The Final Battle

On the surface of Planet Yushu, the world continued to burn. The planet had already been laid to waste by the Primordial Devil upon his arrival, but now, it was completely engulfed by flames.

The crackling of these flames was the only thing that could be heard across the planet, because the Primordial Devil had fallen silent.

After reaching out with his hand and devouring Yaan with that bloody vortex, the Primordial Devil immediately froze in place. His aura vanished, as did the vortex of blood, and his eyes turned completely white.

Although Yaan had clearly lost the fight and had even been devoured, it was obvious that something was wrong.

"Brother! Just what is happening? I didn't see the heart demon land a single damaging blow!" The Primordial Spirit became anxious when she saw her brother enter this state, especially since she couldn't understand why this was happening, even after exhausting all of her methods.

She wasn't the only one feeling confused right now. In fact, nobody present was actually able to see through the truth of what was happening…but a few individuals had a vague idea.

The Primordial Asura remained silent. She stared at the Primordial Devil intently and she clenched her fists tightly, but her expression only contained killing intent, she showed no signs of her worry on her face. Even so, the fact this woman, whom had always been cold-hearted during her time spent as Rui, actually felt concern for someone else, showed that she had undergone a fairly extreme change after recovering her memories of the past.

"Truly a fool." Defiance Sovereign shook his head. "Once again, his pride has lead to his downfall. It is true that the little devil was superior in combat compared to that kid, but why would that kid show himself after concocting such an absurd plan, only to get himself killed in such a simple manner? Little devil, you truly never learn."

"Defiance!" The Primordial Spirit whipped her head around and glared at Defiance Sovereign. "What is happening right now, tell me!"

Defiance Sovereign glanced at her and smirked.

"It's no wonder that even after so many years, you are still unable to complete your dao heart. Little girl, your heart is far too fickle."

When Defiance Sovereign didn't answer her question, but instead simply insulted her. The Primordial Spirit ground her teeth, but she didn't respond. Whilst her heart was truly a mess right now, she wasn't stupid enough to further antagonise Defiance Sovereign.

Instead, she looked towards the Primordial Sage - the Sage who stood with Law Empyrean, Old Thief, and Justice Deity.

"Sister! Tell me now, just what is going on?! Did you…did you play some part in this? Did you truly betray us, for the sake of that deplorable heart demon…?"

The Primordial Spirit started off speaking strongly, but as she looked at her sister, her voice wavered and a hint of unwillingness crept into her voice.

However, the Primordial Sage simply ignored her. The Primordial Spirit ended up falling silent, then turning back towards the still-frozen Primordial Devil.

The region fell silent. Without the divinities projecting their voices, nothing could be heard in the vacuum of space, not even the ongoing burning of Planet Yushu. In this silence, everyone stared at the Primordial Devil without blinking. Nobody wanting to miss the outcome to this strange battle.

The Primordial Devil stared at Yaan with a look of shock and overwhelming killing intent.

After devouring Yaan using the bloody vortex, the world vanished from his sight and he appeared within an endless black space, devoid of anything aside from himself…and Yaan.

Yaan stared back at the Primordial Devil, preparing himself for the final step of his plan.

As for what his plan entailed, it boiled down to a single concept - despair. The Primordial Devil had tried to break Yaan down using despair, but he was about to find out that despair was not his weapon, it was Yaan's.

"You abomination of the dao, just what have you done, where are we right now?!"

Yaan remained silent for some time, causing the Primordial Devil to grow increasingly unnerved.

"We are not anywhere right now. You are still standing on Planet Yushu, whilst I have been completely devoured. Is this not what you were expecting, Primordial Devil?" Yaan spoke slowly, showing a faint, teasing smile.

This smile looked playful, but from the Primordial Devil's perspective, it was the most terrifying smile in this world. It was now clear to him that Yaan understood exactly what was going on…meaning that this was almost certainly part of his plan.

However, he didn't want to admit this to himself. He didn't want to admit that he had been deceived by his heart demon…

"I devoured you. It is impossible for you to still be alive. This must be some sort of last-ditch effort to spite me, an attack that you struck me with in your death throes." The Primordial Devil replied after forcefully calming himself.

He spoke calmly, but the look of mocking disdain had been wiped from his face. It was impossible for him to truly remain composed in this situation, since he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Primordial Devil…did you truly think that you could kill your heart demon in hand to hand combat? Since when have heart demons been something that could be killed in such a manner?" Yaan chuckled lightly.

"You are no ordinary heart demon, you are my heart demon. I already separated you from myself; you are a heart demon that was reborn as a cultivator!"

"And yet, after being devoured by you, here I am, alive and well. Primordial Devil, this is the end. You truly did devour me, but that was all part of my plan. I'm not going to kill you…because I don't need to. You have already sealed your own fate."

"I don't believe it!" The Primordial Devil growled. His eyes turned blood shot as he took a step forwards, appearing before Yaan and striking down with a punch.

"I don't believe that your schemes run this deep! I don't believe…that I cannot kill you!"

The fist descended upon Yaan, but Yaan just smiled. His eyes contained the very same look that the Primordial Devil had worn earlier - mocking disdain. The Primordial Devil of course saw this look, which seemed to be laughing at him as it reflected his own emotions back upon him. He released a deafening roar as his fist collided with Yaan, sending the full strength of his will directly at his hateful foe.

There was no thunderous explosion that would usually follow his punch. However, his fist made contact with Yaan, causing Yaan's body to explode into a mist of blood and miasma.

"Hahaha! I knew it, this is truly just some petty trick, you- hmm?"

The Primordial Devil paused. He honestly believe that just now, he had broken through Yaan's final attack, but as he pulled back and stood up straight, his face turned pale and he coughed up blood. As soon as the blood entered the surrounding black space, it vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, The blood and miasma released from Yaan's 'death', suddenly flashed with a black light. In the next moment, Yaan reappeared, unharmed, as the Primordial Devil stared at him in disbelief.

"You…just what have you done?"

"It's simple, really." Yaan replied plainly. "I destroyed the karma which exists between us - specifically, I destroyed the karma that exists from me, to you. However, the karma from you, to me…is still as strong as ever. I am no longer chained to you, but you are still chained to me, Primordial Devil."

"What are you talking about?" The Primordial Devil furrowed his brows. "The karma between us cannot be broken! You might have destroyed the Heavenly Dao's manifestation of the karma between us, but our karma runs deeper than something so superficial as those chains! We are bound by our relationship, and by the unquenchable hatred and bloodlust between us!"

Yaan smiled as the Primordial Devil tried to remain composed, but let slip an unnerved look just now.

"Indeed, destroying the Heavenly Dao's dao of karma was only half of my attack against the karma between us. The other half of my attack, was something that nobody else could see. I will be direct, Primordial Devil - I no longer feel anything towards you. I have long since let go of my hatred and desire to kill you, thereby destroying the source of our karma. You mean nothing to me. Now, you are merely an obstacle that I must overcome, nothing more."

"Impossible!" The Primordial Devil finally snapped and roared out loud. His voice echoed throughout this endless space, and his aura exploded out with the most killing intent that he had ever displayed throughout his life. His eyes were now so bloodshot that it looked like they might burst at any given moment!

"To overcome this hatred, which is the very foundation of your existence, is impossible! This hatred is unreconcilable, it cannot be overcome, this is your fate!"

"Fate, huh…" Yaan sighed and shook his head. "Primordial Devil, this is no longer my fate, it is yours. You are destined to die today. I have overcome the curse of my existence, and now, because your side of this karma still remains, it is simply impossible for you to kill me. When you die, I, no longer restrained by those shackles of my fate, will live."

"Bullshit! You nonsensical abomination of the dao, you are everything that I have ever hated in this world given life! I will prove to you, myself, and the world, that in this world, strength reigns supreme, and everything else is just noise, there is no greater truth than this!"

After saying his piece, the Primordial Devil no longer bothered with words. Clearly, he didn't want to converse with Yaan any longer, and opted to destroy him here for good.

Punch after punch fell down, destroying Yaan's body time and time again. When Yaan refused to stay dead, returning to his peak condition as if death meant nothing to him, the Primordial Devil's will became increasingly powerful, his attacks more manic and bloodthirsty.

Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times…

The Primordial Devil killed Yaan ten thousand times, whilst Yaan didn't even bother defending himself. He simply allowed his opponent to destroy him, causing the Primordial Devil to steadily accumulate more and more injuries.

In the outside world, he looked fine, aside from being paralysed and his eyes turning white. However, inside, within this strange world which consisted of only himself and Yaan in a bizarre endless space, he fell to his knees as an extreme feeling of weakness overcame him.

As the Primordial Devil panted for breath, coughing out blood every couple of seconds, Yaan walked across to him and looked…down.

Eventually, the Primordial Devil realised that Yaan, for the first time ever, was looking down at him.

"What…" He looked up in confusion as a hint of terror crept into his heart.

Strange, this was too strange! Over the past thousands of years, ever since his rebirth, he had never experienced something so strange! He had not recovered his memories of the past, meaning that in his current state, his understanding of the world was too lacking for him to comprehend this situation.

"I suppose that you must be wondering how it is that I am standing above you." Yaan spoke casually, still showing no signs of attacking. "I will tell you now - I haven't done anything at all. You did this to yourself, Primordial Devil. Each time you attack me, you are proving to yourself that you are inferior to me. I managed to overcome the karma between us, but you are unable to do the same. By attacking me, you are allowing your inescapable shackles of hatred to surface, whilst I remain unaffected. The more you fight, the closer you step towards your demise."

"Impossible…how could something like that be real, it doesn't make any sense! Overcoming hatred, just how does that translate to strength?! In this world, all I need is the power of my own body! This is my pride, this is my dao!" The Primordial Devil stood back up and glared at Yaan, only to realise that they were now the same height…

"And in the outside world, that strength can indeed defeat me." Yaan nodded. "But this place is not the real world, it is a world created by your own dao heart for the two of us to do battle. Your heart is weak, Primordial Devil, so weak that even after learning this truth, you will still refuse to change. You will continue to attack me, despite it being futile and conversely harming yourself. You will die whilst obstinately adhering to your 'unshakeable' self-belief…this, is your fate."

"My heart is weak?" The Primordial Devil laughed darkly. "Just how is my heart weak?! The only time throughout my three million years of life that my heart briefly faltered, was during my reincarnation! Before that time, my heart never once faltered! My will never once broke down, I never once took a step back! And now, after being reborn, this will of mine has only grown stronger! Just how is my heart weak, when compared to you?!"

"Your strength is your weakness." Yaan replied without missing a beat. He stared the Primordial Devil in the eyes calmly, whilst the Primordial Devil looked like he was on the verge of losing his mind. "In our battle earlier, you attempted to use despair to crush my will…but do you know how many times I have experienced despair in my life? I have overcome too many despairing situations. I have overcome despair…and I have fallen victim to it. You do not know the meaning of despair, you do not understand what it means to lose, to be broken down…and to pick yourself back up from the ruins of your own heart. You do not understand my strength."

"How could I possibly sympathise with a vile creature like you? You are a failure of a living being, a mistake, a curse!" The Primordial Devil spat out hatefully. Contrary to his expectations, Yaan nodded, agreeing with him.

"Indeed, my life has been an endless series of failures. That is the difference between you and me, Primordial Devil. You have never failed, you never take a step back, and you never question your heart. Meanwhile, I have failed too many times. My heart has faltered, I have fallen to the depths of weakness…and I have picked myself up, time and time again. Your strength is that you never get knocked down…but my strength is that I always get back up. In this situation, where you have fallen from grace, forced to reincarnate due to the first and only failure in your life, you do not understand how to build yourself back up. That is why you will die today."

"Just how is that your 'strength'?! Your heart is as fragile as glass, you do not even understand yourself, nor what you stand for! You were born from my doubt, your life is built on a foundation of self-doubt and uncertainty! On a fundamental level, you are without a doubt the weakest, most pathetic, failure of a living being, that this world has ever seen!"

The Primordial Devil desperately tried to refute Yaan, not realising that with every word exchanged, the despair in his heart was growing stronger.

Yaan smiled mockingly.

"You're right, I don't really understand myself at all - I understand this reality all too well by now. I have doubted myself so many times, whilst every time that I have felt certain in my heart, my certainty was ruthlessly crushed, breaking me down without mercy. In that sense, I truly am the weakest being in this world…but what does that say about you, whom has been toyed with, schemed against, and now defeated, by the one that you deem so useless?"

"You bastard!" The Primordial Devil suddenly growled and raised his fist up once again. "I know what you're doing, trying to make me doubt myself. I don't know what sort of spell you used to bring us into this space, but did you really think that I would back down just because of a few words?! You don't understand me at all, and that is why you will lose!"

As his opponent started attacking him with even more insanity than before, Yaan's expression remained serene, even as his body was destroyed and remade, time and time again.

'No…that is why you will lose, Primordial Devil. I understand you far too well, perhaps even better than you understand yourself. You still lack the memories of the past, but I gained the first two million years of your past memories through my Dao Clone of Soul and his attempts at taking away your inheritance. I know exactly how you think, otherwise, how could I formulate such a plan, which has taken into account how you will react multiple times? I knew that you would attempt to devour me, after all, devouring was originally the favoured method used by the four Primordial Demons to grow stronger. I also know that you will not accept my words, and instead, you will become convinced that I am trying to deceive you. I should thank my Dao Clone of Soul for this too. I came to understand you through him, and you will die in the exact same manner that he did. Those with great pride, always end up being their own downfall.'

Yaan looked down at the Primordial Devil, who was now lying down, his 'body' twitching and continually spraying out blood. He was shrinking further and further, until eventually, he was no larger than Yaan's thumb.

"Impossible…this is all a deception…you vile heart demon, still using illusions against me…scheming with that twisted mind…I will never be defeated, I…"

As he muttered to himself, still convinced that all of this was just some sort of deceptive spell, the Primordial Devil's shrivelled body melted into a pool of blood. Yaan watched as the pool of blood vanished into the black space around him. Eventually, Yaan sighed and shut his eyes.

"Just as the Heavenly Dao once did to me, I defeated you not with deception, but with the truth. Primordial Devil, my predecessor…in the past, I hated you with a blazing passion, but now…I feel nothing towards your death."

As he sighed, Yaan slowly opened his eyes. He opened his eyes not within the space created unknowingly by the Primordial Devil himself, but in the real world, stood upon the surface of Planet Yushu, where until moments ago, the Primordial Devil had been standing.

Yaan looked up, towards the numerous gazes pressuring him from the divinities, Transcendents and immortals surrounding the planet. His gaze was calm, but he knew that he hadn't escaped danger yet, far from it…

When Yaan assessed his current condition, he could only sigh.

'So in the end, the largest abyssal crack is still present on my Dao Soul, and defeating the Primordial Devil wasn't enough for me to step onto the Divine Stairway and strive for the Divine Step. Perhaps, if I had more time to process everything, I could finally reach that end, but time is something that I don't have right now. Hah…this situation is truly terrible.'

As he thought this, Yaan flew up slowly and searched the area for something, anything, that could be of use right now. The Spirit Plane had been destroyed and many things had fallen into the surrounding region; perhaps he could make use of this.

His gaze briefly paused on a certain treasure that he recognised from the 9th Layer of Heaven. Maybe, if he was able to reach that treasure, he could buy himself some time. It was a long shot, but it might be his only option…

He moved his attention towards the divinities. He knew that the only way he was getting out of this alive, was by making use of someone powerful.

Eventually, his gaze landed on Old Thief.