Chapter 162: The Grand Finale

Within the Kamui Space.

Jiang Xia lay slumped on the cold ground like a discarded, broken doll.

Izanagi erased the outcome of "death," but could not reverse the near-catastrophic backlash from forcibly opening the Death Gate and activating Rinne Tensei.

His meridians were shattered into fragments, his dantian drained dry, his flesh like a porcelain vessel riddled with cracks, ready to shatter completely at any moment.

Only a single unextinguished will remained, like a candle flickering in the wind, clinging tightly to the last thread of life.

The jade seal mark on his brow emitted a faint, barely perceptible warm glow; threads of primordial energy drawn from the human race’s destiny flowed like the tiniest stream, slowly nourishing his shattered body and sustaining his final breath.

He discarded all distractions, even temporarily letting go of his attachments to the outside world, sinking his entire spirit inward, using supreme willpower to guide the faint destiny energy and his own residual primordial force into a long, agonizing process of repair.

Each faint circulation of spiritual power brought searing, soul-rending pain. Yet he clenched his teeth, his consciousness remaining utterly clear amid endless darkness and torment.

Time lost meaning here. Perhaps a day. Perhaps a month.

Outside, the Battle of the Fallen God Platform had ended. Though humanity had won, it was drowned in profound grief and loss.

Jiang Xia’s “complete annihilation” was attributed to the final cost of the forbidden technique’s backlash, becoming a thorn in every heart, a tragic legend.

After consuming the Mayfly Spirit Core, Wang Teng’s burned lifespan was restored; his white hair turned black, his youth returned, but the loss of his brother left a hollow void in his heart, leaving him only to train furiously.

Ye Lingxi grew even more silent; beneath her icy exterior lay buried sorrow.

Li Jiuyuan, Qin Qianjue, and others revived by Rinne Tensei bore their new lives—won at the cost of Jiang Xia’s life—with gratitude and guilt, redoubling their efforts to defend Shanhai Pass.

Meanwhile, the beast faction, though temporarily retreating under the agreement, seethed with hidden currents.

The fury of the demon sages like Yinglong had not subsided; it was merely brewing a greater storm.

Qin Lie secretly rejoiced at Jiang Xia’s “death,” deepened his ties with the Demon God Cult, and even began covertly contacting Yang Wei—the elusive figure who had gained the Peng’s power—seeking to exploit his strength to overthrow the current order and seize power.

Half a month later.

Within the Kamui Space, the corpse-like figure twitched a finger.

Immediately, a faint yet undeniably real vitality, like a spring sprout breaking through the soil, began to radiate from within him.

His countless punctured meridians, nourished by destiny energy and his unyielding will, barely reconnected.

In his depleted dantian, a tiny vortex of spiritual power reformed.

He had survived the most dangerous phase.

Jiang Xia slowly sat up. “Half a month… faster than expected.” His voice, hoarse as sandpaper, was made possible by the jade seal’s nourishment and his extraordinary physical foundation.

He did not rush to leave. The outside world remained dangerous—Qin family hostility, beast threats, Yang Wei’s lurking danger—all unresolved. With his current state, stepping out would be suicide.

He activated his will, and six shadowy figures appeared silently before him—the Pain Six Paths puppets from his system space!

After countless battles and his host’s advancement, their auras had reached the peak of Wanghou Realm—and due to their unique puppet nature, they were unaffected by Jiang Xia’s bodily injuries.

Deva Path, Asura Path, Human Path, Animal Path, Preta Path, Naraka Path.

“Go,” Jiang Xia commanded through his lingering mental link, “gather intelligence, locate targets—Qin family traitors, Demon God Cult strongholds, Yang Wei’s whereabouts. Clear away these pests before I emerge.”

The six puppets’ Rinnegan shadows flashed once, bowed in unison, then dissolved into six faint, imperceptible beams of light, silently merging into the rift between Kamui Space and the real world, vanishing.

Jiang Xia closed his eyes once more, entering a deeper level of seclusion.

He would use this rare peace not only to heal and break through to the Zunzhe Realm, but to strike at the ultimate barrier that had thwarted countless geniuses—the Sacred Realm!

One year passed in the blink of an eye.

For Shanhai Pass and the entire race, it was a year of relative calm yet turbulent undercurrents.

The wounds of the Fallen God Platform Battle gradually healed; the new generation of prodigies grew rapidly under pressure—Akatsuki Jin, Du Gu Yun, Ye Lingxi, and others all brushed against the threshold of the Zunzhe Realm.

The Demon Suppression Army, allied with various factions, relentlessly purged scattered beasts and hidden Demon God Cultists outside the Pass; the situation seemed to improve.

Yet several bizarre incidents drew the attention of the high command.

Several senior elders of the Qin family, who held real power and had voiced dissent against family decisions, Xiangji met “accidental” deaths—no traces left, as if erased by some invisible force.

Several secret, critical Demon God Cult strongholds were simultaneously eradicated; all cultists slaughtered, none survived—even the long-missing Sacred Realm powerhouse Shen Wenru and the cult’s leader Xuan Ye were forcibly exiled by several Sacred Ones.

Rumors even spread that someone had seen a mysterious man carrying a black coffin clash with a powerful being who wielded devouring energy deep in the Endless Sea; ultimately, the devouring power was forcibly sealed, and the mysterious man drifted away.

These events were executed with flawless precision, leaving no trace—as if an invisible hand were quietly correcting chaos.

Some speculated a hermit had intervened; others suspected internal purging—the truth remained elusive.

Only a handful of insiders, like Qing Yun and Zhao Tianji, vaguely linked these events to the “fallen” youth—but could not confirm it.

One day, within the Kamui Space.

Jiang Xia sat cross-legged, his aura fully contained. His once-terrible injuries had long healed, even surpassed his former state. His flesh glowed with a radiant, jewel-like luster; his blood and qi surged like a great river.

Though his eyes remained shut, a terrifying pressure—capable of piercing void and commanding laws—began to stir slowly from his core.

His spiritual power had already reached the peak of the Wanghou Realm, and through the jade seal’s destiny energy and countless Shengsi trials, it had undergone a fundamental transformation.

His understanding of the Rinnegan, Sharingan, Wood Release, Senjutsu, and even the Eight Gates had transcended technique, touching the very source of “Dao” and rules.

“Sacred Realm… so this is it.”

He murmured, his consciousness sinking inward to observe the spiritual vortex on the verge of total metamorphosis.

The Sacred Realm meant condensing one’s own Dao into a unique “Sacred Rule,” where every gesture summoned heaven’s power, words became law, and all techniques could not touch him!

What was his Dao?

Protection? Destruction? Reincarnation? Creation?

No, not merely these.

Transcendence! To act as a god or Buddha with a mortal body! To forge rules with one’s own will! To be free from fate’s chains, to shatter all shackles with absolute power!

“My Dao… is Transcendence!”

BOOM—!!!

A sound like the splitting of heaven and earth erupted within Jiang Xia! The ultra-condensed spiritual vortex exploded—not dissipating, but transforming into countless law runes imbued with the meaning of “Transcendence,” merging into his limbs, bones, and soul!

A boundless, terrifying aura—towering above all beings—like a primordial beast awakening after ten thousand eons—erupted from Jiang Xia, surging skyward!

Had he not been within the Kamui Space, this Sacred aura would have triggered celestial phenomena across ten thousand li!

Jiang Xia snapped open his eyes!

Though his pupils remained gray-white, blind to physical sight, an invisible “mind-sight”—capable of perceiving the essence of the world—spread outward!

Sacred Realm! He had broken through!

And not merely into early Sacred Realm—thanks to his deep foundation and the jade seal’s destiny energy, his power stabilized directly at mid-Sacred Realm!

Simultaneously, the six Pain puppets deployed across the world saw their auras surge in tandem, rising synchronously to early Sacred Realm!

Six pairs of Rinnegan glowed with the same cold light in distant corners of the world.

“It is time,” Jiang Xia rose slowly, his aura fully contained, appearing as an ordinary mortal. Yet standing there, he became the very center of the space.

He took one step—and vanished from the Kamui Space.

…

Shanhai Pass, Demon Suppression Army Headquarters.

Ye Ting, Lu Wujiu, and Ye Qing, the three Sacred Ones, were in council with leaders of various factions when all three suddenly paled, snapping their gazes to the center of the hall!

Space rippled like water—and Jiang Xia appeared, silent and unseen.

“Jiang Xia?!”

“Itachi’re still alive?!”

Everyone froze, staring in disbelief at the figure they believed dead.

Jiang Xia still had his eyes closed, his face calm, aura nonexistent—yet he radiated an unfathomable depth, like standing before an endless sea of stars.

“Apologies for keeping Itachi waiting,” Jiang Xia nodded slightly, his voice calm yet carrying undeniable authority. “A year of seclusion—my injuries are healed. Traitors are purged. Internal threats are temporarily quelled.”

His words were brief, yet packed immense information.

“Those incidents… Itachi did them!” Ye Ting’s eyes blazed with excitement.

“Good kid! I knew Itachi wouldn’t die so easily!” Lu Wujiu roared with laughter, thunder rolling.

Ye Qing even showed a rare smile.

Jiang Xia skipped small talk, cutting straight to the point: “I now know—the beasts have a master behind them. Yinglong, Taotie, Qiongqi… other demon sages are merely pawns on the board. The true mastermind hides within the Eye of Gui Xu, having touched the threshold of the Divine Realm—Shen Ni.”

“Shen Ni?!” All present paled. Divine Realm! A legendary state beyond Sacred Realm, nearly omnipotent!

“Correct.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “It manipulates the demon sages, stirs war, and absorbs battlefield slaughter-energy and Shanhai destiny to break through its final barrier and attain true godhood. When it does, humanity and the entire Shanhai Realm will become its sacrifice.”

The hall fell into deathly silence. The existence of a Divine Realm being loomed like an ancient divine mountain, crushing all breath from the room.

“Then… how do we respond?” asked a clan lord, voice dry.

Jiang Xia “looked” toward the Eye of Gui Xu beyond the Pass; his gray-white pupils seemed to pierce infinite space, locking onto the slumbering terror.

“Simple.”

“Before it achieves godhood…”

“Kill it.”

As his words fell, a decisive, terrifying killing intent surged forth like solidified steel!

Three days later, at the Eye of Gui Xu, the Place of Ten Thousand Demon Roars.

Led by Jiang Xia, the three veteran Sacred Ones—Ye Ting, Lu Wujiu, Ye Qing—alongside the new generation’s elite: Akatsuki Jin (now half-Sacred), Du Gu Yun (Zunzhe), Cui Jue (Zunzhe), Ye Lingxi (Zunzhe), Wang Teng (Zunzhe), Li Jiuyuan (revived, his cultivation advanced)—nearly all of humanity’s top power surged forth!

Opposite them, Yinglong, Taotie, Qiongqi, Zhihuai, and Di Jiang—the five demon sages—led countless powerful beasts, their demonic aura blotting out the sky.

“Jiang Xia! Itachi truly live!” Yinglong roared in fury. “But today is your death! Hail the Supreme Shen Ni!”

Deep within the Eye of Gui Xu, a terrifying will—born from primordial chaos, towering above all things—slowly awakened. The sky darkened instantly; sun and moon vanished, stars hid, and the entire Shanhai Realm trembled!

A blurred, colossal shadow—formed from countless negative laws—appeared above the Eye of Gui Xu: Shen Ni!

Its aura had already stepped half into the Divine Realm. Merely its shadow radiated such pressure that everyone except Jiang Xia and the three veteran Sacred Ones felt their souls tremble, nearly collapsing to their knees!

“Ants… how dare Itachi disturb the Divine Dream?” Shen Ni’s voice was cold, like the law of heaven, utterly devoid of emotion.

“Attack!” Jiang Xia gave no idle words—he issued the order directly!

The great battle erupted instantly!

Ye Ting faced off against Yinglong; the dragon spear and dragon claws tore through the heavens!

Lu Wujiu revealed his Lei Di divine body, colliding violently with the Taotie ’s devouring black hole!

Ye Qing unleashed his War God domain, fighting alone against Qiongqi and Zhuhuai!

Di Jiang was held back by three human sages working in unison!

And Jiang Xia stepped forward, directly confronting the half-god phantom of Shen Ni!

“Transcendence Saint Law—Activate!”

Around Jiang Xia, the invisible realm of the “Transcendence” law exploded open, forcibly resisting Shen Ni’s divine pressure. Though he was only at the mid-stage of the Saint realm, the rank of his “Transcendence” law was so high it could stand equal to the half-god’s might!

“Wood Release: True Thousand Hands!”

“Rinnegan: Rinne Tensei!”

“Sage Art: Landunguangya !”

“...”

Jiang Xia unleashed all his techniques: the giant Wood Release Buddha in Sage Mode towered to the heavens, shadows from Rinne Tensei darted through the void to strike, and fused Sage Dun techniques rained down like a storm upon Shen Ni’s phantom!

Shen Ni’s phantom merely waved a hand—boundless laws surged forth, shattering the Buddha’s arms, forcing back the Rinne Tensei shadows, and erasing the Sage Dun arts! The gap in realm was simply too vast!

“A mayfly trying to shake a tree,” Shen Ni remarked coldly, firing a stream of chaotic energy infused with the origin of destruction toward Jiang Xia.

“Eight Gates: Death Gate—Open! Night Kai!”

Without hesitation, Jiang Xia opened the Death Gate again. A crimson blood dragon roared forth, crashing head-on into the chaotic stream!

“BOOM—!!!”

This time, Night Kai failed to fully obliterate the chaotic stream. The blood dragon and the stream annihilated each other; Jiang Xia was blasted backward, spitting golden Saint blood!

“Jiang Xia!” everyone cried out in alarm.

“I’m fine!” Jiang Xia stabilized his stance, his gaze colder than ever. He felt the Death Gate’s power had limited effect against a half-god.

“It seems... I must break through that final step.”

Before the stunned eyes of all, Jiang Xia, amid the fiercest battle, completely released his self-imposed suppression, channeling the vast human destiny within the Jade Seal and his full understanding of the “Transcendence” Dao, beginning to shatter the elusive... God realm barrier!

“What is he doing?!”

“Breaking through to God realm mid-battle?! This is insane!”

Even Shen Ni’s phantom showed seriousness for the first time.

“Stop him!” It sensed the threat, summoning more law energy to unleash countless destructive attacks, flooding toward Jiang Xia like a tidal wave!

“Protect Jiang Xia!” Ye Ting and others roared, ignoring their wounds, desperately blocking the attacks of the demon sages and Shen Ni to buy Jiang Xia time!

Akatsuki Jin burned the Emperor Flame, Du Gu Yun merged sword and man, Cui Jue unfurled the Book of Life and Death, Ye Lingxi froze a thousand li, Wang Teng’s cursed runes pierced the heavens... Everyone fought with all they had!

Jiang Xia stood at the heart of the storm of destruction, his aura surging like a boiling ocean, climbing wildly!

The Jade Seal blazed with light; countless ancestral spirits of humanity appeared behind him, pouring their faith and power into him. His Transcendence law, under extreme pressure, continuously refined and ascended!

“My path is unbound by heaven and earth, uncontrolled by fate, transcending reincarnation, towering above all laws... This is the Transcendence Divine Dao!”

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!!!!!!!!

Throughout the entire Shanhai Realm, all laws resonated together! Flowers rained from heaven, golden lotuses surged from the earth! A true, complete, and flawless divine might—towering above all Saint laws—erupted from Jiang Xia’s body, sweeping across the eight directions and Liuhe !

God realm—Achieved!

Jiang Xia snapped open his eyes. In those gray-white pupils, countless worlds flickered into being and vanished. He flicked his hand lightly—the incoming destruction vanished like dust.

He looked at Shen Ni’s phantom, now pale with shock, his voice calm yet carrying the supreme authority of lawgiver:

“Your era is over.”

The true God war erupted!

No longer a clash of laws—but a battle of fundamental principles!

Jiang Xia manifested and annihilated all things through the Transcendence Divine Dao.

Shen Ni devoured all, re-creating earth, water, fire, and wind through the Chaos Return Void.

Their battle had surpassed mortal comprehension—like two creator gods fighting for ownership of the world!

In the end, Jiang Xia used his own divine core as a catalyst, fusing the faith and power gathered from all human champions, unleashing his ultimate technique—

“Transcendence: Boundless!”

A formless, intangible divine light—imbued with the will to transcend all boundaries—pierced through Shen Ni’s Chaos Return Void and struck directly at its core origin!

“No—!!!” Shen Ni let out a roar of despair and terror. His phantom, along with his true body hidden deep within the Return Void’s eye, began to disintegrate, shatter, and finally... vanish utterly from existence!

Shen Ni—fell!

With Shen Ni’s fall, the remaining demon sages instantly lost their core and source of power; one by one, they were overwhelmed and slain by the united human champions!

The centuries-long human-demon war, with its mastermind Shen Ni destroyed and all top demon sages slain, finally... came to an end!

Sunlight pierced through the ten-thousand-year gloom shrouding the Return Void’s Eye, falling upon the battlefield—scarred yet reborn.

All looked up at the figure standing in the divine light, eyes closed, filled with awe, gratitude, and the joy of relief.

Jiang Xia descended slowly, divine light receding. He “saw” his surviving comrades, this Shanhai Realm on the brink of peace, and a faint, released smile touched his lips.

He had done it. He returned from darkness, purged internal threats, slain his enemies, and ended a century of war.

Wang Teng rushed forward, pounding his shoulder in excitement, speechless with emotion. Ye Lingxi stood nearby, her icy face thawing into a genuine, breathtaking smile. Akatsuki Jin, Du Gu Yun, Cui Jue... everyone gathered around, joy radiating from every face.

“It’s over,” Jiang Xia whispered.

“No,” Ye Ting stepped forward, gazing at Jiang Xia with pride and hope, “for Itachi, perhaps, it’s only just begun.”

Jiang Xia nodded slightly. He felt it—beyond the God realm, there lay even vaster realms, deeper mysteries waiting to be explored.

The peace of Shanhai Realm needed guarding; the future of humanity needed guiding.

But now, he simply wished to share this hard-won victory and tranquility with his comrades who had fought beside him.

He lifted his head. Though his eyes could no longer see, his divine sense embraced all heaven and earth, sensing the hope and rebirth permeating the air.

A new era had arrived.

He had done it. Alone, he slew the final god, Shen Ni, bringing true peace and future to humanity and Shanhai Realm.

One year later.

Shanhai Pass had been restored, even more magnificent than before. Within its walls, peace reigned; humanity rested, recovered, and entered an unprecedented era of prosperity.

The final God war had become legend. Jiang Xia’s name was engraved atop the monument, revered by generations. Though he vanished afterward, leaving no trace.

Some said he died from exhaustion, the hero’s tale ended.

Others claimed he retreated, wounded but free, wandering the world.

Some whispered he had become a guardian spirit, silently watching over the land he had defended with his life.

Yet in the depths of infinite void, within a newly born, vibrant little world—

A black-haired youth sat idly by a stream, fishing. His face was ordinary, his aura tranquil, like a true mortal. Only when he occasionally looked up did his dim, yet star-reflected eyes betray his extraordinary nature.

A fish bit. He smiled faintly, reeled it in, and released it back into the water.

“Power... is not the only pursuit,” he murmured, sensing the slow resurgence of primordial spiritual power within him, and the warm jade-like mark on his brow, resonating subtly with the newborn world.

“The duty of protection is complete. Now... it’s time to live for myself.”

He rose, brushed off the grass, and gazed toward the rising sun beyond the little world, his eyes filled with quiet anticipation for renewal.

(End of Book)

That’s it, guys. This book got a bit messy toward the end—mainly because I was inexperienced with my first novel. Next time, I’ll prepare a solid outline before releasing. Thank Itachi all for your companionship. Thank Itachi!