Projection of the Heavens: I prove my immortality through slaughter.

The Demon Emperor's essence was devoured, and the terrifying pressure brought by his descent receded like a tide. However, the deathly silence of the Absolute Magic Domain remained unchanged; the leaden sky remained frozen, and only the omnipresent dark currents seemed to have become slightly disordered due to the loss of a powerful "core," but the corrosive power did not weaken.

Lin Xuan (possessed by Elwin) hovered above the ruins, his body surrounded by a chilling gray-black light. The power brought by the minor completion of the True Meaning of Destruction filled his originally weak body. He could feel that his control over the "dark" rules of this world had greatly increased, and he could even guide and command those low-level, twisted monsters corrupted by the dark tide to a certain extent.

But he did not revel in the pleasure of this increased power. His gaze turned to a deeper, more fundamental level.

The process of devouring the Demon Emperor's essence was not merely a plunder of power, but also a profound analysis of the root cause of this world's "destruction." He clearly sensed that the Demon Emperor's essence was not simply an external invader; to some extent, it was deeply entangled and merged with the despair, fear, resentment, and other negative emotions of the beings in this world. It was the world's own tragedy that, to a certain extent, "nourished" this abyssal essence.

This undercurrent that permeates the world is not simply destructive energy; it contains fragments of spirit and unwavering faith left behind by countless beings at the moment of their death, as well as scattered and broken information about the laws that emerged when that glorious magical civilization was finally sealed away!

They are the "ashes" of civilization, the "remains" of wisdom, and the "embers" of faith!

Previously, he could only passively resist its erosion. But now, having achieved minor mastery of the true meaning of destruction and gained some control over the negative forces of this world, a bolder, even heaven-defying, idea began to sprout in his mind.

Since we cannot dispel the "ashes of civilization" that permeate the world, could we... "recycle" them? Could we reunite these scattered, disordered pieces of information about civilization and embers of faith?

It's not about reviving this civilization (that's impossible now), but rather about using it as the most precious "resource," refining and condensing it into a special existence that can be absorbed, utilized, and even enhanced by its own "projection of the heavens" essence!

The mere thought sent a chill down Lin Xuan's spine. It was tantamount to erecting his own monument on the graveyard of civilization, drawing upon the legacy of the dead!

But the light in his eyes grew ever more resolute. The struggle for the Great Dao is inherently about seizing the creation of heaven and earth and encroaching upon the mysteries of the universe. This world's civilization has perished, and if its remaining wisdom and power are not utilized, they will ultimately be completely assimilated by the undercurrents and reduced to utter nothingness. It would be better for him to take over, allowing these embers of civilization to shine with a different kind of brilliance on a new path.

He slowly descended, returning to the half-collapsed entrance to the shelter. "Shadow" was still curled up in the corner, pale-faced, but the fear in his eyes had faded, replaced by an almost fanatical worship as he looked at "Elwin," whose aura was now completely different.

Lin Xuan ignored him and walked straight to the center of the shelter. He sat down cross-legged and formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest—neither a magic gesture nor a cultivation seal, but a mental guidance posture he had temporarily conceived based on his own destructive intent and projection ability, used for "gathering" and "refining".

He closed his eyes and unleashed Xiao Cheng's true destructive intent completely!

This time, it's not about destruction, but about... "organization" and "domination"!

Centered on him, an invisible wave of destruction, imbued with the chilling aura of order, spread outwards like mercury spilling across the ground. Wherever this wave passed, the raging, chaotic undercurrents seemed to encounter a sovereign, becoming much more docile. The countless agonizing cries, desperate roars, and resentful obsessions of the surviving beings mixed within it, before this destructive essence containing a higher level of "ending," were like impurities thrown into a furnace, forcibly stripped away and tempered!

At the same time, Lin Xuan fully activated his "Projection of All Heavens" ability! This time, instead of projecting his consciousness to other realms, he used this realm as a foundation to transform himself into a huge "information receiving and processing core"!

His perception instantly transcended the limitations of this body, as if merging into the "information layer" of the entire Absolute Magic Domain. He "saw" countless fragmented scenes: the arcane radiance that burned through the night in the mage tower, the surging fighting spirit of knights charging into battle, the ancient songs hummed by farmers on the ridges of fields, the scholars' unwavering dedication to debating the truth in the library, the faith of believers praying devoutly in the temple… the joys and sorrows of countless individual lives, the collision and brilliance of countless sparks of wisdom, the countless explorations and understandings of the world and magic…

These are all "echoes of information" left behind by that lost civilization!

They were originally scattered and disordered, mixed in the undercurrent, and were about to be completely annihilated.

But now, under the influence of Lin Xuan's domineering destructive intent and profound projection ability, these broken "embers" containing the wisdom and power of civilization and faith are as if summoned by the supreme authority, gathering from all directions of the void and from the endless depths of darkness!

At first, they were just scattered specks, like distant stars in the night sky. Then, more and more appeared, transforming into thin streams of milky white light, or light with various elemental lusters, like rivers flowing into the sea, breaking through the obstruction of the dark currents, and converging towards Lin Xuan's (Elwin's) brow!

Inside the shelter, "Shadow" stared in disbelief at this miraculous scene. He couldn't see the flow of information, but he could feel a vast, warm, yet endlessly melancholic "intention" surging wildly into the body of the "guide" before him.

An invisible vortex seemed to have opened between Lin Xuan's brows. A massive amount of information about civilization flooded into his sea of ​​consciousness. If it weren't for his strong soul essence and the ability to project as a buffer and process, he would probably have been instantly overwhelmed by this massive torrent of information, turning into a monster that carried the memories of an entire civilization and lost its self.

He remained true to himself, using the essence of destruction as a furnace and his projection abilities as a filter to frantically refine, compress, and purify these embers of civilization. He stripped away the emotional entanglements and useless fragments of memory from each individual, retaining only the purest crystallization of wisdom, the most essential understanding of laws, and the most cohesive source of faith.

This process was a challenge to the limits of his mind. His consciousness was boiling, as if it were about to be crushed by the weight of this civilization. But he gritted his teeth and persevered, like the most patient craftsman, sculpting this unprecedented "material".

Gradually, in the deepest part of his sea of ​​consciousness, in that strange space constructed by projection ability, a tiny crystal, which radiates a seven-colored glazed light, seems to contain countless runes that are born and die, and contains infinite wisdom and faith power, began to slowly condense and take shape!

This "crystal" is not a physical entity, but rather a highly condensed "information aggregate" or "conceptual crystallization." It carries the essence of wisdom and the last embers of faith of an advanced magical civilization, possessing unimaginable potential. It is not a true godhood, but because it embodies the origins of faith and wisdom, it possesses a rudimentary form of "authority" similar to that of a godhood, and can be called—a virtual godhood!

As the last embers of civilization were absorbed, refined, and integrated into that tiny, seven-colored crystal, the entire Absolute Magic Domain seemed to let out a sigh of relief, yet tinged with endless melancholy. The pervasive undercurrents even seemed to thin slightly as a result.

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. The swirling black hole phenomenon deep within his eyes had vanished, replaced by a profound wisdom that seemed to have comprehended countless ages. He felt that the essence of his soul, having borne and refined the embers of this civilization, had become more solid and substantial, and his understanding of all things in the world had reached a new level.

With a thought, the "virtual godhood" floating deep within his consciousness trembled slightly, emitting an invisible wave. Instantly, the remaining dark currents around him retreated as if they had encountered their nemesis, and even some twisted monsters that were restless in the distance let out fearful howls, not daring to approach.

He glanced at the "Shadow" in the corner, flicked his finger, and sent a wisp of intent containing the deeper mysteries of the "Dark Devouring Technique" and some basic magical knowledge into the Shadow's brow. The Shadow's body trembled, and a look of understanding appeared in its eyes. It then entered a deep meditative state.

"Now that this matter is settled, it's time to go back."

Lin Xuan could sense that the connection between his projected consciousness and this world had become extremely stable due to the condensation of the virtual godhood, but it was time to return. Staying there for too long would not be good for either his main body or this vessel.

He took one last look at this shattered world that bore witness to glory and destruction, hope and despair, and his consciousness began to actively withdraw from Elwin's body.

The return process was far smoother than the arrival. The virtual divine core emitted a soft light, stabilizing the passage. Elwin's consciousness slowly awoke. He looked around blankly, feeling as if he had just woken from a long and painful dream. Yet, within his body, there was a faint but real power belonging to the "Dark Devouring Technique," along with some vague but important knowledge in his mind. He looked at the "Shadow" meditating in the corner, seemingly understanding something, and solemnly performed a mage's salute towards the void.