The Immortal Path Is Crowded

A defiant, arrogant expression now dominated Jin’s face, completely different from the personality he usually showed. His golden eyes shone intensely, and his vertical pupils fixed on the demonic emperor with a mix of excitement and challenge. Suddenly, a loud, enthusiastic laugh burst from his mouth, as if the situation itself were absurdly entertaining to him.

At that same instant, both of them charged at each other again, their fists colliding and shaking the spiritual space.

Each impact released massive shockwaves that rippled across the entire sea of the soul, raising enormous tides in the spiritual ocean while the crimson sky trembled with every clash. From a distance, it looked as if two equal forces were colliding without giving ground, their blows echoing like thunder within the domain.

For a few moments, the fight truly seemed balanced, but the reality was different: Jin’s soul avatar was the one taking the greater damage.

With every exchange, the scales formed from spiritual essence covering his body began to crack. Some even shattered completely under the force of the impacts, breaking into particles of energy that scattered through the air.

However, before the damage could accumulate too much, new scales began to form.

The ancestral symbol continued devouring the energy of the crimson domain, and part of that power returned to Jin, feeding his spiritual avatar and restoring what had been destroyed just seconds before.

As he struck again and again, Jin didn’t stop talking.

His words came out between laughs and excited breaths, as if every exchange entertained him more than the last. “That’s it! Weren’t you some great emperor?” he said in the middle of another clash that shook the sea of the soul. His arrogant smile never faded as he stepped back slightly before launching himself forward again. “I thought you’d hit harder!”

The demonic emperor, meanwhile, was growing more and more irritated. His expression darkened with every exchange. From the moment he had encountered this boy, absolutely everything had gone wrong.

First, he had been forced to seize the body of an incompetent cultivator in terrible condition, one who had barely reached Foundation Establishment. Then, just when he thought he could recover some power by devouring the essence of a group of brats, the situation had completely changed.

Then that girl with ancestral beast lineage had appeared. For a moment, he truly believed fate was offering him a chance to be reborn through that body and restore his former strength.

But as if the world itself were conspiring against him, this young man had blocked his path again. Now, because of this abnormal sea of the soul, he had been reduced to this humiliation.

He, a martial emperor who had once made the heavens and earth tremble, was now exchanging blows with an insignificant insect. Even if he was only a remnant of his former all-powerful soul, this was completely unacceptable.

His crimson eyes filled with cold fury as he blocked another of Jin’s blows, the collision sending new shockwaves across the spiritual domain. “Insolent!” he roared at last, his voice echoing with restrained fury as he forced the young man back with another impact. “For a mere insect to push me this far…!”

His aura surged violently around his spiritual body, and his voice, filled with rage, rang out again. “This is unacceptable!”

The furious roar of the emperor still echoed across the crimson sky when Jin tilted his head slightly, watching him with a mocking smile. His golden eyes gleamed as the torrent of energy continued to swirl around his spiritual body. “If you’re going to shout that much,” he replied casually, raising an eyebrow, “at least pay more attention to the fight.”

His brow tightened for just an instant.

Then, a sense of danger struck him from below.

A sudden pressure latched onto his leg.

He looked down just in time to see something coiling tightly around it. From behind Jin, a long dragon tail formed from soul essence had emerged, its surface covered in spiritual scales glowing with the same golden hue as his eyes.

Before he could react, the tail tensed and, with a violent pull, the emperor was dragged downward. The movement was abrupt, enough to break his balance for a brief instant—and that instant was all Jin needed.

Taking advantage of the opening, he brought both palms together above his head and slammed down with brutal force. His hands struck directly against the demonic emperor’s face with devastating power.

The impact resounded throughout the entire domain.

The shockwave that followed rippled across the sea of the soul like thunder, raising enormous spiritual tides as the emperor’s body was sent flying across the crimson sky.

At the same moment the blow launched him backward, illusory dragon wings began to form behind Jin’s back. They were not fully solid, but manifestations of spiritual energy that beat with surprising force.

With an explosive burst, he shot forward in pursuit.

As he moved through the sky of the soul sea, the transformation of his spiritual avatar continued to evolve. The scales covering his body became more defined, and the horns that had just begun to form earlier grew slightly more pronounced with each passing moment.

Fine cracks began to appear across the face of his soul avatar—small at first, but increasingly visible as the energy continued to surge through his spiritual body.

The demonic emperor was not in much better condition. As he stabilized himself midair after the blow, parts of his spiritual avatar began to crumble slowly. Small fragments of his essence broke away as cracks spread across his form like open scars.

Even so, he had no intention of retreating.

With a dark expression, he raised a hand and unleashed a soul technique directly at Jin. The energy condensed into a destructive blast that tore through the spiritual space at lethal speed.

However, before the attack could reach its target, the ancestral symbol reacted on its own.

The technique was dragged toward it as if caught in an invisible vortex. Within seconds, the spiritual energy forming the attack fragmented and was completely devoured by the small black hole floating before Jin’s chest.

The sight of that deepened the shadow on the emperor’s face, his anger rising along with it. “Then that annoying thing will disappear first,” he growled in frustration, his gaze locking onto the symbol that continued devouring everything it touched.

A bloody energy began to gather within his spiritual body.

In seconds, it condensed into solid form. From within his soul avatar, a crimson sword slowly emerged, its blade formed entirely from pulsating, blood-like essence.

He held it for only a brief moment before casting it directly toward the strange symbol.

As the crimson sword tore through the spiritual air toward the small black hole, a mad laugh escaped his throat. “If you want to absorb energy… then do it!” he shouted with a savage grin. “Let’s see how much you can devour before you destroy yourself!”

The moment the crimson sword was launched, an alert shot through Jin’s mind.

His expression tightened, and his body reacted instinctively to evade it.

His spiritual wings beat violently as he tried to move out of the trajectory, instantly realizing that this amount of energy was different from anything the symbol had absorbed so far.

The moment the sword entered its range, the monstrous suction manifested again. The crimson blade was dragged toward the small black hole without Jin being able to stop it, completely devoured in barely an instant.

And then, a great change occurred—an overwhelming surge of energy rushed back toward him, and Jin felt it at that very moment.

If all the energy the symbol had devoured before had been like a steady river, this was as if an entire ocean had been compressed and released inside his soul all at once.

His spiritual avatar began to fracture.

The cracks that had once barely traced his face now spread across his entire body. Spiritual energy leaked from them in radiant streams, seeping out like golden vapor from every fissure.

The pain he felt was brutal and searing. If I don’t do something… The realization struck like lightning: his soul was about to explode. There was no time to hesitate. Jin made a decision at that very instant.

In the distance, the remnant soul of the emperor appeared far dimmer than before. The battle and the constant drain of energy had clearly weakened him, yet a cruel smile still spread across his face as he observed the situation.

For a moment, he seemed to relish the boy’s misfortune—but in the next instant, his expression changed.

With shock, he watched as Jin extended a hand and, without the slightest hesitation, grabbed the devouring symbol floating before his chest.

For a fraction of a second, their gazes met.

In the next instant, Jin hurled the symbol directly toward him.

At the same time, his spiritual wings flared violently, and his body shot backward, retreating with all the speed he could muster.

Understanding struck him immediately, and horror appeared on his face. “What—?!”

Without thinking twice, he turned and fled in the opposite direction, his spiritual form moving in desperation through the crimson sky.

But it was already too late. Without a stable channel to release the energy it had devoured, the symbol began to destabilize. First, small cracks appeared on its surface… then more, spreading rapidly as if something inside it were about to break apart.

The suction that had once been controlled turned chaotic, devouring and releasing energy at the same time.

For a brief instant, everything fell silent. Then the symbol collapsed. It was not an ordinary explosion, but something far more terrifying: the spiritual space itself seemed to cave in on itself.

Within a certain range, space itself appeared to sink inward before vanishing, as if a portion of the soul sea had been torn out of existence. The compressed energy was released in a devastating wave that swept across the entire domain.

The shockwave tore through the soul sea like a cataclysm. It struck the fleeing emperor first, and a moment later, it reached Jin in the distance. For both of them, the impact was like the end of the world.

Jin barely had time to react. Instinctively, he crossed his dragon wings in front of his spiritual body, wrapping himself in them like an improvised shield just as the wave of energy struck him.

The collision was devastating.

The compressed energy of the collapse swept everything in its path. His wings were torn apart almost instantly, and the pressure that followed pierced through his soul avatar without mercy.

His transformation collapsed—spiritual scales shattered one after another, the horns that had barely formed crumbled into golden particles, and the illusory wings dissipated like smoke.

A moment later, his spiritual body was hurled downward like a stone and slammed into the soul sea.

The impact raised an enormous wave of spiritual essence that spread in all directions before slowly falling back onto the agitated surface.

Then… there was silence. For what felt like half an incense stick, the entire soul sea remained in absolute stillness, as if even the currents had held their breath in that moment.

The crimson sky had nearly vanished completely, leaving behind a desolate and damaged spiritual space. The waters of the soul sea were turbulent and murky.

Something moved. A hand slowly emerged from the spiritual sea, fingers grasping at the air as the arm rose little by little from the water. A moment later, a face appeared—it was Jin.

His expression was exhausted, almost empty, as he slowly pulled himself up. Spiritual water slid off his body as he rose with visible difficulty.

For a few seconds, he simply breathed, letting the energy of his soul sea flow around him. Then he rose silently toward his inner sky. From above, he finally observed the state of his spiritual world: it was… pathetic.

The soul sea was cracked and turbulent, as if it had been struck by a catastrophe. Large areas seemed weakened, and the spiritual energy that normally flowed with stability now moved erratically.

He then lowered his gaze to his own body, noticing the state of his soul avatar.

Cracks ran across his entire form like a statue on the verge of collapse. Tiny fragments of spiritual essence slowly broke away from his body and vanished into the air.

Honestly… he didn’t even understand why he was still alive. He frowned slightly, going over everything that had happened…

Any one of those things should have easily killed someone at his level of cultivation.

And yet he was still there. After a moment of silence, he let out a small sigh. Perhaps, in the end, that no longer mattered.

A faint, somewhat pathetic smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes for a moment, thinking that, after all, it hadn’t been so bad—because he had fought the way he had always wanted to.

He had used absurd techniques, fought against an ancient martial emperor, done things he had only ever read about in novels.

Not a bad way to end.

With that thought, he opened his eyes again and, gathering the little energy that remained in his soul sea, extended both hands in front of him.

Two lotus-shaped energies began to form slowly over his palms.

The spiritual flowers floated above his skin, spinning gently as they released an unstable energy that distorted the space around them.

Jin observed them in silence for a few moments, then frowned slightly; if he was going to do this, then he had to do it properly—and his gaze grew firmer.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind once more, pushing the remaining energy within his soul sea.

The effort opened new cracks in his avatar, but the energy responded quickly. In the next instant, two more lotuses bloomed in the air.

When Jin opened his eyes again, four lotuses floated before him.

Each one spun slowly, releasing a chaotic energy that made the weakened spiritual space around them tremble.

Jin breathed heavily as the four lotuses hovered before him, gradually drawing closer together. However, the fusion was not simple.

The moment two of them touched, a violent reaction rippled through the spiritual space. The chaotic energies clashed like wild beasts unwilling to coexist.

The soul sea trembled, the spiritual sky vibrated with each attempt, and the cracks in Jin’s avatar spread a little further—yet he did not stop.

His hands moved with absolute concentration, slowly guiding the four energy flowers as his mind bore the burden of keeping them stable.

Each contact between the lotuses made his spiritual consciousness tremble violently.

It was like trying to contain four storms inside a broken bottle, and even so, little by little, he was managing to keep them under control.

The energies began to intertwine slowly, forming an increasingly unstable and powerful core at the center of the four lotuses.

And just as he was about to complete the fusion, the sea of the soul exploded, and a figure emerged violently from its depths.

Wrapped in an intense crimson energy that rose like a flame of hatred, the demonic emperor rose into the sky in a miserable state.

One of his arms had completely disappeared, erased during the previous cataclysm. His soul was filled with cracks, and his figure looked faint, almost illusory, as if it could disperse with the wind at any moment.

But what stood out the most was his face—what had once been majestic was now completely twisted by rage.

His eyes locked onto Jin, but the moment he saw what the boy was doing, the anger vanished, replaced by something far more primitive: fear, genuine fear.

“W-What are you doing…?!” His voice came out distorted, filled with disbelief.

For an instant, he seemed unable to process it, until he made a decision against all expectations and fled.

He turned sharply and shot into the distance, moving away from the center of the sea of the soul as his voice echoed with desperation.

“You must be dreaming!” he shouted furiously. “Do you think this demon god will die alongside a mere brat like you?!”

His crimson figure tore through the spiritual space at full speed, heading straight for the edge of the sea of the soul.

Jin froze for a moment; the reaction was so unexpected that he almost lost control of the lotuses, but he quickly stabilized his mind, and his eyes followed the emperor’s figure as he attempted to escape.

He’s trying to leave my sea of the soul.

His mind began to work frantically: if he managed to escape in that state, he would find another host, and then everything that had happened here would have been for nothing.

He had to stop him now. Jin made an immediate decision, withdrawing one of his hands while maintaining the process with the other, with a brutal concentration that made his spiritual avatar creak.

Then he raised his free hand, pointed it toward the fleeing emperor, and closed his eyes.

Gathering every fragment of essence that still remained in his sea of the soul, he began to imagine a concept.

It was a technique he had not learned himself, but one he had seen countless times in a certain novel.

Meanwhile, the demonic emperor continued fleeing at full speed, his mind filled with fury and humiliation.

“Damned brat…” he muttered through gritted teeth as he drew closer and closer to the boundary of the spiritual space. “Once I get out of here, I’ll find a new host…”

His crimson aura trembled as he advanced, and a cold smile formed on his face.

“And when I recover my power… I’ll eliminate everything related to you—” he hadn’t finished his speech of hatred when a sensation swept through the entire spiritual space, making the sky and the sea of the soul tremble at the same time.

The emperor slowly raised his gaze, and the moment he understood what he was seeing, his expression froze between shock and horror.

Above him, a gigantic hand of spiritual energy descended. It was so enormous that it seemed to cover the entire firmament, and the pressure it emanated distorted the space as it slowly closed in his direction.

The gigantic hand of energy descended like the judgment of a god, and an instant later its colossal fingers closed around the demonic emperor.

The spiritual space trembled as the pressure concentrated on his body. The crimson figure was trapped at the center of the giant fist, immobilized by the mass of energy compressing him from all directions.

A roar of fury escaped the emperor, and the bloody energy emanating from his avatar turned wild, bursting outward like uncontrolled flames; the crimson power crashed against the fingers of the spiritual hand and began to wear them down slowly.

Cracks appeared in the gigantic palm, and fragments of energy broke away little by little as the emperor fought with everything he had left to free himself.

That brief instant was all Jin needed; in the distance, his figure was already moving with determination.

His feet touched the air of the spiritual space, and in the next instant, the steps of Kunpeng came into motion. His body vanished from where he stood and reappeared much closer, as if the space itself had been compressed beneath his feet.

Step after step, the distance compressed until it disappeared, and in an instant, Jin stood before the gigantic hand of energy. The emperor saw him and, understanding the situation, his eyes widened with fury laced with desperation.

He knew he wouldn’t have enough time to destroy the hand before the boy arrived.

“Brat…” he roared, his voice filled with urgency as the pressure of the hand crushed him more and more.

“You don’t need to go this far!” he shouted as crimson energy raged around him. “Let me go, and you’ll survive!” The arrogance in his voice could not hide the urgency. Jin heard him, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

His figure stopped before the gigantic spiritual fist. Now the two stood face to face, separated only by the layer of energy that kept the emperor trapped.

Without saying a word, Jin raised his hand. In his palm floated an unusual lotus, formed from the fusion of the other four.

The spiritual flower rotated slowly, its petals formed by chaotic energy that compressed and expanded at the same time. The pressure emanating from it made the spiritual space creak all around.

The emperor’s eyes contracted as he immediately understood what was about to happen, and both reluctance and anger filled his expression at once.

Even as the giant hand compressed him, his posture changed; he straightened his back with pride, and when he spoke, his voice regained the firm tone of a ruler.

“This emperor, Mo Tianzun, will not fall in such a manner.” His crimson eyes burned with pride and hatred as the bloody energy roared around him. “I still have debts to settle with those wretches.”

For a moment, Jin felt the urge to ask; he sensed that behind those words lay history, resentment, and a deep past. However, there was no time for that.

A slightly sarcastic smile appeared on Jin’s face.

“Incredible story,” he said with a faint hint of mockery, tilting his head slightly. “Too bad there’s no time.” He released the lotus, and the world was engulfed in absolute white.

An absolute flash filled the entire spiritual space, brighter than anything that had ever existed there before.

After that, nothing remained to be perceived. The sea of the soul began to collapse slowly.

The spiritual waters sank inward as if existence itself were losing its form. The sky fractured, the currents of energy broke apart, and the entire spiritual space began to crumble.

Jin did not manage to understand what happened. He did not feel the explosion, nor did he hear the slightest sound.

All he perceived was a strange silence as his consciousness began to fade little by little.

His thoughts grew slow, fragile.

So… this is how it ends…

Darkness completely enveloped him, submerging him into absolute silence, into a void where neither light nor sound existed.

After an immeasurable amount of time, the void remained in complete stillness. Then, something happened.

A small object slowly emerged from nothingness, floating in the silent void.

A black ring hovered in the emptiness, ancient and smooth, barely illuminated by a faint glow. After a brief moment of inactivity,

Tiny fragments of something resembling matter began to appear in the void. They were so fine they could barely be distinguished, like dust formed from the remnants of existence.

The ring began to devour them in silence.