Soul Town: Claiming the throne? You've asked my Tian Ce Army, haven't you?

After returning, he immersed himself in the library of the Taixu Sect, searching day and night for a way to cure Mu Wenyuan's illness. Finally, he found it in an ancient book.

The only way to break through the Yin and Yang meridians that are blocked by her is to use the divine artifact Qingfeng Huasha in the Demon Refining Cave. However, the sect has a rule: the Demon Refining Cave is a forbidden area, and Qingfeng Huasha must not be used rashly.

Li Xuanyuan pleaded with his master, Xuanxuzi, kneeling outside his house for three days and three nights, but all he received in return was the phrase, "It is fate."

Since this is fate, then he will defy it!

The moment Li Xuanyuan stepped onto the first stone step, the stone lanterns on both sides of the mountain path suddenly lit up.

Amidst the azure flames, a dozen or so figures emerged from the mist. They were all Li Xuanyuan's fellow disciples, wielding long swords and standing in front of him with complex expressions.

"Li Xuanyuan, the disciples of the Enforcement Hall will be here soon. It's not too late to leave now!"

The senior brother in the lead spoke in a deep voice. Seeing that Li Xuanyuan remained unmoved, his eyes showed both anger and a hint of pity: "Is it worth it for a woman?"

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid Xuanyuan will have to disappoint everyone..."

Li Xuanyuan raised his hand, and a pale golden light began to gather in his palm. That was the pure Yang Wuji Gong true energy that he had cultivated, which was extremely powerful and yang.

He took a deep breath and warned one last time, "I don't want to hurt you, get out of the way!"

"Set up the formation!"

Seeing Li Xuanyuan's stubbornness, the senior brother in the lead could only lead the other disciples to swing their longswords, the sword light forming a net that instantly enveloped Li Xuanyuan.

"Pure Yang Limitless Skill - Drunken Immortal Gazing at the Moon!"

Li Xuanyuan's figure weaved through the sword formation, his movements as ethereal as a drunken immortal treading on the moon, each palm strike carrying a scorching wave of energy.

He had no intention of hurting anyone; he merely used his skill to deflect his fellow disciple's sword. However, the defenses of the Demon Refining Cave were far more stringent than he had imagined, and more and more disciples of the Taixu Sect were pouring in from all directions.

"Xuanyuan, stop! You can't get through this!"

A fleeting look crossed Li Xuanyuan's eyes as he saw familiar faces: his junior brothers who practiced with him, his senior brothers who had given him guidance, and even his close friends with whom he had once discussed the Dao.

They were all trying to stop him, telling him that it was wrong...

But then his eyes flashed back to Yuanxiang's smile, the tear stains on her cheeks from that day, and his master's words, "It is fate."

"boom--"

The Pure Yang Limitless Skill - Shaking Mountains and Rivers was unleashed with ferocious force, unleashing a violent burst of true energy that shook back all the fellow disciples who had surrounded him.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Li Xuanyuan's mouth. This palm strike had consumed too much of his true essence, but he couldn't care less. The entrance to the Demon Refining Cave was right in front of him.

"I... only wish to borrow the gentle breeze to dispel evil spirits. I will return to receive my punishment and return it after I have finished using it!"

Li Xuanyuan left those words behind and staggered into the Demon Refining Cave.

"Li Xuanyuan, you..."

Some disciples tried to step forward to stop them, but were stopped by the senior brother in charge, who said, "That's enough... we've done enough..."

Inside the Demon Refining Cave was a hidden world. After searching for a while, Li Xuanyuan arrived at a huge stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, on a bronze altar, floats a gourd with interwoven blue and white colors.

One half of the gourd is as warm and smooth as jade, radiating a soft, ethereal light, while the other half is as dark as ink, with a ferocious beast shape faintly twisting in the halo of light.

This must be the effect of dispelling evil spirits with a gentle breeze...

Li Xuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief. The moment he stepped onto the altar and reached out to take the Qingfeng Huasha, the entire stone chamber suddenly trembled violently.

As if sensing something, Qingfeng Huasha caused both celestial light and demonic energy to surge simultaneously, with the two opposing forces intertwining and tearing each other apart in the air.

"The divine artifact possesses a spirit; it cannot be taken by force!"

The aged voice of Li Xuanyuan's grandmaster echoed from outside the Demon Refining Cave, accompanied by a thunderous pressure.

Grandmaster actually came?

Li Xuanyuan had no time to hesitate any longer; he reached out and grasped Qingfeng Huasha.

The moment his fingertips touched Qingfeng Huasha, an extremely violent thought surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

This is the demonic nature of Qingfeng Huasha, the resentment, bloodlust, and madness sealed for thousands of years, all pouring out towards him.

"what--"

Li Xuanyuan roared to the sky, his green robe ripped apart, his long hair danced wildly, and his left eye began to glow with golden immortal light, while his right eye sank into pitch-black demonic flames.

The forces of immortals and demons were tearing each other apart within his body, trying to seize control of the body. But Li Xuanyuan still did not let go, and struggled to suppress Qingfeng Huasha with his own power.

This was the only hope he knew of that could save Yuanxiang!

When Li Xuanyuan rushed out of the Demon Refining Cave carrying the Qingfeng Huasha, his figure had changed; half of him was human, and the other half had become a demon...

His arms were covered with ferocious beast claws, and his legs were bent like the hind legs of a monster. Only his face showed a painful struggle between being human and being a demon.

"Is this Li Xuanyuan?"

"He has fallen into demonic possession!"

"Stop him! Don't let him leave!"

"..."

The disciples of Taixu Sect retreated in terror, and some even drew their longswords to try and control Li Xuanyuan. However, Li Xuanyuan simply waved his hand, and the violent demonic energy shattered all the attacks.

"Let...let me go..."

Li Xuanyuan covered his head, trying to stay awake. His voice was hoarse and broken, as if he was fighting against something inside his body.

"I need to...go save her..."

In the sky, lightning began to gather.

The Grandmaster's figure appeared in the clouds, holding the Taixu Divine Lock in his hand. He sighed, "Xuanyuan, you have been corrupted by the demonic artifact. If you are not sealed, you will surely bring disaster to all living beings!"

"Grandmaster, I didn't... become possessed by a demon..."

Li Xuanyuan, panting heavily, looked up at his grandmaster, the clarity in his eyes gradually being swallowed by demonic flames: "I just... wanted to save her..."

"I'm sorry, I cannot gamble with the lives of all people!"

The Grandmaster's Taixu Divine Lock flew out of his hand, and the dark blue chains stretched out in the air like an awakened azure dragon, swirling and flying towards Li Xuanyuan.

Li Xuanyuan tried to dodge, but the Taixu Divine Lock was an ancestral artifact of the Taixu Sect, originally designed to deal with Qingfeng Huasha. How could Li Xuanyuan possibly contend with it?

The chains pierced his chest easily, and a ghostly blue light spread from the wound, like mercury spilling onto the ground, spreading along every meridian to his limbs and bones.

Li Xuanyuan roared to the sky, his beast-like arms twisting and deforming in the light, and the voice of Hua Sha echoed in his ears, "Boy, hand over your body to me, and I will lead you out of here!"

"Otherwise, you will die here, and the girl you love will die too..."

Under the influence of the evil spirit, Li Xuanyuan lost his clarity of mind and became completely demonized, emanating waves of demonic energy from his body.

The grandmaster noticed the change in Li Xuanyuan's aura and sighed, "As expected, he couldn't escape after all..."

He raised his hand, and the Taixu Divine Lock emitted a golden light, trapping Li Xuanyuan tightly. At the same time, thunderclouds began to gather in the sky, and purple-gold lightning slowly condensed.

"Xuanyuan, I'm sorry..."

The grandmaster slammed his hand down, and a bolt of purple-gold lightning, like a giant dragon, crashed down upon Li Xuanyuan…

Chapter 259: The Last Moments

"He...he's not dead yet!"

As the lightning dissipated, a patch of scorched earth was revealed, along with Li Xuanyuan, who had been pierced by the Taixu Divine Lock.

Li Xuanyuan collapsed to the ground, barely alive, murmuring, "Grandmaster...I...I just wanted to save her..."

"He's still alive. It seems his demonic nature has seeped into his very bones..."

The grandmaster raised his hand, and thunderclouds gathered in the sky again. Just as lightning was about to strike Li Xuanyuan again, a hand suddenly pressed on the grandmaster's shoulder.

"That's enough, he won't live much longer!"

Behind him, Li Moxuan, who had already stepped into the form of the Purple Emperor Divine General, raised his hand and waved it, causing the thunderclouds in the sky to disperse.

A master, an absolute master!

The grandmaster was shaken. Not only could the master appear behind him silently, but he could also dispel the thunderclouds he had summoned with a wave of his hand. His strength was definitely far superior to his own...

He hurriedly stepped back and bowed, saying, "I was unaware of your presence, senior. Please forgive my lack of hospitality!"

senior?

Hearing this venerable old man address him like that, Li Moxuan felt a little strange, but it didn't really matter...

"Li Moxuan, Li Xuanyuan is still alive!"

Xihe, who was squatting below Li Xuanyuan, waved to Li Moxuan in the sky.

Li Moxuan nodded, then turned to look at his grandmaster, "Can we take Li Xuanyuan and Qingfeng Huasha with us?"

"This……"

The grandmaster hesitated for a moment, but still spoke despite the pressure: "Senior, Li Xuanyuan is my grand-disciple, but he has now been corrupted by the demonic nature of Qingfeng Huasha!"

"If he is not eliminated soon, he will eventually become a demon that wreaks havoc on the world. I urge you, senior, to consider the well-being of all people..."

"Alright, stop with this nonsense!"

Li Moxuan pointed at the dying Li Xuanyuan below, "I told you, he's been pierced by the Taixu Divine Lock and struck by lightning you summoned. He won't live much longer!"

"We will keep an eye on him. If he falls into demonic possession again, we will take action, understand?"

"I understand, I understand..."

The grandmaster wasn't stupid; he had clearly seen that Li Moxuan wouldn't give up until he took Li Xuanyuan away. However, he would probably keep his promise, otherwise he wouldn't be standing here discussing things with him.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior!"

"Alright, you disciples of the Taixu Sect may disperse now!"

"This junior understands..."

Soon, the Taixu Sect disciples dispersed, leaving only Li Moxuan, Xihe, and Li Xuanyuan.

"Brother Li..."

Li Xuanyuan coughed up blood, forcing a smile, "I didn't expect... Brother Li, you're actually this strong..."

I should have brought him along to explore the Demon Refining Cave; then I wouldn't be in this mess...