NOVPUBObsession—countless obsessions—dense and innumerable, floated between heaven and earth.
The Cycle of Obsession—indestructible.
This wasn’t some joke or casual remark.
Even the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation could do nothing about these obsessions. That alone spoke volumes about just how terrifying they truly were.
As of now, Lu Ye had no way of dealing with them either.
Because this thing already belonged to that class of existence which had transcended the Three Realms and was no longer bound by the Five Elements.
You could destroy obsession.
But obsession would never be destroyed completely.
It would return to the cycle of reincarnation, absorb the power of Samsara, and restore itself once more.
Dissipation—obsession was a massive pitfall embedded in the body of the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation.
Obsession had destroyed the souls of so many living beings. Their bodies had been refined by Lu Ye into the Great Flesh Pill, and as for the obsession itself, Lu Ye had tried to collect it into the Myriad Soul Banner—but he couldn't do it.
All he could do was leave it be.
And as time passed, these obsessions—ignored by all—began to turn transparent, illusory.
They merged into the void.
Together, they all flew toward one place.
There, an enormous star system was slowly rotating.
Billions of stars formed the vastest of vortices, in which the gravitational forces of all kinds of celestial bodies intertwined, creating the most dreamlike of scenes.
Across the myriad realms of the heavens, countless souls were continuously being drawn into this vortex, entering reincarnation, starting new lives.
Yes—this was Samsara!
The Sixfold Cycle of Reincarnation!
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation had spent his entire life’s efforts creating this cycle, so that the movement of heaven and earth could continue in accordance with the Dao of Heaven, and so that he could establish merit and attain enlightenment through Samsara.
The entrance to reincarnation.
A colossal stone statue sat cross-legged, draped in a long robe. It was in the shape of a monk, and between his brows was the Seal of Samsara, radiating an awe-inspiring aura that seized the soul.
He sat at the very gateway.
In truth, his allotted lifespan had long since come to an end. But because of the workings of reincarnation, he had managed to survive inside the cycle in a sealed state for countless years—proof of his terrifying strength.
He watched soul after soul enter reincarnation.
And he was overjoyed.
Because these were all his merits.
Suddenly, a strand of obsession arrived.
"No harm, no harm—obsession arises at all times."
Just one obsession. It wasn’t enough to stir any emotion in the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation.
A second strand of obsession arrived.
"No harm, no harm—obsession arises at all times."
A third strand of obsession arrived.
"Hm?"
"Could it be... another calamity has arisen in the world?"
A fourth strand of obsession arrived.
"Alas... all living beings suffer. It is hateful that I cannot ferry them all across."
The fifth, the sixth, the seventh—
"Wait!"
"Wait a moment!"
"You, wait just a moment!"
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation began to panic slightly. When the obsessions—dense and numberless—surged toward the entrance of Samsara, he blew up on the spot.
"What the—why are there so many obsessions?!"
Ka ka ka...
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation tore free from the stone statue. And the moment he did, what he saw made him question the very nature of reality.
Obsession!
Endless, boundless obsession—forming a vast ocean that stretched beyond sight—was drifting toward Samsara.
No!
Amitābha!
No, wait—Amitābha is on the same level as me. I should be saying... the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation above—
No, wait! I am the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation!
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation was so shaken, his thoughts tangled into a mess. It was just—too much. There were simply too many obsessions.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t lived through the dark era. In those days, countless cruel beings had emerged. The whole world had fallen into chaos. Misery blanketed the land.
But how many obsessions had there been back then?
Not even one-tenth of the obsessions appearing now!
What in the world had happened?
Could it be that a being who specialized in creating obsession had emerged?
Wouldn’t that make him the nemesis of his entire life?
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation’s expression turned grave. His scalp tingled as he urgently began divining the heavenly secrets, trying to glimpse what was really going on.
But the very moment the heavenly secret began to take form—
Collapse!
It shattered again!
A force so mighty that even the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation was shaken had forcibly obscured the heavenly secrets, rendering him completely blind to the truth of the matter.
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation’s eyes widened.
Although he knew he was being far too easily shocked—completely losing the dignity befitting a Heavenly Lord—he simply couldn’t help it.
Because what he was witnessing was something that had never happened since the dawn of time.
The one responsible for creating all these obsessions could directly block out the heavenly secrets, even preventing his divine divinations from succeeding—this could only mean one thing: that being was no weaker than he was. Possibly even stronger.
Faced with such a presence, perhaps it was understandable that he was shaken.
It was just... too much.
There were simply too many obsessions.
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
This Grand Dao of Reincarnation had been running here for countless eons. The total amount of obsession it had accumulated over that entire period—was just about equal to what had appeared this time.
In other words, the obsession that emerged this time... matched the entire sum total of obsession from all time past.
No. The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation was about to lose it.
Samsara had existed for so many years already.
And yet, all the obsession ever produced added up to this much—while now, in one go, this same amount had appeared?
What are you, some kind of obsession manufacturing machine?
Wait!
Huh?
Why does this particular obsession look kind of familiar?
The obsession standing before the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation took the form of a pallid old man, his face deathly white—obviously a man with one foot in the grave, already riddled with disease.
The reason the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation found him familiar... was because this old man was simply too tragic.
Born in poverty and sickness, his family borrowed heavily to treat him, barely pulling him back from the brink of death—yet he remained gravely ill all the same.
His father broke down and committed suicide. His mother, crushed beneath a mountain of debt, raised him alone—but poured all her hatred onto him. Though she never struck him, she used her words to viciously scar his soul.
There was a blind girl who had fallen in love with him, and he had loved her back. But she was forced to marry a butcher, and suffered beatings and abuse constantly.
He had rushed to save her with all his strength—only to be cruelly beaten to the ground. His mother then unleashed the most venomous curse upon him.
He tried to kill himself—only for his mother to save him, sobbing and screaming that their whole family had fallen apart just to keep him alive. And now he wanted to die? Why hadn’t he died sooner...?
He lived his entire life in this kind of suffering.
His obsession was so deep, even the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation was moved.
Upon seeing this obsession, the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation’s heart trembled—and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
Had the obsession slipped out while he wasn’t paying attention?
No, wait—obsessions had that kind of ability?
His figure reappeared at the very depths of the Sixfold Cycle of Reincarnation.
This was where obsessions had originally been suppressed.
And now, in this deepest part, the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation saw it. He saw that same obsession.
The Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation: ???
No... no, no...
He had brought this obsession to the entrance of reincarnation—and now, standing before him, were two obsessions that looked exactly the same.
Two old men—exactly identical in every way—stood before the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation.
Identical.
Perfectly, unmistakably identical.
At this moment, the Heavenly Lord of Reincarnation’s entire mental state collapsed.
Who?!
Who the hell was it?!
He was a Heavenly Lord! Who dared to mess with him like ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) this? Who dared to play him? To sabotage him like this?
This kind of perfect duplication of obsession—how the hell had they done it?
Obsession x2!
