Tang Xiaoqi sat cross-legged before the gray ice, his spirit completely immersed in that heart-resonating, hope-sowing state, forgetting the passage of time.
He himself seemed transformed into an unextinguished heart-lamp, continuously radiating warm, steadfast, full-of-vitality fluctuation. At first this fluctuation was faint, like a firefly in the cold night, struggling to sustain itself within the boundless Annihilation Cold Tide.
However, a single spark can start a prairie fire.
The first to be completely kindled were those Snow Plains Giant Wolf elders who had been steadfastly holding the cold tide's edge. They had direct contact with Xiao Qi, had felt his pure protection heart. Under the continuous nourishment of that warm heart thought, the responsibility as tribal protectors and attachment to the clan frozen deep in their souls, like a dormant volcano, began to awaken and surge.
The most ancient wolf's eyes no longer held only murkiness and despair, but rekindled with light as steadfast as the North Star. It struggled to stand; though still covered in gray ice crystals, it raised its head and, instead of emitting mournful cries, let out a low yet powerful, pack-summoning howl!
"Au-woo—!"
That howl was no longer a despairing wail, but a declaration of defiance! A life's protest against death!
Immediately, the other elder wolves seemed infused with strength, rising one after another, howling at the sky, their voices rising and falling, penetrating part of the stagnant gray cold tide, passing toward the farther reaches. Their howls themselves carried powerful spiritual force—that unyielding will of the Snow Plains Giant Wolf tribe, passed down through generations, guarding their homeland!
This will resonated and merged with Xiao Qi's hopeful heart thought, forming a stronger spiritual ripple spreading in all directions.
This ripple containing "protection" and "hope," like spring wind, blew toward the dead tribal camps at the sacred mountain's foot, toward the northern life forms struggling in cold and despair farther still.
A tribal girl, curled in a collapsed ice house corner, her heart like dead ash from losing all kin, in a daze seemed to hear that resolute, hopeful wolf howl, feel that faint yet incomparably warm fluctuation. Her numb heart jolted; a drop of scalding tear broke through the ice seal of her eye socket, falling onto the cold ground. She remembered, as a child, her father running with her across the snow plains, her mother boiling soup before the tent... those beautiful memories long buried by despair, like pearls wiped clean of dust, shone anew. A tiny yet real thought of "wanting to live" sprouted in her heart.
An old hunter lost direction on the ice plains, cold, hungry, having already abandoned struggle, at the edge of consciousness seemed to see a warm light, hear a powerful call. He opened his eyes with difficulty, gazing at the gray sky, and the flame of life about to extinguish in his heart actually pulsed again. He remembered grandchildren perhaps still waiting for his return, remembered young people in the tribe needing him to teach hunting skills... "Can't... just die here..." A will to survive supported him, making him crawl forward once more.
A snow marten, covered in gray ice crystals, barely clinging to life, sensed that warm heart thought and powerful howl. Its tiny body trembled; it struggled to open its eyes, extending its tongue to lick an equally weak child beside it...
One point, two points, three points... Like stars lighting up in succession in the night, initially just scattered flickers. But as Xiao Qi persistently guided, as the wolf elders responded, more and more northern beings, within that boundless despair, clutched that straw called "hope!"
They might still be in difficulty, still facing cold and hunger, but their hearts were no longer dead gray. That attachment to loved ones, love of home, faint expectation for the future, that unyielding will for life itself... these seemingly insignificant positive emotions began sprouting and converging from countless individual hearts!
At first, just wisps, like dawn's faint light. But as more and stronger "hope" thoughts gathered, quantitative change triggered qualitative transformation!
In Xiao Qi's perception, centered on the sacred mountain, that vast region originally filled with despair and death began to manifest countless tiny golden points of light! These points were not physical energy, but manifestations of the purest soul light! The aggregated hope thoughts of countless northern beings rekindling! They were drawn like magnetism toward the sacred mountain, toward that brightest "heart lamp"—Tang Xiaoqi's location!
Countless tiny golden points gathered into trickles, trickles merged into golden rivers, rivers ultimately formed a warm and vast golden sea of light, forming a stark contrast with the gray Annihilation Cold Tide!
This golden hope light did not attack or purify the gray cold tide; instead, it "embraced" and "illuminated" it in a more inclusive, warmer way! When the light of hope shone upon the gray cold tide, a miracle occurred.
That originally stagnant, death-cold gray mist, under the golden light's illumination, actually began to slowly... melt, like snow and ice under sunlight! Not violently dispersed, but warmly melted! The despair thoughts composing the cold tide, upon contact with this vast, warm hope light, like lost children finding their way home, that extreme cold and death were neutralized and dissolved by hope and warmth. Gray mist gradually thinned, became transparent, ultimately turning to wisps of blue smoke, dispersing within the golden light.
"Crack... crack..."
A fine cracking sound rang out. The massive gray ice block sealing the sacred core, under the joint illumination of internal and external hope light, began showing cracks on its surface. Cracks spread rapidly, like a spider's web covering the entire ice mass. Finally, with a clear explosive sound, the gray ice completely shattered, transforming into crystalline powder throughout the sky, then purified and dissolved by the hope light.
Beneath the ice, the long-sealed sacred core was exposed anew. It was a natural ice crystal like a massive blue gem. Now, as if awakening from a long hibernation, it began radiating faint yet pure blue-white light, interweaving with the surrounding vast golden hope light, emanating even more bountiful vitality and pure ice-spirit aura!
"Hum—!"
The sacred core's light suddenly intensified; a pure blue-white pillar of light shot skyward, dispersing the lingering gray clouds above, merging with the golden hope light into an even more brilliant, warmer radiance, spreading like ripples throughout the entire northern plains!
Where the radiance passed, the gray Annihilation Cold Tide met its nemesis, rapidly dissolving. Congealed air resumed flowing, withered spiritual energy revived, dim light brightened. The dead northern plains were renewing with vitality!
In the Snow Plains Giant Wolf tribe's camp, surviving wolves and tribal people, feeling that warm radiance bathe them, dispelling the chill in their marrow and healing their souls' wounds, emerged from hiding one after another. Gazing up at that brilliant radiance toward the sacred mountain, they emitted gratitude and hope-filled cheers!
Tang Xiaoqi slowly opened his eyes, gazing upon this world newly bathed in golden and blue-white light, renewed with vitality, a satisfied smile on his face.
The light of hope had finally dispersed the Annihilation Cold Tide. He proved that the most powerful weapon against darkness originating from human hearts was not destructive force, but kindling hope, gathering light.
This was undoubtedly a profound verification and sublimation for his future "World Purification" path.