I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan looked up at him. Golden-red eyes met pure black eyes.

"You're wrong," Qin Yuan said.

The Lord of Annihilation asked, "Where did we go wrong?"

Qin Yuan stood up. He placed Lin Qing'er aside and turned to face the Lord of Annihilation. Black flames surged around him, attempting to erode his presence, but golden-red light emanated from his body, blocking the black flames.

"The end is not the end," Qin Yuan said. "The end is the beginning of new life. Without death, there is no new life. Without an end, there is no beginning. You are the end, but you are not the enemy. You are a friend."

The Lord of Annihilation was stunned.

He has lived for billions of years, hearing countless curses and fears about the end. Some say he is a demon, some say he is an executioner, some say he is the greatest calamity in all worlds. No one has ever called him a friend.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" the Lord of Annihilation asked.

Qin Yuan said, "I'm not afraid."

He took a step forward. The black flames receded beneath his feet, like seawater being cleaved open.

"I'm going to the pinnacle of all realms. I won't become a dead man, but I won't resist the end either. I will accept you, and then take you with me."

The Lord of Annihilation gripped his scythe tightly. "You're talking nonsense."

Qin Yuan continued forward. The black flames grew thicker and denser, but the golden-red light grew brighter. The power resulting from the fusion of the Guardian Dao and the Origin Flame was constantly evolving in its struggle against the power of termination.

"I'm not crazy," Qin Yuan said. "I just understand. Origin and end are one. Without origin, there is no end. Without end, origin has no meaning. You are my other side, and I am your other side."

He walked up to the Lord of Annihilation and extended his hand.

"Come with me."

The Lord of Annihilation stared at the hand and remained silent for a long time.

His scythe trembled in his hand. Not from fear, but from an emotion he had never felt before—wavering. His purpose was to end, to conclude, to reduce everything to nothingness. But if the end was merely part of the beginning, then what was he? A link in the chain? A tool? Something replaceable?

"I'm not going with you," he said.

He raised his sickle and swung it down.

This scythe embodies the essence of his billions of years of ending power. Wherever the blade passes, the void doesn't crack, it vanishes—not torn apart, but utterly ceases to exist. If this blade were to strike Qin Yuan, he would be erased from existence, without even a chance for reincarnation.

Qin Yuan did not dodge. He raised his hand and gripped the blade.

A golden-red palm met the black blade, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound. Qin Yuan's palm was cut open, but no blood flowed; the wound revealed a golden-red light. His Guardian Dao and Origin Flame were constantly consumed and regenerated under the blade.

The Lord of Annihilation increased his power, the blade continuing to cut. Qin Yuan's hand was sliced ​​open in half, revealing the bones beneath. The bones were golden, with flame patterns on them.

"You cannot stop it," said the Lord of Annihilation. "The end is the destiny of all things. You cannot fight against destiny forever."

Qin Yuan said, "I will not resist. I accept."

He released his grip, allowing the blade to cut into his chest.

Lin Qing'er exclaimed in surprise from behind, but Qin Yuan did not turn around.

The blade sank into his chest, leaving no blood, no wound. The black power of termination surged into Qin Yuan's body, clashing with the golden-red power of origin. The two forces collided, fought, and intertwined within him, like two snakes tearing at each other.

Qin Yuan bent over in pain, but he did not fall. He gritted his teeth and forced the two forces together.

"What are you doing?!" The Lord of Annihilation took a step back in shock.

Qin Yuan raised his head. His eyes had transformed into three colors—golden guardian, red origin, and black end. The three colors swirled in his pupils, like three galaxies colliding.

"I am merging," Qin Yuan said. "Origin, Guardian, End. The Trinity."

His aura began to surge.

Origin Saint Emperor Level 1 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 2 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 3 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 4 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 5 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 6 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 7 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 8 - Origin Saint Emperor Level 9 - Origin Saint Venerable Level 1!

After breaking through to the first level of the Origin Saint Venerable, his aura continued to rise, but Qin Yuan forcibly suppressed it. He didn't want to break through too much here, because there were even greater trials at the pinnacle of the myriad realms.

The Lord of Annihilation looked into his eyes and suddenly smiled.

"You succeeded," he said. "You devoured me."

Qin Yuan looked down at his chest. The black blade had vanished, replaced by a ball of black light, silently hovering over his heart. That was the core of the Lord of Annihilation.

"You weren't devoured by me," Qin Yuan said. "You chose me."

The figure of the Lord of Annihilation began to fade. His scythe transformed into black specks of light and dissipated into the void. His black robes drifted away like smoke, revealing his pale, emaciated body. Then his body also began to dissipate, turning into black specks of light bit by bit, from his feet to his head.

"Maybe." His voice grew softer and softer. "Maybe I've waited for billions of years, just for someone like you."

His last vestige of consciousness manifested as a single sentence that drifted into Qin Yuan's ears: "The end is not the end. You are right."

The Lord of Annihilation vanished completely. The black flames no longer absorbed everything, but burned calmly, like a pool of black water.

[Ding! The ruler of the Sacred Realm of the End—the Lord of Annihilation—has been defeated. Reward: Unlimited Energy Points.]

[The remnants of the Lord of Annihilation's power have been detected and have been automatically integrated.]

[Cultivation Breakthrough: Origin Saint Emperor Level 9 → Origin Saint Venerable Level 1]

[Lin Qing'er's advancement: Origin Saint Emperor Level 1 → Origin Saint Venerable Level 1.]

[Gain special item: Breath of Annihilation (grants an attack a finishing move that ignores defense).]

[Gain special item: Eye of the End (can see the end point of all things, passive effect).]

Qin Yuan turned around and walked to Lin Qing'er. Her memories had been fully restored after the Lord of Annihilation dissipated, and her eyes were as clear as ever. She looked at Qin Yuan, at the three colors of light in his eyes, and reached out to gently touch his cheek.

"You've changed," she said.

Qin Yuan took her hand. "What's changed?"

"Your eyes. Before, there was only gold, now there is red and black. It's like three worlds are reflected in your eyes."

Qin Yuan closed his eyes, then opened them again. The tri-colored light slowly faded, returning his pupils to their normal black color. "Is this okay?"

Lin Qing'er smiled. "You looked better before."

Qin Yuan smiled too. He took Lin Qing'er's hand and walked towards the exit of the Sacred Realm of the End.