Chapter 126

Wei Yuzhu was shoved, staggered; turning back she just saw Yun Tingliao blocking a fatal blow for her (and Shi Ran), now mortally wounded and near death. On that beautiful face appeared for the first time an almost collapsing emotional fluctuation; she cried out involuntarily: "No——!"

Black-robed person's strike did not fully land; he seemed somewhat surprised by the weak obstruction of the jade pendant, about to raise his hand again.

Boom!!!

At this moment, Yun Tingcang's external attack reached an unprecedented peak! Meanwhile, the altar, due to the energy array being disturbed by Lingxiao, operated with an even greater flaw!

The space above the entire altar was suddenly ripped open, a huge rift!

A pair of enormous, burning with madness and pain, silver demon eyes, through that rift, fixedly stared at the black-robed person on the altar, as well as the writhing dark shadow and Xiao Muyu at the altar's center!

Yun Tingcang's roar was like billions of thunderclaps, directly exploding in the depths of everyone's souls:

"Give back my brother!! Come back!!"

The true Imperial-level Demon King's mad fury finally tore, albeit briefly, the Myriad Source Return to the Void Grand Formation!

The situation instantly lost control, plunging into extreme chaos and violence!

Faced with this sudden change, the black-robed person's eyes, like a ten-thousand-year cold pool, finally showed a faint ripple—not fear, but rather… displeasure at his plan being disturbed.

"Noisy beast." He remarked indifferently, paying no heed to the silver giant eye almost squeezing into the space rift. He did not lower the hand originally pointing at Shi Ran, merely shifting his fingertip imperceptibly to aim at the space rift torn open by Yun Tingcang.

"Seal."

One word spoken, the law follows.

It was not a powerful energy blast, but a fundamental forced alteration and mending of space's very rules. Around the ferocious space rift instantly appeared countless fine, intricate black runes, like the toughest spiderweb, forcibly sealing the mouth torn by demonic power.

Yun Tingcang's roar, filled with rage and pain, seemed instantly cut off to another world, becoming muffled and distant; the pair of enormous silver demon eyes were swiftly shrouded by the rapidly compressing darkness.

"Second brother…… no……" On the ground, the dying Yun Tingliao seemed to sense something; his finger twitched weakly, uttering an almost inaudible murmur, then fell completely silent.

"Yun Tingliao!" Shi Ran looked at the dying Yun Tingliao; the gold-black light in her heterochromatic eyes flared wildly with extreme anger and grief, she recklessly poured her remaining power into his body, trying to hold onto the fading spark of life.

However, the annihilating power contained in the black-robed person's finger was too terrifying; it not only destroyed his bodily vitality but also eroded his soul's essence.

Wei Yuzhu had flashed to Yun Tingliao's side, the Elixir-containing Sword planted in the ground, her hands quickly forming seals; combining her innate fire spiritual power from her life source, like a fledgling flame, together with Shi Ran's strength, she fully protected his pulse and remnant soul.

Actually, her impression of Yun Tingliao still lingered from their first meeting in the dungeon—then he was fragile, beautiful yet sinister and inscrutable; now he had no vitality, as if his next breath would vanish on the wind; she bit her lip, and for the first time a naked, almost murderous intent flared in her beautiful eyes toward the black-robed person.

How could Lingxiao miss the moment when the black-robed person diverted his attention to deal with Yun Tingcang?

At the exact instant the black-robed person's fingertip shifted, the Dragon Chant Sword vanished.

The next instant, it appeared without warning three cun before the black-robed person's brow!

No longer a sweeping blade light, but ultimate sharpness, ultimate speed, concentrating all power at the sword tip to pierce the void and strike the vital point! This sword embodied Lingxiao's ultimate application of spatial law and perfect fusion of swordsmanship and killing.

The black-robed person finally showed a hint of solemnity. He did not turn his head, but another hand that had lain at his side had somehow risen, his index and middle finger precisely pinching the tip of the Dragon Chant Sword!

Ding——!

A clear yet soul-shaking metallic clang rang out.

Centered on the point where the two fingers and sword met, an invisible ripple suddenly spread outward. Where it passed, the obsidian ground silently turned to powder, and even space showed fine black cracks that could not be mended for a long time.

Lingxiao's body trembled slightly, his eyes sharpening. The opponent could actually, with a mere flesh-and-blood body, so casually block his killing strike!

The black-robed person slowly turned his head to look at Lingxiao; for the first time his icy eyes clearly reflected Lingxiao's figure, yet still showed no emotion.

"Sword not bad, your grasp of the law is passable." He remarked lightly, as if evaluating an object, "Unfortunately, the power level is vastly insufficient."

His fingers pinching the sword tip trembled slightly.

An indescribable force, like the oblivion of all things' end, surged violently along the Dragon Chant Sword!

Lingxiao grunted, the tiger's mouth of his sword hand instantly split, blood flowing; his whole body was blown backward by that terrifying force, the Dragon Chant Sword uttered a mournful cry, its radiance rapidly dimming.

"Master!" Luo Changfeng exclaimed in shock; his Cloud-Breaking Sword flew out, recklessly rushing toward the black-robed person, only to halt motionless one zhang away from the Dragon Chant Sword! His brows furrowed, several high-grade talismans shot out, forming layers of light barriers to block Lingxiao's retreat, but upon touching the aftershocks of that annihilating force they all shattered and exploded.

Boom! Lingxiao heavily struck a stone pillar burning with azure flame; the pillar shook violently, cracks appearing on its surface. He forcibly suppressed his surging qi and blood, his sword arm trembling slightly, obviously having suffered a considerable loss.

"Master!" Seeing Lingxiao injured, Shi Ran's heart felt like being cut by a knife; she had wanted to rush to him, but could not abandon Yun Tingliao and Wei Yuzhu, so she could only struggle, intending to move toward Lingxiao.

The gap is too great! This black-robed person's strength is unfathomable; the level of law power he wields far exceeds their comprehension!

Yet in that brief moment when Lingxiao was repelled, although the altar's operation slowed due to interference with the energy array, the extraction from Xiao Muyu and others did not completely stop. The central dark mass, agitated by the fierce external energy clash, became more restless, its writhing and shifting speed increased, and the emanating hunger and madness almost took substantive form.

It needs more nourishment! To complete the ritual faster!

The blood vessels entwining Xiao Muyu glowed again, though not as surging as before, they stubbornly continued to draw his essence. Xiao Muyu's face showed deeper pain, his body spasming involuntarily.

"Third senior brother!" Shi Ran's eyes widened; she needed to sustain Yun Tingliao's life support, wanted to bring Lingxiao into a protective shield, and also rescue the trapped Xiao Muyu—all at once she was stretched thin, her magical and spiritual power nearly exhausted.

After blasting Lingxiao away, the black-robed person did not pursue, seeming to deem them no threat. His attention returned to the altar, especially the writhing dark mass.

"The appointed time approaches; the 'Gate' will open." He muttered to himself, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible fervor, "The final obstacle should also be cleared."

His gaze locked onto Shi Ran once more. This time, his killing intent was undisguised.

Originally everything would have proceeded smoothly, were it not for this variable possessing a deep abyss sea of consciousness repeatedly interfering; the spatial gate would have already opened.

He raised his hand; that despair-inducing annihilating power began to gather again.

Wei Yuzhu sprang to her feet, the Cinnabar Sword held horizontally before her; though her face was ashen, her eyes were blazing with resolve, she actually intended to use her body as a shield to blunt the blow. Luo Changfeng also roared, hurling all his remaining attack talismans at the black-robed figure, trying to impede him.

Lingxiao forced his qi upward, the Dragon Chant Sword again gave off a faint light, but it was noticeably a beat late.

Shi Ran felt the deadly lock, glanced at Yun Tingliao whose vitality was almost severed, then glanced at Xiao Muchu struggling in pain on the altar; finally she and Lingxiao gazed at each other from afar, she saw his disagreement in his eyes, but he surely saw her obstinacy in hers; Shi Ran lowered her head and gave a faint smile, a flash of utter despair crossed her heterochromatic eyes, then it was replaced by a frenzied determination.

She seemed to have made some decision, her whole body began to exude an extremely unstable aura, as if it were about to destroy itself.

At the critical moment—

A sudden aberration arose!

At the center of the altar, Xiao Muchu, who had been passively enduring and continuously having his primal force drained, his tightly shut eyes' lashes began to tremble violently.

At his waist, an apparently ordinary jade pendant engraved with fine rain cloud patterns suddenly burst forth with a warm yet incredibly resilient azure-green radiance!

This radiance was not dazzling, yet it carried a ceaseless, nurturing vigor that nourishes all things, and moreover contained an extremely pure sword intent with an immensely strong protective meaning.

Azure Cloud Fine Rain Pendant! Lingxiao had earlier gifted him this life-saving personal talisman, which contains a protective sword intent sealed by Lingxiao and a great deal of vitality, and it will not trigger unless faced with a true life-and-death crisis.

The azure-green radiance instantly unfolded, forming a soft luminous shield that enveloped Xiao Muchu within. Those dark-red blood vessels, upon touching the shield, emitted a 'hiss' sound, as if being scorched, and the draining force was greatly weakened!

At the same time, the fine rain sword intent contained within the azure-green radiance spontaneously activated, transforming into countless strands as fine as cow hair yet incredibly sharp, green sword threads that sliced along those blood vessels in reverse.

Hehehehe!

Although it couldn't immediately sever all the blood vessels, it successfully forced them back somewhat, causing Xiao Muyu's pressure to plummet!

This sudden change caused the black-robed man's movement to stall, and his gathered killing intent eased slightly.

Ling Xiao's eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light: "Muyu!"

Xiao Muyu seemed to be stimulated by the master's own defense of his natal magic treasure and his master's sword intent, gaining a brief moment of clarity. He painfully and extremely slowly opened his eyes.

Those were eyes as weary as ever, yet still clear.

His gaze first met Ling Xiao's anxious and concerned eyes, then he saw the heavily wounded and near-dead Yun Tingliao, Shi Ran and Wei Yuzhu preparing to fight desperately, and Luo Changfeng struggling to hold on……

Finally, his gaze fell upon the constantly writhing shadow exuding a mad hunger, and upon the icy, indifferent black-robed figure below.

A tremendous pain and weakness swept over him, but his eyes quickly shifted from confusion to clarity, then surged with immense anger and resolve.

He opened his mouth, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an undeniable resolve:

"Master…… everyone…… don't bother with me……" "Destroy…… that shadow…… it is…… the core……"

After saying that, it seemed he had exhausted all his strength. Yet his eyes stared fixedly at that dark mass, and the temporarily repelled dark-red blood vessels around his body began to stir and wrap around again.

Opportunity! Xiao Muyu, at the cost of himself, pointed out the true key!

The black-robed man's face finally sank completely.

"Obstinate and insensible."

He no longer paid attention to Shi Ran, instead pointing a finger at Xiao Muyu! He must first suppress this variable to ensure the ritual's final completion!

And Ling Xiao had been waiting for exactly this moment!

At the instant Xiao Muyu opened his eyes to speak, he already disregarded his injuries, raising his entire mind and sword intent to the peak!

"Changfeng, Yuzhu, attack the rune nodes at left three, right seven of the altar base!" "Ranran, protect Tingliao well, strike the shadow with magical power—it can corrode that energy!" Ling Xiao's voice burst like an icy spring, clearly issuing the command.

At the same time, he merged completely with the Dragon Yin Sword, becoming a beam of ultimate brilliance, as if able to cleave heaven and earth—a chaotic sword light. This time, he did not attack the black-robed man, but instead slashed straight toward the altar's center—that writhing shadow!

He must attack what the enemy must rescue! And the black-robed man will absolutely not allow the "core" to be destroyed before the ritual is completed!

The sword light and the black-robed man's finger, pointing at Xiao Muyu with annihilating power, erupted almost simultaneously!

The final showdown, at this moment, was pushed to its climax! Everyone's fate hung on this instant!

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. There was no expected earth-shattering explosion; only two utterly opposing forces, both touching the source of rules, silently grappled, eroded, and annihilated each other. The chaotic sword light was unmatched in sharpness, vowing to cut through all falsehood; while that gray-black annihilating force was like an abyssal maw, greedily devouring the sword light's energy and vitality. At the collision's center, space shattered like broken glass, peeling away piece by piece to reveal an even darker, more chaotic void beyond.

"Ugh!" Ling Xiao spat out a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his sword-wielding arm trembling violently, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, locked firmly on that dark mass, his sword momentum not retreating in the slightest! He was using his own Dao foundation and sword heart to hard-resist this destructive force far beyond his realm!

A flicker of surprise flashed in the black-robed man's eyes, as if he hadn't expected Ling Xiao to even briefly hold out. But his fingertip twitched again, and a more profound annihilating intent surged forth, seeming about to completely overwhelm the sword light——

Just then!

"Break!" Luo Changfeng's angry roar and Wei Yuzhu's clear shout rang out together! Countless talisman glows and the scorching flames of the Handan Sword precisely struck the rune nodes at left three, right seven of the altar base! Those nodes, already unstable from prior interference, were now hit by concentrated attack, instantly flaring violently, flickering uncertainly!

The entire altar shuddered violently! The humming of its operation became noticeably sluggish and noisy! The blood vessel light entwining Xiao Muyu and several other unconscious disciples dimmed drastically, and the drawing force suddenly weakened!

Almost the same moment!