Chapter 179: Replication

Death became the dominant rhythm of the world.

Once again, the entire Second Heaven had its perception of what a "demon" was—utterly shattered and rewritten.

Within the city, flames soared into the sky. Vengeful spirits rampaged.

The screams that had first rung out one after another gradually fell into eerie silence.

This city—within a staggeringly short span of time—had fallen into deathly stillness.

Lu Ye returned once more to the top of the city wall.

Some had died.

Some were still alive.

A wave of sword light swept toward the survivors.

Many closed their eyes, waiting for death.

This whole thing, from start to now, had been completely baffling to these people.

Disciples of the Grand Dao Sect still understood some of it. They knew Lu Ye had once been a disciple in the First Heaven.

But the others? They honestly had no idea where they'd supposedly known Lu Ye from.

Now look—this devil had lost his mind and was on a killing spree.

If they hadn't died at the hands of the Jiang Clan, they were now going to die at the hands of this monster.

Ding ding ding...

The seals were lifted.

Lu Ye looked at them.

He already understood—whatever bonds had existed in his previous life, they could no longer be carried forward into this one.

Still, it was enough that they’d once existed.

Lu Ye turned to leave.

“Lu Ye!”

Someone called out to him.

He didn’t turn back—just paused for a moment.

“You’re not a demon! You’ve done nothing wrong!”

Even if the whole world wants to kill you—you are not the one in the wrong.

Lu Ye smiled faintly.

The Grand Dao Sect had raised its disciples decently well. Whatever else, at least their sense of right and wrong was intact.

But things weren’t over yet.

Was Lu Ye in the wrong? Absolutely not.

But was he a demon? ...That wasn’t so certain.

The black clouds churned and rolled, following Lu Ye as he walked. Behind the city, towering mountains rose from the earth, peaks like dragons winding through the clouds.

Among these mountains were countless pavilions and towers, nestled among the peaks as though the very mountains bowed in reverence to them.

At the center of it all, two massive ancient seal characters glowed atop the tallest peak—Jiang Estate!

The Jiang Clan’s great defensive formation had been fully activated. Drawing strength from the surrounding mountains, they had constructed an ultimate-grade formation known as the Mountain-Sea Void Array.

The black clouds spread out, blanketing the entire Jiang Clan.

They were submerged in darkness. Countless eyes stared down at them, as if ready to pounce at any moment and tear them all to shreds.

A tidal wave of momentum crashed down upon the Jiang Clan.

At this moment, the entire Jiang Clan was enveloped in boundless, crushing fear.

They had begged the Third Heaven for aid, but all they’d received in response was a single artifact.

That artifact was called the Void Shuttle.

The Third Heaven had told them: if things became hopeless, use the shuttle to escape.

The laws laid down by the Nine Heavens Grand Saints were not to be broken by just anyone.

Which meant that at this moment, the Jiang Clan was steeped in pure despair.

Lu Ye stared coldly at the Jiang Clan.

The Mountain-Sea Void Array—he was no stranger to it. In fact, he’d once helped improve its structure.

So now? It was as good as nonexistent to him.

Jiang Die appeared, clad in a black battle-dress.

Her eyes were bright, her teeth white, her skin like snow—gorgeous beyond belief. The black battle-dress hugged every curve of her body, and she radiated the aura of a natural ruler. She was truly like an icy rose blooming atop a high peak—a black rose, proud and untouchable.

“Husband... long time no see.”

Jiang Die spoke.

Those first words stunned everyone.

Husband???

Lu Ye was Jiang Die’s husband?

They were Dao partners?

How did that make sense? Hadn’t Lu Ye just ascended recently? Hadn’t Jiang Die always been a figure of the Second Heaven?

When had they become Dao partners?

The cultivators watching via the Heaven’s Mirror were dumbfounded.

The members of the Jiang Clan were even more dumbfounded.

Wasn’t there a proposal just recently, from several elders, suggesting that someone like Lu Ye—a supreme genius—should be bound to the Jiang Clan through marriage?

Now you’re telling us Jiang Die was already his Dao companion?

If there had been no hostility—having a son-in-law like Lu Ye would’ve made the Jiang Clan soar instantly.

What the hell was Jiang Die thinking?!

Lu Ye’s aura had fully condensed. His fist slowly rose.

Now that they were enemies, to be called "husband" again only filled him with revulsion.

Still, the fact that Jiang Die could maintain such confidence even now sparked a flicker of curiosity in Lu Ye.

“Let me see what you’ve got,” he said.

Jiang Die’s expression grew solemn—but she still smiled.

“I won’t disappoint you, husband.”

At that moment, the aura of Silkworm Nine Transformations burst from Jiang Die’s body. Already at Heavenly Lord Ninth Realm, she shattered her bottleneck on the spot.

The aura of Destiny bloomed from her.

From Heavenly God Realm—she advanced into the Destiny Realm.

To know destiny, touch causality, defy fate, and glimpse eternity.

Jiang Die knowing Silkworm Nine Transformations wasn’t strange. It was a foolproof burst-type technique—even Shangguan Huanling had learned it.

But when she struck out—

Lu Ye’s eyes narrowed.

What the hell?

“Heavenly Venerable Fist!” Jiang Die shouted.

The Dao—identical.

The fist—identical.

This wasn’t some half-assed version like Shangguan Huanling’s. This was the real thing—Lu Ye’s own ultimate technique from the Heavenly Lord Realm: Heavenly Venerable Fist.

Its momentum, its Dao resonance, the circulation of its ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) true essence—all were identical to Lu Ye’s own.

The only difference between the two—

Was cultivation level.

Lu Ye understood.

No wonder Jiang Die had been so arrogant.

So this was her trump card.

She had somehow replicated so much from him. She had even replicated the Heavenly Venerable Fist. Her arrogance... made sense now.

Boom!

Two Heavenly Venerable Fists collided in the air.

The explosion tore through the sky.

A vast rift cracked open in the void, sucking in the berserk energies to prevent devastating damage to the world.

Lu Ye’s fist imprint shattered instantly.

Jiang Die’s imprint dimmed severely—but it still shot toward Lu Ye.

He didn’t even lift a hand.

That dim fist shattered against him, unable to reach.

Impossible!

Jiang Die’s eyes went wide in shock.

Her current cultivation was two major realms higher than Lu Ye’s—and yet her most powerful Heavenly Venerable Fist had been nearly destroyed in mutual collapse?

Two realm difference?

“I don’t believe it!”

Jiang Die turned into a streak of light and charged at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye also exploded forward.

BOOM!

Fists collided.

A stone sword clashed with a silver-white longsword.

“Tongtian Fist!”

“Tongtian Fist!”

“Supreme Sword of Spirit Communion!”

“Supreme Sword of Spirit Communion!”

Identical combat techniques. No difference at all.

The monstrous aura behind Lu Ye pushed him forward, allowing him to go blow-for-blow against the Destiny-tier Jiang Die.

“Nine Heavens Step!”

“Nine Heavens Step!”

Their figures flitted through the void—vanishing, reappearing.

The two of them charged into the mountain range.

Heaven and earth flipped.

Mountains collapsed. The ground shook.

Battle. Battle. Battle!

Lu Ye felt like he was fighting himself.

Jiang Die was like a mirror image of him—another Lu Ye.

She had truly learned far too much from him.

As Jiang Die gradually forced Lu Ye onto the defensive, the entire Second Heaven seemed to light up with celebration.

Rank One on the Heavenly God Rankings—no wonder she was Rank One.

Even though the Heavenly God Rankings were just a local Second Heaven ranking system, not very authoritative...

Still—if you could reach the top, you were basically the strongest in the Second Heaven.

And now, watching this—Jiang Die’s position as Number One was well deserved.