Burning Veins Break the Stalemate! Dual-Line Counterattack, Black Shadows Spill Blood

The golden-red energy in his palm gathered ever more fiercely. The agonizing pain of his burning spiritual veins was like countless steel needles racing madly through his meridians. Veins bulged across Ximen Qing's body, and cold sweat mixed with dark-red blood streamed down his cheeks, soaking his already bloodstained clothes and plastering them to his slender frame. Yet his gaze shone with a terrifying brilliance. There was no hesitation, not the slightest retreat. His teeth ground together with a creak as a roar, suppressed to its limit, forced its way from his throat. The spiritual veins within him ignited with a boom, burning madly like a wildfire. Pure yet violent energy erupted through his meridians, sweeping across his entire body in an instant. Even the air around him trembled faintly from the heat.

This was not some mindless, out-of-nowhere power-up. This was the resolve of someone truly staking his life on the line. Spiritual veins were a warrior's foundation, the very source that drove their energy. Burning them meant overdrawing one's own life. Even if he somehow won this battle, he would most likely never be able to wield even a trace of energy again, reduced to an ordinary man. But at this moment, he had no way back—the outer defensive line was on the verge of collapse, his companions inside Earth were trapped in a desperate situation, and the Twinborn Token was in grave danger. He was everyone's pillar, their last hope. He could only charge forward. He could not retreat even half a step.

"Qing'er, don't!" Son Gohan's pupils contracted sharply, his heart seeming to be clenched by an invisible hand. He rushed forward like a madman to stop him, only to be blasted three steps back by the violent energy erupting around Ximen Qing. Even the void beneath his feet cracked faintly. Despair and heartache churned in his eyes, and his voice caught with emotion. "Burning your veins will destroy you! We can find another way! Even if we fight until only one of us remains, even if we exhaust every last drop of strength, we can't let you pay such a terrible price!"

Ximen Qing did not turn around. His shoulders trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the excruciating pain of his burning spiritual veins. Slowly, he raised his head, his gaze locked firmly onto the towering black figure in the depths of space. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping together, yet every word rang with iron resolve, each one wrapped in the determination to burn everything away. "Grandpa Gohan, there is no other way. Protecting Earth, protecting them, matters more than my spiritual veins—more than my life! Today, I will burn every last one of my spiritual veins and make this shadow pay its debt in blood!"

The instant his words fell, the golden-red energy around Ximen Qing exploded completely, several times more powerful than before. His once-feeble aura instantly transformed into a golden-red pillar of light that shot into the heavens, piercing the atmosphere and tearing through the blackness of space. It stood in blinding opposition to the cold, eerie energy radiating from the black shadow. The pain of burning his spiritual veins made his entire body convulse violently. He swayed, nearly unable to remain standing, but his fists remained clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Bit by bit, he gathered all the power of his burning spiritual veins in his palm. The light there grew brighter and brighter, until even his fingertips were slightly blackened by the heat.

The Black Shadow Guardian in the depths of space had clearly sensed the violent energy erupting from Ximen Qing. Its scarlet vertical pupil contracted sharply, and a rare trace of wariness flashed through its eyes—it had never expected that a seemingly grievously injured, tiny, fragile human could unleash such terrifying power. Then it let out an even more piercing, more savage howl, making the warriors' eardrums ache. It raised its massive black hand again, rapidly gathering an energy beam in its palm that was denser and darker than before. Carrying an aura capable of destroying heaven and earth, it slammed toward Ximen Qing. It wanted to utterly crush this human who did not know his place, crush that troublesome golden-red light, crush all hope.

"Everyone, fall back!" Ximen Qing roared, his voice piercing through the thunderous energy and echoing across heaven and earth. "Hold the barrier! Don't worry about me!"

Son Gohan, Nappa, and all the surviving warriors stared at Ximen Qing's back, their eyes brimming with tears and determination. They knew Ximen Qing was using his life to win hope for them. They could not let him down. Everyone immediately focused their minds and pushed the remaining energy within them with all their strength, reinforcing the defensive barrier and holding the line with everything they had. Their eyes remained fixed on the center of the battlefield, watching that slender yet unyielding figure as he prepared to engage the black shadow in a battle to the death.

The golden-red and pitch-black beams collided with a deafening boom in space. There were no flashy effects, only the purest and most violent clash of energy. The piercing thunder shook the entire solar system violently. The surrounding void continually decayed and collapsed, while fragments of energy scattered in every direction, streaking through the dark universe like meteors. When they struck distant planets, they blasted open enormous craters.

Ximen Qing desperately supported the golden-red beam from his palm. His arm went slightly numb from the tremendous force of the Shock, while the agony of his burning spiritual veins grew ever stronger. His meridians felt as though they were about to be ripped apart completely. A bloody sweetness rose in his throat, and he could no longer hold it back—he spat out a mouthful of blood. It splashed onto the energy beam before him and was instantly burned away. He staggered, almost sent flying by the impact of the black beam. Even the void beneath his feet was slightly dented by his stance. Yet he still did not let go. His eyes remained locked on the black shadow, and the resolve in them slowly transformed into even greater strength. He forced the burning spiritual veins inside him to move, squeezing out every last trace of remaining energy, gradually halting the black beam's advance. The boundary between the two beams slowly began to shift toward the black shadow.

"Impossible! How can a puny human possess such formidable power?!" The Black Shadow Guardian let out an eerie, furious howl, its voice filled with disbelief and savagery. It pushed the strange energy within its body to the limit, continuously pouring it into the black beam in an attempt to completely suppress Ximen Qing. Yet it could never have imagined that this seemingly heavily injured human could erupt with such horrifying strength. That desperate resolve to burn his life and leave himself no way out even stirred an inexplicable fear within it.

A resolute yet relieved smile curved across Ximen Qing's lips. Blood continued to drip from the corners of his mouth, falling into space and instantly dissipating under the surrounding energy. He slowly raised his other hand. His arm trembled faintly from the excruciating pain, but he used every last bit of strength to thrust it fiercely toward the Black Shadow Guardian. He roared, his voice hoarse yet carrying tremendous force. "The puny one is you! Today, I will seek justice for every living being you have harmed! Burning Veins: Break!"

Before his words had fully faded, the spiritual veins within Ximen Qing erupted completely, like ignited explosives. An even more violent, even more blazing golden-red energy burst from his body, raced through his meridians, gathered in his palm, and merged into the golden-red beam. Its radiance surged severalfold in an instant, its blinding light illuminating the entire universe. It violently suppressed the black beam and charged straight toward the Black Shadow Guardian with a world-destroying force. It crushed through everything in its path, shattering the black beam completely, then continued without pause and struck the Black Shadow Guardian's towering body head-on.

Bang—!

A massive explosion resounded throughout the universe. The Black Shadow Guardian released an incomparably shrill howl, filled with agony and unwillingness. The strange energy around its body instantly fell into disarray, and its dense black aura dispersed like a receding tide. The golden-red beam struck its towering body fiercely, ripping a huge wound open across its chest. Thick, black blood sprayed from the wound, falling through space and instantly turning into wisps of eerie black mist before vanishing completely, leaving not even a trace behind.

The Black Shadow Guardian staggered back several steps. Its enormous body swayed, nearly collapsing. Extreme terror and unwillingness surged through its scarlet vertical pupil. Until the very end, it could not believe that it had been severely wounded by a tiny human—especially one who had burned his spiritual veins and overdrawn his life. The pressure surrounding it instantly weakened by more than half, and the once-indescribably dense strange energy around it became thin and feeble, like a candle flame in the wind. Clearly, that strike had dealt it a fatal wound. It no longer possessed its former intimidation.

Ximen Qing slowly lowered his hands. The agony of burning his spiritual veins swept over his body like a tide, leaving him unable to hold on any longer. His body went limp, and he fell straight toward Earth. The golden-red aura around him gradually dimmed like a flame on the verge of going out. His breath was so weak it was nearly imperceptible, and even his breathing became faint. Yet a relieved smile remained on his face—he had done it. He had driven back the Black Shadow Guardian, bought his companions time to catch their breath, and preserved their final hope.

"Qing'er!" Son Gohan rushed forward like a madman, moving at the fastest speed possible. He caught the falling Ximen Qing steadily and held him tightly in his arms. Feeling his breath, so weak it was almost impossible to detect, Son Gohan's eyes filled with heartache and pride. Tears finally spilled down his face, falling onto Ximen Qing's bloodstained cheek. "Well done, Qing'er. You did it! You really drove it back!"

Leaning against Son Gohan's chest, Ximen Qing smiled weakly. His lips moved, and his voice was so hoarse it was nearly inaudible, flickering in fragments like a dying candle flame. "Grandpa Gohan, I... I held the line... Is Earth... safe?"

"It's safe—for now!" Son Gohan nodded hurriedly, unable to stop the tears from falling. "Don't worry. With us here, we'll protect Earth. We'll definitely heal you!"

At the same time, inside Earth, Gray Shadow and the other warriors had also fallen into their final desperate predicament. They had long since run out of ammunition and resources. The puppets kept rushing at them without end, like an endless tide. The warriors had suffered devastating casualties. Even those still alive were covered in wounds, their energy exhausted, barely able to stand. Gray Shadow himself was severely injured. His armor was shattered beyond recognition, his body covered in blood, and his wounds continued to seep. The weapon in his hand had broken long ago, but he still refused to give up. He stood firmly before the Twinborn Token, using his own flesh and blood to protect this last hope.

"Hold on, brothers!" Gray Shadow roared. Though drenched in blood, his eyes remained firm. "Lord Ximen Qing and the others are holding back the black shadow at the perimeter. We can't drag them down! We absolutely cannot let the puppets get near the Twinborn Token! Even if we fight until the last man, we must hold this place!"

"Hold this place! Never retreat!"

The surviving warriors roared in unison, their voices loud and resolute. Though covered in injuries and on the brink of death, though they barely had the strength even to lift their arms, they still struggled to their feet with all they had and stood before Gray Shadow, engaging the puppets in a desperate fight to the death. They did not have the explosive strength of Ximen Qing burning his spiritual veins. They did not possess some powerful protagonist's halo. They had only the purest perseverance and courage, building an unbreakable line with their flesh and blood. Even if the puppets tore them apart, they would not retreat half a step.

Just as the warriors were about to collapse, just as the puppets' claws were on the verge of breaking through the line and touching the Twinborn Token, several powerful golden-red beams suddenly pierced in from beyond the atmosphere. Like sharp swords, they slammed directly into the puppet horde, instantly smashing apart huge numbers of puppets. Black fragments scattered across the ground, and before they could even struggle, they became wisps of black mist and dissipated completely, leaving no trace behind.

"Reinforcements are here!" Light suddenly burst into Gray Shadow's eyes. Looking up, he saw Nappa leading part of the reinforcement squad rushing toward them. Every one of them was wounded, yet their gazes remained determined. The golden-red auras around them were unstable, but still powerful.

"Gray Shadow, we're here!" Nappa roared as he rushed to Gray Shadow's side. Golden-red energy quietly circulated around him as he stepped in front of Gray Shadow. "Lord Ximen Qing drove back the Black Shadow Guardian and ordered us to come support you immediately. We absolutely cannot let the puppets succeed!"

A relieved smile appeared on Gray Shadow's face, and tears slipped down despite himself. He knew they had won. They had held the line. Lord Ximen Qing's efforts had not been in vain, and neither had all of their perseverance.

"Brothers, counterattack!" Gray Shadow roared. He was drenched in blood, but his strength remained fierce. He grabbed a broken piece of weapon from the ground and charged into the puppet horde first. "For Earth! For our companions! Kill!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

All the warriors roared together, their morale soaring. They pushed the remaining energy within their bodies to its limits and followed Gray Shadow and Nappa in a frenzied counterattack against the puppets. Golden-red energy and strange energy collided violently. Roars, clashing weapons, and thunderous bursts of energy intertwined, resounding throughout Earth's interior.

There were no flashy moves, only the most direct and brutal clash. Every warrior fought without fear of death. Even when struck by the puppets, even when their wounds split open and blood poured freely, they still clung tightly to the puppets and used all their strength to destroy them. Nappa and Gray Shadow charged at the forefront, drenched in blood, their faces smeared with dust and gore like two war gods returned from hell. They continuously cut down the puppets before them, clearing away the obstacles blocking the Twinborn Token step by step. Every step landed on puppet fragments, and every strike was delivered with all their strength.

Though the puppets felt no pain and were numerous, without the Black Shadow Guardian's control, their movements became sluggish and their power greatly diminished. They were like soulless wooden dolls. With the warriors' morale surging and their counterattack becoming ever fiercer, the puppets' numbers steadily dwindled. They were gradually suppressed completely, smashed apart one after another, and turned into black mist that dispersed, no longer posing any threat.

At last, under the warriors' desperate counterattack, the final puppet was smashed apart by Gray Shadow. Its black fragments scattered across the ground before instantly turning into wisps of mist and disappearing completely. The crisis inside Earth had finally been resolved!

Gray Shadow, Nappa, and all the surviving warriors collapsed onto the ground. Their bodies were covered in wounds and their breaths were weak. They did not even have the strength to raise a hand and wipe away their sweat. Their faces were full of exhaustion and haggardness, yet each of them wore a faint smile of relief. Tears streamed down their cheeks and fell onto the scorched earth beneath them. They were tears of victory, tears of perseverance, tears of surviving disaster.

Beyond the atmosphere, Son Gohan held Ximen Qing tightly. He felt his weak breathing and looked at his paper-pale, scar-covered face, his eyes full of heartache. Yet there was also a trace of comfort on his face. Resting in Son Gohan's arms, Ximen Qing slowly closed his eyes. The agony of burning his spiritual veins finally dragged him into unconsciousness. His brows remained faintly furrowed, as though he were still enduring endless pain, but the corners of his lips still held a relieved smile—he had done it. He had protected Earth and everyone he wanted to protect. Even at the cost of burning out his spiritual veins, he had no regrets.

The Black Shadow Guardian staggered in the depths of space, covered in wounds. Thick black blood constantly dripped from its injuries, while the strange energy around it grew thinner and thinner, like a candle flame in the wind that could go out at any moment. Extreme unwillingness and hatred churned in its scarlet vertical pupil as it glared toward Earth. It released an eerie, low murmur that pierced the void and echoed through the universe. "Puny humans, do not celebrate too soon... The Black Altar will not be stopped. The ritual will be completed... I will return. I will bring even greater power and crush you completely, dragging the entire universe into eternal darkness and deathly silence..."

The murmur gradually faded, and the Black Shadow Guardian's body began to turn transparent bit by bit. It slowly transformed into wisps of pitch-black mist and scattered into the depths of space, leaving no trace behind. Only a fragment stained with its black blood floated slowly through the universe, radiating weak yet eerie energy—it was one of its core fragments, and one of the key fragments needed to activate the Black Altar. It drifted silently like a hidden danger, waiting to be awakened.

Son Gohan looked toward the depths of space, toward the direction where the Black Shadow Guardian had vanished. His eyes were filled with gravity. He knew that although the Black Shadow Guardian had been driven back, the danger had not been completely eliminated. The Black Altar still existed, the strange fragments had not all been collected, and that terrifying ritual could still be activated.

But at this moment, he did not dwell on it any longer. He simply held the unconscious Ximen Qing tightly and flew toward Earth. He knew that the most important thing now was to heal Ximen Qing, allow the warriors to rest and recover their strength, and prepare for the battles to come.

Moonlight spilled across Earth, gently dispersing the chill and deathly stillness in the air. Upon the scorched ground, several fresh shoots of grass unfurled their leaves once more. Covered in dust, they radiated the light of hope with their tenacious vitality. Across the battlefield, the surviving warriors supported one another as they slowly rose to their feet. Their clothes were stained with blood, and their bodies were covered in wounds, but their backs remained straight as they looked toward the sky, their faces full of determination—they had won this incomparably difficult battle, but they also understood that the road ahead remained covered in thorns. The crisis had not been completely resolved. Still, they would not retreat. They would continue to stand firm, using their courage and perseverance to protect this hard-won peaceful planet and the hope of all living beings.

In his unconsciousness, Ximen Qing's furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and the smile on his lips became more apparent. It was as though, in his dream, he saw Earth restored to peace. He saw scorched earth become green oases, saw the happy smiles of all his companions, and saw a future without darkness or war. He did not know what would become of his spiritual veins when he awoke. He did not know whether he would ever be able to wield even a trace of energy again, or whether he would be reduced to an ordinary man. But he did not regret it—for the sake of protecting everything he wished to protect, for the sake of defending this planet, even if it cost him his life, he was willing.