Xu Zhan's resolute figure burning with life and soul, like a meteor crossing the darkness, carrying the determination to charge forward without turning back, directly rushed toward the Soul-Controlling Jade floating above the altar. The reversed demonic Yuan within his body was like an erupting volcano out of control. The Golden Core at his dantian let out an unbearable mournful cry. Destructive energy frantically compressed and surged within, about to burst through the final constraints.
Self-destruct the Golden Core. A Golden Core cultivator who had been steeped in demonic energy for a hundred years with deep foundations self-destructing. Its power was enough to shake mountains and sever rivers. Moreover, his body also contained the abundant demonic energy that the demonic entity considered as half of a perfect vessel's origin. If this force exploded at such a close distance to the Soul-Controlling Jade, even if it could not thoroughly destroy this demonic supreme treasure, it could absolutely cause irreparable damage to it, or even interrupt its imprisonment of Xu Zhan's soul.
This was the most extreme yet effective counterattack Xu Zhan could make after thoroughly awakening, using everything he had, his body, Golden Core, remaining soul.
"No. Xu Zhan. You traitor. You fool. Stop."
The demonic entity fragment let out an extremely furious shriek. The fuzzy black shadow from the agitation of intense emotions madly distorted and expanded. The Soul-Controlling Jade upon which it relied flashed black light to the extreme. Countless dark red mental chains like poisonous snakes shot out explosively from the jade tablet, attempting to wind around, pull and seize Xu Zhan's body, forcibly interrupt his self-destruction process, pull him back under control.
These mental chains contained the demonic entity fragment's powerful soul force and the Soul-Controlling Jade's origin power. They tightly wound around Xu Zhan's burning body, fiercely countering his resolute self-destructive will. Xu Zhan's forward charge momentum suddenly stalled. His body trembled violently and struggled in midair. Body surface demonic flames and black light chains intertwined, making a sound that set people's teeth on edge. It was as if at any moment he would be torn apart by these two opposing forces.
"Father." Xiaoqi's eyes nearly split, letting out a despairing scream. He saw his father's body being forcibly restrained by the demonic entity fragment, his self-destruction process forcibly delayed and interfered. That burning soul fire in the chains' winding flickered uncertainly, as if it would extinguish at the next moment. He wanted to rush up, wanted to help his father. But that destructive energy fluctuationthe destructive fluctuations it emitted, and the demonic entity fragment's violent spiritual pressure, formed an invisible barrier,firmly blocked outside. He simply could not get close.
He maintained that bloodline connection light column, could clearly feel his father's soul-deep resolute will was fighting the most brutal tug-of-war with the demonic entity's control, felt that self-destruction energy thrashing about within his father's body yet unable to smoothly detonate due to external interference, bringing his father unimaginable pain.
"Qingfeng. Help me." Liu Yun's phoenix eyes blazed with killing intent. She forcefully suppressed the churning qi-blood from close-quarters enduring the Golden Core self-destruction's pressure, and shouted toward Mu Qingfeng. She knew they must create an opportunity for Xu Zhan, even if only interfering with the demonic entity fragment for an instant.
Mu Qingfeng instantly understood. He abandoned his futile attack on the altar's protection. His hands formed seals. Pale blue spiritual light around him gathered like a tide, transforming into a condensed, rotating deeply blue water diamond. "Gui Water Breaking Origin Drill." This was his trump card technique, specialized in breaking various energy protections and restrictions. The water diamond let out a sharp whistle, not attacking Xu Zhan but stabbing directly toward those dark red mental chains from the Soul-Controlling Jade winding around Xu Zhan.
At the same time, Liu Yun poured all her remaining sword intent and spiritual energy without any reservation into the sword in her hand. The sword body let out a clear to the extreme dragon's cry. A condensed like silk yet seemingly able to cut through space pure white sword edge caught up from behind, slashing toward the same target.
Boom. Hiss.
The deep blue water diamond and pure white sword edge almost simultaneously struck several mental chains. The black light on the chains flickered violently, making an ears-piercing shattering sound. Though they were not completely severed, this sudden combined attack from inside and outside did make the demonic entity fragment's control have an extremely brief, minute loosening.
This was that insignificant thread of loosening.
"Roar."
Xu Zhan seemed to seize this last lifesaver. The self-destruction will forcibly suppressed by the demonic entity fragment erupted like a breaking dam's flood, exploding violently. His burning body abruptly charged forward.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Several mental chains broke with a snap.
His body, carrying the determination to charge forward without turning back, finally thoroughly broke through the demonic entity fragment's final obstruction, fiercely crashing into that Soul-Controlling Jade radiating black light within arm's reach.
Time, as if at this moment, solidified.
Xiaoqi's mournful cry, the demonic entity fragment's shocked angry roar, Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun's gasping from exhausting all strength, and Aunt Su's faint life fluctuation in the distance. All these, as if had been paused by pressing a pause button.
Everyone's gazefirmly locked onto the point of collision above the altar.
Xu Zhan's burning figure and the ink-black jade-like Soul-Controlling Jade pressed closely together.
There was nothe imagined earth-shaking explosion.
What existed was only a deeper, more restrained, yet morea chilling dying silence before destruction.
Xu Zhan's body, at a speed visible to the naked eye, became translucent. All life breath, soul fluctuation, and even that violent self-destruction energy, were like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea,frantically poured toward that point in contact with his body.
He was not going to detonate himself, spreading energy outward. He was going to concentrate this final strike that condensed a hundred years of demonic energy cultivation and soul essence, all destructive force completely focused on one point, thoroughly pierce into the Soul-Controlling Jade's internal core.
This was an even more extreme, even more cruel toward self soul and energy dual annihilation.
The Soul-Controlling Jade's deep black surface, for the first time, showed change. Countless fine as spiderweb white cracks, like living things, from the point where Xu Zhan's body made contact, swiftly spread across the entire jade tablet. The jade tablet trembled violently. The black light it emitted became chaotic and unstable. The abundant spiritual fluctuation contained within also showed violent rises and falls and decay.
"No." The demonic entity fragment let out a despairing and crazy roar. Its shadow inhabiting the jade tablet became faint, as if it would also collapse with the damaged Soul-Controlling Jade.
The situation of mutual destruction was set.
Xu Zhan, with his final choice, lit for this hundred-year tragedy, for his son, the first, also the last, tragic yet magnificent beacon of light on the road toward hope.