244: Saint Shadow

The process of repairing the Seal was tedious and long, consuming a great deal of mental energy. Li Ao was like an old monk in meditation, his mind completely immersed in the delicate operation of drawing rules and weaving threads. The gray light emanating from his body intertwined with the runes occasionally flashing on the light membrane in front of him, forming a strange and solemn scene on this silent platform.

The Hegemon Body patterns on his skin felt slightly hot. Not only was he resisting the increasingly heavy Annihilation pressure around him, but he was also greedily absorbing the relatively gentle nirvana Source Qi that naturally diffused during the repair process, filtered by the light membrane. He could clearly feel that his Nirvana Hegemon Body was steadily advancing towards the Perfection of the third stage under this dual nourishment. Every inch of his Physical Body was undergoing subtle yet profound transformations, his strength was accumulating, and his essence was sublimating.

And the fragment of the "nirvana ancient talisman" clinging to his chest was like a parched desert welcoming sweet rain, joyful and excited. New patterns grew on it, becoming more and more numerous and complex, and its broken edges seemed to be slowly "growing." An ancient and complete aura was gradually awakening from within it. It was like a greedy infant, sucking the Origin power from the nirvana source core through Li Ao, its "medium."

Everything seemed to be developing in a good direction.

However, just as Li Ao had repaired nearly half of the last major crack and his mind slightly relaxed—

An unexpected change suddenly occurred!

At the edge of the platform, in the shadow that was originally empty, space twisted like water ripples. A jet-black finger glow, condensed to the extreme and almost integrated with the shadow, shot out without any warning!

The speed of this finger glow surpassed thought. Wherever it passed, even space left a subtle black mark that could not heal for a long time, emitting a malicious aura that corroded all things. It was not aimed at Li Ao himself, but precisely at the core node of the main crack he was repairing!

This attack was extremely cunning in its timing and incredibly malicious in its angle. If struck, not only would Li Ao's previous repair work be in vain, but it would also likely trigger a chain collapse of the entire Seal, and might even cause that fragile node to explode directly!

A bone-chilling sense of death crisis instantly gripped Li Ao's heart!

"Hmph!"

At the critical moment, Li Ao's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened. There was no panic in his eyes, only bone-chilling killing intent and a provoked majesty. The vigilance he had always maintained played a crucial role at this moment.

He didn't even have time to stand up. His seated body suddenly leaned back, and at the same time, his right hand, which had been resting on his knee, shot out like lightning. His index and middle fingers were pressed together, and at their tips, the power of the Guixu Great Dao condensed with unprecedented intensity, forming a point of extremely deep gray light, which accurately and directly aimed at the incoming jet-black finger glow!

He chose not to defend, but to counterattack!

"Chii—!"

The gray light and the black finger collided precisely in mid-air.

There was no violent explosion as expected. Instead, there was a grating, corrosive sound, like cold water dripping into hot oil. The jet-black finger glow, which contained terrifying corrosive and destructive power, was rapidly disintegrated and dissolved by the absolute power of "erasure" the moment it came into contact with the gray light of Returning to the Void.

However, this time, Li Ao's power of "Returning to Nothingness" was not as overwhelming as when he annihilated the Soul Hall Elder before.

The power contained in that jet-black finger glow was condensed, pure, and carried a higher-level life Origin pressure, having actually reached the Dou Sheng level! Although it might only be an One-Star Dou Sheng Early Stage, and he might not have used his full power to conceal his aura, its essence was far beyond what a Dou Zun could compare to.

Although the gray light of Returning to the Void successfully blocked the finger glow and disintegrated most of its power, it also shattered with a roar after intense consumption. A small remaining wisp of condensed black Qi, though greatly weakened, still pierced through like a venomous snake, grazing Li Ao's shoulder blade.

"Sizzle!"

Li Ao's shoulder garment instantly turned to dust, and even the skin of his Nirvana Hegemon Body beneath, comparable to divine iron, was cut open by a shallow bloodstain. A cold, bone-chilling, and strongly corrosive energy tried to drill into his body along the wound.

Li Ao let out a muffled groan. The gray patterns on his shoulder suddenly lit up, and the Hegemon Body's power erupted, instantly devouring and obliterating the invading cold energy. The flesh at the wound wriggled and began to heal at a visible speed. But this attack caused his Qi and blood to churn slightly, his mind was disturbed, and the rule threads connected to the light membrane also fluctuated violently, nearly causing the recently repaired section to collapse again.

He slowly stood up, his gaze as cold as ten thousand years of profound ice, looking in the direction from which the finger glow had come.

He saw that in the shadow at the edge of the platform, space was lifted like a curtain, and a figure shrouded in distorted black mist slowly stepped out. The black mist around this person was not as dense as that of the previous Elders; instead, it was extremely thin but much deeper, as if it could swallow light. The aura emanating from him was as unfathomable as an abyss, carrying the unique pressure of a Saint. Although he deliberately restrained himself, it still caused subtle disturbances in the Annihilation Rule of this space.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect... that old undying one from the Medicine Clan could actually find a freak like you." A hoarse, low voice, like bones rubbing together, came from the black mist, carrying a hint of surprise and intense interest. "A mere Dou Zun, yet able to control such a degree of Annihilation Rule, and even block a finger from this saint... Kid, the secrets on your body seem no less impressive than this nirvana source core."

Li Ao's pupils constricted slightly, and his heart was filled with awe.

The Hall of Souls had indeed sent a true Dou Sheng expert to infiltrate this place! Moreover, judging by his concealment methods and the ruthlessness of his attack, he was definitely not an easy opponent.

The true crisis had now arrived.