Chapter 579: Internal Strife Erupts, Hearts Turn to Change

Countless blood-colored demonic shadows surged out from the disk; some of these shadows bared fangs and brandished claws, some had hideous faces, and some emitted shrill howls. They surged toward Xiao Yuan in a dense swarm, as if to tear her into pieces.

Facing this terrifying attack, Xiao Yuan still did not retreat. She took a deep breath, circulated the Compassionate Harmony Dao, and the pale golden light became even more dazzling.

"Compassionate Harmony Dao—Universal Salvation!"

Following her soft shout, a huge halo of light suddenly appeared behind her. This halo was like both the meritorious circular light of the Buddha Sect and the Taiji Pattern of the Daoists, yet it possessed a unique, harmonious charm.

The halo rotated slowly, emitting a gentle yet powerful force. When those ferocious demonic shadows came into contact with this force, they actually began to undergo a marvelous change. The hideous expressions on their faces gradually vanished, replaced by a sense of liberated serenity.

"These... these demonic shadows are being purified?" Xingchenzi looked at the scene before him in shock.

It was indeed as he said; those originally evil demonic shadows were being purified bit by bit under the illumination of the pale golden light. The evil aura on their bodies dissipated, and they finally transformed into specks of light that merged into the halo, instead strengthening Xiao Yuan's power.

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!" Seeing his strongest attack neutralized so easily, Yunxiaozi fell into a state of madness.

"Senior Yunxiaozi, do you see it?" Xiao Yuan walked slowly toward him, "Evil can never defeat justice, and hatred can never defeat compassion. The inner demons in your heart can actually be purified."

"Nonsense!" Yunxiaozi shook his head frantically, "I have no way back! Since you won't let me live, then let's all die together!"

He suddenly raised the Blood Disk and began to chant an obscure and difficult incantation. As the incantation progressed, the disk began to emit an ominous red light, and the entire space began to tremble.

"Not good! He wants to self-detonate the Blood Disk!" Taixuan Laozu's expression changed drastically, "If the evil power contained in that disk explodes, the entire Qinglong Peak will be razed to the ground!"

Sure enough, the Blood Disk began to vibrate violently, and the terrifying energy contained within was about to spiral out of control. An explosion of this magnitude was enough to destroy everything within a radius of a hundred miles.

"Everyone, scatter!" Lin Xuan shouted loudly.

However, it was already too late to escape; the self-detonation sequence of the disk had already been initiated, and no one could stop it.

Just at the moment when everyone was in despair, Xiao Yuan suddenly stepped forward: "Since it has come to this, then let me bear it all!"

"Xiao Yuan! Don't!" Lin Xuan wanted to rush over to stop her, but his path was blocked by a golden light.

"Compassionate Harmony Dao—Yishen Huadao, Huyu Zhongsheng!"

Xiao Yuan spread her arms, and pale golden light erupted from her body, wrapping the Blood Disk—which was about to explode—within it like a giant cocoon of light. She was going to use her own body and magic power to withstand this explosion that was capable of destroying everything.

"Junior Sister Xiao Yuan!" Everyone was shocked by her actions.

Just at the instant the explosion was about to occur, an aged but gentle voice suddenly sounded in everyone's hearts: "Amitabha, how virtuous, how virtuous. Benefactor Xiao Yuan, let this old monk lend you a helping hand."

The figure of Huiming Fangzhang appeared once again; although illusory, it still radiated the light of compassion. It turned out that although his physical body had dissipated, his spirit had merged with the power of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pilgrimage, and he was still protecting everyone.

"Master!" Tears welled up in Xiao Yuan's eyes.

"Go, child, use your Compassionate Harmony Dao to purify all the evil in this world. This old monk believes you will surely be able to do it."

Xiao Yuan's "Compassionate Harmony Dao" sprinkled over the entire battlefield like spring rain; the pale golden light not only provided powerful protection for the Reform Alliance but also invisibly influenced the inner heart of every person. This power lacked the violence of slaughter and possessed only the warmth of inclusion, causing many cultivators who were originally filled with hatred to begin reflecting on their own actions.

Jianchi Laozu of Wanjian Valley stood in mid-air, looking at the battlefield below shrouded in pale golden light, his heart churning like the sea. The scene of Huiming Fangzhang's heroic sacrifice deeply shocked him; that great compassion of self-sacrifice caused this old man, who had practiced the sword for hundreds of years, to question his own path for the first time.

"Taixuan Laozu," Jianchi Laozu turned slowly to look at the Alliance Leader beside him, his voice carrying a bewilderment never heard before, "Are our actions truly correct?"

Taixuan Laozu was currently suppressing the injuries in his body with all his might, and hearing these words, he nearly suffered a backlash of blood and Qi. Although Xiao Yuan's light of purification had healed many people's injuries just now, for someone like him who harbored murderous intent, it instead formed a counter-attack.

"Jianchi, what are you saying?" Taixuan Laozu was furious, "Is now the time to be saying these things?"

"No, Taixuan Laozu, now is precisely the time to say these things," a glimmer of realization flashed in Jianchi Laozu's eyes, "If even an enlightened high monk like Huiming Fangzhang is willing to sacrifice himself for the Reform Alliance, does that not suggest that we are the ones who are wrong?"

He pointed to the people below protected by the pale golden light: "Look at the eyes of those people; whether they are rogue cultivators or disciples of small sects, there is a light of hope in their eyes. And us? We have only hatred and strife in our eyes."

"Enough!" Taixuan Laozu shouted sternly, "Jianchi, you actually question my decision at a time like this? Could it be that you also want to betray the traditional forces?"

Jianchi Laozu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Betrayal? Perhaps from the very beginning, we chose the wrong path. What is the supreme realm of the Sword Dao? Is it slaughter? Or is it protection?"

He looked at the ancient sword in his hand, the blade reflecting the scene of the battlefield: "I have practiced the sword for three hundred years, always pursuing the ultimate of sword techniques. But today I finally understand that the true Sword Dao should be to protect justice, not to maintain a decaying order."

"You... you are mad!" Looking at the determination in Jianchi Laozu's eyes, an ominous premonition welled up in Taixuan Laozu's heart.

However, just as internal divisions arose within the traditional forces, Guisha Laozu of the Soul Refining Sect had completely different thoughts. He hid in a patch of black mist, his greedy gaze fixed firmly on the Blood Disk in Yunxiaozi's hand.

"Good treasure... truly a good treasure..." Guisha Laozu licked his withered lips, evil light flickering in his eyes.

As someone who practiced the Evil Dao, he knew the value of the Blood Disk better than anyone. This Evil Artifact was not only immensely powerful, but more importantly, it could absorb the essence and blood of living beings and convert it into the practitioner's power. If he could obtain it, his own strength would surely advance by leaps and bounds, and he might even have the chance to冲击 the Transformation Stage.

"Now that everyone's attention is on Yunxiaozi, it is the perfect opportunity to strike..." Guisha Laozu secretly calculated the distance and timing, "As long as I can seize the Blood Disk before he self-detonates, I can obtain supreme power."