One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng roared out the name of his self-created move, a move brimming with treasonous intent. He gripped the hilt of the Snow Drinking Blade tightly with both hands once more, and all the dark red demonic energy around him, the blood-red phantom of the character "Demon" above his head, and even the remaining ferocious power of the Qilin within his body, surged wildly into the Snow Drinking Blade like rivers flowing into the sea!

"Clang clang clang—!!!"

The Snow Drinking Blade emitted an unprecedented, violent tremor, like the wailing of ten thousand demons! The scarlet demonic runes on the blade seemed to come alive, swirling and burning wildly! The entire blade was completely enveloped in a dense, impenetrable layer of dark red blood light, seemingly formed from the purest killing intent and the vengeful spirits of living beings! The blade light flickered, vaguely transforming into a blood-red phantom of a ferocious, horned, roaring, and seemingly intent on devouring the heavens and splitting the earth!

This strike embodies all the essence, energy, spirit, demonic nature, and killing intent he possessed in his demonic state, as well as all the power unleashed to its fullest extent by the true meaning of the demonic blade! This is a truly demonic ultimate strike that surpasses his current realm, overdraws his life potential, and is in the truest sense!

With a single slash, the phantom of the blood-red unicorn roared to the sky, carrying a terrifying demonic power capable of annihilating gods and Buddhas and slaughtering all living beings, as it devoured the old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei! Wherever it passed, space seemed to be distorted and polluted by the overwhelming demonic intent and blood light, leaving behind a dark red trail that lingered for a long time!

Faced with this earth-shattering, ominous demonic attack, the usually calm Old Celestial Master's eyes finally became extremely solemn.

He knew that ordinary methods would not be able to withstand the blow without injury, nor would they be able to subdue the opponent without further stimulating his demonic nature.

"well……"

Another soft sigh escaped, but this sigh carried a sense of resolve.

The old master held nothing back and slowly clasped his hands together in front of his chest.

"The profound origin of heaven and earth, the root of all vital energy."

A calm yet majestic chanting arose, each word seemingly carrying a strange rhythm, resonating with heaven and earth.

"I will cultivate for countless eons to prove my supernatural powers."

As the mantra was recited, the golden light around the Old Celestial Master was no longer as dazzling as before. Instead, it began to become more restrained and subdued, exuding a more ancient, profound, and supreme majesty that seemed to bear the righteous path of heaven and earth!

"Within and beyond the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme."

The golden light was no longer confined to the surface, but rapidly spread, condensed, and shaped in all directions! In the blink of an eye, a colossal golden Dharma image, ten zhang tall, with a solemn and dignified appearance, bearing a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to the Old Celestial Master, and seemingly cast entirely in gold, stood majestically atop the ruins! The Dharma image's eyes were lowered, its pupils seemingly containing the sun, moon, and stars, and its body was surrounded by profound and unfathomable Dao runes, radiating a righteous aura that suppressed all evil and cleansed the universe!

The supreme mystery of the Golden Light Mantra—The Dharma of Heaven and Earth, the Golden Body Descends into the World!

The golden Dharma image slightly raised a giant hand that seemed capable of supporting mountains and rivers. In the palm of the hand, countless fine golden runes lit up, converging into a character "镇" (zhen, meaning to suppress) containing infinite Daoist charm and suppressive power!

"town!"

The Dharma Image uttered true words, its voice like the grandest bell, resounding through the heavens! That giant golden palm, carrying the majestic and irresistible power of heaven and earth, slowly yet with unwavering determination, met the roaring blood-red Qilin and the destructive blade of light behind it!

Gold and blood, righteousness and evil, suppression and destruction...

Two forces, representing completely different extremes, collided violently under the night sky of Longhu Mountain!

"boom--------------------------------!!!!!!!"

This deafening roar surpassed the sum of all the previous ones! It was as if the very foundation of the entire Dragon Tiger Mountain Range trembled violently with this single impact! Centered on the point of collision, a destructive energy sphere, over fifty feet in diameter and mixed with golden light fragments and dark red blood energy, expanded wildly and exploded!

The blinding light stripped everything within a radius of several miles of color, leaving only pure gold and red! A terrifying shockwave, like a cataclysmic tsunami, swept outwards in a spherical shape! Wherever it passed, the platform ruins were completely flattened, leaving behind even deeper and larger circular craters! Further away, forests were ravaged, with flying sand and rocks, and the continuous roar of collapsing buildings! Even some of the closer mountain peaks showed tiny cracks!

Both sides, good and evil, who were watching or fighting from afar, were horrified and quickly sought cover or used all their strength to resist the devastating aftershocks!

It took more than ten breaths for the devastating light and impact to gradually subside.

On the spot, a terrifying giant crater appeared, nearly a hundred feet in diameter and several dozen feet deep, resembling a meteorite impact! The crater walls were smooth, and some areas even exhibited vitrified characteristics.

In the center of the giant crater, smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

The ten-zhang golden Dharma form that the Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei had transformed into had already dissipated. He himself still stood in the same spot, but his gray Taoist robe was torn in several places, and there were even scorch marks on the cuffs and hem from demonic corruption. His face was slightly pale, and a trace of golden blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his snow-white beard. But his posture remained upright, and his gaze was still clear and deep, only a hint of imperceptible weariness appeared deep in his eyes.

Not far in front of him, Nie Lingfeng knelt on one knee, his Snow Drinking Blade deeply embedded in the ground, barely managing to stay upright. The tiger's mouths of his hands were completely split open, blood flowing continuously down the hilts of the blade and soaking into the scorched earth. The overwhelming dark red demonic aura surrounding him had dissipated by more than half, and the blood-red phantom of the character "Demon" above his head had dimmed to almost invisible, leaving only a faint red halo, as if it would completely dissipate at any moment.

The most obvious change was in his eyes.

The crimson flames burning in those demonic eyes were rapidly fading, revealing dark pupils and whites of the eyes once more. However, deep within the pupils, a trace of indelible crimson remained, along with a profound weariness and bewilderment that seemed to originate from the very soul.

He raised his head, looking at the towering figure before him, as majestic as a mountain. His bloodied lips trembled slightly, and with his last ounce of strength, he hoarsely uttered three words:

"Master... Heaven..."

Before he could finish speaking, the last glimmer of light in his eyes quickly faded, his body went limp, and he collapsed forward, completely losing consciousness.

The old master moved slightly and appeared beside him, reaching out to catch him steadily and holding him in his arms.

He looked down at the unconscious young man in his arms. His striking white hair, stained with dust and blood, fluttered gently in the night wind. His face was ashen, and even in his unconscious state, his brows were furrowed, as if enduring endless pain and struggle. The glow of the Qilin tattoo on his chest had completely faded, returning to its ordinary appearance, but upon closer inspection, the colors of the lines seemed deeper, more…vivid than before.

The old celestial master extended his finger and gently placed it on Nie Lingfeng's wrist, a wisp of pure and gentle true qi probing into his body. After a moment, his brows furrowed slightly, then slowly relaxed, finally turning into a long and complex sigh.

"Foolish child..."

"The true meaning of the demonic blade is murderous and violent, causing mental and physical exhaustion... Whether this calamity is a blessing or a curse, a blessing or a curse, depends on your own fate."

He held the unconscious Nie Lingfeng, slowly turned around, and glanced at Xia He and Dou Mei, who were not far away and had survived the old celestial master's appearance but were still terrified and limp on the ground.

"roll."

The old master only uttered one word.

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like thunder from the heavens, containing unquestionable supreme authority and a hint of chilling killing intent.

Xia He and Dou Mei felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They dared not linger for even a moment, and did not even care about their seriously injured companions (Shen Chong was dead, and Gao Ning's fate was unknown in the aftermath of the attack). They scrambled to their feet, supported each other, and disappeared into the dark forest in the distance at top speed without looking back, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The old celestial master stopped looking at them, picked up Nie Lingfeng, and slowly walked out of the devastated crater, which looked like it had been ravaged by a war between gods and demons.

He looked up at the moon in the sky, which was gradually returning to normal from its blood-red color, but still appeared cold and lonely. He then looked around at the devastated Longhu Mountain, where the smoke of war had not yet died down. He shook his head slightly, and his long, snow-white beard fluttered gently in the night wind.

"A time of great turmoil, fraught with peril..."

"This year's Luotian Grand Ceremony is truly... anything but peaceful."

He didn't linger. Holding the blood-stained young man with white hair in his arms, his steps seemed slow, but in reality, each step covered several meters. In a few leaps, he disappeared into the secluded path leading to the back mountain of the Celestial Master's Mansion, leaving behind only devastation and an unsolved mystery.

The cold moonlight fell silently upon the giant crater, ruins, and bloodstains.

The night wind howled, as if recounting the heart-stopping, brutal battle that had just taken place, a clash between good and evil, and the awakening of demonic forces.

The Qilin tattoo on Nie Lingfeng's chest throbbed very faintly, like a heartbeat, beneath his clothes, almost imperceptibly.

Some powers, once awakened, and some paths, once embarked upon...

Just like this bewitched white hair, it can never return to its original pure black.