The demonic lord's true body terrifying pressure like the universe's dark side bearing down didn't diminish one bit from Xiao Qi's hoarse "You dream" response. Instead it became like an invisible grinding stone, more slowly yet firmly crushing every "Dawn" squad member's divine soul and flesh.
Zhao Tiezhu's mouth corner blood stain intensified crimson. Heavy breathing clear in dead silent hall. Liu Yun's sword-gripping hand slightly trembled. Sword qi compressed to extreme, barely protecting surrounding area. Mu Xue's face pale as snow. Ice-crystal staff light flickered uncertainly, as if about to extinguish at any moment. Ao Qin's dragon pupils' golden light dimmed. Dragon might completely suppressed. Second Senior Brother Luo Feng's puppet shell surface runes flickering, soul body fluctuation weakened to the extreme.
Absolute gap, utterly despairing.
However, the demonic lord's two deep darkness "eyes" hearing Xiao Qi's defiance, didn't reveal anger—instead a more intense sarcasm, like cat playing with mouse. It seemed to enjoy this posture of prey struggling in desperation.
That shrouding pressure suddenly underwent subtle change. No longer pure crushing aimed at shattering everything, but infused with something more sinister, harder to resist—temptation and whisper directly pointing to human hearts.
"Dreaming?"
The demonic lord's voice rang out again, still ice-cold yet carrying strange rhythm able to evoke living beings' deepest primitive desires.
"Ants gazing at heavens, how can they know heaven's vastness? Everything you cherish, everything you resist, in My eyes, merely ripples in time's long river."
Its "gaze" swept those desperately holding on companions, finally focusing on Xiao Qi again.
"Look at your companions. Their struggle, their pain—all because of you. Had it not been for that 'seed' within you, they could peacefully cultivate in this small realm, enjoying thousands of years of contentment."
Demonic sound like invisible silk, winding around everyone's hearts, trying to pry open cracks in their steadfast dao hearts. Liu Yun's eyes flickered in daze. Mu Xue's tightly-pressed lips slightly loosened. Even Zhao Tiezhu's rough face showed a momentary moment of blankness.
"And him..." The demonic lord's thought turned to Xu Zhan bound by countless chains, demonic fog churning. "Your father. Xu Zhan."
This name spoken, carrying deliberate, malicious emphasis.
"A hundred years of torment. Divine soul enduring demonic flame searing burning daily, unable to break free, how pathetic, how... foolish."
Xiao Qi's heart as if gripped by invisible hand. Father's brief struggling clear eyes appeared again in his mind, accompanied by the demonic lord's describing that continuous hundred years of pain.
"You claim wanting to save him, protect companions, save those outside who are unrelated to you ants..." The demonic lord's voice was filled with seduction. "But do you truly have the ability? With your insignificant strength, and that seed not yet fully bloomed?"
Pressure slightly retreated, as if leaving a breath for dying fish, yet temptation whispers became even clearer, like demons whispering in ears.
"Give up."
"Simply surrender that lotus seed vitality within you, actively sever its connection with you, and I promise..."
The demonic lord shadow slightly fluctuated, releasing some kind of rule ripple carrying contractual meaning.
"First, I will release Xu Zhan's soul, letting him re-enter reincarnation, freeing him from this eternal torment. This is his deserved 'reward,' for his hundred-year 'petri dish' toil."
"Second, I will immediately stop slaughtering outside creatures, withdraw demonic army. Those surviving ants may continue their humble yet brief existence. This is My... grace to your 'dedication.'"
"Trade yourself alone, for your father's liberation, for the outside world's peace. This is a... good deal, isn't it?"
Its voice was filled with self-evidence, as if the conditions offered were the ultimate magnanimity.
"Think about it. No more fighting, no more sacrificing companions, no more letting your father endure pain... just nod, and all strife, all pain, ends. You will become a... savior. Trading your one sacrifice for ten thousand lives' continued existence."
"As for after the fusion, I will transcend this realm, explore vaster cosmic mysteries—that will be another form of... eternity. Your sacrifice isn't worthless."
The demonic lord's temptation, like meticulously woven spider web, each word striking at the most vulnerable parts of human nature—family affection, friendship, responsibility, and longing for peace. It precisely exploited Xiao Qi's weaknesses, packaging this life-or-death devouring as a seemingly selectable, filled with "righteous cause" exchange.
Surrender the lotus seed, father liberated, living beings saved? He becomes part of the demonic lord, another form of "eternity"?
This thought like poisonous grass, once sprouted spread wildly.
Xiao Qi's body trembled violently, not from pressure but from intense inner struggle. He looked at father bound by chains, demonic armor surrounding, at companions behind bearing pained expressions, his mind filled with Qingxu Temple's peace, the grandeur of rivers and mountains, countless ordinary beings' faces.
Surrendering the lotus seed truly could end all this? Truly could... save them?
The demonic lord shadow floated silently, those two darkness "eyes" filled with coldness and waiting that saw through everything. It believed, before absolute power and "rational" choice, any wise being—(or what it considered weak)—knew how to choose.
The hall fell into deathly silence. Only the blood pool occasionally bubbled, making soft gurgling sounds.
Everyone's gaze focused on Xiao Qi's trembling back.
Would he... choose what?
Persist in that seemingly slim resistance requiring bitter sacrifice?
Or... accept this seductive, "win-win"... surrender?