Chapter 2249: The Final Erasure

The old rhino turned its head with difficulty, its eyes lifeless. "There won't be a good end for anyone!" With that, it breathed its last.

General Golden Horn had just taken the full force of Mitian's Responding Thunder Spear head-on. Although its hide was tough, it ultimately couldn't withstand the Great Sky Demon's damage.

He Lingchuan sighed softly.

This old rhino seemed straightforward, stubborn, and boorish, but its last words before dying were very reasonable. If Mitian's true form were to descend, it would only bring catastrophe to this world.

Looking back at the Sea of Consciousness, as the Coiling Dragon Army defeated and pursued the Beijia forces, the bottomless pit in the mid-air of the Sea of Consciousness visibly slowed its rate of suction. From its initial voracious gulping, it gradually slowed to a mere trickle. It was probably nearly full—no, overfilled.

There wasn't much black mist left in the Sea of Consciousness, and what remained had all ascended, leaving a clear, shimmering sea surface that almost perfectly mirrored the actual lake.

The golden light, which had been excluded by the black mist, now circled the mist cocoon a few times. He Lingchuan knew that General Hong was poised to strike. Once the black mist was exhausted and the black hole remained, she would unhesitatingly fill the void. In today's battle, she and the Dragon God had to win; defeat was not an option. Otherwise, it would mean catastrophe for all living beings.

Just then, a faint glimmer appeared at the bottom of the sea, and a small red light dot suddenly flew out. Who knew how long it had been lurking at the bottom of the Sea of Consciousness; now, taking advantage of the black mist ascending, it stealthily slipped out and shot straight for the sky. A dignified true god, yet it moved with such stealth.

He Lingchuan saw it and blurted out: "Damn it, it was hiding under the mark!"

A cunning rabbit has three burrows—how much more so for an experienced ancient god like Mitian? General Hong's Sea of Consciousness already bore Mitian's mark at its bottom. During the previous chaos, Mitian had quietly hidden a wisp of its clone within this mark, using its aura to conceal itself. The Dragon God's dense black mist passed over it without detecting its presence.

Now that the Dragon God was fully focused on protecting General Hong's Sea of Consciousness, this wisp of Mitian's clone planned to escape stealthily. It adhered to the principle: "Where there's life, there's hope." This maneuver, "deceiving the heavens to cross the sea," was something it had mastered as the ancient god of death; otherwise, it wouldn't have been the only one of the Three Holy Gods to survive.

But as soon as it moved, the owner of the Sea of Consciousness—the golden light in mid-air—immediately turned and rushed toward Mitian's clone. The two beams of light clashed, locked in an intense struggle.

Meanwhile, the battle between god and demon in mid-air was drawing to a close. The mist cocoon was now as thin as paper, and the black hole could no longer absorb anything. The last few wisps of black mist coalesced in mid-air into a vague dragon head shape, which turned and glanced at General Hong's divine soul. The actual lake shore happened to be on the same side. Its gaze was empty, yet He Lingchuan felt as though it was staring directly at him. With that single glance, the dragon head turned, transforming back into black mist, and surged into the black hole behind it. Resolute, decisive, and without reservation.

An indignant roar echoed in mid-air—Mitian's final curse.

The black mist and the void vanished, but a dark red, spherical object fell from mid-air into the Sea of Consciousness. It was massive, creating a colossal splash when it hit the sea, with ripples lingering long afterward.

He Lingchuan frowned, staring at the sea surface until the object resurfaced. Why did that thing look so familiar! And if you added the chains that had emerged from the black mist earlier, wasn't it... wasn't it...

On the other side of the sea, the entangled struggle between the golden light and Mitian's clone quickly reached a conclusion. What General Hong had told He Lingchuan was indeed no exaggeration. She had no problem dealing with Mitian's clone herself.

As that red light dot exploded, the Sea of Consciousness gradually returned to peace. The clouds dispersed, the mist cleared, and the sky became bright and serene. This momentous battle within the Sea of Consciousness had finally ended.

He Lingchuan pressed the Great Evolution Celestial Pearl on his chest, and the illusion before him and Xu Shichu completely vanished. By the lake shore, the wind was gentle and the scenery bright.

Xu Shichu had been holding his breath, watching the battle. Now, he exhaled softly and suddenly asked, "Did the Dragon God just nod?"

"I saw it too." At that moment, after the Dragon God looked over, it subtly inclined its head. The movement was slight, but He Lingchuan had clearly seen it. He Lingchuan inexplicably felt that the Dragon God had nodded to him, as if conveying approval and a sense of entrustment.

After the illusion dissipated, he looked again at General Hong, who was heavily surrounded by the Great Gale Army. She had once again lowered her helmet's visor.

He Lingchuan quickly stepped forward, but two generals moved to block him, not daring to draw their weapons but shielding her with their bodies. He Lingchuan didn't mind, stopping and quietly calling out, "General Hong?"

He asked twice before General Hong's helmet moved slightly, and she then looked up and said, "It's me." Her voice was filled with deep exhaustion, but He Lingchuan could tell immediately: This was indeed General Hong, Zhong Wugan, not Mitian. There was no logical reason; he just knew.

The generals were overjoyed: "General!" "Are you alright, General?"

"I'm fine, everyone stand back," General Hong waved her hand and told He Lingchuan, "Come here." At her command, the generals immediately dispersed. Those who had previously confronted He Lingchuan quickly bowed and apologized to him. He Lingchuan waved his hand, not bothering to dwell on it. "It's fine, we're all brothers."

The lakeside was noisy, bustling with voices. He Lingchuan leaned closer to General Hong, his voice very low: "Congratulations, you are finally free!" Shaking off the shadow that had hung over her and regaining control of her body—He Lingchuan understood that profound sense of relief perfectly.

"At the last moment, the Dragon God vanished along with Him," General Hong's voice was weak. "Lord Dragon God said this was part of the plan, because the 'final self' must undergo a final dissolution. This is the only path to attaining enlightenment through one's own being."

He Lingchuan was moved. The Dragon God's last consciousness had spent three millennia in the Grand Square Pot, only for its ultimate end to be mutual destruction with Mitian's true form. No wonder the Grand Square Pot in later generations no longer possessed self-awareness or communicated directly with collaborators.

What exactly did "the 'final self' must undergo a final dissolution" mean? He could only speculate that perhaps, despite the Dragon God's immense power, it couldn't end itself, and thus used Mitian's hand to ensure its final consciousness dissolved completely, returning entirely to the fundamental essence of heaven and earth.

He Lingchuan pushed these questions aside for now and directly asked General Hong, "Are you certain Mitian is dead?"

"The Dragon God pursued Him, slaying Him down to the deepest part of His consciousness. Mitian's mark has now vanished, and although some of His and the Dragon God's power still lingers in my Sea of Consciousness, it poses no threat to me." General Hong nodded to confirm, "Yes, His divine soul has been annihilated. From now on, He can no longer cause mischief!"

General Hong looked at him, unusually listless: "You're really unreliable, aren't you?"

In recent years, it was the first time He Lingchuan had heard someone say that about him: "Oh, how so?" He had perfectly executed Zhong Shengguang's astounding plan and delivered the first blow of the God-Slaying Project. How could that be unreliable?