"The bearing of the Golden Core realm! Zitong, is this person really just someone you casually brought in?" A familiar voice suddenly echoed in Ji Zitong's mind. It was her brother, Ji Ziyang.

She looked up and smiled faintly, replying through voice transmission.

"I didn't expect his aptitude to be this strong either. At the time, I just found him interesting. He cultivates both demonic and martial paths, yet he doesn't carry a strong yao will, and his spirit control is excellent, so I invited him on a whim. I never expected his natural talent to be this strong. He may have even opened his spirit divine repository," Ji Zitong replied through voice transmission, her impression of Lin Zheyu improving once again.

Coming from the prestigious Ji Family, her standards were high. She had already noticed something unusual about him when she was hiding in the demonic lake.

"Interesting... A spirit divine repository, eh? That alone isn't enough. He may have awakened a special spirit divine ability as well. If he doesn't already possess rule fragments and can still comprehend rule power, then that kind of spiritual divine ability is truly remarkable. That's something only Golden Core realm experts can achieve." Ji Ziyang transmitted back, his gaze growing more serious.

What was the Golden Core realm? Since ancient times, a saying had been passed down. Once a Golden Core was swallowed into the belly, one's fate was decided by oneself, not by the heavens. That was the Golden Core realm. Experts at this level had already begun to touch upon the power of rules, using their own strength to influence and grasp a fragment of that power, defying fate itself. The innate divine abilities of ancient yaos contained powerful power of rules, which was why they displayed such strange abilities. It was something they were born with, embedded in their bloodline.

Cultivators, however, were different. Aside from ancient hidden families, most cultivators lacked such bloodline inheritance. Without heaven-defying opportunities, without space-time nodes, without so-called rule fragments, it was nearly impossible for those below the Golden Core realm to comprehend the power of rules, even at its most superficial level. Anyone who could begin to grasp rule power at the Foundation Establishment realm was, without exception, an extraordinarily monstrous genius.

Ji Zitong blinked her bright eyes, her hands continuing to arrange the formation without pause. "Brother, are you thinking of befriending him?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"It'd be good to show some goodwill first and observe his temperament. If he has a strong backing, we maintain a good relationship. If not, we will try to recruit him. A genius like this, if he advances to the Golden Core realm, may even rival those at the Nascent Soul realm. A talent with such potential is worth bringing to our side," Ji Ziyang said through voice transmission, his tone extremely serious.

Just looking at those cultivators who dared to enter the space-time rift alone was enough to see how vast the gap was between true prodigies and everyone else. Though all were at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, the aura they emitted was terrifyingly powerful.

"Mm." Ji Zitong responded softly.

She casually glanced at Lin Zheyu, who was immersed in his comprehension, then lowered her head and continued focusing on the formation. This Annihilation Black Rain had come too suddenly, catching them off guard and leaving little time to set up the formation. Not everyone had the insight and perception of the Ji siblings.

Lei Yongtao, Shi Mulan, and Bai Lin all found Lin Zheyu's aura somewhat strange, but only felt a hint of doubt. None of them considered that he might be comprehending spatial power.

Hm? What is he doing?

Tu Yuan frowned slightly. He felt a faint and strange aura coming from Lin Zheyu.

The aura was extremely faint, yet it stirred a sense of caution within him, bringing with it a subtle feeling of danger. Though Tu Yuan lacked the knowledge and insight of the Ji siblings, his instincts were exceptionally sharp, allowing him to sense many unseen threats. Otherwise, he would not have survived so freely despite his notorious reputation. This time, from Lin Zheyu, he sensed a danger that made his heart uneasy.

If I'm not completely certain, I won't act myself. I'll let others test him first, Tu Yuan thought inwardly.

***

The wind howled as black gusts swept through the air. A cold, deathly aura of destruction mixed into the gale, washing over everything and making all living beings within the demon god barrier shudder violently. Lin Zheyu's body trembled as well, his soul seeming to fall into endless frost, sending a chill through him.

Ji Zitong's clear voice rang out. "This is the Wind of Annihilation. Calm your mind and guard your soul, and you can withstand it."

Lin Zheyu glanced at her in surprise. He had not even asked, yet Ji Zitong had answered on her own. He gave a slight nod in thanks, then quickly steadied his mind. Circulating the golden energy within his sea of consciousness, he protected his spirit and soul, and only then did he feel somewhat better.

"How much longer?" Lin Zheyu turned and asked Ji Zitong.

The formation had already been completed. It was enormous, covering nearly eight hundred meters in radius. As Divine Power Crystals and spirit stones were embedded, the formation began to operate.

"Soon. Once the Annihilation Wraiths outside fully take form and the yaos begin their full invasion, it will mark the official start of the worlds' fusion," Ji Zitong said.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Xiao. With that begging bowl and the Buddha hand suppressing things, the upper limit of this space-time node is only six-pattern yaos, roughly at the Golden Core realm. In the early stage of full connection, those six-pattern yaos won't dare to appear so soon. The omnipresent Wind of Annihilation, the terrifying, destructive force, and the chaotic Dao resonance all have a strong effect on yaos above that level. Creatures of that strength won't come this early," Lei Yongtao said with a grin.

His temperament was very similar to Wildman Luo's from the War God Sect. He was just as battle-crazed. Since earlier, crackling arcs of lightning had begun to flicker across Lei Yongtao's body.

"Is it the same on the other side?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

From earlier, he had already seen more than a dozen powerful figures pass through the space-time rift into the other world.

"When they infiltrate the other side of the space-time rift, it's the same as yaos entering our world. They will face tremendous suppression. Just like the Wind of Annihilation earlier, it deals severe damage to the spirit and soul of yaos, even more so than to native life here. If we go over, we'll face similar dangers.

"Fortunately, in the early stage of the worlds' connection, due to chaotic Dao resonance and interference from powerful figures, the Golden Core realm or six-pattern yaos usually won't appear. Those who dare to enter the space-time rift are all freaks who can rival Golden Core realm strength while still at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm. Their vitality is terrifying," Bai Lin said slowly, a hint of envy in his tone. He too wanted to fight his way across, but his strength was not enough. Going there would be no different from courting death.

"Many thanks for the explanation, Fellow Daoist Bai." Lin Zheyu smiled and cupped his hands.

His gaze swept across the Annihilation Wraiths that were gradually taking form as he pondered what had just been said. If Bai Lin was right, then among the yaos that would soon emerge from the space-time rift, there would surely be powerful ones at the five-pattern level, capable of matching Golden Core realm strength. When that time came, he would have to act with caution.

The wind grew stronger and stronger. The Wind of Annihilation blowing out from the space-time rift intensified to the point that Lin Zheyu could no longer calm his mind to comprehend the spatial fluctuations in the void. Still, understanding spatial rule power was not something achieved overnight, so there was no need to rush.

Time passed slowly. Lei Yongtao's expression grew increasingly excited, the arcs of lightning coursing over his body becoming more and more active. Even Bai Lin, who usually seemed steady and reserved, now had fierce battle intent in his eyes, his blood beginning to boil.

Is it starting? Lin Zheyu thought.

The roars of yaos from the other side of the space-time rift grew louder, and more and more of them surged out. Yet the moment they emerged, they were blasted to pulp by the vigilant experts around them, becoming sacrifices for the formation inscribed upon the demon-tainted soil.

After the formation was completed, Ji Ziyang held his compass and stared intently toward the space-time node. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

Ji Ziyang said with a calm voice, "It's starting! Prepare for battle!"

Immediately after, a terrifying wave of energy erupted outward from the space-time node.

In an instant, all the Annihilation Wraiths fully manifested, letting out horrifying and eerie roars that echoed throughout the demon god barrier.

All kinds of yao roars erupted from the space-time rift. Groups of yaos poured out like a tidal wave. Seeing such numbers, Lin Zheyu felt a chill in his heart. Those who dared to charge into the rift alone truly had nerves of steel.

"Heh, everyone, let's see who can kill the most yaos and Annihilation Wraiths," Lei Yongtao said with a hearty laugh.

A brilliant burst of lightning erupted from his body. With a thunderous boom underfoot, he launched himself into the air and slammed down three hundred meters away.

A deafening explosion followed. A massive battle axe formed in Lei Yongtao's hand, crackling with lightning as he swung it down at the yaos before him. A violent burst of lightning detonated outward, sending powerful currents racing across the ground and surging into nearby yaos.

So strong! Damn, he's like a version of the Thunder God from another world, Lin Zheyu thought as he watched the violent display.

Unlike Lei Yongtao's brute force, Tu Yuan flickered and sank into the demon-tainted soil. Immediately after, the charging yaos were dragged underground one after another, vanishing into the soil with dull rumbling sounds. Their roars were cut off instantly.

Ji Zitong moved as well. She rose into the air as three azure flying swords hovered around her. Her gaze was cold, her robes fluttering in the gale. Under her control, the swords shot out, weaving swiftly through the yaos, cutting them down in waves like harvesting crops.

"Not bad. As expected of geniuses. Everyone is incredibly strong," Lin Zheyu muttered after observing for a while.

Compared to the elegant and mysterious techniques of the immortal cultivators, Bai Lin's brute fighting style lacked any real finesse. Lin Zheyu flickered and vanished from his spot. With a light tap on his storage pouch, a long blade gleaming with silver-white light appeared in his hand. Under his control, demonic qi from the air surged toward him. Purple-black runes surfaced across his skin, absorbing the demonic qi and condensing it into a thin layer of demon essence.

Under the disguise of demon essence energy, Lin Zheyu plunged into the midst of the yaos as if entering an empty field. His blade flashed like lightning, slicing into a yao's neck. The golden energy within his body erupted instantly, surging into the yao's form. Its head shot into the air, its body crashed to the ground, and thick black blood poured out in streams.

The immense vitality within the yao struggled to recover, but the golden energy that had entered its body suppressed its regeneration. With only a brief delay, its vast life force was devoured by the formation inscribed on the ground, leaving it completely drained.

This was a sacrificial formation. It absorbed the blood of yaos and the Annihilation Wraiths, using the souls and energy of these invading beings to perform a ritual, increasing the chances of rule fragments descending. This was a method developed in the cultivation world to raise the probability of obtaining rule fragments.