Chapter 208: Annihilation
In a meditative state, Li Wen’s consciousness sank into the depths of her soul, where a pale silver needle was rooted—Urd’s Sting. It floated silently in the void, its surface covered in fine cracks, as if it could shatter at any moment. This Divine Artifact, symbolizing “the past,” was the Strategy Team’s last resort against Doomsday Twilight and the key to her triumphant return after rebirth.
Sensing her will, the silver needle began to tremble slightly. Cold white light seeped from the cracks, spreading across her soul like a spiderweb. Li Wen felt a sharp pain, as if a force were meticulously unraveling her memories. Countless images flashed before her eyes: the gray curtain of the Amber Temple, the platinum irises of the young goddess, the furnace-like gaze of “Impurity,” the moment The Emerald Tablet slipped from her grasp… Finally, the scene settled on the void, where threads now drifted, connecting all destinies.
“Impurity” seemed to sense something. It suddenly ceased its absorption of The Emerald Tablet, its furnace-like pupils turning towards Li Wen: “This is…”
Li Wen ignored its gaze. The power of Urd’s Sting was awakening within her. This Divine Artifact could alter “the past.” Although her current strength was insufficient to fully unleash its might, and even using it would burn her spirituality, she could still temporarily manipulate fate at this cost.
“Rewind,” she whispered in her soul.
Urd’s Sting in the depths of her soul vibrated violently, and countless invisible threads descended from the void, piercing her flesh, bones, and soul. These were lines of fate, the warp and weft of past and future, a supreme authority that even gods could not fully control.
As Li Wen’s will reached the void, the threads within it suddenly tensed, and the entire silver needle groaned under the immense strain. Yet, even so, the world was being affected. The runes on The Emerald Tablet suddenly solidified, and the golden patterns that were about to merge into “Impurity’s” arm receded like a backward tide. The candlelight in the palace began to burn in reverse, the solidified liquid on the black pillars flowed again, and even “Impurity’s” furnace-like pupils rippled.
Time was flowing backward.
Li Wen’s eyes snapped open, and she found herself still in the posture of reaching for The Emerald Tablet. The emerald stone slab lay quietly in her palm, its runes flowing with a gentle luster. Opposite her, “Impurity” had just raised its arm, composed of viscous liquid.
“You—” Its furnace-like pupils contracted violently.
It was fate! She had rewritten fate!
It reacted immediately, unleashing its power to blast Li Wen into dust. But it was already meaningless. While holding and using Urd’s Sting, Li Wen had temporarily detached herself from the fabric of fate. Even with “Impurity’s” might, it couldn’t lock onto her existence, let alone stop Urd’s Sting.
When time flowed again, Li Wen had returned to the moment she had just obtained The Emerald Tablet. She clenched The Emerald Tablet in her left hand, her right hand cupped. The Primordial Codex of Ending emerged from the depths of her soul, a weathered book exuding vibrant power hovering before her. Its pages rustled in the wind, making a dry sound. Beneath the half-withered giant tree on its cover, the figure of a girl slightly tilted her head.
The instant the two supreme Divine Artifacts touched, the void fell silent.
Amber twilight flowed from the codex’s title page, instantly engulfing the verdant halo. The Emerald Tablet emitted a clear hum, its thirteen lines of cryptic proverbs coiling like chains around the gilded cover of The Primordial Codex of Ending. The pale candlelight on the palace dome was extinguished, replaced by amber stardust falling like rain, each particle reflecting the withered World Tree.
Li Wen felt two vastly different forces interweaving and colliding within her. The Primordial Codex of Ending represented eternity and the end, while The Emerald Tablet symbolized creation and formation. They should have been mutually exclusive, but now, under some higher power, they were forcefully merging.
“No!”
“Impurity” let out a deafening roar. The black sludge beneath its feet surged, transforming into a colossal wave that blotted out the sun and lunged at Li Wen. Countless distorted, anguished faces appeared within the liquid, shrieking sounds capable of tearing souls apart.
Li Wen stood still. The power of Urd’s Sting allowed her to transcend the web of fate temporarily. “Impurity’s” attack passed through her body as if through a phantom. But the palace was not so fortunate—wherever the black giant wave went, pillars collapsed, the dome shattered, and the crystals imprisoning spirituality exploded into a shower of light.
“Stop!” Its body suddenly expanded, the dark, viscous fluid bursting through its humanoid outline. Its skin continually shed, revealing flowing lava beneath, where tens of thousands of crimson runes flickered—the most primitive creative power of the Sage’s Furnace. The entire space began to collapse, and searing white flames erupted from the void rifts—a heat capable of incinerating concepts.
But Li Wen paid it no mind. Urd’s Sting bloomed with silver light in the depths of her soul, and countless threads of fate suddenly appeared from the void, coiling around her like a cocoon. Lava and flames penetrated the silver cocoon but passed through it like phantoms. For the first time, “Impurity’s” furnace-like pupils showed shock and anger. It discovered that all its attacks were falling outside the realm of “possibility”—this mortal had anchored herself at the convergence point of all destiny branches.
“Impurity” was utterly enraged. It tore open its chest and pulled out a throbbing black stone egg. If the highest achievement ofAlchemy was the “Sage Stone,” then this was the ultimate consequence born alongside the “Sage Stone,” or rather, a nearly complete divinity belonging entirely to “Impurity.” The moment divinity appeared, everything in the palace began to lose its color, and space groaned under the strain, as if crumpled paper in an unseen hand.
Li Wen felt a wave of dizziness. Even with the protection of Urd’s Sting, this level of power made her soul tremble. She forced herself to stay awake. The fusion of The Primordial Codex of Ending and The Emerald Tablet had reached a critical juncture. Most of the emerald stone slab had transformed into flowing light; success was only half a step away.
“Impurity” raised the divinity above its head. The black liquid churned like boiling asphalt, and it began to chant an ancient incantation, each syllable cracking space. When this power was unleashed, this isolated world would abruptly be destroyed. Even the distant Mortal Realm would suffer a massive and irreversible impact, potentially drawing the attention of certain existences. But what did it matter? Compared to the importance of The Emerald Tablet, everything else was illusory.
At the very instant destruction was about to descend, The Primordial Codex of Ending arose on its own. Beneath the half-withered World Tree on its cover, a cloaked girl slowly raised her head. Her pale fingertips brushed across the pages, her amber eyes gazing at the disintegrating “Impurity.” In the mere instant their gazes met, the lava on the surface of the black entity suddenly solidified, and the runes inscribed by the Sage exploded in succession.
“Impurity’s” chant abruptly stopped. Its furnace-like pupils instantly dulled, and countless cracks appeared on its dark body, from which brilliant golden liquid gushed out. Each drop contained infinite power of creation and destruction, birth and decay. The golden torrent swept over everything, and the entire world began to disintegrate. Flames turned to nothingness, and the void began to annihilate.
Even Urd’s Sting could no longer protect Li Wen. As destruction descended, the last thing she saw was the moment The Emerald Tablet fully merged into The Primordial Codex of Ending, amber and emerald halos intertwining to form a perfect spiral.
Then, all returned to silence.
