The situation was critical, hanging by a thread!
Several fiends condensed from pure demonic qi and mutated lightning let out soundless howls as they pounced at the unconscious Bixiao from different directions, carrying destructive energy with them! Their forms were twisted—some resembled multi-headed lightning serpents, while others were like humanoid demonic shadows. The one thing they shared was eyes completely filled with savagery and the desire to devour.
The protective golden light around Bixiao was like a candle flame in the wind, ready to shatter at any moment. If those fiends got close to her, the consequences would be unthinkable!
"Wretches! How dare you harm anyone!"
Xuanwei's eyes were bloodshot. At this moment, he could no longer afford to hide his strength or weigh the risks. Saving Bixiao was his foremost priority!
With a long roar, he shot out like lightning, his speed rising to its limit. At the same time, his hands rapidly formed seals as the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art within him revolved madly at an unprecedented speed. Chaos-colored immortal light surged into the sky, forcibly driving back the approaching demonic qi and mutated lightning!
"Chaos Domain, open!"
Buzz—!
Centered on him, a hazy expanse of chaotic void, as though it had returned to the time before heaven and earth were divided, abruptly spread outward. Its range was not large, covering only thirty meters around him, but its unique ability to "turn all laws into chaos" immediately revealed itself! Several fiends charging toward Bixiao entered the domain, and the demonic qi and lightning around them instantly became like ice and snow thrown into a furnace. They violently fluctuated and dissipated, their structures becoming unstable as their charge slowed sharply!
"Kindling Fire, Prairie Blaze!"
Without pausing, Xuanwei raised two fingers like a sword and pointed ahead! The streak of dark yellow Kindling Fire that had been dancing at his fingertips suddenly swelled! Rather than becoming a towering blaze, it seemed to possess life, splitting into dozens of fine lines of fire that shot precisely toward every fiend!
This Kindling Fire contained the indestructible essence of humanity's civilizational inheritance and possessed an innate restraint against Nine Nether demonic qi! Though it was not directly burning the source of the demonic qi now, its properties of "dispersing ignorance" and "purifying filth" were no different from deadly poison to these fiends, which had been condensed primarily from demonic qi!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—!
The moment the threads of Kindling Fire struck the fiends, they made a sound like red-hot iron searing into ice and snow. The fiends gave agonized wails as holes were burned through their bodies, completely interrupting their movements. Two weaker ones even directly collapsed into pure demonic qi and lightning, which were further annihilated by the Chaos Domain.
Seizing the opportunity, Xuanwei flashed forward, breaking through the fiends' blockade and landing upon the lone cliff beside Bixiao.
"Senior Sister Bixiao!" He crouched and swiftly examined her condition.
Bixiao's eyes were tightly shut, her long lashes trembling faintly. Her face was pale as paper, and her aura was exceedingly weak. Fortunately, her life source had not been harmed. Only her soul seemed to have suffered a powerful impact and shock, and with her immortal power exhausted, she had fallen into a deep coma. The layer of golden light formed by the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper around her body rippled slightly upon sensing Xuanwei's approach. After confirming he bore no ill intent, it finally could no longer hold on and vanished with a soft pop.
Xuanwei did not dare delay. He immediately transferred a stream of pure immortal power containing the vitality of Wu Earth and the spiritual essence of Yi Wood into her body, protecting her heart meridians and sea of consciousness to stabilize her injuries first.
However, at the instant his immortal power entered Bixiao's body and touched her sea of consciousness—
Boom!!!
The entire abyss shook violently once more! This tremor was far greater than before!
The ancient lightning object at the center of the dark-purple lightning pillar seemed to have been utterly enraged by Xuanwei's Chaos Domain and Kindling Fire! It no longer merely emitted pressure or stirred resonance. Instead, it suddenly erupted with hundreds of millions of dark-purple bolts of destructive lightning!
No longer attacking chaotically, the lightning gathered as though alive, forming a terrifying lightning spear that stretched across the abyss. Carrying supreme thunderous might capable of piercing the void and destroying all laws, it shot straight at—Xuanwei!
Before the lightning spear even arrived, its terrifying pressure made Xuanwei's bones creak. The Chaos Domain violently rippled, seeming ready to collapse at any moment! The power of this strike had absolutely reached the Golden Immortal level, perhaps even beyond it!
Xuanwei's scalp went numb, and every hair on his body stood on end! He had no doubt that if this strike landed head-on, even with the Chaos Bead protecting him, he would either die or be gravely injured!
He could not evade it! This strike had locked onto his aura and covered every possible space for retreat!
In that fleeting instant, a fierce glint flashed through Xuanwei's eyes. He could not retreat—Bixiao lay unconscious behind him!
"Chaos Bead, appear!"
Without hesitation, he brought forth his greatest trump card! A gray, misty pearl that seemed to contain a newborn universe flew from between his brows, spinning as it hovered above his head.
In an instant, an ancient, vast aura that stood above all the heavens spread outward. The moment the Chaos Bead appeared, even the violent, demonized lightning pool fell silent, and the lightning might emanating from the ancient lightning object opposite him seemed to freeze for an instant!
Buzz!
The Chaos Bead cast down hazy chaotic radiance, enveloping Xuanwei and Bixiao within it.
At that very moment, the destructive lightning spear crashed down, slamming fiercely into the curtain of chaotic light!
Boom—!!!
An indescribable explosion erupted through the abyss! It was as though two primordial stars had collided! A violent shockwave spread outward in a ring, annihilating and sweeping aside everything around it, including the remaining fiends and the surging waves of lightning!
The curtain of chaotic light caved in and twisted violently, its radiance flickering as though it might be torn apart at any moment. Xuanwei's face paled, and sweetness rose in his throat as a mouthful of blood nearly burst forth. With only the cultivation of a True Immortal, he had forcibly activated the unrepaired Chaos Bead to withstand a strike far beyond his realm, suffering an immense backlash!
But he held on with all his might! As a supreme Chaos treasure, the Chaos Bead possessed an extraordinarily high innate nature. Even badly damaged, its defensive power was far from ordinary!
Dark-purple destructive lightning and chaotic currents intertwined and annihilated one another madly. In the end, the lightning spear exhausted its energy and slowly dissipated. Though the curtain of chaotic light had dimmed considerably, it still steadfastly protected Xuanwei and Bixiao.
He had blocked it!
Xuanwei had barely let out half a sigh of relief when another change occurred!
The ancient lightning object seemed to have fallen into a frenzy after its strike failed. The ancient Dao markings on its surface flashed wildly as the entire dark-purple lightning pillar began to contract inward and condense, as though brewing an even more terrifying attack.
Yet during that process of condensation, an extremely faint strand of consciousness, carrying supreme majesty and ancient desolation, slipped soundlessly through the scattered lightning like a cunning venomous snake. It bypassed the Chaos Bead's main defenses, crossed space in an instant, and shot directly toward Xuanwei's brow!
This spiritual attack was formless and intangible, faster than thought itself!
Xuanwei felt his sea of consciousness tremble violently, as though an invisible giant hammer of lightning had smashed into it! His vision went black, and his entire body froze in place.
The next moment, an ancient voice filled with greed, savagery, and the weight of endless years resounded directly in the depths of his sea of consciousness, carrying a chill that made his soul tremble:
"The aura of Chaos... and that detestable Kindling Fire... I never expected that in this ruined era, I would encounter such a perfect vessel! Boy, it is your supreme honor to bear a fragment of This Emperor's remnant soul! This body is mine!"
Possession!
What was hidden within that ancient lightning object was not some mindless treasure at all, but a terrifying remnant soul from the age of Chaos! It had likely stirred the fragment of the demonic realm and caused these abnormalities in order to lure sufficiently powerful beings here, so it could select a suitable body to possess! The power of the Chaos Bead and Kindling Fire that Xuanwei had displayed had undoubtedly satisfied it beyond measure!
Boom!
Xuanwei's sea of consciousness instantly transformed into an ocean of lightning! A vague figure composed of pure lightning intent yet radiating imperial majesty descended, carrying Thunder Dao Laws capable of destroying heaven and earth. It began madly eroding and assimilating Xuanwei's self-awareness, seeking to erase all his memories, emotions, and will, then seize his body like a cuckoo taking over another bird's nest!
Intense agony swept through the depths of his soul, as though his entire self were about to be torn apart and dissolved. Under the impact of the lightning, Xuanwei's consciousness wavered like a candle flame in a storm.
"No... I absolutely cannot... fall here..."
His fierce will to survive and his obsession with protecting Bixiao caused Xuanwei's consciousness to erupt with astonishing strength at the edge of collapse! He forcibly gathered his focus, contemplated the central doctrine of the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art, and drew upon the Chaos Bead's source aura to protect the core of his sea of consciousness. At the same time, the dark yellow Kindling Fire seemed to sense the crisis facing its master's will and spontaneously ignited within his sea of consciousness, transforming into a tiny sea of fire that scorched the invading lightning intent!
Chaos against lightning! Kindling Fire against demonic intent!
A soul-struggle of incomparable danger, far beyond any battle on the material plane, erupted savagely within Xuanwei's sea of consciousness!
His body stood rigidly on the lone cliff, his face sometimes twisting in pain, sometimes becoming terrifyingly ferocious. The aura around him was utterly chaotic, while the Chaos Bead above his head trembled faintly, its light flickering between bright and dim.
Outside, the ancient lightning object seemed to have temporarily calmed after its remnant soul left it, though it still radiated terrifying pressure. Below, the fragment of the demonic realm continued battering the seal, and the entire abyss remained in utter turmoil.
The unconscious Bixiao knew nothing of any of this.
Alone, upon the battlefield of his sea of consciousness, Xuanwei was engaged in a contest of wills that would decide life or death against an ancient being from Chaos!
Could he preserve his true heart and crush this terrifying remnant soul of the Thunder Emperor?
Before you continue