"No wonder you've escaped the punishment of the battlefield time and time again; it turns out you've got the secret to survival!"

After Jiang Yuan absorbed the gold paper into his body, he discovered the secret of the companion ghost fire. A large part of the reason why this thing has been able to lie dormant until now without being discovered by the Heavenly Dao is the secret of life, but now it should be unable to enjoy it.

Although he hasn't reached the Supreme God Realm yet, he can still incorporate the Secret of Life into his body. However, once he loses the companion ghost fire of the Secret of Life, he only has two choices. First, devour himself and become the God of Death; second, wait for the judgment of Heaven.

Of course, the second option, the companion ghost fire, is no longer possible, because Jiang Yuan is determined to have it.

This is a gift from death; how could he possibly give it up?

"Eternity - Swallowing the Stars!"

The two great grotto-heavens frantically absorbed the hellfire. The hell constructed by the accompanying ghost fire had no restrictions on them, and obtaining hellfire was as easy as giving away hellfire.

Besides their standoff, Haicheng has encountered an unexpected disaster this time. The power accumulated by the accompanying ghost fire over the years is immense, which directly led to the arrival of heavenly fire over Haicheng. If it weren't for the five ghosts of the black market and Liu Zhaodi and the other two controlling the situation outside, this heavenly fire alone would have destroyed half of Haicheng.

Time ticked by, and the symbiotic will-o'-the-wisp could no longer sit still. It was horrified to discover that not only had it failed to devour the Grim Reaper, but its primordial flame had also been reduced by more than half, which was extremely fatal for a fire-based creature.

"Jiang Yuan, you bastard, what did you do to me!" The companion ghost fire roared, clearly starting to get a little angry.

Its original plan was to devour Jiang Yuan and become the sole Grim Reaper, but now all its preparations have been in vain. How could it not be angry?

Jiang Yuan, who had his thoughts scattered across every corner of hell, revealed a mocking smile and said, "Why do you think you can replace Death?"

"Why? You're asking me why?" The symbiotic will-o'-the-wisp flew into a rage like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Its voice became shrill, and then it went mad, saying, "Back then, I regarded Death as the only god in my life. I even dreamed that Death could rule the world and break all the shackles of this universe. But what about him?"

"He has fallen into depravity, not only betraying the oath we once made, but also joining the ranks of the enemy and becoming an evil god who imprisons the universe."

"Since that's the case, then I will take his place on that path. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will not give up my mission to construct the cycle of the universe!"

Space was trembling, and it was clear that the accompanying will-o'-the-wisps had already started talking about taboo topics in the universe.

Jiang Yuan didn't reply, but just quietly looked at the companion ghost fire, at this partner who was once the closest to Death. The things that Death wanted to do became clearer and clearer in his mind.

The reason why Death chose to destroy his own divine position and divine status is simple: he embarked on the wrong path, and once he embarked on that path, he had no possibility of rebuilding the cycle of the universe.

That is why he chose to plant the seed in the cycle of reincarnation, letting fate decide for itself, while he merely served as a guide, silently leading those who followed.

"I hate it! I hate the way you look!"

The flames surged, and a skull face emerged from the flames, its expression extremely ferocious.

"Do you know? Death looked at me silently like that back then. He didn't say a word, and even when his godhood shattered and his divine essence dissipated, leaving me alone in this world, he never explained a word to me! I hate it, I hate your kind of faces!"

The accompanying will-o'-the-wisp roared hysterically, but any anger was of no use, because no one would give it an explanation.

Some things cannot exist in the universe, not even in words.

"Jiang Yuan, speak to me!" The skull face was incredibly close to Jiang Yuan, showing that the anger of the accompanying ghost fire had reached its peak.

Jiang Yuan nodded, but his tone remained calm. "Perhaps you've misunderstood Death!"

“I’m not wrong, he’s wrong! He broke our vow, he hasn’t achieved the six realms, he hasn’t reincarnated, he… he…” The voice of the accompanying ghost fire grew softer and softer until it disappeared.

"Without experiencing the six realms of existence, how can one speak of the equality of all beings? Without experiencing birth and death, how can one speak of the cycle of reincarnation?"

Jiang Yuan gave a self-deprecating smile and said meaningfully, "He's not betraying us, he's paving the way!"

The Death God's legacy has passed through countless hands, including those from the realms of gods, humans, asuras, hell, hungry ghosts, and animals. Even the Death God himself perished, destroying everything. All of this was for the sake of four words—the cycle of reincarnation.

He didn't know what his fate would be, perhaps repeating the same mistakes and continuing down the same path as Death, but he wouldn't regret it, because he had done his best to change his destiny, and no matter the outcome, he would have no regrets.

"I don't believe it! He betrayed us! If he didn't betray us, why didn't he take me with him?" The symbiotic will-o'-the-wisp roared obstinately, unable to accept its mistake of misunderstanding Death for an entire era.

"So, I've come."

The Eternal Dharma Appears in Hell. At this moment, the id and superego have both disappeared, leaving only the self inherited from the Grim Reaper.

Jiang Yuan opened his hand, and a miniature cycle appeared in his palm. He looked at the cycle with fascination and said, "I will take you to experience the true cycle of reincarnation. This is what Death owes you, and now I will repay it."