Once the coordinate was formed and the Heaven-and-Earth Wall gate was built, this Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity could be considered half passed. Next came whether Heaven-and-Earth source materials could enter the heaven-and-earth.
There were two ways for Heaven-and-Earth source materials to enter. One was to smash into the heaven-and-earth, break the Heaven-and-Earth barrier, and enter inside. The other was to happen to enter the passage between the Heaven-and-Earth Wall and the heaven-and-earth, then emerge from the newly built gate. Both outcomes were uncertain and depended on fate.
But fate was a thing Lin Moyu both believed and did not believe. He believed more that destiny was in his own hands.
The Heaven-and-Earth Wall began spewing Heaven-and-Earth source materials. The direction of the eruption was not fixed, shooting out in all directions. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was only one of the many, and within the Life-Forbidden Zone it was extremely tiny. There was no guarantee any Heaven-and-Earth source materials would hit it.
Most of the Heaven-and-Earth source materials flying into the wilds would be ground into dust under the assault of annihilating power within the Life-Forbidden Zone.
Lin Moyu did not want to let such things go. Even if they were useless to him, to Yushen Heaven-and-Earth they were rare treasures. There was only one chance. Missing it would be far too regrettable.
"Move."
With that order, the Hongmeng Gemstone flew out carrying the Calamity Scepter. Lin Moyu opened a passage for it, sending it directly beyond heaven-and-earth. It did not fear the annihilating power of the Life-Forbidden Zone. As long as it did not go too far from Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, it could return.
It grew enormously, like a giant paddle, blocking the Heaven-and-Earth source materials flying into the distance and pushing them back. It did not dare to swat, afraid it would smash them. It tried to be as gentle as possible, intercepting them one by one and slowly pushing them back.
On the other side, Little Tree's roots became an invisible great net, intercepting vast amounts of source materials, then rolling them up and sending them into Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
With the two working together, no matter how much the Heaven-and-Earth Wall spewed, they accepted it all with smiles, not missing a single piece.
A few pieces of source materials entered the invisible passage and flew out from the gate that had been established earlier. Each time a piece flew out, the gate stabilized by another notch, until it became completely stable.
Lin Moyu watched and knew that even if he did nothing, Yushen Heaven-and-Earth would certainly become a living heaven-and-earth. That was already set in stone. What he was doing now was only adding icing, not saving it from the snow.
As Heaven-and-Earth source materials entered Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, vigorous vitality appeared within. The heaven-and-earth became ever more stable, as if a great many living beings began to gestate. Of the previously formless, bodiless living beings, some fused with the Heaven-and-Earth source materials and began evolving flesh bodies.
The first Great Calamity was considered safely passed.
After this, there would be no more Great Calamities.
Lin Moyu would not let his heaven-and-earth undergo Great Calamities. His heaven-and-earth would endure forever.
He let the Hongmeng Gemstone and Little Tree bustle about. He did not act. He simply watched the void in silence.
"It should be coming. Maybe this time I can have a proper fight. I also want to see what a true supreme powerhouse's battle power really is."
Battle intent rose in his eyes. After he advanced to a true supreme powerhouse, his technique arts were all stronger, but there was no qualitative transformation. Lin Moyu knew it was likely because his technique arts had already reached their limit and could only be improved in degree. If he wanted another qualitative leap, it would be very difficult.
Even so, he was already an invincible existence among true supreme powerhouses. No matter how strong the opponent was, he dared to fight freely.
The first Great Calamity gradually neared its end. Compared to the internal Great Calamity that would follow within the heaven-and-earth, this external Great Calamity from beyond heaven-and-earth ended cleanly.
A wisp of aura rose from the pitch-black void. It was not strong, faint and elusive, yet it could pass through the Life-Forbidden Zone and withstand annihilating power.
"Sure enough, it has come."
Lin Moyu sensed the other party at once. Not only him, the Hongmeng Gemstone and Little Tree sensed it too, saying in unison, "Master, someone is coming."
They were clearly shocked. Someone who could cross the Life-Forbidden Zone, no matter who it was, proved the newcomer was terrifyingly strong.
Lin Moyu said, "Do not bother with it. Keep collecting the source materials."
The two obeyed Lin Moyu and continued collecting the source materials, not letting a single piece go.
The distant aura grew denser. A mass of purple qi crossed the Life-Forbidden Zone and formed into a hazy human figure. He stopped outside Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, seemingly sizing it up.
Lin Moyu was also sizing him up. Though he could not see the man's features clearly, he could feel the man's gaze fixed on him.
The man's aura was ancient and powerful. This antiquity surpassed Po-Cang Emperor, even surpassed this era of Great Annihilation. His aura was incompatible with every heaven-and-earth Lin Moyu had ever seen, nowhere able to blend. Even the Life-Forbidden Zone seemed different around him.
But his strength was beyond doubt. To stand within the Life-Forbidden Zone and not die, his strength also exceeded that of the true supreme powerhouses of the past.
"As I guessed, this man is not from this era of Great Annihilation. If so, my earlier suspicions are likely correct."
Lin Moyu thought silently. He could not gauge the other's realm or how strong he truly was. Perhaps only by fighting could he know.
The purple-clad man's voice broke the silence. "I did not expect you to become Dao."
From that line alone it was clear the man knew him, and had even watched him before. Lin Moyu had not noticed then, which meant the man's strength was terrifying.
But so what? He still had to fight to know.
Lin Moyu asked calmly, "Who are you? What do you want?"
The purple-clad man's voice was emotionless. "I have come for this heaven-and-earth."
As expected. Lin Moyu had guessed right again. The other party wanted Yushen Heaven-and-Earth.
Lin Moyu looked at him, word by word. "This is my heaven-and-earth. You cannot take it."
The purple-clad man said, "Whether I can take it, we will know in a moment."
He did not act. Lin Moyu did not act either. Both waited, waiting for the first Great Calamity to end completely.
The purple-clad man had clearly seen the Calamity Scepter and Little Tree's roots, yet showed no reaction. Lin Moyu believed that with this man's level, he must be able to see their strength. If so, the purple-clad man was not afraid of the Calamity Scepter or Little Tree.
The Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity finally reached its end. The projection of the Heaven-and-Earth Wall dispersed and stopped spewing Heaven-and-Earth source materials.
All Heaven-and-Earth source materials had been taken by Little Tree and the Hongmeng Gemstone. Not a single one was wasted.
The Hongmeng Gemstone flew back into the heaven-and-earth. "Master, be careful of this guy."
Little Tree's roots also withdrew one after another, vanishing into the void.
The Heaven-and-Earth life-and-death Great Calamity was safely passed. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth officially became a living heaven-and-earth, completely fixed in form.
The purple-clad man's voice was calm. "Not bad. This heaven-and-earth suits this venerable one."
He raised a hand and reached for Yushen Heaven-and-Earth. In the void, a giant hand appeared, trying to seize Yushen Heaven-and-Earth and take it away.
Whoosh.
The void shattered. Little Tree's roots suddenly appeared, lashing the giant hand. The giant hand did not budge. Cracks, however, spread across Little Tree's roots.
Lin Moyu frowned slightly. "Little Tree, withdraw."
He stepped forward and instantly arrived beyond heaven-and-earth. The Calamity Scepter swung violently. A vast scepter-shadow swept through the void, forcibly extinguishing that giant hand.
The Calamity Scepter did not disappoint Lin Moyu. It remained unstoppable.
The purple-clad man let out a sound of surprise. "You can actually enter the Life-Forbidden Zone."
For the first time, a trace of emotion appeared in his voice. His tone held hesitation, even shock.
Lin Moyu gave a light laugh. "Surprised?"
As the words fell, the Calamity Scepter did not stop. It smashed straight toward the purple-clad man.
The purple-clad man snorted coldly and struck out with a palm to collide with the Calamity Scepter.
Boom!
In the thunderous crash, the Calamity Scepter was actually震震 bounced back. But the purple-clad man was also forced to retreat again and again. This exchange was evenly matched.
The Hongmeng Gemstone cried out, "This guy is very strong! The Calamity Scepter has never missed. This is its first setback!"
Lin Moyu said quietly, "If he can enter the Life-Forbidden Zone, how could he be weak?"
Soul power surged. His body shone with flowing light. Boundless power poured into the Calamity Scepter.
The Domain Gemstone erupted with dazzling radiance, forcibly creating a hazy domain within the Life-Forbidden Zone. Inside the domain, annihilating power was pushed away entirely. The domain expanded violently, covering a vast stretch of void.
Undying Spirit Soldiers surged out like a flood of ferocious beasts, rushing at the purple-clad man.
Since Lin Moyu became a true supreme powerhouse, the Undying Spirit Soldiers had grown stronger again. Their battle power had reached the level of a Supreme, yet they were still naturally inferior to this opponent. In the Life-Forbidden Zone, they could not exist either.
But Lin Moyu used the Domain Gemstone to manifest a phantom domain as a battlefield, allowing them to fight within it.
Facing the flood-like Undying Spirit Soldiers, the purple-clad man sneered and spoke a low word. "Die."
The shout was like a heaven command. Boundless rules surged madly. Vast numbers of Undying Spirit Soldiers were pulverized on the spot. With a single word, he annihilated hundreds of millions of Undying Spirit Soldiers.
Lin Moyu had expected this. A hundred million Undying Spirit Soldiers was nothing. He could afford it.
The Undying Spirit Soldiers did not fear death. Though huge numbers died at the front, endless waves still poured in from behind.
The Hongmeng Gemstone said, "This guy is hard to deal with."
"I know," Lin Moyu replied flatly.
He poured immense power into the Calamity Scepter. The Balance Gemstone blossomed with dazzling radiance. The radiance fell on the purple-clad man. His aura fluctuated slightly, but there was no major change.
The Balance Gemstone failed. It could not affect his power.
But within that radiance, Lin Moyu saw countless rules, powerful and special, surpassing heaven-and-earth, forming armor that protected the purple-clad man. It was this rule-armor that blocked the Balance Gemstone's power.
"Die."
Another low shout. This time it was stronger. The Undying Spirit Soldiers' casualties instantly exceeded a billion.
He struck out with another palm. Where the palm-seal passed, void shattered and heaven and earth were extinguished. Even the Life-Forbidden Zone twisted.
The phantom domain created by the Domain Gemstone was smashed apart by this palm. Annihilating power swept in. Without the domain's protection, the Undying Spirit Soldiers could not withstand annihilating power at all.
With a thought, Lin Moyu made the Undying Spirit Soldiers vanish at once, recalling them.
The purple-clad man stepped forward, traversed the void, and arrived before Lin Moyu. He struck again with a palm.
Lin Moyu also struck out with a palm, meeting him head-on.
Their palms met. The void exploded.
Lin Moyu was blasted backward on the spot. His body shattered by more than half, then was pulverized completely.
The purple-clad man sneered. "Overestimating yourself."
Before the words finished, purple light flashed and Lin Moyu completed rebirth. His aura returned to full strength, not diminished in the least.
The purple-clad man said coldly, "Your ability to revive is enviable."
Lin Moyu laughed. "Yes. It really is enviable. Unfortunately, you will not have it."
The purple-clad man said, "That is not necessarily so."
He struck out again. In an instant, the void was filled with giant palm phantoms. It looked like one palm, but was in truth countless palms. Space within the Life-Forbidden Zone twisted and was on the verge of shattering.
Lin Moyu swung the Calamity Scepter, also turning it into countless scepter-shadows that swept away all palm-seals. He not only did not retreat, he advanced, using the Calamity Scepter to sweep forward.
The purple-clad man was clearly wary of the Calamity Scepter and retreated to evade. The earlier exchange had already proven he could not shatter the Calamity Scepter.
Lin Moyu pressed on relentlessly, quickly catching up. The Calamity Scepter continued to whirl. The void filled with scepter-shadows. A Life-Forbidden Zone spanning billions of miles was battered until space twisted, forcibly suppressing the purple-clad man.
The purple-clad man seemed angered. He snorted coldly, and a treasure appeared in his hand, a diamond-shaped bead. He threw the bead out. It exploded in the void.
The void was abruptly locked down.
The countless scepter phantoms were sealed in midair, unable to advance or retreat. Not only the phantoms, but even the Calamity Scepter in Lin Moyu's hand was like it had been shackled with heavy fetters, unable to move.
The purple-clad man appeared before Lin Moyu again and struck with a palm.
Although the Calamity Scepter could not move, the gemstones on it could still be used.
Lin Moyu's power surged wildly. The Soul Gemstone was activated. Its power gathered in Lin Moyu's hand and was launched with his punch.
Boom!
Lin Moyu was blasted away again, his body shattered. He was clearly outmatched.
But the purple-clad man let out a scream at the same time and retreated in panic. That punch had condensed the Soul Gemstone's power into a soul attack, driven by Lin Moyu's fist into the purple-clad man's body, striking his soul.
This exchange looked like Lin Moyu had taken the loss, but the purple-clad man had also suffered a soul shock and did not have it easy.
Lin Moyu was reborn again within purple light. Vast power poured into the Calamity Scepter. The Element Gemstone flickered. The void trembled. The earlier restriction weakened rapidly.
At the same time, the Soul Gemstone shone brilliantly. An earth-yellow light enveloped Lin Moyu, then the earth-yellow turned to gold.
A soul divine bow appeared in Lin Moyu's hand. He drew the bow and nocked an arrow, locking onto the purple-clad man.
"Little Tree, seal space."
Little Tree answered at once, sealing the void in all directions. Space power bound in from every side, temporarily trapping the purple-clad man.
The soul arrow shot out and sank into the purple-clad man's body.
Another scream.
The purple-clad man's aura finally fell. Purple qi surged upward, turning into purple fire. The space sealed by Little Tree shattered at once.
The purple-clad man turned and stepped. He was already far away. After a second step, he vanished.
He fled.
Lin Moyu did not stop him and let him leave.
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked, "Master, why did you not keep him?"
Lin Moyu had not used full strength at all. Utmost Undying was not used. Hongmeng Purple Fire was not used. Formations were not used. Even with the Calamity Scepter, he had held back.
If he unleashed everything, he might have been able to keep him.
Lin Moyu's battle intent had already vanished. The one who came was only a clone. Keeping him had no meaning.
He had not used full strength, so Lin Moyu naturally kept some trump cards as well.
He had thought he could have a grand battle with the other side, but since the other side only sent a clone, he did not need to use full strength either.
He knew this visit was more of a probe. And how was Lin Moyu not probing as well?
Mutual testing, to see what the other's trump cards were like.
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked, "Will he come again next time?"
Lin Moyu said, "He will definitely come. But rather than wait for him to come, we should knock on his door ourselves. There is no such thing as guarding against a thief every day. Killing the fellow who laid the foundation under our home is the proper way."
The Hongmeng Gemstone's eyes lit up. "Master knows where he is?"
Lin Moyu smiled. "Not only do I know, there should also be a very interesting story behind it."
The Hongmeng Gemstone immediately said, "What story? Master, tell me."
Lin Moyu smiled. "This story starts with the previous Great Annihilation. Most of it is my deduction, so it might not be exact, but it should not be far off."
Lin Moyu told a story only he knew, a story derived from deduction.
In Lin Moyu's story, within the void formed by the Life-Forbidden Zone and the Heaven-and-Earth Wall, there had been more than one Great Annihilation. Each Great Annihilation was the destruction of an era, the fall of an epoch.
In one era of Great Annihilation, there had once appeared a powerful heaven-and-earth surpassing a nine-cycle heaven-and-earth, called a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth. But even a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth could not withstand Great Annihilation.
Within that Hongmeng heaven-and-earth, a true supreme powerhouse emerged. He crossed the Life-Forbidden Zone and obtained the treasure guided by heaven-and-earth on the other side of the Life-Forbidden Zone. With his existence, plus the Hongmeng heaven-and-earth's own might, he survived the Great Annihilation.
But that true supreme powerhouse was clearly not satisfied with merely surviving. He wanted more.
He wanted to return to the end of the Life-Forbidden Zone. He wanted to enter the Heaven-and-Earth Wall, to reach the origin of all things. He needed a stronger power.
And to obtain it, he needed the power of other heaven-and-earths.
Ordinary heaven-and-earths were useless. He needed heaven-and-earths qualified to advance into Hongmeng. Only that kind of heaven-and-earth could bring him corresponding benefit.
The Hongmeng Gemstone said, "By Master's deduction, that guy survived from the previous Great Annihilation cycle?"
Lin Moyu shook his head. "Not necessarily. Perhaps it goes even further back. Not every Great Annihilation cycle will birth a heaven-and-earth at the Hongmeng level. And once he exists, no Hongmeng-level heaven-and-earth will appear again. Even if one appears, he will take it. And no one will be able to cross the Life-Forbidden Zone again. He will surely stop them."
The Hongmeng Gemstone said, "Goodness. How did Master discover all this?"
Lin Moyu said, "Do you not find it strange? The Hongmeng Spirit Tree's leaves and roots, and that flower during Chaotic Ancient Wilds' second Great Calamity, were also related to Hongmeng. If I am not mistaken, that should be a Hongmeng Spirit Flower. And besides that, add you. You are also related to Hongmeng."
The Hongmeng Gemstone still did not understand. "But just that cannot let you deduce all of what you said."
Lin Moyu said, "That is only one part. Naturally there are other reasons. After Great Annihilation, a heaven-and-earth will be re-birthed from embers. That heaven-and-earth will gather great fortune and very likely be above seven cycles, with a great chance to produce a true supreme powerhouse. But look again. How many cycles is Chaotic Ancient Wilds? Since Chaotic Ancient Wilds exists, why would my Yushen Heaven-and-Earth still be born?"
The Hongmeng Gemstone clearly did not understand, shaking his head.
Lin Moyu said, "Only one heaven-and-earth will be born from embers. Since Chaotic Ancient Wilds exists, there should not be any other heaven-and-earth. Yet Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was born. That also means the existence of Chaotic Ancient Wilds is abnormal. It is not a heaven-and-earth born from embers, yet it was born anyway. And when it underwent Great Calamities, it even drew in other heaven-and-earth wreckage and established connections. That fits the rules of the era."
The Hongmeng Gemstone finally understood a bit. "Master means someone altered the rules."
Lin Moyu said, "If Great Annihilation has rules, then yes, someone altered them. Do you remember the child-mother heaven-and-earth we experienced?"
The Hongmeng Gemstone nodded. "Of course I remember."
Lin Moyu said, "I suspect Chaotic Ancient Wilds is a child heaven-and-earth created by that Hongmeng heaven-and-earth. He wanted to use Chaotic Ancient Wilds to draw in other heaven-and-earth wreckage."
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked strangely, "But Master said those weak wreckages are useless to him."
Lin Moyu said, "A mosquito may be small, but it is still meat. Though it is useless for his advancement, it can be used for maintenance. And he must be experimenting, experimenting with how to make his heaven-and-earth stronger, trying to take one more step. Experiments require test subjects. I have done plenty of such things. If I can do them, others can too."
"But no matter what, his ultimate target must be Yushen Heaven-and-Earth."
Lin Moyu had made it extremely clear, and the Hongmeng Gemstone fully understood.
Yushen Heaven-and-Earth was the powerful heaven-and-earth born from the embers of heaven-and-earth in this Great Annihilation cycle, and also the final sliver of hope of this cycle.
Chaotic Ancient Wilds was just something that fellow forced into being by altering rules. Though it was a complete heaven-and-earth, its essence was not strong, only four cycles. The other party merely wanted to use Chaotic Ancient Wilds for experiments to verify whether his ideas were correct.
But the final target, Yushen Heaven-and-Earth, he would not give up.
Lin Moyu said calmly, "He is surely surprised. Yushen Heaven-and-Earth's growth rate must have exceeded his expectations. Most importantly, I can step into the Life-Forbidden Zone. Even if a true supreme powerhouse is born in a nine-cycle heaven-and-earth, that true supreme powerhouse should not have the ability to step into Chaotic Ancient Wilds, at least not at the start. But I did it."
"He was clearly surprised and confused. That is also why he withdrew. Because he cannot fathom my depth."
"Likewise, he will not know that I have kept several trump cards. Those trump cards will take his life in the future."
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked, "Then where exactly will he be?"
Lin Moyu smiled. "Where else could he be? Think and you will know."
The Hongmeng Gemstone thought for a moment, and his eyes suddenly shone. "The deepest part of the Ancient Wilds."
Lin Moyu said, "I had long felt something abnormal in the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds. But back then my strength was insufficient and I had other matters, so I did not pursue it."
"But there is no rush. After this, he likely will not dare come again for a short time. After all, this is my home ground. If I am not mistaken, he will try to lure me over, kill me on his home ground, then come to take Yushen Heaven-and-Earth."
The Hongmeng Gemstone said, "He will use Chaotic Ancient Wilds?"
Lin Moyu nodded. "Most likely. But it does not matter. In the end it all comes down to strength."
The Hongmeng Gemstone asked curiously, "I still do not understand one thing."
Lin Moyu said, "You cannot figure out your own origin, right? You think you also came from that Hongmeng heaven-and-earth."
The Hongmeng Gemstone nodded. "My name is Hongmeng Gemstone, and I seem to have lost a segment of memory. I do not know where I came from."
Lin Moyu shook his head. "No. The man just now did not recognize you. He could only sense your aura, so he was not afraid of you."
"Second, there is more than one Great Annihilation cycle. Perhaps there were cycles before his. The Hongmeng heaven-and-earth of that time might not have survived to today. You might have come from that era's Hongmeng heaven-and-earth."
"And I have another guess. Your origin might be higher than a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth. I have not seen a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth, but I do not think a Hongmeng heaven-and-earth necessarily has the qualification to nurture you."
"Of course, all of that is my guess. Perhaps we will get the answer in the future."
"But let me ask you. Is that answer important?"
Faced with Lin Moyu's question, the Hongmeng Gemstone froze, then laughed loudly.
"Right. That question is not important. I am not some living being. I am just a treasure spirit. Who cares where I came from? I do not need to find parents or return to my ancestors. I am me."
Lin Moyu smiled. "Exactly. You are you. Do not worry about anything else."
"Alright. I should go make preparations."
"A Hongmeng heaven-and-earth... I do want to see it. This time, it should finally let me fight to my heart's content."