"Then what do we do?" Lin Mo asked urgently. "We can't just leave it here and ignore it, can we?"
Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, her eyes flickering as she rapidly formulated a strategy. A moment later, she lifted her head, a flash of absolute resolve in her eyes: "I can use the Angel God's ultimate sealing technique—'Sacrifice of the Angel'—to seal the Seed of the Void within my soul origin. My soul origin possesses divine attributes, which will continuously purify the Seed of the Void. At the same time, the Seed of the Void will be locked deep within my soul origin, incapable of posing any threat to the outside world."
"What?!" Zhao Feng and Lin Mo exclaimed in unison.
"Sacrifice of the Angel" was the Angel God's most powerful, yet most dangerous sealing skill. It required the caster to use their own soul origin as the vessel for the seal, locking the target deep within it. Once the seal was complete, the caster's soul would be permanently bound to the target. The caster would have to spend eternity suppressing and purifying their captive. The price of this skill was the caster's eternal loss of freedom; their soul would be imprisoned within the sealing space until the target was utterly purified.
"Lord Qian Renxue, do you realize what this means?" Zhao Feng's voice was laced with anxiety and dread. "Your soul will be trapped in the sealing space forever! No reincarnation, no release—not even the peace of dissipation! You will endure the corrosion and torment of the Seed of the Void for all eternity!"
"I know," Qian Renxue said serenely. There wasn't the slightest trace of fear on her face, only a profound sense of release and unwavering resolve. "But this is the only way. If we don't do this, the Seed of the Void will awaken sooner or later. When that happens, the entire Douluo Continent—even this entire dimensional plane—will face an apocalyptic catastrophe."
"There has to be another way!" Lin Mo urged desperately. "We can take the Seed of the Void into space and hurl it into the sun! The sun's heat is enough to destroy anything!"
"It won't work," Qian Renxue shook her head. "The Seed of the Void contains the origin power of the Source of the Void; it transcends the realm of ordinary matter. The sun's heat might destroy its outer shell, but it cannot destroy its core. Once the core is exposed, it would actually absorb the sun's energy to accelerate its growth."
"Then we can seal it in an alternate dimension!" Zhao Feng argued. "Just like how we sealed the Void Space passage a century ago!"
"An alternate dimension seal requires a continuous injection of sealing power to maintain its stability," Qian Renxue explained. "Now, a century later, the source of that sealing power—the power of conviction within the Monument of Heroic Spirits—has been completely depleted. If we attempt another seal, it might crumble in less than a decade. When the Seed of the Void breaks free then, we won't even have the chance to seal it again."
Zhao Feng and Lin Mo fell silent. They knew she was stating the truth. In that battle a century ago, they had paid with their lives just to barely seal the will projection of the Source of the Void. Now, their strength was far inferior to what it once was, and the Seed of the Void was far more dangerous than the will projection, because it contained true origin power. The consequences of its eruption were beyond imagination.
"There is no need to argue any further."
Qian Renxue's voice grew soft. She turned to look at Zhao Feng and Lin Mo, a trace of warmth in her eyes. "A century ago, we fought side by side and protected this land. A century later, we stand shoulder to shoulder once more, guarding this land yet again. I am incredibly fortunate to have had comrades like you."
"Lord Qian Renxue..." Lin Mo's eyes reddened, his voice thick with emotion.
"Lin Mo, Zhao Feng, you are the inheritors of the heroic spirits' will. Your mission is to protect the next generation and carry on their legacy," Qian Renxue continued. "Do not drown in sorrow because of my sacrifice; let it make you even more resolute. This land needs you. These future generations need you."
She reached out and gently patted their shoulders. Though her touch was ethereal, it conveyed an indescribable warmth and steadfastness.
"Now, do me one last favor." Qian Renxue withdrew her hand and took a deep breath. The golden light around her surged once more. "While I cast 'Sacrifice of the Angel,' I need you both to use your power of conviction and faith to stabilize my soul origin and prevent any accidents during the sealing process."
Zhao Feng and Lin Mo exchanged a glance, both seeing profound grief and unwavering resolve in the other's eyes. They knew this was Qian Renxue's final battle, and the very last thing they could do for her.
"We understand," Zhao Feng nodded, his voice deep and resolute. "Lord Qian Renxue, rest assured. We will guard this land well and carry forward the will of the heroic spirits. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."
"Good." Qian Renxue smiled. The smile was pure and radiant—reminiscent of the high-spirited Angel God standing in the Angel God Temple a millennium ago, and of the heroine who had laid down her life to protect the world in the Void Desert a century past.
She turned to face the black orb suspended in mid-air, holding the Angel Holy Sword horizontally before her. The nine golden soul rings revolved around her body as her golden divine power burned fiercely like a flame. She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and then snapped them open. A dazzling light erupted from her gaze.
"Sacrifice of the Angel—Activate!"
The golden radiance around Qian Renxue skyrocketed instantly, transforming into a colossal pillar of golden light that shot straight toward the heavens. The pillar pierced through thousands of meters of rock strata, burst through the surface, and soared into the clouds, dyeing the entire sky a brilliant gold. On the surface, the crowds in the plaza saw the golden pillar and dropped to their knees one after another. Closing their eyes, they channeled the power of conviction from their hearts into the beam.
Within the golden pillar, Qian Renxue's body began to transform. Her angelic gown dissolved into countless golden motes of light, scattering into the air. Behind her, colossal angelic wings slowly unfurled, every single feather shimmering with divine luminescence. On her forehead, a golden angelic rune materialized, rotating slowly and radiating an overwhelming power of sealing.
Sensing the threat, the black orb began to tremble violently. The black veins flowing across its surface grew intensely active, as if attempting to break free from an invisible bind. Wisps of black mist seeped from the orb, attempting to flee the confines of the golden pillar. However, the pillar was imbued with Qian Renxue's sealing might; the moment the black mist made contact with the light, it was instantly purified into nothingness.
"Seal—Open!"
Qian Renxue let out a sharp cry. A golden fissure suddenly split open across her chest, and from within it surged countless golden chains. Golden runes flowed along the lengths of the chains, exuding an overwhelming power of sealing. Moving as if alive, the chains shot straight toward the black orb, binding it securely in their grasp.
The black orb struggled fiercely, constantly unleashing black mist in an attempt to erode the golden chains. But the golden runes on the chains flashed incessantly, purifying every wisp of dark fog that came near. The chains slowly retracted, dragging the black orb toward the golden fissure over Qian Renxue's chest.
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