Soul Self-Destruction!

Bursts of splendid, multicolored radiance erupted from Li Tan's soul. His soul strength was at the Blood-Stained Peak, further consolidated by the baptism of incense-wishing power. Such vast and immense Divine Soul Force exploded within his Sea of Consciousness. Not to mention those in the Dao-Entering Realm, even Dao Experts would suffer considerably for a while.

The scattered radiance transformed into a roiling, fierce cloud of light, rapidly invading and collapsing Qi Xiu's Sea of Consciousness. The vast Sea of Consciousness began to crack like shattering glass, revealing dark, empty voids.

"Let's die together!"

Within the cloud of light, Li Tan's malicious and resentful face condensed, roaring furiously. After being eroded by the Golden Flower Old Mother for so many years, his psyche had become utterly twisted. Had it not been for the hope of rebirth through another's body, he would have given up long ago. But now, that last glimmer of hope was gone. His complete descent into darkness shattered his sanity, making him more frenzied than a mindless beast.

"Madman. Sweetheart, this body is ruined. Why don't you come with me? I'll find you a better vessel. If you no longer wish to be human, you can choose to become a demon, a fierce ghost, or any creature from the myriad realms."

From atop the throne, the purple-haired Heart Demon's voice carried a faint, seductive allure. Though she had saved Qi Xiu from Li Tan's hands, she too harbored malicious intentions, desiring to corrupt Qi Xiu's mind.

There was a wolf before him and a tiger behind. Both ends of his path were blocked. He could either agree to the purple-haired Heart Demon's terms and abandon this physical body—but how much could he trust the words of a Heart Demon? The moment he agreed, he might become her enslaved puppet. But if he refused, Li Tan's Soul Self-Destruction could annihilate his body and soul in an instant, scattering his spirit to the winds!

"Die, die, die!!!"

"Have you decided yet? There's not much time left~"

"Die, die, die!!!"

"Come with me~"

"DIE!!!!!!!!!!"

"Sweetheart~"

The two voices intertwined chaotically in his ears, each word like a hammer blow, piercing his heart. In an instant, countless images flashed before Qi Xiu's eyes, his heart thundered, and an indescribable restlessness surged within him. His brows furrowed fiercely, and he bellowed, "Enough!"

With that cry, the Sea of Consciousness shook. Under this immense pressure, his state of 'spirit and flesh as one' achieved a perfect, seamless integration.

「In an instant!」

A stream of enlightenment, like a gushing spring, flooded Qi Xiu's mind. His eyes became clear, a divine light faintly flickering within them as he muttered to himself, "So that's how it is; I was thinking too simply..."

With this realization, strands of brilliant, pure, colorful light suddenly swirled around Qi Xiu's soul.

"Eh? Isn't this..."

The purple-haired woman on the Heavenly Demon's throne noticed the light emerging from Qi Xiu's soul. Her gaze shifted slightly, a hint of disbelief in her eyes.

"Spirit and flesh as one, soul and self unified. My mind is incomparably agile, my judgment prescient, and my premonition of danger unprecedentedly acute. My every word now carries immense soul-crushing power. I can scan my surroundings with Divine Sense and even form tangible soul attacks. Those with weak souls would have their spirits stripped away merely by this force brushing past them. These are all amplifications from the body borrowing Divine Soul Force, achieved after the unification of spirit and flesh. By the same token, the soul can also draw upon the body's strength to use as a spiritual technique. Just like this..."

With his right hand lowered and his left hand forming a Daoist Incantation, Qi Xiu's eyes shone with a keen light. Behind him, a massive black hole materialized, pulsing with countless colorful rays of light and unleashing a terrifying suction force.

Star Absorption Skill!

「In an instant!」

A tremendous suction force erupted from the black hole behind Qi Xiu. The dreadful cloud of light from Li Tan's self-destructing soul was continuously drawn in, like a whale gulping water.

"What is this! You, you, you..."

Within the cloud of light, Li Tan's panic-stricken face materialized. He stared at the black hole, its swirling, colorful light like an abyss that could swallow the heavens, the earth, and all living beings!

"Devouring Heaven Demon Skill!"

The purple-haired woman's moist, full lips uttered a name that could shake the world. Her expression was complicated as she gazed at Qi Xiu, a mixture of surprise and a deeply hidden wariness.

"Sect Hierarch Li, didn't you want to use my body for rebirth? Fine. Today, I will devour your Divine Soul Force. Wouldn't that also be a continuation of your life, in a way?"

After absorbing the light cloud from Li Tan's self-destruction, Qi Xiu felt his Divine Soul Force steadily increase. His devastated Sea of Consciousness not only recovered but became even more expansive and vast than before.

"Nonsense! Where did you learn such Demonic Skills! You, a cultivator of the Righteous Path, practicing Demonic Skills! You will surely face divine retribution! Divine retribution!"

Cursing venomously, Li Tan tried to coalesce the light cloud into a giant wave to submerge Qi Xiu's soul. But the instant that thought arose, something incredible happened. One, two, five, ten... in a flash, three hundred and sixty-five black holes, manifestations of his Hunyuan Apertures, appeared simultaneously within his Sea of Consciousness.

Three hundred and sixty-five black holes hovered above the Sea of Consciousness, radiating boundless, colorful light! They were like three hundred and sixty-five multicolored suns hanging high, illuminating everything! The colossal wave of light Li Tan had conjured was instantly fragmented into countless streams by the suction of the three hundred and sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures, all flowing upward and into them.

"No! I refuse to accept this! I won't accept it!!!"

His face contorted to the extreme, Li Tan roared wildly. He had waited for so many years, finally seizing a chance for rebirth, only to be so utterly defeated!

"You little beast! Today, as my soul shatters, I curse you! May you find no good end in this world..."

His face, distorted and stretched thin by the pull of the Hunyuan Apertures, uttered one last venomous curse before his voice rapidly faded, then vanished completely.

Having devoured the Divine Soul Force of Li Tan—a cultivator at the Pinnacle of the Bloodstained Realm who had also undergone the baptism of incense-wishing power—Qi Xiu's soul solidified, reaching a state between the ethereal and the tangible. All three hundred and sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures operated simultaneously. Even a soul expert like Li Tan could not withstand it.

After completely absorbing Li Tan's Divine Soul Force, golden light flowed within Qi Xiu's eyes, making them as bright and warm as the sun.

I guessed correctly... This so-called rebirth technique... Daoist Qingya taught it to Li Tan.

Absorbing Li Tan's soul also granted Qi Xiu fragments of his memories. Among them, he found the origin of the rebirth technique.

As for why Daoist Qingya would do such a thing, there could only be two explanations. One, Daoist Qingya taught Li Tan, hoping he would use this Dharma Gate to be reborn and replace Qi Xiu. Second, Daoist Qingya's Observing Qi Skill had reached a profound level. He might have foreseen, even decades prior, Qi Xiu's arrival here. He might have deduced that Li Tan could not defeat Qi Xiu and would only become fodder to strengthen Qi Xiu's soul. Teaching Li Tan the rebirth technique, then, was a way to lure him willingly into Qi Xiu's Sea of Consciousness. Because only there, within his own domain, could Qi Xiu be certain of suppressing Li Tan. It was even possible that Daoist Qingya had foreseen the Heart Demon woman's existence and factored her into his plans.

Qi Xiu couldn't determine which of these possibilities was true. Although I lean towards the latter, if it were true, that portly Daoist is terrifying indeed. To see more than a decade into the future with a single glance. To perceive every change and underlying mystery. Could such a being still be considered 'human'?

Pushing these conjectures aside, Qi Xiu silently resolved that if he ever encountered that mysterious, portly Daoist again, he would have a thorough discussion and get some clear answers.

His gaze shifted. Having eliminated Li Tan, the most immediate danger, Qi Xiu did not retract the three hundred and sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures he had manifested. Instead, he turned his eyes, his peripheral vision catching the Heart Demon woman.

"Hmm? Sweetheart, are you planning to attack me?"

Sensing the chill in Qi Xiu's eyes, the Heart Demon woman expressed slight surprise, "I just saved your life, you know, Sweetheart."

Qi Xiu faced the Heart Demon woman directly, his expression calm, his eyes downcast. "Therefore, I can also spare you once. Leave my Sea of Consciousness now, and we'll be even. The next time we meet, it will be a matter of life and death for each of us."

Although Qi Xiu was wary of the Heart Demon woman lurking in his Sea of Consciousness, he knew that if she hadn't intervened, he would have died during Li Tan's initial assault. A debt of gratitude was one thing, a grudge another. He had to distinguish between them.

"Hehehe, spare me? Oh, Sweetheart, you are truly amusing. It's been many years since I heard someone claim they would 'spare' me."

Chuckling, the purple-haired woman covered her mouth, and the supremely noble purple radiance around her intensified, becoming even more dazzling. Within this light, visions churned: mountains of corpses and seas of blood, immortals and demons locked in bloody slaughter, the gods themselves falling silent. A faint dirge played, as if the entire cosmos was collapsing into its final twilight.

Her eyelids lifted slightly. The purple-haired woman's gaze met Qi Xiu's, a playful glint in her eyes. "Your cultivation is indeed impressive.

"Hunyuan? It's been ages since I last saw someone of this lineage.

"If you were a fully developed Innate Hunyuan Holy Body, I would fear you somewhat.

"But you're just a whelp, still wet behind the ears.

"Do you believe that right now, I can just..."

She slowly raised her right hand. Just as the purple-haired woman was about to strike and show Qi Xiu the true chasm between them, an untainted, pure golden radiance suddenly surged forth from the void!

In that instant, layers of void seemed to overlap before Qi Xiu's eyes. Across the innumerable prefectures, counties, and villages of the vast Dianchuan Province, tens of millions of people cheered and sang. From each of them arose an exceedingly faint yet incredibly pure stream of power. This power traversed mountains and rivers in an instant, arriving before Qi Xiu like a celestial waterfall. It coalesced into a golden column of light, firmly enveloping and protecting him.

"Human Path Merit!"

Seeing the golden column of light firmly protecting Qi Xiu, the purple-haired woman frowned slightly. The hand she had just raised unconsciously lowered.

For slaying Li Tan, thwarting the Golden Flower Old Mother's descent, and saving tens of millions of the Human Race in Dianchuan Province from the calamitous arrival of an Evil God. Such overwhelming merit finally descended at this moment!

Bathed in the pillar of merit, the calamitous aura within Qi Xiu rapidly began to transform into Xuanhuang Qi. Simultaneously, all the residual Heavenly Gang Qi within him surged out. These two cosmic energies—Xuanhuang Qi and Heavenly Gang Qi—combined. Behind Qi Xiu, a mystical and indescribable bridge, spanning the void between heaven and earth, began to solidify at a visible pace. It extended directly towards the Ancestral Aperture between his eyebrows!

...

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