Yuan Weizhi stood suspended in mid-air, as if being torn apart by two completely opposite forces at the same time. Although the wisp of anger and obsession had been completely severed by Xiao Yue with the Blue Ring Fourth Form, the erosion that had remained deep in his Fate Soul for millions of years had not been dispelled.
His veins bulged all over his body, his Fate Soul essence trembled violently, cold sweat poured from his forehead, and his face was contorted with pain. He clutched his head tightly with both hands, his body sometimes bending and sometimes straightening, and streaks of black and red lines surged out from the depths of his Fate Soul, only to be forcibly suppressed by the sliver of clarity that had returned.
Two opposing wills clashed fiercely within his sea of consciousness. Each collision caused his body to convulse violently, and low, painful roars escaped his throat. The divine weapon slipped from his grasp several times, only to be instinctively seized again. He desperately tried to drop the weapon, yet another force forcibly held onto it.
His entire being seemed to have become a battlefield where two wills clashed. His eyes were constantly changing; one moment they were clear and firm, the next they were tinged with a violent crimson, the pupils contracting and dilating repeatedly, and even his gaze began to tremble violently.
In the distance, the Blazing Erosion Clan Chief watched this scene, his face extremely gloomy. He slowly raised his hands, forming that strange and ancient hand seal once again, while continuously chanting obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient words.
Streams of grayish-white runes flew out from the grayish-white soul flag, transforming once more into chains that coiled around Yuan Weizhi's Fate Soul. As the incantation resounded throughout heaven and earth, the sliver of clarity that had just returned within Yuan Weizhi's body violently trembled again, causing him to abruptly kneel in mid-air, his fists pounding fiercely against his chest.
Blood gushed from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to lift his head, his eyes, which alternated between clear and bloodshot, fixed on Qian Wenwan, two lines of bloody tears streaming down his face. His lips trembled, his voice was completely hoarse, yet he still desperately broke through the suppression of his rage and let out a heart-wrenching roar.
"Kill me!!" "Kill me now!!!" "Don't let me... become their puppet!!!"
This roar almost exhausted all his remaining conscious strength. As soon as he finished shouting, the black and red furious patterns once again frantically covered his entire body. He roared to the sky in agony, and his Fate Soul essence surged violently again, as if he would completely lose his last bit of self at any moment.
Upon seeing this, the Blazing Erosion Clan Chief's eyes finally revealed a look of madness. He suddenly raised his right hand and grabbed the gray-white soul flag floating in the void. Without the slightest hesitation, he pressed the soul flag hard against his chest.
With a hiss, the Soul Flag pierced his flesh instantly, as if it were alive.
A greyish-white flagpole pierced through his chest, the flag transforming into countless greyish-white chains that frantically burrowed into his limbs and bones, causing dense, constantly moving greyish-white patterns to appear beneath his skin. He floated in mid-air, his long hair dancing wildly without wind, his body beginning to swell, and a greyish-white flag shadow slowly emerged behind him, blotting out the sky. Countless remnant souls in the world simultaneously let out sharp cries, and an even more terrifying pressure than before began to rise rapidly.
However, just as the Soul Flag had not yet fully fused, Qin Yu, who had been silently recovering his Fate Soul, slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze was icy and devoid of any emotion. "This is the moment I've been waiting for." As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yu took a step forward and vanished from his spot in an instant.
The next moment, he appeared less than a hundred feet in front of the Blazing Erosion Clan Chief.
The Silent Origin Stainless Sword was slowly raised, and the Nine-Wheel True Evolution Dharma Wheel unfolded behind him at the same time. The Ring Master Soul Diagram roared and started to operate. Countless Dao Patterns of Annihilation gathered from all directions of heaven and earth. On the sword's edge, a Finality Sword Intent that made the entire void fall silent slowly condensed.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Yu raised his hand and swung his sword. A sword light of Annihilation pierced through the heavens and earth, carrying the vast Daoist charm of severing all laws and Annihilation all sources. It slashed directly at the Blazing Erosion Clan Chief who was fusing with the gray-white soul flag.
As Qin Yu's sword was about to strike him, a hint of shock and anger finally flashed in the eyes of the Blazing Erosion Clan Chief. He had only been merging with the gray-white soul flag for a few breaths. If he continued to merge, he would surely be struck in the core by this sword.
Without the slightest hesitation, he roared and forcefully ripped the gray-white soul flag, which was already halfway fused into his chest, back out of his body. The moment the soul flag left his body, countless gray-white chains were torn apart along with his flesh and blood, and a large amount of blood splattered into the air, leaving a hideous and terrifying blood hole on his chest.
Yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, and the gray-white soul flag suddenly billowed up boundless gray mist. Within that mist, countless blurry figures emerged, each faceless, without aura, without past or future, as if they were beings abandoned by heaven and earth.
The old man's eyes suddenly turned ashen, and his voice, deep and resonant like that of an ancient graveyard, uttered, "Soul Sacrifice Forbidden Art — Ten Thousand Souls Without Masters."
The greyish-white soul flag suddenly unfurled, and countless ownerless remnant souls flew out from it. They were neither the dead nor the Fate Soul, but rather the fragmented wills of all beings in the world that had lost their home. They merged together, transforming into a greyish-white torrent that blotted out the sky, sweeping towards Qin Yu's Annihilation sword light.
Boom! Two completely different paths collided head-on at the center of the world. There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the entire space cracking like a mirror.
The Finality Sword Intent of the Silent Origin Stainless Sword advanced forward, cleaving through the gray-white Soul Sea layer by layer. Countless unclaimed remnant souls had no time to utter a mournful cry before they were completely Annihilation. The gray-white torrent continued to collapse, and finally the entire sword light struck the chest of the Blazing Erosion Clan Chief.
Puff--
A deep, bone-revealing sword wound suddenly exploded in the old man's chest, sending him flying tens of thousands of feet like a kite with a broken string, crashing into dozens of mountain peaks before barely managing to stop. He knelt amidst the ruins, blood continuously flowing from the corner of his mouth, his life force instantly waning.
In contrast, Qin Yu's robes swayed slightly throughout the entire process, and he didn't even take a single step back.
The old man raised his head and stared intently at Qin Yu, a genuine fear appearing in his eyes for the first time, which was quickly replaced by madness.
"Damn it..." "Damn outsiders..." Suddenly, as if remembering something, he reached into his robes with his blood-covered hand and slowly took out an ancient soul bell that was no bigger than the palm of his hand.
The soul bell was as black as ink, its body densely covered with distorted human faces, each with its eyes tightly closed, as if countless souls were asleep.
A sinister smile crept across the old man's lips. "Since I can't kill you..." "Then let him kill you!" Ding—The Soul Bell swayed gently. An extremely faint bell sound slowly spread out, yet this sound ignored space, distance, and all defenses, directly penetrating the depths of Yuan Weizhi's Fate Soul.
Yuan Weizhi's eyes, which had been gradually regaining their clarity, suddenly jolted. The next moment, his whole body trembled violently, and the clarity in his eyes gradually disappeared. In its place, a more intense crimson appeared than before.
Black and red lines spread wildly from the source of his Fate Soul once again, and the anger and resentment that had just been suppressed seemed to be nourished again, surging wildly once more.
"Aaaaaaahh..."
Yuan Weizhi gripped his head tightly with both hands, letting out a scream that seemed to tear his soul apart. Then, he suddenly looked up, his eyes, now completely bloodshot, fixed on Qin Yu. Like a ferocious beast out of control, he raised his divine weapon and charged towards Qin Yu like a madman.
On the other side, Qian Wenwan watched this scene, and finally, she could no longer hold back her tears.
She gripped the Compassionate Joy Divine Sword tightly, her voice hoarse with grief, yet she still shouted at Yuan Weizhi with all her might.
"Yuan Weizhi --!!!!" "Wake up!!!!" "You promised us you'd get out of here together!!!" She took a step forward, the Compassionate Joy Divine Sword gently raised, without a trace of killing intent. "Great Dream Returns to the Nest."
As the sword's edge sliced through the sky, a warm white glow slowly spread out. There was no sharp Sword Qi, no destructive fluctuations; only a gentle whisper, like a mother calling her wandering child home, echoed throughout the void.
"Are you tired...?" "Come back..." "Everyone... is waiting for you..."
The warm white sword light continuously penetrated into the depths of Yuan Weizhi's Fate Soul, and the Source Dao charm of joy and love once again gently enveloped his nearly shattered Fate Soul, gently protecting the last vestige of clarity that still stubbornly existed.
At the same time, Qin Yu did not draw his sword. He simply stood there quietly, letting Yuan Weizhi carry the divine weapon and rush towards him step by step. His gaze was calm and firm, without the slightest dodge. When Yuan Weizhi was less than ten feet away from him, Qin Yu slowly spoke.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to pierce through the Fate Soul. "Fellow Daoist Yuan," it said, "Don't let any evil thoughts defeat you." "You are you." "No one can control you." "Defeat it."
These words struck Yuan Weizhi's mind like a thunderbolt, causing the already crumbling primordial light cluster to tremble violently. Yuan Weizhi's Fate Soul clenched its teeth and fists, and actually charged towards the malevolent remnant that was constantly eroding it.