Lin Moyu could imagine it: when such a being stands at the very peak of the world, alone and aloof, with no one left to walk beside him, how desolate he must feel. While he was refining worlds, he was also seeking opponents. A being like that seemed born for battle.
The Primordial Chaos Gem said, "He leapt—without hesitation—out of the worlds and into the Forbidden Zone of Life."
"And then?" Lin asked.
"There was no 'then,'" the gem shook its head. "After entering the Forbidden Zone of Life, he lasted only ten breaths before his body shattered and his dao perished."
Lin frowned. "Even someone that strong could only last ten breaths?"
"That's why I call that place the Forbidden Zone of Life," the gem replied. "No living being can enter it—not even him. He had calculated it: he could last ten breaths. Any other Supreme wouldn't endure even a single breath. He had refined nine hundred and ninety-nine worlds; his power was at the absolute limit, and still he could only last ten breaths. That's how terrifying the Forbidden Zone of Life is."
The thought that he himself still wished to enter the Forbidden Zone did feel like hubris. A moment of doubt flickered in Lin's heart—then vanished. So what if it's a wild dream? Without wild dreams, how is one different from a salted fish? If you don't try, how will you know it can't be done? At that moment Lin felt he could understand that Supreme's choice: even if it meant death and ruin, he would have no regrets.
"What was his name?" Lin asked.
"He was an outsider, but he achieved the dao in the Pocang world. People called him the Pocang Emperor-Lord," said the gem.
"What level did his body and soul reach back then?" Lin asked.
The gem smiled. "Master has finally asked the key question. His body and soul both reached the limit a world can accommodate. Each time he refined a world, his body and soul grew a little stronger. So let me tell you plainly: merely reaching a world's limit is not enough. If you want to enter the Forbidden Zone of Life, you must break past that limit. Had he held on a little longer and continued refining worlds to push himself beyond the limit, perhaps he really could have survived inside."
"Maybe he had some unspeakable difficulty," Lin said.
The gem nodded. "Watching the whole process, I noticed a problem. The Pocang Emperor-Lord was strong, yes, but he never refined a world remnant of an eight-cycle world. The highest he managed was a seven-cycle world remnant. Worlds of seven cycles or more have never birthed a Supreme. After one calamity after another, they become world remnants—extremely dangerous ones that ordinary Supremes dare not touch. As the foremost among Supremes, refining remnants wasn't hard for him, yet the highest he succeeded with was seven-cycle. He did attempt an eight-cycle remnant—entered it, stayed for a time, and withdrew—unable to refine it. He never tried again. If he'd refined an eight-cycle remnant then, the outcome might have been different."
"So in the end, he didn't break the world's limit on body and soul," Lin said. "To enter the Forbidden Zone, you have to break it. He should have known that—why rush to die?"
The gem shook his head. "That I don't know. He had no friends; it was battle and only battle. He rarely spoke. No one knew what he was thinking."
"Did he leave nothing behind? You must have paid him close attention. His expression—his eyes—there had to be some trace of feeling," Lin pressed.
"'Close attention' is relative," the gem said. "I have too much to watch; he was just one thread. As for his emotions—there were some. I watched those final ten breaths. He was… unwilling."
"Only unwillingness?" Lin asked.
The gem nodded. "Yes. Only unwilling. No regret, no complaint—just unwillingness. That is a true strong one—never blaming the world, only the will to fight without end."
Yet Lin felt he lacked something—perhaps exactly what kept him from breaking the body-and-soul limit.
"Why tell me the Pocang Emperor-Lord's story?" Lin asked.
"You're my Master, and you want to enter the Forbidden Zone of Life," the gem said. "I'm giving you mental preparation—know when you can go."
"Fair enough," Lin said. "You've been in the Forbidden Zone so many years—besides him, was there truly nothing else worth your close attention?"
"Too many things," the gem snorted. "He's unique, but next to him there were others—still not a few. If I started, I could talk for years. I'm too lazy. Knowing just about the Pocang Emperor-Lord is enough."
"If time could go back," Lin sighed, "I'd ask him why he was so hasty to enter the Forbidden Zone of Life."
"That isn't what Master should dwell on," the gem said. "He's a case study. Learn what you should do."
"Understood," Lin said, letting it go.
The Worldburning Flame finally finished refining that mirror. The mirror held a fair amount of Primordial Dawn Qi, and the flame feasted, growing stronger again. The remaining fragments were still excellent materials. The Silverlight Rabbit clan's arts aren't picky—good or bad, they can use it all.
The Du'e Boat set off again. Perhaps the Cause-Seeking Ring's seeded fruit had taken effect; Lin felt he was on the right heading. After entering the deepest part of the Ancient Wilds, Lin sensed his soul touched by a certain aura—compared to before, something had changed. It felt like returning to the womb—not fear, but peace.
The gem explained, "Your soul is strong enough to feel the residual aura from the very birth of a world in the Ancient Wilds' depths. It's the most primordial breath of a world. Beings born within a world—once their souls are strong enough—can sense it. Many top 'full-perfection' experts and Almighties can feel it. It calms you, yet within the calm lies a keen killing intent."
On the way, the Du'e Boat encountered several beings, none stronger than that mirror; all became food for the Worldburning Flame, and Lin harvested several world-origin primal materials. To him, the Ancient Wilds' depths felt tailor-made—a blessed land. Those beings strong enough to kill top full-perfection experts and trouble Almighties were nothing before the Worldburning Flame. His body and soul had no shackles here: so long as he and the Du'e Boat could endure, the flame could burn the enemy to death.
As the flame burned on, it grew ever stronger; a thread of gold appeared in its crimson. At this pace it would soon undergo another metamorphosis. Since obtaining it, the flame had transformed several times; each time, strange colors appeared within the fire as a sign; after the metamorphosis, it returned to crimson—heavier, denser, and far more potent. When fire itself carries weight, just the sight of it is terrifying. The Worldburning Flame was precisely such a fire.
They pressed on. Lin lost his sense of time—only that he'd been here a long while. Bouts of impatience rose again and again. He began to understand the Primordial Chaos Gem a little: wandering the Forbidden Zone alone for countless years—quieter still than here—would drive anyone mad. The waves of impatience kept coming; at first uncomfortable, then Lin treated them as dao-heart tempering and gradually adapted.
One day, the Du'e Boat trembled—a vibration it had never shown before. Only one thing could cause that.
Lin slowly opened his eyes, light flashing within. He woke from his dao-heart training and spoke three words: "Ancient Wilds Gold." Only Ancient Wilds Gold would resonate with the Du'e Boat and trigger such anomalies.
The Du'e Boat glowed. They had left the Chaos completely; the Concealing Spirit Pearl was almost useless. In the black void, the Du'e Boat became the brightest star. As it shone, a distant point of light flared in answer. The two resonated—same root, same source—like blood brothers calling to each other.
"Found it at last," Lin said, pleased. With Ancient Wilds Gold, the Du'e Boat could be restored.
Little Tree, who was piloting, warned, "Master, the Ancient Wilds Gold ahead is not ordinary. Be careful."
Lin already felt it: the boat wanted the gold, and the gold wanted the boat.
With a thunderous crack the Du'e Boat lurched. "Master, the boat is out of control!" Little Tree blurted. The Du'e Boat shot toward the Ancient Wilds Gold, as if bound by ropes—a vast power tugged it in. The other side was clearly impatient. That was fine; Lin intended to go anyway, so he didn't resist.
He soon saw it: a giant with only one hand and one leg, standing in the void, staring hungrily at the Du'e Boat. In its chest, a chunk of Ancient Wilds Gold glowed, its light flowing like water across the giant's body to form a thin-looking yet truly sturdy armor.
"So it wants to use the boat's Ancient Wilds Gold to repair itself. Who did it fight to lose a limb?" Lin mused. Ancient Wilds Gold is unimaginably tough; to break a giant like that is beyond an ordinary Almighty.
"Master, you're being dull," the Primordial Chaos Gem cut in. "It wasn't injured—it was born like this."
"Born like this?" Lin was surprised. "Even without intellect, it shouldn't have evolved as maimed."
"I don't know the specifics," the gem said, "but at the start of its evolution, it really was like this. To restore itself, it must obtain another piece of Ancient Wilds Gold."
"Can an Almighty shatter Ancient Wilds Gold?" Lin asked.
"That depends on the Almighty," the gem said. "The weak can't. The strong can—given time."
The gold-giant let out a silent roar; its pull surged. The Du'e Boat boomed and shuddered. Gold light welled up inside the hull—as if something wanted to tear free.
Not good. The giant was trying to rip the Ancient Wilds Gold out of the Du'e Boat. Without it, the boat would disintegrate. Lin would never allow that. He waved, storing the Du'e Boat, and faced the giant directly.
The boat gone, the giant roared in fury. Lin's soul trembled as a giant phantom appeared outside his soul-world. It should have manifested within the soul-world, but Lin's soul-world was guarded by Primordial Dawn Qi, so it couldn't invade. Frustrated, the giant pounded at the soul-world from outside, but no matter how it raged, it couldn't break through.
"Didn't expect Ancient Wilds Gold to be adept at soul attacks," Lin said, surprised.
"Nothing strange," the gem said blandly. "Ancient Wilds Gold is a peerless treasure among world-origin materials. Its defense is supreme—not just for flesh, but also for soul. By the same logic, it possessing soul-attack methods isn't surprising."
Lin smiled. "Fair enough." He could feel the giant's physical defense was outrageous—beyond what he could break. But he didn't need to.
He thrust out a hand. The Worldburning Flame flooded forth, turning into fire-dragons that coiled in the air and then burst into a sea of fire. The giant hadn't sensed the danger; by the time it noticed, it was too late.
"Let's see whether your soul is stronger, or my Worldburning Flame," Lin murmured.
On this road, the Worldburning Flame had grown ceaselessly; the gold within the fire had grown bright. Against these beings born in the Ancient Wilds' depths, it was a natural nemesis. The fire swiftly climbed the giant and seeped inward. The giant seemed oblivious to danger—or perhaps it didn't even understand what "danger" was.
Lin knew there was no dealing with Ancient Wilds Gold itself; only the flame could work here.
The flame reached the Ancient Wilds Gold. The void shuddered. Lin faintly heard a scream. Outside the soul-world, the giant clutched its head and howled in pain. The Worldburning Flame perfectly countered these beings—no matter how strong the body, once the soul burns to ash, what use is a body?
"Tsk, tsk—what a flame," the gem marveled. Even he couldn't tell where the Worldburning Flame came from; in all other worlds he'd never seen its like.
The scream went on. After half a day, the gold-born giant collapsed on the spot. Only a piece of black-streaked-with-gold metal remained in the void. The small remnant of Primordial Dawn Qi within it was promptly devoured by the Worldburning Flame.