The surrounding temperature soared higher and higher, causing the rocks to melt into boiling magma. However, the divine light enveloping Qian Renxue insulated her from the extreme heat and pressure. Her eyes were locked dead onto the cluster of dark purple radiance in the deepest reaches of the earth.
That was the origin of the Void Sovereign.
A century ago, Zhao Feng and Lin Mo had burned their lives to help Qian Renxue seal the will projection of the Source of the Void. The Void Sovereign's origin had also been severely damaged by the power of conviction and sealed deep underground. Now, a century later, the power of the seal had gradually weakened, and the Void Sovereign's origin was actually awakening. At this very moment, that cluster of dark purple radiance was pulsing slowly, like a beating heart. With every throb, it released massive amounts of Void power, eroding the surrounding seal.
Qian Renxue's gaze hardened. She thrust her Angel Holy Sword forward fiercely, sending a golden sword-light blasting straight toward the Void Sovereign's origin.
Boom—!
The golden sword-light collided with the dark purple light cluster, erupting in a muffled yet deafening roar. The entire underground trembled violently, countless rocks collapsed, and magma spewed forth. The dark purple light cluster violently contracted before expanding fiercely, and a wave of consciousness filled with anger and madness erupted from within.
"Who! Who dares to disturb my slumber!"
The voice was ancient and hoarse, carrying an aura of decay and destruction—it was the residual consciousness of the Void Sovereign. A century ago, its true body had been devoured by the Source of the Void, but a sliver of its origin consciousness had narrowly escaped and was sealed deep underground. Over a century of slumber, not only had it not dissipated, but it had been slowly recovering its strength.
"Qian Renxue, the Angel God," Qian Renxue said coldly. The Angel Holy Sword hovered before her, nine golden soul rings revolved around her body, and her golden divine power burned like flames. "I failed to completely purify you a century ago, but today, you will not escape."
"Angel God?" The Void Sovereign's consciousness let out a disdainful cold laugh. "You're nothing but a wisp of a remnant soul, yet you dare to act so arrogantly before me? A century ago, in your prime, you couldn't even defeat me. Now, with only a shred of your soul origin left, what makes you think you can fight me?"
Qian Renxue didn't bother answering. Her body lunged forward, the Angel Holy Sword transforming into a golden bolt of lightning that pierced straight toward the Void Sovereign's origin. The Void Sovereign's origin erupted violently, firing countless dark purple pillars of light from the cluster to meet Qian Renxue's golden sword-light.
Gold and dark purple clashed frantically in the depths of the earth. Every collision triggered a violent energy explosion, warping the underground space. Rocks and magma were swept up by the energy storm, forming terrifying vortexes. Qian Renxue's speed was astonishing; the Angel Holy Sword morphed into countless golden sword shadows in her grasp, each strike imbued with divine power capable of purifying all evil.
But the Void Sovereign's origin refused to yield. The dark purple light cluster constantly morphed forms—sometimes transforming into a giant palm trying to grasp Qian Renxue; sometimes manifesting into countless sharp tentacles stabbing at her from all directions; and other times forming a massive shield to block her sword-light.
"Your power is dropping," the Void Sovereign's voice carried a hint of smugness. "Your soul origin is depleting rapidly. In half an hour at most, you will dissipate entirely. When that time comes, this continent and all its living beings will become my nourishment!"
Qian Renxue's heart sank; she knew the Void Sovereign was stating the truth. Forcibly condensing a physical form consumed her precious soul origin with every passing second. If she couldn't purify the Void Sovereign's origin quickly, not only would she sacrifice herself in vain, but the Void Sovereign would also fully awaken, plunging the entire Douluo Continent into eternal damnation.
Just as anxiety began to well up in Qian Renxue's heart, two beams of golden light suddenly shot down from above, infusing into her body. Qian Renxue's frame shuddered as she felt her power unexpectedly recovering, and the rate at which her soul origin was consuming had noticeably slowed.
"Lord Qian Renxue, although we are guarding the perimeter, our power of conviction/faith can be channeled to you!" Zhao Feng's voice echoed from above. Though faint, it was perfectly clear. "You are not fighting alone!"
"The power of conviction..." Qian Renxue murmured, a smile appearing on her lips. Yes, she had never fought alone. Not a century ago, and not now.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and the golden radiance around her surged instantly. The divine flames on the Angel Holy Sword erupted, transforming into a colossal golden fire dragon that roared as it charged toward the Void Sovereign's origin. The Void Sovereign's origin hastily condensed a dark purple barrier, attempting to withstand the impact of the golden fire dragon.
But this time, the power of the golden fire dragon far exceeded before. For within the dragon lay not only Qian Renxue's divine power but also the power of conviction from Zhao Feng and Lin Mo, and even the will of countless heroic spirits spanning the century. The golden fire dragon slammed into the dark purple barrier; instantly, countless cracks spider-webbed across its surface before it shattered with a resounding "Boom!"
"No—!" The Void Sovereign let out an enraged shriek. Its origin light cluster was struck by the golden fire dragon; the dark purple radiance fluctuated violently as its aura plummeted.
Seizing the opportunity, Qian Renxue's body transformed into a streak of golden light, plunging straight into the core of the Void Sovereign's origin light cluster. The Angel Holy Sword slashed frantically within the cluster, purifying massive amounts of Void power with every strike. The Void Sovereign's origin cluster struggled violently, extending countless dark purple tentacles from within, trying to force Qian Renxue out.
Clenching her teeth, Qian Renxue ignored the tentacles' attacks and continued her frenzied slashing inside the light cluster. Her angelic gown was torn, her colossal wings were snapped, and golden blood continuously poured from her wounds, yet her eyes remained resolute, without a sliver of retreat.
"Are you crazy!" A hint of panic laced the Void Sovereign's voice. "If you keep this up, your soul origin will be eroded by the Void power inside the cluster. You won't even have a chance at reincarnation!"
"Reincarnation?" Qian Renxue sneered, thrusting the Angel Holy Sword fiercely into the core of the light cluster. "I, Qian Renxue, have no need for reincarnation! As long as I can protect this land, as long as I can ensure future generations live in peace, I die without regrets!"
The moment the Angel Holy Sword pierced the core, a terrifying force erupted from within—it was the purest, deepest Void power of the Void Sovereign's origin. Qian Renxue's body was struck by that force; a fist-sized hole appeared in her chest, and golden blood spewed out. Her face instantly turned deathly pale.
Yet, she did not let go. Instead, she gripped the Angel Holy Sword even tighter, channeling all her remaining power into the blade. The divine flames upon the sword surged, completely igniting the Void Sovereign's origin core. Golden flames raged within the light cluster, purifying every wisp of Void power.
"No—! Impossible! How could I be destroyed by an ant like you..." The Void Sovereign's voice grew shrill and weak. Under the burning of the golden flames, its origin light cluster continuously shrank, the dark purple radiance growing dimmer and dimmer.
Just as the Void Sovereign's origin was about to be completely purified, an overwhelmingly terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the depths of the light cluster. This aura was countless times stronger than the Void Sovereign's origin, carrying an absolute essence of void and annihilation, as if intending to devour the entire world.
Qian Renxue's face instantly went ashen. Her body trembled violently under the crushing weight of that aura, and the divine flames on the Angel Holy Sword nearly extinguished.
"This is... the aura of the Source of the Void!" Disbelief filled Qian Renxue's voice. "Hidden deep within the Void Sovereign's origin is actually a trace of the Source of the Void's origin power! It wasn't repelled at all a century ago; it hid its origin power deep within the Void Sovereign's origin, waiting for a chance to awaken!"
The Void Sovereign's consciousness let out a maniacal, triumphant laugh: "Hahaha! How could you mere ants contend with the might of my master? Qian Renxue, you walked right into the trap! By diving into the core of the light cluster, you've given my master the perfect opportunity to devour you! The soul origin of an Angel God is a truly magnificent tonic!"
That sliver of the Source of the Void's origin power erupted violently, transforming into countless black chains that firmly bound Qian Renxue. Bizarre black runes flowed along the chains, exuding a terrifying power of devouring. Qian Renxue's divine power and soul origin were being rapidly consumed by the chains.
"Lord Qian Renxue!" Zhao Feng and Lin Mo's cries of alarm echoed from above. Having sensed that horrifying aura from the depths below, their faces instantly turned pale.
"Do not come down!" Qian Renxue shouted fiercely, her voice laced with urgency and resolve. "If you come down, you'll only be devoured by the Source of the Void's origin power! Retreat immediately, notify Su Chen and the others, and have them organize a new seal!"
"But you..." Lin Mo's voice choked up.
"This is an order!" Qian Renxue's voice turned exceptionally sharp. "Zhao Feng, Lin Mo, you are the inheritors of the heroic spirits' will. Your mission is to protect the next generation, not to die alongside me! Retreat immediately!"
Zhao Feng and Lin Mo fell silent for a moment, then spoke up at the same time, their voices incomparably resolute.
"No."
"What?" Qian Renxue froze.
"Lord Qian Renxue, you are right; our mission is to protect the next generation," Zhao Feng's voice drifted down from above, calm but steadfast. "But we are also the inheritors of the heroic spirits, and within the will of the heroic spirits, the words 'abandon comrades' have never existed. A century ago, you sacrificed your life to protect this land; a century later, we will absolutely never let you fight alone."
Lin Mo's voice also resonated down: "Lord Qian Renxue, a century ago you said that with us guarding this continent, you could rest easy. Now, I want to tell you: with the next generation guarding this continent, we are at peace. But the origin power of the Source of the Void is something we must face together with you. This is our duty as inheritors of the heroic spirits, and our promise as your comrades."
Even before the sound of their voices faded, two beams of golden light shot straight down from above. The phantom forms of Zhao Feng and Lin Mo appeared beside Qian Renxue. Their bodies trembled violently under the erosion of the Void power, their soul origins depleting at an alarming rate, yet their eyes remained as resolute as ever, without the slightest hint of retreat.
"You two..." Qian Renxue's eyes reddened, her voice slightly choking. "You absolute fools..."
"Then fools we shall be." Zhao Feng smiled. The phantom of the Divine Conviction Battleaxe appeared in his grasp, and a golden light of conviction soared into the sky. "Lord Qian Renxue, let's purge this trace of the Source of the Void's origin power together!"
The phantom of Lin Mo's Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor Martial Soul erupted violently; his blue-and-gold light morphed into a massive dome, enveloping the three of them and fending off the erosion of the Void power. "My Martial Soul possesses the power of purification, which can temporarily resist the Source of the Void's devouring, but I can't hold it for long—fifteen minutes at most!"
"Fifteen minutes is enough." Qian Renxue took a deep breath, her gaze turning incredibly fierce as the golden radiance around her surged once more. Ignoring the devouring nature of the black chains, she forcefully wrenched the Angel Holy Sword out from the Void Sovereign's origin core, pointing the blade at the sliver of black light hidden deep within the cluster—that was the true enemy, the origin power of the Source of the Void.
"Zhao Feng, use your power of conviction to strike its core! Lin Mo, use your power of purification to cut off its retreat! I will attack it head-on!" Qian Renxue rapidly issued commands.
Zhao Feng and Lin Mo nodded simultaneously. In the deep underground, the three silhouettes transformed into three streaks of golden meteoric light, colliding frantically with that wisp of black radiance.
Zhao Feng's Divine Conviction Battleaxe cleaved out countless golden axe-glows, each harboring the heroic spirits' power of conviction, which possessed an extreme restraining effect on Void power. The axe-glows bombarded the black radiance, causing it to fluctuate violently and emit a piercing screech. Countless black tentacles stretched out from the light, attempting to entangle Zhao Feng.
Lin Mo's Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor Martial Soul erupted with full force. Blue-and-gold purifying light transformed into innumerable chains, completely sealing off all routes of retreat for the black radiance. When those black tentacles touched the blue-and-gold chains, they immediately emitted black smoke and a sizzling, corrosive sound, though the chains themselves continuously snapped under the assault of the black tentacles.
Qian Renxue seized the opening. The Angel Holy Sword morphed into a colossal golden sword-light, stabbing straight toward the core of the black light. Wherever the sword-light passed, space itself was torn apart, leaving trails of black rifts. The black radiance violently contracted, then expanded fiercely, morphing into a massive black vortex in an attempt to swallow Qian Renxue's sword-light.
"Swallow my sword-light, will you? Just try it!" Qian Renxue shouted fiercely. The golden sword-light abruptly erupted with blinding luminescence; divine flames burned madly along the blade's edge, surprisingly tearing a gash right through the black vortex. The sword-light pierced through the opening, driving straight into the core of the black radiance.
Boom—!
A deafening explosion rang out. The core of the black radiance was struck by the golden sword-light, erupting into a terrifying energy storm. The trio of Qian Renxue, Zhao Feng, and Lin Mo were blasted away by the storm, slamming viciously into the underground rock walls. The rock faces instantly collapsed, burying the three beneath the rubble.
However, the three quickly burst out from the debris. Their figures were somewhat unsteady; Qian Renxue's body had become even more translucent, and the phantoms of Zhao Feng and Lin Mo were flickering violently. Clearly, the soul origins of all three had been massively depleted.
The black radiance had been heavily damaged by Qian Renxue's sword-light, growing much dimmer, but it still hadn't dissipated. Instead, it was rapidly absorbing the surrounding Void power to recover. The Void Sovereign's origin light cluster had completely dissipated, and its consciousness had been thoroughly purified by her strike, yet that sliver of the Source of the Void's origin power remained tenacious.
"Its recovery speed is too fast!" Lin Mo said urgently. "Deep underground, Void power remnants are everywhere—it can absorb them and restore itself at any time! If we keep fighting like this, we'll just be drained to death by it!"
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