The aura of death was like an icy spider web, tightly wrapping around every inch of Xiao Qi's skin. The Silver-Faced Envoy's palm, covered in pitch-black scales, rapidly enlarged in his pupils, the pressure it brought nearly crushing his soul. The sinister demonic qi from the wound where the shadow shuttle had pierced his left shoulder was still madly raging, attempting to freeze his life force. At this moment, time seemed infinitely extended. He could clearly see the despair on Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister's faces as they watched helplessly, unable to rescue him. He could feel the anxious trembling of the rabbit spirit in his arms and could "hear" the cruel, gloating sneers of the surrounding demon cultivators.
However, just as his consciousness was about to be devoured by darkness, the jade pendant at his chest—that mysterious object passed down through the Xu family bloodline, harboring the "Purification Source"—seemed to be thoroughly enraged by this ultimate evil and death. It was no longer merely warm but had transformed into a miniature, scorching sun pressed against his heart!
An indescribable force containing ancient, majestic, and pure will, like a volcano that had slumbered for ten thousand years, erupted! This force instantly washed away the sinister demonic qi invading his meridians. The black shadow shuttle embedded in his shoulder, in the instant this power swept past, let out a soft "hiss" like ice and snow thrown into the blazing sun, directly melting and vaporizing without leaving even a trace of residue.
Immediately afterward, a white light indescribable in its brilliance and purity suddenly bloomed centered on Xiao Qi, without warning yet incomparably firmly!
This light was not piercing to the eyes; instead, it carried a gentleness that soothed the heart. Yet wherever it passed, evil retreated and demonic qi dissolved!
The first to bear the brunt was the Silver-Faced Envoy right before him. His determined claw, upon touching this white light, saw the pitch-black scales and substantial demonic qi wreathed upon it let out teeth-grinding "sizzling" sounds as if encountering a natural nemesis. Black smoke rose, and the originally condensed power became thin and dim at a visible rate! He let out a muffled groan, his forward-rushing figure forcibly halted, even retreating half a step uncontrollably. In those eyes that had always been calm as an ancient well, disbelief and shock appeared for the first time. He felt his cultivation base's operation had momentarily stagnated, as if suppressed and rejected by some higher-level power!
"What power is this?!" he cried out, his voice carrying a tremor he himself hadn't noticed.
This was merely the beginning.
The white purification light spread like mercury flowing across the ground, rapidly extending throughout the entire battlefield.
The black quagmire domain with its churning ghostly hands, evolved from the Silver-Faced Envoy's demonic art, upon being covered by the white light, was like snow thrown into boiling oil, emitting violent "hissing" sounds as if countless wronged souls were wailing. The viscous mire quickly clarified and dried up. Those hideous ghostly hands twisted and dissipated in the white light, unable to condense again. Mu Qingfeng immediately felt his body lighten. That heavy domain pressure instantly vanished, and the sword-intent pure land he had propped up became stable.
Liu Yun, who had been attacking madly, saw the black flame blade aura unleashed by the Crimson-Faced Demon Cultivator, upon touching the white light, have its demonic fire quickly dim and extinguish as if doused with ice water, its power less than a tenth of what it was. And that White-Faced Demon Cultivator with his elusive form let out a miserable scream. His renowned Shadow Escape technique seemed to lose its effect under the white light. His form was forcibly forced out from the shadows, exposed in broad daylight, the black qi around him churning, appearing in extreme pain.
As for those ordinary Shadow Snake Pavilion demon cultivators, their fate was even more tragic. Their protective demonic qi was as thin as a cicada's wing before the white light, instantly penetrated. When the light shone on their bodies, those with weaker cultivation directly began to emit black smoke like wax figures roasted by the blazing sun, letting out painful wails, rolling on the ground, their breath rapidly withering. Even Golden Core stage demon cultivators felt as if they were carrying mountains, their spiritual power circulating poorly, their strength severely suppressed, their faces filled with shock and discomfort.
The entire battlefield's situation had undergone a heaven-turning reversal under this sudden purification light!
The originally aggressive Shadow Snake Pavilion side, with their absolute advantage, instantly fell into great chaos and passivity. While the originally precarious Qingxu Temple disciples, under the shroud of this warm, pure white light, felt their consumed spiritual power recovering at an accelerated rate, their injuries being nourished by a gentle force, and even their minds became unprecedentedly peaceful and determined.
"This... this is Xiao Qi?" a Qingxu Temple disciple murmured, looking at Tang Xiao Qi standing there like a source of light, radiating a soft but inviolable white glow, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Mu Qingfeng and Liu Yun were equally shocked, but their reactions were extremely fast.
"Opportunity! Counterattack!" Mu Qingfeng roared. Seizing the moment when the Silver-Faced Envoy was shaken and his domain broken, his long sword erupted with unprecedentedly brilliant light. An earth-yellow sword aura condensed to the extreme, like a roaring dragon, went straight for the Silver-Faced Envoy's face!
Liu Yun moved with her sword, achieving sword and person as one, transforming into a startled rainbow tearing through the sky, targeting the White-Faced Demon Cultivator who was panicking because his escape technique had been broken! Before the sword arrived, that peerlessly sharp sword intent already made his entire body feel cold.
Xiao Qi stood in place. The wound on his left shoulder had stopped bleeding under the nourishment of the white light and even began to slowly heal. He felt his body had become a channel, with surging purification power continuously pouring in through the jade pendant and then spreading out. This power was vast and pure, carrying an ancient will to cleanse all filth from the world. He did not feel exhausted but instead had a strange sensation of being more closely connected to this world.
He saw Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Sister's decisive counterattack, saw his fellow disciples' reignited fighting spirit, and saw the Shadow Snake Pavilion demon cultivators' panic and defeat.
However, he also clearly felt the scorching sensation from the jade pendant at his chest slowly fading. Though that surging purification power was strong, it seemed it could not continue indefinitely. Moreover, after the Silver-Faced Envoy's initial shock, his eyes were now filled with even more intense killing intent and greed.
"Must... take this opportunity to break the stalemate!" Xiao Qi's thoughts raced, locking his gaze on the Crimson-Faced Demon Cultivator nearest to him who was trying to reorganize his subordinates' resistance.
He took a deep breath, attempting to actively guide that purification power not yet fully calmed within his body, infusing it into the wok in his hand. The originally pitch-black mysterious iron pot body now faintly glowed with a warm white luster.