Chapter 821: Return, the Empire Trembles

"Quiet, everyone." Lin Xuan raised his hand, and the great hall instantly fell silent. He scanned the nine empresses and said in a deep voice, "I went to the Divine Court this time and learned an important piece of news. The myriad worlds of the heavens are about to face an unprecedented catastrophe, and when that time comes, even the fall of Supremes will be a common occurrence."

The expressions of the nine great empresses changed. Having cultivated for many years, they had naturally heard legends about the Great Catastrophe, but such things had always felt too distant to take to heart. Only now, hearing the Emperor say this, did they realize the gravity of the situation.

"Therefore, in the time to come, we must intensify our cultivation and raise our strength," Lin Xuan continued. "I intend to break through to the Emperor Supreme realm before the catastrophe arrives, and you must reach the Supreme realm as soon as possible. Only then will we have the qualifications to survive the catastrophe."

"As you command!" the nine great empresses replied in unison, their eyes filled with determination.

Over the next three days, Lin Xuan combined the insights he had gained from the Divine Ancestor with his own understanding of the Laws of Reincarnation to organize a complete cultivation system. He imparted this system to the nine great empresses and the Supreme Elders under his command, urging them to seize the time to cultivate.

Meanwhile, Taixuan and the others were also busy integrating the newly affiliated forces. The entire Lun Hui Empire entered a state of full preparation for war, with all kinds of resources being frantically mobilized to cultivate experts.

Lin Xuan went alone to the deepest part of the Lun Hui Star Domain, where there was a natural convergence point of laws. He intended to go into seclusion here to charge toward the Emperor Supreme realm. Breaking through to Emperor Supreme required the condensation of a Dao Fruit, a long and dangerous process. The slightest carelessness could lead to a deviation in cultivation and eternal damnation.

But Lin Xuan had no other choice. The Divine Ancestor was right; there was not much time left for him. Rather than being caught in a panic when the catastrophe arrived, it was better to break through with all his might now and prepare for the future.

He sat cross-legged in the Void, his Reincarnation Dharma Form appearing behind him. The six Gates of Reincarnation opened simultaneously, and endless power of the laws surged out from the gates, weaving around him into a massive cocoon of laws. This cocoon completely isolated him from the outside world, forming an independent space.

In this space, the flow of time was different from the outside. One day outside was equivalent to one year here. Lin Xuan intended to use this time difference to strive to complete his breakthrough in the shortest possible time.

He closed his eyes, his divine sense sinking deep into his sea of consciousness. There, all his insights into the six paths of reincarnation flickered like stars. The vast and righteous energy of the Heavenly Dao, the myriad living beings of the Human Path, the endless slaughter of the Asura Path, the instinctive wildness of the Beast Path, the greedy desires of the Hungry Ghost Path, and the boundless suffering of the Hell Path...

Each of these six paths represented an ultimate law, containing the primordial mysteries of the universe. What Lin Xuan had to do was to perfectly fuse these six laws and condense them into his own Reincarnation Dao Fruit.

This process was extremely perilous. Because the laws of the six paths were inherently contradictory, trying to fuse them was like trying to harmonize water and fire. Once control was lost, the laws of reincarnation would backfire, tearing Lin Xuan's soul into pieces.

But Lin Xuan had no way back. He took a deep breath and began to guide the laws of the six paths toward each other. At first, the repulsive force between the laws was immense, and every collision produced violent tremors. Lin Xuan's soul was shaken until it tottered, and blood spilled from the corners of his mouth.

Yet he gritted his teeth and persisted. As time passed, he gradually found the pattern. Although the laws of the six paths were contradictory, they all belonged to reincarnation and were essentially a single whole. As long as he found that balance point, he could make them coexist harmoniously.

Outside, the nine great empresses stood guard outside the cocoon of laws, protecting Lin Xuan. They could feel that the aura inside the cocoon was extremely unstable, sometimes as strong as an Emperor Supreme, sometimes as weak as a mortal. This fluctuation made them terrified, yet they were powerless to help.

"The Emperor will surely succeed," Sima Xue said, clenching her fists, her eyes full of worry. "He is the one who has created countless miracles; how could a mere Emperor Supreme realm possibly stop him?"

Although the other empresses were also comforting themselves, the unease in their hearts could not be dispelled. They all knew that the difficulty of breaking through to the Emperor Supreme realm far exceeded any other realm. Throughout history, countless peerless geniuses had fallen at this hurdle.

Inside the cocoon of laws, Lin Xuan no longer knew how much time had passed. In this independent flow of time, he felt as if he had experienced thousands of years of cultivation. His soul had teetered on the brink of collapse countless times, only to be stabilized at the very last moment. Every brush with danger gave him a deeper understanding of the laws of reincarnation.

Finally, at a certain moment, the laws of the six paths found that subtle balance point. The righteous energy of the Heavenly Dao neutralized the evil of the Hell Path, the vitality of the Human Path offset the dead silence of the Hungry Ghost Path, and the slaughter of the Asura Path intertwined with the wildness of the Beast Path. Six distinct and different forces achieved a perfect unity at this moment.

Boom!

An unprecedented power erupted from within Lin Xuan's body. Deep in his sea of consciousness, a black-and-white bead slowly took shape. The bead was only the size of a dragon's eye, yet it seemed to contain the entire universe. The six paths of reincarnation flowed continuously within the bead, evolving into infinite possibilities.

This was the Reincarnation Dao Fruit!

The moment the Dao Fruit was completely condensed, the entire Lun Hui Star Domain shook. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and countless bolts of lightning rolled within the clouds. This was no ordinary Heavenly Tribulation, but the Emperor Supreme Tribulation—the ultimate test that only appeared when breaking through to the Emperor Supreme realm.

The expressions of the nine great empresses changed drastically. They felt that world-destroying pressure and knew the Emperor had reached the most critical moment. Success meant soaring into the sky to become the most elite existence in the myriad worlds of the heavens. Failure meant the annihilation of body and soul, and eternal damnation.

"Activate the mountain-protecting array!" Sima Xue decided immediately. "Everyone, withdraw from the core area of the Lun Hui Star Domain; no one is to approach!"

Taixuan and the others had already received the news and rushed over. When they saw the tribulation clouds gathering in the sky, they all gasped. The tribulation clouds covered a million miles, blotting out the sun, and countless bolts of lightning as thick as mountains roamed within them. Each bolt of lightning contained the power to destroy everything.

"This is the Emperor Supreme Tribulation..." Taixuan murmured. "I have lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and this is the first time I have seen it with my own eyes."

"Can the Emperor survive it?" Xuanhuang Tiandi asked worriedly.

"He certainly can," Zixiao Daozu said, his eyes full of admiration. "The Emperor is the strongest genius we have ever seen; even the nine emperors of the Divine Court are no match for him. How could a mere Heavenly Tribulation possibly stump him?"

Just as everyone was discussing this, the cocoon of laws suddenly shattered. Lin Xuan's figure walked out from within, surrounded by six-colored divine light. He looked up at the sky, his eyes showing not a hint of fear, but rather a trace of anticipation.

"Come," Lin Xuan said calmly. "I would like to see what mysteries this Emperor Supreme Tribulation holds."

As soon as he finished speaking, the first bolt of lightning crashed down. This bolt of lightning was as thick as a mountain and contained the destructive power of the Heavenly Dao. If an ordinary Supreme realm expert were struck by it, they would be reduced to ashes in an instant.