580: Chapter 580 All Four Gates Destroyed - Sacrificing One's Life to Suppress the Demon

After a few attempts, Xiang Li's breathing gradually steadied, the furrow between his brows relaxed, and without needing to channel the Xuanhuo Guixin, he stabilized.

Instructor Yi Hengxi felt a surge of warmth in her heart, but she dared not slacken, continuing to draw Primordial Qi from the gate, channeling it in, and dispersing... until the Golden Primordial Qi completely overcame the Zero Power, taking root deep within his flesh and blood.

"It's done! Teacher Xiang Li is saved! Youren, take more this time!"

"Understood."

The final strand of Golden Qi penetrated—the Primordial Qi that had long been dormant within Xiang Li surged back like a tidal wave crashing against the shore, crushing the remaining Zero Power completely.

The two breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously, smiles just beginning to appear on their lips—

Shu Wei, one of the Seven Souls, tore open a gap at this very moment and lunged straight for the White Tiger Primordial Qi Gate!

The light of the gate dimmed suddenly and exploded with a boom.

Gray mist surged, the gate structure collapsed, and even the surrounding air was stained with a filthy ink-like color.

Everyone froze in place.

Instructor Yi Hengxi's gaze swept over the ruins, anger rushing to her head—they had actually let the enemy find an opening due to a momentary lapse, and even destroyed the heavy gate that the teacher had personally set up!

She gnashed her teeth in hatred, burning regret churning in her chest.

Fortunately, Xiang Li slowly woke up at this moment, his eyelids trembling, his voice weak but clear: "Instructor Yi Hengxi?"

"Ah! Teacher Xiang Li! It's me, I am Instructor Yi Hengxi!"

She abruptly reined in her rage, her throat choking, and she swallowed that anger back—no matter how angry she was, the gate wouldn't come back.

"The White Tiger Primordial Qi Gate is broken... It was Shu Wei's doing."

Xiang Li gasped for air, his tone surprisingly calm, "Don't worry about me. For an old bag of bones like me, being able to return to Jiugong Ridge alive is already a blessing from heaven. Go chase Jia Ye; my body can still hold on."

"Teacher, how can that be? What about the Commander..."

"It's fine, it's fine."

He raised his eyes and caught sight of Chen Yue running over with tears in her eyes, his gaze instantly softening, "Look, isn't Chen Yue here?"

"Grandpa! Grandpa, you're awake? That's great... really great! Chen Yue missed you so much, I missed you day and night!"

"Grandpa knows, I know it all."

He reached out to gently stroke his granddaughter's hair, his voice raspy but warm, "If you cry anymore, your little face will wrinkle up like a bun. Look, isn't Grandpa standing right here safe and sound?"

Chen Yue couldn't stop her tears, she threw herself at him, her hands gripping his sleeves tightly as if he would disappear again if she let go.

"Instructor Yi Hengxi, go."

Xiang Li patted her shoulder gently, "Jia Ye will not give up. This place... is no longer a critical location."

Instructor Yi Hengxi was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright. Teacher, please rest for now. Chen Yue, you all stay here. We can discuss other matters when I return."

She gave a solemn nod to the group and turned to leave.

The sound of footsteps faded away.

Xiang Li slowly sat up straight and looked at Chen Yue: "Let's go, we should move too. We can't hold everyone back, can't we?"

"But Grandpa, your body is still weak..."

Chen Yue's voice trembled with anxiety, her hands subconsciously supporting his arm.

"Silly child, don't you think Grandpa knows his own condition?"

He smiled and patted the back of her hand, standing up with his back straight, "Look, don't I stand quite steadily? Let's go, keep up."

Chen Yue couldn't refuse Xiang Li's gentle persistence and had to nod in agreement.

The group cleared out the scattered Major Zeros along the way while rushing toward the sacred tree, Fusang.

On the other side, Zhou appeared on the eastern forest path; Shan Gui Yao struck from the west.

His battle could hardly be called a contest—it was a one-sided crushing, clean and efficient.

Dealing with the remnants was like tearing paper, and stopping was as easy as flicking away dust; he didn't even spare a glance at the enemy formation.

Shan Gui Yao, who was once the Hall Master of Yangtian Hall, now bore the name of a traitor.

His former subordinates were furious and attacked with blades and swords, but they were knocked to the ground the moment they made contact, unable to rise again.

Yundan tried with all her might but was still repelled several yards by a single move, tasting blood in her throat, unable to even find a chance to parry.

The strength of this person had long exceeded the bounds of reason and could not be measured by human power.

"Shan Gui Yao—are you really not going to turn back?!"

Yundan looked at the receding figure and shouted hoarsely.

The figure paused for a fleeting moment, then continued walking without stopping, disappearing completely into the depths of the twilight.

Yundan clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white.

When the news of the Primordial Qi Gate being destroyed arrived, it was like adding frost to snow, and her heart was filled with indignation, almost bursting.

In the blink of an eye, the Primordial Qi Gate in the Memory-Fading Forest was also destroyed by Zhou.

Now, only the one at the foot of the sacred tree, Fusang, remained.

"Where exactly is it? Why can't I find it no matter what?"

Deep in Mei Valley, Tianjingsha hunched over and moved through the jagged rock crevices, his brows furrowed into a knot.

The patrols of the Zeros were much denser than usual, and any slight movement would trigger whistles.

Fortunately, his luck hadn't completely run out—he finally found the location of the teleportation array.

But the sight before him made his scalp tighten: a bone throne sat high, with ghost claws occupying it, and one of the Seven Souls was guarding the array eye, not leaving an inch.

"Yo, a rare guest?"

Gui Zhao lazily lifted his eyelids, "Tianjingsha? Coming to Mei Valley, are you planning to surrender?"

"Hmph, I'm here specifically to dismantle things."

Tianjingsha dusted off his sleeves, "Either you step aside yourself, or... lie flat and don't move."

"In your dreams!"

Before the words fell, Gui Zhao lunged forward wrapped in a fishy wind, every move aimed at vital points, not giving him any room to breathe.

Tianjingsha had no intention of lingering in the fight, and after forcing the opponent back, he immediately lunged toward the teleportation array.

Who knew that the moment he touched the array patterns, his feet sank suddenly—a barrier formed by Zero Power closed in, locking him firmly inside.

"Save your strength."

Gui Zhao leaned against the bone throne and sneered, "The Bone-Melting Coffin cannot be opened from the inside. Accept your fate! If I capture a Taiji Guardian and bring him back, Lord Jia Ye will probably reward me with three jars of Soul-Drunken Brew—hahaha!"

Tianjingsha slammed his fist against the barrier wall, and indeed, only a few sparks splashed.

Gui Zhao shouted triumphantly: "Hear that? Only Zero Power can break it, and your bit of Primordial Qi? That's just scratching an itch! When Lord arrives, you won't even have bone dregs left!"

Tianjingsha suddenly let his shoulders slump and sighed: "I'm old... truly old. Being tricked once is youthful arrogance, being tricked twice is carelessness, this time... sigh, I have to admit I'm old, I have to admit I'm old."

Gui Zhao laughed until he swayed back and forth, his vigilance relaxed to the point where he couldn't even be bothered to flick the dust from his fingernails.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, he received a solid elbow strike to the back of his head and fell on the spot.

Tianjingsha patted his clothes and walked out of the barrier, shaking his head: "A pity, truly a pity. Many thanks for the reminder—last night I casually intercepted a small wisp of Zero Power and hid it in my sleeve pocket lining. Isn't this? Just enough to poke through this layer of 'paper'."

He didn't waste any more words, turned his gaze to the teleportation array, and his expression turned cold as iron.

He raised his hand and struck three heavy palms toward the pivot of the array—any more delay, and he feared he would be locked in this valley bottom himself.

"Hahahaha!"

Jia Ye stood on the high cliff, looking down at the three charred ruins, with only that faint light under the Fusang tree struggling, "Only you are left! Hand over the divine pendant, and I can leave your corpse intact. Otherwise—"

He traced with his fingertips, and the knotted branches of the sacred tree trembled, "I'll cut down this old tree and use it for firewood; it's worthy of its age!"

Commander Pozhen stood horizontally with his spear, his voice as steady as a rock: "Protect the divine pendant! Not a step back!"

The remaining Guardians quickly formed an array, blades pointed outward, spines straight, surrounding this last inch of land airtight.

But they were weak after all.

The Guardians had long been scattered and broken, with more than half lost; while the Zero side's experts were unscathed, advancing and retreating like a tide, suppressing everyone until they couldn't breathe.

"Why hold on so stubbornly?"

Jia Ye stood with his hands behind his back and sneered, "Open your eyes and look—the moment the Primordial Qi Gate shattered, the sky turned red."

Before the words fell, a blinding blood light erupted from the roots of the sacred tree.

The entire sky was instantly stained a dark brown, as thick as congealed blood.

This was not a calamity, it was a heart-gouging disaster.

The Foundation of Jiugong Ridge was shaken, the Origin Qi dissipated, and even the mountain wind carried the smell of rust—this tribulation injured the sinews and bones and eroded the lifeblood.

"Hahaha—this time, no one can stop me from leaving! The next time we meet, it will be the day of your annihilation!"

Jia Ye didn't delay any longer.

Staying here might not mean losing, but having one more advantage was always better than having one less.

Who doesn't want to be stronger?

But just as he activated the teleportation array, a muffled "thud" sounded in his ears, the light patterns suddenly extinguished, and the passage collapsed instantly.

Jia Ye frowned, then relaxed, and the corners of his mouth curled up: "Since they won't let us pass, we'll walk back ourselves—everyone, no need to see us off, hahaha..."

Before the words fell, he had already turned and rushed down the mountain, choosing narrow cliff paths specifically, just to shake off the Guardians' surveillance.

Who knew that Instructor Yi Hengxi and her group followed like shadows, not falling a step behind, biting tightly at his heels.

Jia Ye felt anxious, and just as he jumped onto the opposite cliff, he turned to the side and shouted at Shu Wei: "Destroy all those cliff pillars! Let's see how they chase us then!"

Shu Wei acted in response, his tail suddenly growing rapidly, like a poisonous thorn piercing the stone, piercing through the cliff pillars one by one, cleanly and without obstruction.

Instructor Yi Hengxi's eyes were bloodshot, and flames of rage rose—it was this person who personally burned the Primordial Qi Gate!

How could he not hate him to the marrow?

He raised his hand to form a seal and shouted sharply: "Wind Xun · Thousand Leaf Flying Dragon!"

Shu Wei was caught off guard, not even having time to dodge, and was instantly rolled into the violent wind dragon.

Before his screams ended, he fell into the bottomless abyss, leaving no bones behind.

Jia Ye's pupils shrank, anger exploded, and he roared at the sky: "Phantom Forest · Myriad Appearances!"

Surging Zero Power pressed down like a black tide.

Instructor Yi Hengxi had just used a major move, her Qi mechanism had not yet recovered, her face turned pale instantly, and her heart sank: Oh no! Primordial Qi is exhausted, can't block it!

"Heaven Qian · Sui Chen Mysterious Radiance!"

At the critical moment, Xiang Li stepped forward.

He was already at the end of his rope, but seeing his granddaughter in danger again, he had no hesitation, exhausted his remaining life, and activated the final Guardian technique.

Jia Ye saw it was him and was furious: "Old thing, you haven't died after all these years? You insist on ruining my big plan!"

The Zero Power surged violently, and the other Zeros also gathered energy together, pouring it all into Jia Ye's body.

Xiang Li felt as if he was carrying a thousand jun, his back bent slightly; but Instructor Yi Hengxi, Shan Gui Yao, and others did not hesitate, immediately inputting Primordial Qi in reverse to assist—the two forces twisted and killed each other in mid-air, deadlocked.

When a person is about to die, their potential burns out.

That moment of determination far exceeded anything in his life.

Finally, the Mysterious Radiance surged against the trend and pushed back with a boom!

"Boom—!"

Xiang Li's essence and blood boiled, his breath cut off, and his body fell straight backward.

If not for Instructor Yi Hengxi's quick eyes and fast hands to support him, he might have already fallen into powder.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Don't leave me! I beg you..."

"Chen Yue... Grandpa can't hold on anymore. But seeing you are still alive, it's really good... really good. Still able to fight side by side with everyone... even if it's just this once, Grandpa is... worth it. Be good, don't cry, Chen Yue don't cry..."

Instructor Yi Hengxi and the others bowed their heads in silence.

An old man who burned his life to protect everyone, who could bear to speak?

"Chen Yue, promise Grandpa—be the most upright Guardian, and protect the people you want to protect. That way... Grandpa will be at ease."

Xiang Li looked at Chen Yue with a smile, then slowly raised his face, staring at the sky, sighing like the wind: "Light will always dim, stars will eventually fall. But the light after the darkness is even brighter."

Chen Yue's fingertips dug deep into her palms, as if as long as she gripped tightly, she could pull back her grandfather's figure that was drifting further and further away.

Having finally reunited, how could she let go? Impossible! Absolutely not!

She suddenly clenched her clothes, but touched something—the Jade Talisman given by Zhanchi!

He had said himself: "No matter how difficult it is, crush it, and your wish will come true."

Whether to believe it or not, there was no choice.

Chen Yue raised her hand and squeezed hard—the Jade Talisman shattered.

Before anyone could react, her heart had already ignited a desperate prayer: It must succeed! It must!

Instructor Yi Hengxi was about to speak, but the world suddenly froze.

A giant gate emerged from the void and opened silently.