Core forbidden zone, deathly silent. Only the energy threads connecting the Demon Lord's True Body and the "Primordial Dark Pool" pulsed slightly like living things, emitting extremely subtle, as if cosmic pulsessounding like a cosmic pulse. Xiao Qi and Mu Xue floated in the dark void, like two tiny moths that had flown into a giant's domain. All senses, all divine awareness, firmly locked onto the figure floating at the center.
Time had lost meaning here. Perhaps only an instant had passed, perhaps it had already been ten thousand years. That absolute silence and indifference was itself an ultimate pressure, silently eroding the intruders' will.
Xiao Qi's Green Lotus Origin flowed at unprecedented speed within his body. Pure purifying aura formed a resilient barrier around him and Mu Xue, resisting the pervasive, soul-freezing "Primordial Darkness" erosion. Mu Xue tightly held his hand. Ice Heart Art operated to its extreme, forcibly pressing down all turmoil in her heart, leaving only absolute composure and resolve.
They could not move first. Before such an existence, any tiny flaw could bring thunderous attack. They were waiting, waiting for an opportunity, or waiting for the Demon Lord to emerge from that peculiar state on its own.
However, the Demon Lord's "awakening" was not caused by their arrival, but more like a predetermined program, a natural response after reaching some critical point.
Without warning, among the energy threads connected to the Demon Lord's True Body, the most thick and deepest-colored dark energy thread suddenly lit up brilliantly! A dark energy flow a hundred times more powerful than before, like a breached dam's torrent, rushed madly into the Demon Lord's body!
HUM!!!
The entire core forbidden zone, no, the massive Demon Nest, emitted an unbearable structural deep rumble at this moment! As if some sleeping ancient beast had finally completed its final energy absorption, about to open its destructive eyes!
Xiao Qi and Mu Xue's faces changed drastically!
The next moment, on the Demon Lord's True Body's blurred face, two eyes like black holes suddenly "lit" up!
That was not light, but extreme "darkness" at its apex, producing a visual distortion effect! As if two miniature cosmic black holes were rotating in its eye sockets, devouring all light, all hope, all meaning of existence!
When these "eyes" opened, the core forbidden zone's "stillness" was completely shattered!
A terrifying pressure that could not be described, could not be resisted, as if billions of ancient divine mountains stacked together, or as if an entire star sea's weight concentrated at one point, descended thunderously! This pressure was not simple energy impact. It directly acted on life's origin, on the depths of the soul, carrying pure, high-and-mighty demonic intent—the ultimate will to reduce all order to chaos, to drag all life into eternal slumber!
CRACK!
The defensive barrier jointly constructed by Green Lotus Origin and Ice Heart Art, at the moment this pressure descended, immediately emitted clear, as if glass shattering sounds! The aura flickered violently and uncertainly, as if about to collapse at any moment!
"Ugh!"
Mu Xue groaned, her face instantly turned deathly pale, a strand of fresh red blood seeping from her mouth corner. Her Ice Heart Art before such directpressure directly targeting the soul origin, almost could not maintain that absolute composure. That cold demonic intent was like countless ice cones, fiercely stabbing into her consciousness.
Xiao Qi's body also violently trembled. He felt as if countless worlds simultaneously pressed onto his soul and Dao heart! Green Lotus Origin operated frantically at unprecedented speed, purifying invading evil thoughts. The guardian sword heart emitted straining sounds, but he still stood firmly in place, shielding Mu Xue behind him, his gaze firmly meeting those two black hole eyes devouring everything!
Nascent Soul Great Circle! No, possibly touching the legendary higher level!
This was the Demon Lord's true strength! All previous encounters, all projections, were merely some strength manifestation when it had not yet fully recovered!
"Worm..."
A cold, indifferent, seemingly fused from countless worlds' extinction sounds, a grand voice directly rang at the deepest part of their consciousness, without slightest emotion, yet carrying authority that could crush stars.
"...dare to arrive here."
For the first time, the Demon Lord's gaze truly "looked" at Xiao Qi and Mu Xue. Within that gaze was no anger, no killing intent, only a kind of pure examination as if looking at laboratory insects that had accidentally crawled out, and... a trace of extremely faint, as if discovering some interesting toy, curiosity.
"On your bodies... there is 'her' aura... also...disgusting... light..."
Its voice wasintermittent, as if still adapting to this fully awakened state. But each word spoken made the surrounding darkness denser, and that terrifying pressure grew stronger like tides, wave after wave!
Xiao Qi clenched his teeth, his gums even bleeding from excessive force. He felt not only absolutesuppression at the power level, but also a huge chasm at the life form level! Before this Demon Lord's True Body, his Soul Transformation stage cultivation seemed like fireflies compared to the bright moon!
But he could not retreat! There was also no retreat!
The Green Lotus Origin under extreme pressure,instead burst forth even more brilliant light. That massive green lotus phantom behind him appeared faintly once more. Although its range was compressed to the extreme, it stubbornlypropped open a small area of "purification" and "protection" in this absolute darkness!
Mu Xue also forcibly suppressed churning qi and blood and shaking soul. Both hands formed seals again. Extreme cold spread out. Though it could not freeze that intangible pressure, it also constructed a crystalline ice barrier around the two, jointly resisting this ultimate darkness.
The Demon Lord's True Body quietly "watched" their struggle. Within those black hole eyes, there seemed to be a trace of the faintestripple, as if a stone thrown into an ancient well.
"Struggle... is also futile."
It slowly raised that semi-transparent arm carved from black obsidian.
The ultimate confrontation, with the Demon Lord's complete awakening and this raising of the hand, had become inevitable!