I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

As soon as Lu Zhao finished speaking, the towering pillar of light suddenly contracted, transforming into a dazzling rainbow that enveloped him! The next moment, his figure, along with the broken "Return to the Void" sword, vanished instantly amidst the astonished, resentful, and angry gazes of the crowd in the square!

"No--!"

Zhao Wuji let out a roar of unwilling anger, and his Blazing Sun Sword Qi frantically slashed at the spot where the pillar of light had disappeared, but only left a few shallow white marks on the black metal ground. The sword monument still stood, but the light it emitted had dimmed, and the vast sword intent it exuded had also subsided, as if it had never existed.

"Damn it! The opportunity was stolen by some nobody!" Lei Xiao's face was ashen, and lightning crackled on his Purple Lightning Sword, clearly showing his extreme rage.

"Hmph, that kid is only relying on that strange broken sword in his hand!" Liu Suifeng waved his folding fan, a smile still on his face, but his eyes were icy cold. "When he comes out, he may not be able to protect that inheritance."

Su Ningshuang didn't speak, but just quietly watched the spot where Lu Zhao disappeared. Light and shadow flickered in her icy blue eyes, as if she were thinking about something.

"Senior Brother, what do we do now?" Lin Jingyu asked, clutching his chest, his face pale. His injuries were serious, and his forced fight with Lei Xiao had only made things worse.

Zhao Wuji glanced at the sword monument with a grim expression, then at Lei Xiao and Liu Suifeng, who were watching him menacingly. He said coldly, "Wait! That brat will come out sooner or later once he enters the inheritance grounds! I don't believe he can stay inside forever! Everyone, guard this place and don't let anyone near the sword monument!"

"Heh, Brother Zhao, you've got quite the nerve," Lei Xiao sneered. "This Sword Tomb isn't owned by your Qingyun Sect. If you want to guard it, my Xuantian Sect won't allow it."

"Then let's see whose fist is harder!" A cold glint flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes.

The atmosphere in the square tensed up again. This time, however, their target was no longer the elusive, inherited sword seal, but Lu Zhao**, who was about to emerge from the land of inheritance.

In a flash, the surrounding scenery changed instantly.

Lu Zhao found himself in a strange space. There was no sky, no earth, only a hazy, gray void all around. The only source of light came from ahead.

A sword floated in front of him.

This was a longsword that looked very ancient, its blade a dark gray, devoid of any luster, even somewhat broken, covered with the marks of time. Yet, this seemingly ordinary sword gave Lu Zhao an indescribable sense of oppression. It was as if he were facing not a sword, but the end of a world, the very end of existence.

"This is..." Lu Zhao was shocked. The broken sword "Gui Xu" in his hand was actually trembling slightly in front of this ancient longsword. It was not fear, but a kind of resonance, or rather, a trembling like a pilgrimage.

"Little one, you've arrived."

That ancient and vast voice rang out again, this time even clearer, as if it were right next to my ear.

The next moment, a phantom figure slowly materialized beside the ancient, floating longsword.

It was an old man dressed in a gray robe, with white hair and beard, and an ordinary face. Only his eyes were deep, like the cosmos, and seemed to contain the vicissitudes of life and death. His figure was somewhat transparent, clearly not a physical entity, but merely a lingering will or divine thought.

"Junior Lu Zhao greets Senior." Lu Zhao felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed. Facing such a senior swordsman who had lived for countless years, he dared not be the slightest bit negligent.

"No need for formalities." The gray-robed old man's gaze fell on the broken sword "Gui Xu" in Lu Zhao's hand. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including reminiscence, emotion, and above all, a deep loneliness.

"'Return to the Void'... I never thought I would see its presence again, even if it's just a fragment." The old man's voice carried a sigh.

"Senior, do you recognize this sword?" V Zhao asked quickly, a thought striking him. This "Return to the Void" broken sword was something he had obtained by chance on the outskirts of the Sword Tomb. It was incredibly mysterious, and he had always wanted to find out its origin.

"You know it? Heh..." The old man chuckled, but his laughter was full of desolation. "Back then, it was this very sword that, along with my 'Annihilation,' destroyed everything."

"Annihilation?" V Zhao looked at the ancient longsword floating in the air and suddenly realized. So this was the "Annihilation" sword, the source of the sword tomb's inheritance.

"Indeed, Annihilation." The old man's gaze also fell on the ancient longsword, his eyes softening as if he were looking at an old friend. "This sword is the embodiment of my life's work in swordsmanship, and it contains the true meaning of 'Annihilation'."

"The true meaning of annihilation..." V Zhao murmured, his heart surging with emotion. What he had comprehended was also the sword intent of annihilation, but compared to the "annihilation" sword before him, it was like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

"There is a trace of annihilation on you." The old man's gaze turned to Lu Zhao, as if he could see through everything about him. "Although it is very faint and rudimentary, it is indeed the Dao of Annihilation. And the fact that you were able to obtain the fragment of 'Return to Nothingness' and use it to awaken this wisp of my remnant will shows that you are destined for this Dao."

"I have been fortunate enough to comprehend a trace of the sword intent of annihilation. The road ahead is uncertain, and I humbly request your guidance, senior," V Zhao said sincerely.

"Guidance? Heh, I am but a wisp of remnant spirit about to dissipate, what can I possibly guide you with?" The old man shook his head. "The way of the sword, especially the way of annihilation, emphasizes self-enlightenment. All I can give you is an opportunity, a chance to undergo the test of 'annihilation'."

"A test?" V Zhao's heart tightened.

"Indeed." The old man's expression turned solemn. "The Path of Annihilation is the Path of End, the Path of All Things Returning to Nothingness. This Path cannot be cultivated by those who are not resolute in their will and have a clear understanding of the Dao. Moreover, besides Annihilation, there is something else on your body." The old man's gaze seemed to be able to see through Lu Zhao's body, to see the traces of scorching and icy sword intent remaining in his meridians.

V Zhao felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that the other party was referring to the "Burning Heaven" sword intent and the trace of icy sword intent he had refined before.

"Nirvana is not simply destruction," the old man continued, his voice becoming ethereal. "It is the end, and also the beginning; it is nothingness, and also all-encompassing. Whether you can understand it, whether you can bear it, depends on your own destiny."

"Watch closely, this is my 'Annihilation' sword strike, and also my only guidance to you."

As he spoke, the gray-robed elder reached out and gently grasped the floating "Annihilation" sword.

The instant he gripped the hilt of the sword, the entire hazy space suddenly changed!

Countless images flashed before Lu Zhao's eyes. He saw the birth and fall of stars, the prosperity and desolation of the world, the blossoming and withering of life... Everything was evolving, everything was flowing, but in the end, everything returned to nothingness, to eternal silence.

"This is... Annihilation?" V Zhao's mind was completely immersed in it. He felt that all-encompassing yet all-ending state of mind. This was completely different from the simple destruction and ending sword intent he had previously understood. This was a higher level of existence, closer to the "Tao."

"Look at the sword."

The old man's voice pulled him back from that mysterious state of mind.

The old man held the "Annihilation" sword and gently swung it towards the void ahead.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no dazzling sword light.

It was just a faint, gray sword mark that flashed and disappeared into nothingness.

However, this seemingly ordinary sword strike made Lu Zhao's soul tremble! He seemed to see that where the sword mark had passed, time stood still, space froze, and all colors, sounds, and even existence itself, in that instant, returned to nothingness, to the purest "nothingness".

That is the true end, the end of all laws and all concepts.

"This is... the true meaning of Nirvana..." V Zhao murmured to himself, his eyes filled with shock and confusion. He felt that the so-called Nirvana Sword Intent he had comprehended before was utterly crude and crude in the face of this sword, like a child's scribbles.

"How much do you understand?" The old man sheathed his sword, his figure becoming even more transparent, clearly indicating that the previous sword strike had greatly depleted his remaining will.

V Zhao was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "This junior is foolish. I only see the end and nothingness, but I cannot see the beginning and the inclusiveness within it."

"To see the end and nothingness is already difficult enough." The old man was not surprised and said calmly, "The beginning and the inclusiveness are things you must experience for yourself. Now, accept the test."

"What is the test?" V asked intently.

"It's very simple." The old man pointed ahead, "Walk to the 'Annihilation' sword, and touch it with your sword heart. If your sword heart can bear the Dao of Annihilation, you will receive its inheritance. If not..." The old man didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.

V Zhao looked ahead. From where he stood, to the suspended "Annihilation" sword, it was about a hundred paces away. This distance appeared flat and unremarkable.

But he knew that these hundred steps would not be so easy.

He took a deep breath, gripped the broken sword "Return to the Void" tightly, and took his first step.

The moment the foot landed, the surrounding scenery changed again!

The hazy, gray void vanished, replaced by a world ablaze with raging flames! Intense flames surged from all directions, threatening to incinerate him! It was the aura of the "Burning Heaven" sword intent, but a hundred, even a thousand times stronger than what he had sensed before!

"Is this...an illusion? Or a test?" V Zhao felt a chill in his heart, but he did not stop. The Annihilation Dragon Qi in his body circulated automatically, forming a thin layer of gray-gold halo on his body surface to resist the scorching flames.

He continued walking forward.

The second step: the fiery world vanished, replaced by a vast, frozen wasteland! The extreme cold seemed to freeze his blood, spiritual power, and even his soul! It was the aura of that previous trace of chilling sword intent, amplified countless times!

"As expected, it's a test targeting the other sword intents within me." V Zhao understood. The Path of Annihilation demands purity. The remaining "Burning Heaven" sword intent and the chilling sword intent within him were impurities, obstacles. This test was to completely refine these impurities, or... burn and freeze him along with them.

"Nirvana is both an end and an embrace..."

The old man's words echoed in his heart.

A flash of understanding crossed V Zhao's eyes. He didn't forcefully use the Annihilation Dragon Qi to resist the dual power of ice and fire, but instead opened his mind and actively tried to feel and comprehend it.

"The blazing fire that burns the heavens consumes everything; it is destruction, but also rebirth..."

"Extreme cold ice freezes all things; it is deathly stillness, and also a seal..."

"Nirvana is not rejection, but rather embracing them, understanding them, and ultimately... incorporating them into its own end."

One step, two steps, three steps...

Lu Zhao's steps grew heavy, but his eyes grew brighter. The Annihilation Dragon Qi within him was no longer simply resisting, but began to slowly circulate, gradually devouring and merging the invading heat and cold. Although the process was extremely slow, even painful, he could feel his understanding of the Dao of Annihilation deepening little by little.

When he reached the fiftieth step, the surrounding scenery changed again. This time, it was no longer ice and fire, but countless illusions. There were temptations of power, entanglements of beauty, desires for immortality, and fears of death... All aspects of life, the seven emotions and six desires, came rushing in, constantly impacting his mind.

"To achieve annihilation, one must sever all attachments and obsessions..." V Zhao closed his eyes, silently reciting the mental cultivation method of the Nine Dragons Qi Control Technique. His Dao heart grew ever more resolute under these repeated temptations and challenges. He had only one goal—the pinnacle of swordsmanship, to avenge his grievances! Everything else was illusory!

His steps remained steady, one step at a time, as he walked towards the ancient sword that represented both the end and the beginning.

Ninety steps...ninety-five steps...ninety-eight steps...

With the final two steps, the "Annihilation" sword was right before his eyes.

But these two steps seem to be separated by an insurmountable chasm.

An indescribable pressure emanated from the "Annihilation" sword. It was the pure, ultimate meaning of annihilation! Faced with this aura, Lu Zhao felt that everything about him—his life, his thoughts, and even his very existence—became meaningless and should be reduced to nothingness.

"Give up... everything will eventually perish... why struggle..." A tempting voice echoed in his heart.

"No!" V Zhao suddenly opened his eyes, a resolute light flashing within them. "Annihilation is the end, but not my end! Before reaching the end, I still have a road to walk, and things to do!"

"My sword is for protection, for revenge, for reaching the pinnacle! Even if the end is annihilation, I will still shine with my own unique light along the way!"

"This is my swordsmanship!"

He let out a low roar, bracing against the overwhelming sense of annihilation, and with all his might, took the last two steps!

"Bang!"

His hand finally touched the ancient "Silent Extinction" sword!