"A battle of equals..."
Hearing the words of the Seed of Origin, Ye Ling felt an inexplicable surge of fighting spirit, his entire being inexplicably excited.
Although he was facing the supreme ruler of the Origin Realm, the Heavenly Dao that had existed for endless years and managed all beings, he felt no trace of fear.
Ye Ling himself had not encountered an equal battle for a long time.
The enemies he had faced before were either too weak to be worth fighting head-on, or so monstrously powerful that fighting them directly was akin to suicide.
While the Seed of Origin of the Origin Realm was strong and could instantly kill Ye Ling if it unleashed its full power, the fate predetermined by good and evil, and the Seed of Origin's defiance of that fate, granted Ye Ling the opportunity to fight it head-on.
This was the perfect battle to temper one's will!
"Even if I lose this battle... I will have no regrets," Ye Ling said with a light smile, looking forward, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit, devoid of any confusion!
Within Ye Ling's line of sight, a man in white clothes and white hair slowly appeared.
The man's face was exceedingly handsome, his eyes seeming to contain the vastness of the starry sky, possessing infinite wisdom.
His demeanor and physique were both perfect, leaving no room for criticism.
This was the manifestation of the Seed of Origin's will.
The Seed of Origin's will calmly looked at Ye Ling and said, "Ye Ling, within the space of ultimate self... I can use your abilities, and you can use my power... We are equal in all aspects."
"What will decide the victor between us is only the strength of our will."
Hearing the Seed of Origin's will, Ye Ling also smiled and said, "Since that's the case, let's not play games. Let's directly compare the strength of our wills. Whoever lasts until the end will gain everything from the other and continue on."
"That is precisely my intention!"
A glint flashed in the Seed of Origin's will's eyes. Then, he instantly appeared before Ye Ling and struck out with a palm towards him!
Seeing the Seed of Origin attack, Ye Ling did not back down and met the blow with his own palm!
Boom!!!
The two palms collided, representing the clash of their wills, and a torrent of power spread outwards.
The moment Ye Ling made contact with the Seed of Origin's will, he felt an overwhelming aura surge towards him, threatening to engulf him!
Almost instantly, Ye Ling's soul was shattered by more than half, and he was continuously forced back by the Seed of Origin.
"Ye Ling, I am created by good and evil. To resist fate, to resist good and evil, I have gathered all my courage and staked everything. Do not underestimate my resolve!"
The Seed of Origin's will roared, increasing its force. Ye Ling's soul began to disperse!
"So fierce..." Ye Ling gritted his teeth, enduring the searing pain of his soul dispersing, as he directly resisted the crushing pressure of the Seed of Origin's will. No matter how he resisted, he could not stop his retreat.
Not far behind Ye Ling, a ten-thousand-foot-high cliff had appeared at some point.
If he were pushed over by the Seed of Origin's will, it would be an eternal damnation!
At this moment, Ye Ling was like a sailor navigating a small boat through monstrous waves, constantly facing overwhelming tsunamis, where a single misstep would lead to capsizing and being swallowed by the sea.
However, despite Ye Ling being at a disadvantage, the resilience of his will surpassed the Seed of Origin's expectations.
Even the most battle-hardened supreme experts outside would have their wills instantly scattered upon colliding with the Seed of Origin's will.
But Ye Ling endured... Although Ye Ling was still retreating step by step, he held firm to his last line of defense. No matter how the Seed of Origin's will pressed down, it could not completely obliterate Ye Ling's will!
Barely having engaged, the two had already escalated from probing each other to a war of attrition between their wills.
In this pure confrontation of wills, both the Seed of Origin's will and Ye Ling were enduring agonizing pain.
Their minds were taut, and either one, with even a slight lapse in concentration, would be instantly devoured by the other.
The Seed of Origin's will stared at the struggling Ye Ling and said, "Ye Ling... the resilience of your will truly exceeds my imagination, far surpassing any being I have encountered in the Origin Realm..."
"I have the resolve to resist fate, and I wish to know what supports your will to be so powerful?"
"Your will is truly terrifyingly strong. At a time like this... you still have the energy to talk to me..."
Ye Ling, enduring the intense pain and fatigue, replied to the Seed of Origin, "I don't have any resolve to resist fate. On the contrary... I am more willing to follow fate."
"Follow fate?" A hint of confusion flickered in the Seed of Origin's will's eyes. "To follow fate, without the will to resist, how can you contend with my will to this extent?"
After all, the Seed of Origin's will at this moment represented the entire Origin Realm; it was the core of the world. Even the will of supreme experts was extremely fragile before the Seed of Origin's will.
Yet Ye Ling... even though the Seed of Origin's will held an absolute advantage from the start, it could not make Ye Ling's will completely dissipate. It could only wear down Ye Ling's will bit by bit, pushing Ye Ling towards the cliff.
Ye Ling replied, "Me... I just want to live."
"To live?"
Upon hearing Ye Ling's answer, the Seed of Origin's will's eyes grew even more confused. "All beings in the world desire to live, but there are countless events that make life worse than death. The pain you are enduring now should be worse than death."
"How can such a simple wish support such a powerful will? I cannot comprehend it."
As the Seed of Origin spoke, it did not relent its attack, but rather increased its offensive pressure, pushing Ye Ling closer to the edge of the cliff.
Although it would endure the same pain as Ye Ling, as the Heavenly Dao of the Origin Realm, it could perceive the emotions of all beings in the world at all times.
For endless years, the Seed of Origin had immersed its will in infinite negative emotions to temper its own will, experiencing all sorts of suffering.
By now, the Seed of Origin had become completely numb, no longer affected by pain or negative emotions.
Its only possibility of failure now was for its will to be completely worn down by Ye Ling and pushed off the cliff.
But...
For countless years, it had treated good and evil as its hypothetical enemies, and under constant pressure, its will had been tempered to near infinite strength!
Under such circumstances, unless it directly faced its creator, its will could almost never be completely worn down!
Ye Ling was continuously forced back by the Seed of Origin's will, reaching the edge of the cliff.
"It's over, Ye Ling."
The Seed of Origin's will pushed Ye Ling to the edge of the cliff and said calmly, "Your will's resilience earns my admiration, but you are human, and I am Heaven... your desire to live cannot withstand my resolve to resist fate."
"It's over."
"That's not necessarily true..."
Just as the Seed of Origin's will was about to push Ye Ling's soul off the cliff, completely crushing his will, Ye Ling suddenly uttered these words, causing the Seed of Origin to pause.
The next moment, the Seed of Origin sensed a powerful will emerging from Ye Ling like bamboo shoots after rain!
Ye Ling stopped retreating. He looked directly into the eyes of the Seed of Origin's will and, with a forceful push of his palm, actually pushed the Seed of Origin's will back!
"This power!"
The Seed of Origin's will sensed the surge of powerful will from Ye Ling, its eyes filled with shock. It asked Ye Ling with confusion, "You... why do you have such a strong desire to survive? Even the strongest supreme experts in the Origin Realm would have given up by now!"
"Of course... I don't live for myself alone."
Ye Ling gasped weakly, resisting the crushing pressure of the Seed of Origin's will, and said, "Outside the space of ultimate self, in the lower Origin Realm, on Earth... there are people waiting for me to return."
"I made them a promise, that I would definitely return, so... no matter what, I cannot die here."
Boom!!!
As Ye Ling spoke, a torrent of power erupted from within him once more, forcing the Seed of Origin's will back again!
Ye Ling's dispersing form slowly coalesced. His eyes, devoid of any confusion, fixed on the Seed of Origin's will. "Seed of Origin... you have your resolve to resist fate, and I have my longing for my loved ones. This will born from longing can traverse all time and space."
"This longing will never be weak!"
Ye Ling shouted loudly, retracted his palm, and clenched his fist, striking towards the Seed of Origin's will!
Bang!!!
Ye Ling's punch landed squarely on the face of the Seed of Origin's will!