The powder formed from the corpses swirled through the air, falling downward.
Most of it was swallowed by the surging black tide, then vanished, leaving no trace in this present world.
At the same time, the black tide continued to contract and merge, making everything Chen Yan had done look like the desperate struggles of a trapped beast.
Being devoured by the black tide was only a matter of time.
Chen Yan released his grip, letting the bamboo flute engraved with the Emptiness Annihilation Art inscriptions fall freely, then disintegrate in midair into the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
That method could only be used once.
No more corpses from countless ages past surfaced from the black tide that swept toward Chen Yan like a celestial net.
Right now, there was still a chance to escape from the black tide—
Boom!
In an instant, Chen Yan was directly evaporated by that mysterious clear light.
Then new bone and flesh began to regenerate on the damaged side of his face.
That wisp of mysterious clear light…
Chen Yan’s gaze tightened as he stared at the sole “corpse” that had emerged atop the black tide.
The corpse wore a tattered daoist robe. Although filthied beyond measure, Chen Yan still recognized the robe’s base color as white, and the dim gilded cloud crane patterns on its sleeves were unmistakable.
When Chen Yan fixed his eyes on that gray, vacant, handsome face, he couldn’t help clenching his fist.
The “corpse” that had surfaced on the black tide was himself.
Or rather, it was the Chen Yan from countless ages ago, who once single-handedly took on all twelve Immortal Sects’ cultivators who had lost their minds and fallen into madness.
And that mysterious clear light mixed with deathly qi just now was the Hidden Immortal Art.
What exactly was this black tide?
Chen Yan cursed inwardly.
Facing the version of himself from countless ages ago, who had already begun to attack while treading the Xun Wind Step, Chen Yan hastily activated the Emptiness Annihilation Art, targeting the causal links between that corpse and the black tide.
But what happened next surprised him further, because under his spiritual sense he could not detect any causal connection between his corpse and anything else.
Or rather, his corpse carried no causality.
But if that were true, things with no causal connection to the world should not even exist.
In the next moment, Chen Yan immediately understood what was going on.
Hidden Immortal Art and Emptiness Annihilation Art.
His corpse—the Chen Yan from countless ages ago—could also hide its causality using Hidden Immortal Art and Emptiness Annihilation Art.
If so, the situation had become even thornier.
The black tide enclosing Chen Yan continued to press forward, and the Xun Wind Step his corpse used now seemed almost trivial by comparison.
Because the corpse floating on the black tide was the Chen Yan from countless ages ago, and back then he had only been a peak Unity cultivator. Compared to the current Chen Yan, who had already reached peak Divine Ability, the gap was enormous.
But in the span of a breath, an unexpected change occurred.
A whip suffused with the lingering resonance of the immortal path suddenly appeared in the corpse’s hand and was violently cracked toward Chen Yan.
A crimson flame whip!
Chen Yan watched as that imposing, blood-red crimson flame swept toward him.
This was the might of an immortal artifact; he had no chance to dodge.
He was split in two by the crimson flame in an instant, and the flame rapidly burned along his meridians, growing fiercer until all of Chen Yan’s spiritual energy had been consumed by the blaze.
[Reincarnation Ended]
[This Reincarnation Rating: D+ (things are gradually getting interesting)]
[Accumulated Cultivation: Peak Divine Ability]
[Reincarnation Reward: Accumulated Cultivation Coefficient ×1.1]
[Reincarnation settlement complete, the host will return to the previous reincarnation checkpoint, inherit the accumulated cultivation from this reincarnation, and restart life]
…
When Chen Yan regained consciousness once more, he found the reincarnation checkpoint had advanced a bit further.
The opponent before his eyes had changed from countless apparitions wearing twelve Immortal Sects’ robes into a single figure: himself from countless ages ago at the peak of Unity.
At this moment, the spiritual energy surging through Chen Yan and his spiritual sense had both risen another level.
This was the effect of the reincarnation reward to the accumulated cultivation coefficient.
The problem had grown more troublesome.
Chen Yan knew exactly what level he truly was.
Describing himself as high offense, low defense fit him perfectly.
Although his current cultivation was peak Divine Ability while his corpse was only peak Unity—a whole major realm apart—if that corpse used the Great Derivation Art to manifest an immortal artifact to lash him with a whip, he definitely couldn’t withstand it.
However, if the accumulated cultivation coefficient had also been increased…
Chen Yan narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Is this the reward gate?”
In the next instant, just like the previous reincarnation, his corpse again advanced toward him on the Xun Wind Step, repeating the exact same actions.
This meant—
Crimson flame whip!
Accompanied by the lingering resonance of the immortal path, the majestic crimson flame swept at Chen Yan again. This time, Chen Yan could fully react, since he had experienced all of this in the previous reincarnation.
Chen Yan quickly activated the Emptiness Annihilation Art, severing his causal connections with the world.
The advancing crimson flame engulfed him completely, but he felt no warmth from the fire.
When the flames dissipated, Chen Yan stood unscathed in a plain white daoist robe, proud before his corpse from countless ages past.
He then extended his right hand, pressed his middle and index fingers together, and a mysterious clear light erupted from his fingertips, flying toward the corpse clad in the tattered Kongyuan Mountain robe.
The corpse, identical to Chen Yan in countenance, had its body above the calves instantly evaporated by the mysterious clear light from his fingertips.
Although Chen Yan’s techniques could deal damage far exceeding his personal defenses, that didn’t mean his corpse from countless ages ago was helpless.
Chen Yan slowly looked up, watching the black tide gradually surge toward his corpse’s direction.