472: Compassion and Boundaries

"No!!!"

A shrill mental shriek, reaching its absolute peak, reverberated throughout the Chaos Sea. The two-step Dao Ancestor realm Star Devouring Species trembled violently, and all ten thousand of its eyes simultaneously became bloodshot.

It watched with its own eyes as its Dao Companion was swallowed by the spatial cage, and that helpless despair completely ignited its most primal ferocity.

Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian looked at Xu Qing and couldn't help but laugh, "Good lad! Once this old man deals with this beast, I'll definitely drink three thousand cups with you!"

"Roar!!!"

"You... all must die!!!"

Its body suddenly swelled three times in size, and the armor on its surface, forged from stars, cracked inch by inch, revealing the raw flesh beneath, from which black blood flowed.

Every drop of falling black blood corroded small black holes in the Void Realm. Most terrifying of all was its main eye; its originally pitch-black pupil now showed a strange crimson, and the whites of its eyes were covered in spiderweb-like blood-red patterns.

"Boom!"

A terrifying aura, far exceeding the previous one, erupted, directly stratifying the Chaos Sea under its pressure!

The clear Qi above rose to form a thunderous sky, while the turbid Qi below sank to become a swirling vortex of ruin.

Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian's battle armor vibrated and hummed under the shockwave, but the Battle Intent in his eyes grew even fiercer. He Cultivated the Great Dao of Battle, fighting the heavens, fighting the earth, fighting all enemies.

"Thinking of getting past?" Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian's gilded halberd blocked the way, nine fire Dragons entwined to form an insurmountable chasm, "First, get past this old man!"

The Star Devouring Species went completely mad. It no longer dodged but directly crashed its body into the gilded halberd.

Each collision triggered a massive explosion in the Chaos Sea, and the splashing black blood and golden fire intertwined in the Void Realm to form a storm of destruction.

"Bang bang bang!"

After nine consecutive impacts, Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian was forcibly pushed back hundreds of millions of miles.

The Star Devouring Species seized the opportunity and suddenly split into tens of thousands of Clones, pouncing from all directions towards Xu Qing's location.

"Trying to leave?"

"Zhan Tian Nine Forms · Third Form: Sever Time and Space!"

The Phoenix-Winged Gilded Halberd was plunged into the Void Realm, and a golden ripple instantly froze an area of a million miles.

All the Clones solidified in mid-air, with only the main body still moving slowly due to its two-step Dao Ancestor cultivation. But in that brief moment of delay, Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian had already seized the opportunity. The Phoenix-Winged Gilded Halberd in his hand transformed into countless light phantoms, slashing towards the flesh-and-blood Clones.

Boom boom boom!

One Clone after another was annihilated, until only the main body remained.

"Your opponent is this old man!"

Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian strode forward, smashing his heavy halberd onto the Star Devouring Species' crown, sending its star-sized body plummeting downwards.

Below was precisely the swirling vortex of ruin formed by the turbid Qi. A terrifying suction force began to tear at its flesh, but this power of ruin was not yet enough to affect the Star Devouring Species.

However!

"Roar!!"

The Star Devouring Species suddenly made a move that even Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian found shocking!

All of its eyes burst into flames, transforming into blood-red chains that wrapped around Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian.

"Star Ruin... Annihilation!!!"

This was its final killing move.

Each blood-red chain was condensed from burning Origin, and wherever the chains passed, even Chaos itself withered away. Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian's golden armor began to rust, and the battle patterns on his brow showed signs of dimming for the first time.

"Good timing!"

Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian's hair stood on end, and his entire body's battle blood boiled to the extreme.

The nine fire Dragons on the Phoenix-Winged Gilded Halberd suddenly merged, transforming into a golden light that cleaved open the heavens and earth.

"Zhan Tian Nine Forms · Fourth Form: Annihilate All Daos!"

This strike was simple and unadorned, just the most straightforward thrust.

But wherever the gilded halberd passed, the blood-red chains melted like ice and snow, and even the vortex of ruin was split in two!

The Star Devouring Species frantically activated all its eyes for defense, setting up tens of thousands of star-remains barriers in front of itself.

However, the gilded halberd advanced unstoppably, shattering the barriers layer by layer, and finally—

"Puff!"

The gilded halberd precisely pierced the crimson main eye, and its residual power erupted within its skull. Tens of thousands of secondary eyes exploded one after another, like a grand, bloody fireworks display.

When the golden light emerged from the back of its head, this terrifying existence of the two-step Dao Ancestor realm was already frozen in place.

"I... am unwilling..."

Before its mental fluctuations could fully transmit, Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian suddenly spun around, and the gilded halberd, carrying unparalleled Battle Intent, slashed horizontally!

"Chiii—"

Its massive body, comparable to a star, was split in two!

Before the two halves of the shattered body could fall, they were ignited by the battle flames from the gilded halberd, transforming into two blood-red suns in the Chaos Sea, slowly sinking into the depths of the ruin.

Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian stood with his halberd sheathed. The cracks on his crimson-gold battle armor were rapidly mending, and the Battle Intent in his eyes was more blazing than ever.

He laughed, "What a thrill! A great drink is in order!"

The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and the survivors of the Fallen Star Clan had already begun to silently clean up the aftermath.

White-haired old men knelt before the ruins of the ancestral temple, trembling as they picked up shattered star totems; young children who had lost their parents sat blankly in pools of blood, clutching half-broken star spears; warriors with severed arms still gripped their weapons, mechanically carrying the corpses of their clansmen—the entire ancient city was filled with an oppressive, extreme silence.

"Seniors, Fellow Daoists, please follow me." The Fallen Star Clan Chief forced a smile and bowed to the Human Race Cultivators, "Although we have suffered this calamity, our clan has still prepared some humble wine..."

Suddenly, his voice stopped abruptly.

Xu Qing arrived through the air, his blue robes fluttering in the Chaos wind. He formed a hand seal, and a vast clear light poured down from his palm, covering the entire ancient city like an inverted celestial river.

"This is..." The Fallen Star Clan Chief's eyes widened.

Wherever the clear light passed, miracles occurred one after another.

The collapsed star city walls rebuilt themselves as if time were flowing backward, and shattered bricks and stones automatically pieced together; the streets soaked in blood were renewed, and dried bloodstains dissipated into specks of starlight; even the ancient star-patterned tree, hundreds of millions of years old, that had been burned by the flames of war in front of the ancestral temple, sprouted tender green new shoots.

Even more shocking was that all the injured Fallen Star Clan members in the city glowed with a faint clear light. For those with severed limbs, flesh wriggled at the wounds, growing back as good as new in an instant; those with damaged internal organs saw their complexions turn from pale to rosy; even Cultivators with damaged Divine Souls saw healing ripples appear in their Sea of Consciousness.

"Great Dao of Life!" Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian's pupils contracted slightly, and he frowned, "Just how many Great Daos does this lad Cultivate?"

So far, Xu Qing was known to Cultivate the Daos of Saber, Sword, Stars, and Space. He didn't expect him to also dabble in the Great Dao of Life, and even reach the Dominator level.

But soon, discerning individuals noticed the boundary Xu Qing had drawn—the clear light only lingered briefly on the Fallen Star Clan powerhouses whose Dao foundations were damaged before quietly receding.

"Grand Elder Xu..." The Fallen Star Clan Chief hesitated to speak.

"The ancient city is restored, the injured are healed." Xu Qing floated down, his voice so calm that no emotion could be discerned.

"As for Dao injuries..." He swept his gaze over the Fallen Star Clan powerhouses, whose faces were full of hope, "It's not that I can't heal them; it's that I'm not generous enough to expend my Origin to treat you."

These words were like a basin of cold water poured over them.

Several Fallen Star Clan Elders, who had originally intended to step forward and plead, froze in place, the color draining from their faces.

They suddenly understood that this being, who could overturn a Dao Ancestor with a raise of his hand, was fundamentally still that supreme powerhouse who coldly observed the rise and fall of all heavens.

His intervention today was already a rare act of compassion.

"Thank you, Grand Elder, for the grace of rebirth!"

The Fallen Star Clan Chief prostrated himself heavily, his forehead touching the newly restored star-patterned floor tiles.

He knew better than anyone else—if not for Xu Qing's intervention, the Fallen Star Clan would have needed at least ten thousand years to rebuild the ancient city, and as for the injured, it would have required vast resources and time to heal them.

Now, at least the hope for the clan's continuation was preserved.

Moreover, this Lord had not spoken definitively. He only needed to bring out treasures later and plead, and perhaps he could still persuade him to heal the clan's powerhouses.

Xu Qing nodded slightly and turned to walk towards Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian, who was drinking heartily.

Behind him came the suppressed sobs of the Fallen Star Clan members, a mix of joy at surviving the calamity, fear for the future, and complex reverence for that blue-robed figure.

"Your clear light..." Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian transmitted, "I'm afraid it consumed thirty percent of your Life Origin, didn't it?"

"Twenty-five percent." Xu Qing took the wine jar, looking at the Fallen Star Clan children playing in the distance, "Enough for them to remember the Human Race's kindness, but not enough to make them harbor improper thoughts."

"This Tribulation Thunder Quenching Heart Nectar is indeed strong!"

In reality, that twenty-five percent was an exaggeration. This small expenditure, for his vast and profound Origin, couldn't even make a ripple.

Dao Ancestor Zhan Tian laughed upon hearing this, striking his gilded halberd heavily on the ground, "Hahaha! Then let's drink three large jars!"

Under the starlight, the revived ancient city shone anew.

[The new book has been signed and will be updated before the end of the month. It's a Xuanhuan Dynasty struggle novel, and this book will also continue to be updated until its completion!]