The divine radiance of the Demon-Suppressing Nail was like a dark gold tide, washing away thefilthy demonic energy pervading the Northwest wasteland. Where the light reached, low-grade demonic beasts turned to ash inlarge area. Even those powerful Golden Core demonic beasts, under this ancient suppressing Dao rhyme, had their demonic energy scattered and strength greatly reduced. They were killed or driven back by the morale-boosted Ao Zhan and Ling Shuang. The originally precarious defense line was finally stabilized and even began advancing forward, clearing residual demonic beasts.
However, Xiao Qi deeply understood this was merely treating symptoms. The root cause of the endless demonic beasts was the continuously leaking demonic energy from the earth vein seal cracks. If the problem wasn't fundamentally solved, once the Demon-Suppressing Nail's divine lightrestrained, or if even more powerful beings appeared among the demonic beasts, the situation would definitely worsen again.
His gaze was cast toward that core area where demonic energy was most violent: the damaged formation eye of the ancient seal "Demon-Suppressing Spirit-Locking Formation."
The three Situ elders were now at the center of the demonic energy storm. Using their profound formation attainments and the special formation board given by Situ Ming, they had barely constructed a new spiritual light barrier with mysterious runes outside the precarious temporary seal. This temporarily stemmed the most violent eruption of demonic energy, but the barrier fluctuated violently under continuous demonic energy impact, clearly unable to hold much longer.
The leading white-haired Situ elder saw Xiao Qi looking over and immediately transmitted via spiritual sense, his voice urgent and solemn: "Lord Tang True Lord! This formation eye is severely damaged, earth vein demonic energy is flowing backward. Ordinary repair methods will have little effect! Only by using the 'Demon-Suppressing Nail' as the core, forcefully driving it into the formation eye pivot, using its supreme suppressing power, can we temporarily seal the crack and stabilize the earth vein! But this action is extremely dangerous. It needs to be completed in the briefest moment when demonic energy backlash is weakest, and it must be precisely struck into the formation eye node. A slight deviation may cause earth vein collapse, with unimaginable consequences!"
Xiao Qi heard this, his eyes narrowing. He understood this was the most critical step and also the most risky one. He took a deep breath. His Green Lotus Golden Core hummed inside his body, adjusting his state to its peak. Holding the Demon-Suppressing Nail, he could clearly feel the nail's desire transmitted from it: an instinctive desire to suppress demons and stabilize mountains and rivers!
"I understand! Please point out the node location and tell me the demonic energy tide pattern!" Xiao Qi replied via spiritual sense. His form had already transformed into a stream of light, breaking through the demonic beasts' obstruction outside, arriving beside the three Situ elders.
The closer he got to that damaged formation eye, the stronger the demonic energy's erosion became. It was like countless cold needles, trying to pierce his protective spiritual light and enter his marrow. Xiao Qi's surrounding Green Lotus Dao rhyme naturally flowed, forming a faint clear radiance that isolated demonic energy. His gaze was like lightning, looking at the center of that formation eye. There, several huge, spiderweb-like black cracks intertwined. Pure, viscous demonic energy like black blood continuously gushed out, emittingheart-palpitating evil fluctuations.
"True Lord, please observe!" The Situ elder pointed to the densest intersection of cracks. There, one could vaguely see a trace of extremely faint ancient rune remnant light almost completely hidden by demonic energy. "That is the formation eye pivot, the last struggle point of the seal's power! Demonic energy eruptions are not continuous but like breathing, with brief 'intervals'! The next interval is in about ten breaths, lasting less than one breath! We must, in that instant, precisely drive the Demon-Suppressing Nail into that point!"
Ten breaths! Less than one breath of time!
Xiao Qi held his breath, all his spiritual sense focused on that one point. The Demon-Suppressing Nail in his hand trembled slightly, dark gold runes flowing faster, alreadyready to launch. He could feel the surrounding surging demonic energy, like a tide slowly rising to a peak, then would encounter that brief retreat.
Ao Zhan, Ling Shuang, and others also realized the key action about to happen. They erupted with stronger battle power,desperately blocked those demonic beasts trying to approach for interference, creating an absolutely stable environment for Xiao Qi.
Time seemed stretched.
Nine breaths... eight breaths... seven breaths...
Demonic energy churned, like a boiling sea of ink,let out deafening roars.
Three breaths... two breaths... one breath!
Now!
In that electric instant when the demonic energy tide peaked and was about to retreat---
"Now! Strike!" The Situ elder roared hoarsely!
Xiao Qi's eyeseyes shooting with intense light, all his strength, including Green Lotus Origin and Golden Core power, poured into his right arm! He didn't throw the Demon-Suppressing Nail but merged with the nail, person and nail as one, transforming into a dark gold meteor tearing the darkness, with speed beyond visual capture, forcefully crashing toward that faint light point at the formation eye pivot!
"Hiss---!"
No earth-shaking roar, only a slight yet seeming to echo in everyone's souls'piercing sound!
The dark gold Demon-Suppressing Nail, precisely, without any obstruction, pierced into that core node of demonic energy! The moment the nail tip touched the ancient rune remnant light, the entire nail body erupted with unprecedented dazzling divine light!
"Buzz---!!!"
The earth violently shook! Not destructive vibration, but a deep, as if some enormous thing had been firmly fixeddull thud!
Taking the Demon-Suppressing Nail as the core, dark gold rune chains like living things, withastonishing speed spread along those damaged cracks, intertwining, covering! Where they passed, the surging demonic energy, likelike being choked by an invisible giant hand, the eruption stopped abruptly! Those spiderweb-like cracks were firmly "sutured" by the dark gold runes!
The demonic energy originally gushing like a black fountain suddenly becametiny and intermittent "seepage"! The speed of demonic energy leakage decreased by over ninety percent!
Meanwhile, a vast, stable, reassuring suppressing force, with the formation eye as the center, spread like water waves throughout the entire Northwest wasteland's earth vein network! The concentration of demonic energy in the air began decreasing visibly!
And those low-grade demonic beasts relying on earth vein demonic energy for support, like having their power source cut off, let out mournful cries inlarge area, their bodies rapidly shriveled, weathered, turning into black dust dispersing in the wind! Even those powerful demonic beasts' auras suddenly dropped, becoming panicked and weak!
"Success! The seal has been reinforced!" One Situ elderso moved that tears streamed down.
Ao Zhan slapped the demonic beast before him with one claw, its aura greatly reduced, letting out asatisfying dragon roar!
Ling Shuang sheathed her sword, looking at that nail deeply embedded in the earth, emitting stable divine light. Even her cold eyes showed a trace of relief.
All surviving Alliance cultivators let out cheers to the sky! They clearly felt that oppressive demonic aura that had been pressing on their hearts was rapidly receding!
Xiao Qi floated above the formation eye, looking at the seal now covered by dark gold runes and stabilized. He slowly exhaledturbid qi. His face was slightly pale. That previous strike had almost exhausted most of his core power and mind.
But it was worth it!
The Demon-Suppressing Nail successfully inserted into the formation eye. The ancient seal received critical reinforcement. The source of the Northwest demonic disaster was finally temporarily stemmed!
However, he looked up at the still dim sky, clearly knowing this was far from the time to relax. The demonic entity's true body was not destroyed. The Shadow Snake Pavilion and those demonic cultivation families were still watching with hungry eyes in the dark. This war concerning world peace was far from over.
But at least, they had won precious breathing room and laid a solid foundation for complete resolution.