"The Qi is drying up from the world. Now, most Cultivators cannot do anything for the fear of wasting their Qi. There is not enough Qi to absorb from the air. This is the reason why we had to shut our mouths, and make peace with those disgusting Martial Artists (Realm Divinity Gods/Extreme Gods) even though we are stronger. No Cultivator wishes to battle and waste their Qi."

Cultivator Bai Zhen grins and add,

"What I said is only for Fourth Step and above Cultivators. They are the ones who are facing problems due to lack of Qi. For Third Steps and below like me, we can make do with the Qi in the air. If you are thinking about fighting me, I will entertain you gladly."

A human needs a glass of water to quench their thirst.

But an ant would need only a drop.

Similarly, the current amount of Qi in the world was too lacking for Fourth Step and above Cultivators.

The amount of Qi they needed was too vast.

But weaker Cultivators had no problem with Qi concentration in the air.

"Haaah, so that was it." Neo sighed.

"Yes, it is. Now come quietly with me. If you help me to analyze you, it will be less painful for you."

'Heavenly Record, activate the Life Flame Ignition.'

This time, Heavenly Records did not complain.

Neo's Life Flame and Consciousness was ignited instantly.

Neo poured out everything, each of his techniques, physical force, and Authority, to attack Cultivator Bai Zhen.

But…

"Are you trying to fight? Don't bother. The difference between us is of two Steps. You seem injured on top of that."

Nothing happened.

Cultivator Bai Zhen withstood Neo's attacks like they were a gentle breeze.

As excepted, the gap of two Steps was too much to jump.

[Master, only half-minute is remaining. Please stop using the Life Flame Ignition or you will die.]

Neo ignored the warning of the Heavenly Record and gazed at Cultivator Bai Zhen calmly.

"What are you going to do with the village?"

"We will keep collecting the sacrifices. I apologize but the promise I gave you was fake."

Cultivator Bai Zhen flashed a grin.

Neo was not surprised.

A sigh escaped his lips.

He closed his eyes, sensing the two Avatars who were on their way to meet him.

'I'm sorry.'

'But it seems our reunion would have to wait.'

Opening his eyes, Neo calmly stared at Cultivator Bai Zhen before looking at the sky.

"Hmmm? Is there something up there?"

"I was just thinking that even though the Cosmos doesn't have a 'Heaven' we do have a Universal Will."

World Energy (Qi) began to trickle into Neo's existence.

With it, Neo activated the Trait he had acquired when he reached Exalted rank.

It was something he had no opportunity to use until now.

"…What are you doing?"

Cultivator Bai Zhen's face hardened, sensing the unique energy signature from Neo.

"Universal Will's function is to maintain Order. Whenever someone would break a Universal Law, they would be smitten down by the Universal Will."

"I asked what are you doing!?"

Cultivator Bai Zhen's face was filled with anger and fear.

He swiftly looked above.

There…

Clouds were gathering.

"Stop trying to make a breakthrough! Even if you reach Second Step, you cannot escape my grasp!"

The wrathful voice failed to hide his fair.

The energy radiating from Neo was similar to the presence one had when they made a breakthrough.

And breakthrough brought down a Heavenly Tribulation.

Cultivator Bai Zhen would die if a Heavenly Tribulation were to fall.

Although he said a Third Step like him was not affected by lack of Qi, it was not completely true.

He could not use techniques that used too much Qi, only those that used a little.

It left him unable to draw out the true power of a Third Step.

In simple words, he could not defend himself if a Heavenly Tribulation were to fall now.

"I said stop! Or I will kill—"

The unique energy signature around Neo disappeared.

He had exhausted all his Life Flame, and was soon going to die.

"Hahaha! So your breakthrough failed! That's right! I told you that you should just obediently follow—"

"Look above."

At those ominous words from Neo, Cultivator Bai Zhen cranked his neck and….

"Ah…! Ah! Why is the Heavenly Tribulation still there! You failed your breakthrough! It should've dispersed!"

"Shepperd of All Paths. That's what I used."

Cultivator Bai Zhen snapped his gaze towards Neo.

He wanted to desperately find a way to survive this situation.

"It's a trait that allows me to interfere with Universal Laws. But it brings the wrath of Universal Will. I wonder, if this world has a Heaven, how did it feel when I tried to take control of it just now?"

Cultivator Bai Zhen was stunned.

This man…. had what? He tried to take control of Heavens?

The claim was so absurd that Cultivator Bai Zhen's mind could not comprehend it.

But there was no time.

Cultivator Bai Zhen quickly snapped back to reality.

Knowing escape was impossible, he began to set up multitude of defenses.

"Hey…"

Neo suddenly called out to him, who was going mad from fear, while preparing his defenses.

"What do you have to say!? You bastard! I'm going to kill you after this is over—"

"Let's die together."

Cultivator Bai Zhen snapped, seeing the small smile.

But before he could do anything…

A bolt of lightning falls from the Heaven.

The world went white—

When Neo came to, everything in the vicinity had vanished for several kilometers.

Trees were gone. Rocks were gone. The ground itself looked as if someone had scraped the world clean.

Seeing such destruction in a realm where even a Third Step could only destroy a few dozen trees with one attack was chilling.

It spoke to length about the strength of the Heaven.

Neo lay on the ground and tried to breathe.

Pain took every part of him. He couldn't tell how much of his body was left.

The earth beneath him had become glass, and every movement sent white fire through his bones.

He wanted to scream but his throat would not work.

A wet, crackling noise came from near him.

It was from Cultivator Bai Zhen.

His corpse was charred and melted.

Air escaped from the broken body in tiny hisses that sounded like someone weeping.

Neo forced his head to turn.

Bai Zhen's face had melted into something unrecognizable.

Neo understood why Neo lived at all.

Bai Zhen had taken the brunt of the lightning strike (Heavenly Tribulation) while trying to block it.

That was why Neo had survived, even if barely.

But survival was only part of the truth.

Neo knew the rest.

He was dying.

'No… I can't… die yet.'

He pushed his hand against the glass ground.

Movement tore at him. Every inch felt like lead on fire.

He wanted to breathe. He wanted to stand, but his limbs did not obey.

He crawled.

It was slow and ugly.

Each pull of his body sent lightning down his spine. His vision bristled with white.

But he moved toward Bai Zhen's corpse.

This moment was a tremendous opportunity. Even if only a little, he needed to devour that corpse before he died.

In the worst case, he could learn something about this place.

In the best case, he could gain a new Path and reach Third Step in an instant.

Neo crawled with the single, narrow thought of survival.

The pain was monstrous. The Heavenly Tribulation had burned not only the flesh but the mind.

Images shredded through him: flashes of sky, the sound of the lightning, and the memory of Bai Zhen's fearful face.

The pain Neo was feeling explained why Bai Zhen was afraid.

Ignoring the physical destructive power, just the mental attack was powerful enough to make someone of Neo's caliber go nearly insane.

He reached out and touched the scorched ground near the body.

Heat burned his palm, but he did not pull back.

'Heavenly Records… Use Life Flame Ignition.'

His thoughts were breaking at the edge of death.

He knew there was a tiny Life Flame left inside him. He could feel its thread like a dying ember.

Heavenly Record had not ignited it entirely earlier.

It had hidden that life flame from him because it feared Neo might not reincarnate without it.

Or so it had tried.

[Master…]

Neo's throat made a sound. It was little more than breath.

If he could devour this corpse—just a part—he would recover.

He would take whatever essence remained and bind it to himself.

He needed that spark.

'Do… it…'

The Heavenly Record relented.

It ignited Neo's Life Flame and Consciousness reluctantly.

Pain erupted.

It was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the pain of the Heavenly Tribulation (Heaven's Punishment).

This pain woke him.

He gritted his teeth.

'Darkness…. Firmament.'

He pushed the last ounces of his power into that one technique.

Darkness rose from beneath him.

It was slow and heavy, not a surge but a crawling tide.

The darkness moved across the glass ground toward Bai Zhen's corpse.

It smelled of old soil and iron.

[Master, you have only ten seconds. Hurry!]

The Heavenly Record's voice was thin and urgent.

Neo poured his will into the Darkness Firmament.

The blackness reached the charred body and began to consume the flesh.

But…

'There is… nothing…?'

No, there was definitely something.

An Orb appeared in Neo's consciousness.

It was sudden, like a star blinking into being.

It was not a physical orb he could touch. It was a condensed essence lodged in his mind.

Neo tasted it with his senses and knew what it was.

This was Cultivator Bai Zhen. His Dao, his life, his Path, and all his achievements condensed into a single thing.

Neo blinked.

Why was Bai Zhen's essence condensed into an Orb?

He had not expected this. He had only thought to devour a corpse and gain stats, or a new Path.

Now there was a condensed core of being sitting inside his awareness.

Neo understood one fact with cold clarity.

Devouring Bai Zhen's burned body would not do anything.

He needed to take that Orb.

Darkness Firmament attacked the orb within Neo's consciousness.

It struck like a blind jaw trying to bite iron.

The Orb was hard.

Attacking it was like trying to chew a nail with teeth.

It did not break.

Neo felt the Darkness pushing hard. Will collided with will inside his head.

[Master, only three seconds are left!]

The countdown began to scream in him.

Neo ground his teeth until his jaw hurt.

His consciousness flared.

He poured every scattered piece of thought into the attack.

'Don't joke… with me…'

'I've devoured…. the Universal Codex. This… is nothing!'

He threw his Willpower and Consciousness like hammers at the Orb.

Astonishingly, the Orb cracked.

A tiny fracture spidered across its surface and bled light.

[Master, one second!]

The Darkness Firmament seeped into the crack like oil entering a split in a stone.

It seemed to be attempting to swallow everything from inside.

But before he could verify the result, death came.

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