In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

The ring shattered silently.

The second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer... the gray lines moved forward at a constant speed, and wherever they passed, all the purification areas dissipated like bubbles in the sunlight.

It's not that they're being destroyed, but rather that they're being "assimilated."

The power of chaos returns everything to its most primordial state.

The seventy-eighth level, the seventy-ninth level, the eightieth level...

As the thin gray line touched the final ring, beads of sweat appeared on Ye Lingxiao's forehead. He felt that his "Dustless" sword intent, which he had painstakingly cultivated for twenty years, was being dismantled and absorbed by a higher-level power.

This is not a crushing defeat of strength, but a transcendence of realm.

"I... lost." Ye Lingxiao suddenly spoke, and at the same time dispelled the last layer of defense.

The thin gray line stopped three inches from his brow and then slowly disappeared.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Ye Lingxiao, the number one young talent in the Eastern Region who had never been defeated, actually took the initiative to admit defeat?

"Why?" Su Han's body swayed precariously, his face as pale as paper, but his eyes were full of confusion.

“Your sword intent has already touched the edge of the Dao.” Ye Lingxiao sheathed the Dustless Sword and looked at Su Han with a complicated expression. “That Chaos Returning to Origin sword shattered my Dustless foundation. If we continue fighting, my sword heart will be cracked and I will never be able to achieve perfection.”

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, your sword strike came at the cost of burning your life force, didn't it? Do you even have the strength to unleash a second strike now?"

Su Han remained silent. Ye Lingxiao was right; that sword strike had almost drained all of his spiritual energy and life force. If it weren't for the demonic seed in his chest providing a surge of pure life force at the last moment, he would already be lying on the ground, unable to get up.

However, the cost of the demon seed's feedback was that the cracks in the seal widened by another third.

"Su Han wins this battle!" The presiding elder's voice rang out, trembling with disbelief.

After a brief silence, the entire venue erupted in a deafening roar.

"Ye Lingxiao has admitted defeat?!"

"What kind of sword technique is that? I didn't even understand it!"

"Su Han won... He really defeated the number one genius of the Eastern Region!"

"A dark horse! A true dark horse!"

Cheers, gasps of amazement, and murmurs of doubt mingled together, but Su Han could no longer hear them. His vision began to blur, the sounds around him faded into the distance, and only the roar of the demonic seed in his chest grew clearer and clearer.

"Su Han!" Lin Xuan was the first to rush onto the stage, supporting the swaying Su Han. "How are you?"

"Take me... away..." Su Han managed to utter these three words before fainting.

His last sensation before losing consciousness was the mad and greedy thoughts of the demon seed surging into his sea of ​​consciousness like a tidal wave.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Su Han woke up in complete darkness.

He opened his eyes and saw the familiar ceiling of the quiet room. The light of the Star-Sealing Demon Seal on his chest was as faint as a candle flame in the wind, and cracks had spread to two-thirds of the mark. The power of the demonic seed was seeping out, corroding his meridians and internal organs.

"You're awake." Lin Xuan's voice came from beside him.

Su Han turned her head with difficulty and saw Lin Xuan sitting by the bed with a bowl of medicinal soup in his eyes, his eyes full of worry.

"How long was I unconscious?" "A day and a night." Lin Xuan handed over the medicinal soup. "Do you know that you almost died? The Yunlan Sect Master personally intervened to stabilize the rampaging demonic energy in your body. He said that your seal can only last for three more days at most."

Three days.

It was shorter than expected.

Su Han took the medicinal soup and drank it all in one gulp. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, bringing a faint warmth, but it was quickly swallowed up by the demonic energy within his body.

"Where is Ye Lingxiao?" he asked.

"He's gone." Lin Xuan sighed. "He said he's going to the Sword Tomb to cultivate in seclusion, and he won't come out until he figures out how to counter your sword strike. Before he left, he asked me to pass on a message to you."

"What?"

He said, "Your swordsmanship has taken an unprecedented path. But that path is full of thorns, and a slight misstep could lead to utter destruction. I hope that when we meet again, you will still be wielding a sword."

Su Han remained silent.

Ye Lingxiao realized that his sword strike "Return to Origin" was not something he could fully control in his current state. It was a sword strike that he barely managed to unleash under dire circumstances, by forcibly fusing the power of the stars, the power of the demonic seed, and his complete understanding of the sword path.

That's not the power one should have at the Foundation Establishment stage, nor is it even within the reach of the Golden Core stage.

That was the prototype of "Tao".

"The semi-finals are over, and the finals are in three days," Lin Xuan continued. "Your opponent is Qin Mu from the Xuantian Sect. But given your current condition..."

“I will participate.” Su Han interrupted him, struggling to sit up.

"Are you crazy?" Lin Xuan was both anxious and angry. "You can barely walk now, how can you compete? Moreover, Sect Master Yunlan said that you must immediately begin seclusion to try to completely refine or seal the demonic seed. Otherwise, in three days, the demonic seed will erupt, and even a god couldn't save you!"

“I know,” Su Han said calmly, “which is why I have to participate in the finals.”

"Why? Just for that so-called championship honor? Su Han, life is more important than honor!"

Su Han looked at Lin Xuan, his eyes flashing with a light that Lin Xuan had never seen before: "It's not about honor, it's about opportunity. Fighting Qin Mu is my last chance."

"What opportunity?"

"The opportunity to break through is also the opportunity to survive." Su Han turned his gaze to the window, looking at the distant sky. "My 'Return to Origin' sword, although it touched the edge of chaos, is not yet complete. Qin Mu's 'Mysterious Heaven Qi' follows the path of one qi transforming into all things, and all things returning to chaos. Fighting him may allow me to truly understand the true meaning of 'Return to Origin'."

What if we fail?

"Then it's better to die on the stage than to be corrupted by the demonic seed and become a monster that only knows how to kill." Su Han's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable determination.

Lin Xuan opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He knew that once Su Han made a decision, no one could change it.

"I will be in seclusion for the next three days." Su Han sat down cross-legged again. "Senior Brother Lin, please protect me and make sure no one disturbs me."

"Okay." Lin Xuan nodded emphatically, turned around and walked out of the quiet room, sitting cross-legged outside the door.

In the quiet room, Su Han closed his eyes and looked inward at himself.

The situation was worse than he had imagined. Only the core of the Star-Sealing Demon Seal was still barely functioning, and pure demonic energy was constantly seeping from the cracks, eroding his meridians, dantian, and even his sea of ​​consciousness. The demonic seed's consciousness was becoming clearer and clearer, constantly whispering in his ear, tempting him to give up resistance and accept that boundless power.

"You won't last long..." The demon's voice was seductive. "Why struggle so hard? Release the seal, and I will give you everything you want. Power, authority, immortality... We are one, my power is your power."

Unmoved, Su Han activated the Qingyun Sect's signature technique, the "Qingyun Qi Refining Technique," guiding the remaining spiritual energy within his body in an attempt to repair the seal.

However, the spiritual energy was completely devoured by demonic energy as soon as it approached the seal. (End of Chapter)