Liang looked at the egg with anticipation and desire. It's not an ordinary spirit being egg, but it belongs to an ancient and primordial race that once existed in the Devil Realm known as the Infernal Void Serpent, a mysterious race that is even more powerful than ordinary true dragons.
However, this egg seems to be entirely devoid of any life force, implying that the creature it contains has already met its end. Had it been alive, it wouldn't have been his turn to claim it.
With a mere flick of his fingers, a singular drop of crimson blood appeared on his hand, which fell onto the surface of the egg, stirring the mystical runes on its surface until they shone with a faint, yet luminous, light. Seeing this, a smile crept onto his visage. The source of this crimson blood essence came from a mysterious phoenix that once inhabited the infernal bowels of the Devil Realm - the Dark Phoenix - an ancient race capable of reviving itself by using a unique flame known as Infernal Flames.
Although the drop was minute, it imbued the egg with a flicker of vitality.
Taking the reincarnation Dao crystal, he dropped his blood essence on it until it turned completely red, then placed it gently on top of the egg. As the crystal connected with the egg's surface, the two began uniting, Soon, after, the crystal dissolved into the egg as a new set of intricate symbols and runes emerged on the surface, taking its place.
As Liang gazed upon the egg, his smile broadened. feeling a sense of excitement and anticipation building within him. Carefully, he took hold of the heavenly soul grass and began to savour its essence, until it was fully consumed. Then, with precise movements while murmuring ancient incantations, he began to form intricate seals, each one pulsating with power. Slowly, Liang's outer form began to dissolve, his skin, flesh, blood, and bones dissipating until all that was left was his pure and vibrant nascent soul, surrounded by a radiant aura of energy.
Soon after, even the nascent soul began to dissipate, seeping into the surrounding air, until only a pure, translucent sphere of energy remained.
It was Liang consciousness.
His consciousness was drawn towards the egg, compelled by an irresistible force emanating from within. Gradually, it drifted closer until it merged seamlessly with the egg, and everything went still. The atmosphere was hushed as though holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
Suddenly, a blinding light erupted from within the egg, radiating outward to illuminate the surroundings. The light grew in intensity and brilliance, pulsing like a living thing out of control before finally subsiding. When everything fell silent, a new sense of power permeated the area around the egg, causing the air to stir with anticipation and excitement.
The sky darkened, as ominous clouds rapidly gathered from all directions, signalling the arrival of a Heavenly Tribulation. The air became electric, as bolts of brilliant lightning began to strike with lethal precision, causing widespread destruction and havoc across the world. The living and non-living alike were mercilessly incinerated by the power of this divine punishment.
Gradually, the focus of the lightning's wrath began to shift, converging relentlessly towards the ten great cities. The thunderous roar of the heavens echoed across the land, and even the most formidable spirit cultivators and horrifying devils were wiped out in its wake.
Amidst the deafening chaos and brutality of the disaster, none of the higher cultivators noticed a small, seemingly insignificant place being struck by lightning. Its power, however, was far from ordinary, and the destruction it brought would soon prove to be anything but minor.
Liang had long anticipated the consequences of his plan. He was well aware that upon merging with the egg, he would be subjected to a devastating Heavenly Punishment, the likes of which had not been seen in thousands of years. Despite this, he remained determined to proceed, driven by his insatiable thirst for power and immortality. As he prepared to embrace his destiny, he knew that the risks he faced were immense, but the potential rewards far outweighed the cost. He steeled himself for what was to come, knowing that whatever happened, he would emerge stronger and more formidable than ever before.
Liang's soul had been utterly disintegrated, rendering him technically deceased. However, the potent essence of the heavenly soul grass had preserved his consciousness, granting him a semblance of existence. Armed with the Reincarnation Dao crystal, he could have chosen to go through the reincarnation once more with all his memories intact, yet when the crystal power merged with the egg and his blood essence, it created an unprecedented bond between them.
As a result, he didn't merely embark on another round of reincarnation with all his memories intact, but reincarnated in the body of the creature inside the egg; In other words Liang is breathing life into a deceased being, something that had never been attempted before.
As if the heavens themselves had finally located their intended target, they unleashed their wrath upon the land. The heavenly tribulation lightning converged with an otherworldly power upon the Blood Moon City, causing the air to crackle with electricity. Its intensity continued to grow exponentially with each passing moment, until it coalesced into a singular, monstrous force that blotted out the sky above, a menacing omen of the destruction to come.
With a resounding boom, the tribulation of lightning struck the city, obliterating it in a blinding flash of light. In a matter of seconds, one of the ten great cities had ceased to exist, its inhabitants erased from existence without a trace. Not even a whisper remained to tell of the once bustling metropolis that had been reduced to ash and rubble in the blink of an eye.
Amidst the chaos and battle raging on, the unfolding events were so tumultuous that almost nobody noticed what was happening. And for those who did, it was a mere fleeting thought, as survival was the only thing on their minds in such a brutal war. When death is staring you in the face, everything else seems trivial and insignificant.
Right from the moment he realized that he couldn't break through to the Spirit Severing Realm and stumbled upon the Reincarnation Crystal, he had been formulating his plan all along.
He realized that the only way to prevent anyone from noticing his reincarnation was a massive invasion, one that would overshadow everything else, as regular war wouldn't do. That's when the idea to use the Devils came to him.
Without delay, he began exploring various methods to establish communication with the Devils. After successfully negotiating a deal with them, he proceeded to carefully strategize and implement his plan.
As the conflict continued to escalate, it inflicted increasingly devastating damage upon the world's population, with countless billions of lives lost to the endless carnage. The Heavenly Lightning punishments in particular were responsible for a staggering number of fatalities, further amplifying the already staggering death toll.
As a result, it is nearly impossible to ascertain an accurate count of the lives claimed by the Heavenly Lightning punishment. Not only did it obliterate mortal bodies, but it also completely annihilated the corpses of cultivators, leaving no clear record of those who had perished.
The battle between the Spirit Severing Realm ancestors and the Devil Kings raged on relentlessly, with five new cultivators recently joining the fray. These five individuals were the most elite and formidable cultivators from the remaining five cities, each pitted against one of the powerful Devil Kings in brutal combat.
Abruptly, a strange occurrence transpired- the spirit formation initially responsible for summoning the Five Devil Kings underwent a reversal in activation, The formation seemed to be drawing the Devil Kings back to the Devil Realm. An intense suction force forcefully tugged at the souls of all five Devil Kings, as they struggled and writhed in pure bewilderment.
Their unison cries echoed through the air, and their eyes blazed with wrath as they all shouted, "LIANG YIFEI!"