Chapter 716: Breaking the Dao

Teng Luotai’s consciousness extended everywhere, completely merging with the cosmic thunder principles.

“Truly… magnificent.”

“The full power of a single principle—entirely at my command… I feel I can do anything.”

“Even infinite lifespan—once the End Existence needed to devour life to sustain itself, but for me, time has become meaningless…”

A faint smile appeared on his face: “Finally… I can utterly eliminate the Forbidden Star Federation! From now on, my Source Star Alliance’s strong ones who seek infinite life must break through themselves… If they cannot break through, aging and death are inevitable. Anyone who dares devour life to extend their lifespan—kill them!!”

At that moment, Teng Luotai suddenly bent over in agony.

Strange murmurs echoed in his ears, as if reciting martial cultivation incantations.

Before his eyes, countless figures appeared—some cultivating internal energy, others performing exquisitely refined techniques on their own…

In his mind, a colossal, towering figure emerged—godlike and demonic, wreathed in terrifying chaotic currents.

“It’s Pan Wu, the Evil God! Pan Wu… has awakened within me?”

Teng Luotai widened his eyes, feeling his consciousness being eroded and usurped by an immensely powerful, tyrannical will.

Though he had ascended to the Thirteenth Realm, gaining eternal life and unimaginable power,

before this consciousness, he was no more than an ant!

“Pan Wu? Pan Wu!”

What terrified him more was that this consciousness still seemed asleep, not fully awakened.

“Ahh!!”

One of his eyes turned completely crimson, his body transforming into an unimaginably powerful demonic form—he suddenly raised his hand.

Crackling!

Beyond the lifeless planet, the ocean of lightning surged into a tidal wave, wildly surging and expanding outward…

Boom! Boom!

One by one, surveillance satellites and starships exploded.

“This…”

Vik, inside the starship, saw all screens instantly dissolve into static—his expression turned grim: “What… is happening?”

“Pan Wu has awakened…”

Fang Xing sighed: “Perhaps… I should place my hope

in you young ones.”

“What do you mean, Elder?”

Vik rapidly communicated with the Alliance’s high command while speaking with Fang Xing.

“You have three seconds before you teleport to the scene…”

Fang Xing spoke calmly: “Teng Luotai has now achieved the Principle Lord Realm… you are no match for him. I will hold him off—now it’s up to you.”

“What?”

Vik was stunned.

Even if Teng Luotai had failed his breakthrough and gone mad, it didn’t mean he had to be killed outright, did it?

Whoosh!

The next instant, the starship arrived within a sea of lightning.

Vik stared at the colossal giant at the heart of the thunderous hell—and drew a sharp breath.

He had nearly perfected his comprehension of the Fire Principle—just one step away.

But he never imagined that this single step was the difference between heaven and earth!

Facing the terrifying aura of the Thunder Giant, he felt his will to fight vanish instantly.

At that moment!

A streak of light shot from Vik’s forehead and vanished into the Thunder Giant’s body.

The Thunder Giant roared—on Teng Luotai’s face, anguish surfaced: “I… kill me?!”

He felt another force surge into his mind, vying for control of his primary consciousness.

But whichever side prevailed, Teng Luotai’s fate was already sealed.

“Die!!”

Vik roared, pushing his True Martial Sacred Body to its limit—twelve monstrous shadows materialized around him.

The shadows fused into a single monstrous, towering humanoid form!

The humanoid unleashed Wu Gong—a claw slammed into the Thunder Giant.

The Thunder Giant was grievously wounded.

But the next instant—

Zzzzt!

In the cosmos, countless mysterious thunderbolts appeared, striking into the Thunder Giant’s body.

Its wounds healed rapidly; in its hand, a spear of lightning coalesced.

Bo!

The lightning spear pierced once—the fused form of the twelve beasts vanished instantly.

Vik, drenched in blood, watched as waves of lightning swept across, annihilating one after another of the Alliance’s Cosmic Realm experts—his face twisted with despair.

“Family… homeland… I’m sorry… I can only go this far…”

Watching the Thunder Giant stride forward, its palm crashing down—

Vik let out a final roar, thrusting his flame spear forward like a torch.

The “torch” was battered by the thunderous tide—about to be extinguished.

But at this moment of life and death, Teng Luotai’s movement froze abruptly—his vital point exposed, as if something had changed in his mind.

“I… understand!”

A flicker of flame ignited in Vik’s eyes.

In that instant, he fully comprehended the Fire Principle.

Boom!

The principle’s power surged violently—countless crimson threads converged into a blazing, fiery spearhead, lancing forward!

Puff!

The flame spear pierced the Thunder Giant’s chest—the giant froze, then exploded violently…

“Elder? Elder!”

Vik stood like a divine being wreathed in flame—but he could no longer sense the True Martial Talisman’s presence.

‘Let it be…’

Fang Xing’s consciousness had observed all of this, now returning to the world’s origin.

Because Pan Wu had awakened—he had to abandon freedom within the True Martial Talisman and return to the world’s origin to struggle against Pan Wu’s consciousness.

“True Martial! True Martial!”

Before his eyes, countless scenes appeared.

The primitive age—Xia Mang cultivating the First Martial Art…

The Nine Provinces era—wave after wave of martial artists, Xun Heihu as the True Martial Ancestor…

The Steam Age—the breakthroughs of Grand Masters…

The Interstellar Age—the emergence of Cosmic Realm martial artists…

“The True Martial Dao—‘True’ is Martial!”

“From the self—any martial path cultivated by oneself may be called ‘True Martial’!”

Fang Xing’s consciousness surged, transforming into the Dao’s essence, crushing or—balancing—the Pan Wu Dao, preventing it from awakening within Vik.

And Vik immediately turned toward the Forbidden Star Federation!

Shhh!

In the cosmos, a streak of fire raced freely, igniting one “Forbidden Star” after another.

“Who dares invade our Forbidden Stars?”

“Ah… a being beyond Cosmic Realm?”

“Damn it… Alliance… Alliance… I surrender…”

One by one, ancient slumberers were forcibly awakened—then reduced to ash in the flames.

They were old, past their prime, unable to make any breakthroughs.

Vik, spear in hand, like a god of fire, obliterated every Forbidden Star.

Then…

The cosmos was unified—the Source Star Alliance smoothly took control of all.

…

At the instant the Source Star Alliance triumphed, Vik let out a long, thunderous cry.

“Father… Mother… homeland… I did it.”

He whispered softly, as if mourning all that had passed.

“Yes, you did.”

A voice directly echoed in his mind.

“You… the True Martial Talisman’s spirit? Come to claim the price already marked?”

Vik swept his spiritual sense and suddenly smiled: “Do as you wish… after all, [102] I’ve already fulfilled my dream.” [103] “Even if… all of this has no meaning?” Fang Xing sighed softly. [104] Vik’s expression changed drastically—he saw… the universe he inhabited was collapsing rapidly, curling inward… [105] Planets, star systems, powerful cultivators… [106] All were returning to the Primordial ‘One’ within the ‘Gui Xu’! [107] “I am One, I am Ten Thousand, I am All!” [108] With Fang Xing’s declaration, this terrifying world seemed to undergo a strange reversal of time. [109] Vik tried to resist, but found himself also part of this same whole. [110] A bitter smile crept onto his face: “So… Father is me, Mother is me, my homeland… is still me! I have always… been me!” [111] Whoosh! [112] He transformed into a crimson flame, instantly merging into the world’s primordial source. [113] … [114] Beyond the world. [115] A gate stood proudly, radiating a time flow different from its surroundings. [116] Suddenly! [117] A world’s primordial source was ‘reversed in time’—stars converged, forming a map of human meridians. [118] That unimaginable multiverse-level world directly transformed into the silhouette of a giant. [119] The giant shrank continuously, finally becoming Fang Xing’s form. [120] “I’m back…” [121] Fang Xing touched his palm, feeling the terrifying power contained within. [122] “Today, I forge the ‘True Martial Dao’!” [123] Suddenly, he spoke, uttering his declaration. [124] The primordial layer of the Dao trembled—and upon one after another Dao paths, a brand-new Dao emerged! [125] Even the ferocious Black Dragon—Pan Wu Dao—was suppressed by the True Martial Dao! [126] At this moment, all Gao Jie cultivators within every temporal river sensed the aura of the True Martial Dao. [127] They understood: an ultimate Dao… had been born! [128] … [129] “A brand-new Dao?” [130] “An Eternal-level being has… emerged…” [131] In the Qing Hua Great Realm, a mysterious space. [132] Pan Gu Wu, isolated from the world, sensed something and suddenly smiled: “No wonder he’s my honorary disciple—he’s already succeeded in ‘forging a Dao’?” [133] “True Martial Dao… even surpasses my Pan Wu Dao. But in matters of transcendence, I won’t let my own disciple outpace me…” [134] He closed his eyes and sank back into isolation. [135] For an Eternal being to transcend, first they must sever karmic ties; second, they must crystallize the trait of transcendence. [136] Now that he had relinquished Pan Wu Dao and severed his karmic bonds, before transcendence, he would avoid all further karmic entanglements to maintain his optimal state. [137] As for Pan Wu Dao? [138] After Fang Xing succeeded in forging his Dao, this path fell into an ownerless state, open for others to comprehend and become the new master of Pan Wu Dao. [139] Of course, whether Fang Xing or Pan Gu Wu, a single thought could reclaim this Dao. [140] But they had long since shed these karmic ties—they wouldn’t be foolish enough to take them back. [141] In fact, Pan Gu Wu was now free of any Dao, utterly unburdened. [142] And in the future, Fang Xing might need to find a suitable disciple to carry his ‘True Martial Dao’ as a ‘Dao Filler’!

I have achieved my dream.

“Even if… all of this is meaningless?” Fang Xing sighed softly.

Vik suddenly changed expression—he saw… his own universe rapidly collapsing, curling inward…

Planets, star systems, mighty cultivators…

All return to the “Return to Void,” merging into the primordial… “One”!

“I am One, I am Ten Thousand, I am All!”

With Fang Xing’s declaration, this terrifying world seemed to undergo a strange reversal of time.

Vik tried to resist, but realized he himself was part of this same whole.

A bitter smile appeared on his face: “So… Father is me, Mother is me, my homeland… is still me! I have always… been me!”

Whoosh!

He transformed into a crimson flame, instantly merging into the world’s primordial source.

…

Beyond the world.

A gate stood proudly, radiating a time flow different from its surroundings.

Suddenly!

A world’s primordial source was “reversed in time,” its stars converging into a map of human meridians.

That unimaginable multiverse-level world directly transformed into the silhouette of a giant.

The giant shrank continuously, finally becoming Fang Xing’s form.

“I’m back…”

Fang Xing touched his palm, feeling the terrifying power contained within.

“Today, I forge the ‘True Martial Dao’!”

Suddenly, he spoke, uttering his declaration.

The primordial layer of the Dao trembled; upon one after another Dao paths, a brand-new Dao emerged!

Even the ferocious black dragon—the Panwu Dao—was suppressed by the True Martial Dao!

At this moment, all Gao Jie cultivators within every timeline sensed the aura of the True Martial Dao.

They understood: a supreme Dao… had been born!

…

“A brand-new Dao?”

“An Eternal-level being has… emerged…”

In the Qinghua Great Realm, a mysterious space.

The isolated Pangu Wu sensed something and suddenly smiled: “No wonder he’s my disciple-in-name—he’s already succeeded in ‘forging a Dao’?”

“True Martial Dao… even surpasses my Panwu Dao. But in matters of transcendence, I won’t let my own disciple outpace me…”

He closed his eyes and sank once more into isolation.

For an Eternal being to transcend, first they must sever karmic ties; second, they must condense the trait of transcendence!

Now that he had relinquished the Panwu Dao and severed his karmic bonds, before transcendence, he would avoid all further karmic entanglements to maintain his optimal state.

As for the Panwu Dao?

After Fang Xing succeeded in forging his Dao, this path fell into a masterless state, open for others to comprehend and become its new master.

Of course, whether Fang Xing or Pangu Wu, a single thought could reclaim it.

But they had long since shed these karmic ties—they wouldn’t be foolish enough to take them back.

In fact, Pangu Wu was now free of all Dao, unburdened.

And Fang Xing, in the future, might need to find a suitable disciple to carry his ‘True Martial Dao’ as a ‘Dao-Bearer’!