The Taotie Demon Lord retreated, and the void returned to dead silence, leaving behind only the wreckage of the great battle and grief that hung thick in the air. The Eternal Furnace floated quietly, its body covered in cracks. No more chaotic flames burned within it; it seemed lifeless.
The Great Elder, Aidera, Jiyun, and Bao Bao stood by the furnace, their hearts heavy. The resolute scene before Li Wuyang's consciousness had dissipated left them heartbroken. To revive Xuan, he had ultimately chosen to sacrifice himself.
"Little Friend Wuyang... truly righteous." The Great Elder let out a long sigh and began circulating her cultivation technique, trying to stabilize the furnace and at least preserve Xuan's embryo, so Li Wuyang's sacrifice would not be in vain.
Bao Bao's silver-gray body had dimmed, its tentacles drooping with profound sorrow. It had lost the "neighbor" who had shown it the world, given it a name, and protected it.
Just as everyone was immersed in grief, Jiyun, the Blind Lute Master, spoke again, his voice carrying a strange tremor. "Everyone... carefully sense the furnace core."
The Great Elder and Aidera froze, then hurriedly extended their divine senses toward the chaotic vortex within the furnace core.
This time, they detected something different. At the vortex's center, Xuan's embryonic aura had indeed grown much stronger—cold and still. Yet at the deepest point of that stillness, there seemed to be... another exceedingly faint but extraordinarily tenacious pulse of life? That pulse shared the same origin as Xuan's Source of Annihilation, yet carried a trace of Li Wuyang's distinctive imprint of will. Like a tiny spark, it flickered stubbornly amid the ashes of annihilation!
"This is...?!" The Great Elder's pupils contracted sharply, disbelief filling her face.
"Annihilation Nirvana—life born from death." Jiyun gently stroked the lute strings and