Chapter 72: Rebirth as the Great Villain (Finale) |
"This… is what it means to be a 'Saint'?"
Su Chen reveled in the overwhelming, terrifying power coursing through him. Now he understood why beings who reached the Saint realm were revered so absolutely in this world.
The invasion of the forbidden zone by the Profound Origin Sacred Land and the great war across the Southwest Domains had both involved Saints, but battles of that caliber had been far beyond his right to even witness.
Today, by drawing upon the majority of the Gu Clan's accumulated strength to fully awaken the Ancient Saint Sword, a fragment of the ancient saint's lingering power had revived within him. For the first time, he truly tasted a portion of a Saint's dreadfulness. This power could effortlessly crush any being beneath the Saint realm.
Su Chen wasted no words. The borrowed might of the ancient saint would not last long. He had to kill Lin Zhan before it faded. He raised the Ancient Saint Sword. A single beam of sword light tore across the sky as though it intended to cleave the firmament in two. The horrifying ripple made even distant powerhouses recoil in alarm.
"In the past, the Ancient Saint dominated the Northern Desert—truly terrifying. One Ancient Saint Sword felled countless heroes. Who could possibly force the Gu Clan to this point? Even the Ancient Saint Sword has been drawn and fully awakened. A saint artifact at complete revival would give even an ordinary Saint a headache.
"So tragic… I can feel the Gu Clan's territory turning into a furnace of flesh and blood. Even if they win this war, the clan will exist in name only. A saint weapon like this will surely attract the covetous eyes of countless devils and demons."
"…"
As that sky-splitting sword beam appeared, another terrifying force blanketed the Northern Desert.
"No—this cannot be allowed! A saint war would turn the Northern Desert into a sea of carnage. Raise the clan-protecting arrays at once! Seal off the saintly might!"
The two saint weapons clashed. The sky over the Northern Desert darkened. Thunder roared, and torrential rain poured. Countless cultivators had no idea what was happening—they only saw two beams of divine light soaring into the heavens before colliding in cataclysmic fury.
Su Chen was not surprised that Lin Zhan possessed a saint weapon. But the current Lin Zhan had suffered a shattered state of mind and grievous wounds. As long as Su Chen killed him here, that saint weapon would become his own. With two saint weapons in hand, he could establish a force far greater than the Gu Clan had ever been!
Su Chen wielded the Ancient Saint Sword and fought Lin Zhan from the heart of the Gu Clan territory all the way to the Northern Sea, from the Northern Sea to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains out into the outer starfield. Countless living beings trembled and perished in the aftermath of the two saint weapons' clash.
"Gu Chen, you are not my match. I will personally kill you and bring justice to everyone who died by your hand or because of you!"
Golden aura enveloped Lin Zhan's entire body. The blood dripping from his wounds actually shimmered with golden light. When it fell upon distant stars, those stars shattered into cosmic dust.
"Because of me?"
Su Chen sneered. "If you hadn't insisted on making an enemy of me, why would I have bothered with mere ants? All those deaths are because of your foolishness, your blindness, your arrogance!"
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Lin Zhan's powerful frame shuddered. Then his face turned cold as frost. He spoke calmly.
"Gu Chen, between us there is only victory or defeat—nothing more."
Su Chen threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Victory or defeat? Well said! When it comes to ruthlessness, I must admit you surpass me, Lin Zhan."
Su Chen attacked relentlessly, seeking any opening. But to his disappointment, Lin Zhan only grew fiercer the longer they fought. The saintly aura around him grew denser and denser.
"This bastard… he isn't going to break through to Saint mid-battle, is he?"
Su Chen cursed under his breath. A terrible premonition rose in his heart. If Lin Zhan achieved sainthood here, all hope would vanish. For this battle, he had made countless preparations—sacrificed everything.
Yet the sheer difficulty of killing a Child of Destiny far exceeded anything Su Chen had imagined. Bearing heaven's mandate, blessed by destiny itself. Su Chen fought his way back into the Northern Desert once more.
Lin Zhan suddenly felt an ominous chill. The breakthrough insight he had grasped in the heat of battle began to waver and fade as his state of mind descended into chaos.
"Gu Chen—you dare?!"
Lin Zhan seemed to realize what Su Chen intended. His voice cracked with hoarse fury as he roared, desperately trying to stop him.
Su Chen's lips curved into a smile. He abandoned his direct clash with Lin Zhan. The Ancient Saint Sword in his hand shifted trajectory and slashed toward the ranks of the War God Hall.
"With this sword, what will you choose, Lin Zhan?"
Su Chen's gaze carried open expectation. He had dropped all defense. If Lin Zhan chose to save the War God Hall's elites, he would forfeit the fleeting chance to become a Saint. With the power of the ancient saint still at Su Chen's command, the two of them could fight to the bitter end—victory uncertain. If Lin Zhan chose to press forward with his breakthrough, he would once again be forced to watch the finest of the War God Hall die before his eyes.
Under Su Chen's watchful stare, Lin Zhan slowly closed his eyes. In an instant, his black hair turned snow-white. Three thousand strands of white danced wildly in the wind. He stood motionless and let the elite forces of the War God Hall perish in front of him.
A heaven-shaking aura erupted from Lin Zhan's body. It swept across the entire Northern Desert like a blazing sun, illuminating everything in its path. His thick vital blood condensed into a golden ocean that drowned the stars.
He had become a Saint.
Su Chen laughed. With Lin Zhan making this choice, he no longer had any chance of victory. The Ancient Saint Sword in his hand erupted with its most dazzling radiance.
"The final glory of the Gu Clan… gathers here."
Su Chen's last thread of consciousness was swallowed by the explosive power of the Ancient Saint Sword.
…
Darkness. Utter blackness.
Su Chen had returned to the Reverse Fate Space.
"Truly worthy of a Child of Destiny—blessed and chosen by fate itself."
Su Chen murmured softly. In this life, he had cornered Lin Zhan time and again, pushing him to the brink of absolute death. Yet every single time, some twist of fate allowed Lin Zhan to slip away. Even in their final, decisive battle—when he had nearly shattered Lin Zhan's dao heart—he had still failed to stop the man from achieving sainthood. All he had accomplished was forcing Lin Zhan onto a path of sainthood born from utter despair.
But Lin Zhan had paid a heavy price as well. The elite core of the War God Hall he had painstakingly built was buried here. His state of mind was fractured beyond repair, destined to become an eternal nightmare.
Curious about the rewards of this life, Su Chen quickly summoned the Reverse Fate Scripture and began to read.
[Seventh Life Summary: You were born into a declining saint clan. With a Nirvana Realm Venerable as your grandfather, you were doted upon from birth. Bearing the innate Heavenly Origin Body, you ranked among the absolute top geniuses within the Gu Clan. Your only misfortune was inexplicably offending a heaven-blessed individual who bore a mortal grudge against you for stealing his childhood sweetheart. You chose to strike first and began hunting the Child of Destiny.]
[Despite exercising extreme caution at every step, you ultimately failed to kill him. You rose steadily within the clan, befriended prodigies across the Northern Desert, and became the most dazzling trendsetter of your era—eventually seizing full control of the Gu Clan.]
[In the final battle, every scheme you laid shattered your enemy's dao heart, yet you still fell to the weight of destiny. This war had no victor. Though you served merely as a stepping stone, even as the long years passed and the Gu Clan faded into the river of history, one person would remember you forever.]
[Evaluation: Seven Stars (Blue)]
[Reverse Fate Points: 7000]
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