This day.

The sunlight illuminated everything, revealing all forms.

The sky once again displayed the phenomenon of dual suns hanging briefly.

Song Lin had finally emerged from seclusion.

Unfortunately, he had not reached the realm of Harmonization Perfection—he stalled at ninety-nine percent and could proceed no further.

Song Lin had initially assumed that the Candle Dragon had achieved Harmonization before him, but upon reflection, he dismissed the thought.

If the Candle Dragon had truly perfected Harmonization, there was no need for him to hear about it—the creature would have already come knocking at his door.

If his guess was correct, both of them had simultaneously gained the potential for Harmonization Perfection, leaving the Heavenly Dao momentarily undecided on whom to choose.

Perhaps only by determining a victor between the two would one gain the right to Harmonization Perfection.

With this in mind, Song Lin proceeded to the Palace of the Polestar, only to learn upon inquiry that three years had passed.

Song Lin had thought only three or four months had gone by.

How had the gods of the palace endured for so long?

"East Lord."

Following the sound, Song Lin noticed that two unfamiliar figures had entered the grand hall.

"And you are?"

Song Lin asked, perplexed.

"This is the Great Destiny, and this is the Junior Fate."

Yaoji stepped forward to introduce them to Song Lin: "Thanks to the assistance of these two elders, we've managed to fend off the assaults of the demons."

"I see. My thanks to you both."

Instinctively, Song Lin scrutinized them, finding their aura indeed inscrutable.

The Great Destiny, from estimation, likely possessed a Taoist Realm above eighty or ninety percent of Harmonization, while the Junior Fate slightly less.

Lord Yunzhong had also recovered. Judging by his expression, he seemed utterly convinced and submissive.

Quickly regaining his bearings, Song Lin addressed the two: "Welcome to the Wushan Heavenly Court."

"You honor us, Divine Lord," said the Great Destiny with a faint smile.

He then began reporting to Song Lin about the situation with the Mountain and Sea Demon Beasts.

Over the years, as the Human Clan launched counteroffensives, numerous demon beasts had been slain. Many mutant beasts existed as solitary individuals—beasts like Baxia, Yazi, the Heluo Fish, and Xiang Liu had been completely eradicated.

Yet the Four Great Fierce Beasts proved insidiously cunning, especially after the Candle Dragon ignited the full extent of their bloodline power, making them even harder to suppress.

The Four Great Fierce Beasts—Chaos, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie—each embodied one of the Four Great Daos of Ruin, Chaos, Ferocity, and Devouring.

They were the sources of chaos in the Mortal World.

"To overcome the Mountain and Sea Mutant Beasts, the Four Great Fierce Beasts must be defeated. Even if only they remain, the world would still plunge into disorder as a result."

The Great Destiny, who controlled life, death, and lifespans, admitted that even he was powerless against the united strength of the Four Great Fierce Beasts—highlighting how truly formidable these Mountain and Sea Demon Beasts were.

After all, every Great Demon Beast possessed its own Great Dao. In ancient terms, they were Evil Gods.

"Very well, let us deal with them first." Song Lin found this approach feasible. The Great Destiny and Junior Fate could restore vitality to the world, allowing the Wushan Heavenly Court to catch its breath and free their hands to focus on the Four Great Fierce Beasts.

As he stood on equal footing with the Candle Dragon in terms of realms, Song Lin believed he could hold it off while his Avatars dealt with a few of the beasts.

"Is there any way to deal with the Candle Dragon?" Song Lin asked.

"No way. Even if we manage to defeat the Candle Dragon, it has a desperate move—dragging our world into purgatory with it."

The Great Destiny replied with evident frustration.

Unless the world converting to purgatory or forfeiting the sun for all future ages was an acceptable cost, there was no way to overcome the Candle Dragon.

In this way, the Candle Dragon stood in an undefeated position.

"The Candle Dragon's mouth contains the flame of the Ancient Green Candle Lamp, a divine artifact created by the Heavenly Emperor Taiyi before the birth of the sun to serve as a temporary source of illumination. Who could have imagined it would end up in the Candle Dragon's possession and assist its attainment of the Great Dao?"

Ancient dragons held lowly status back then, and the Candle Dragon had been nothing more than a small loach. Who would've expected it to grow to such stature?

"Unless we find Great Water to extinguish its flame, the Candle Dragon cannot be defeated."

"Great Water?"

"Great Water, also known as Heavenly Water, was a boundless and unceasing primordial water before all things began to evolve. Great Water is the source of all existence."

Great Water was divine, the god of the Heavenly Dao, devoid of personality. In the Human Clan's rituals, the status of Great Water was comparable to Taiyi's.

"It is thought that Great Water resides deep within the Returning Ruins. Should we acquire even a drop of Heavenly Water, we could counter the flame of the Candle Dragon."

However, therein lay the difficulty: no one in the world dared to enter the Returning Ruins, much less return from it.

Within the instant of entering the Returning Ruins, the immense power within would reduce any matter into nothingness.

Even if one managed to survive that initial trial, the tremendous tearing force of the Ruins would drag one into its abyss, subjecting them to an eternity of torment until they dissolved into nothingness.

In short, entering the Returning Ruins meant no difference between an early death and a late death.

The Returning Ruins was the convergence point of all water flows. All living beings, born of water and returned to water, reinforced the Great Destiny's belief that Heavenly Water lay in the depths of the Returning Ruins.

"Bai Ze, what's your opinion on the Returning Ruins?"

Song Lin turned his gaze toward Bai Ze, lying in the distance.

"I truly have no idea. What little I know is much the same as what the Great Destiny has relayed."

Bai Ze replied with a bitter smile.

There were many things about this world he was unaware of. When it came to the profundities of heaven and earth, he could, at most, grasp some surface-level understanding.

"Let us start by comprehending the structure and essence of the Returning Ruins, then devise a plan from there."

"The battle must be fought, but not with reckless abandon. While it will appear as though we fight for our lives, in truth, we shall be merely putting on a show. This battle must be lost, though not too obviously. First, we must lull them into complacency."

After much thought, Song Lin concluded.

Upon gaining a general understanding of the Returning Ruins, he intended to bring the findings to the Divine Turtle for research purposes.

With that, Song Lin began mustering his forces.

The Thunder Department White Dragon, Rain Department Water God, Fire Department Chu Ancestor King, Wind Department Yaoji, City God Wu Qi, Acquired Immortal True Heavenly Master Yu Zi and various Abnormal Soldiers, the Mountain Gods, Mountain Ghosts, and their Earth Spirit counterparts.

An army numbering in the hundreds of thousands set out with great momentum.

Overseas.

The vast sea stretched endlessly, its surface calm, while ancient giant beasts occasionally cut through the waters below. From a bird's-eye view, this ocean region teemed with various water monsters beneath its depths.

But peace eluded even the skies above the oceans. Dark clouds loomed densely, and tides of demon beasts swarmed.

At the center were the Four Great Fierce Beasts, exuding ferocity that shook the heavens—Taotie with its human head, sheep's body, and eyes beneath its armpits; Qiongqi with its tiger-like body and wings; Taowu with a human head, tiger legs, and boar-like tusks.

At the very center stood the one radiating the aura of chaos, frenzy, and deathly stillness—the Great Dog.

This was Chaos—canine in form, silent, blind, deaf, and without a nose.

It was Chaos itself.

The Demon Army had already assembled under the Candle Dragon's command, ready to wage the final war against humanity.

At this moment, countless streaks of tunneling light approached from the horizon.

"Slay them!!"

The two sides clashed fiercely, with spells and spiritual lights erupting in brilliant and terrifying displays across tens of thousands of miles.

Gigantic fleshly forms, ten-thousand-dharma images—they were everywhere.

Chaos unleashed boundless darkness, which swallowed all life it touched.

In the Great Destiny's palm floated a circular ring of alternating black and white.

He aimed the ring's white side at Chaos, emitting streams of white light that purified the pitch-black Chaos wherever they reached. Additionally, the white light bestowed a faint aura of vitality upon the Heavenly Court forces.

This was the Light of Vitality.

The ring spun continuously, killing with its black light and saving lives with its white light, wielded with seamless precision.

"Roar!! Accept your doom!"

Lu Wu manifested his true form to take on Qiongqi, with Ying Zhao arriving soon after to assist.

Lord Yunzhong and the Junior Fate engaged Taotie, while others scattered to confront other targets.

Each person found their match.

The battlefield was relatively balanced, as it had been in previous instances.

At this moment, twelve celestial stars transformed into twelve Harmonization Peak cultivators, encircling Chaos tightly.

"Divine Lord… What a wondrous Divine Skill…" The Great Destiny's pupils contracted in shock at Song Lin's formidable spells.

The twelve cultivators not only bore Song Lin's likeness but also shared identical strength.

The only differences were the Magic Artifacts and Spells they wielded.

What did this signify?

Each personal breakthrough equated to thirteen simultaneous advancements; every gain in strength mirrored times thirteen.

At a glance, it seemed unremarkable, but the deeper one thought, the more astonishing it became. Was this not too heaven-defying?

Among the twelve, one Song Lin wielding a coffin spoke beside the Great Destiny:

"My true body has gone to intercept the Candle Dragon, Great Destiny. Your Dao of Life and Death is quite impressive—teach me when there's time."

While speaking, Song Lin's true body had already plunged into the boundless stars to confront the Candle Dragon, whose form loomed as vast as a celestial body.

The most arduous battle since his attainment of Harmonization was about to begin.

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