Xin only uttered a single word.
"Seal."
Then, a cherry blossom talisman drifted out from the void, slow and weightless, as if it carried the will of a higher order beyond the world itself. It crossed the shattered battlefield and gently affixed itself onto Zhu Zhuqing's Ten Halls of Hunter's Tower.
The moment it landed, the talisman lit up with a cold, divine glow.
Engraved upon it were the words of confinement:
Ten Halls of Hunter's wide open.
Evil thoughts recede.
Heart of Fire sincerely revealed.
As the talisman merged into Zhu Zhuqing's Hunter's Vigil domain, a terrifying suppressive force erupted instantly. It was not destruction, but absolute control—like a judge pressing a verdict onto reality itself.
Within the domain, the Nine-Headed Bloody Crimson Bat King's resistance collapsed in an instant.
Its soul trembled as it was forcibly pinned down by the combined authority of Xin and Zhu Zhuqing's Hunter's Kings.
At that moment, it finally understood.
There was no escape.
Without sacrifice, it would be endlessly tortured within hell—refined, broken down, and erased bit by bit under the judgment of the Hunter's Kings and Xin's will.
Or it could choose sacrifice.
But even that "choice" was not freedom. It meant surrendering everything—its cultivation, its pride, its accumulated centuries of power—leaving only a final fragile wisp of soul to remain within the domain for recovery.
A true prison either way.
The Bloody Crimson Bat King screamed, its voice no longer arrogant but fractured with panic.
"I choose sacrifice! I choose sacrifice!"
At the moment of submission, energy surged violently.
An overwhelming torrent of cultivation power poured into Zhu Zhuqing's body. A crimson spirit ring slowly rose beneath her feet, radiating an ancient and terrifying pressure.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring.
The Bloody Crimson Bat King was, beyond doubt, a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast.
And the spirit ring formed through sacrifice was naturally a hundred-thousand-year red spirit ring.
Zhu Zhuqing stood frozen in place, staring at the glowing ring beneath her feet in disbelief.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit ring…
It was real.
She actually had one.
She was the first student in the academy to possess such a spirit ring.
And she knew clearly in her heart who had made this possible.
It was Xin.
It was her Teacher who had fought for it.
"Teacher Xin…"
"My spirit power… my spirit ring… such powerful strength!"
Zhu Zhuqing's mind trembled violently. Her spirit power surged uncontrollably as the energy of the sacrifice washed through her body.
Level 60… level 62… level 65… level 68…
The combination of slaughter intent refined in Slaughter City and the pure energy from the Bloody Crimson Bat King fused together, pushing her limits beyond what she had ever imagined.
Her spirit power finally stabilized at level 69.
"Sit cross-legged and digest it."
Xin's voice came calmly as he pressed a hand onto her shoulder.
His tone carried no urgency, only certainty and concern.
"You've just obtained this power. It is still unstable."
Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks turned slightly red at the contact. She lifted her gaze toward Xin, admiration and trust blending within her eyes.
Without hesitation, she followed his instruction.
She immediately sat down cross-legged, calming the violent surge of spirit power within her body and beginning to stabilize her foundation.
At that moment—
"Teacher Xin~!"
A voice suddenly broke through the atmosphere.
Ning Rongrong rushed forward and directly threw herself into Xin's arms, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I thought you weren't coming to save us anymore! Your wise, brilliant, and irreplaceable eldest disciple almost didn't see you again—boo hoo hoo~"
Her voice cracked dramatically, and her body trembled slightly as she clung to him, as if afraid that letting go would make him disappear.
Xin could feel the dampness soaking into his chest.
Fear.
Real fear.
Not the usual exaggeration she liked to show, but the kind born from standing at the edge of death and looking straight into it.
For once, Xin did not push her away.
Instead, his hand gently rested on her head.
His voice softened slightly.
"You're still as noisy as ever."
But his hand did not move away.
It remained there, steady and grounding, as the shattered battlefield of Slaughter City gradually fell into a rare silence.
And in that silence, something unfamiliar quietly appeared.
A sense of safety.
...
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