Demonic Qi surged, tracing back along the energy Chaosheng emitted, invading his heart meridians via his arm.
“Chaosheng, Chaosheng,” Wu Yingzong said tremulously. “Guard your true heart!”
A vibrant green flame bloomed at Chaosheng’s heart meridians. Shallow green light sprayed from his eyes. As the Demonic Fire assailed the green flame, the Giant Ape flipped its hand, its left palm clamping the black Wooden Hairpin in Chaosheng’s chest. Demonic Fire blanketed the sky, scorching the Giant Ape’s fur and body black. It shuddered violently, but its eyes remained bright.
Chaosheng sensed the kindred aura and said arduously, “It hurts so much… This is… a demonized Sacred Tree… Let go… Old Wu, you can’t do it…”
“Look at me! Look at me!” the Giant Ape roared.
Chaosheng looked up, his eyes bursting with strong light as he met the Giant Ape’s gaze.
The Giant Ape said tremulously, “Chaosheng, that day I really said those words out of spite because of you. I felt bored and had a fit… I’m sorry, it was all my fault, I was the bad one. Chaosheng, I’ve always… always…
“…From the first moment I saw you, I… I…”
The Giant Ape mustered all its strength, lips moving. Finally, those three words escaped. With a yank, it pulled out the black Wooden Hairpin. Green light exploded. As Chaosheng shouted, vitality erupted in reverse, shattering millions of dark vines. The quicksand pit bulged, detonated, and blasted Mr. Ying away in the radiance.
At Gaochang City’s gates, the high walls lay leveled. Countless green plants rose gently, lifting the two deep in the sands. Green vitality swirled around Chaosheng as he embraced Wu Yingzong, who had reverted to human form.
Wu Yingzong’s eyes were tightly shut, arms around Chaosheng’s waist. Chaosheng held Wu Yingzong’s neck, drawing him into his embrace.
Wu Yingzong’s scorched-black arms, burned by Demonic Flame, healed completely under Chaosheng’s immortal power, cracked skin mending.
Kunlun Talismanic Runes like tattoos emerged from his hand up his arm, gleaming briefly before fading.
Chaosheng and Wu Yingzong opened their eyes simultaneously. The vines dispersed, and they landed.
“I… I…” Wu Yingzong looked up at Chaosheng, panting heavily.
Chaosheng held his neck and kissed his forehead. Wu Yingzong flushed crimson, beastly urges surging as he panted heavily. Only when he gradually calmed did Chaosheng release him.
Drums of charge echoed through the sandstorm. To Gaochang’s due west, war banners fluttered amid the yellow sands.
“Where’s Mr. Ying? Where’d his Magic Treasure go?” Chaosheng asked.
“More enemies!” Wu Yingzong turned to look.
“No!” Bila Ge stood fearless atop the heights and shouted, “Reinforcements! Hold on! We’re going to win!”
On the battlefield:
Xiao Kun flitted like a bird through the pitch black toward the enemy rear.
He shook out the Tang Dao and stood atop a massive boulder, facing the black fire pillar. His right hand gripped the hilt, left covered the blade. He slowly drew the knife across his palm, blood flowing along the edge and dripping.
Xiao Kun closed his indigo eyes and murmured an incantation. The Tang Dao drank his blood; the crimson liquid writhed like eerie life on the gleaming blade, turning the entire weapon blood-red. But it was not over. As his aura spread, faint blue light pulsed from his heart. His long hair sheared itself bladeless in the air, becoming short white flames, while the severed three thousand strands of black silk coiled around the blade.
“…With the hair and blood of my War Dead Corpse Ghost… bearing the Corpse Immortal Name… I offer this Blood Sacrifice…” Xiao Kun’s voice echoed faintly.
Mr. Liu’s body blazed with black fire within the pillar. He suddenly turned.
The Myriad Phenomena Blade in Xiao Kun’s hand bloomed with light, tearing the dark sky. The blade flew free, spinning in the air. Wherever it passed, the Milky Way seemed overturned; heaven and earth’s starfire converged into a single arcing river!
Mr. Liu hastily gathered Demonic Fire before him and bellowed, clashing against the Myriad Phenomena. The explosion allowed him to dodge the killing blow that would have bisected him.
Xiao Kun closed in on Mr. Liu and raised his left hand, manifesting the Senluo Blade.
“The follow-up is here,” Xiao Kun said gravely.
Blood sprayed. Xiao Kun performed a second Blood Sacrifice, nearly chest-to-chest with Mr. Liu. Half his body sank into the black Demonic Flame pillar as he unleashed a heaven-shaking slash from within its embrace.
That strike cleaved the Demonic Fire pillar in two. Mr. Liu roared and met it with his Ancient Flute. The flute clashed with the Tang Dao, cracking faintly and emitting a battlefield-shaking dissonance.
Xiao Kun struck cleanly, slashing upward from below and shattering Mr. Liu!
At the battlefield’s center, Xiang Xian unleashed golden light, streaking forth. Yan Yan’s Demonic Qi whipped endlessly as she fled repeatedly, dragging the golden light in pursuit. Xiang Xian bathed in golden fire, scorching earth to scorched earth wherever he passed. Mummies ignited, Demonic Qi dispersed; he rolled like a golden orb across the field.
The rear Demonic Fire pillar collapsed with a boom, scattering flames. Yan Yan whipped her head around, realizing Mr. Liu was defeated. As she turned to aid him, Xiang Xian streaked as blinding light and pierced her chest from behind with a sword thrust.
Yan Yan let out a quaking scream. Xiang Xian hovered in the air, myriad golden rays beaming. He pointed the Wisdom Sword to the heavens with one hand; light and fire erupted ceaselessly, incinerating Yan Yan’s overflowing Demonic Qi body.
Atop the walls, the sandstorm began to dissipate.
“I’m going!” Hulü Guang knew the moment had come.
“Be careful!” Chaosheng warned.
Hulü Guang vaulted down the walls swiftly, mounted a warhorse, and charged toward Xiang Xian at the center, ready to guard him once he exhausted himself.
“I’m… not… willing…” Yan Yan gathered her last Demonic Qi and roared, “I’m not willing—!”
Yet before the supreme Divine Weapon that countered demons, the golden light burned black qi like Blazing Flame melting snow. Yan Yan trembled violently. As her black qi steamed madly after the Wisdom Sword impalement, on the verge of total incineration—
A massive face of gathered Demonic Qi appeared before the hovering Xiang Xian.
“It wasn’t easy, was it…” the demonic face said slowly. “Two doomed souls, managing to reach this point…”
