The Soul-Controlling Jade's shattering was like lighting the fuse of destruction. The demon entity's body fury transformed into substantial impact, shaking the entire Hall of Ten Thousand Souls. Mountains crumbled, the earth quaked, cracks spread everywhere. It seemed this space built from sin would collapse at any moment. The blood pool churned. Demonic energy surged like dragons. The terrifying pressure was like an invisible giant hand, choking everyone's throats.
Mu Qingfeng rushed toward Aunt Su. Liu Yun held unconscious Xiaoqi in one arm, while with her other hand gently wrapping that drifting over, belonging to Xu Zhan's faint soul fire in the most careful spiritual energy. That soul fire was dim like a candle in the wind. The life and consciousness fluctuation within was faint to almost undetectable.
However, just as those several black qi pillars condensed frompure source demonic energy, like sharks scenting blood, viciously rushed toward Xiaoqi and that soul fire. Liu Yun's face changed dramatically. Just as she was about toat the critical moment of desperate resistance.
That faint to the extreme soul fire suddenly flickered.
A divine thought, surpassing material form, purely condensed from final will, as ifpierce through time and space's obstruction, precisely, urgently, directly imprinted within Tang Xiaoqi's nearly silent knowledge sea's depths. It was also like final ripples, vaguely captured by nearby Liu Yun and Mu Qingfeng.
That thought was filled with infinite exhaustion,deep guilt, yet also carrying a kind ofthe relief after dust settles and the final deepest love.
"Xiaoqi, my child."
The divine thought's beginning was father's familiar yet distant call, carrying the warmth of blood thicker than water, instantly breaking through the barriers of Xiaoqi's unconscious mind. It made him, within boundless darkness, as if seeing a trace of faint light.
"Don't worry about me, go quickly, leave this place."
The divine thought suddenly became urgent and stern, filled withindisputable anxiety.
"The demon entity's body about to break seal, this place will be destroyed in an instant."
Following this, the divine thought transmitted the most critical information, like aescape map drawn with burning last life.
"The Nine Heavens Demon Sealing Formation's eye is not elsewhere, just beneath this altar."
"Use your purification origin to draw out Four Symbols balance, possibly can temporarily reinforce."
The divine thought at this point had becomeintermittent likethe filament about to burn out, light flickering, as ifcould completely dissipate into nothingness at any moment.
"Live, Xiaoqi, live well."
The last few words, almost barely audible, filled withboundless reluctance and unwillingness to part, and thatthe deepest fatherly love spanning a hundred years yet never changing.
The divine thought stopped abruptly.
At the same time, externally.
That soul fire of Xu Zhan, after transmitting these final instructions, as if having exhausted its last existence's strength, light thoroughly dimmed. Like burned-out stars, it gave one slight quiver, then transformed into countless tiny specks of light. Like summer fireflies,silently dissipated into the air filled with demonic energy and destructive aura.
No trace remained.
"Senior Xu." Liu Yun cried out involuntarily, staring at that empty palm. Her heart surged with tremendous grief and emptiness.
Almost the instant Xu Zhan's soul fire thoroughly dissipated, that Core Fragment of the Soul-Controlling Jade which had lost its last thread of soul connection and energy support, along with that demonic entity fragment's remnant thought long since reduced to barely a wisp, under the intense internal and external energy conflict, finally reached their limit.
Boom.
An explosion, though not large in scale, yet with extremely high energy level, filled with soul annihilation and dao-crumbling atmosphere, erupted from the position where the Soul-Controlling Jade had been, centered and exploding violently.
Black light and chaotic soul fragments spread like shock waves, slightly blocking the approaching several black qi pillars of original demonic energy. It also caused Liu Yun and Mu Qingfeng who had just lifted Aunt Su to retreat several steps,resisted with all his might.
Light faded. Above the altar, it was empty.
Soul-Controlling Jade, demonic entity fragment, and Xu Zhan's soul that had burned for a hundred years and finally found liberation. All had transformed into nothing within that final explosion, returning to heaven and earth.
dust settles, also an eternal farewell.
"Father."
A mournful cry,mournful to the point of not sounding human, suddenly rang out from Liu Yun's arms.
Unconscious Tang Xiaoqi, whether from the stimulation of father's final divine thought, or the pain from that completethe agony of severance, actually abruptly opened his eyes. His eyes were crimson red. Blood tears poured like a spring. Hestared fixedly at that emptiness above the altar, his body trembling violently from extreme grief and powerlessness, as ifvomit out all internal organs.
He heard it. He heard father's final instructions. And clearly felt the complete disappearance of that bloodline connection.
Father, this time, truly left him forever.
"Xiaoqi." Liu Yun tightly embraced him, could feel his body trembling at the brink of collapse, her heart full of pain yet not knowing how to comfort.
Mu Qingfeng supported Aunt Su whose breath was faint, her last spark of life barely remaining. He looked at heartrendingly grieved Xiaoqi, felt the earth's increasingly violent trembling and that constantly strengthening demon entity's body aura. His expression was heavy to the extreme.
Xu Zhan used his final soul annihilation to point out the road of survival for them, also left the final mission. The formation eye was beneath the altar. Reinforce the Demon Sealing Formation.
But at this moment, the demon entity's body was raging its assault. The Hall of Ten Thousand Souls was about to collapse. There was also thatthe source demonic energy that wound around again like flesh-burrowing bone.
Could they still have the opportunity to complete this final mission?
Xiaoqi abruptly raised his head. His crimson eyes, grief still present, yet covered by an even more crazy resolution. He stared fixedly at that altar constantly cracking, demonic energy gushing. Father's last words echoed in his mind.
The formation eye was beneath the altar. Reinforce the Demon Sealing Formation.
"Senior Brother, Third Senior Sister" his voice was hoarse like a broken gong, each word carrying blood froth, "we cannot leave, the formation eye is down there."
He struggled to stand, even if his meridians were severed, spiritual energy exhausted, he must complete father's dying wish, complete this final mission concerning all living beings under heaven.
The demon entity's rage continued. The countdown to destruction had begun. Should they flee carrying the information father purchased with his life, or stay, gamble everything, attempt to reinforce thatthe teetering seal. The choice was imminent.