Xiao Ye's face looked terrible. The muscles throughout his body twitched uncontrollably, as though he were enduring pain with all his might.
"Father, you must hold on. There's only the final step left!"
Xiao Ye, so pained that he was nearly unconscious, laboriously opened his eyes. Seeing his son's worried face, he wanted to smile and reassure him, but after struggling for a long while, he only managed a twitch of his lips.
"Father, you must stay conscious. I'll remain by your side. Once your Spiritual Root, contaminated by Evil Qi, has completely melted away, we can proceed to the next step."
Xiao Ye opened his mouth, but only breathed out an almost inaudible "All right" before closing his eyes again and continuing his battle against the pain of his Spiritual Root dissolving, striving to stay awake.
Inside the Secret Chamber at Xiao He's Residence, Wei Lingkai had already fallen unconscious. The Spirit Locking Ring was still around his wrist, and a black chain bound his body, fixing him atop an array. The array was slowly drawing the life force from his body, causing his face to gradually turn pale, then even bluish. His hair was beginning to whiten as well.
Locked away, Xiao Lei paced around the room like a trapped beast. She tried attacking the restriction, but it did nothing.
Xiao Lei was deeply conflicted. She wanted to save Fellow Daoist Wei, the man she had fallen for at first sight, yet she could not bear to watch her father perish. Though she knew what her brother was doing was wrong, her cultivation was too low for her to stop him. Helping Fellow Daoist Wei send out his token had already been the limit of what she could do. At the very least, her conscience was clear.
After