The cave continued to collapse for about half a minute before finally coming to a slow stop.
Hyuga Xiao stood atop the pile of rubble, the azure chakra aura surrounding him gradually receding. He looked down at his right hand—the third Covenant Stone Fragment had completely fused into his flesh, leaving only a faint golden diamond-shaped mark in his palm that glimmered softly with his breathing.
"The seal... has stabilized again."
Kurenai Yuhi's voice came from behind him, heavy with obvious exhaustion.
Xiao turned around and saw Hong leaning against the rock wall, gasping for breath. The hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat, and her face was pale as paper—the life-burning forbidden technique she had used earlier had clearly placed an enormous burden on her body.
Yet her gaze remained sharp, fixed intently on the depths of the cave.
There, the previously rampant Mōryō chakra had become utterly listless, as though its spine had been ripped out. Dark purple currents of energy receded into the depths of the earth veins like an ebbing tide, leaving only a faint bloody stench in the air. Meanwhile, the seal array that the Yomi Sect disciples had damaged was being reinforced by the surviving shrine maidens—pale golden barrier light rose from the ground, firmly locking down the remaining Mōryō energy.
"A third of its core energy was extracted," Xiao stated calmly. "For at least the next ten years, it won't be able to cause another large-scale upheaval."
"You planned this from the beginning?" Hong's voice trembled slightly. "You used Yomi's attempt to fuse with Mōryō to forcibly extract its core energy and stabilize the fragments?"
Xiao did not answer.
He merely raised his left hand and traced through the air with his fingertips. Pale blue chakra threads extended from them, outlining a