Inside Ten Thousand Souls Hall, time seemed to congeal. The wailing of countless grieving souls became an eternal background track, the gurgling of the roiling blood pool in the center like a demon's murmur. Tang Xiaoqi's declaration carrying determination and pain was like a stone cast into viscous mire, only stirring brief ripples before being swallowed by deeper silence and malice.
Above the altar, that blurred black shadow attached to the Soul-Controlling Jade—the demonic entity's soul fragment—seemed amused by a clumsy performance, issuing an extremely grating, weird laughter like metal scraping glass mixed with countless grieving souls' screams. This laughter didn't propagate through air but directly acted on the four people's soul depths, carrying intense spiritual pollution and erosion, attempting to collapse their will.
"Jie jie jie... hahaha—!"
The laughter echoed in the empty hall, shaking those soul bodies sealed in walls and pillars to violently twist.
"Overestimating one's capabilities... truly... overestimating!" That overlapping, raspy voice sounded again, filled with undisguised mockery and condescending pity, "Just relying on you few broken soldiers? A little bug with damaged foundation whose magical treasure is about to shatter; a hypocrite who only knows how to play with water; a little girl with only sharp spirit yet doesn't know the height of heaven and depth of earth; and another... pathetic wretch who betrayed darkness yet cannot embrace light?"
Its will like cold tendrils, precisely swept over Xiaoqi, Mu Qingfeng, Liu Yun, and Aunt Su, dissecting the four people's current states thoroughly, with malice that understood everything.
"Tang Xiaoqi..." The soul fragment's will focused on Xiaoqi, that greed and mockery nearly becoming substance, "What do you think you are? Fate's favored one? The heaven-destined protagonist carrying a blood sea of hatred? No! You are merely a... herb I carefully cultivated!"
"From that fire at Xu Lan Mountain Manor, your life, your growth, all the opportunities you've obtained, even your standing here right now... all within my calculations!" The soul fragment's voice carried the pride of controlling everything, "That damned Xu Zhan thought sacrificing himself could preserve the Xu family's hope? Foolish! He merely provided me a more perfect 'cultivation vessel'! Your body, your soul, that Lotus Seed origin from the 'World-Purifying Green Lotus' in your body, and the Four Symbols remnant power you accidentally obtained... all of this will mature today, personally harvested and merged by me! At that time, I will transcend the main body, becoming this world's sole, perfect... Demon!"
That blurred black shadow twisted violently, emitting even more terrifying pressure.
"As for saving him?" The soul fragment's will turned toward that sculpture-like Xu Zhan at the altar's edge, mockery intensifying, "Look at him! What a perfect puppet! Possessing resilient will (that's why he could better withstand the demonic seed), powerful body (an excellent vessel), and... toward you, his son, that bone-deep, even a hundred years of demonic energy erosion couldn't completely erase... trace of concern!"
"It's precisely this trace of concern that made him unable to completely merge with the demonic seed, also making him the Soul-Controlling Jade's most unstable factor. But it's also precisely this trace of concern..." The soul fragment's voice suddenly turned cold and cruel, "That will become the sharpest blade to collapse your final defense!"
"Now, let you father and son have a good 'reunion'!"
Before the words faded, that blurred black shadow attached to the Soul-Controlling Jade suddenly flickered!
Om—!
The Soul-Controlling Jade suddenly erupted with intense black light. The dark red filaments on its surface came alive, wildly dancing! An even more violent, more icy controlling will, like a breached dam, poured into Xu Zhan's body below!
"Roar—!!!"
Xu Zhan, who had been standing like a dead thing, suddenly raised his head to issue a roar unlike any human voice! That roar was filled with pain from being forcibly driven, and slaughter will completely ignited by demonic thought!
His hollow blood-red eyes were instantly filled with thick, blood-colored demonic light! The demonic patterns on his dark armor lit up like lit fuses, emitting suffocating demonic energy fluctuations! The dark red longspear in his hand erupted with sky-piercing fierce baleful energy, the spear body trembling, emitting a hum thirsting for blood!
The Golden Core level terrifying pressure was no longer held back, like a solid mountain, crashing down on Xiaoqi and the other three! Even more condensed, even more fierce than what was felt at the entrance!
"Careful! He's completely activated!" Aunt Su exclaimed in shock, her voice trembling with despair.
There was no time for any reaction—Xu Zhan moved!
His foot stomped down, cracking the dark red altar crystal! His figure, like black lightning tearing through space, carrying indomitable destructive aura, instantly crossed dozens of zhang distance, the dark red longspear in his hand transforming into a death trajectory swallowing light, thrusting directly at the foremost—Tang Xiaoqi!
This spear strike—fast! Ruthless! Accurate! Condensing all Golden Core level power, and the slaughter will forcibly ignited to the extreme by the demonic entity's soul fragment! Where the spear tip passed, space even rippled slightly, that thick resentful energy and demonic energy forcibly pushed aside, forming a vacuum channel!
Target—straight at Xiaoqi's heart!
"Xiaoqi!"
"Junior brother!"
Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun's expressions changed drastically as they simultaneously struck! Mu Qingfeng pushed both palms forward, a condensed, constantly rotating deep blue water shield instantly appearing before Xiaoqi, runes circulating on the water shield, attempting to use softness to overcome hardness, dissolving this certain-kill spear. Liu Yun moved with her sword, an icy white sword glow arriving after being launched, slashing toward the longspear's side, intending to deflect it.
However—
"Bang!!!"
The water shield merely held for half a breath before shattering under the dark red longspear's irresistible impact! Mu Qingfeng was struck as if by a heavy blow, groaning as blood trickled from his lip, staggering backward.
"Dang—!"
Liu Yun's sword glow, sufficient to freeze Foundation Establishment cultivators' souls, slashed against the spear body, only erupting in dazzling sparks and a massive metal-collision sound! The longspear only trembled slightly, its momentum almost undiminished! That terrifying force transmitted through her sword, cracking Liu Yun's tiger mouth, blood instantly dyeing the sword hilt red, her entire body also sent flying sideways by this force!
The demonic entity's soul fragment's wild laughter echoed in their minds: "See? This is the absolute power gap! Before true power, your struggles are merely ants' wailing!"
And now, that death-dealing dark red spear tip had pierced through shattered spiritual light, carrying death's breath, less than three feet from Xiaoqi's chest!
Xiaoqi could even clearly see the black energy coiling the spear tip writhing like living things, could feel that bone-piercing cold killing intent almost freezing his blood.
Father... really going to personally kill me?
This thought gnawed at his heart like a poisonous snake. Facing this lightning-fast spear strike condensed with Golden Core full power, his heavily injured body, depleted spiritual power, slumbering jade pendant... seemed unable to mount any effective resistance.
Death—close at hand!
The demonic entity's soul fragment's mockery had become reality's cruelest blow. It wanted not only to destroy them physically but also to completely break Xiaoqi mentally!