Mind Sea Battle, Bixiao Awakens

Inside Xuanwei's sea of consciousness, it was already a world turned upside down, struck by thunder.

The remnant soul calling itself "This Emperor," its will transformed into a Thunder Emperor Phantom, was like a bully who barged into someone else's house and arrogantly demanded to be the master. Wielding a scepter made of destructive Thunder Dao Laws, it was frantically wrecking the place—that is, the sea of consciousness space that Xuanwei had painstakingly cultivated.

"Ant! Give up your futile struggle! Your body is capable of bearing This Emperor's Thunder Dao; it is your fortune!" the Thunder Emperor Phantom roared, its voice making Xuanwei's consciousness buzz, feeling as though his skull was about to be shattered by the noise.

"Fortune my foot! Did you ask the landlord's opinion?" Xuanwei's consciousness, protected by the primordial aura of the Chaos Bead, managed to condense into a miniature humanoid light figure. Hands on hips (if a consciousness could have hips), it glared furiously at the colossal Emperor Phantom. Though its appearance was somewhat comical, its spirit could not falter!

While verbally sparring, he desperately activated the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art. Misty Chaos energy surged from the void, constantly eroding and assimilating the invading lightning. Simultaneously, the Yellow-Black Torch Flame seemed to be on steroids, its flames leaping higher and higher, specifically chasing and burning at the Thunder Emperor Phantom's heels.

"Sizzle!" A wisp of lightning ignited by the Torch Flame dissipated into smoke.

"Aow! What kind of ghost fire is this!" The Thunder Emperor Phantom emitted a startled and enraged wave of consciousness. It discovered that this seemingly weak flame could actually burn its most primordial will. The profound meaning of "civilization inheritance" and "order establishment" within it was utterly incompatible with the "destruction" and "tyranny" represented by its Thunder Dao; it was its natural nemesis!

"This is the fire that specializes in dealing with blowhards who refuse to yield!" Xuanwei's miniature light figure proudly tilted its chin. Although its consciousness still felt painfully squeezed by the opponent's immense Soul Power, it refused to back down verbally. "This Emperor? I think you're the Little Brother of Little Brothers! Chaos Bead, suppress it for me!"

The phantom image of the Chaos Bead, suspended above the sea of consciousness, suddenly pressed down!

BOOM!

It was as if the entire sea of consciousness froze for a single moment! Chaos is the mother of all energies, and lightning itself originated from it! Under the oppressive force of this supreme Chaos aura, the Thunder Emperor Phantom's radiance dimmed, and its movements became sluggish.

"Chaos Bead! It truly is this treasure!" The Thunder Emperor Phantom exclaimed in surprise and delight, its greed intensifying. "With it, I can reassemble my physical body, and regaining my peak will be just around the corner! Kid, you can't hold onto it!"

It went berserk, no longer holding back. The primordial essence of its remnant soul burned fiercely, transforming into even more ferocious and ancient purple divine lightning. Like a school of malevolent dragons, it churned and roiled within Xuanwei's sea of consciousness! It intended to achieve a swift victory at any cost!

"Holy crap! Going all out when you can't play fair?" Xuanwei's miniature light figure was grazed by a bolt of purple divine lightning, nearly dissipating instantly. Terrified, it quickly retreated to the core protection zone of the Chaos Bead's aura. "Brother Torch Flame, hold the line! Can you put in some extra effort and whip up a Samadhi True Fire special?"

Torch Flame: "..."

(Torch Flame indicated: I'm just a civilized little flame, not a circus troupe!)

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse once again. After all, the opponent was an ancient monster who had survived the Chaos era. Even as a mere remnant soul, its Soul Power was incredibly potent, and its understanding of the Great Dao Laws far surpassed that of Xuanwei, the "newbie." Although the Chaos Bead and Torch Flame possessed extremely high status, Xuanwei's own strength was limited, preventing him from fully unleashing their power. It was like a child wielding a great hammer—it could scare people, but swinging it with real force would exhaust the child.

As the protective range of the Chaos Bead was gradually compressed, and the sea of flames from Torch Flame was forced to retreat step by step by the ferocious lightning, Xuanwei's consciousness grew increasingly blurry. Signs of memory fragments being torn apart and annihilated by the lightning even began to appear...

Is this it... am I really going to fall here? I only became the Senior Disciple not long ago. I haven't led the Intercepting Sect to glory yet. I haven't... I haven't discussed the Dao with Senior Disciple Sister Yunxiao enough yet... A strong sense of unwillingness surged in his heart.

At this critical juncture!

"Hum--"

A cool, gentle, yet sharp sword intent suddenly surged in from the outside, like timely rain for parched earth, instantly nourishing Xuanwei's sea of consciousness, which was on the verge of collapse!

It was Bixiao!

Outside, on the solitary cliff.

Bixiao, who had been unconscious, had her long eyelashes twitching violently. The pure immortal energy within her, inherited from the Supreme Pure lineage, finally broke through the confinement and began to circulate on its own, guided by the vitality Xuanwei had previously infused. More importantly, an inconspicuous jade pendant at her waist was now emitting a soft, clear light. An incredibly pure Supreme Pure Sword Intent emanated from it, protecting her mind. A portion of it also flowed back into Xuanwei's sea of consciousness through the channel where Xuanwei was still channeling immortal energy to her wrist!

This Supreme Pure Sword Intent was bestowed by Sect Master Tongtian, containing the Dao of a Saint, specializing in slaying demons and stabilizing the mind!

For the foreign, aggressive remnant soul of lightning within Xuanwei's sea of consciousness, this sudden Supreme Pure Sword Intent was akin to a precise surgical knife, striking directly at its vital point!

"Ah! The aura of Supreme Pure?! Tongtian!" The Thunder Emperor Phantom let out a shrill scream, as if encountering its natural predator. This remnant soul was most afraid of such pure power imbued with the will of a Saint!

Strike while the iron is hot!

Xuanwei's miniature light figure's eyes suddenly lit up (if a consciousness could have eyes)!

"Good opportunity! Senior Disciple Sister Bixiao is amazing! Chaos Bead, Torch Flame, let's go! Beat it up!"

He gathered all his remaining mental strength, guiding the cool Supreme Pure Sword Intent, merging it with the Chaos aura and Torch Flame, transforming into a peculiar sword of intent—wrapped in chaotic currents and Yellow-Black flames, its blade flashing with pure Supreme Pure immortal light!

"Take this—Chaos·Torch Flame·Supreme Pure Slash!"

(The name is made up on the spot; the momentum is what counts!)

The sword of intent, carrying Xuanwei's roar (and a bit of chuunibyou), slashed fiercely at the wounded Thunder Emperor Phantom!

"No--!!!"

The Thunder Emperor Phantom let out a despairing roar. It was already just a remnant soul, and it was suppressed by the Supreme Pure Sword Intent. Now, facing this all-out attack that gathered three supreme powers, it could no longer resist!

"BOOM!!!"

The sword light flashed, and the Thunder Emperor Phantom exploded like a popped balloon, shattering into countless tiny, lightning-flashing fragments of will!

Did he win?

Xuanwei's miniature light figure swayed, almost dissipating, too exhausted to do anything but lie flat. But he dared not be careless. He forced himself to activate the Chaos Bead, scattering streaks of clear light to envelop and suppress all these shattered lightning fragments, preparing to slowly grind and absorb them. This was great nourishment... though the process was a bit perilous.

Meanwhile, outside.

"Cough cough..." Bixiao coughed violently and slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Xuanwei's face, inches away. However, his eyes were tightly shut, his complexion pale, his brow furrowed, and his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. One of his hands was still on her wrist, his aura weak and chaotic.

Bixiao was stunned for a moment, then recalled the situation before she lost consciousness—an anomaly in the core of the Lightning Pool, and her concern leading her to investigate, only to be struck by a chaotic and violent force that impacted her sea of consciousness...

Did Senior Disciple Brother Xuanwei save her? But his current state...

She struggled to sit up, realizing Xuanwei seemed to be in some deep crisis, completely unaware of her awakening.

"Senior Disciple Brother Xuanwei? Senior Disciple Brother Xuanwei?" Bixiao called out softly. Seeing no reaction, she became anxious. She looked at the still chaotic environment around them, and the dark purple lightning pillar opposite, which, though calmer, still exuded a terrifying pressure. She knew this was no place to linger.

She tried to mobilize the immortal energy within her, which had recovered somewhat, and found it flowed smoothly. She then looked at the strangely behaving Xuanwei and gritted her teeth.

"Hey! Wake up! Stop playing dead!" She reached out and patted Xuanwei's cheek, not too hard, with her usual bossy demeanor, but her eyes were full of worry. "If you don't wake up soon, I'm going to leave you here and tell Eldest Sister myself that you heroically sacrificed yourself to save me!"

After a few pats, Xuanwei still showed no reaction. Bixiao blinked, looking at Xuanwei's handsome profile, which appeared somewhat "harmless" in his unconscious state. She suddenly remembered his demeanor during their debates, his composure and responsibility displayed on Liubo Immortal Island and in the Nine Nether Lands, and just now... he must have become like this to protect her.

A trace of imperceptible blush crept onto her earlobes. She muttered softly, "Since you've tried so hard... I, this immortal, will show great mercy and take you out!"

As she spoke, she took a deep breath, circulated her immortal power, and carefully helped Xuanwei up, preparing to carry him on her back. Although Xuanwei wasn't heavy, it was still a bit strenuous for Bixiao, who had only just awakened and whose immortal power had not yet recovered.

"Hmph, you look thin, but you're surprisingly heavy... When you wake up, I'll make sure you use that Spiritual Plant Master skill of yours to grow me eight or ten delicious immortal fruits as an apology..." she grumbled while struggling to adjust her posture.

However, just as she finally managed to drape Xuanwei's arm over her shoulder and was about to use a遁术 (escape technique) to leave the desolate cliff—

Another incident occurred!

The dark purple lightning pillar opposite them, having lost the guidance of the remnant soul, had already dimmed considerably. But at this moment, the ancient lightning entity floating in the center of the pillar seemed to have triggered some self-destruct or final counterattack mechanism due to the dissipation of the remnant soul!

"Crack!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out! A clear crack appeared on the surface of the lightning entity, which was covered in ancient Dao patterns! Immediately after, a purple mist, far more refined and primordial than before, as if containing the starting mysteries of the Thunder Dao, surged out from the crack like a bursting dam!

This primordial lightning energy was not aggressive. Instead, like an ownerless treasure, it emanated alluring Dao rhymes, instantly filling the entire abyss!

At the same time, the sealed fragments of the Nine Nether Demon Domain below seemed to have smelled the most delicious nourishment in the world, and the force impacting the seal suddenly increased severalfold! Cracks spread across the cyan light barrier like a spiderweb, and it looked like it was about to shatter completely!

What made Bixiao's face even paler was that Xuanwei in her arms, seemingly attracted by this pure primordial lightning energy, spontaneously generated a suction force and began to greedily devour the spreading purple mist like a great whale drinking water!

"Hey! Don't just suck it up! You don't even know what that is!" Bixiao panicked, wanting to stop him but finding herself unable to interrupt the process.

Xuanwei's body was like a bottomless pit, madly absorbing the primordial lightning energy. His aura began to recover and grow at an astonishing speed, even showing signs of a breakthrough! But at the same time, the previously balanced Chaos Immortal Power, Wutu Earth, Wood Element Vitality, and even the Torch Flame power within him began to become restless and clash due to the influx of this overbearing and unfamiliar primordial lightning energy!

Pain reappeared on his face, and his body's surface even began to flash alternately with chaos colors, profound yellow, and dangerous dark purple lightning!

With the Demon Domain about to break in front and Xuanwei inexplicably "going berserk" absorbing lightning behind, Bixiao looked at Xuanwei in her arms, whose aura was chaotic and whose complexion kept changing, then at the precarious seal, and was completely dumbfounded.

"What... what should I do now?!" She, alone, really couldn't handle this situation!