Bixiao was deeply regretting everything now.
She regretted rushing in so recklessly when the lightning pool had changed. She regretted not slapping Xuanwei awake a few more times. Most of all, she regretted suggesting that she carry this guy after he suddenly turned into a "humanoid lightning absorber"!
"Hey! Xuanwei! Stop! Stop right now! You can't just eat this stuff! You'll get diarrhea!" Bixiao frantically tried to interrupt Xuanwei's absorption of the violet mist, even attempting to cover his mouth with her hand. But the moment her fingertips drew near, a stray arc of lightning numbed them, frightening her into pulling back at once.
Xuanwei, meanwhile, was deaf to the calls outside. His consciousness was still within his sea of consciousness, dealing with the suppressed fragments of the lightning remnant soul, while his body instinctively craved that pure lightning origin. This origin energy came from the Chaos Thunder Emperor. To someone cultivating the Chaos Heaven-Opening Art and carrying the Chaos Bead, it was like a man starving for three days seeing a full imperial feast. Every cell in his body clamored, I want it! I want it!
Vast and pure lightning origin surged wildly into every limb and bone of his body, scouring his immortal body. The process was both agonizing and exhilarating. It was agonizing because the lightning origin was far too tyrannical, clashing violently with his original power system, as though countless tiny lightning needles were piercing and remaking him from within. Yet it was exhilarating because after every clash, his immortal body seemed to shed a trace of impurity, becoming more solid and translucent, while his affinity with the Great Dao of Lightning soared!
The lightning radiance over his body flashed ever more frequently. Chaos Color, dark yellow, and deep violet intertwined as if locked in a silent tug-of-war. His cultivation aura also rocketed upward. The barrier at the peak of early True Immortal was shattered as easily as paper, propelling him straight into the middle True Immortal realm—and it was still steadily rising!
"It's over, it's over. He's really turned into a power bank now, and an overloaded one at that..." Watching Xuanwei's aura rise level by level, Bixiao felt no joy at all. She could clearly sense that the balance between the various forces within Xuanwei was breaking apart. The deep-violet lightning origin had obviously gained the upper hand. If this continued, even if he did not explode to death, he would likely be assimilated by that power and become a fool who only knew how to discharge lightning!
Meanwhile, the fragment of the Nine Nether Demon Domain below, having lost the attraction of the lightning origin energy—most of it having been intercepted by Xuanwei—seemed to have been enraged! Like a child whose candy had been snatched away, it began battering the seal hysterically!
"Crack... crackle..."
The azure barrier covering the demon domain fragment grew increasingly cracked, the fissures multiplying and thickening like glass on the verge of shattering. Dense, ink-black demonic qi seeped madly from the cracks like tangible black smoke, accompanied by grating corrosion sounds and the shrill cries of countless demons!
"Not good! The seal can't hold much longer!" Bixiao's face went pale. She no longer cared that Xuanwei was still "charging." She pulled Xuanwei behind her in one swift motion—though the posture was somewhat awkward, considering he was considerably taller than her—and forcibly gathered what little immortal power she had recovered, summoning her Golden Flood Dragon Scissors!
Two streaks of golden light flew from her sleeves, transforming into two entwined golden flood dragons. They radiated fierce innate killing intent as they circled Bixiao and Xuanwei, vigilantly aiming at the seal below that was about to break.
Big Sister! Second Sister! If you don't come soon, you'll only be able to collect the bodies of your adorable and brave little sister! Bixiao screamed inwardly, feeling that she had never missed her eldest sister's Primal Chaos Golden Dipper so desperately in her life.
Perhaps her prayers—or rather, her complaints—had worked. Or perhaps the energy fluctuations here were simply too intense.
"Bixiao! Junior Brother Xuanwei!"
Two anxious cries came almost simultaneously from the direction of the mystic realm's entrance! Immediately afterward, one white and one green streak of light tore through the chaotic energy currents at a speed beyond all limits, landing atop the lone cliff in an instant. They were Yunxiao and Qiongxiao!
"Big Sister! Second Sister!" At the sight of her family, Bixiao nearly cried from excitement. At last, she could cast off the burden of being a "temporary guardian."
When Yunxiao and Qiongxiao saw the scene before them, they too drew sharp breaths.
Their third sister looked disheveled, but her aura remained intact. That was already a blessing. But Junior Brother Xuanwei's condition... Lightning coiled around his body, his aura was chaotic and violent, and he was still devouring that clearly extraordinary violet mist... What was happening?
Then they looked at the precarious seal below, spewing demonic qi, and both women's hearts sank to the bottom.
"Stabilize Junior Brother Xuanwei first, then reinforce the seal!" Yunxiao made a prompt decision, displaying the decisiveness expected of the eldest sister. With a wave of her jade hand, the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper rose into the air, scattering myriad rays of auspicious light as it attempted to envelop Xuanwei and help sort out the rampaging energy within him.
However, the instant the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper's glow approached, the deep-violet lightning origin within Xuanwei seemed to take offense. It spontaneously condensed into a ring of lightning that violently expanded outward, forcibly knocking the Golden Dipper's radiant light back a short distance!
"What?" A flicker of astonishment passed through Yunxiao's beautiful eyes. The essence of this lightning power within Junior Brother Xuanwei was actually faintly capable of contending with an innate spiritual treasure such as the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper?
"Big Sister, there's something strange about this lightning!" Qiongxiao also saw that something was wrong and hurriedly summoned her own magical treasure.
"It's fine. Forcibly suppressing it may harm his foundation." Yunxiao swiftly calmed down and changed her strategy. The Primal Chaos Golden Dipper no longer tried to interfere by force. Instead, it released a gentle, clear radiance like a sturdy barrier, isolating Xuanwei from the outside world and at least preventing him from continuing to absorb what little violet mist remained.
At that moment, another sudden change occurred!
It seemed that Xuanwei's absorption of so much lightning origin had triggered some deeper transformation. His tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open!
But those eyes no longer held their usual clarity or caution. They had transformed into cold, merciless violet pupils formed entirely of lightning! Deep within them, it was as though the first bolt of lightning from the dawn of creation flashed past!
Boom!
An even more terrifying lightning might than before erupted from him like an ancient Thunder Emperor awakening from slumber! The barrier of clear radiance formed by the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper shook violently. Yunxiao gave a muffled grunt and retreated half a step, her face filled with disbelief!
"Senior Brother Xuanwei!" Bixiao cried out.
"Junior Brother!" Qiongxiao also gripped her magical treasure tightly.
Xuanwei slowly rose into the air. The lightning around him was no longer a chaotic mass of arcs, but condensed deep-violet divine lightning as thick as liquid! His hair whipped wildly, every strand seemingly containing destructive lightning. His cold violet lightning eyes swept over the San Xiao, carrying the indifference of one looking down upon ants.
"My... origin..." A hoarse, ancient voice emerged from his mouth. It resembled the tone of that lightning remnant soul from before, yet was purer and more majestic!
Had he been influenced by the Thunder Emperor's Remnant Soul? Or had he devoured too much origin energy, allowing this power to temporarily take control of his consciousness?
The hearts of the San Xiao rose to their throats. An out-of-control Xuanwei, wielding what seemed to be the origin of Chaos lightning, was likely no less dangerous than the demon domain fragment below!
Yet just as the situation grew taut and the San Xiao did not know how to respond, Xuanwei's cold violet lightning eyes slowly turned toward the demon domain fragment below.
He seemed to have little interest in the San Xiao. Instead, he revealed undisguised... disgust and destructive intent toward the fragment spewing filthy demonic qi!
As if they were natural opposites, pure lightning instinctively sought to purify the filth of the world!
He slowly raised his hand. Endless deep-violet divine lightning gathered and compressed in his palm, forming a terrifying lightning sphere no larger than a fist, yet so powerful that the surrounding space twisted and collapsed around it! Within the sphere, countless miniature Chaos worlds seemed to be born and perish!
"Not good! He's going to attack the seal!" Yunxiao instantly understood his intent. In Xuanwei's current state, he clearly wanted to use the most direct method to destroy the demon domain fragment that disgusted him! But if he did so, the already fragile seal would inevitably shatter completely. The demonic qi would erupt in full force, and the consequences would be unthinkable!
"Stop him!" Yunxiao shouted, and the Primal Chaos Golden Dipper blazed brilliantly as she prepared to force it down!
But it was already too late!
"Annihilate."
Xuanwei spoke two icy words. The destructive lightning sphere in his hand fell like a meteor, carrying the will to purify everything as it smashed fiercely toward the cracked azure barrier below!
And almost at the same moment, the azure barrier finally reached its limit—
Bang!!!!!
A heaven-shaking explosion rang out!
The seal shattered completely!
Endless pitch-black demonic qi, thick and viscous as liquid, surged skyward like an ancient ferocious beast breaking free of its cage, accompanied by the shrill howls and mad roars of countless demons! In an instant, it swallowed the destructive lightning sphere and dyed the entire abyss in absolute darkness!
The tidal wave of demonic qi rushed straight at them! At the forefront were Xuanwei, floating in midair with his pupils still cold violet, and the pale-faced San Xiao sisters behind him!
Before you continue