Chapter 48: Living On Though Dead, Reincarnation Ends

Upon the field of slaughter, Li Changan’s aura erupted with sudden, cataclysmic violence, torrential currents of vital force surging through every meridian of his flesh to crash into his dantian, spinning there into a maelstrom of solidifying energy.

The vortex contracted, condensing inward with relentless ferocity.

At last, it hardened into the likeness of tempered iron, radiating a brilliant, searing golden light!

And in that transcendent instant, his power climbed by leaps and bounds, breaching the threshold of the Martial Saint—a realm most warriors could not hope to touch in a lifetime of striving.

In truth, he had already been hovering at the precipice of the late Martial King stage.

Yet he had remained perpetually ensnared by twin bottlenecks: an insufficient accumulation of internal energy and a sheer deficit of cultivation experience, leaving him unable to take that final, crucial step.

There was no alternative; time had been a luxury denied to him.

Had the imperial court’s encirclement been delayed by even three or five years, he would have broken through to the Martial Saint realm with ease.

But as it stood, he had been in this world for a mere ten years, all told—far too brief a span to amass the vast reservoir of energy required for such a grand ascension.

Even so, he had long foreseen that such a day might come, and he was not entirely without recourse.

Now, leveraging his heaven-defying comprehension, he mirrored the complex pathways of energy flowing through the several Martial Saints surrounding him, forcibly guiding his own internal currents into a desperate, final gamble.

The consequence of this gambit was severe: he could only touch the domain of the Martial Saint for a fleeting moment, and once his energy dissipated, his overtaxed meridians would collapse, leaving his internal organs to wither and bring about swift death.

In other words, it was an act of absolute self-destruction.

Yet the efficacy of this desperate measure was undeniable.

Beholding Li Changan as his aura climbed to terrifying heights, the countenances of the several Martial Saints from the demonic Qing court twisted in sudden, profound shock; clearly, they had never imagined he could achieve a breakthrough at such a desperate juncture!

One of them could not suppress a low, horrified gasp: "The heritages of the Martial Saints across the Central Plains should have been utterly exterminated by us; how is it possible for him to break through to the Martial Saint realm now?"

A ten-year-old Martial Saint, even if only for a transient moment, was a terrifying prospect—a phenomenon that, if spoken of, would stagger the world and utterly shatter the historic record for the youngest ever to attain such a height!

Yet, though astonishment gripped their hearts, they felt little true terror.

Even if Li Changan were a genuine Martial Saint, let alone a fleeting facsimile, what of it?

With the five of them pooling their might, it would be more than enough to corner and slaughter him.

The clash erupted in an instant!

Yet it was far from the earth-shattering cataclysm everyone had anticipated.

Li Changan’s silhouette dissolved into thin air, and in the moment he reappeared, his hand closed like a vice around the Martial Saint with avian plumage growing from his back, tearing the wings from the man's spine with a brutal, savage wrench of his arms!

That Martial Saint cried out in terror, staggering back several hundred meters before he could barely steady his footing!

But Li Changan did not stay his hand; with a sudden, violent heave, he hurled his blood-drenched saber, pinning that Martial Saint hard against the earth before anyone could even register the motion!

Having done this,

Li Changan’s form seemed to still linger in his original position.

Yet in the very next heartbeat, the Martial Saint aloft in midair, whose arms were bristling with bone spurs, was struck as if by a cannonball, his entire body blasted backward thousands of meters to vanish utterly from their sight.

A mere three strikes, spanning less than a single second, and one Martial Saint lay pinned to the earth while another was sent hurtling thousands of meters away by a single blow.

Their fates, whether life or death, remained unknown.

Though the remaining three had realized what was happening mid-battle and sought to turn back in rescue, Li Changan’s speed and explosive might were simply too terrifying.

Before they could even alter their tactics, their numbers had already been precipitously halved.

Gazing upon the youth before them—his face still bearing the traces of innocence yet radiating a chilling, absolute intent to kill—the remaining three felt a deep, heavy dread and horror bloom within their chests.

Having felled two of his foes in rapid succession, Li Changan abruptly halted his advance, throwing his head back in a booming laugh: "A single spark can start a prairie fire! Though I die today, my Dao shall endure forever! You lot... wait for me in hell!"

As the final word left his lips, blood erupted from his body like a torrential waterfall, and his internal energy reversed its flow, claiming his life.

...0...

......

Li Changan felt his consciousness drift away from his flesh, returning once more to that pure white space, a realm both intimately familiar and strangely foreign.

[Ding! The system detects that the host has departed the world of reincarnation. The initial defiance of fate has concluded!]

[Commencing settlement calculations!]

[Fate Node I: At five years old, you were physically robust and overflowing with vital energy, rewriting your destiny of stunted growth and starvation, and earning a measure of fame around Li Family Village as a 'child prodigy'!]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to E-grade, yielding an additional 3,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node II: You successfully survived for ten years amidst the chaotic era of the demonic Qing, reversing your destined death at the age of six; your reincarnation evaluation rises to D-!]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to D-grade, awarding 5,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node III: When floodwaters raged and disasters plagued the land, you practiced medicine and offered relief to the world, saving tens of thousands of common folk; your reincarnation evaluation rises to C-grade!]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to C-grade, awarding 7,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node IV: Driven to absolute fury by the abduction of your parents by Master Wang and Magistrate Chai, you slaughtered your way through the Sanhuang County Magistrate's Yamen until it ran red with blood!]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to C+-grade, awarding 10,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node V: As the river waters swelled and deluges returned, you walked upon the waves and struck down the malicious dragon, its blood staining the river crimson, successfully averting a catastrophe that threatened to consume Fengzhou.]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to B--grade, awarding 15,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node VI: You launched the Taiping Uprising and became the leader of the Taiping Rebel Army, revered by all under heaven as the 'Celestial Master of Taiping'!]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to B-grade, awarding 20,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node VII: Threatened by your towering renown, the demonic Qing court dispatched hundreds of thousands of troops and six Martial Saints capable of sweeping the world; you rode out alone, slaying two Martial Saints amidst the vast host and buying sufficient time for the Taiping Army to retreat.]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to A-grade, awarding 30,000 reincarnation points!]

[Fate Node VIII: Though your body perished, your will was never extinguished; the Taiping Rebel Army inherited your resolve, scattering your legacy across the land. From then on, the martial path was no longer the exclusive privilege of a select few, and insurgent armies multiplied across the world, growing ever stronger.]

[Ultimately, your disciple Li San fulfilled your dying wish, successfully overthrowing the demonic Qing thirty years after your passing to establish the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom—a realm where martial arts flourished and every soul possessed the potential of a dragon.]

[You were personally elevated to the pantheon by your former disciples, revered by all under heaven as the 'Heavenly Master of Taiping,' your incense offerings enduring unbroken for thousands of years!]

[Reincarnation evaluation raised to S-grade, awarding 50,000 reincarnation points and Reincarnation Authority * 3!]

[Settlement concluded. Though this life of yours was brief, it was magnificent in its splendor.]

[As the host has exceeded the requirements of this reincarnation mission, the imprint grants an additional bonus: Innate Divine Ability Draw Opportunity * 1, S-grade Source Infusion * 1, and Arable High-Grade Spirit Fields * 5!]

A continuous stream of information flashed across his vision.

Li Changan exhaled softly, a sigh of profound relief lifting from his chest as a relaxed smile graced his features.

Though many imperfections had marred the course of this reincarnation, it could hardly be deemed a failure.

When all was tallied, it had earned him a chance to draw an innate divine ability, an opportunity for an S-grade source infusion, five plots of high-grade spirit fields, and a grand total of one hundred and forty thousand reincarnation points!

......