The instant he leaped into the ancient well, Xiao Qi felt as if he had plunged into an endless demonic realm! All directions were filled with viscous-as-substance pitch-black demonic energy, frantically squeezing and eroding his protective precious light and purification halo. Bone-piercing cold and chaotic negative wills penetrated everywhere, trying to freeze his blood and churn his soul. Below, that dark gold Buddha head's eyes slightly opened, its gaze strange, as if mocking his overestimation of his abilities.
Even more terrifying, the demonic energy source suppressed deep in the well bottom, sensing a living person approaching, counterattacked even more fiercely! More demonic energy like tentacles wound up. The pale golden precious light on Xiao Qi's body surface rapidly dimmed. The purification halo was also compressed to only protecting a three-foot range around him, and still constantly shrinking!
He was like sinking into a quagmire. Every inch he descended was incomparably difficult. His consciousness began somewhat blurring, his ears filled with thousands of demonic heads' shrieks and whispers.
Just at this critical moment, the jade pendant on his chest suddenly erupted with unprecedented heat! The pure Purification Source no longer passively defended, but like an offended king, carrying a pride and majesty above all things, explosively burst forth!
Pure white light centered on him, like a small sun exploding at the well bottom! Though not large in range, it instantly forced back and purified the demonic energy within several feet around him! That dark gold Buddha head, rushed by this sudden pure purification power, had its strange gaze freeze for an instant!
And this instant of freezing triggered a chain reaction!
Within the Buddha head's eyes, those two milky-white relics that had been silently releasing Buddhist power to resist demonic energy erosion, seemed to sense this thread of pure aura that was same-source with Buddhist purification power yet more essential, more advanced! Especially Xiao Qi's firm guardian Dao heart, and his determination to risk himself to stop the demonic energy rampage, seemed to touch the compassionate and guardian will remaining in the relics from the ancient Buddhist great power!
"Om—!"
The left relic suddenly shook, erupting with unprecedentedly brilliant Buddhist light! It seemed to break free of some restraint. "Whoosh"—it transformed into a milky-white stream of light, ignoring spatial distance, directly plunging into Xiao Qi's brow, into his sea of consciousness!
"!!!"
Xiao Qi only felt his sea of consciousness suddenly shake! A vast, pure, warm, peaceful Buddhist power like a warm ocean, instantly filled his entire sea of consciousness! All demonic thought whispers, negative emotions, in the face of this vast Buddhist power, melted like ice and snow, instantly cleansed away! His somewhat blurring consciousness instantly became incomparably clear and firm!
Not only that, this Buddhist power also strangely resonated with his own Purification Source and guardian sword heart. The three merged, making his mental power surge in a short time! A strange feeling of penetrating all things, compassion and majesty coexisting, surged in his heart. He seemed to be able to clearly "see" the demonic energy circulation patterns at the well bottom, see the nodes where Buddha and demon powers were entangled inside the Buddha head!
This relic, at the critical moment, had actively chosen him, temporarily recognizing him as master, lending him power to stabilize his mind and resist the demonic energy!
And almost simultaneously, above the well mouth, Zhao Tiezhu who had been desperately guarding his mind and was extremely anxious, also underwent a transformation!
The "Diamond Subduing Demon Divine Ability" qi and blood within him, because it was same-source with Xiao Qi (both had cultivated the introduction chapter), and his nature was pure and straightforward, full of firm belief in guarding his brother, actually also faintly resonated with the Buddhist power below! Especially the right relic—its contained Buddhist power leaned more toward "fierceness,""subduing demons,""resilience," more compatible with Zhao Tiezhu's body cultivation path!
Just as the left relic plunged into Xiao Qi's brow, the right relic was also triggered. Its Buddhist light greatly flared! But it didn't fly toward Xiao Qi. Instead, transforming into a golden light, breaking through demonic energy resistance, "whoosh"—it flew out of the ancient well, directly plunging into Zhao Tiezhu's chest where pale golden qi and blood was surging!
"Ugh ah—!"
Zhao Tiezhu let out a low roar, only feeling an unimaginably majestic power and pure Buddhist power pouring into his body! His qi and blood instantly boiled and surged. The pale golden light on his body surface became like substance. His form even seemed to grow three inches taller! An unprecedented powerful feeling of strength filled his whole body, as if one punch could shatter a mountain! This relic had recognized his pure and fierce body cultivation qi and blood and guardian heart, temporarily merging into his qi and blood, greatly enhancing his physical body power!
"Brother Qi! I'm coming to help you!" Zhao Tiezhu had an intuitive insight. Feeling that vast Buddhist power and strength within, he no longer hesitated. Exploding with a roar, his fists tightly clenched, he channeled his entire body's power along with the relic-infused majestic Buddhist power, fiercely striking down toward the ancient well mouth!
An extremely condensed, gold-cast-like huge fist energy, carrying fierce, demon-subduing will, blasted into the demonic energy surging well!
At the well bottom, Xiao Qi, with the left relic's Buddhist power enhancement, had a clear mind and doubled strength. He sensed Zhao Tiezhu's supremely yang punch coming and immediately understood!
He extended two fingers like a sword, no longer using Red Flame sword intent, but merging his own guardian sword heart, Purification Source, and relic Buddhist power—three into one—transforming into an extremely pure, yet supremely suppressing white light pillar. Cooperating with Zhao Tiezhu's heaven-descending golden fist energy from above and below, he fiercely struck at the ancient well bottom's dark gold Buddha head and the demonic energy source beneath it!
"Boom—!!!!!"
An unprecedented huge boom erupted at the ancient well bottom! Buddhist light, purification light, fierce qi and blood power, and pitch-black demonic energy frantically clashed and annihilated!
That dark gold Buddha head issued a shrill, unresigned shriek. The strange light in its eyes instantly dimmed. The demonic energy on it was forcefully repelled and purified by more than half! The demonic energy source beneath also, under this combined strike, issued a painful wail. Its surging momentum was abruptly interrupted and suppressed!
"Seal!"
Xiao Qi seized this opportunity. Using the relic's Buddhist power as a guide, he channeled the majestic qi and blood Buddhist power Zhao Tiezhu had blasted in, combined with his own Purification Source, to construct a temporary, white-gold-flashing Buddhist seal at the well bottom, temporarily sealing the demonic energy eruption's gap!
"Om..."
The demonic energy in the ancient well receded like a tide, being temporarily forced back into the earth's depths. That Buddha head's eye light completely extinguished, returning to silence. Only its dark gold color had faded considerably. The two relics, having completed their mission, flew out from Xiao Qi's brow and Zhao Tiezhu's chest, returning to the Buddha head's eye positions, continuing to emit Buddhist light to suppress this place—only their light seemed much brighter and more stable than before.
The well bottom's trembling stopped. The ancient city's overall shaking also gradually calmed.
Xiao Qi and Zhao Tiezhu, relying on the relics' temporary recognition of them and power enhancement, as well as the brothers' tacit cooperation, had finally, perilously, survived this demonic energy counterattack crisis, temporarily re-suppressing the demonic energy.
Both collapsed sitting at the well bottom (Zhao Tiezhu had also jumped down), panting violently, their whole bodies soaked with sweat, yet their faces showed the relief of surviving disaster. Though only a temporary suppression, at least they had gained precious time.