Chapter 115: Dragon Qi Chooses Its Master, The Chaos Blood Oath

The Emperor has fallen, the Dragon Qi has scattered, and the final will of resistance in the Imperial Capital is like a candle in the wind. The Abyss Demon Consciousness, with its black-hole eyes, fixed its gaze upon the heavily wounded and blood-coughing Lin Xuan, filled with mockery and absolute malice. The next strike would surely be earth-shattering, completely annihilating this Chaos aura that it so detested!

Lin Xuan knelt on one knee, the Chaos Immortal-Slaying Sword thrust into the ground beside him, supporting his frame to keep him from collapsing. His face was as pale as paper, his chest heaving violently. The aftermath of the Demon Consciousness’s casual strike had already displaced his internal organs, damaged his meridians, and rendered his spiritual power sluggish. Facing this terrifying existence that far surpassed the Soul Transformation realm and likely reached the Void Refinement level, even after exhausting all his foundations, the gap remained as vast as a chasm.

Despair, like a cold tide, attempted to drown his mind.

Yet, just as the Demon Consciousness gathered its next strike and the killing intent was about to erupt completely—

A sudden change occurred!

The majestic Imperial Dragon Qi, which had lost its core upon the fall of Emperor Huangfu Tianji and was frantically dissipating, did not vanish into the heavens and earth like ordinary spiritual energy. Instead, as if drawn by some invisible force, it let out a sorrowful and grand dragon roar, and like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it surged madly in one direction—

Toward the Third Imperial Prince, Huangfu Hao!

At this moment, Huangfu Hao was clutching the Nine-Dragon Crown left behind where his father had vanished, his face covered in tears, consumed by grief. He was not circulating any cultivation technique, nor was he intentionally absorbing anything, yet that vast Imperial Dragon Qi, representing the ten-thousand-year destiny of the Tianyuan Dynasty, was spontaneously and eagerly pouring into his body!

The prince’s python robe fluttered without wind, snapping loudly! Between his brows, a pale golden dragon-shaped mark suddenly lit up, rapidly becoming clear and solid! A sense of Imperial majesty, though still youthful, was incomparably pure and carried the hope of new life, rising from within him!

The Dragon Qi chooses its master!

In this moment of crisis, with the dynasty collapsing and the monarch fallen, the remaining Imperial destiny of this land had autonomously chosen Huangfu Hao—who possessed the purest direct bloodline and a heart both kind and resolute—as its new bearer!

"Hao'er!" Eunuch Wei’s face was streaked with old tears, his body trembling with excitement. "It is His Highness! The Dragon Qi has chosen the Third Highness!"

The remaining Imperial retainers and Imperial Guards saw this scene, and a glimmer of light reignited in their previously despairing eyes.

Even the Abyss Demon Consciousness paused slightly, a flicker of surprise and... deeper greed flashing within its black-hole eyes.

"A new vessel for the Dragon Qi... even better... devour you, and the destiny of this realm will completely collapse..." The intent of the Demon Consciousness became even more excited.

At this moment, Huangfu Hao, forcibly infused with the majestic Dragon Qi, let out a painful low roar. Golden light exploded around him, and his cultivation base, pushed by this power, instantly broke through the bottleneck to reach the mid-stage Nascent Soul! But he felt more of a forcibly bestowed responsibility and grief. He raised his head, his crimson eyes fixed on the Demon Consciousness, and hissed, "Demon! I, Huangfu Hao, swear here that I will never rest until you are destroyed!"

However, although the Dragon Qi infusion granted him power and status, it was still far from enough to face a Demon Consciousness at the Void Refinement level. The destructive attack gathered by the Demon Consciousness was about to be unleashed, aimed directly at Huangfu Hao, who had just become the core of the Dragon Qi!

Just at this critical moment, when everyone thought Huangfu Hao would follow in his father’s footsteps—

"Cough, cough..."

Lin Xuan, who had been silently kneeling, suddenly let out a violent fit of coughing. He wiped the blood constantly overflowing from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, struggling as he used the Chaos Immortal-Slaying Sword to support his body, slowly and with extreme difficulty standing up.

His movements were very slow, as if every motion required him to endure a weight of ten thousand jun. Yet, his spine remained straight.

He stood before Huangfu Hao, facing the terrifying Demon Consciousness directly.

"Your opponent... is me." Lin Xuan’s voice was hoarse, yet carried an unquestionable firmness. The Chaos Dao Seed within him was trembling frantically, seemingly resisting, yet also yearning.

The intent of the Demon Consciousness conveyed a hint of impatience: "Dying struggles are meaningless. I shall erase you, this Chaos insect, along with that newborn Dragon Qi, all at once."

The destructive attack had already taken shape; pitch-black demonic light gathered in the depths of its eyes, about to erupt!

Lin Xuan took a deep breath. He knew that conventional means were already useless. He glanced at Huangfu Hao behind him, who was temporarily unable to move due to the Dragon Qi infusion, and then at this devastated Imperial Capital, where life was being extinguished. A flash of resolve crossed his eyes.

He slammed the Chaos Immortal-Slaying Sword into the ground, his hands forming an ancient and complex seal at a speed invisible to the naked eye! This seal did not come from the inheritance of the Primordial Dao Ancestor, but was something he had comprehended in a flash of inspiration—a forbidden technique never before seen, combining his own Chaos Dao, the Star Dharma Image, and his current resolve to die!

"With my Chaos blood!"

He bit his tongue, spraying a mouthful of essence blood containing the origin of Chaos onto the seal!

"Burn my star soul!"

The nine-zhang Dharma Image behind him let out a mournful cry, and countless starlight points peeled away, merging into the seal!

"Invoke the power of the heavens!"

Within his dantian, the broken star core and the small star nucleus erupted simultaneously with unprecedented light, communicating with the residual power of the Star Fall Secret Realm in the void, and even drawing upon the celestial stars in the outside world that had not yet been completely obscured by demonic energy!

"I respectfully invite... the Dao Ancestor... to manifest a holy trace!"

He roared the final sentence!

The moment the seal was completed, the aura around Lin Xuan suddenly became void, ethereal, as if it had transcended this world! He transformed into a massive, rotating Chaos vortex. At the center of the vortex, a point of extreme darkness and light intertwined, and an ancient, vast, and majestic will—one that transcended all things and seemed to come from the beginning of creation—was forcibly awakened, like a sleeping dragon!

This will was not the Primordial Dao Ancestor, but a sliver of power belonging to the Chaos Great Dao of this universe’s origin, which Lin Xuan had forcibly borrowed by using himself as a sacrifice and the Chaos Dao as a guide!

Although it was only a sliver, its level far exceeded the Abyss Demon Consciousness!

"What... is this power?!" For the first time, the Abyss Demon Consciousness emitted a tone of uncertainty and suspicion; the attack it was about to unleash even stagnated! From that Chaos vortex, it sensed a threat originating from the very essence of life!

"Chaos... Blood Sacrifice... Seal the Demon!"

Blood began to overflow from Lin Xuan’s seven orifices, and countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of his body, as if he might disintegrate at any moment. But the light in his eyes was as brilliant as the stars, and he pushed his hands forward violently!

The forbidden seal, which had gathered all his essence, energy, and spirit and invoked a sliver of the Chaos Great Dao’s power, transformed into a gray rune that appeared plain and unremarkable, yet seemed capable of stabilizing earth, water, fire, and wind, returning all things to Chaos. It slowly, yet unstoppably, pressed toward the black-hole eyes of the Abyss Demon Consciousness!

"No!!!"

The Abyss Demon Consciousness let out a sharp shriek filled with fear and rage! It frantically drove its demonic energy, condensing it into layers of sturdy demonic shields in an attempt to block the gray rune.

However, it was useless!

Wherever the gray rune passed, the demonic energy melted like snow in spring, and the demonic shields shattered like paper! It seemed to ignore all defenses and obstacles, branding itself directly onto the Demon Consciousness’s massive eyes!

"Ah—!!!"

A scream so miserable it defied description seemed to come from the very origin of its soul! The Demon Consciousness’s vast will twisted and vibrated violently; the pillar of demonic energy reaching into the sky instantly became extremely unstable, flickering on and off! The black hole in its eyes seemed to be forcibly "stitched" by the gray rune, becoming fragmented!

"The seal... it is a Chaos Seal! You dare... ah!!!" The intent of the Demon Consciousness became intermittent, filled with pain and venom.

Finally, under the full eruption of the gray rune’s power, the descending will of the Demon Consciousness let out a roar of unwillingness. Together with the three Soul Transformation Demon Lords, it was forcibly dragged and retracted into the bottomless pit! The pillar of demonic energy reaching the sky also shrank violently, finally disappearing completely, leaving only a fragile seal on top of the pit that constantly twisted and flickered with gray runes!

The source of the demonic energy had been forcibly and temporarily sealed by Lin Xuan at the cost of his own life!

However, the price was heavy.

The moment the rune was successfully branded, the aura on Lin Xuan’s body faded like a tide, the Chaos vortex dissipated, and the Dharma Image dimmed and returned to his body. He could no longer support himself; he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.

"Brother Lin!"

Huangfu Hao, finally managing to control a portion of the Dragon Qi, saw this and his eyes nearly split with rage. He flew forward and caught the falling Lin Xuan.

At this moment, Lin Xuan’s aura was weak to the extreme, his meridians were severed, his dantian was on the verge of shattering, and the light of his soul was dim. He had fallen into the deepest coma, his life hanging by a thread.

"Young Friend Lin!" Eunuch Wei and the others also gathered around, and seeing Lin Xuan’s miserable state, they were all filled with sorrow.

Within the Imperial Capital, with the source of the demonic energy temporarily sealed, the pervasive demonic energy lost its replenishment and began to dissipate gradually. The remaining demonic puppets and monsters also became chaotic and weak, retreating steadily under the counterattack of the human cultivators who had regained their senses.

The catastrophe seemed to have passed for the moment.

But the price paid was too heavy. The Emperor had fallen, the Imperial Capital was half-destroyed, the people were suffering, and the hero who had saved it all was in a near-death state.

Huangfu Hao held the unconscious Lin Xuan, feeling the heavy Imperial Dragon Qi flowing within him, and looked at the devastated capital. His young face was filled with sorrow, anger, and an unprecedented sense of firmness and responsibility.

He raised his head, looking at the night sky where the demonic clouds were gradually dispersing to reveal the stars once more, his voice hoarse but carrying unquestionable power:

"Pass the order! Clear out the remaining demons, treat the wounded, and tally the losses!"

"From this day on, I shall... supervise the state!"

"Exhaust the strength of the dynasty, spare no cost, to save Brother Lin!"

After the dynasty’s catastrophe, a new master was established, and everything awaited reconstruction. And the fate of Lin Xuan tugged at the hearts of countless people.