The Demonic Lord's pitch-black origin, stripped of all external forms and exposed to the world, was like the most stubborn malignant tumor on the universe's scar, quietly hovering, emanating pure "evil" intent that made souls tremble. It existed soundlessly, as if mocking all attempts to erase it. Its essence seemed to have touched some underlying rule of the universe's dark side, nearly... indestructible.
Mu Xue, Ao Qin and others' hearts sank. They could feel that dark mass's bizarre and tenacious nature. Conventional means, even the World-Purifying Green Lotus's light that purified all things, seemed only able to suppress and strip its derivatives, difficult to shake this most core "source."
Could it be that after paying such a tragic price, Father Xu Zhan's soul scattering, Third Senior Sister Liu Yun burning through everything, ultimately... still could not thoroughly end this demonic scourge?
Just as this gravity and a trace of despair quietly spread, Tang Xiaoqi hovering in the air slowly closed his eyes.
He didn't look at that unsettling dark origin, but sank his consciousness into his own origin that was perfectly merged with the Green Lotus, into the heart lake boiling from extreme emotion.
He saw Father Xu Zhan's resolute dissipating figure, heard that final blessing and expectation.
He saw Third Senior Sister Liu Yun's self-sacrificing sword strike's brilliance and tragedy.
He saw Aunt Su's dissipation after weeping blood and calling out.
He saw Qingxu Temple's morning bell and evening drum, saw the magnificent landscape of mountains and rivers, saw the longing for peace and tranquility on countless ordinary beings' faces...
A hundred years of seeking, a path full of thorns, all sacrifices, all guardianship, all love and pain... at this moment, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, all gathered in his heart.
The World-Purifying Green Lotus's power could purify filth, could cleanse evil, but facing this conceptual aggregate representing the universe's dark side, perhaps... another kind of power was needed.
A kind not originating from supreme authority, but originating from... human heart's power.
A kind not for destruction, but for... guardian's power.
His dao had never been simply "purification."
But... "guardian"!
Using purification power to do guardian's work!
Enlightenment, like lightning cutting through darkness, exploded in his dao heart's depths!
He suddenly opened his eyes!
Those green eyes no longer held only the cold majesty of purifying all things, but now burned with a blazing to the extreme, firm to eternity—guardian will!
He no longer hovered, but slowly descended back to the ground, feet firmly planted, as if tightly connected with this world behind him that needed guarding.
He raised his right hand, fingers together like a sword.
No dazzling sword light, no blazing flames, no chaotic qi currents, not even mobilizing that vast-as-sea Green Lotus origin power.
He only condensed his own Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivation, his complete understanding of purification laws after merging with the Green Lotus, and more importantly, that accumulated over a hundred years, for father, for friends, for teachers, for this world's beings... all guardian thoughts, all gathered at these joined fingertips!
An indescribable, seemingly ordinary yet as if containing heaven and earth's ultimate truth aura, spread from his fingertips. That aura was not domineering, not sharp, yet carried an absolute will of "this road is blocked," "evil demons scatter"!
Behind him, that World-Purifying Green Lotus phantom manifested again. But this time, it didn't bloom purification divine light, but quietly merged all power, all dao rhyme, into Xiao Qi's joined fingertips, into that pure... guardian thought.
"Demonic Lord."
Xiao Qi spoke, his voice calm, yet like a great bell and tripod, resounding at the law level.
"You originate from darkness, taking devouring and destruction as instinct, viewing all beings as ants and food."
"You will never understand why there are sacrifices of knowing you can't win yet generously going to death, why there is persistence of abandoning oneself to guard others, why these seemingly tiny ants can erupt with light that makes even you, this supreme demonic source, tremble."
At his fingertips, that point condensing all power and belief began to radiate a warm and firm white light. That light was not purification's green, but... hope's color, guardian's brilliance!
"This sword is not for killing, not for destruction."
"Only for... guardian!"
The moment his words fell, Xiao Qi's joined fingertips, facing the void, facing that constantly twisting Demonic Lord origin, gently... made a stroke!
No earth-shaking momentum, no phenomenon of tearing space.
Only a seemingly slender, ordinary, presenting pure white, yet as if condensed from countless tiny runes and prayers... sword light, quietly flew from his fingertips.
This white sword light was not fast, yet carried a law charm of "inevitable hit," "unavoidable," like fate's trajectory, straight... shooting toward that Demonic Lord origin!
The Demonic Lord origin seemed to sense an unprecedented threat. That twisting darkness madly writhed, contracted, expanded, attempting to change form to evade, attempting to release final oblivion aura to resist!
But, useless!
Before that white sword light containing utmost pure "guardian" belief, all evasion, all resistance, appeared so pale and powerless!
The sword light soundlessly... sank into that pitch-black Demonic Lord origin.
Time, seemed to stop at this moment.
The next moment—
Sizzle...
A sound so slight it was almost imperceptible came from within the Demonic Lord origin.
Like spring sun melting snow, like dawn driving away darkness.
That mass condensed from the world's utmost darkness, seemingly eternally indestructible pitch-black origin, under that white sword light's illumination, from its very core, bit by bit... became transparent, became... pure!
The negative emotions within—greed, hatred, fear, despair... like dew irradiated by warm sunlight, rapidly evaporated, dissipated.
That suffocating "evil" intent receded like a retreating tide.
Finally, under the white sword light's continuous illumination, that Demonic Lord origin completely stopped twisting, transforming into a mass of no attributes, no will, most origin most pure... chaotic energy mass, quietly hovering there, no longer possessing any threat.
The Guardian Sword, what it cut off was not matter, but... the "evil thought" and "will" of its existence!
The Demonic Lord origin, was... purified.
Not eliminated, but... returned to origin.
Inside the grand hall, all was silent.
Everyone stared blankly at that already harmless pure energy, looking at Xiao Qi who had withdrawn his fingers, face slightly pale yet eyes bright.
Won...
This time, it was truly... won.