Chapter 420 - 396: Nothing in the World Can Withstand the River of Time

The Samadhi True Fire roared to life.

This flame was the bane of demon bodies, demonic thoughts, and even human desires.

Among all the mystical flames in the world, the Samadhi True Fire was neither the hottest nor the most powerful, but it was the most difficult to overcome.

At its core, the emotions and desires of every living creature in the world were fuel for the Samadhi True Fire!

What good were a thousand defenses or ten thousand techniques? What did it matter if one’s body was harder than the finest steel?

As long as a being had emotions, or was filled with Demonic Qi, it could never escape being scorched by the Samadhi True Fire.

Gu Peng possessed the Devouring Divine Technique. When the Samadhi True Fire first enveloped him, he simply opened his massive mouth and inhaled the surrounding flames in a single, massive gulp.

In the fire’s glow, Gu Peng’s leonine face turned a burning red. His golden mane fanned out in the orange light, resembling fiery tendrils.

Just as his Devouring seemed to be working, Gu Peng suddenly cried out in agony. "AGH!"

He yelled, "It hurts! No, this is wrong! What kind of fire is this?"

His Devouring Divine Technique absorbed the Samadhi True Fire and drew it into his demonic body, but instead of a surge of Energy, it brought a searing pain that felt as if it were incinerating him down to his very marrow and Divine Soul.

On the plaza, the hundred-foot-tall Giant Demon suddenly sprang into the air.

He raised his long spear high, unleashing a furious sweep at Song Ciwan, who hovered in mid-air.

Gu Peng roared, "Let the heavens fall and the earth rise! Let the universe be inverted! Let Yin and Yang churn into chaos! Let there be no distinction between black and white! Let the Dao abandon the Mortal World, for a Celestial Demon now walks the earth... Chaos! Chaos! CHAOS!"

With each roar, an overwhelming wave of Demonic Power erupted from his long spear.

A twisted, chaotic, inverted power washed over Song Ciwan. She had been trying to retreat, but in that instant, her body shot forward, straight toward Gu Peng.

No, she wasn’t charging at Gu Peng, but at the massive, hundred-foot-long spear in his grasp.

At the same time, the blazing Samadhi True Fire, now tainted with a bizarre, golden-gray Demonic Qi, shot back out from Gu Peng’s body and lunged at the approaching Song Ciwan.

The Cultivators at the edge of the plaza felt their hearts leap into their throats. Someone cried out in shock, "Chaos! That’s his Innate Divine Technique, Chaos! It’s Gu Peng’s second Divine Technique!"

An onlooker broke out in a cold sweat. "His first Divine Technique is Devouring, and his second is Chaos. Normally, just one Divine Technique is enough to make the Celestial Pride List. But Gu Peng not only has two, they’re both seemingly impossible to counter..."

"Song Zhao is in grave danger!"

As the Samadhi True Fire lunged back at her, in a flash, Song Ciwan’s body passed right through the flames.

Though she was clearly present in the world, in that moment, she seemed to have transcended it entirely.

Therefore, while the demonically-tainted Samadhi True Fire appeared to land on her, in reality, she and the flames did not even exist on the same plane of existence.

Thus, no matter how close they appeared to be, they could never truly touch.

This was the Void Rune Technique: Void Shifting!

Song Ciwan passed through the Samadhi True Fire and brushed past Gu Peng.

In the instant they passed each other, Song Ciwan glanced back and raised a finger, a ray of pure light shooting from its tip.

The light spun like the sun and moon, stirring the river of time in an instant. It pierced through space and struck Gu Peng, who was still caught in his own chaos.

Gu Peng, still mid-roar, froze.

He had no choice but to freeze, for after several exchanges, Song Ciwan had finally deployed her Spiritual Artifact: the Sun and Moon Wheel of Formless Life and Death!

As sun and moon turn, life and death lose their form.

When time itself is the reaper, who can stand against it?

Even one as mighty as Gu Peng could not control the flow of time. In an instant, his full head of golden fur turned a grizzled white. At least a thousand years had been slashed from his Lifespan!

Gu Peng whipped his head around, his eyes wide with shock.

At the edge of the plaza, the Cultivators watched, utterly mesmerized, clutching their chests. One of them gasped, "It’s here! This is what the Celestial Pride List talks about! Song Zhao’s signature Ultimate Skill, Time Control!"

"She’s too strong! It’s completely absurd! In a single exchange, just how much Lifespan did Gu Peng lose? His golden fur turned white!"

"Can Gu Peng even fight back?"

...

He could.

The moment was as fleeting as morning dew in a flash of lightning.

As Gu Peng turned, his gaze met Song Ciwan’s. Ignoring the damage to his Lifespan, he tossed his long spear into the air. The Giant Demon then raised his massive palms, pressing them together before his chest.

A terrifying light flared in Gu Peng’s eyes. His expression became so bizarrely solemn that one got the distinct impression he had been waiting for Song Ciwan to use her time-based ability all along.

A thousand years of Lifespan, traded for a single look from Gu Peng. ’Just as I expected,’ he thought. ’Perfect timing!’

With his palms pressed together, he began to chant rapidly, "Seeing yesterday’s cause, I claim today’s effect. In the name of the Ancient Gods, I return your karma, I give back your time! What you took from me, I return a hundredfold! Go!"

Go—

What was going?

From the crowd of Cultivators at the plaza’s edge, someone blurted, "The Power of Cause and Effect!"

"Is that Gu Peng’s third Divine Technique? But it wasn’t recorded on the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List."

"The Power of Cause and Effect, returned a hundredfold... How can Song Zhao possibly withstand that?"

"Devouring, Chaos, and the Power of Cause and Effect... With three Divine Techniques, Gu Peng is unbeatable..."

But was Gu Peng truly unbeatable?

In a single instant, Song Ciwan had taken a thousand years from his life. Then, using the Power of Cause and Effect, he retaliated, sending that same power of time back at her, magnified a hundredfold!

Song Ciwan was only human. Compared to the long-lived Demon Race, a member of the Human Race like her was, by all accounts, a short-lived being.

Even having broken through to the Divinity Transformation realm, consumed all manner of life-extending treasures, and being bolstered by her high Cultivation and powerful Cultivation Technique, her Lifespan surely couldn’t exceed a thousand years.

This was common knowledge. Naturally, no one in the world could have possibly imagined that Song Ciwan’s true Lifespan was far, far greater than a mere thousand years.

However, even though Song Ciwan’s Lifespan was not limited to a thousand years, and she might have been able to withstand the drain from Gu Peng’s backlash—

—then again, perhaps not. After all, who knew how severe the backlash would be?

So, while Song Ciwan might have been able to endure it, she had no intention of finding out.

As Gu Peng unleashed his karmic backlash, Song Ciwan didn’t wait for the strange power to reach her. She raised a hand, producing a palm-sized Jade Talisman.

It was a Word Spirit Talisman—a Curse Talisman!

All of this takes time to describe, but in truth, the entire exchange happened in less than the blink of an eye.

Song Ciwan flicked out a finger. "Floating Clouds and Morning Dew!"

This was a Time Daoist Skill she had comprehended on her own. While learned from the Sun and Moon Wheel of Formless Life and Death, it also transcended it, representing a different aspect of the power of time.

Floating Clouds and Morning Dew fell upon the Word Spirit Talisman as Song Ciwan recited with incredible speed, ’I curse that all who would inflict the harm of cause and effect upon me shall suffer that same harm themselves!’

She sacrificed a hundred years of her Lifespan, and the Talisman ignited!