Merin opens his eyes in satisfaction after double cultivation with Mu Jingyi, lingering beside her as he had done regularly each night.

Her Black Crow Spiritual Body has advanced to the Earthly Rank, becoming the Dead Crow Spiritual Body.

For himself, Merin completes all preparations, refining his elemental techniques: first, transforming the Wood God Technique into the Earth God Technique while opening the acupoint space in his spleen; second, the Metal God Technique with the lungs’ acupoint space; third, the Water God Technique with the kidneys’ acupoint space; and finally, today, the Fire God Technique opening the acupoint in his heart.

Now he must combine these four elemental energies with his Lightning and Wooden energies to transform his spiritual body.

Without wasting a moment, he begins, knowing the hunt of the Four Gates will commence in three days.

The next day, the young man in the black velvet robe steps into Liulan City.

People instinctively part before him, carriages halt, and horses kneel in deference, yet no one truly perceives his presence.

He enters a large mansion, and those inside immediately prostrate themselves.

Sitting on the sofa, he asks coldly, “Who took my Dead Lily?”

A man answers, “Mu Jingyi from the Mu Family.”

He commands, “Tell her to send my Dead Lily intact.”

A woman interjects, “Lord, news says Mu Jingyi’s spiritual body has advanced to Earthly Rank, so the Dead Lily must have been used.”

A wisp of black energy drifts from the young man’s hand, touching her, and she instantly turns to a skeleton.

Her soul rises and flows into a nearby lamp, igniting it with a cold, flickering light.

The people on the ground shiver, horrified by the sheer cruelty of witnessing someone they know transformed into a lamp’s flame.

The young man says, “Mu Jingyi made my plan derail, so the entire city will be sacrificed today. Start the preparations.”

No one speaks; they only nod in obedience.

He barks, “Now what are you waiting for? Go!”

The people scatter from the building, disappearing into the streets.

Meanwhile, Merin reaches the final moment of transforming his spiritual body; as the sun sets, he opens his eyes, and white lightning crackles in his hand before surging into his body and vanishing.

His spiritual body has advanced to the Earthly Rank: White Lightning Eagle.

Stretching his steps outside his room, he senses the city shrouded by a black energy dome, black energy pillars erupting across the streets.

Above, clouds swirl into the shape of a goat’s head, spraying a suffocating black gas over the city, and screams echo through every alley.

Merin sees Mu Jingyi emerge from her room and moves to call her, but in that instant, humanoid goat monsters burst into the mansion, their attacks dripping with Dead Energy.

Merin transforms into a White Lightning Eagle while Mu Jingyi becomes a Dead Crow, and together they dive into the chaos, their strikes slicing through the humanoid goat monsters with blinding speed and precision.

From a high rooftop, the young man observes Merin’s spiritual form and mutters, “I have to have it,” before vanishing and reappearing above Merin as a colossal black goat monster, rings glinting on its twisted horns, and delivers a bone-shattering punch.

Merin, caught off guard, crashes into the mansion behind, wood splintering and stone cracking beneath him.

The black goat monster lunges again, but Merin sweeps his wings like swords, sending arcs of white lightning slicing toward the attacker.

This black goat is no ordinary foe; he is a top-rank Evil Celestial Master, a full rank above Merin, and his aura radiates overwhelming malice.

The battle spreads across the city, smashing buildings, overturning streets, and forcing innocent bystanders into deadly chaos—many ordinary lives lost in the wake of their clash.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Merin attempts his dreamization technique, but the black goat’s soul is shrouded in a protective barrier, nullifying his attack.

Refusing to relent, Merin channels every elemental power he has mastered—lightning, fire, water, earth, metal, and wood—launching a relentless assault, the air around him crackling with destructive energy as he strikes again and again.

Seeing the black goat showing no signs of retreat, Merin presses the attack, scanning the city for any Top-Rank martial artists or Celestial Masters he could lure the monster toward, only to find them all engaged with one or two of their equal-rank goat monsters.

The city lies in ruin, buildings flattened, streets torn apart, and the greatest casualties are ordinary people caught in the crossfire of the two colossal powers.

Amid the devastation, Merin spots at the city’s centre a massive black egg, pulsating like a heartbeat, radiating a palpable sense of danger that tightens his chest.

Realising he cannot remain in the city with both the black goat monster and the pulsating egg, Merin sends a swift message to Mu Jingyi, instructing her to escape, while manoeuvring through the battlefield toward the barrier himself.

The intensity of the fight sharpens his mastery over his energies, and as he continues battling, his spiritual body grows stronger and more refined.

Merin’s white feathers flare red, forming a blazing ball as he crashes into the black goat monster, the sudden surge of his attack catching it off guard and sending it sliding backwards across the shattered street.

His feathers shift to a deep brown, and before the black goat can recover, the ground beneath it collapses, swallowing the creature in a pit that seals instantly.

Merin pushes forward toward the barrier, hearing a roar behind him and glancing back to see bat-like wings sprouting from the black goat as it pursues relentlessly.

Tucking his wings, Merin spins like a lightning drill, ramming the barrier with a frenzy of white energy, and with a final, forceful push, he bursts through, flying toward Mulin City.

Glancing back, he sees the black goat still in relentless pursuit, forcing him to flap and weave to maintain his escape.

Realising he cannot lead the monster into the city, he shifts his trajectory, veering away to keep at least ten kilometres from Mulin City and decides to escape into the vast expanse of the Demon Ocean.

Merin plunges into the Demon Sea, but the black goat monster relentlessly pursues him.

Noticing a strange scent in the wind, he changes direction again and, after a few minutes, spots a storm brewing ahead.

With a sharp chirp, he dives into the storm and wheels around to face the black goat monster.

Lightning from the clouds strikes Merin, but instead of hurting him, it strengthens his power.

He unleashes a barrage of elemental attacks—blazing red lightning, crackling blue, earthy brown, shining yellow, and vibrant green—toward the monster.

Merin charges with a fierce cry, white lightning crackling along his feathers as he unleashes a storm of red, blue, brown, yellow, and green bolts that strike the black goat monster from all directions.

The monster roars, swinging its horns and fists to block the assault, but Merin’s relentless lightning overwhelms its defences, searing its hide and charring the air around them.

Merin spirals above, releasing a concentrated bolt that splits into dozens of jagged forks, slamming into the monster and throwing it backwards into the crashing waves of the Demon Ocean.

Each strike lands with thunderous impact, the black goat struggling to regain footing as Merin hammers it with unyielding speed and precision, leaving trails of scorched energy in his wake.

The monster tries to retaliate, summoning dark energy blasts, but Merin weaves through them effortlessly, each movement faster than the eye can follow, lightning crackling from his wings and beak.

With a final, overwhelming surge, Merin condenses all his elemental energy into a blinding white lightning spear and plunges it directly into the black goat, the force detonating in a storm of sparks and shockwaves that shakes the skies and churns the ocean beneath.

The black goat monster screeches, its body writhing under the assault, as Merin hovers above, unrelenting, lightning crackling in an unbroken storm that leaves the creature scorched, staggering, and completely overpowered.

Merin dives, wings blazing with white lightning, trailing arcs of red, blue, brown, yellow, and green energy, each strike hitting the black goat monster with explosive force that shatters the waves of the Demon Ocean beneath them.

The monster tries to counter, swinging its ringed horns and clawed hands, sending black energy slashing through the storm, but every attack is intercepted by Merin’s feathers, which move faster than the eye can follow, each strike leaving sizzling scorch marks on its hide.

Merin spirals higher, unleashing a storm of jagged lightning bolts that split midair, striking from impossible angles, leaving the black goat staggered and roaring in fury, its dark energy flickering under the onslaught.

The ocean erupts with steam and churning waves as lightning clashes with black energy, the air thick with the smell of ozone and burnt flesh.

Merin suddenly descends like a comet, feathers igniting into blinding white fire, and slams into the monster’s chest with a concentrated surge of all elemental energies, piercing its dark spiritual core.

The black goat screeches in agony, body convulsing as smoke and sparks erupt from its wounds, black blood sizzling as it scorches the waves.

Merin hovers above, relentless, circling and striking again and again with unstoppable precision, driving the monster to the brink of collapse.

Every strike sends the black goat monster crashing backwards, waves slamming over its body while lightning scorches its limbs and horns, leaving it broken, staggering, and its black aura flickering faintly under Merin’s storm.

The storm’s lightning converges on Merin, his aura rising higher as his grasp of lightning deepens, and the Law of Thunder engraves itself sharply into his spirit.

With a roar of power, Merin shapes the surrounding lightning into a colossal sword, driving it through the monster’s chest as thunder explodes within, ripping its body to shreds in a storm of light.

Landing cross-legged in the storm’s heart, Merin draws the lightning into himself, runes across his spirit body shifting as his form grows larger, and a second pair of wings bursts forth behind him.

His aura stabilises, then erupts, and in the next breath, he becomes pure lightning, streaking across the skies toward Liulan City as the storm follows behind, roaring with endless thunder.

In this life-and-death battle, the Laws and principles he once grasped in other worlds fuse with those of this one, elevating his spirit body beyond its limits and breaking through to the Heavenly Rank.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep