Chapter 418: Leaving the Mountain of Destruction

Luo Feng's every bit of energy contained extraordinary spirituality and his mental will. Even after deploying 'Great Origin Annihilation', he could still recover 20% of his energy reserves.

"I won by sheer luck this time," Luo Feng thought, dressed in his blood-red robe, reflecting on his previous battle. He had to admit that the 'third sculpture' completely surpassed his current strength. Given the strength of the Ancestors in the Endless Origin Space, reaching this level means they are already immortal and indestructible. Even his 'Great Origin Annihilation' wouldn't pose a threat to them. It was only because the seven sculptures were part of a trial that they possessed the 'energy core' weakness, which allowed him a chance to win.

"My blade technique is still far from the power of 'Great Origin Annihilation'," Luo Feng mused. In terms of blade technique, Luo Feng was on the same level as Xing Mang and Sha Zhou. However, a move of the 'Great Origin Annihilation' caliber could severely wound the three Giant God Emperors and over twenty Ancestors! This technique had caused great disarray among the morale of the Innate Origin Faction, ultimately leading to their decision to cease hostilities. This time, Luo Feng again relied on this move to fortuitously defeat the third sculpture. Unfortunately, once seen, such a move wouldn't fool anyone a second time.

Luo Feng took a step, approached the Mountain of Annihilation, and reached out to touch it again. This touch once more subjected him to the impact of hatred, murderous intent, and numerous scenes assaulting his soul, which made Luo Feng's expression turn colder. "This Mountain of Annihilation also absorbs the murderous intent, hatred, and intense emotions within the Endless Origin Space," Luo Feng thought. The previous touches on its surface had already caused immense impact. After enduring the impact, he perceived information about Annihilation Fruits and other treasures.

"I can now obtain three Annihilation Fruits, or I can exchange them for other treasures. Treasures that can be exchanged for three Annihilation Fruits... can *these* kinds of treasures be exchanged?" Luo Feng was very surprised. One Annihilation Fruit could allow a life core to evolve somewhat towards the 'annihilation direction,' or it could be exchanged for a treasure on the same level as Kavashu's battle armor.

"There are only six treasures available for exchange, and I can choose one of them. They are a seed, a stone, a drop of water, a cluster of flame, a mass of golden liquid, and a ray of colorful light."

These six treasures were all undeveloped mysterious lands, which could be described as mysterious lands in 'embryonic' form. Mysterious lands are naturally conceived within the Endless Origin Space; they do not comprehend the 'Origin Annihilation Path'. They only follow one principle: the stronger the annihilation ability, the greater their favor. The reason they hadn't fully developed was that each had only nurtured one highest-level power.

In Luo Feng's perception, this seed contained boundless, intense vitality and resilience! It harbored a highest-level life force. This stone was incredibly stable and unshakeable, containing a certain highest-level power of defense. This drop of water contained a highest-level water power. This cluster of flame contained a highest-level fire power. This mass of golden liquid, like a flowing sharp blade, seemed to be a natural weapon. It contained a highest-level material power, which would also benefit him. Crucially, in terms of enlightenment, after life and annihilation, his third most proficient path was the material path. Of course, the difficulty of comprehending the 'material path' would be millions of times harder than life and annihilation. This ray of colorful light contained a certain power of light! Once mastered, he would gain the ability to be 'ubiquitous', his blade techniques reaching everywhere, and likely possess a 'guaranteed hit' ability like Ming Huang. The power of his blade techniques would also increase.

"Although these six treasures are still being nurtured within the Endless Origin Space and haven't grown into true mysterious lands, in their most primitive form, they can be refined and carried," Luo Feng understood from the information. Fully formed mysterious lands, even relatively ordinary ones like the Blood Crane Territory, are enormous. It took Luo Feng ten epochs to move it from its original location to beside the Source World of the Origin Continent. Some particularly massive ones are simply impossible to move. These 'embryonic' mysterious lands, however, could be carried without burden.

"Even if a fully formed mysterious land is refined and controlled, its full power can only be wielded from within the mysterious land itself. Once outside... only a portion of its power can be borrowed from a distance, and an increase of 30% in strength would be considered good. However, these embryonic forms, because they can be integrated into one's body and carried, allow for the utilization of their full power." Even if they only nurtured one highest-level power, being able to borrow their full might would still be an immense aid to him. Because it was a borrowed power, he wouldn't have deep research into it, unlike the Ancestors who spent their lives studying a certain highest-level power. He estimated he could still unleash 70-80% of its might.

"If I were to choose, I would definitely pick something more compatible with 'life and annihilation'," Luo Feng mused. The highest-level flame, when combined with life and annihilation, would naturally enhance destructive power. "From the perspective of strength enhancement, this ray of colorful light should be the most helpful. My defensive capabilities are already strong enough, so I should choose something that enhances my offensive means. However, from a long-term perspective, and from the perspective of enlightenment, this golden liquid is more suitable."

"My current true strength is still significantly weaker than the third sculpture. Before the fourth sculpture, I'm completely defenseless," Luo Feng thought. "The difficulty of controlling the Abyssal Annihilation is indeed absurdly high."

Luo Feng considered this for a moment. "No rush," he decided. "Once I create the Origin Blade Path, perhaps I can try to defeat the fourth sculpture. Then, if I get another Annihilation Fruit, I should be able to exchange it for an even better treasure." After this thought, Luo Feng looked towards the fourth sculpture. It was a massive cube composed of 125 smaller cubes. "It should be much stronger than the third sculpture. I expect to lose quite badly," Luo Feng anticipated, but still walked towards the sculptures. While he was studying the treasure information, his body had already recovered to peak condition.

The fourth sculpture, a colossal cube, began to emanate an aura far more powerful than 'Demon Ruin', and an invisible fluctuation locked onto Luo Feng. Luo Feng, holding his Sky-Rending Blade, prepared to face it with full effort. It was a one-sided crushing defeat! He was completely powerless to fight back! He lost terribly! He could only endure it with his defensive capabilities, but being purely on the receiving end made Luo Feng feel extremely frustrated. He found an opportunity to unleash 'Great Origin Annihilation', but under the explosion, the colossal cube split into 125 smaller cubes that scattered, with only 9 of them annihilated, while the rest remained intact. Furthermore, the 9 annihilated small cubes quickly recovered without any damage. After using 'Great Origin Annihilation', Luo Feng's strength greatly diminished, and he was continuously battered by the 125 cubes. When his energy reserves dropped below 10%, Luo Feng immediately fled!

After leaving a mark on the Mountain of Annihilation, one could send an avatar, or go there in person and leave in person. Luo Feng didn't want to be completely annihilated, so he fled directly. Recovering from less than 10% energy reserves to peak condition would only take about fifteen minutes in Earth time. However, if he were annihilated, recovery would be very troublesome.

Yuan suddenly detected spatial-temporal fluctuations, and a familiar figure crossed through space and time to arrive on this layer. However, Luo Feng appeared somewhat disheveled, with less than 10% energy reserves and incredibly weak.

"Luo Feng," Yuan immediately greeted him, pressing with questions. "Where have you been? You were gone for over eighty epochs!"

"It's a secret spatial-temporal area within the Abyssal Annihilation," Luo Feng said with a smile. "Later, I'll record all the information about this secret area and place it in the Primeval Ground."

"Why is your aura so weak?" Yuan pressed, "Is it very dangerous there?" He knew well how strong Luo Feng's defensive capabilities were, especially after controlling the Blood Crane Territory, his life-saving abilities had further improved.

"It's not truly dangerous; I just pushed myself to this state," Luo Feng chuckled. "It was merely a trial."

Yuan understood. "Are you going to continue your seclusion, or proceed to the next layer?"

"I'll stay here for a while first," Luo Feng replied. Yuan nodded and then ceased to disturb Luo Feng.

Inside his cave dwelling on the 19th layer of the Abyssal Annihilation, Luo Feng sat cross-legged, his mind filled with the scenes of his battle against the fourth sculpture. There was no need to keep the opportunities of this place secret from other lords. Luo Feng immediately focused his thoughts, recorded the intelligence about the Mountain of Annihilation, and stored it in the 'Primeval Ground', accessible only to lords.

The moment Luo Feng stored the information, Moman noticed this new intelligence and began to peruse it. "Latest intelligence from the Abyssal Annihilation?" Lord Moman's heart trembled slightly upon seeing this intelligence. "One can control the Abyssal Annihilation by passing seven trials? Seven sculptures? The first sculpture's strength is comparable to the Endless Ancestor before his breakthrough? The second, comparable to two Infinite Serpent Ancestors combined? The third, Luo Feng was even suppressed?"

Luo Feng had meticulously recorded all other intelligence about the Mountain of Annihilation, except for the strength of the 'fourth sculpture' and details of his battle with it. According to the path naturally nurtured by it, Ancestors would need to unearth 34 types of annihilation power along the 'annihilation direction'. Because similar annihilation powers greatly aid each other, these 34 types of annihilation power encompass the profound mysteries of dozens of paths. This path... was enough to make any Ancestor despair. Among cultivator lords, Xing Mang had created two Origin-level paths, and Jin had created one Origin Annihilation Path, yet neither could enter that secret spatial-temporal area.

"Brother Jin, take a look at this intelligence," Lord Moman immediately contacted Jin. "It's intelligence recorded by Brother Luo Feng; you'll surely be interested."

Jin immediately checked this intelligence as well. "So, this is how one refines and controls the Abyssal Annihilation," Jin murmured, reading the intelligence. "The opponent in the first of the seven trials is comparable to the Endless Ancestor in the past?" Before his breakthrough, the Endless Ancestor was on the 14th layer of the Abyssal Annihilation, while Jin was on the 12th. Although the Endless Ancestor had the 'first occupier' advantage, Jin had to admit that their strengths were nearly identical.

Kavashu and Luo Feng were both guided into that secret spatial-temporal area from the 19th layer of the Abyssal Annihilation. Jin, as the master of this layer, was naturally very curious about this secret area, wondering why he himself had never been able to enter. Perhaps being able to reach the 19th layer was the minimum strength threshold for entry? Jin pondered. "Kavashu, Sha Zhou, and Luo Feng all possess a highest-level annihilation power. So, perhaps possessing at least one 'annihilation power' is also an entry requirement?" It was evident that the entry threshold alone was extremely high. Luo Feng's recorded intelligence confirmed that Kavashu had entered! This was because his battle armor was among the treasures that could be exchanged from the Mountain of Annihilation. At the same time, he highly suspected that 'Sha Zhou' had also entered.

"Even if I were to enter, I couldn't pass the first trial?" Jin realized the difficulty. "My only problem is that I'm not strong enough," Jin mused. Before breaking free from the cage, Luo Feng had already comprehended the Origin Life-Annihilation Path, comprising 'seven parts life, three parts annihilation', so his understanding of annihilation was already profound. After becoming a lord, he still needed to go to the Abyssal Annihilation to further his accumulation in annihilation. "I'm even worse at comprehending other mysteries," Jin felt powerless. Such was cultivation. Some powerful beings reach the limit of World-level Origin perfection. For some powerful beings, comprehending one Origin-level path is their limit. Even Xing Mang and Luo Feng, who break through by force, have their own limits! Compared to those like Jin who couldn't break free from the cage, they were already dazzling, but ultimately, they had their own limits! Comprehending one path required an immense amount of insight.

The mysterious land of Abyssal Annihilation made Luo Feng even more curious. Jin's heart trembled. "These scenes are countless; many occurred long ago. But there are also disasters still ongoing," Luo Feng thought.

Luo Feng sat cross-legged, instantly splitting 3,916 thoughts that remotely descended upon these territories. Each thought began to gather power, gradually growing stronger. His gaze pierced through endless space and time, following causality, seeing territory after territory: territories of the Innate Origin Faction, territories of the Ice Peak Faction, and territories of some weaker powers. "There are 3,916 ongoing disasters at this moment."

The 3,916 thoughts slowly gathered power and grew, taking about 15 hours in Earth time to each reach a state of 'one ten-thousandth' of Luo Feng's true body's energy reserves. This form was sufficient to sweep and annihilate all World-level Origin Beings. The 3,916 white-robed Luo Fengs acted simultaneously. Traveling to any of these territories alone would take dozens of days or even longer! To simultaneously alter 3,916 calamities, his true body wouldn't have enough time; only avatars could descend and grow.

"Proceed." Luo Feng naturally wouldn't show mercy when eliminating some World-level Origin Beings. Yuan smiled and nodded, still very curious about this opportunity.

"You experienced countless murderous intents, hatred, and many memory scenes as if personally reliving them when you touched the Mountain of Annihilation." Such an experience was enough to excite any Ancestor or Lord. As a mysterious land, without thought, it did not consider whether the difficulty was too high, for everything was a natural evolution.

"Interesting." Although one could obtain Annihilation Fruits and exchange them for treasures by passing partial trials, and these treasures were very appealing, the difficulty of the sculpture trials was excessively high. The most top-tier mysterious lands in the Endless Origin Space all had absurdly high refinement and control difficulties, with some even having no discoverable refinement methods. Controlling it was beyond reach.

Luo Feng's mood calmed as he gazed outwards from his cave dwelling on the 19th layer of the Abyssal Annihilation. According to the intelligence, the first sculpture changed according to external developments. "Perhaps the first sculpture is always changing," Luo Feng thought. The first sculpture encompassed all powerful beings who controlled the world of annihilation, apart from the challenger. For example, the Endless Ancestor was on a lower layer than Kavashu. It's worth noting that the Endless Ancestor surpassing Kavashu was a recent event. The third sculpture was similar to 'The Recluse'. The second sculpture was a black star; some Ancestors were star-like, and even some mysterious lands were star-like. The fourth sculpture, a colossal cube made of 125 smaller cubes, bore a strong resemblance to 'Demon Ruin'. This was because among those stronger than Kavashu and possessing annihilation power, there were only 'Demon Ruin' and 'Sun Yong'. Demon Ruin was strong from birth, with no significant improvement, whereas Luo Feng had a growth period, growing to the peak of the Endless Origin Space.

Jin was indeed very interested in the Abyssal Annihilation. Each layer of the annihilation world contained a type of 'annihilation power', and Jin had always felt that the Abyssal Annihilation was worth his effort. "My Origin Annihilation Path, being ninety percent annihilation and ten percent life, means the power I wield is already a highest-level annihilation power," Jin considered. Cultivator lords pursue creating more paths, while Ancestors pursue unearthing more powers. "I also have my own understanding of life," Jin mused, "but this understanding of life's mysteries... is insufficient to form a path primarily based on life."

The entry threshold was simply too high. Including himself, only three 'ultimate life forms' had ever entered! Kavashu and Luo Feng were both guided into that secret spatial-temporal area from the 19th layer of the Abyssal Annihilation. Jin, as the master of this layer, was naturally very curious about that secret spatial-temporal area, wondering why he himself had never been able to enter. As for Jin, his accumulation of insight alone was far from enough.