Chapter 270 - 269: Divine Retribution (4)

Months ago, entirely unknown to anyone in the Nine Provinces, Lin Yuan had received and consumed a supreme, heaven-defying pill granted by the Millionfold Return System.

The Origin Soul Revival Pill.

At the time, the pill had not produced any immediate, explosive increase in power. There had been no overwhelming surge of spiritual energy, no phenomenon that shook Heaven and Earth, and no sudden transformation that announced its existence to the world.

Instead, its effects had quietly settled into the deepest foundations of Lin Yuan’s soul. It had silently and fundamentally layered absolute contingencies into the very fabric of his existence. One of those contingencies was now awakening.

At the exact center of the crater, amidst the faint ashes left behind by his destruction, a tiny, infinitesimal spark of pure, liquid-white light suddenly flickered. It was so small that it should have been impossible to notice. Yet the moment it appeared, the entire atmosphere of the Grand Court changed. This was the Origin Soul Mark.

Effect 8: Origin Soul Mark. Engraves an Origin Mark upon the user’s soul. Upon death, the mark shields the soul from the erosion of reincarnation, preserving the user’s true self according to the limits of the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Fire had incinerated Lin Yuan’s physical vessel. It had shattered his newly formed Primordial Spirit. It had burned away everything that should have represented his existence. But it had failed to destroy the Origin Soul Mark. Because the mark had not been forged from ordinary soul power. It had been forged from the literal source of souls.

The tiny spark pulsed once. Then again. It was like a heartbeat sounding in the absolute void. Boom. Bai Qingyue’s sobbing suddenly stopped. Her tear-stained face slowly lifted from the cold stone, her beautiful eyes widening as she stared toward the crater.

She felt it. She could not explain what it was, nor could she understand why her soul suddenly trembled. But she knew that presence. She knew it more intimately than anyone else in the world. "Yuan...?" Her voice was barely audible.

The tiny white spark pulsed again. At that moment, the silence of the Grand Court was violently shattered by a strange resonance.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

It sounded like a billion crystal bells ringing simultaneously across Heaven and Earth. The sound was neither loud nor deafening, yet it seemed to penetrate directly into the soul of every cultivator present.

"What is that sound?" Emperor Tianxu suddenly snapped. He leaned forward on his throne, his eyes narrowing as he stared into the crater. The surrounding space began to warp. Then, something impossible happened. Faint fragments of tri-colored light began materializing from the absolute vacuum.

Black. White. Crimson. They drifted through the air like reversed snowfall, appearing from nowhere before being violently drawn toward the pulsating Origin Soul Mark. One fragment. Then another. Then hundreds. Then thousands. The fragments rapidly accelerated.

"The fragments..." Xuan Mingzhe whispered. He had already stepped toward the edge of his pavilion without realizing it. His expression was one of absolute disbelief. "His spirit fragments are gathering." His voice trembled. "But that is impossible! The Heavenly Fire completely eradicated him!"

He had witnessed the destruction. Everyone had. There had been nothing left. Not even a fragment of Lin Yuan’s Primordial Spirit should have survived. Yet the impossible was happening before their eyes. The Origin Soul Mark pulsed again. And the fragments slammed into it. Boom!

A wave of invisible soul power erupted through the crater. Effect 2: Soul Reconstruction. As long as even a single fragment of the soul remains, the pill will reconstruct and restore the entire soul to completeness.

The tri-colored fragments rapidly intertwined around the Origin Soul Mark. They were no longer scattered remnants. They became the foundation of something new. Something that had already existed once. Something that refused to remain dead. The soul began rebuilding itself.

Then came the next effect. Effect 1: Perfect Soul Restoration. Completely restores all damage sustained by the soul, regardless of severity. Tears, fractures, burns, corruption, and hidden injuries are instantly repaired, returning the soul to its absolute peak state.

Every trace of damage disappeared. Every fracture was restored. Every burned fragment returned to perfection. There was no weakness. No scar. No remnant of the Heavenly Fire. The soul was not merely recovering. It was returning to its absolute peak condition.

Then another surge of energy erupted. Effect 3: Primordial Spirit Regeneration. Instantly regenerates a damaged or destroyed Primordial Spirit, restoring it to its peak condition without leaving behind any defects.

A blinding silhouette began forming within the crater. Liquid-white light surrounded the tri-colored radiance. A head appeared. Then shoulders. Then arms. Then an entire body. The outline of a tall, broad-shouldered man gradually solidified within the light.

At the same time, another force swept through the newly forming soul. Effect 5: Absolute Purification. All soul impurities, karmic corruption, curses, resentment, Heart Demons, and lingering negative influences were violently scrubbed from his existence.

Everything that could contaminate the soul was erased. Every trace of corruption vanished. Every hidden injury was cleansed. Every lingering influence was expelled. Lin Yuan’s soul became purer than it had ever been. Then came the final transformations.

Effect 6: Dao Heart Restoration. Any damage inflicted upon the Dao Heart was completely repaired, restoring conviction, mental clarity, and the cultivator’s ability to continue pursuing the Great Dao. And finally: Effect 4: Soul Foundation Enhancement. The foundation of his soul was permanently strengthened, greatly increasing his Divine Sense, spiritual perception, soul defense, and innate talent for Dao comprehension.

The brilliant light surrounding the crater intensified. Then, slowly, it began to fade. A figure stood within the pulverized crater. Perfectly formed. Perfectly intact. A Primordial Spirit. The Grand Court fell completely silent.

The hundred thousand cultivators stared in absolute paralysis. No one spoke. No one even dared breathe too loudly. They had just witnessed something that should have been impossible. Lin Yuan had been subjected to what should have been absolute execution by the Heavens. His body had been destroyed. His Primordial Spirit had been shattered.

Yet he had simply returned. Not as a weakened remnant. Not as a crippled soul desperately clinging to existence. He had returned in his peak state. "He is regenerating!" Emperor Xiyan suddenly roared. He stumbled backward against his throne, his face filled with disbelief.

"He is regenerating his Primordial Spirit from absolute nothingness!" Behind him, Bai Qingyue slowly rose to her feet. The tears of devastation that had covered her beautiful face were still there. But they had changed. They were no longer tears of despair. They were tears of overwhelming joy.

She covered her mouth with both hands as a beautiful, breathless laugh escaped her lips. "He’s alive..." Her voice trembled. "Yuan is alive." Beside her, Bai Chen finally lowered his ruined and bloody hands. He stared at the crater with wide, almost fanatical eyes.

"I told you," he whispered. Then his voice grew louder. "I told you he couldn’t die!" At the center of the crater, Lin Yuan’s fully regenerated Primordial Spirit stood perfectly still. His physical body was gone. But his true self remained.

His Primordial Spirit was flawless. His soul was complete. His Dao Heart was intact. His foundation was stronger than before. Slowly, Lin Yuan opened his eyes. His deep purple irises immediately illuminated the darkness. A pure and terrifying Origin light flickered within them.

There was no confusion. No weakness. No fear. Only absolute calm. Lin Yuan raised his head and looked toward the Five Emperors hovering above the Grand Court. He did not say a single word. He didn’t need to. A faint, cold smile appeared upon his lips.

The Heavens had tried to erase him. They had unleashed their judgment. They had burned his body. They had destroyed his Primordial Spirit. They had attempted to end his path before it could reach its true height. Yet Lin Yuan had returned. The silence of the Grand Court seemed to become even heavier.

Because everyone present understood the meaning behind that smile. The Heavens had tried. And they had failed.