A warm and powerful golden light, carrying an indescribable Life force, suddenly surged from Toji's palm, flowing slowly into Kong Deming's body like a golden stream.
That was the pure Bloodline Power of his Level 98 peak, his Divine Body!
Each drop contains a terrifying vitality comparable to rare and precious natural treasures.
The golden Bloodline Power flowed like warm lava, instantly coursing through Kong Deming's parched meridians, forcefully washing away the blockages and injuries caused by the backlash of his spirit and the vibration of his Soul Core.
A faint blush appeared on Kong Deming's ashen face at a visible speed, and his weak breathing seemed to stabilize for a moment.
But that's not enough.
That spiritual desolation, that collapse of faith, cannot be filled by mere Life.
Toji's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his left hand, the emerald green Blade of Life's Watch, radiating a rich aura of Life force, appeared in his hand.
Instead of using it to cut, he gently pressed the tip of the knife against Kong Deming's forehead.
"In the name of all living beings, I summon your life force!" Toji uttered a low shout, and the blade shone with a brilliant emerald light.
The Life force, a hundred times more concentrated and extremely pure than before, flowed like emerald rain into Kong Deming's Sea of Consciousness through the tip of the knife.
Kong Deming's body trembled violently, and a muffled groan escaped his throat. His tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax slightly, but his eyes remained closed, and the deathly stillness deep within his soul had not been completely dispelled.
Toji looked at Kong Deming's still-sleeping face and frowned slightly. He withdrew the Blade of Life's Watch and looked deeply into the eyes of this giant in the field of Soul Tool, as if he could see through the obsession and despair in the depths of his soul.
His deep voice resounded in the silent chamber, like a resounding bell, striking directly into the depths of Kong Deming's dormant consciousness:
" Kong Deming, wake up."
"Your Soul Tool is very powerful; the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield is a masterpiece capable of slaying gods."
"Your defeat to Huo Yuhao wasn't due to a weak Soul Tool."
"It is your own cultivation level that limits its power."
"If it is controlled by an existence with higher cultivation and more matching its level..."
"For example, a true Limit Douluo."
"So..."
" Huo Yuhao is nothing to mention!"
"Your pursuit of the path of Soul Tool has never been wrong! It's just that you haven't reached its true peak yet!"
"Think about it, you're only Level 95, yet you were able to defeat Limit Douluo. If your cultivation reaches Level 99 and you master a Level 10 Soul Tool, then Huo Yuhao probably wouldn't be your match."
"Your fate wasn't meant to end there; you simply encountered the chosen one of this era."
Toji's words were sharp as knives, yet they also carried a deafening power.
He was not only trying to awaken Kong Deming's vitality, but also attempting to sever the chains of despair that bound the old man's soul in the most cruel and direct way.
He was telling Kong Deming that he was on the right path.
The mistake was that his own strength was insufficient to fully control the end of that road.
The moment Toji finished speaking.
"Hmm..."
Inside the life support pod, Kong Deming's body suddenly began to convulse violently.
It was no longer a painful spasm, but a struggle as if forcibly pulled back from an endless abyss.
His eyes, which had been tightly closed for who knows how long, began to tremble violently.
The next second, Kong Deming's eyes suddenly opened.
Those were no longer murky, desperate eyes, but rather eyes like a volcano that had been ignited.
It was filled with unbelievable shock, a sudden realization that shattered one's obsessions, and a rekindled, more intense, and more fanatical brilliance.
He stared intently at Toji, who stood before him, radiating a faint golden glow. His chapped lips trembled, emitting a hoarse yet incredibly clear sound, like the scraping of metal:
"Peak of manipulating Soul Tool?"
"Is Huo Yuhao not the ultimate target for Soul Tool?"
"My path... is it right?!"
His voice grew louder and louder until it was almost a roar.
Accompanied by this roar, a faint yet incredibly tenacious Life, like a wildfire, erupted from the depths of his withered body.
The ashen complexion was quickly replaced by a sickly flush, and his cloudy eyes shone with a frightening brightness.
Kong Deming's newly opened eyes, like two burning embers, were fixed intently on Toji.
Shock, confusion, and a forcibly ignited, almost insane obsession surged violently deep within his turbid pupils.
" The Soul Tool is right? My path is right?"
His hoarse voice was like sandpaper rubbing together, each word carrying a tremor from the depths of his soul, repeating Toji had just said.
"Then... who can use it? Who can wield it to defeat Huo Yuhao? Tell me! Who can prove that my path is right?"
His gaze was intense and obsessive, as if trying to pierce through Toji's body to find the answer that carried his lifelong beliefs.
"I."
Toji's voice was calm and even, yet it carried an unwavering and absolute confidence that left no room for doubt.
There were no grand pronouncements, no impassioned speeches, just a simple word, yet it struck Kong Deming's heart like a heavy hammer.
"You?" Kong Deming choked abruptly, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Toji's angular, wild and untamed face.
Why does this face... feel so strangely familiar?
It seems to be somewhere... in some dusty, unsettling file?
Just then, a slightly weak but still authoritative female voice rang out from the side:
" Elder Kong, you've finally woken up."
Kong Deming then noticed that Empress Ju Zi was sitting on a soft chair to the side. Although her face was still pale, her spirits were clearly much lifted by his awakening.
Her gaze toward Toji was filled with complex trust and a hint of barely perceptible dependence.
"Your Majesty the Empress..."
Kong Deming struggled to get up and bow, but was stopped by Ju Zi raising her hand.
Seeing Toji doubt in Kong Deming's eyes, Ju Zi took a deep breath and slowly said:
" Elder Kong, let me introduce you. This is the man who, for over twenty years, has struck fear into the hearts of all Soul Engineer across the continent. He was the one who personally ended the life of the late Emperor Xu Tianran, pulling the empire back from the brink of tyranny."
She paused, then spoke clearly and forcefully, uttering the name that would stop the heart of anyone who knew:
"He is both Heavenly Tyrant, Toji!"
"Heaven and... Tyrant?" Kong Deming froze as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.
The pupils contracted to their maximum size instantly.
The blurry yet extremely dangerous face, buried deep in top-secret files, instantly overlapped with the arrogant face before him.
"It's you... it was you all along!!!"
Kong Deming's voice was filled with disbelief and shock, which then turned into a complex and bittersweet realization.