Chapter 50: The Sect Leader Is a Man of Passion

Two sheets of human skin fluttered in the starry sky.

Xuan Shang’s laughter intertwined with Ling Xu’s sobs, half-mad, half-raving.

In the end, only boundless sorrow remained for both.

It seemed like a lament for their own fates, yet also a cry for the destiny of all beings in the yin-yang universe.

The Heavenly Lords of both black and white paths wore faces as grim as water.

They had long suspected the truth of the universe, yet it proved far heavier than they had imagined.

Mingtian Heavenly Lord let out a bitter laugh: “So this is it. So this is it!”

All the successive First Heavenly Lords of our White Path spent lifetimes pursuing the truth of the universe—and this is what they discovered!

Jinque Heavenly Lord silently activated his mysterious art: “Why is it that every generation’s First Heavenly Lord ends his twilight in utter misery, ultimately choosing to sit and perish in the Origin Ancient Land?”

“They had already stepped into the grave. Their souls were left forgotten there.”

The other black path Heavenly Lords remained silent.

Almost simultaneously, they surrounded the [Ancient Heavenly Lord] and [Original Heavenly Lord].

“You intend to strike us?”

The white-robed immortal [Ancient Heavenly Lord] gazed with cold indifference, neither joy nor sorrow. The black path’s entire cadre of Heavenly Lords were treated as if they did not exist.

“Everything you possess now was given to you by us!”

“Without us, this universe would still be awash in slaughter, all beings suffering, all gods in chaos!”

“Without us, do you even dream of attaining the Heavenly Lord realm? Hehe~~”

“Even the Heavenly Lord realm itself was created by us!”

The black-robed immortal [Original Heavenly Lord] sneered at his own “disciples.”

He stepped forward, and merely a sliver of his aura released rendered the black path’s Heavenly Lords unable to advance or retreat.

“How can fireflies contend with the bright moon?”

“Are you a swarm of ants daring to rebel, hoping to once again perform ‘inverting black and white, overturning yin and yang’ before us?”

[Original Heavenly Lord] casually immobilized the white path’s Heavenly Lords who sought to act, then shook his head with utter disdain, a hint of cold arrogance in his brow.

“In the divine-warfield we carved out, you are merely temporary stewards.”

“Your power to sway the fate of the universe comes only from our tacit approval.”

“Your ability to manipulate fate and calamity is granted by us.”

“We are the eternal sovereigns!”

[Original Heavenly Lord] looked down with haughty contempt upon the dozens of Heavenly Lords from both black and white paths.

“Before us, you are nothing. You are fit only to be ants!”

“Have you finished?” A calm voice interrupted [Original Heavenly Lord]’s rambling.

Li Ming drew his sword and walked forward slowly.

“Boundless!”

The white path’s Heavenly Lords were stunned.

Li Ming gazed at [Original Heavenly Lord] and [Ancient Heavenly Lord], speaking calmly: “If you haven’t finished, say more.”

“When you’re done, kneel down and recite those words ten times over!”

[Ancient Heavenly Lord] blinked in mild surprise: “Outsiders from beyond the realms—some skill indeed.”

His gaze turned to the other side, where Xiang Xuanqing and the other six had also approached.

These too had “broken free.”

“Go ahead and act.”

Xiang Xuanqing ignored the two primordial Heavenly Lords, smiling at Li Ming: “Do whatever you like—just don’t actually kill them. That’d be too kind.”

Minghe nodded: “We can take these two back. My Great Fuli Land adores trash like this—we’ll give them a proper ‘welcome.’”

Zhen Yuanzi, upon hearing this, finally broke into a satisfied smile.

“Good. I was just wondering which talismans to use to properly torture these two.”

“Since two fellow cultivators have already arranged things, we won’t interfere.”

He and Hongyun crossed their arms and stood aside: “Please, proceed.”

Da Siming gazed at Xuan Shang and Ling Xu, drifting in the starry sky.

He performed a spell to restore them.

Then he asked the two “deceased” Heavenly Lords to guide him to the Origin Ancient Land.

Ruoxi saw this and instantly understood Da Siming’s intent—he wished to see if he could save other “deceased” Heavenly Lords.

“I can help!”

“I am a healer.”

Ruoxi’s eyes sparkled; she volunteered eagerly, full of enthusiasm to assist.

“Ruoxi, you stay behind.”

Xiang Xuanqing quickly pulled the enthusiastic girl back. “One person is enough.”

“Oh, alright.”

The light in Ruoxi’s eyes dimmed.

For an excellent healer, being unable to save the dying and heal the wounded was a bitter regret.

“You outsiders from beyond the realms are awfully arrogant!”

[Original Heavenly Lord] sensed the collective disregard from Xiang Xuanqing and the others; a flicker of anger passed through his eyes.

“I’ve crushed countless ants like you already!”

“I never expected your abilities to surpass the previous batches of ants—you actually altered the universe’s rules.”

“But even larger ants are still ants.”

Li Ming nodded: “Remember to add these lines later.”

Qing!

His longsword unsheathed, mimicking the posture of the Primordial Splitting Sword—like a blazing sun, vast and majestic, coming with illusory yet real force, crashing down upon [Original Heavenly Lord].

[Original Heavenly Lord] did not dodge or evade.

He extended one finger.

In an instant, layers upon layers of world-phantoms swirled around him, forming a vortex centered on that finger—vast, mysterious, and engulfing the swordlight, simultaneously enveloping Li Ming, Xiang Xuanqing, and all others.

“I told you—I can crush you effortlessly!”

A faint smile appeared on [Original Heavenly Lord]’s face, as if all were already under his control.

“Add that line too.”

Li Ming’s voice echoed through the void; a single, graceful sword-stroke flashed, transforming into a rainbow of light across the dark mist—faint, shifting, illuminating an entire realm.

The unknowable, unspeakable, invisible causes of all outcomes instantly clung to [Original Heavenly Lord].

He was stunned—his spiritual platform trembled, his soul scattered.

“Kneel!”

Li Ming softly commanded; [Original Heavenly Lord] lost all control and collapsed to his knees in the void.

“Recite!”

[Original Heavenly Lord] trembled violently, tears and snot streaming: “How can fireflies contend with the bright moon? A swarm of ants dares to rebel… your ability to manipulate fate and calamity is granted by us… ants like you, I’ve crushed countless times… I told you—I can crush you effortlessly!”

The emotionless [Ancient Heavenly Lord], witnessing this, could no longer remain calm.

His eyelid twitched; a great sense of warning surged within him.

Without the slightest hesitation, [Ancient Heavenly Lord]’s form blurred, and he turned to flee.

“Now you want to run? Isn’t it too late?”

Zhen Yuanzi shook his sleeve; the sky was instantly covered by a vast net, and countless rays of light burst forth from the void.

Within that narrow sleeve lay a dim, chaotic cosmos—a self-contained prison.

Instantly, the blurred [Ancient Heavenly Lord] was swallowed into the sleeve.

“You too—kneel!”

Zhen Yuanzi flung him beside [Original Heavenly Lord].

“In this universe, you cannot kill us!” [Ancient Heavenly Lord] sneered, fists clenched, body trembling; boundless time surged through the void, countless rules ignited.

He still had a hidden card.

“Enough talking!”

Li Ming stepped forward, kicked him down, and planted one foot on [Ancient Heavenly Lord]’s head.

Instantly, he shattered the boundless power of the universe’s rules.

“Recite!”

“Not a single word out of place.”

[Ancient Heavenly Lord] loosened his fists, prostrated himself in the most humiliating posture, and began reciting the full text: “How can fireflies contend with the bright moon? A swarm of ants dares to rebel…”

As he recited, a single murky tear rolled down [Ancient Heavenly Lord]’s cheek.

“Kill me!”

“Do you even deserve that?” Li Ming pressed his foot down slightly; [Ancient Heavenly Lord]’s skull cracked. His spiritual platform shattered into dust; his nascent soul died instantly.

But [Ancient Heavenly Lord] did not die—he was protected by the universe’s rules, and could not perish.

His obliterated nascent soul revived once more.

Li Ming stamped his foot again, shattering it, causing the Ancient Heavenly Lord’s face to contort in a cry of agony.

“You’re not supposed to die? Then keep living. And who told you to stop? Keep reciting!”

The Ancient Heavenly Lord dared not disobey; his lips trembled: “How can a firefly compete with the bright moon…”

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(End of Chapter)