Take Another Look

"Your Excellency's selfless deeds will be remembered by this emperor," Lin Hao said solemnly. "The scourge in the Western Domain has been eradicated, and the Demon Heart destroyed. You may rest easy now."

"Rest easy... Heh..." A complex look flashed through Xiahou Jie's eyes. "Your Majesty, this old man... still has one more thing to tell you."

"Please, go ahead."

"The Demon Emperor... buried more than one Demon Heart in the Saint Burial Abyss." Xiahou Jie's voice grew fainter and fainter. "I sensed... another, more deeply hidden surge of demonic intent at the very bottom of the abyss. But... that surge was suppressed layer upon layer by the lingering souls of ancient Heroic Spirits. I couldn't pinpoint its exact location..."

Another surge of demonic intent?!

Lin Hao's heart tightened.

Just how many contingencies had the Demon Emperor planted in the Western Domain?!

"Do you know... what that demonic intent is like?" Lin Hao pressed.

Xiahou Jie shook his head, his breath already flickering like a candle in the wind. "I only know... it has something to do with 'time'... My Way of Wither and Flourish... is sensitive to time... That's the only reason I managed to sense it..."

Before he could finish, the last glimmer in his eyes faded, and his head slowly drooped.

The flame in the ancient lamp quietly went out.

After guarding the tomb for a thousand years, exposing the Demon Emperor's plot, and leading the way to destroy the demon, this old man had finally... reached the end of his life.

Lin Hao stood silent for a long while, then bowed deeply to Xiahou Jie's remains.

"Give Senior Xiahou a grand burial. In accordance with... the rites for the Western Domain's fallen heroes."

"Yes." Duan Tian accepted the order solemnly.

Just then—

Buzz!

The space before