Chapter 168

In the side hall of the Star-Fixing Hall, Star-Glory Stone lamps cast a quiet and steady light. On the jade bed, Zhao Yuan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, fine beads of sweat already seeping from his forehead. His complexion remained pale, but the confusion after waking had mostly faded from his brows, replaced by a focus bordering on pain and a calmness he was struggling to maintain.

Three feet in front of him, Lin Xuan also sat cross-legged, his left palm facing upward, holding the "Star Essence" fragment that had been reactivated, emitting a soft and pure dark blue starlight. His right hand hovered in front of Zhao Yuan's dantian, his fingertips still three inches from Zhao Yuan's body, a wisp of gray, condensed-as-substance Chaos energy stream acting like a bridge, connecting his fingertips to Zhao Yuan's dantian.

"Hold your breath and focus, guard the Nascent Soul internally. Use the Nirvana Sword Intent as the bone and the star power as the guide to lead the power I inject, slowly contacting the periphery of the demonic seed's seal." Lin Xuan's voice was low and clear, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, yet it possessed a natural, reassuring magic.

Zhao Yuan followed his instructions, sinking all his heart and mind into his body. The gray-blue Nascent Soul covered in cracks trembled slightly in his consciousness sea, emitting a weak but tenacious Nirvana Sword Intent and starlight, like a candle in the wind, yet stubbornly guarding a point of clarity at its core. He carefully mobilized this weak power to meet the gray Chaos energy stream slowly seeping in from his dantian, and the more gentle and vast dark blue star purification power that followed.

The gray and blue brilliance carefully merged and blended in the meridians of Zhao Yuan's body. Under the guidance of Zhao Yuan's own sword intent, like the most dexterous probe and the gentlest purified water, it slowly flowed toward the depths of the consciousness sea, to the dark purple "demonic seed" sealed by heavy gray-white (Nirvana Sword Intent) and dark blue (star power) chains.

The first step of the treatment was not to directly attack the demonic seed's core, but to "cleanse" and "strip away" the dark purple "tentacles" extending from the demonic seed that were entangled with Zhao Yuan's Nascent Soul origin and some inherited memory fragments. These "tentacles" were the channels through which the demonic seed eroded, parasitized, and attempted to assimilate Zhao Yuan, and they were also the most sensitive parts that could easily trigger a violent backlash from the demonic seed.

When the energy flow, fused with Chaos Tribulation Power and "Star Essence" purification power, touched the first shallower "tentacle"—

"Ugh!"

Zhao Yuan's body jerked violently, and an irrepressible groan of pain escaped his throat! It was as if a red-hot branding iron had been pressed directly into the depths of his soul! It was not just physical pain, but the extreme pain of tearing, burning, corrosion, and a kind of indescribable "emptiness" generated when the origin of his Dao foundation was stripped by a "foreign object"!

At the same time, the dark purple demonic seed in his consciousness sea erupted with blinding light! Countless finer dark purple threads danced wildly, attempting to entangle and corrode the invading purification energy, and an extremely intense intent of resentment, madness, and greed, like a burst of poisonous water, followed the touched "tentacle" and fiercely impacted Zhao Yuan's Nascent Soul and soul!

Illusions abounded!

Zhao Yuan no longer saw the quiet room, but countless broken and terrifying scenes: burning stars crashing down on him; endless darkness devouring all light; familiar faces like Lin Xuan, Wei Gong, and True Person Xinghui twisting and shattering in blood; a cold and grand voice whispering in the depths of his soul, promising power and liberation if he would only stop resisting, accusing his resistance of being futile, a betrayal, and a stupidity that would drag everyone into the abyss...

Under the dual assault of intense pain and illusions, Zhao Yuan's newborn Nascent Soul shook violently, the cracks seeming to widen, and the Nirvana Sword Intent and starlight protecting his body flickered, his mind almost losing its hold!

"Hold fast to your original heart! Nirvana is not emptiness; what you cut is vanity! The stars do not fall; what you illuminate is the path ahead! For whom is your sword held?!" Lin Xuan's voice was like a thunderclap, exploding directly in the depths of Zhao Yuan's consciousness as he was about to sink! At the same time, the Chaos Tribulation Power output by his right hand suddenly strengthened by a fraction, not as a violent impact, but transforming into a more tenacious, inclusive "framework," forcibly stabilizing the runaway energy in Zhao Yuan's body and isolating and dissipating most of the demonic seed's evil intent.

The "Star Essence" fragment held in Lin Xuan's left hand also shone brighter, the pure star purification power like a sweet spring, continuously injected, gently and firmly washing over the touched dark purple "tentacle."

Zhao Yuan bit the tip of his tongue hard, the sharp pain and the fishy, sweet smell of blood refreshing his spirit! Lin Xuan's words were like a lighthouse, illuminating his consciousness, which had been almost submerged by pain and illusions.

For whom was it held?

For the innocent miners and guards in Heishuicheng, for the Star-Falling people who passed away sorrowfully in the Star-Sinking Ruins, for the comrades who fought side-by-side on Star-Fragment Isle and bled in the Endless Hanhai, for the pair of newly opened Tribulation Pupils he saw before falling unconscious, reflecting chaos and hope... and even more, for the persistence and belief in his own heart, unwilling to submit to evil, unwilling to have his Dao path interrupted, wanting to protect what was important!

"Vanity... must be cut! The path ahead... is mine!"

Zhao Yuan roared in his heart, and the cracked Nascent Soul in his consciousness sea erupted with unprecedented light in the desperate situation! The gray-blue brilliance was no longer just for defense, but transformed into strands of extremely condensed sword intent, carrying a resolute intent of purification, actively meeting the invading dark purple evil thoughts, clashing fiercely and annihilating them!

At the same time, he guided the Chaos Tribulation Power and "Star Essence" purification power injected by Lin Xuan, no longer just passively defending, but cooperating with his own Nirvana Star Sword Intent, like a delicate surgical scalpel, precisely "cutting" and "burning" the weakest point where the locked dark purple "tentacle" connected to the Nascent Soul origin!

Sss—!

It was as if some invisible, extremely filthy and viscous thing had been forcibly stripped away and evaporated! Zhao Yuan shook violently again, blood of a pale gold color seeping from his seven orifices, but a trace of weak yet real clarity lit up in his eyes!

The first shallower "tentacle" was successfully stripped and purified! Although the process was extremely painful and caused new tremors to the Nascent Soul, it was of great significance—this not only weakened a part of the demonic seed's "claws and teeth," but also proved that this gentle, progressive treatment method was effective! Zhao Yuan's own will and sword heart had withstood the first round of cruel tests!

"Very well." Lin Xuan's voice carried a trace of imperceptible approval. "Focus, recover. Adapt to the state after stripping. Consolidate the Nascent Soul. In half a stick of incense, we will proceed to the next one."

Zhao Yuan gasped for breath, not bothering to wipe the blood from his face, and immediately followed instructions to look inward. At the part where the "tentacle" was stripped, a tiny "void" and a burning sensation remained at the Nascent Soul origin, but the following "Star Essence" purification power and Chaos Tribulation Power quickly nourished and repaired it, slowly filling the "void" and soothing the trauma. Although the Nascent Soul as a whole was still covered in cracks, the gray-blue light at its core seemed... a trace purer and more solid than before.

More importantly, he felt that his control over the Nirvana Sword Intent and star power seemed to have gained a brand-new, deeper understanding after experiencing the confrontation on the edge of life and death and the "surgery." Nirvana was not just simple ending and destruction, but could also be a "cleansing" of "abnormalities" and "filth"; the stars not only represented vastness and hope, but their "purification" and "guidance" characteristics, combined with the Nirvana Sword Intent, could actually produce such wonderful effects.

Half a stick of incense passed quickly.

"Continue." Lin Xuan's voice rang out again.

With the experience of the first time, Zhao Yuan's mind was more focused, and his sword intent moved more smoothly. Although the pain brought by each stripping of a "tentacle" had not diminished, and the demonic seed's resistance and illusion temptations were more cunning and intense each time, Zhao Yuan's will to hold fast to his original heart became firmer, and his control over his own power became more exquisite.

One, two, three...

Time passed in silent confrontation with pain and slow progress. In the side hall, there was only Zhao Yuan's heavy breathing, the occasional suppressed groan, the stable and pure dark blue starlight continuously emitted by the "Star Essence" fragment, and the Chaos aura on Lin Xuan that remained as steady as an abyss.

Outside the hall, the night grew deeper, and the galaxy was brilliant.

Wei Gong had come quietly once, stopping for a moment outside the hall door, feeling the stable and difficult energy fluctuations inside. He did not disturb them, but gave a few low instructions to the guarding cultivators before hurrying away. The reconstruction and defense of Star-Fragment Isle, the monitoring of the Return-to-Ruins Sea Eye, the summary of continental intelligence... a thousand things required his coordination.

The treatment lasted for a full four hours.

When the eighth relatively obvious "tentacle" was successfully stripped and purified, Lin Xuan slowly withdrew his right hand, and the light of the "Star Essence" fragment in his left hand also slightly restrained.

"That is all for today." Lin Xuan's voice carried a trace of imperceptible fatigue. Continuous high-intensity fine control and power output were also a burden on his Dao foundation, which had not long awakened. "You have reached your limit and need time to digest and recover. The stripped parts need to be nourished and consolidated with your own power; do not be overly eager for success."

Zhao Yuan was almost exhausted, his whole body as if fished out of water, soaked in sweat and pale gold blood stains. He seemed to lack even the strength to nod, only blinking with difficulty to show he understood. In his consciousness sea, the dark purple demonic seed still existed, its light seeming slightly dim due to the loss of some "tentacles," but the ominousness and stubbornness emitted from its core had not diminished in the slightest. However, the suffocating "parasitic feeling" and pollution pressure around the Nascent Soul had indeed lightened a little, and most importantly, his control over his own power and his "perception" of the demonic seed had become much clearer.

"Adjust your breathing, sleep. At this time tomorrow, we continue." After Lin Xuan finished speaking, he closed his eyes and also began to adjust his breathing to recover.

Zhao Yuan held on to the last bit of consciousness, following Lin Xuan's instructions, using his weak spiritual sense to guide the remaining Chaos Tribulation Power and "Star Essence" purification power in his body to slowly nourish the new "wounds" and old cracks on the Nascent Soul, while carefully sweeping his consciousness sea with Nirvana Sword Intent, vigilant against any movement of the demonic seed. Gradually, boundless fatigue and the weakness from the depths of his soul submerged him like a tide, his consciousness sinking, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

This time, although his brows were still slightly furrowed, the lingering pain and struggle seemed to have faded somewhat.

After adjusting his breathing for a moment, Lin Xuan opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Yuan who had fallen into a deep sleep, and then "looked" at the demonic seed temporarily dormant deep in his consciousness sea, light flowing in his Chaos Tribulation Pupils.

"Less than one-tenth of the peripheral tentacles have been cleared... but results are already beginning to show. His will and sword heart are more tenacious than anticipated. The fusion of Nirvana and the stars is also spontaneously deepening during the confrontation... Perhaps this is not just treatment, but also a tempering of himself." Lin Xuan pondered. "However, as the cleaning deepens, when touching the more core 'tentacles' and even the demonic seed body itself, the backlash will increase geometrically. And the connection between the demonic seed and that thing deep in the Sea Eye..."

He remembered that when stripping the last few "tentacles," he vaguely felt a trace of extremely subtle, cross-space "palpitation" transmitted from the depths of Zhao Yuan's consciousness sea, pointing toward the Return-to-Ruins Sea Eye. Although it was instantly isolated by his Chaos Tribulation Power and the strengthened seal, this undoubtedly confirmed his speculation—the treatment process itself could alert the "Distortion Core"!

"We must speed up the progress, but we also need to be more cautious. Perhaps... we need to prepare some backups to prevent that thing from being completely enraged and making unconventional reactions." Lin Xuan's gaze tightened.

Just as he was deep in thought.

Outside the hall, a Star Palace deacon hurried over. After being stopped by the guards, he whispered urgently. The guard's expression changed slightly, and he turned to enter, respectfully transmitting to Lin Xuan: "Venerable Lin, Wei Gong requests your presence. There is urgent intelligence regarding... a new discovery in the Return-to-Ruins Sea Eye monitoring formation, which seems to be related to the... fluctuations within young master Zhao Yuan."

Lin Xuan's eyes tightened. He stood up, took one last look at the sleeping Zhao Yuan, deployed a simple warning barrier, and disappeared silently from the side hall.

The beginning of evil purification, the first glimpse of light. However, the darkness of the deep sea seemed to have... begun to squirm more uneasily because of this.

(End of Volume 8: 【Chaos Returns】)