The scarlet-gold bloodflame was like a raging dragon plunging down from the ninth heaven, carrying a towering fury that could burn all things in the world to ashes as it churned madly through the void. In that instant, Xiao Zhan's resolute, fearless figure became a burning meteor, blazing with light as if to illuminate this world shrouded in darkness. With fearless courage and tragic determination, he charged headlong toward the Nether Ghost Claw that blotted out the sky and emanated a sinister, terrifying aura!
Where his fist passed, space seemed to become a fragile sheet of paper. First came a pained groan under the unbearable strain, low and muffled, as if space itself were uttering its final cry. Then space shattered inch by inch, charred, twisted trails appearing like hideous scars. It was as if this punch had torn a bottomless wound through heaven and earth, revealing the endless chaos and danger within.
The original coldness and arrogance in the bone-green soulfire eyes of Gu You Clone were instantly shattered. At last, a flicker of surprise crossed them. He stood high above all, always regarding the living things of the world as ants, and had never imagined that the being before him—so insignificant as to be mere dust in his eyes—could erupt with such resolve, such dazzling flames in the face of certain doom. Those flames were like a lamp suddenly kindled in the darkness, dazzling and blinding, making even his icy soulfire tremble.
Yet that surprise was as fleeting as a meteor streaking across the night sky, instantly replaced by deeper greed and suspicion. The ring on Xiao Yan's left hand, radiating a chaotic, dark-golden light, was like a mysterious star, emanating a heart-shaking aura. Its radiance seemed to be a summons from ancient times, containing endless mysteries and power. The fragments of ancient will leaking from it carried an instinctive wariness, even a trace of undisguised fear. Like an invisible giant hand, they seized most of his attention, leaving him no time to consider anything else as his gaze locked tightly onto the ring.
"Bronze... Immortal...?!"
His hoarse, startled question, edged with a tremor of uncertainty, had barely left his mouth when, in that split second, Xiao Zhan's all-consuming fist came crashing down with the force of an avalanche, wrapped in boundless fury and power. It slammed into the core of Gu You Clone's soul mist, which had slowed for an instant as his thoughts surged!
BOOM—!!!
The deafening blast was like heaven and earth collapsing and stars falling, shaking all of space. This collision was no longer a simple annihilation of energy, but a ghastly symphony of flesh and soul burning together. Scarlet-gold bloodflame mixed with the concentrated Green Lotus Core Flame, like cold water poured into boiling oil, and exploded violently inside the pitch-black, viscous core of soul mist!
SIZZLE, SIZZLE, SIZZLE—!!!
The shrill sounds rang without end, as if a soul were shrieking in agony, or evil were struggling in despair. They were sharp and heartrending, chilling anyone who heard them. Under the impact of this tremendous force, the core of soul mist churned and roiled like a maddened beast, yet it could not break free of the devastating blow.
The piercing sound of dissolution came as densely as a sudden summer downpour, keeping a frenzied, relentless rhythm. The scarlet-gold bloodflame, infused with the Dragon-Phoenix's supreme yang origin, was like the scorching sun at noon—a natural bane to the sinister power of soul forms. The dense soul mist at the core of Gu You Clone, black enough to seem ready to drip ink, now melted in great swathes like snow beneath the blazing sun. The soul mist rapidly vanished beneath the bloodflame, leaving only wisps of faint black smoke. The miserable green soulfire flailed wildly like a candle in the wind, letting out a soundless, agonized shriek as if voicing the despair and struggle at the depths of its soul.
"Ughhh!" Xiao Zhan let out a beastlike roar, his voice brimming with pain and resolve. The scarlet-gold dragon scales covering his fist split apart, inch by inch, like ancient armor shattering under a tremendous impact. Pale golden blood mixed with burning flames and sprayed into the air, tracing tragic, beautiful arcs. The terrifying backlash and icy soul poison contained in Gu You's soul mist were like billions of freezing needles, stabbing into his arm with boundless malice. They swept along his meridians like an icy flood, rushing straight toward his heart and the depths of his soul. Burning his blood essence and soul had granted him a brief but overwhelming burst of strength, yet it came with equally overwhelming pain and the weakness of a life slipping away. The double torment threatened to tear his body and will apart.
But he did not retreat! Not one step! His bloodflame-burning eyes, like two blazing lamps, remained fixed on the core of soul mist before him as the bloodflame and azure fire savaged it, making it writhe violently. His gaze held nothing but boundless resolve and fearlessness, as if he would utterly destroy every trace of evil before him. His other burning hand darted out like lightning, five fingers hooked like claws as he thrust it fiercely into the surging soul mist. The mist parted wherever his hand passed, as if it had met its nemesis.
"Come out!"
Xiao Zhan roared, his voice ringing like a great bell with unquestionable authority. He drove the power of the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art to its utmost. His muscles bulged, hot blood surged through his veins, and it was as if a primordial beast had awakened inside him. Fueled by the tragic resolve of Burning Blood and burning his soul, his arm erupted with a terrifying tearing force, as if it could rip the world apart.
RIIIIP—!
The sound was crisp and grating, like cloth being forcibly torn. A core of black soul mist, about the size of a human head, with miserable green soulfire burning at its center and countless anguished ghost faces twisting across its surface, was ripped straight out of Gu You Clone's enormous soul-mist body by Xiao Zhan. The core thrashed in the air, its ghost faces shifting as it let out shrill cries, as though protesting its cruel treatment. But Xiao Zhan's hand was an iron clamp around it, gripping tight without the slightest slackening.
"You wretched ant! How dare you profane a Saint's might?!" Gu You Clone roared in genuine fury, his voice crashing across heaven and earth like rolling thunder, brimming with boundless rage and murderous intent. With its core forcibly torn away by Xiao Zhan, his enormous soul-mist body shook violently like waves in a raging gale. Then it began to collapse, wisps of soul mist drifting through the air like despairing ghosts.
The enormous soul claw that had been reaching for Poison Barrier Valley disintegrated in an instant, turning into a skyful of dissipating black resentful souls. The black wisps scattered in every direction like headless flies, emitting heartrending wails as if mourning the claw's demise.
Above the oasis, the soul mist that had blotted out the sky now collapsed inward and vanished like a punctured balloon. The once-impenetrable mist thinned, revealing the deep blue sky behind it. Gu You Clone's aura plunged in an instant, like a mountain crashing down. Most of the terrifying pressure that had once chilled the heart had now vanished.
"Old fiend! Today, I, Xiao Zhan, will bury your Saintly might!" Xiao Zhan shrieked. His voice was hoarse, yet filled with the resolve to perish together, like a wounded beast unleashing its final roar in a desperate struggle. He gripped the writhing, roaring core of soul mist with both hands. It twisted and shifted constantly, countless anguished ghost faces surfacing across it as they let out soundless, heartrending wails.
The bloodflame and Green Lotus Core Flame burning around him poured into it without restraint. Scarlet-gold and blue-green flames intertwined like two raging fire dragons, relentlessly tempering and purifying the soulfire and resentment within the core. The miserable green soulflame quickly dimmed beneath the twin origin flames, wavering like a candle in the wind. Countless twisted ghost faces wailed soundlessly before turning into wisps of smoke that drifted away, as if evil were being cleansed bit by bit. The aura of Gu You Clone visibly withered, like a flower losing its vitality.
Yet the crisis was not over. Though most of Gu You's Nether Soul-Seizing power, which targeted the Soul Origin, had been blocked by the dark-gold curtain of light, threads of it still seeped through. To the ten-thousand-year-old Poison Source Crystal Core raging out of control inside Xiao Yi Xian, even those tiny strands were like oil poured on a fire. The Poison Source Crystal Core was already extremely unstable, and now, stimulated by the Nether Soul-Seizing power, it churned even more frantically, releasing terrifying poison that seemed capable of poisoning the entire world.
"Aaaagh—!!!"
Xiao Yi Xian let out an agonized scream, like a cry from a soul being torn apart. Her body was abruptly lifted by an invisible hand of tremendous strength, then slammed hard against the cold, solid Black Rock. With a muffled thud, the rock trembled. She curled up and convulsed violently, each spasm accompanied by the crisp crack of bones slipping out of joint, as if a brutal war were raging inside her body.
The seven-colored patterns on her skin no longer glowed gently. They coursed and burned like seething lava, radiating a chilling aura. A surging tide of dark-purple poisonlight swallowed her completely, forming a terrifying cocoon of light that continued to swell. The cocoon emanated an evil aura that could annihilate everything, as if it were a pit from hell, ready to drag everything around it into endless darkness.
On the cocoon's surface, the giant serpent's ghostly face, formed from pure poison and resentment, grew ever clearer, as if an emissary from hell had appeared in the mortal world. Its icy, vertical pupils were like two sharp blades, fixed on Xiao Yan just a short distance away, radiating endless malice and greed. Its enormous mouth opened soundlessly, belching deadly poison breath like black toxic smoke, with a terrifying force that could corrode everything.
Caught between the terrifying impacts from inside and out, the dark-gold curtain of light was like a lone boat in a gale, trembling violently at its limit. Outside, the remnants of Gu You's soul-seizing power battered the curtain like packs of savage beasts; inside, the uncontrolled poison source was like a volcano about to erupt, unleashing energy that could destroy heaven and earth. The curtain emitted a shrill hum on the verge of breaking. Its light flickered unsteadily, as if it might go out at any moment.
"Xiao Yi Xian—!!!"
Xiao Yan's eyes nearly split with rage. His hoarse scream, flecked with blood, was filled with boundless pain and despair. He was only one step away from Xiao Yi Xian, close enough to reach out and touch her, yet invisible waves of soul power had him firmly pinned in place. Like an insect trapped in amber, he could only watch helplessly.
He could only watch as the venomous serpent's mouth of destruction slowly descended to devour her, like watching the Grim Reaper's scythe creep closer by the moment. He watched the curtain fill with a web of cracks as it wailed. Each crack was like a wound carved into his heart, bleeding freely.
Despair, like an icy tide, engulfed him in an instant and left him gasping for air. His father was fighting for his life in the distance, locked in a deadly struggle against evil; his teacher was asleep and could not help him; and he could not even take a single step, able only to struggle in this abyss of despair.
Just as the venomous serpent's enormous jaws were about to devour the curtain completely and swallow them both—
HUMMM—!!!
The ring on Xiao Yan's left index finger, already radiating a mysterious aura, seemed to be utterly enraged by the ultimate destructive aura of ten-thousand-year poison and resentment inside Xiao Yi Xian, as well as the sinister soul power left behind by Gu You. The ancient runes flowing across it suddenly burst into blinding light, shining at their utmost. It was as if a host of ancient spirits, asleep for countless ages, had suddenly awakened and begun to leap and flicker with joy—as if they had truly come alive.
A fragment of supreme will, far clearer and more majestic than before, erupted like an ancient god roused from a long slumber after the wicked had profaned his dignity. Carrying an imposing, domineering might that could suppress the myriad heavens and worlds, it burst from the ring with a roar, like a storm sweeping across heaven and earth, making all of space tremble.
A condensed, substantial column of dark-gold light, pure and utterly without blemish, was like the first divine radiance that split open heaven and earth. Carrying the resolve and power to pierce through chaos, it burst violently from the ring. Like a golden dragon with the might to destroy the world, it instantly pierced through the violently trembling dark-gold curtain of light. Ignoring the distance between spaces, it flew like a precisely guided arrow and struck the core of Gu You Clone's soul mist, which Xiao Zhan had torn out and was now tempering with bloodflame and azure fire.
Where the light column passed, time seemed to stop. Everything grew still and heavy. The black resentful-soul wisps dispersing in the air met their absolute nemesis. Under the dark-gold light, they were purified and annihilated in an instant, vanishing like wisps of smoke without leaving a trace. Even the fiercely burning bloodflame and the raging Green Lotus Core Flame around Xiao Zhan seemed like beasts soothed by the gentle brush of the pure dark-gold radiance. They grew docile and suffered not the slightest harm.
"Sss—!!!"
The sound was as clean and sharp as a hot knife slicing through solidified butter. The dark-gold column of light plunged without resistance into the core of Gu You's soul mist, like a sword thrust straight into an enemy's heart.
"No—!!! This is impossible! It's... it's that! It really is... the power of the Immortal Hall?! Aah—!!!" Gu You Clone let out a despairing, heartrending scream. His voice was full of disbelieving terror and unwillingness, as though he had seen the most terrifying thing in the world.
Gu You Clone unleashed a shriek more heartrending than any before. It seemed to rise from the deepest depths of the Nine Nether, full of utter terror and disbelief, as if it would pierce the barriers of the soul and strike the weakest place in every living being's heart. At its impact, all the surviving creatures in the oasis shuddered with an instinctive terror, as if an invisible hand had clamped around their hearts.
The miserable green soulfire at his core writhed wildly in the dark-gold radiance, dim and weak as a candle in the wind, as if it might go out at any moment. The black soul mist and countless twisted ghost faces that made up the core were now like snow exposed to the blazing sun. They hissed as they dissolved and vanished at a visible speed, as if an evil dream were being driven away bit by bit by the light.
More importantly, this pure, ancient Immortal radiance, standing above everything in the world, was like the most precise, sharpest scalpel. In an instant, it locked onto the sinister, filthy Blood Soul Guide mark at the edge of the seal of Xiao Zhan's Soul Origin. That mark was like a hidden tumor in the darkness, something Xiao Zhan had been powerless to remove, clinging to him like a bone-deep parasite.
"Sss!"
The brief sound was crisp and decisive, like boiling water poured onto snow. Beneath the resplendent Immortal radiance, the dark-red mark vanished without even managing to struggle, purified and evaporated in an instant, as if it had never existed. All that remained was a pure space within his soul.
"Pfft!" Gu You Clone suffered a devastating double blow. The Immortal radiance mercilessly pierced and purified the core of his soul mist, like a blade through his heart, draining away his life in an instant. The backlash from having the Blood Soul Guide forcibly erased only made matters worse, worsening his already dire state. His enormous body of soul mist could no longer hold its shape. It collapsed like a sandcastle, bursting into countless tiny fragments of soul mist that scattered through the air.
Only a final flicker of miserable green soulfire remained amid the drifting soul mist, wavering like a lone candle in a gale, ready to be extinguished at any moment—a sign of the evil and life of Gu You Clone, now on the verge of vanishing.
"Ant... Xiao Zhan... and that Woe Poison Body... Immortal Hall... aura..." Gu You's hoarse, dry voice came in broken fragments from the void, like rusted gears grinding with difficulty. It was filled with boundless resentment, as if he meant to pour out all the hatred in the world, yet also with endless dread, as if he had seen the most terrifying being in existence. But his voice was desperately weak, like a candle in the wind that could go out at any moment. "Lord Soul Extinguisher... won't let... you... go... Just wait... the true body of the Saint... will descend... and settle... everything..."
The venomous curse drifted through the air like a cold miasma, yet had not fully faded. The final flicker of miserable green soulfire suddenly flared, like a burst of madness in a final moment of radiance. But then, like a lamp whose wick had burned out, it went utterly dark in the scorching desert air and was annihilated, leaving only a faint wisp of smoke to tell of the evil that had once been.
The terrifying pressure and chill that had shrouded the oasis receded swiftly like the ebbing tide. Once that oppressive aura dispersed, the oasis seemed to awaken from a nightmare, its vitality returning.
Saint Gu You's clone had been destroyed!
The resplendent Immortal radiance did not vanish at once after piercing Gu You's core and purifying the Blood Soul Guide. Like a living golden dragon, it contained tremendous energy and the lingering traces of that supreme will. Some of the radiance turned into warm streams of light, like the spring sun, gently and swiftly flowing back into Xiao Yan.
"Ugh!" Xiao Yan groaned. He felt a warm current, gentle yet boundless, surge through his limbs and organs. Wherever it passed, his internal organs, injured by Gu You's pressure, were mended like parched earth receiving rain. Even the stinging pain in his meridians from his forced attempt to break free of the restraint instantly subsided, as if he had never been injured.
Yet the warm current came and went in a flash. What followed was an overwhelming emptiness deep in his soul and an irresistible exhaustion, as if his body had been drained dry of every ounce of strength. His vision went black, and his body slumped backward as he lost consciousness. Only the ring on his left hand quickly dimmed and returned to its ancient, unadorned appearance, as if all that had just happened were an illusion.
More of the lingering Immortal radiance, like sweet rain drawn by invisible threads, drifted down in delicate, gentle strands onto the wildly raging, uncontrolled dark-purple poison cocoon surrounding Xiao Yi Xian. The radiance was dreamlike and seemed to transcend the mortal world with its sacred purity as it slowly merged with the cocoon.
"Sss... sizzle..."
A strange and wondrous sight unfolded!
The wild power of poison and resentment, strong enough to corrode space and reduce all things to dust, was not forcibly annihilated when it touched the pure dark-gold Immortal radiance, as one might have expected. It was as if it had encountered an arbiter and guide of a higher order. Its violent turmoil calmed swiftly, like waters retreating with the tide. The Immortal radiance was like the fire of an exquisite furnace, gentle yet irresistible, slowly seeping into the core of the dark-purple poison cocoon as if to seek out its deepest secrets.
Within the cocoon, the dark-purple Poison Source Crystal Core inside Xiao Yi Xian, which had completely lost control and raged like a savage beast unleashing ten-thousand-year-old poison and resentment, seemed to have been injected with a strange sedative. At its core, the ancient will, driven by a desire for destruction and intent on obliterating everything in the world, quickly melted away and disintegrated beneath the resplendent Immortal light and its gentle soothing, like the last snow of spring. The wanton malice of old was gradually purified, leaving behind only the purest essence of poison—an uncarved jade of primordial energy.
HUM—!
With a clear, mysterious hum, the dark-purple poison cocoon abruptly contracted inward. It no longer raged wildly, instead growing condensed and restrained, like a wild dancer settling into stillness to reveal a deeper grace. Its blinding, destructive purple swiftly transformed into a deep purple, mysterious and profound, flowing with dark-gold hues like the most enigmatic star in the night sky, its radiance...
The cocoon's shape also changed quietly, slowly condensing and solidifying as if being painstakingly carved by a master artisan. At last, it became a dragon-eye-sized, entirely
, like an exquisite crystal carved from the finest amethyst. The crystal gave off a gentle, mysterious glow, as if it contained endless secrets, and floated quietly in the void.
Within the crystal, clear as cut glass, a vast nebular vortex seemed to turn slowly, mysterious streams of energy flowing through it like a river of stars. At its very core, a faint point of dark-gold light appeared and disappeared like a star concealed behind clouds, emanating an aura that was at once pregnant with boundless danger and as steady as a rock. It floated quietly at Xiao Yi Xian's dantian, like a star carefully set in place, replacing the crystal core that had previously raged out of control and released poison at will.
This was the Poison Pill! It had condensed from the origin of the ten-thousand-year-old Poison Source Crystal Core, harmonized and tempered by the supreme might of the Bronze Immortal Palace's Immortal radiance. It was the true origin belonging to Xiao Yi Xian—her Woe Poison Pill! Like a treasure sculpted by fate, it carried her new power and destiny.
As the Poison Pill fully took shape, a powerful yet deeply restrained aura, like a fathomless pool, erupted from within Xiao Yi Xian as if a dormant volcano had finally awakened. The burning seven-colored patterns flowing across her skin vanished at once like the retreating tide, as if they had never existed. The ashen pallor and dark-purple spots that had appeared on her skin when her poison ran wild faded swiftly like the last snow of spring, restoring its fair, flawless whiteness, as smooth and warm as mutton-fat jade.
Her tightly shut eyes suddenly opened, like two lamps kindled in the darkness. They were no longer chaotic, disorderly dark-purple vortices concealing an aura of endless destruction, nor were they as clear yet fragile as before. They were deep as a purple starry sky, their mysterious light flowing as if they contained the deepest secrets of the universe. At their depths, a point of dark-gold light remained steady as a pillar stabilizing the sea, transforming her entire bearing—cool as the bright moon on a winter night, mysterious as a riddle in the boundless cosmos, and imbued with the confidence to command the power of destruction, as if all poison in the world lay within her grasp.
Thus, the Woe Poison Body had taken its first steps toward mastery! Xiao Yi Xian embarked on a brand-new journey of her own, carrying this mysterious and powerful force into an unknown future.
After Gu You Clone's destruction, the final remnant of soulfire flickered like a candle in the wind before finally vanishing into the hot, dry air, as if it had never existed. At the same time, the scarlet-gold bloodflame burning fiercely around Xiao Zhan, as if ready to consume his very life, dimmed like a bonfire that had run out of fuel. At last, it went out, leaving behind only wisps of smoke to tell of its former heat and madness.
"Pfft—!"
A mouthful of scalding blood mixed with pale golden specks sprayed from Xiao Zhan's mouth, scattering through the air like a fountain. The backlash from burning his soul and blood arrived like a late tsunami, sweeping through every corner of his body with the force of an avalanche. His meridians felt as if they had been seared by fire and then frozen solid, each inch wracked by the agony of breaking apart; every heartbeat was like thousands of silver needles stabbing into him at once. A tearing weakness rose from the depths of his soul, as if invisible hands were dragging it into eternal darkness. The decaying aura of his rapidly depleted lifespan spread like a plague, and his body seemed to exude the stench of decline. The price of forcibly tearing away and crippling a Dou Sheng clone was so terrible that he could scarcely bear it, as if the entire world were collapsing before his eyes.
His right arm, which had burned with bloodflame, was now a gruesome sight. The once-imposing phantom of dragon scales had shattered completely, dissolving into specks of light in the air. His flesh was charred and turned inside out like wood scorched by fire, exposing the stark white bones beneath—an appalling sight. Miserable green marks left by the soul poison still clung to his arm, hissing as they corroded him, as if venomous snakes were gnawing at his flesh. His body fell uncontrollably from the sky like a withered leaf. His aura had weakened to the extreme, as if the slightest breeze could scatter him.
"Elder Xiao!" "Father!"
Below, the Snake-People Tribe elders, finally freed from Gu You's terrifying pressure, and Xiao Yan, who had just regained a little awareness and was still weak, cried out in alarm at the same time. Their voices were full of fear and concern, as if they had just witnessed the most terrible thing in the world. Yue Mei reacted first. Her jade-green Dou Qi erupted like fireworks, and she shot into the sky in a streak of light. Moving like lightning, she caught Xiao Zhan just in time as he fell, as if catching a dream on the verge of shattering.
The instant Yue Mei's hand touched Xiao Zhan, the scorching, sticky sensation shocked her. It was the feeling of blood and charred flesh mingled together, as if she had grasped life's fragility and pain. Her heart sank at once, a foreboding settling over her. Looking down, she saw Xiao Zhan's eyes shut tight, his face pale as gold paper, his breath faint as a thread. The ghastly aura of someone who had spent his very life essence made even her, a battle-hardened Dou Wang, tremble with fear, as if she were facing a tragedy beyond saving.
"Quick! Take him back to the core of the Spirit Gathering Pavilion! Bring every healing elixir! Quickly!" Holding Xiao Zhan, Yue Mei shouted down at the others. Her voice trembled with unprecedented urgency and fear, filled with anxiety and resolve. At her words, the Snake-People Tribe survivors, having escaped death, sprang into action like well-trained soldiers, each rushing to their post.
Xiao Yan struggled to his father's side. Seeing his father's right arm, nearly unrecognizable, with charred flesh peeled back and stark white bones exposed, and feeling his father's utterly miserable aura, his eyes reddened instantly as if flames were burning in them. He clenched his fists until they creaked, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain. All he could do was murmur, "Father..."
Just then!
HUM—!!!
A clear, mysterious hum suddenly rang from within Xiao Zhan, like an ancient bell tolling the first note of hope. Another transformation took place within him! The origin of the Green Lotus Core Flame, stored deep in his dantian and carefully nurtured with the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art and the Flame Emperor Art, stirred of its own accord at the moment its master teetered on the brink of life and death, as if sensing his peril and preparing to rise to his aid.
The blue-green flames no longer rampaged. Instead, they became exceptionally gentle and mild, like a spring breeze softly brushing over wounded earth. Wisps of incomparably pure vitality from the flame's origin flowed out like the gentlest of streams, surging of their own accord toward his most severely damaged right arm and his nearly exhausted heart. The flames seemed to carry the miracle of life, striving to preserve a sliver of hope for Xiao Zhan.
At the same time, deep within Xiao Zhan's soul, the imprint at the very origin of his Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline was like a brilliant star buried in darkness. After enduring the brutal trial of burning his soul and blood to their limits, it had not dimmed like a candle in the wind. Instead, like iron purified by blazing flames, it radiated a purer, more resilient glimmer. The light was at once the defiant cry of life and an omen that the power hidden in his bloodline was awakening.
A newly born, even purer and more vigorous power was quietly gestating and sprouting deep within Xiao Zhan's battered body, like a volcano dormant for ages. It carried boundless vitality and hope, as if it would break through every obstacle and make this body on the verge of collapse brim with life once more.
[ Ding! Detected that the host broke through his limits in a desperate fight for survival, and his will was tempered like unyielding rock! Compatibility with the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art greatly increased! Current stage: Initiated (45%)! ] The system's clear, mysterious voice sounded in Xiao Zhan's mind, as if fate itself were rewarding him.
[ Ding! Recognition by the Green Lotus Core Flame's origin greatly increased! Like a loyal guardian, it has moved of its own accord to protect its master and restore his origin! Your comprehension of the Flame Emperor Art has also deepened, as if a door to a higher realm has opened! ] The system's notifications continued one after another, each like a bell of hope.
[ Ding! Successfully purified the 'Blood Soul Guide' and defeated Saint Gu You's clone (projection)! Completed the epic hidden quest 'The Saint's Demise'! ] The announcement rang with solemnity and sanctity, proclaiming Xiao Zhan's glorious victory in this battle for survival.
[Quest rewards issued:]
1. *Nirvana Holy Blood Pill (Eighth-Tier Low Grade) ×1: A pill like a jewel containing endless mysteries, imbued with a trace of Nirvana's true meaning. It can repair a severely damaged origin, make up for the losses caused by burning the soul and blood, and rebuild one's foundation. It also carries a tiny chance of triggering a bloodline Nirvana transformation, allowing Xiao Zhan to embark on a higher path of cultivation.
2. *Soul Source Liquid (Heaven Rank Low Grade) ×1: A bottle of pure, attribute-free Soul Origin, like a clear spring. It can greatly nourish, repair, and strengthen the soul, making Xiao Zhan's soul more resilient and powerful, as if it had undergone a baptism.
3. Special Building Blueprint: Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda (Fragment): This blueprint is like a mysterious scroll, gathering Earth Vein Dragon Qi and the essence of the Heavenly Phoenix. It can accelerate the awakening and cultivation of the Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline, but the remaining fragments must be collected before it can display its true power and open a new chapter in his cultivation.
4. System Permission Upgrade: 'Crisis Foresight' module unlocked (Basic): This module is like a mysterious guardian by Xiao Zhan's side. It gives vague advance warnings of mortal dangers involving the host or those closely connected to him, offering him an additional safeguard on the road ahead.
The system's notifications were like sweet rain after a prolonged drought, echoing gently yet clearly in Xiao Zhan's consciousness, which teetered on the verge of collapse and was almost completely drained. Their mysterious, solemn rhythm was like the whisper of fate itself beside his ear.
At the same time, within the system space, the phantom of a pill, wholly scarlet-gold and seemingly carved from the purest gold, slowly took shape. Profound, unfathomable patterns of flame flowed across its surface, resembling both burning fire and ancient runes. It radiated vigorous, warm vitality, as if it contained boundless life force. Beside it appeared the phantom of a liquid mass wreathed in a milky-white glow. Its radiance was gentle and holy, like moonlight, carrying a power that purified and healed.
Yet Xiao Zhan no longer had the strength to inspect these precious rewards. The extreme exhaustion and backlash surged over him like a raging tide, completely swallowing his body and consciousness. His mind abruptly relaxed, and at last, he could hold on no longer, sinking into a deep coma. Only the newly born Dragon-Phoenix Power within him slowly awakened like a sleeping dragon, radiating a steady, powerful aura; and the docile Green Lotus Flame source, like a murmuring stream, slowly and instinctively repaired his battered, scarred body, every trickle of power carrying an unyielding devotion to life.
Yue Mei held the unconscious Xiao Zhan tightly, her eyes full of worry and anxiety. Beside her, Xiao Yan was just as distressed, his brow furrowed as he fretted over his father's safety. Surrounded by Snake-People Tribe warriors, they raced toward the core of the Spirit Gathering Pavilion like the wind, their hurried footsteps like the urgent beat of fate's drum.
The oasis, having survived the calamity, was filled with the pungent stench of smoke and the heavy smell of blood, like ruins left in the wake of a great battle. A heavy, oppressive silence still hung in the air, as if even the wind had stopped breathing.
The venomous warning left by Gu You Clone as he perished echoed in the hearts of every survivor like a chilling curse: "Lord Soul Extinguisher... won't let... you... go... The true body of the Saint... will descend... and settle... everything..." His words seemed steeped in boundless hatred and malice, enough to send a chill through anyone.
The desert wind lifted charred sand and gravel, making a mournful, wailing sound as if lamenting the devastating battle. Its howl also seemed to portend an even more terrifying storm, quietly brewing beyond the distant horizon. The shattered light of the Bronze Immortal Palace had already startled the colossal being sleeping in the deepest reaches of the Nine Nether. A new crisis was slowly gathering over this land, like dark clouds rolling in.
Before you continue