Sage's Blood Stains the Demonic

The Biyou Palace's spirit pool was as silent as a grave.

At the edge of the World Purifying Green Lotus, the hideous crack that had just been temporarily mended by Sage's Blood was now like a wound bitten by a venomous snake. A trace of dazzling dark gold pattern quietly appeared around its edges! Though the pattern was fine, it exuded pure chaos and malice, completely incompatible with the pure and sacred origin of the Green Lotus, like spilled blood on white silk!

"Hmm?!" The finger of Lord Tongtian, pressing on the crack, trembled violently! A cold, viscous, chaotic will filled with endless desire to devour, pierced fiercely into the depths of his Sage Soul through the channel of flowing back holy power! Though this will was minuscule, it carried an essential pressure from the depths of the Chaos Sea, superior to ordinary Demon Gods!

"Nirvana Demonic Intent?!" Lord Tongtian's pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, a grave expression appeared on his pale face! He instantly understood--this was the final counterattack of the Demonic Eye from beneath the earth, using its most fundamental demonic thought as a guide, borrowing the holy power channel he opened to carry out an erosion like a maggot gnawing on bone! The target was his flawless Dao Foundation as a Primordial Sage!

"Wretch! How dare you deceive a Sage!" Lord Tongtian's furious roar exploded like thunder in Biyou Palace! The dormant Sky-Severing Sword Intent around him erupted violently! Innumerable condensed, solid-like green sword energies surged out from within him, not attacking the outside, but instantly weaving into a Netherworld Sword Prison within his Sage Soul's sea of consciousness!

Within the sword prison, billions of sword lights flowed, carrying the supreme will to sever everything and destroy all laws, fiercely grinding towards that wisp of invading dark gold demonic thought!

Chichichichi--!

An invisible battle erupted in the deepest part of the Sage's sea of consciousness! The dark gold demonic thought, like a slippery venomous snake, darted left and right, releasing thoughts of chaotic erosion, attempting to pollute the Sage Soul and incite inner demons! But how overbearing was Lord Tongtian's Sky-Severing Sword Intent? The sword prison was strict, the sword lights were like a prison, and every grind precisely shaved off a trace of the demonic thought's origin!

The dark gold demonic thought let out a silent shriek, struggling and twisting madly, its volume rapidly shrinking! It was about to be completely annihilated in the sword prison!

However, at the very last moment before the demonic thought was about to be ground to dust--

It suddenly gave up resisting. Instead, it transformed all its remaining demonic thought origin into an ultimate stream of corrupted information, not attacking Lord Tongtian, but fiercely impacting the sword prison's barrier! This information stream contained its pain of being purified, its hatred for Pangu's Primordial Era, its greed for that "Chaos Variable" (Cheng Xi), and... the scattered imprints of the "Lord of Nirvana" it served!

Boom!

The corrupted information stream impacted the sword prison's barrier. Although it failed to break through, it was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting a trace of malice and resentment towards the Heavenly Dao's injustice that had been lurking within Lord Tongtian due to his confrontation with the Heavenly Dao and damage to his Dao Foundation! It also ignited the crack on his World Purifying Green Lotus, which had been polluted by the dark gold patterns!

Buzz--!

The dark gold patterns at the Green Lotus's crack suddenly lit up! They instantly resonated with the ignited malice and resentment in Lord Tongtian's sea of consciousness! A weak yet extremely stubborn force of chaotic erosion, following the connection between the Sage Soul and the Green Lotus's Dao Foundation, seeped in reversely!

Pfft!

Lord Tongtian's body shook violently, and he spat out another mouthful of golden Sage's Blood, which splattered onto the Green Lotus! The finger he pressed on the crack was instantly covered with a layer of faint dark gold spots! Although the demonic thought within the sword prison had been completely ground to dust, a trace of the pollution imprint from the "Lord of Nirvana," borrowing this moment of internal and external attack, embedded itself deeply into the depths of his Dao Foundation crack like the smallest spore! It even triggered a flaw in his own Dao Heart!

Dao Foundation Tarnished! Sage Body Soiled!

Lord Tongtian slowly retracted his erupting aura, his face terrifyingly grim. He lowered his head, looking at the stubborn dark gold patterns on the Green Lotus's crack and the faint golden spots on his fingertips, his eyes flickering with sword light. The Tribulation of Killing... had indeed begun, and even Sages could not stay out of it! Although this demonic thought was minuscule, the "Lord of Nirvana" it represented made him feel an unprecedented sense of alarm.

His gaze pierced through the void, falling again on Mount Li, then on Xianyang, then on the unconscious Cheng Xi and Yan Lingji, finally settling on the direction of the withered Demonic Locust Tree at the northern foot of Mount Li. A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "This tree... cannot be left alive!"

In the side hall of the Imperial Medical Office, blood and turbid energy permeated the air.

Cheng Xi lay in Meng Tian's arms, his breath weak, almost extinguished. Beneath his skin, dark red Turbid Fiendish Meridians writhed like living creatures, spreading from his dantian to his neck, greedily sucking away his remaining vitality. The newly formed Chaos Earth Fiend had been almost completely depleted after killing the demonic shadow, and his meridians were like scorched earth after being burned by fierce flames, broken inch by inch.

"Imperial Physician! Quickly!" Meng Tian's tiger-like eyes were bloodshot as he roared towards the door. Several white-haired old imperial physicians, trembling, entered carrying medicine boxes. Upon seeing the hideous Turbid Fiendish Meridians on Cheng Xi's body and his weak breath, like a candle in the wind, they were all horrified and changed color.

"General... this... this cannot be cured by medicine or herbs!" The leading old imperial physician placed his finger on Cheng Xi's wrist, only to feel it ice-cold, his pulse chaotic like boiling porridge, and a heavy, deathly stagnant, filthy force coiled in his dantian, madly devouring his vitality, causing him to shake his head repeatedly in fear.

"Useless!" Meng Tian was furious. If he weren't holding Cheng Xi, he would have drawn his sword!

"Move aside." A deep, authoritative voice came from outside the hall.

Ying Zheng's figure appeared at the shattered hall entrance. He had changed out of his damaged Black Robes and was now wearing a dark gold patterned formal outfit, but the heavy, mountain-like, authoritative, prison-like Ancestor Dragon pressure was even more condensed and restrained. His Dragon Eyes swept across the mess in the hall, past the headless corpses of demonic shadows, and finally settled on Cheng Xi, his gaze deep and unreadable.

He walked forward slowly, ignoring the kneeling imperial physicians, and directly extended his right hand, pressing it onto Cheng Xi's cold forehead. At his fingertips, a point of condensed dark gold Dragon Qi penetrated into Cheng Xi's body!

"Hmm?" Ying Zheng frowned slightly. He sensed the miserable state of Cheng Xi's body, riddled with holes, and even more so, he sensed the Turbid Fiendish Power, like a maggot gnawing on bone, madly devouring his vitality. The Ancestor Dragon True Power instinctively surged towards the source of the filth--the dantian sea of qi!

However, the moment the Ancestor Dragon True Power touched the Turbid Fiendish Power--

Buzz!

Deep within Cheng Xi's dantian, the gray light of the Chaos Origin Point wrapped by the Turbid Fiend, and the remaining Chaos Earth Fiend aura, as if stimulated like ferocious beasts, actually produced an instinctive repulsion towards the majestic Ancestor Dragon True Power! The three residual forces of gray, gold, and green, though weak, carried chaotic and disordered characteristics, colliding fiercely with the order and majesty represented by the Ancestor Dragon True Power!

Chich!

Cheng Xi's body trembled violently, and black blood overflowed from his mouth again! The Turbid Fiendish Meridians beneath his skin pulsed more intensely! The conflict caused by the repulsion accelerated his loss of vitality!

A dark gold light flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes, and he instantly withdrew his Ancestor Dragon True Power. He stared at Cheng Xi's ashen face, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, his voice betraying no emotion: "Ignited the Earth Vein, tainted by Chaos, slew Demonic Evils... Cheng Xi, the 'surprises' you give this lonely king become bigger and bigger each time."

He raised his hand, and a palm-sized dark gold token, carved with mysterious dragon patterns, appeared in his palm. The token was neither gold nor jade, but felt warm and smooth to the touch, emitting a vast and pure Ancestor Dragon aura--it was the Ancestor Dragon Inheritance Token he had initially controlled!

"Meng Tian."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Take this token and draw the Dragon Qi from the unpolluted Dragon Vein of the Imperial Mausoleum on Mount Li, and inject it into his body." Ying Zheng threw the token to Meng Tian, his gaze icy cold. "Use the Dragon Qi as a cage to seal the Turbid Fiend and residual malice in his dantian! Keep him barely alive. As for whether he can wake up, that depends on his fortune."

"Understood!" Meng Tian took the token with both hands, feeling the vast Ancestor Dragon aura within, and his heart was greatly lifted. The Imperial Mausoleum on Mount Li was the ancestral court of the Great Qin's Dragon Vein. Although its core Dragon Qi had been damaged by the Demonic Calamity, there must be a pure Dragon source in its depths that had not been polluted! Using this Qi to seal the Turbid Fiend might offer a sliver of hope!

Ying Zheng no longer looked at the unconscious Cheng Xi, turned, and walked towards the hall entrance. His black robe sleeve brushed across the blood-stained ground, and his voice was like ice: "Transmit my decree: Lord Chang'an Cheng Xi, for his meritorious service in slaying Demonic Evils, has been severely wounded by evil forces and needs to recuperate in the Imperial Mausoleum. Effective immediately, the ruins of the side hall of Ganquan Palace are to be sealed. Without my decree, no one is allowed to approach Yan Lingji. The area within ten li of the Demonic Ancient Locust Tree at the northern foot of Mount Li is to be declared a forbidden zone. Trespassers will be... executed!"

He wanted to keep Cheng Xi alive, and more importantly, control these two "Variables" who carried earth-shattering secrets! Although he had obtained the Ancestor Dragon inheritance, the road ahead was still shrouded in mist. These two might... be crucial pawns to break the deadlock, or they might be... a greater source of disaster!

In front of the rock face of Mount Li's main peak, the emerald light pillar slowly dissipated.

Yan Lingji sat cross-legged on the ground. Although the vast holy power that had enveloped her had receded, a world-shattering change had occurred within her body. The Sage's Blood, drawn by Lord Tongtian, had not only purified the demonic thoughts but also injected a pure and gentle power, containing supreme vitality and the true meaning of the Sky-Severing Sword Dao, into her dried meridians and Heart Lamp.

The orange-red Kindling Fire Heart Lamp at her chest now glowed steadily and warmly. Although its volume had not increased, a point of condensed emerald light core had appeared at its center--it was the imprint of Sage's Blood and Sky-Severing Sword Intent! As the lamp flame flickered, faint green sword light flowed within it, exuding a will of protection and warding off evil.

What shocked her even more was the change in her bloodline! Her originally sparse Zhurong Descendant Lineage, under the combined effect of Sage's Blood and the Kindling Fire of the Heart Lamp, was like ore thrown into a furnace, undergoing intense purification and sublimation! The pure white Witch Fire core was tinged with a faint orange-gold, its temperature higher and its purifying power stronger! The dormant Dark Gold Demonic Markings deep within her bloodline, under the dual suppression of the Sage's Blood imprint and the orange-gold flames, completely subsided, sealed tightly in the corners.

"Lord Tongtian..." Yan Lingji slowly opened her eyes, a flash of orange-gold flame disappearing within them, filled with deep gratitude and shock. She struggled to get up. Although still weak, the power within her was now more pure, more condensed, and she had even vaguely touched the threshold of a higher level.

Her gaze fell on the Qingping Sword Sheath in front of her knees. The sheath was covered in cracks, but after the emerald light dissipated, it faintly flowed with a warm, inner radiance, as if it had undergone a baptism of Sage's Blood, its spiritual essence subtly enhanced. She carefully picked up the sheath and tucked it close to her body.

The call from Pangu Hall sounded again, clear and distinct, carrying praise and guidance, and even a hint of urgency--although the core of the polluted Earth Vein had been severed by the Azure Flame Sacred Sword, countless polluted branch nodes remained, and the hidden danger was not yet removed! Especially the Demonic Locust Tree at the northern foot of Mount Li, though withered, its root system deep within...

Yan Lingji looked towards the northern foot, flames rising in her orange-gold eyes. Purifying the Earth Vein and clearing the source of pollution was her mission, and also a proving ground for her new strength! Without hesitation, following the guidance of Pangu Hall and the bloodline's sensing of the Earth Vein, she took firm steps towards the northern foot of Mount Li.

At the northern foot of Mount Li, the desolate forest was dead silent.

The demonic ancient locust tree, dozens of yards tall, had completely withered. The dark gold patches on its trunk had peeled away entirely, revealing a charred and rotten interior. Its bare branches resembled withered bones reaching for the sky, emitting a mournful whine in the wind. The air was filled with a strong smell of sulfurous char and decay.

However, at the heart of this withered landscape, symbolizing death and endings, deep underground, a silent plunder and transformation was taking place.

The vast root network of the demonic locust tree had, for the most part, lost its vitality with the annihilation of the demonic eye, becoming withered and gray. Only one of the thickest main lateral roots, which had once pierced through rock layers and touched that drop of dark gold demonic blood, now showed a strange vitality!

The dark gold cuticle covering the surface of this main root had not peeled off; instead, it had become darker and thicker, like a layer of metal armor. The root hairs were no longer absorbing nutrients from the earth vein. Instead, like a reawakened giant python, they were frantically digging and piercing through the dark soil! Following the faint scent and contamination path left by the drop of demonic blood, it drilled deeper into the darker earth!

Finally!

After penetrating several layers of hard rock slabs, the root tip abruptly touched a small pool of viscous, heavy, gelatinous substance emitting a faint dark gold glow—this was the last remaining essence of the dark gold demonic blood that had contaminated the earth vein, unpurified after the core demonic eye was severed by the Azure Flame Sacred Sword!

Buzz!

Like a shark smelling blood, the tip of the dark gold main root instantly split open countless fine mouths, frantically latching on! The viscous demonic blood essence was rapidly sucked and devoured! The root hairs swelled and pulsed at a visible speed! The dark gold cuticle covering them became even darker and thicker, even beginning to spread to the surrounding root hairs!

As the demonic blood essence was completely consumed, this main lateral root completely severed itself from the rest of the withered root system. It was no longer a tree root but more like a dark gold demonic root with an independent life! It slowly retracted, coiling deep within the withered main root system of the demonic locust tree, like a hibernating venomous snake, exuding a cold, greedy aura, waiting for an opportunity.

At the core of the demonic root, a speck of dark gold, the size of a grain of rice, condensed from pure demonic blood essence, pulsed slowly like a sleeping heart. It greedily absorbed the last trace of chaotic energy from the free-floating, contaminated earth vein, silently accumulating strength, waiting for... the next opportunity to awaken and hunt.

The withered tree serves as a tomb, the demonic root lies dormant. Though the poison of the earth vein is temporarily cleared, its root is not yet severed.