Ancient Tomes, Secret Arts! Dual Support, Dominator's Pressure

The war on the scorched earth had yet to cease. Lingering golden-purple energy intertwined and collided with icy black mist, producing piercing hisses. Ximen Qing's face was pale as paper, and his body swayed unsteadily. The [Sovereign Purple Flame Break] had drained half his energy, leaving only a faint golden-red aura around him to barely support his body. His breathing was so heavy that every inhale sent a piercing pain through his chest.

Son Gohan hurried to his side and quickly reached out to support his unsteady body. He spread open the ancient tome and pointed to the yellowed writing on one page, his tone urgent yet certain. "Qing'er, hang on! The secret art recorded in this tome is called the [Spirit Vein Sealing Art]. It uses the remaining power of the Universal Sovereign within you as a catalyst, together with the positive energy of Earth's spirit veins. Not only can it temporarily suppress the energy fluctuations of the Twinborn Token, it can also use spirit vein resonance to reinforce the seals on the energy nodes of the Extreme Cold Star System and Blazing Flame Star System from afar."

Ximen Qing panted softly, forcing himself to endure the weakness ravaging his body. His gaze fell upon the text in the tome, and his voice was hoarse but firm. "I understand... Hurry, tell me what to do. There isn't much time. The lead guardian will strike back soon, and the two major nodes won't hold out for long either."

"Alright!" Son Gohan did not waste another moment. He immediately sat cross-legged, formed hand seals, and began murmuring an ancient incantation. "You sit cross-legged too. Focus your mind and guide the remaining Sovereign power in your body along with my purification power into Earth's spirit veins beneath us. Remember, do not rush. If the energy becomes unstable, not only will the secret art fail, you'll suffer severe injuries as well!"

Ximen Qing followed his instructions and sat cross-legged. He shut his eyes tightly, gathering his focus with all his strength as he mobilized the last traces of golden-red energy within him. The energy slowly flowed through his meridians, passed through his fingertips, and intertwined with the white light surrounding Son Gohan. It condensed into a pale golden thread of energy that gradually seeped into the scorched earth, spreading deep toward Earth's spirit veins. Meanwhile, the lead Dark guardian had already steadied himself. A counterattack was brewing in the shadows.

The next second, an icy roar erupted without warning! The lead Dark guardian wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth, viciousness churning in his eyes as black energy gathered once more in his palm. With a flash, he lunged fiercely at the two of them, his voice sinister and bone-chilling. "Seeking death! You dare play tricks under my nose? I'll kill you first, then take the Twinborn Token!"

"Don't even think about harming my lord and Grandpa Gohan!" Seeing this, Nappa roared in fury. Ignoring his own injuries, he led the remaining elite warriors charging over to reinforce them. The golden-red aura around him surged as a massive golden-red energy sphere formed in his palm and smashed toward the lead Dark guardian, attempting to force him back. "Elite warriors, heed my command! Defend my lord and Grandpa Gohan with everything you have! Do not let these Dark remnants take one more step forward!"

The remaining elite warriors answered in unison. Though they had suffered devastating casualties and their auras were in disarray, none showed the slightest fear. They gathered the golden-red energy within their bodies and launched a fierce assault on the lead Dark guardian. Countless golden-red energy blades tore through the air, sweeping toward him in dense waves. Even if they could not severely wound him, they would give everything they had to delay him and buy Ximen Qing and Son Gohan time to activate the secret art.

The lead Dark guardian's expression darkened, and impatience flashed through his eyes. The black mist around him surged, condensing into a pitch-black shield that forcibly endured the assault from Nappa and the elite warriors. "Screech—" The golden-red energy blades struck the shield with ear-piercing friction, but they left only faint marks upon it and could not break its defense at all.

"You trash think you can stop me?" the lead guardian sneered. The black energy in his palm surged as he swung it violently, unleashing a massive wave of black energy. Nappa's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly mobilized all his power to form a golden-red shield. But the energy wave was far too powerful. With a thunderous BOOM, the shield shattered instantly. Nappa was sent flying by the shockwave and slammed heavily onto the scorched earth. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his aura became even more chaotic.

The elite warriors were also caught by the energy wave and fell one after another. Their casualties increased further, leaving only a handful still barely holding on, though they could no longer form an effective restraint. The lead Dark guardian sneered and stopped paying attention to Nappa and the others. With a flash, he lunged at Ximen Qing and Son Gohan once more. His black claws were already closing in, only several yards away from the two of them.

At that critical moment, a weak yet sharp black figure suddenly darted out—it was Gray Shadow, who had barely recovered a trace of strength. Ignoring his severe wounds, he forcibly activated his remaining shadow energy and condensed it into a black dagger. With all his strength, he stabbed at the lead guardian's ankle and roared, "My lord! Grandpa Gohan! Hold on a little longer!"

Caught off guard, the lead guardian was stabbed in the ankle. Though he was not seriously wounded, the pain still caused his body to pause. That fleeting halt became the crucial turning point—Ximen Qing's Sovereign power had successfully resonated with Earth's spirit veins through the energy thread. The scorched ground beneath them trembled faintly as pale golden spirit vein power surged forth without end, flowing through the energy thread and into their bodies. The secret art advanced at last, reaching a breakthrough.

A trace of joy flashed through Son Gohan's eyes as he hurriedly intensified the incantation. "It worked! Qing'er, steady yourself! The spirit vein power has resonated. Now, let's activate the secret art together, suppress the Twinborn Token, and reinforce the node seals!"

Ximen Qing gritted his teeth and desperately mobilized the spirit vein power together with his remaining Sovereign power. A faint golden radiance emerged around him. The violent agitation of the Twinborn Token in his chest gradually subsided. Its black light dimmed, its exposed energy fluctuations rapidly weakened, and the spirit vein power tightly wrapped around and suppressed it. The secret art's effects were beginning to show.

At the same time, deep in the universe, at the icy plain core of the Extreme Cold Star System, the Dark warriors who had been madly seizing the energy node suddenly sensed a faint golden light coming from Earth's direction. Immediately afterward, the seal on the energy node abruptly strengthened. A pale golden barrier slowly rose, blocking all the Dark warriors' attacks outside and stopping the node's energy from leaking away. Deep within the volcanoes of the Blazing Flame Star System, an identical pale golden barrier rose up, reinforcing the seal that had been on the verge of collapse and halting the Dark forces' plundering.

The warriors sent to investigate the two star systems noticed the change and hastily reported to Ximen Qing through their communicators, their voices filled with joy. "My lord! This is great! The energy node seals have been reinforced! The Dark warriors' attacks have been blocked, and the nodes are safe!"

Upon hearing the report, Ximen Qing relaxed slightly, but the pressure did not lessen in the slightest—the lead guardian had already broken free from Gray Shadow's entanglement. The killing intent in his eyes grew even stronger as he gathered even more powerful black energy in his palm and smashed it viciously toward the two of them. "Damn it! You dare ruin my plans? I'll tear you into a thousand pieces!"

Son Gohan's expression changed sharply. He immediately activated the spirit vein power and condensed a pale golden shield before them. With a BOOM, the black energy struck the shield. The shield trembled violently as fine cracks spread across its surface, yet it barely held firm without shattering—the spirit vein power's purification and defensive effects far surpassed Son Gohan's own purification art.

Ximen Qing slowly opened his eyes. A trace of exhaustion flashed in them, but so did a sharp gleam. The energy within him was still weak, yet nourished by the spirit vein power, he had recovered a little strength. His golden-red aura also began to shine faintly once more. "Grandpa Gohan, maintain the secret art. Leave this to me."

Before his words had faded, Ximen Qing slowly rose to his feet. A weak but concentrated strand of golden-red energy formed in his palm—the simplified version of the [Evil-Burning Light Blade]. Though it lacked the power of the full version, it carried the spirit veins' purification effect and was enough to restrain the enemy for the moment. He flashed forward in a fierce charge. Even with his energy unrecovered and his body severely wounded, he would never allow the enemy to destroy the secret art or let all their previous efforts come to nothing.

The lead guardian sneered, not taking Ximen Qing seriously at all. With a wave of his hand, black energy swept toward Ximen Qing. Ximen Qing's gaze sharpened as he activated [Crimson Flame Flash]. Using his nimble movement technique, he evaded the attack while thrusting the [Evil-Burning Light Blade] in his palm fiercely toward the guardian's chest—he knew that although the enemy had been heavily wounded and his combat strength had fallen, he remained powerful. Only by striking at his weakness could Ximen Qing barely keep him restrained.

Man and demon clashed once again. Drawing on the spirit vein power's nourishment and his agile movement technique, Ximen Qing held the lead guardian firmly in check. Though he could not seriously wound him, he successfully prevented him from approaching Son Gohan and bought precious time for the secret art to be completed. Nearby, Nappa and Gray Shadow were also gritting their teeth as they adjusted their breathing, trying to recover their strength as quickly as possible and join the battle.

But at that moment, an icy pressure several times more terrifying than anything before suddenly came from the depths of the universe. In an instant, it swept across Earth, the Solar System, and even the distant Extreme Cold and Blazing Flame Star Systems. The pressure was so powerful that heaven and earth seemed to tremble beneath it, and every battle froze at once.

Ximen Qing's body stiffened, and his face changed dramatically. He began trembling uncontrollably—this pressure was many times greater than that of the lead guardian. It was the most terrifying power he had encountered since his rebirth, carrying a destructive savagery capable of annihilating heaven and earth, as well as the tyrannical dominance of one who controlled all things. There was no need for further words. It was the pressure released by the Dark Sovereign, who was about to awaken!

The lead Dark guardian abruptly stopped attacking, bent both knees, and knelt toward the depths of the universe. His tone was reverent and fanatical. "Lord Sovereign! Are you about to awaken? This subordinate will seize the Twinborn Token as swiftly as possible and welcome your arrival, so you may rule the entire universe!"

Ximen Qing's face turned deathly pale. The spirit vein power and Sovereign power within him both became chaotic under that terrifying pressure. The Twinborn Token in his chest began stirring faintly once more, and the secret art's suppression was being eroded and weakened by the pressure. He knew that the Dark Sovereign was close to awakening. At most, in half a shichen, he would descend upon Earth.

Even more alarming, the communicator began ringing urgently again. The voices of the warriors sent to the two star systems were frantic beyond measure. "My lord! This is bad! The Dark Sovereign's pressure has eroded the node barriers, and the seals are loosening again! The Dark warriors are launching a mad counterattack—we can't hold on much longer!"

A double crisis had descended once more: the secret art was incomplete, the Twinborn Token's suppression was unstable, the two energy nodes were in danger, the Dark Sovereign was about to descend, and the lead guardian was gathering strength for another counterattack. Meanwhile, Ximen Qing and the others had already suffered devastating losses, their energy was running low, and they had fallen into an unprecedented desperate situation.

Ximen Qing slowly raised his head and looked into the depths of the universe. The exhaustion and gravity in his eyes were gradually replaced by absolute determination. He drew a deep breath, and the golden-red aura around him began rising once more. Even before pressure capable of destroying heaven and earth, even in the depths of despair, he would never give up.

"Grandpa Gohan, speed up the secret art and completely suppress the Twinborn Token!" Ximen Qing's voice was hoarse, yet filled with unquestionable resolve. "Nappa, Gray Shadow, recover your strength as quickly as possible. We must hold out until the secret art is complete and until we find a way to deal with the Dark Sovereign! Today, no matter the cost, we will protect Earth and preserve this last sliver of hope for the universe!"

Son Gohan, Nappa, and Gray Shadow answered in unison. Though their bodies were covered in wounds and their energy nearly exhausted, a determined light ignited in their eyes. The flames of war burned once more. This time, they faced the Dark Sovereign who was about to descend and an even more terrifying dead end. The ultimate battle that would determine the universe's survival had entered its most critical moment...