232: The remnant soul returns to its place, and nothingness dissipates.

The spiritual light of the sword of affection erupted frantically at the weak point on the phantom's chest. The seven-colored light, like a prairie fire, swept out from within the phantom's body, tearing a hideous wound in its massive form condensed from Evil Energy. Black Qi, like an uncontrollable tide, surged madly from the wound, twisting and struggling in the air. However, it was firmly bound by the surrounding Power of Ten Thousand Emotions' Call, unable to escape, and could only melt into nothingness bit by bit under the burning spiritual light. The phantom's crimson eyes were filled with extreme pain and indignation. Its massive body trembled and twisted violently, and its previously arrogant aura of destruction weakened rapidly, already on the brink of collapse.

At that moment, the Origin fragment that had flown out of the phantom's body, carrying the aura of Star Radiance's remnant soul, suddenly stopped in mid-air, its spiritual light becoming increasingly brilliant. A blurry white figure slowly emerged from the surface of the fragment, slender in form and gentle in aura. It was indeed the remnant soul of Star Radiance—back then, after her remnant soul was purified and laid to rest, the Origin fragment had been unexpectedly swallowed by the Evil Energy of the core of nothingness, trapping her within the phantom's body with no hope of escape. Now that the phantom had suffered a heavy blow and the Evil Energy's restraint had weakened, her remnant soul was finally able to manifest again with the help of the fragment's power.

Star Radiance's remnant soul was still illusory, but much clearer than when she was at the edge of the Divine Realm years ago. Her eyes were devoid of past obsessions and pain, leaving only peace and relief. Her gaze slowly swept over Lu Chen and The Five Women, finally landing on Lu Chen. Her voice was gentle and sincere, carrying a faint touch of emotion: "Lu Chen, it's been a long time. I didn't expect that we would meet again in such a manner."

Seeing this, Lu Chen and The Five Women were shaken, their eyes filled with complexity and emotion. Bits of the past surfaced in their minds. Back then, because of her obsession with Lu Chen, Star Radiance had some estrangement from The Five Women. But later, she was swept away by Evil Energy and endured endless torture, finally finding peace under everyone's redemption. Those small past grudges had long since vanished into thin air under the passage of time and their original intention of protection. Yu Lan's gentle eyes were full of emotion: "Star Radiance, I didn't expect your Origin fragment to be trapped within the phantom's body. You must have suffered a lot over these years." Immortal of Luo Water also said softly: "To be able to meet again now can also be considered a form of destiny."

Star Radiance shook her head gently, her eyes full of relief: "Being trapped in Evil Energy was indeed painful, but it also allowed me to see through my past obsessions completely—forced emotions are meaningless; protection and fulfillment are true Perfection. Over these years, I have been silently perceiving the outside world from within the Evil Energy. Seeing you all standing side by side to protect the Divine Realm, resisting the Chaos Tide, and investigating dimensional crises, my heart is filled with admiration. Now that the phantom is heavily wounded, I can finally break free from the restraints and use this final power to contribute to protecting this world, which can be considered fulfilling my last wish."

Having said that, Star Radiance's remnant soul slowly drifted towards the sword of affection. The spiritual light around her surged, merging with the power of the fragment to turn into a pure white stream of light that actively integrated into the blade of the sword of affection. The moment the light merged, the radiance of the sword of affection suddenly skyrocketed. A touch of gentle white was added to the seven-colored spiritual light, and the sword's might instantly increased several times. The already powerful purification and attack power became even more vast and sharp. The space around the sword blade was even shaken with fine cracks, exuding an invincible aura.

"This is my final power. I hope it can help you completely end the core of nothingness and protect the peace of the Divine Realm." Star Radiance's voice echoed between heaven and earth, carrying her final blessing, and then she completely merged into the sword, leaving no further trace.

Watching this scene, Lu Chen and The Five Women's eyes were filled with emotion and reverence. Their past grudges towards Star Radiance completely vanished, leaving only respect for life and gratitude for her fulfillment. "Star Radiance, thank you," Lu Chen said softly, his tone full of emotion. Then, he gripped the hilt of the sword of affection and exchanged a look with The Five Women, his eyes filled with determination. "We will certainly not fail your intentions. We will completely clear the core of nothingness and protect this world well!"

The Five Women nodded one after another, pushing their own energy and the power of emotion to the extreme again, continuously pouring them into the sword of affection. Lu Chen gave a low shout. Carrying the strength of The Five Women and the blessing of Star Radiance, he held the sword of affection and slashed fiercely again at the phantom that was already on the verge of collapse. This strike condensed the Origin Power of the Eternal Realm, the power of the Origin Divine Venerable from The Five Women, the Power of Bonds from the Ten Thousand Emotions' Call, and Star Radiance's pure blessing. Its power far exceeded anything before. The sword shadow swept across the sky with a world-destroying aura, instantly tearing the phantom's massive body completely apart.

"No—! I am not reconciled!" The phantom let out one last shrill roar, its voice full of despair, but it could no longer resist the power of the sword of affection. Its massive body of Evil Energy rapidly dissolved in the spiritual light, turning into countless streaks of black Qi that scattered in the air. As the phantom completely shattered, the core of nothingness outside the spatial barrier, which served as the heart of the Evil Energy, lost the support of consciousness. The originally condensed pitch-black energy began to dissipate rapidly, no longer possessing the terrifying aura of devouring everything from before. Only chaotic negative energy remained, lingering at the edge of the barrier.

"Strike while the iron is hot! Completely purify the core of nothingness!" Lu Chen shouted loudly. With a wave of his hand, the seven-colored light screen of the Nine Universe Guardian Formation suddenly surged, sweeping towards the energy of the core of nothingness outside the barrier. The purification power of the nine-colored divine lotus and the Power of Ten Thousand Emotions' Call contained within the light screen merged, firmly enveloping the chaotic energy of the core of nothingness, stripping and purifying the negative aura within bit by bit. At the same time, the Origin Seed flower fields in various regions of the Divine Realm also released seven-colored pollen and purification power. Following the flow of heaven and earth energy, they converged towards the edge of the Universe, coordinating with the purification power of the light screen to accelerate the dissipation of the core of nothingness's energy.

Zixia, Fairy Yaoguang, and the Cultivators of various races also activated their Divine Essence one after another, pouring their purification power into the light screen to assist in purifying the core of nothingness. The pure purification power and the chaotic negative energy collided, making sizzling sounds. The pitch-black energy dissolved bit by bit in the spiritual light, turning into void energy that merged into the world, no longer posing any threat. The entire purification process lasted for several hours. As the last trace of negative energy was completely purified, there was no longer any trace of Void Evil Energy outside the spatial barrier at the edge of the Universe. The oppressive aura between heaven and earth completely dissipated, leaving only warm Divine Essence and the Power of Bonds lingering in the world.

The moment the core of nothingness completely dissipated, a golden stream of light condensed from the purified energy. After circling in the air, it landed steadily in Lu Chen's hand, turning into an ancient small booklet. The five large characters "Void Annihilation Technique" were carved on the cover of the booklet. This technique detailed the essential characteristics and weak points of the core of nothingness, as well as complete techniques for purifying and ending Void Evil Energy. It could not only targetedly dismantle negative energy aggregates but also prevent the re-emergence of negative energy. It was the ultimate method to completely end the crisis of nothingness and left behind a precious Legacy for dealing with similar evils in the future.

Lu Chen handed the technique to The Five Women. Everyone flipped through it quickly, their eyes full of enlightenment and gratification. This long-lasting crisis of the core of nothingness had finally been completely terminated through everyone's concerted efforts, and the Divine Realm had once again regained peace and vitality. The Five Women looked at the clear world outside the spatial barrier, their eyes full of relief. Yu Lan said softly: "Star Radiance ultimately protected this world in such a way; it can be considered a Perfection. Everything from the past has gone with the wind. From now on, we must cherish each other even more and protect this hard-won peace." The Sea Cultivation Saintess nodded in agreement: "Her fulfillment and sacrifice make us understand the meaning of protection even more, and also make us have more reverence for life."

Just as everyone was immersed in the gratification of the crisis being resolved, Lu Chen suddenly noticed a faint spiritual light pulsing where the core of nothingness had dissipated. He activated his spiritual sense to investigate and saw the energy in that area slowly gathering, eventually condensing into a pearl that was pitch-black all over yet shimmering with a faint spiritual light. The pearl was about the size of a thumb and had a warm texture, yet it contained a strange power of perception—it was the "void origin pearl" left behind after the core of nothingness dissipated.

Lu Chen raised his hand to call the pearl to him. The moment his fingertip touched it, he clearly perceived the pearl's use: it could reflect all hidden negative energy and crises in the Universe. Whether it was hidden evils or impending energy fluctuations, they could all be clearly displayed through the pearl. Like a crisis warning hub, it could perceive threats in advance, giving the Guardians enough time to respond. "This is the void origin pearl. It can reflect hidden crises in the Universe, which can be considered a special gift left after the core of nothingness dissipated." Lu Chen informed everyone of the pearl's use, his eyes full of joy. "With it, we can detect potential threats in advance, nip them in the bud, and better protect the peace of the Divine Realm."

Hearing this, The Five Women and the Cultivators of various races all showed joy, feeling more confident about their future protection. Hongmeng Heavenly Venerable stepped forward and cupped his hands: "Congratulations to the Heavenly Venerable and the five Divine Queens for completely ending the crisis of the core of nothingness and protecting the Divine Realm in its time of peril! This victory is inseparable from your leadership, and even more so from the concerted efforts of all living beings in the Universe. This Power of Bonds has already become the sturdiest Guardian barrier of the Divine Realm." Zixia also stepped forward, her eyes full of relief and blessing: "Now that the crisis is resolved and the Divine Realm has returned to peace, your protection will surely be remembered forever."

Lu Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over The Five Women beside him, then looking at the clear aura and the gathering spiritual light of living beings in the world, his heart full of emotion. This crisis made him deeply understand that true strength is never an individual's Peak cultivation base, but the emotional bonds between each other and the concerted efforts of all living beings in the Universe. Love and protection are the ultimate powers to resist all evil and protect the peace of heaven and earth.

As the sun set in the west, the golden afterglow fell upon the spatial barrier at the edge of the Universe, intertwining with the seven-colored spiritual light of the Nine Universe Guardian Formation and the pollen of the Origin Seed flower fields, outlining a warm and sacred picture. Lu Chen and The Five Women stood before the light screen, leaning closely against each other, their eyes full of tenderness and determination. The crisis of the core of nothingness had completely ended, but the path of protection never stopped. The potential crises reflected by the void origin pearl were still waiting for them to investigate and resolve. But at this moment, they had no fear in their hearts, only because they stayed by each other's side, because their emotional bonds were deep, and because all living beings in the Universe were of one heart and one mind. No matter how many challenges the future held, they could face them hand in hand, protecting this world well, protecting each other's peace, and letting love and protection forever linger in this world.