Chapter 5949

The backlash hit Chen Ping like a tidal wave from the depths of existence itself.

The moment the Chaos Returning Ruins—Second Layer activated, the laws of the battlefield recoiled violently. The chaotic gray bead in his palm seemed to be alive, pulsating with ancient, primeval will, and each pulse sent shockwaves through Chen Ping’s body. His veins burned with the raw essence of creation, and the five-colored lines on the back of his hand flared into blinding light.

The sensation was not merely exhaustion—it was existential strain. The origin star in his dantian, which had just shone like a miniature sun, now flickered with small cracks, as if the very core of his being was reaching its limit. Blood and qi surged backward violently, his organs and meridians twisting under the pressure of incomprehensible power. The taste of iron and dust filled his mouth, and each breath felt like inhaling the weight of the universe.

Even so, Chen Ping’s eyes, now filled with gray chaos and cosmic calm, did not waver. He could feel the feedback of the battlefield—the disintegration of the nine demon dragons, the ghostly arms of the bone gate, and the reincarnation marks being torn from the corpses of the fallen. All of it flowed into his bead, growing its essence, growing his power. Every blow that struck his body became fuel for the next cosmic strike.

Blood Nether, staggering in disbelief, roared again, sending waves of death and demonic qi that could normally shatter mountains. But now, every attack he launched was like a ripple in a pond compared to the swirling vortex of chaos at Chen Ping’s center. His precious demon dragons, his ultimate strike, had been torn apart—not by might, but by the very laws of the universe bending to Chen Ping’s command.

Zhan E, too, felt the shift. The phantom of the Gate of Reincarnation faltered, chains rattling, skulls cracking, the myriad souls feeding its illusion screaming as their marks were ripped away. He had wielded the authority of reincarnation for millennia, yet now that control was slipping through his fingers, drained by a force he could barely comprehend.

The battlefield had entered a terrifying stillness. The air was thick with gray chaos, and the ground seemed to twist as if reality itself had begun to fracture. Chen Ping’s body trembled, yet he stood firm. Every cell in him ached, every essence quivered, but in his eyes burned a serene certainty.