The Void Dragon Crystal's power was rapidly depleting. The dark purple light dimmed visibly to the naked eye. That precious crystal's surface even began developing fine cracks. Tang Xiao Qi forcibly channeled its unrefined spatial origin power, opposing the demon nest's overwhelming spatial jumping force—nothing less than daring to stop a carriage with a mantis's legs. Every second he endured tremendous backlash. The blood vessels on his arm bulged from overexertion. Blood from his cracked Tiger's Mouth dripped continuously, forming tiny blood beads in the void, which were then shattered by chaotic energy.
"Crack..."
A slight crisp sound. Fine cracks spread across the Void Dragon Crystal's surface. The internal rotating silver star vortexes became chaotic and dim. That intangible "spatial anchoring" ripple violently oscillated, flickering unstably.
The demon nest's detachment sensation became clear again! Its massive body covered with crimson demonic patterns, edges beginning to blur and illusify, as if about to merge into the eternal darkness of the background. That terrifying intention from the nest's depths, carrying rage at being repeatedly provoked by ants, like a materialized tide crashing wave upon wave, attempting to thoroughly crumble their resistance will.
"Xiao Qi! The Dragon Crystal can't hold!" Prince Ao Qin anxiously shouted. He tried to assist stabilizing space with his own dragon origin, but in the face of the demonic entity's vast intention and the demon nest's own power, his efforts were like pebbles thrown into the sea, barely stirring up any ripples.
Mu Xue's face was pale. The extreme cold qi around her condensed then collapsed, difficult to stably unleash under such chaotic and violent space environment and spiritual oppression. Third Senior Sister Liu Yun's hand gripping her sword trembled slightly. Her sword intent being eroded by pervasive malice, difficult to gather. Zhao Tiezhu was even half-kneeling in the void, relying on stubborn willpower just to avoid completely falling, blood continuously trickling from his mouth's corner.
Everyone understood—preventing the demon nest's jump was already impossible. They had exhausted all strength, even paying the price of the Void Dragon Crystal's destruction, merely creating a moment's delay for this beast about to flee into deep space.
Failed?
After all the hardships, crossing the Gui Xu Sea Eye, slaying the Void Demon Dragon, yet ultimately only able to watch the demonic entity with its nest disappear into endless darkness, waiting for it to recover to its prime, returning with destructive fury?
Not acceptable! Intense dissatisfaction to the extreme like flames, burning Xiao Qi's chest!
Cannot end like this! Even if unable to prevent it from leaving, must absolutely not let it disappear into unknown darkness like this. Must leave something! A mark, a coordinate that can be found again no matter where in the universe it escapes to!
In an instant, a thought like a lightning bolt splitting darkness, exploding in his mind.
He lifted his head sharply. His eyes flashed a gleam of determination. His left hand still gripping the about to completely shatter Void Dragon Crystal, squeezing out the last trace of spatial power, maintaining that teetering "spatial anchoring," even if just delaying one moment was good!
Meanwhile, his right hand flew up, fingers joined like a sword! At his fingertip, not the fierce sword aura, but the most primordial power within him—the green lotus phantom containing creation and purification power, forcibly stripped away a trace of purest origin!
This trace of origin, no longer the soft pure white, but presenting a chaotic color like chaos's first opening, yet carrying the green lotus's characteristic, revival of all things vitality. It contained Xiao Qi's complete understanding of "purification" and "guardian" Dao, further integrated his comprehension of universe life-and-death and law origin in the Gui Xu.
At the same time, he forcibly split a wisp of spiritual sense, carrying his unique life imprint, Qingxu Temple's Dao lineage aura, and the karma connection remaining from several battles with the demonic entity, like weaving the finest silk, tightly winding and fusing with that trace of chaotic green lotus origin!
This process was extremely perilous. Especially under the demonic entity's frantic spiritual impact, any slight carelessness would result in spiritual sense severe damage, even Dao foundation impairment. Xiao Qi's face instantly became pale as paper. His seven apertures faintly seepped blood, but his eyes' determination never wavered slightly.
"Go!"
Just as the Void Dragon Crystal shattered completely into powder, the dark purple light completely dissipated, the demon nest broke free of final restraints, accelerating to illusify, about to flee into the deep void's last instant!
Xiao Qi exhausted all his strength, his right hand's sword-finger suddenly pointed forward sharply!
That energy fused with his origin power, spiritual sense imprint, and karma connection, like a silent, formless chaotic-colored little fish, ignoring that violent chaotic spatial turbulence, ignoring the demon nest's surrounding surging dense demonic energy barrier, even to a certain extent ignoring the barrier from the awakening terrifying intention!
It seemed to inherently carry some kind of "penetrating" and "blending in" characteristics, precisely, silently flew toward the demon nest's shell becoming semi-transparent!
The demon nest seemed to sense this tiny yet containing special meaning energy. The surrounding demonic energy instinctively gathered, attempting to annihilate it.
But that Chaotic Green Lotus Mark, the instant it contacted demonic energy, didn't undergo fierce confrontation. Instead, like a drop of water dissolving into the ocean, it silently penetrated inward, directly branding itself deep within the demon nest's writhing material shell composed of countless negative energies and law fragments!
The spot where the mark landed didn't even raise a tiny ripple.
Success!
Just as the mark successfully branded at the same instant—
"Om!!!"
The demon nest emitted its final dull, as if from the bottom of the nine netherworlds, drone. Its massive body completely illusified, stripped from this void, disappeared without a trace.
Along with that suffocating terrifying intention, like the tide receding, instantly distant, not even a trace could be sensed.
The surrounding violent spatial turbulence gradually calmed. The shattered void slowly self-repaired. Only those not yet fully scattered demon dragon ice crystal motes, and the faintly remaining demonic energy and destructive aura in the air, proved that just now that thrilling pursuit and confrontation had occurred.
The void, returned to deathly silence. As if that massive demon nest, that terrifying demonic entity, had never appeared.
"Pfft—"
Xiao Qi could no longer sustain, violently vomiting a large mouthful of blood. His form wavered, almost about to fall from the void. The price of forcibly stripping the green lotus origin and splitting spiritual sense far exceeded imagination. Had his foundation not been deep, he might now be in a coma.
"Xiao Qi!"
Mu Xue instantly flashed to his side, supporting his teetering body. Her pure ice spiritual energy mixed with concern flowed into him, helping stabilize his injuries and chaotic qi. Third Senior Sister, Zhao Tiezhu, and Ao Qin also immediately gathered around, faces full of worry and lingering fear.
"I... I'm fine." Xiao Qi gasped, wiping blood from his mouth's corner. Though his face was pale, his eyes were exceptionally bright. He spread open his right hand. In his palm, it seemed he could still sense that trace of faintly existing connection from distant unknown places. "The mark... succeeded. No matter where it escapes, as long as it's still in this universe, we... will definitely be able to find it again!"
Under hasty circumstances, a nearly all-or-nothing strike, failed to prevent the demon nest's escape, but successfully left on the prey an extremely hidden, extremely difficult to remove tracking mark.
This time, they were the ones passively chasing. Next time, when they are prepared, the roles of hunter and hunted, may reverse.
The Void Demon Nest's threat wasn't eliminated, but the seed of hope, with that Chaotic Green Lotus Mark, had quietly been planted.