"Reincarnation Will..."
Rosen suppressed the urge to seek out the Reincarnation Will immediately. He knew very well that even if the Reincarnation Will was trapped within the world barrier, it was still not something he, with his current temporary transcendence, could deal with. Moreover, the immediate threat before him was the immune cell, which, like him, controlled a portion of the Great Dao of Reincarnation authority. Failing to resolve this threat would leave him vulnerable to attack from both sides, ensuring his complete demise.
Like a hollow glass sphere, the new universe that created the immune cell easily shattered from within. From the shattered universe, a monster enveloped in black smoke formed from cosmic death qi burst forth. Rosen recognized it at a glance: it was an illusionary beast, specifically one that should have originated from the Phantom Beast Universe. This was a type of life form born with infinite possibilities. When first created, they were all bodiless soul entities, but upon contact with information fantasized by intelligent life forms in other universes, they could absorb these fantasies and evolve into corresponding illusionary beasts.
Illusionary beasts possessed intelligence, but not much, and even illusionary beasts of the Reincarnation Lifeform level were no exception. Therefore, the Phantom Beast Universe had historically been a target of contention for nearby universes, all hoping to capture a Reincarnation Illusionary Beast to make it their pet. The destiny computer stored data from countless universes and civilizations, and in a blink of an eye, it retrieved the origin of the illusionary beast before them.
There was a legendary fantasy in the Death Universe: that ultimate death surely existed in the Great Reincarnation Realm. The entity that controlled ultimate death was called the Doom Beast. Legend said the Doom Beast was born to bestow death upon the Great Reincarnation Realm, wielding the ultimate death. It naturally fed on universes and Reincarnation Lifeforms, and anything consumed by the Doom Beast would completely perish.
The Unkillable Foe
Although this was merely a ridiculous legend, no one in the Death Universe took it seriously. After all, many intelligent life forms enjoyed fabricating stories. If the destiny computer hadn't absorbed and stored every piece of information, it would have been almost impossible to know the origin of this illusionary beast, which had evolved into a Doom Beast, because even the Death Sovereign might not have known such a legend existed.
Rosen, recalling the information about the Doom Beast, turned and fled without hesitation. The moment he successfully escaped, the irrational Doom Beast randomly selected the Fertility Sovereign. The Fertility Sovereign, who controlled cosmic vitality, was undoubtedly the arch-nemesis of the Doom Beast. The Doom Beast instantly transformed into rolling black smoke and lunged at the Fertility Sovereign in the void. However, it was already besieged and killed midway. This was because the Nightfall Sovereign and the others, with their ready Spacetime Reincarnation, jointly tore the Doom Beast to shreds and applied a spacetime seal.
Indeed, the Doom Beast had transcended reincarnation, but the Nightfall Sovereign and the others had also transcended reincarnation at that very moment. Seven individuals attacking a rather unintelligent illusionary beast with full force—it was no wonder the Doom Beast was torn apart by their combined assault.
However, the Nightfall Sovereign and the others felt no joy, because Rosen, who should have joined the attack, had fled. To flee without fighting, under the gaze of one hundred thousand Reincarnation Lords, Rosen wouldn't have shown such weakness unless he was insane. There was only one possibility: Rosen had detected a danger they had not.
Before they could figure out where the danger lay, black smoke suddenly began to billow from the Fertility Sovereign's entire body. Rosen's warning, at that moment, had barely reached the consciousness of the Nightfall Sovereign and the others. It turned out that although the Doom Beast was born for destruction, it didn't possess very strong destructive power. The Doom Beast was very proficient at destroying universes but not adept at fighting intelligent life forms. However, this didn't mean the Doom Beast was easy to bully.
Any entity that killed the Doom Beast would find the Doom Beast reborn within their own body. The Doom Beast, which bestowed ultimate death upon the Great Reincarnation Realm, was, in the narrative of the legendary fantasy, the only existence that death itself could not erase. To truly kill the Doom Beast, the only way was for the Great Reincarnation Realm to be destroyed. Because the Doom Beast originated from the Great Reincarnation Realm, only when the Great Reincarnation Realm was destroyed would the Doom Beast be the last to face death.
Rosen knew that killing the Doom Beast was useless, which was why he chose to flee immediately. He would have warned the Nightfall Sovereign and the others sooner, but the seven of them had fought together and against each other for countless years, their coordination honed to perfection. The moment they saw the Doom Beast, they were already preparing a combined attack to preemptively strike, leaving him no opportunity to warn them.
Now, having received Rosen's warning, the Nightfall Sovereign and the others promptly followed suit and fled. Only the Fertility Sovereign remained, desperately resisting the Doom Beast that was regenerating within her body. If it were merely the Doom Beast fantasized in legends, it would have been impossible to threaten the temporarily transcended Fertility Sovereign.
However, the vast, ocean-like cosmic vitality within the Fertility Sovereign's body was visibly disappearing rapidly. Although both controlled the Great Dao of Reincarnation authority formed by transcending and sublimating the Reincarnation Sovereign's authority, the Doom Beast's authority overwhelmingly crushed the Fertility Sovereign's. This was because the Great Reincarnation Realm actively cooperated with the Doom Beast's control while resisting the Fertility Sovereign's.
If it were just this, the Fertility Sovereign wouldn't die in a short time. But something even more terrifying happened. Both were temporarily transcending reincarnation, and the Fertility Sovereign, who had integrated a transcendent resource, would at most revert to an Epoch Sovereign within an hour. However, the Doom Beast, judging by the situation, could last for at least several days. Therefore, if the Fertility Sovereign couldn't escape the Doom Beast within an hour, it meant she was doomed. Even her indestructible memory, which couldn't be erased by the Great Reincarnation Realm's reboot, might not guarantee her survival.
After the Fertility Sovereign died, the Doom Beast would continue to hunt down and eliminate all the "pathogens" that stimulated the immune system. When it set its sights on someone, that person would have no escape. The most terrifying thing was that no one knew how long the Doom Beast's transcendence of reincarnation could last. The immune system was currently only sustaining the Doom Beast for a few days, but if the "pathogens" weren't eliminated, who knew if the immune system would integrate even more transcendent resources into the Doom Beast?
As time ticked by, all Reincarnation Lords on the destiny network were discussing solutions. They had misjudged the power of the immune system, never expecting it to create an unkillable illusionary beast like the Doom Beast. The best solution, of course, was to seal it, but what kind of power could long-term seal an existence that transcended reincarnation? At this point, returning the plundered cosmic vitality that was used to activate the immune system was an option, but the immune system was already activated, and the body was already sick. At this point, even if the disease was cleared, who could ensure that the immune cells wouldn't continue to run rampant?
No one could be sure, but at this moment, they could only take a gamble. Just as an hour was about to pass, and the Fertility Sovereign was weakening, seemingly on the verge of falling. A spacetime fissure opened in the void. A Nightfall Parasitic Flower flashed in the void, its roots piercing into the black smoke enveloping the Fertility Sovereign. The Fertility Sovereign's indestructible memory was drawn out by this Nightfall Parasitic Flower, and then, abandoning her body, she escaped the clutches of death like a cicada shedding its skin.
The Nightfall Sovereign watched this scene in disbelief. The Reincarnation Will's ability to save someone was already terrifying. Despite both having transcended reincarnation, their gap with the Reincarnation Will was clearly quite significant. However, the difference in strength wasn't what truly shocked the Nightfall Sovereign. What made her truly incredulous was that the Reincarnation Will's control over the Nightfall Parasitic Flower actually surpassed hers. This left the Nightfall Sovereign, whose main body was a Nightfall Parasitic Flower, in an awkward position.
The Doom Beast, seeing its prey snatched away, swallowed the Fertility Sovereign's consumed body in a few gulps. Besides regenerating inside another's body after death, the Doom Beast could also inherit the power of the life it granted death to. Of course, it could only inherit one. If the Doom Beast was killed again and chose to regenerate within the Nightfall Sovereign's body, then the Doom Beast would lose the abilities inherited from the Fertility Sovereign and instead inherit the Nightfall Sovereign's power.
A beast whose prey was stolen from its jaws would frantically try to snatch it back if it had the ability. However, the Doom Beast at this moment did not continue to pursue Rosen and the others. Instead, it lunged at nearby universes. As it passed, rolling darkness devoured entire universes. Then, from within the black smoke, a Doom Beast of Reincarnation level emerged.
The Fertility Sovereign's most powerful ability was Fertility Reincarnation; she could make all races procreate. The Doom Beast choosing to consume universes as nutrients to reproduce offspring was clearly not the kind of intelligence an illusionary beast should possess. Therefore, this particular Doom Beast likely possessed intelligence far superior to other illusionary beasts; it was not a mere beast with power like other illusionary beasts.
All Reincarnation Lords were "viruses," and their numbers exceeded one hundred thousand. If they scattered and fled, the Doom Beast might not be able to eliminate all the "viruses" even after tens of millions of years of pursuit. So, the Doom Beast first targeted the Fertility Sovereign, followed by a large number of Doom Beasts of Fertility Reincarnation level. When their numbers grew, all Reincarnation Lords would face certain death; there would be no escape for them in the entire Great Reincarnation Realm.
Realizing this, the Reincarnation Lords successively returned the cosmic vitality they had permanently plundered to the Great Reincarnation Realm. However, the Doom Beast did not stop; it continued to produce more immune cells.
Seeing that this was an unending struggle, Rosen disclosed all information about the Doom Beast. The Death Sovereign even immediately returned to her Reincarnation Territory, which was formed from the Death Universe, to investigate all legends related to the Doom Beast within that universe. It was indeed true that the only way to kill the Doom Beast was through the destruction of the Great Reincarnation Realm.
However, there was a crucial problem: the Doom Beast in the legendary stories was merely a Reincarnation Lifeform. This was because the one who fabricated the legend was a Primeval Lifeform who dreamt of becoming a Reincarnation Lifeform. But the Death Universe was the Death Sovereign's lair, and the Death Sovereign would not allow a second Reincarnation Lifeform to be born. So, this Primeval Lifeform, out of spite, fabricated the Doom Beast to console itself.
Since, in the eyes of the Primeval Lifeform, a Reincarnation Lifeform was already the most powerful existence, the Doom Beast was also set to be a Reincarnation Lifeform. However, they were now facing a Doom Beast that had transcended reincarnation. No one could be sure if the destruction of the Great Reincarnation Realm could kill such a Doom Beast. If it didn't die, wouldn't they be hunted in the next Epoch Cycle as well?
Soon, an hour passed, and Rosen and the others fell back to being Epoch Sovereigns. Their Great Dao of Reincarnation authority reverted to Reincarnation Sovereign authority. With this level of strength against the Doom Beast, it wouldn't even need to use its inherent talents; it could simply kill an Epoch Sovereign with its overwhelming power.
As more and more Doom Beast offspring were produced, some had already begun to hunt down Reincarnation Lords. Although the Doom Beast wasn't fast, it surprisingly understood how to hunt in packs. They surrounded their targets from all directions, and the Great Dao of Reincarnation authority could directly pinpoint a Reincarnation Lord's location. At close range, it could even suppress spacetime using the Great Dao of Reincarnation authority. As a result, all the Reincarnation Lords who were encircled died without exception.
The Doom Beast's main focus for hunting was the Epoch Sovereigns, though it couldn't fully encircle them yet. As long as they escaped before the encirclement closed, they would be fine. Furthermore, those Doom Beasts that were, at most, Reincarnation-level were no match for Epoch Sovereigns. As long as they were injured but not killed, they could temporarily escape the hunt. However, this only ensured temporary safety.
Because once the Doom Beast's progenitor joined the hunt, even an Epoch Sovereign would find it difficult to break out of the encirclement. The destiny network had already descended into chaos, with all Reincarnation Lords discussing methods to deal with the Doom Beast. No one voiced complaints; if complaining worked, the destiny network would surely be overflowing with pleasant words. Knowing that complaining was meaningless, it was better to focus their thoughts on how to survive.
At this time, Rosen seemed to become invisible in the destiny network. This was because he discovered something: the death of Reincarnation Lords was actually beneficial to him. Even though they were all forced to the brink by the Doom Beast, no Reincarnation Lord fled back to the Epoch Cycle Ancient Tree. Firstly, returning wouldn't guarantee survival. Secondly, each Reincarnation Lord had a portion of their indestructible will remaining in their Reincarnation Territory. Even if they were killed by the Doom Beast outside, as long as the indestructible memory in their Reincarnation Territory remained, there was still a chance of resurrection.
In this situation, even dying outside, they would absolutely not lead the Doom Beast to the Epoch Cycle Ancient Tree. If the destruction of the Great Reincarnation Realm could kill the Doom Beast, then they could be resurrected in the next Epoch Cycle. Therefore, even though the Reincarnation Lords were being hunted, they continued to frantically destroy universes along the way. Even when the Reincarnation Electors were also encircled by the Doom Beast, over two billion Reincarnation Electors began to destroy universes. Coupled with the Doom Beast also destroying universes, the Great Reincarnation Realm would begin to collapse spatially and temporally within a few hundred years.
After a Reincarnation Lord died, although their indestructible memory remained in their Reincarnation Territory, their actual control over the Reincarnation Territory was far less than that of the Epoch Cycle Ancient Tree. Rosen discovered that by manipulating the Epoch Cycle Ancient Tree, he could completely absorb these Reincarnation Territories. If all one hundred thousand Reincarnation Lords died, and their Reincarnation Territories became nourishment for the Epoch Cycle Ancient Tree, then could he use this to transcend reincarnation? After experiencing the power of transcending reincarnation, he found it difficult to accept being hunted by the Doom Beast.
However, this thought was quickly dismissed. If he were to do so, it would be tantamount to declaring war on all Reincarnation Lords. Besides, one hundred thousand Reincarnation Territories might not necessarily enable him to transcend reincarnation. While Rosen was still hesitating, the Nightfall Sovereign and the Dark Sun Sovereign had already gone to search for the Reincarnation Will. Their idea was to divert the trouble, forcing the Reincarnation Will to come out and deal with the Doom Beast. The Reincarnation Will, having controlled the Great Reincarnation Realm for so many Epoch Cycles, must have an understanding of the Great Reincarnation Realm's immune system. Furthermore, the Reincarnation Will had saved the Fertility Sovereign, which made them decide to temporarily put aside their hatred for the Reincarnation Will.