627: Lu Xueqi and Biyao (10)

Just at this critical moment—

"Hum—"

A low, ancient hum, seemingly originating from endless ages past, suddenly rang out from within the core barrier of the great hall.

This sound was not loud, yet it carried a strange penetrating power, instantly overpowering all the shrill shrieks, roars, and sounds of colliding energy, clearly reaching everyone's ears, and even piercing straight into the depths of their Souls.

The source of the hum was precisely that primitive tortoise shell tightly gripped in Bi Yao's hand!

Seeing that the tortoise shell, which had always emitted a faint, cool aura, was now emitting a gentle, ripple-like pale blue halo on its own.

The halo was not intense, but it carried an indescribable sense of weight and vicissitudes, as if it bore the memories of an ancient ocean.

On the surface of the tortoise shell, those naturally formed, strange patterns that Shi Yi once thought might be related to the "Return to Ruins" were now flowing with a faint light, flickering on and off.

Bi Yao had woken up at some unknown point, or rather, she had been in a state between dreaming and waking, holding firmly to a sliver of clarity in her mind.

The unusual movement of the tortoise shell produced a strange resonance with the Qi and blood in her body, especially with the cool sensation emanating from the soul-stabilizing pearl at her brow.

Subconsciously, she poured her remaining spiritual power, along with all her heart and will, into the palm gripping the tortoise shell.

"Return to Ruins... Guidance... Suppress!"

An intermittent, weak, yet exceptionally clear thought—not a sound, but a direct manifestation—emerged within the minds of Su Han, Lu Xueqi, Elder Mu, and even the dark shadow.

This thought was ancient and vague; it seemed not to have been actively sent by Bi Yao, but rather was fragmented information revealed when the tortoise shell was triggered under certain conditions.

The pale blue rippling halo quietly rippled outward with the tortoise shell as its center.

Wherever the halo passed, a strange scene occurred.

Those manic, surging, and omnipresent black mists, as if encountering a nemesis or ice under a scorching sun, instantly became sluggish and withered, emitting "sizzling" cries of agony, and were actually rapidly purified and dispersed by that seemingly gentle water-ripple halo!

Even the sharp claw the dark shadow had used to grab at Lu Xueqi was swept by the halo; the black Qi on it dissipated violently, revealing the twisted, solid part underneath that seemed to be formed from shadows and filth, emitting a painful hiss as it jerked back.

Seizing this Opportunity, Lu Xueqi retreated rapidly, returning to Su Han's side, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, yet her eyes remained bright and sharp, staring fixedly at the dark shadow that was now hesitant and suspicious due to the tortoise shell's transformation.

Su Han hurriedly supported her, channeling a strand of pure Hunyuan spiritual power to help her calm her Qi and blood, his eyes full of concern and lingering fear.

Lu Xueqi shook her head slightly, signaling that she was unharmed, and her gaze also turned to the tortoise shell in Bi Yao's hand, revealing a look of astonishment.

Elder Mu was both alarmed and delighted: "This tortoise shell... it really is the token of the Return to Ruins! And it seems to have an extremely strong restraining and purifying effect on this evil power! Bi Yao, child, can you control this object?"

Bi Yao's face was pale as paper, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead; clearly, that last action had been a tremendous burden on her.

She shook her head with difficulty, a weak thought conveying: "I... cannot actively control it... It seems... it was just triggered by the dark shadow's power... or rather, by a certain aura contained within the dark shadow's power... triggering an instinctive reaction..."

At this moment, the black Qi in the great hall had been forced back by a wide margin by the pale blue halo emitted by the tortoise shell, and the area had become much clearer.

But the blurry figure did not retreat; its scarlet gaze was fixed tightly on the tortoise shell in Bi Yao's hand, the greed and desire in that gaze almost becoming tangible.

"Guidance of the Return to Ruins... It really is the Guidance of the Return to Ruins! Hahahaha!" The dark shadow's voice became frantic and excited, no longer deliberately concealing itself, "I didn't expect it, I didn't expect that in this desolate, broken realm, I could not only find the soul-stabilizing pearl, but also encounter the lost fragment of the Key to the Return to Ruins! Heaven's will! Truly Heaven's will! It is fated that this seat should obtain this fortune, return to the Sea of Ruins, and reshape my true form!"

Its figure rolled and twisted within the black Qi; although its aura was somewhat unstable due to the restraint of the tortoise shell's halo, that madness and the will to possess it were even more intense.

"Boy, hand over that tortoise shell and the girl to this seat! This seat can spare your lives, and even bestow an Opportunity upon you, how about it?"

The dark shadow's scarlet gaze turned to Su Han, its tone full of temptation and threat, "Otherwise, when my true form descends, it won't just be taking the items; I will also extract your Divine Souls, refine them into the Nether Death Qi, and make you suffer for all eternity!"

Su Han shielded Lu Xueqi behind him, holding his sword across his chest. Facing the dark shadow's threat, his expression was cold and stern, without a trace of fear: "Delusional! If you want to harm Yao'er, step over my dead body first!"

"Stubborn fool!" The dark shadow shrieked, seemingly losing patience.

It no longer tried to use the black Qi for comprehensive erosion, but instead violently gathered the pervasive black Qi, condensing it onto itself.

In the blink of an eye, the blurry, twisted figure became much more solid; although its specific appearance was still unclear, its outline was distinct, like a giant draped in a heavy black robe.

The pressure emanating from its body suddenly increased by a level; the cold, dead, and evil aura became even purer, and the sense of ending, like the "Return to Ruins," became increasingly obvious, faintly forming a confrontational stance against the pale blue halo emitted by the tortoise shell, causing the range of the halo's spread to be suppressed back to within three feet of Bi Yao's bedside.

"Since you are seeking death, this seat will grant your wish! Let you witness what the true 'Power of Ruin Annihilation' is!"

The black-robed giant transformed from the dark shadow shook its arms, and two giant hands, composed entirely of black energy concentrated to the extreme, appeared out of thin air; one grabbed towards Su Han and Lu Xueqi, while the other grabbed directly towards Bi Yao, who was enveloped by the pale blue halo!

Wherever the giant hands passed, space seemed to be corroded, leaving faint black traces and emitting a teeth-aching "sizzling" sound.

The power of this attack was incomparable to before!

Elder Mu's expression changed drastically: "Careful! It is using its Origin power! Do not take it head-on!"

He frantically drove the Restriction, and countless emerald vines and pale golden light blades shot out from the ground and walls, attempting to block the two giant hands, but as soon as the vines and light blades touched the black giant hands, they rapidly withered, dimmed, and disintegrated, with little effect.

Su Han and Lu Xueqi felt an unprecedented threat of death.

Before the black giant hands even reached them, that aura of annihilating all life already made their spiritual power circulate sluggishly and caused their Divine Souls to ache.

At this life-and-death moment, Su Han instead calmed down completely.

The text of the general outline of the "Hunyuan Sutra" appeared in his mind, and the wisp of Heaven-Opening Axe intent within his body seemed to be stimulated by the extreme "ending" intent from the outside, trembling slightly.

A flash of inspiration struck him; he no longer pursued the changes in Moves or the vastness of spiritual power, but instead poured all his spirit, will, and even his heart of protecting Bi Yao and his desire to shield his companions, entirely into the sword in his hand, into that weak Axe intent.

He stepped forward, blocking Lu Xueqi completely behind him, gripping his sword with both hands, and slowly raised it.

The movement was very slow, yet it carried a peculiar rhythm, as if stirring the invisible Chaos.

On the sword body, the pale golden spiritual power was restrained, and only at the tip of the sword, a tiny, extremely bright point of light that seemed capable of cutting through all obstacles was condensing.

(End of chapter)