Chapter 173: Is That One Essence Enough?

Xuan raised his hand and struck another punch, sending the white-haired human immortal reeling backward as purple qi surged, forcing back the shadowy human immortal.

Then, His gaze descended, looking toward the figure as insignificant as an ant.

More precisely, He looked at the sword light swirling in that person's hand, radiating great terror and great oblivion.

"Xuan! Receive my master's sword!"

Jing Hai stepped forward and released the sword light in his hand.

He had been observing the situation, searching for an opening.

But unfortunately, he could not discern any opening in the battle between the two elders and Xuan.

Sssss~!

The Grand Void, the cosmic space, was sliced apart by countless tiny sword shadows; chaotic qi leaked out, carving a sword domain, until the countless sword shadows merged into one invisible blade, slashing toward Xuan standing atop the purple qi.

"Master Jianzu…"

Xuan slowly raised his hand; as his five fingers clenched, boundless purple qi condensed into a peerless, sublime, and miraculous fist seal.

He stepped forward and struck!

The fist seal seemed to reflect an endless river, spanning from beginning to end, within which flowed boundless divine light, encompassing the shadows of humans, demons, ghosts, heaven, and countless other extraordinary races.

This fist is called Tai Xuan.

It began at the dawn of the extraordinary in the Tai Xuan Realm and ended at its zenith.

Ding! A faint sound, like a needle falling to the ground, barely audible.

Yet within a millionth of a moment, infinite light drowned everything; the radiance of a hundred billion stars could not match even a fraction of it.

The shadow flickered; Jing Hai felt himself flung away by a colossal force, and a loud laugh echoed in his ears.

"Old bastard! Try this one!"

Beat the dog when it's down—failing to do so is stupid! Infinite light obscured everything.

After an unknown length of time, everything finally calmed.

The white-haired human immortal stood in empty space, his vanished right hand regenerating—he looked utterly wretched, yet compared to his body having just been shattered into fragments, this was nothing.

The shadowy human immortal chuckled "Jie jie jie," his twisted demonic shadow moving with a sluggish tremor.

In contrast, Xuan stood in empty space, not even the corner of his robe trembling.

He looked at the back of His hand, where a minuscule wound had formed; a single crystal-clear, plump blood droplet seeped from it.

But immediately, the immense vitality and creative power within it were swiftly severed by the tiny sword qi, and the entire blood droplet vanished.

"This sword is impressive."

Without even appearing in person, merely a sword borrowed by a junior disciple had wounded me…

After so many years, the Master Jianzu's sword has grown even more terrifying.

He raised His eyes toward the two human immortals, then gazed beyond them toward the stars—only a fraction of that essence remained, and He could no longer send new essence to them.

Whether they can welcome Heaven's return now depends entirely on whether the Ancients are prepared and whether the immortals of the Central Continent have grown wary.

The next moment, Xuan withdrew His gaze, turned without hesitation, and drifted away gracefully.

If He stayed any longer, when Huo, Xiang Yuanjun, and the now-unrestrained Master Jianzu arrived, this body might be left here.

The white-haired human immortal stared fixedly at His retreating back.

Beside him, the shadow twisted and shifted, urging, "He's gone—calm down. Now is not the time."

After a long while, the white-haired human immortal calmed; his straight spine bent again, his eyes once more clouded and dull.

"Elder, rest assured—I am not a reckless man."

Having said this, the white-haired human immortal walked away, his figure vanishing among the stars.

Aah~ The shadowy human immortal watched his departing back, as if sighing.

But soon he turned his gaze again to the empty star battlefield.

"That sword just now… heh heh! Xu Xing, kid—you're truly impressive."

Having said this, the shadow vanished into the deep, dark cosmic background.

…………

The battle at the Star Front was over, but now, on the Central Continent, the vast purple qi flashed once and dissolved into the void.

In the crystalline Secret Realm beneath the Auditorium of the Alliance of Righteous Paths, in the underwater city where Gao Ta presides.

The tiny space formed from heart-qi began to collapse; countless colored threads drifted away, only to be swiftly corrupted into black. The black threads writhed like worms, swirling into a storm that surrounded Xu Xing and Xiang Yuanjun.

Purple mist, twisted eerie shadows, a bizarre world as if forged from flesh.

Sssss sounds gathered, merging into a chorus of countless voices—some low, some high, some shouting, some whispering.

"Observe the Way of Heaven… Uphold Heaven's Action…"

"Heaven gives birth, Heaven kills—this is the Principle of the Dao…"

"Heaven shows no favor—yet great favor arises…"

Xu Xing: "..."

Isn't this the Yin Fu Jing?

As for its origin—he had never memorized it in the Tai Xuan Realm, so it must be… Yuan?

Tsk! Old fellow is a top-tier literary thief.

But this brain-dead turncoat is ridiculous—stealing others' work and acting so mysteriously.

Yet before him, Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan, who resembled a demonic god, saw the membrane stretched across her body begin to contract violently.

No matter how she screamed and struggled, she could not halt the membrane's contraction—her massive form shrank smaller and smaller.

"Brother, it has begun," Xiang Yuanjun said gravely.

"Mm." Xu Xing gave a slight nod.

The essence of Xuan has arrived!

After completing the final piece of the puzzle, a sublime and unfathomable aura began to brew.

Xu Xing's eyes shimmered with shifting light and shadow, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Quickly, under the violent contraction of the membrane, Friend Friend Friend Meng Xuan, who had just been grotesque and terrifying, reverted to her original exquisite and perfect form.

Her black hair flowed like a waterfall; her brows and eyes were painted as if by artistry.

Her neck was as long and graceful as a swan's; every inch of her body was flawless, as though sculpted by the Creator's own hands.

Vast snow-capped peaks crowned with crimson cherry blossoms; her slender waist, supple as silk ribbon.

Yuanjun: "..."

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, then slowly opened.

Her eyes, like lapis lazuli, glowed with sacred hues yet carried a trace of detached aloofness.

Heaven! She stepped forward with her long thighs, taking a light step ahead.

Her bare, pale feet touched the soft, resilient purple ground, as if sacredness had been defiled—yet radiating an eerie beauty.

"Xu Xing, Yuanjun! I offer you both another chance to choose."

"Release the sealing of Hun Tian Yi, and I shall favor the human race."

The voice echoed through the purple mist; the twisted, eerie shadows and the countless voices chanting the Yin Fu Jing fell silent at once.

It seemed to be waiting for their answer.

"You really are an idiot," Xu Xing said coolly.

Someone who doesn't know might think you're in the upper hand?

Vast waves of crimson light spread outward; the purple mist, the eerie shadows, even the black, worm-like lines—all dissolved like snow under the crimson glow, vanishing entirely.

"You were a waste in ancient times, and now you're even more of one."

Boom! Xu Xing slowly raised his longsword; everything within the Secret Realm seemed to part at this motion.

The mist was scattered, the shadows melted, and the black, worm-like lines vanished outright.

In the vast Secret Realm, all strange phenomena vanished in that single raising of the sword.

The sky grew clear; light, long absent, shone upon this land once more.

"An idiot is an idiot," Yuanjun murmured softly.

She raised a finger and tapped; the illusory threads of cause and effect seemed to solidify into reality, binding tightly a mysterious seven-colored radiance that had appeared at some unknown moment.

"Can that single essence truly sustain your return?"

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