This person has been deeply parasitized by the Void Whisper, hiding until now, all for this fatal blow!
Xiao Han's mind was incredibly sharp; he sensed the opponent's murderous intent almost the instant it was revealed.
However, before he could react, the Void Polluter on the front seized this fleeting opening!
"Obliteration Demon Light!"
A jet-black beam of light, even more condensed and terrifying than the previous "Corruption Shockwave," containing destructive energy powerful enough to Obliteration a late-stage Martial Emperor Realm, had already locked onto Xiao Han's face and was about to arrive in an instant!
With a traitor attacking from behind and a powerful enemy threatening to kill him from the front, there was no way to avoid it! Xiao Han was instantly plunged into an unprecedented life-or-death crisis!
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Han's [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes] had already caught the deadly glint behind him. He roared and twisted his body at an incredible angle, barely avoiding a fatal blow to his back.
"Laugh!"
The sharp sword tip still pierced through his [Star-Magic Battle Body] under his ribs, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone, and excruciating pain instantly assaulted his nerves.
"You're courting death!" Xiao Han's eyes flashed coldly, and with a backhand, he unleashed an invisible [Soul Impact], slamming it into the attacker's sea of consciousness. The attacker groaned, his eyes instantly going blank. Without hesitation, Xiao Han's [Shadow Chains] shot out like venomous snakes, binding him tightly.
However, the Obliteration Demon Light was already rushing towards them from the front!
There's no way to avoid it!
Xiao Han roared, his arms suddenly crossing in front of him to protect himself. The star patterns and demonic patterns of the [Star-Magic Battle Body] erupted with unprecedented light, forcefully withstanding this devastating blow.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, Xiao Han felt an overwhelming force crashing down on him, sending him flying backward like a kite with a broken string. His blood and qi surged wildly within him, and his bones felt as if they were about to shatter inch by inch.
"Xiao Han!" Upon seeing this, Qin Yueyao's beautiful eyes flashed with determination. She gritted her teeth, quickly took out a jade pendant from her bosom that was smooth and radiant with soft moonlight, and crushed it violently.
"Buzz--"
A burst of pure moonlight power erupted instantly, forming a solid protective shield that promptly enveloped Xiao Han as he flew backward. Several black tentacles from the Void Polluter followed closely behind, slamming heavily against the moonlight shield with a dull thud, but failing to break through immediately. Qin Yueyao's face visibly paled.
Taking this opportunity, Xiao Han gasped for breath, forcefully suppressing the metallic taste in his throat. His [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes] locked onto the Void Polluter in the distance. Inside its massive, twisted body, he clearly saw a highly unstable, pitch-black energy core, roughly the size of a human head, pulsating violently with each attack from the Void Polluter, its light flickering accordingly. With each powerful attack, the energy fluctuations of that "Pollution Source Core" would weaken by a fraction.
Just then, the dying Starfire at the center of the altar seemed to sense something, suddenly emitting a faint yet incredibly strong will to survive and a yearning for purification. This will resonated subtly with Xiao Han's Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul. A vague message, like fragmented murmurs, entered his mind: Pollution Source Core... Star Core Ancient Key... Bizarre Cycle...
A thought flashed through Xiao Han, and the rudimentary form of a bold and treacherous plan quickly took shape in his mind. He wanted to take advantage of the Void Polluters' almost instinctive protective mentality towards the Star Core Ancient Key, as well as the instability of the Pollution Source Core itself, to try to interrupt or even reverse the possible evil energy cycle between them and detonate its own power!
[Ding! Initial resonance detected between the host and the Starfire. The "Starfire Affinity" status has been temporarily enhanced! Purification abilities and subtle manipulation of Starfire power have been strengthened!]
[Reward: One-time skill - Pseudo-Starfire Link). Briefly links the user to the Starfire, sharing some of their senses, lasting five minutes.]
The system notification tone sounded at the appropriate time.
"Miss Qin," Xiao Han's voice was hoarse from his injuries, "I have a plan, but I need you to hold it off at all costs to buy me time to get closer to the Star Core Ancient Key!" He quickly told Qin Yueyao his general idea.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yueyao's beautiful face flashed with surprise, but it quickly turned into determination. She knew that right now, she had no choice but to trust Xiao Han. She took out a jade talisman that shimmered with starlight from her storage ring and handed it to Xiao Han: "This is my Qin Family's life-saving 'Star-Escape Jade Talisman.' In a critical moment, you can leave on your own and don't need to worry about us!"
"Roar!" The Void Polluter seemed to sense some kind of threat, letting out a deafening roar, and its attack suddenly became even more ferocious. Countless black tentacles swept in like a raging sea, and the stench of demonic energy permeated the entire altar. Qin Yueyao and the three remaining members of the Qin Family were struggling to defend themselves, constantly inflicting new wounds on their bodies. One of them was unable to dodge in time and was pierced through the body by several tentacles. His screams were cut short as he was instantly sucked dry into a desiccated corpse.
"Attack!" Xiao Han shouted, activating [Pseudo-Starfire Link) ] without hesitation.
In an instant, his vision underwent a wondrous change. The dim Starfire was no longer just a flame in his eyes, but an aggregate of countless fine stellar energies flowing together. Every tremor, every flicker, was clearly presented to his perception.
With his A Step to the Ends of the Earth technique pushed to its limit, Xiao Han's figure darted and weaved among the raging tentacles. Qin Yueyao and the others also unleashed their full potential, using all sorts of secret techniques and talismans, fighting a bloody battle to tear open fleeting gaps for Xiao Han.
Even so, Xiao Han's advance was still fraught with danger. Several fatal attacks narrowly escaped his grasp. If it weren't for the advance warning from [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes] and the subtle perception of the flow of stellar energy brought by [Starfire Link], he would have perished on the spot.
The closer Xiao Han got to the stone platform at the center of the altar, the more intensely he felt something was wrong. The Star Core Ancient Key, which should have been radiating pure star power, was now covered with a thin layer of black substance, like solidified grease, emanating an evil aura that was of the same origin as the Void Polluter, but purer and colder.
Xiao Han tightened, and he took out the [Void Remnant Crystal] he had obtained after killing the Void Whisperers. He carefully controlled it, slowly guiding a wisp of void energy from the remnant crystal towards the black, greasy substance on the surface of the ancient key.
A bizarre scene unfolded. Upon contact with the void energy of the same origin, the black substance began to writhe as if it were alive, greedily absorbing the energy of the remnant crystal. The area it covered slightly contracted, revealing a barely perceptible crack in the ancient key's true form.
Now!
A glint flashed in Xiao Han's eyes, and he reached out his hand to grab the ancient key from the crevice.
However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the ancient key, a chilling and evil will far more terrifying and condensed than that of the Void Polluter suddenly surged out from the crack, like an invisible ice spike, fiercely piercing his sea of consciousness!