'm no savior."

"I want to kill you just because I don't want anyone to threaten the people around me."

"Whether they want me to die or live makes no difference to me."

"I want to win."

He looked at the Firmament and smiled. "And I will win."

The Firmament's face sank. "Then prove it to me."

"Come." Yan Jing's gaze was firm. His attacks grew even more ferocious, Fear Thorns falling like a sky full of meteors. Though he was still no match for the Firmament, he greatly delayed the end of the battle.

The battle that had initially looked like it could be resolved quickly had now turned into boiling a frog in warm water.

The Deities watched the ultimate showdown between the two, not even daring to breathe.

Gales and weird energy intertwined and howled. This was not a battle They could intervene in.

Stars rose in the east and set in the west. Dawn and moonlight intersected. Even in the midst of such a terrifying battle, there was still one thing marching steadily forward according to its usual rhythm.

That was time.

The steady flow of time let one feel that this world truly existed. The reason the Deities sometimes felt it was illusory wasn't because the world was fake, but because the two men before Them were too strong—they were shattering this world.

But within this steady time, the Firmament gradually lost His patience.

His state of mind grew a little unsteady.

He could afford to wait.

But the people from the Clan were about to arrive.

Before the people from the Clan arrived, the things He learned would be considered His own.

But after the Clan's people arrived, whether Yan Jing could still serve as His spoil of war would be hard to say.

"Die!!!!"

He changed His moves, no longer rigidly sticking to using the same abilities as Yan Jing—the Fear Thorns, strength, the scissors. Although He could use this to prove He was stronger than Yan Jing, it wouldn't make Yan Jing die any faster.

Yan Jing was far too familiar with these moves.

Even if his power was weaker, he could still rely on his experience to clash with Him.

But—other abilities were a different story.

Countless rays of different colored light bloomed behind Him. The flame in the lantern He held flickered, and abilities from different Pathways burst from the candlelight.

[Mechanization]

[Victory]

[absurdity]

[absurdity]

The Deities of these Pathways watched Their signature abilities burst from the candlelight, Their eyes trembling.

They had thought They were the foremost existences on these paths, but clearly They were not.

Everything They possessed was wielded by the Firmament before Them.

Their self-proclaimed titles as Deities were nothing but a joke.

Amidst this storm of abilities, Yan Jing's situation became precarious.

He truly did not fear those abilities. No matter what kind of ability it was, he had a method to deal with it.

But right now, he couldn't use them.

Especially when the opponent used mental methods, he would become extremely passive.

In just an instant, various wounds appeared on his body.

"Heh."

The Firmament laughed, laughing so unrestrainedly for the first time. "How much longer can you hold out like this?"

"I said it before, giving up your resistance and leaving with me is your best choice."

Feeling the wounds across his body, Yan Jing didn't make a sound. He neither used other abilities, nor did he choose to give up.

Only the spear in his hand swung faster.

This sight truly enraged the Firmament.

What He wanted to see was the opponent submitting and surrendering to Him, rather than resisting constantly like an insect.

"You think you're a genius?! Very unique?! You think it wasn't easy to reach this point?! You refuse to give up?!"

The Firmament roared, "Your talent is indeed a bit better than mine, but do you know why I cannot take the final step?!"

"Since I was a child, I could grasp any unfamiliar thing just by looking at it once. No matter how difficult the move, taking half a month to learn it was considered slow. It took a week at most to reach the Entry Level, two weeks to master, and by the third week I could be called a Master Rank!"

"The Clan placed high hopes on me, thinking I would be the next hope, but—my natural aptitude was too poor!"

"What's the use of learning so much? What's the use of learning fast? Encountering someone several realms higher than me, I would still die all the same!"

"To change their view, do you know what I did? I experienced nine deaths and one life, throwing myself into ten thousand cycles of reincarnation, constantly tempering this ability until I finally pushed it to the extreme!"

"I had so much time. The most important thing to do was, of course, to learn the abilities of others!!!"

"I could finish learning abilities right in the middle of a battle, even finding the secrets in a hairsbreadth that took the opponent years to uncover."

"I thought I had succeeded, that I was the strongest genius in this world."

"But I'm not!!!!"

He looked at Yan Jing, scarlet light faintly flickering within the mist.

He kept speaking, His pace growing faster and faster, as if wanting to pour out everything that had been pressed into His chest for so long.

"I learned the same moves as my opponents. It was useless against those with a higher realm, I wasn't as proficient as those in the same realm, and beating those at a lower realm proved nothing at all."

"But—you are different!!!"

He looked at Yan Jing, a certain madness flashing through His eyes.

"Every one of your abilities has its own unique function, even capable of breaking through the limits of rules."

"Like this Compass."

He looked at the Compass behind Him, His gaze obsessed.

"It allows the Fear Pathway to directly break through the shackles of the Star Sea Realm, stably breaking through a major realm."

"Do you know what this means?"

He spoke without even looking at Yan Jing, as if He had completely entered His own world, before directly denying it the next second.

"No, you don't."

"Because you are a pitiful frog at the bottom of a well."

"You're no different from Them!"

"Thinking you are the chosen one, the protagonist of the script."

"But actually, you are nothing."

He said coldly, "You just have slightly better talent—better than mine—but you can't do anything."

"What use are you after going out? To serve as a stepping stone for those heavenly prodigies?!"

"Being with me is the right path!"

"Become a part of my body! The two of us will be invincible!"

"Once I learn all your abilities, I will absolutely stand out during the upcoming Great Chaos! By then, everyone will cheer for us!"

"When the time comes, I will speak your name!!"

As His voice fell, the Firmament's abilities transformed into countless streaks of rainbow light, viciously impaling Yan Jing's body.

Squelch!!!!

Countless wounds bloomed on Yan Jing's body.

The dark golden rain fell, turning into a carnival for the world below.

"Hurry up. Show me all the abilities you know, slowly, bit by bit."

The Firmament spoke like a monarch, His words carrying a majesty that could not be refused.

But clearly, He miscalculated this time.

Because the man across from Him was also a monarch.

Yan Jing was currently drenched in blood.

His right arm was nearly severed entirely. The lower third of his forearm dangled there; a bone spur pierced the skin, carrying blood that looked like fresh flowers.

Several gaping holes in his chest had pierced through his heart, lungs, and liver.

His left arm was now growing on his foot, while his foot grew on his back.

Wrinkles spread across his face, bearing sickly dark blemishes. A casual breath was like exhaling strong liquor, like an old man with one foot in the grave.

His hair was completely white.

But facing the Firmament's words, he merely lifted his head and smiled.

"I... have also entered reincarnation."

His shriveled mouth split open, revealing a smile on his cracked skin. "That river said... for those who enter reincarnation, the shorter the number of cycles, the higher their aptitude."

"You reincarnated ten thousand times?"

"I only reincarnated three hundred times."

Yan Jing smiled slightly. "Do you know what I learned inside?"

He looked at the Firmament, and those murky eyes carried a light that shouldn't be there—mocking and provocative.

"What?"

The Firmament remained silent for several seconds before finally speaking.

He had no way to not speak.

Yan Jing was about to die.

If Yan Jing died now, the things He obtained would be far less than expected.

Moreover, He had faintly guessed that answer, so He grew increasingly uneasy.

"I had so much time. The most important thing to do was, of course, to learn the abilities of others."

Yan Jing chuckled softly, repeating the words the Firmament had just spoken.

The Firmament's breathing instantly stopped.

And Yan Jing smiled as he spoke.

"But other things are easy to learn. If I want to control a world, who should I learn from?"

"If I want to truly become Heaven, I have to learn from a Heaven."

In his eyes, that speck of light grew brighter and brighter, and then, his aged skin miraculously began to recover.

"Tens of thousands of Pathways... I see them all now," he whispered.