The dark gold seal light column and that demonic claw projection composed of pure evil thoughts and destructive energy collided forcefully above the Northwest wasteland!
There was no expected earth-shaking explosion, nor an energy impact surge. The confrontation between the two seemed to occur in another dimension, a level more akin to a confrontation at the level of laws and will.
"Sizzle---!"
Like hot iron immersed in ice water, a sharp erosion sound pierced everyone's ears and souls. The dark gold light column represented the ancient seal's remaining will, the Demon-Suppressing Nail's supreme suppressing Dao rhyme, and Xiao Qi's poured Green Lotus purification power. It was supremely righteous and unbreakable. The demonic claw projection gathered the demonic entity's true bodytowering resentment, hatred for all things in the world, and crazy desire to break its bonds. It was supremely sinister, eroding all things.
At the interface where they contacted, space like broken glass spread with countless fine black cracks. Light distorted and annihilated there. The dark gold light column shook violently, its light flickering uncertainly, as if it might be devoured by endless darkness at any moment. The demonic claw projection's pressing momentum was clearly obstructed, even burned by that pure purification force, black gas churning, issuing silent roars.
This was Tang Xiao Qi's first frontal confrontation with the sealed demonic entity's primal consciousness! Although the opponent was merely a projection, its essence was extremely high, the demonic might contained far exceeded ordinary cultivators' understanding!
Xiao Qi, at the light column's source, bore unimaginable pressure. He felt his soulas ifthrown into the purgatory furnace, countless evil thoughts, crazy whispers, and temptations and questions directly targeting hisDao heart loopholes, like billions of steel needles,madpiercing him'sconsciousness. Illusions proliferated before his eyes: sometimes seeing Qingxu Temple turn to ruins in demonic fire, senior brothers and sisters dying miserably; sometimes seeing Mu Xue's cold, disappointed gaze; sometimes seeing himself holding demonic weapons, standing on mountains of corpses and seas of blood, ruling the world...
The demonic entity was trying to collapse his will from within!
"Persist in original mind! Evil cannot prevail over righteousness!" Xiao Qi tightly guarded that swaying yet never-extinguishing Green Lotus in his sea of consciousness, slashing away all distractions and illusions. His Dao heart was crystal clear, tempered through countless hardships, already as solid as bedrock. The Green Lotus Origin was like the most loyal guard, washing away all demonic thoughts attempting to invade.
However, the confrontation of will was merely the beginning. That demonic claw projection contained pure power, pressing through the light column, like billions of jun weight, bearing down on his flesh body and Golden Core. His bones emitted groans unable to bear the load. His meridians felt as if torn apart, extremely painful. That dragon-eye-sized Green Lotus Golden Core rotated at unprecedented speed, outputting vast core power, yet still like a cup of water poured into an ocean.
"Ant! With your meager cultivation, how dare you bear the seal's power? Break for me!" The demonic projection'swill mixed with countless screams attacked Xiao Qi's sea of consciousness again. The demonic claw forcefully increased strength. The dark gold light column immediately dimmed by thirty percent, bending downward in a startling arc!
"Pfft!" Xiao Qi could no longer suppress, a mouthful of blood containing faint golden light specks sprayed out. His face instantly turned deathly pale. The ground beneath his feet, with the formation eye as the center, collapsed into a huge pit!
"True Lord!"
"Fellow Cultivator Tang!"
Ao Zhan, Ling Shuang, and others watched with eyes almost bursting from their sockets, desperately struggling to break through the invisible pressure binding them to rush over and help. It was like being stuck in quicksand, unable to move even an inch! At this level of battle, they could no longer intervene!
"Cannot lose! If I fall, everything behind me ends!" Xiao Qi's mind flashed his father Xu Zhan's decisive figure, his master's dispersing starlight at dissolution, countless living beings needing protection... An unyielding belief like a volcanoerupted from his heart!
Hesuddenly raised his head, his blood-stained mouth hooking into a determined arc. His eyes blazed with golden light to the extreme!
"Your power? Nothing but a tree without roots, a stream without source! And I... bear this heaven and earth, the hopes of countless living beings! Green Lotus purifies the world, Dao heart does not perish! Rise for me!"
He no longer merely passively induced the seal's remnant power but proactively poured his Green Lotus Dao seed, his complete understanding and belief in the path of protection, without any reservation into the nail beneath his feet, into this broken ancient formation!
"Buzz---!!!"
The Demon-Suppressing Nail issued a deafening roar! The dark gold runes on the nail body no longer merely flowed but like awakened ancient divine script, each one leaving the nail body, shooting skyward, merging into that swaying light column!
Meanwhile, beneath the entire Northwest wasteland earth, those remaining ancient formation veins seemed reawakened. Scattered spiritual lights gathered from all directions, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, injecting into the light column!
The originally dim, bent light column instantly became substantial and thick by several times! Its brilliance was so intense it temporarily dispersed the sky vortex's darkness, illuminating that demonic claw projection transparently!
"Roar---!!"
The demonic claw projection let out painful, angry roars. Its composed black gas and resentful force violently evaporated and dissipated under the pure purification light! That enormous silhouette began to become unstable, blurry!
This was victory of will and conviction! It was Xiao Qi using himself as the guide, leveraging this land's dormant righteous power for ten thousand ages, opposing that evil projection from beyond the realm!
In the demonic entity's projection's two blood-colored enormous eyes, disbelief appeared for the first time. It clearly did not expect that this seemingly small ant not only had such firm will but could also induce such vast heavenly righteousness!
"Ant... you... very well!" A resentful, toxicwill transmitted. "But this is merely the beginning! When my true body descends, I shall... crush your bones to dust and ashes your flesh!"
Knowing things were impossible, that continuing would cause this projection to be completely purified, the demonic entity's will was filled with unwilling violent rage. That huge demonic claw projection suddenly retracted. Along with the huge dark vortex in the sky, like a tide it rapidly retreated, disappearing in a blink, as if it never existed.
The sky restored its previous lead-gray color, but thatsuffocating terrifying pressure also dissipated.
"Thud!"
The pressure suddenly disappeared. Xiao Qi could no longer hold. He knelt on one knee, then another mouthful of blood sprayed out. His aura wilted to the extreme, his surrounding spiritual power almost exhausted. That brief confrontation had nearly drained him of everything.
"True Lord!"
Ao Zhan, Ling Shuang, and others finally regained mobility, immediately rushing forward to surround and protect him, their faces full of worry andlingering fear.
Xiao Qi waved his hand, indicating he was fine. He raised his head and looked toward where the demonic projection disappeared, his gaze still sharp.
Although he had repelled the projection, he knew the demonic entity's words were no empty threats. This was merely the beginning. The true crisis was far from resolved. The account between him and the demonic entity's true body would eventually need complete settlement!