Chapter 1904: The Final Battle XI: The Mark of Freedom

Death Reverence dropped from the sky onto the earth, creating an enormous valley. However, the fall damage or the environmental catastrophe he had created was the least of his problems. After the pain subsided, he realized a mark had appeared on his forehead: a third eye composed entirely of small strings.

"W-What did you do to me?" Death Reverence asked as he watched Wang Wei slowly land in front of him. "Why am I losing my connection to the Lord?"

"It’s called the Mark of Freedom. I’m not too fond of the name or the design, but in fairness, I didn’t have much time."

"Mark?"

"As I said before, it’s quite unoriginal, but a classic is a classic for a reason," Wang Wei smiled.

"What does it do?" Death Reverence roared.

"It’s called the Mark of Freedom — what do you think it does?"

Death Reverence suddenly paused. Memories of everything that happened during this battle flashed in his mind; he began to connect many dots. "This was your plan all along. Every step was to guide me to this outcome."

"Hmm? You’ve figured it out?"

"First, it was the Deathless Domain. You forced me to acknowledge I was a living creature, not an undead. With this causality in place, you have established the first step toward ’freeing’ me. After all, my master controls the dead, not the living.

"Your second move was the Yama King Character. This wasn’t just an attack using the counter of my Dao. You weren’t just trying to assess my powers and find my weakness. No, the character was to reinforce the fact I was a living creature, further strengthening the causality."

"I’m very grateful that you didn’t evade my attacks. It helped a lot."

The red in Death Reverence’s eyes flickered, but that was it. He did not have the single desire to move because he was no longer one of the Lord’s servants. So, what was the point of getting agitated?

"After it was determined I was a living being, the connection to my Lord was reduced, but not enough to have any significant effect. So, your next step was to rectify that — that’s when the True Samadhi Flame came into being. Samadhi means the liberation of the true self — an enlightenment state freed from restraint and limitation, a state freed from influences."

Death Reverence began to laugh, but not the jovial kind, but the mad and on the verge of a mental collapse kind.

"The fourth step was the strings. The Death Angel unknowingly cut off her source of power, but what did I cut off?"

Wang Wei smiled.

"My fate — my connection to the lord. You didn’t have such power, but I did. As a living being blessed by Buddhist Wisdom, I had the free will and ability to cut off this connection."

"To be fair, you didn’t truly cut it. Just weakening it," Wang Wei nodded.

"But, why couldn’t I sense anything? Hahaha, I know — Deception Dao. You didn’t just cultivate it as a minor Dao. No, you integrated it into your main Fate Dominating Dao."

"The ultimate illusion is the illusion of free will," Wang Wei nodded. "It’s the ultimate deception. It took me too long to figure out such a simple truth, but, oh well, I’m not perfect. What matters is I did figure it out before it was too late."

"Deception, deception, oh, Deception, Hahahaha." Death Reverence’s voice echoed between Heaven and Earth. He had figured out this entire nine-step plan that led to his defeat. After the strings, Wang Wei didn’t meet the requirements he wanted, so he had to reinforce some of the previous actions — that was the purpose of those Buddhist attacks and chants that followed. They also served as a distraction, leading Death Reverence to believe that Wang Wei was relying on his weakness against Buddhist power to fight this battle.

The sixth step was to cast a spell with the [Power of Words] in this unknown and powerful language. It removed a significant portion of the death essence from Death Reverence’s body, further weakening his connection to his master. It also slightly reinforced the fact that he was a living creature.

Then came the Freedom Flame. They didn’t just break Death Reverence’s [Order-Disorder], tilting the balance of strength toward Wang Wei. No, the ones that hit Death Reverence secretly imbued him with the power of freedom — they served as the true foundation of the Mark of Freedom.

"No wonder I started acting out of character. No wonder I became so selfish, so emotional, so out of control," Death Reverence thought. Everything began to make sense. He was losing a core aspect of his personality, of his essence, of his very being. He realized by that point that he had already lost the battle, but Wang Wei wasn’t even done.

The eighth step was the most crucial. That Gate of Deception not only reinforced the previous deception to prevent him from noticing anything at the last minute and resisting, but it also forced him to blaspheme against his Lord. By destroying those pairs of eyes, Death Reverence wasn’t just dealing with an enemy’s action. No, in the hands of a Master of Causality such as Wang Wei, every deed can have meaning.

And Death Reverence’s action was a form of rebellion against his Lord — a form of revolt. And is there a better expression of [Free Will] than revolting against someone you once swore an oath of servitude? Someone whom you have considered your master for eons? Someone you have devoted your life, blood, and soul to?

Then, everything came together for the last step: the Mark of Freedom. All these plans, powers, and strategies coalesced into this mark, completing Wang Wei’s objectives: Death Reverence was freed. He not only escaped his state as an undead, but also his status as a loyal servant.

"Freedom, freedom, haahaha, freedom," Death Reverence laughed. He suddenly spat, forcing Wang Wei to duck to avoid it. "I reject your freedom. I despise your freedom. I curse your freedom.

"I don’t need it. I didn’t ask for it – and I never wanted it."

Death Reverence’s manic laughter spread throughout the world. Meanwhile, Wang Wei’s complexion suddenly changed. He reached out to stop him, but it was too late. Death Reverence had killed himself by obliterating his [Existence]. Wang Wei’s expression was twisted.

"Hahaha, I love seeing that look on your face," Death Reverence sneered. "So what if you’ve planned everything? I won’t leave anything behind for you to benefit from, and after death, I will return to the Lord’s embrace. Your damn freedom can go to hell. Hahaha."

Wang Wei’s expression suddenly turned calm, with a small smirk in the corner of his mouth. He calmly watched Death Reverence’s body dissipate before uttering, "I must say, you are one of the most brilliant opponents I’ve ever faced. Unfortunately for you, your undying devotion to your lord makes you very easy to understand."

"You –"

"That’s right: the final step to the plan is your death by your own hands," Wang Wei nodded. "After all, if you choose to once again offer your faith and servitude to your lord, everything I’ve done will be pointless. But that’s much easier said than done, isn’t it? Well, for someone like you, that is. Someone who has just lost everything they hold dear — their faith.

"Mortals often despaired when put in such a situation, let alone for cultivators whose emotions are often heightened to a terrifying degree. So, I knew long ago, after pushing you to this state, you would choose this path."

"You! You! You!"

"As for your body and soul? Do you think I would still want it after the Beyonder has so heavily influenced it? Even after gaining your freedom, the traces left in your [Existence] would be a nightmare to deal with, and very dangerous."

Death Reverence stared at him. Most of his body had dissipated, leaving only his head, neck, and a bit of his shoulder. But he ignored his current state and stared. If eyes could kill, Death Reverence would have cut Wang Wei into a billion pieces; each of the cuts would have ensured the bastard remained alive while removing a small piece of his body.

"Mark my word, bastard, this is not over. It’s not over. On the contrary, this is just the beginning. You have only one fate — to become a vessel. Nothing you do will stop that."

"Oh, I forgot one more thing," Wang Wei smiled. "The Buddhist Attacks were not just to enlighten you. Their purpose is also to prevent you from turning into an obsessive spirit."

Death Reverence wanted to spit at him a second time, but his mouth had dissipated. So, he used his eyes to convey the infinite hatred he felt for this bastard. Unfortunately, everything was pointless as the embrace of death finally swallowed him.

Wang Wei exhaled deeply. It was finally over. He has survived this ordeal. "Ai, how is the extraction of his [Authority]?"

"Sir, I have some good and bad news."

’What is it now?" Wang Wei frowned.

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