Deep within the Ancient Demon Star Altar, time seemed to have frozen. Li Wuyang's unconscious body was wrapped in a pale golden cocoon of light, delicate Reincarnation Dao Patterns flowing across its surface, flickering like breaths. Beneath the cocoon, the Reincarnation Dao Tree seedling had completely withered. Its charred branches shattered inch by inch, leaving only a faint glimmer of spiritual light stubbornly flickering at its roots like a candle in the wind. The emerald dewdrop Queen Elara had condensed from the very essence of her life hung above that light, yet it could not seep into the withered Dao foundation sealed by the extreme dead silence Dao Marks.
Elder Xuanji's face was ashen as she withdrew her trembling hands from the cocoon. Her voice was hoarse. "No... The Dao foundation has been utterly eroded by the Throne's Annihilation Dao Marks. Life-source energy cannot enter it; it will only accelerate the spread of the Dao Marks... This is a collapse on the level of the Great Dao. No medicine can save him..."
Ling Xiao Sword Master's eyes were bloodshot. He smashed his fist into the jade tiles of the altar, and cracks spread outward. "Are we supposed to just stand by and watch..." He could not continue. Sword qi burst wildly from his body, slicing apart the void. The Shadow Sword Immortal stood silently in the shadows, his single hand clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palm.
Despair, like an icy iron band, clamped around everyone's throat. The flame of hope had only just rekindled, yet it was about to be extinguished completely.
Yet just as all hope seemed lost, a sudden change occurred!
That fading glimmer from the Dao Tree did not seek vitality from without. Instead, it made a move beyond the understanding of all