Mr. Duan stood in the void, staring at the purple-gold radiance on Zhou Huai's body.

He was all too familiar with that aura; it was the Heavenly Dao, his old adversary with whom he had fought for countless eons.

Mr. Duan was stunned at first, then chuckled twice, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"The Way of Heaven, the Way of Heaven..."

He didn't look at Zhou Huai, but instead looked up at the collapsing void, as if speaking to the dissipating will.

"You've fought me for so many eras, schemed against me for so long, and in the end you're actually willing to be someone else's pawn?"

"You'd rather erase yourself and pour all your essence into this greenhorn, just to beat me once?"

Mr. Duan suddenly looked down at Zhou Huai, his smile vanished, and his face turned grim.

"What makes you think he can beat me?!"

Faced with the questioning, Zhou Huai didn't waste any words.

"Buzz—!"

He raised his right hand, and the power of the Origin World Tree that had just merged into his body erupted.

A phantom image of a verdant sacred tree unfolded behind Zhou Huai. Its branches stretched out in the void, and its leaves shimmered with a chaotic luster. The moment this power appeared, it resonated with the sacred tree's essence hidden within Mr. Duan's body, sharing the same root and origin yet being entirely different.

Zhou Huai looked directly at Mr. Duan: "Based on this alone."

Looking at the illusory image of the verdant sacred tree, Mr. Duan let out a cold laugh.

"So that's how it is. No wonder you dared to come up to me and shout. It turns out you obtained a branch of the Sacred Tree."

Mr. Duan leaned on his walking stick, his posture haughty: "So what if you can use the power of the Origin Tree? Zhou Huai, don't forget, that section inside you is just a side branch that escaped back then!"

"But what's inside me is the true form of the Sacred Tree!"

After saying that, Mr. Duan no longer tried to hide his true feelings.

"boom!"

A black law, even larger than Zhou Huai's, soared into the sky.

A massive black tree shadow stretched out behind Mr. Duan, its branches entwined with death energy, and its leaves flowing with high-dimensional laws that devoured everything.

Two sacred trees, sharing the same origin yet diametrically opposed, collide in the ruins of the Eighth World.

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

The forces of emerald green and pitch black collided in the void, shattering space inch by inch, turning into fragments that were swept into the turbulent energy flow.

The difference in their levels of cultivation became apparent the moment they met.

Although Zhou Huai absorbed the power of billions of professionals and fused with the origin of the Heavenly Dao, the Sacred Tree within his body was ultimately just a branch.

Under the crushing weight of the complete Sacred Tree, Zhou Huai was forced to retreat steadily. The emerald green aura of law continued to shrink, and the light of the Sacred Tree phantom behind him dimmed slightly.

Zhou Huai gripped the Abyss Blood Dragon Spear tightly with both hands, enduring the oppressive feeling, and thought to himself: Even if he absorbed the beliefs and power of billions of professionals, it is still difficult to contend with the complete Sacred Tree body?

Just as Zhou Huai was struggling to hold on...

Below the ruins, in that area that was resurrected by the power of time and then suppressed by Mr. Duan.

Mingze, Honglian, Leize, Fentian, Yansui.

These five SSS-level powerhouses from the Eighth World were looking up at the battle in the sky.

They sensed the decline of Zhou Huai's power and also saw the black sacred tree.

The five looked at each other without saying a word, but they all saw the other's resolute decision to disregard life and death.

Mingze took a deep breath, propped himself up with his broken body, and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, the time we've been waiting for has come!"

“That’s right!” Honglian wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. “What does this life matter as long as I can kill that old dog Duan!”

"Hahaha! Let's go!" Lei Ze laughed wildly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the five of them took action.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Five beams of light, each a different color, shot into the sky from the ruins.

Silver time, crimson carnage, purple lightning, scarlet flames, and thick rock and soil.

These five powerful individuals burned their last bit of soul and essence, transforming into five streams of light that headed straight for Zhou Huai.

Instead of attacking Mr. Duan, they plunged directly into the emerald sacred tree behind Zhou Huai.

"Buzz—!"

As the five merged with the tree, five fruits of law sprouted from its branches.

With the addition of the essence of these five SSS-level powerhouses, Zhou Huai's suppressed power quickly rebounded.

"Boom!"

The emerald light shone brightly, resisting the black sacred tree's devouring power and stabilizing the situation.

"Old man, your true form is nothing special!" Zhou Huai roared, thrusting the Abyss Blood Dragon Spear forward with a fierce thrust.

The two forces collided again, exceeding the limits that the Eighth World Ruins could withstand.

"Rip—!"

The two tore through space simultaneously, and the impact carried them through the dimensional barrier.

The battlefield instantly shifted to the skies above the crumbling Ninth World.

The two clashed at an altitude of ten thousand meters, their speed incredibly fast. Space shattered and the laws of time were disrupted in their wake. The aftershocks of the battle transformed into a storm, crashing down upon the cracked continent below.

"Boom!"

The continental plate shattered in the aftermath, mountains collapsed, and seawater flooded in.

Mr. Duan brandished his walking stick and let out a cold laugh.

"Zhou Huai, I have to admit, you have indeed given me many surprises."

"Back in Donghai City, not completely crushing you when you were weak was the biggest mistake of my life."

Mr. Duan's eyes were cold.

Zhou Huai sidestepped, dodging a black law attack.

He countered with a Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, knocking Mr. Duan back.

Do you know why you made that mistake?

Zhou Huai gripped his spear, his voice echoing in the howling wind.

"Your arrogance has blinded you! Do you really think you're in control of everything?"

"This is not a mistake, it is your destined calamity!"

"With your arrogant attitude, treating all of humanity as your batteries, do you even deserve to be called a god?"

Zhou Huai continued his sarcasm: "A true god would not be arrogant, much less regard all living beings as ants like you!"

"shut up!"

Mr. Duan was thoroughly enraged, and his refined face instantly twisted into a grotesque expression.

"Even ants dare to speak ill of the gods!"

Mr. Duan's moves instantly became several times more ferocious.

"Splash!"

A vast array of black chains of law burst forth from the sacred tree behind him, binding Zhou Huai.

At the same time, the black branches transformed into long spears, piercing out from all directions.

Zhou Huai immediately activated all the sacred tree essence within his body to withstand the attack.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Purple-gold lightning, blazing sun-like fire, and spatial blades fought back relentlessly under Zhou Huai's control.

A dense collision of laws erupted in the sky.

However, Zhou Huai's body only contains a branch of the Sacred Tree, which is inferior to Mr. Duan in terms of origin.

Under Mr. Duan's relentless offensive, Zhou Huai's defenses began to falter.

"die!"

Mr. Duan seized the opportunity, conjuring a black blade of law light in his hand and slashing it out fiercely.

"Sizzle!"

The light blade tore through Zhou Huai's spatial shield and struck his chest.

"puff!"

Zhou Huai spat out a mouthful of blood, and a crack appeared in the dark gold battle armor on his chest.

He plummeted straight down from a height of 10,000 meters.

"BOOM—!!!"

Zhou Huai crashed into the earth, the impact of which directly pierced through dozens of layers of the earth's crust, embedding him deep underground.

The aftershocks of that attack spread.

The Ninth World, already on the verge of collapse, is rapidly crumbling. Continental plates are disintegrating, losing their gravitational pull, and plummeting into the turbulent void.

Deep underground, magma erupts.

Zhou Huai was in excruciating pain all over his body, but he gritted his teeth and prepared to get up.

Just then.

"boom!"

A gigantic hand formed from black laws pierced through the earth's crust and grabbed Zhou Huai!

Before Zhou Huai could resist, he was pulled out of the ground by this giant hand and dragged all the way back to a height of 10,000 meters.

Mr. Duan dispersed his Lawful Hand and personally reached out his right hand to grab Zhou Huai's neck.

He lifted Zhou Huai into the air, looked at the blood at the corner of Zhou Huai's mouth, and his smile returned.

"Did you see that, Zhou Huai?"

Mr. Duan tilted his head slightly.

"This is the gap between you and me that can never be bridged."

"The power you borrow is ultimately just borrowed power."

Mr. Duan tightened his grip, pinching Zhou Huai until his face turned red.

"This time, I won't be careless again."

"I won't give you any chance to escape."

Mr. Duan looked at Zhou Huai and continued, "Speaking of which, I really have to thank you properly."

"Thank you for coming to my door."

"Once I have completely absorbed the branch of the sacred tree within you, and that repulsive Heavenly Dao essence within you..."

Mr. Duan's voice trembled: "In the future, I will become the true and only God!"

The words fell.

Without further hesitation, Mr. Duan directly activated the devouring power of the Origin Sacred Tree.

"Buzz—!"

Black branches spread along the point where the two had come into contact, instantly covering Zhou Huai's body.

A suction force erupted, forcibly drawing the Sacred Tree's essence and the power of the Heavenly Dao from Zhou Huai's body.

Zhou Huai felt the power within his body surging outwards uncontrollably. His vision began to blur, and his consciousness gradually grew heavy.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang in Zhou Huai's mind.

"Zhou Huai! Now!"

It's my mother's voice!

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Mr. Duan, who was standing right in front of him.

There was not a trace of fear of death in those eyes; instead, they revealed a fierce ruthlessness.

"You think you're the only one who can absorb it?"

"I'll suck you too!"

Mr. Duan was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

"Um?"

The next second.

The original essence of the Sacred Tree that had been extracted from Zhou Huai's body erupted completely under the guidance of his mother's consciousness.

"boom--!"

Emerald green light shot up from Zhou Huai's body, taking the initiative and rushing back into Mr. Duan's body from the point of contact between the two!

Mr. Duan's expression changed drastically.

The two sacred tree powers, sharing the same origin, were no longer unilaterally devouring each other, but began to merge and collide within their bodies.

"Buzz—!"

As the two forces become deeply entangled.

Zhou Huai and Mr. Duan's consciousnesses were connected along the origin and forcibly pulled into a chaotic dimension.

That was the inner space of the Origin Tree.

Here, the final struggle for control of the Origin Tree officially began.