Chapter 18: The Completion of the Divine Demon Body

After sending away his two disciples, Lin Jun, weakened and exhausted, took out the divine demon stones he had previously found.

Boom! The moment these stones appeared, his unfinished Divine Demon Body emitted ravenous cravings like thunder.

Now proficient in cultivating the Divine Demon Body, Lin Jun sat cross-legged, slowly channeling the divine demon energy, leveraging the power of the indestructible Divine Demon Body to break through the limits of his lifespan.

As he cultivated, pain gradually etched across his face, a sight that deeply distressed Ji Qingyou standing outside the door.

She wanted to help her master but was powerless due to his advanced realm. She could tell he was undergoing a unique cultivation and therefore guarded the door vigilantly.

Lin Jun felt his body grow stronger, but the pain intensified.

This Divine Demon Body was the supreme cultivation method across the nine heavens and ten earths, significantly extending lifespan upon mastery. Yet, before him stood an unbreakable barrier—the ultimate lifespan limit.

Caught between these opposing forces, his situation became agonizing.

But he could not give up. His lifespan was severely depleted, and he clearly sensed his life essence waning.

Though it seemed he had thirteen years left on the surface, once his life essence completely faded, death was inevitable.

The only way was to use the Divine Demon Body’s power to shatter the lifespan limit, thus replenishing the lost life essence and extending his life.

Yet, this was far from easy.

As the divine demon stones around him vanished one by one, the indestructible Divine Demon Body grew steadily stronger, bringing him closer to success.

He could clearly feel that upon cultivating it successfully, he would gain at least a thousand additional years of life.

However, between mastering the Divine Demon Body and breaking through to extend his lifespan lay an insurmountable barrier.

He knew this barrier was the ultimate limit of his life.

It had to be broken for him to fully master the indestructible Divine Demon Body and survive.

But the immense pain caused blood to drip from the corners of his mouth.

“Master…” Ji Qingyou watched with aching concern, biting her lip, filled with guilt yet unwilling to disturb him.

Caught between the success of the Divine Demon Body and the lifespan limit, Lin Jun lost track of time.

Just as his consciousness was about to fade completely, a thunderous roar echoed in his mind, and he suddenly found himself in a space resembling Ji Qingyou’s inner demon illusion.

Startled, he noticed the space was gray and hazy, yet inside stood a figure identical to him, cold-faced and radiating a lofty indifference.

“Those who defy heaven shall die!”

Before he could react, a grand voice filled the space. The identical Lin Jun, expressionless, charged at him as if intent on killing.

“Who are you!” Lin Jun exclaimed, scrambling to defend himself.

Not only did they look exactly alike, but their cultivation methods and attack patterns mirrored each other perfectly.

Most terrifyingly, this “Lin Jun” seemed to regenerate infinitely in this space, growing stronger each time.

After an indeterminate length of battle, Lin Jun realized he was no match.

He was battered and bruised, while this other “Lin Jun” remained unscathed, attacking relentlessly like a machine, seemingly determined to kill him here.

“What kind of place is this? What is obstructing me from breaking the lifespan barrier? The lifespan barrier—you are the lifespan barrier!”

Lin Jun roared in despair, then suddenly a flash of insight illuminated his mind.

He understood: he was cultivating the indestructible Divine Demon Body, attempting to break through his lifespan limit.

Being here meant he had reached the edge of that limit.

This “ruthless self” before him was the personification of his lifespan barrier.

To truly shatter the lifespan limit, he must defeat his former self.

In other words, the lifespan barrier was his past self.

He had to kill his previous self to live a new life.

But both were identical, and this past self seemed immortal in this gray space.

Killing himself to be reborn was no easy feat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lin Jun fought fiercely, struggling to resist, but he could not overcome this nearly immortal self, gradually being overwhelmed.

He even saw a sneer flash across his former self’s face.

“No! There must be a way! There must be a way!” Lin Jun, battered and plunged into despair, refused to give up.

“Give up now; your time has come. Why struggle?”

He seemed to hear the voice of the whole world, but thinking of his two newly accepted disciples, he knew he could not die.

“If I am to die, it will be you who dies! I will live!” he shouted desperately, carving out a final sliver of clarity in the boundless chaos.

“I am cultivating the indestructible Divine Demon Body. Though trapped here, my cultivation has not stopped.

“My past self is identical in every way except he will never surpass me in realm.

“As long as I suppress him the moment I complete the Divine Demon Body, I have a chance at a second life!”

“Break!”

He suddenly roared.

Outside, the pained Lin Jun suddenly erupted with golden light.

Though he had not yet broken the lifespan limit, he endured inhuman agony and forcibly completed the indestructible Divine Demon Body!

Boom!

At that moment, Lin Jun reached the pinnacle of power and pain, emitting an immense aura that drew the anxious attention of his two disciples outside, who dared not disturb him.

Meanwhile, in the unknown space—

Boom!

Just as Lin Jun was about to be utterly shattered, a burst of golden light exploded from him.

Like the dawn sun, it dispersed all darkness and illuminated the gray space.

“Hmph,” the “Lin Jun” who had not yet been overwhelmed suddenly retreated silently.

Under the golden light, he began to dissolve.

“You may have broken through, but remember we are one.

“If you break through, so do I.

“You are destined never to be my match…”

At that moment, the golden light also began to radiate from the other “Lin Jun,” his identical face twisted with mockery.

“No!!” he cried out, but before finishing, terror filled his eyes as he slowly vanished at Lin Jun’s hands.

“Did you think I would give you this chance?” Lin Jun’s face, bathed in golden light, showed a trace of derision.

With the defeat of his former self, an endless vitality surged within him.

He knew—he had truly succeeded!

Bathed in golden light, all his injuries vanished, leaving only immense strength.

A smile curved his lips.

With a thought, the gray space completely dissipated.

Back in reality, he opened his eyes.

Two beams of golden light flashed from them, accompanied by the system’s prompt:

[Congratulations, host, you have cultivated the “Indestructible Divine Demon Body” (Level One) and broken through the lifespan limit (First time), gaining 2,000 years of life.]

[Detected lifespan debt—1,500 years; priority deduction applied.]

[Beep! Deduction successful. Congratulations on receiving a tenfold life return!]

As the system’s prompt sounded, Lin Jun’s white hair gradually faded away.

His body seemed to reverse aging, becoming more radiant and powerful than before.

“Master… what cultivation technique is he practicing?” Ji Qingyou outside watched in shock, tears of joy streaming down her face at his recovery.

Her tormenting guilt finally eased considerably.

Feeling his body rejuvenate and the endless power surging within, Lin Jun lightly clenched his palm.

Suddenly, a few bolts of lightning crackled in his hand!

Boom!

Divine demon energy swirled around him.

“If I fight the Heavenly Sword Sovereign again, I could suppress him with one hand!”

Feeling the hard-won strength, Lin Jun was immensely satisfied.

He had mastered the Divine Demon Body thoroughly, and its most special divine ability was “Blood Drip Rebirth!”

Though costly, it granted him effectively an extra life.

…

Boom!

At the same time, the sect leader, Heavenly Sword Sovereign, marshaled the full forces of Hundred Battles Peak and the other peak masters.

Their numbers amassed like a cloud blotting out the sky, resembling countless heavenly soldiers.

They marched toward Myriad Laws Peak, vowing to exterminate demons and monsters!