The Demon Lord's true form madly devoured the Demon Nest remnants, its aura rising like an erupting volcano, the dark pressure like a tangible tide crashing against Xiao Qi and Mu Xue's spirits wave after wave. The core forbidden ground collapsed faster, the surrounding flesh walls and structures visibly dissolving and being devoured, revealing behind them a grotesque void filled with destructive energy storms.
At this moment when the situation took a sharp turn for the worse and despair spread once more—
A supremely faint, yet carrying a specific frequency and identification code spiritual fluctuation, like a will-o'-wisp piercing through storm and rain, precisely passed through the layers of energy chaos and spatial folds, arriving in Xiao Qi's sea of consciousness.
This fluctuation did not come from the nearby Mu Xue, nor from outside, but from within the Demon Nest, from a relatively "safe" corner. The information contained in the fluctuation was simple and clear:
"Internal destruction has reached critical levels, structural collapse is irreversible, energy network is completely overloaded! Chain reaction of Chaos Annihilation Bombs has been initiated, cannot be stopped! Repeat, mission basically complete! All units, according to predetermined plan, immediately transfer to withdrawal point three! Withdraw immediately!"
It was Second Senior Brother!
He had not only successfully detonated the Chaos Annihilation Bombs, but had miraculously found a relatively stable information node in the chaos of the Demon Nest completely losing control and the Demon Lord beginning its mad counterattack, sending this crucial retreat signal!
Xiao Qi's spirit instantly lifted!
Second Senior Brother's signal was like a lighthouse lit in endless darkness! This meant their core mission of infiltrating the Demon Nest—to cause maximum destruction from within and create optimal attack conditions for the external Celestial Cycle Star Formation—had been exceeded!
He immediately shared this spiritual message with Mu Xue beside him, whose aura was weak and barely holding on.
A flash of light also instantly lit in Mu Xue's ice-blue eyes. Having paid such an enormous price, even nearly dying, this was the moment they had been waiting for! The internal destruction had reached expectations, the Demon Nest's destruction was only a matter of time. There was no need to stay here any longer, engaging in a desperate battle against a Demon Lord driven insane, willing to self-cannibalize just to drag them down with it.
"Let's go!" Xiao Qi made an instant decision, grabbed Mu Xue's hand, pushed the Green Lotus Origin to its extreme, forming a tough purifying light barrier around them while stepping the "Swimming Dragon Nine Turns" movement, his figure like a fish swimming upstream, ready to charge toward the direction of the pre-planned "Withdrawal Point Three" corresponding roughly to Second Senior Brother's signal source.
However, would the Demon Lord let them get away so easily?
Though it was madly devouring the nest to restore power, most of its attention remained locked firmly on Xiao Qi! Seeing them try to flee, a vicious sneer flashed in the Demon Lord's eyes that were devouring everything around.
"Want to leave? Stay here!"
It did not even use its rising power for direct attack, but suddenly increased the intensity of devouring the core forbidden ground's remaining structures!
BOOM!!!
A thunderous roar, and in the direction Xiao Qi and Mu Xue originally planned to rush, large areas of flesh walls and supporting skeletons completely collapsed, were devoured by the Demon Lord, revealing behind them a highly unstable death zone covered with spatial cracks and violent void energy! The path to Withdrawal Point Three was forcibly cut off!
Moreover, the Demon Lord's terrifying devouring field had an extremely wide range. Xiao Qi and Mu Xue felt their bodies suddenly sluggish, as if falling into an invisible mud swamp, their flight speed drastically plummeting! This devouring force not only targeted physical energy and matter, but even began subtly pulling at their spiritual power and life force!
"It wants to trap us to death!" Mu Xue's face grew paler, feeling her spiritual power slowly but continuously draining away.
Xiao Qi's gaze was ice-cold. He knew the Demon Lord intended to use the power gained from devouring the nest, combined with this collapsing environment, to completely strand them here, buried alongside it!
He fully activated the Green Lotus barrier to resist the devouring field while rapidly scanning the surroundings. The Demon Nest was collapsing faster and faster, the space for footing and passage was rapidly shrinking, everywhere filled with energy storms and spatial tears.
They had to find another exit, or create one!
His gaze suddenly fixed on the distance—there, due to the Demon Lord's devouring and the external formation's continuous bombardment, the Demon Nest's shell had been torn open by a massive rift, its edges flowing with crimson magma! Through the rift, one could see the chaotic but relatively "normal" scenery of the external void, and even faintly sense the majestic stellar power of the Celestial Cycle Star Formation!
That was an opening to the outside of the Demon Nest!
Though crossing that area filled with energy turbulence and spatial cracks would be extremely dangerous, it was the only road to survival!
"Change direction! Break out through that opening!" Xiao Qi instantly made the decision, pointing to that massive rift.
Mu Xue also saw hope, forcibly gathering a breath of spiritual energy and nodding: "Okay!"
The two no longer tried to find an internal withdrawal point, but turned their target toward that distant external opening. The interweaving blue-green light stream struggled to change direction within the collapsing Demon Nest core, like a petrel in the storm, fighting against the Demon Lord's devouring field and omnipresent spatial dangers, rushing with all their strength toward that thread of survival!
The mission was already complete. Now, what they needed to do was to carve a path of life for themselves in this feast of destruction!