Above the Situ Ancestral Land, the battle wastragically fierce, demonic energy and spiritual lightcrazy collision, blood staining the rugged land. Although the Grand Elder's faction fought desperately, forming formations for self-defense, they were at a disadvantage in numbers and momentum. Their defensive line was precarious, people constantly falling injured, the formation light shaking violently as if it might shatter at any moment.
Situ Ming saw that his side had the upper hand, his wicked smile growing. His serpent-shaped demonic sword attacks became even more fierce and cunning, with streaks of jet-black sword force like venomous snakes spitting tongues, wrapping around and tearing toward Xiao Qi, trying to quickly eliminate thisserious trouble.
"Fighting desperately! When I capture you, I will extract your soul and refine you, to vent my hatred!" Situ Ming roared, demonic energy pouring into his sword body, his sword technique changing again, transforming into a sky-covering black sword net to completely encircle and shred Xiao Qi!
Facing this killing blow, Xiao Qi's eyes narrowed. He knew he could no longer hold back. He took a deep breath, and his Green Lotus Golden Core inside his body rotated faster than ever before. The pure, vast core power mixed with the vast Green Lotus Origin, like a breached flood, entirely poured into the repaired Demon-Suppressing Nail in his hand!
"Buzz---!"
The Demon-Suppressing Nail violently shook,emitted a low humming sound that seemed to penetrate the soul! The originally merely flowingdark gold runes on the nail body suddenly burst into dazzling brilliance! A force far more vast, more refined, with supreme dignity and suppressing will, like a primordial beast sleeping for ten thousand ages, suddenly awakened!
dark golden divine light shotshot up into the sky, temporarily dispersing the eternalbloody in the sky, illuminating a thousand zhang in all directions! The originally rampant demonic energy, under this divine light, like meeting its nemesis,emitted "hiss" sounds, rapidly dissolving and retreating!
The first to bear the brunt, Situ Ming, felt an indescribable heavy pressure bear down on him, as if the entire sky had collapsed! His deployed black sword net, upon contact with that dark gold divine light, like snow meeting the sun, shattered inch by inch, annihilated!
"No! Impossible! What kind of power is this?!" Situ Minglet out terrified screams, he felt the demonic energy in his body crying out and scattering, that serpent-shaped demonic sword connected to his mind even dimmed,let out painful wails!
Xiao Qi held the Divine Nail, like a god holding heavenly punishment, his gaze coldly locking onto Situ Ming. He did not perform any fancy moves, just gently extending the Demon-Suppressing Nail forward!
"Suppress!"
One wordspat out, law follows words!
That dark gold divine light suddenlyrestrained,condensed at the nail's tip, transforming into a thread-thin yetextremely condensed dark gold ray, ignoring spatial distance, instantly penetrating all of Situ Ming's demonic energy defenses, precisely striking hisdantian qi sea!
"Pfft---!"
Like the sound of a bubble bursting.
Situ Ming's body violently stiffened, his fierce expressionsolidified, replaced by extreme fear and disbelief. He lowered his head, looking at the small hole in his lower dantian area. No blood flowed out, but he could clearly feel his hard-cultivated demonic core, under the impact of thatseemingly thin dark gold ray, like a sand sculpture weathered by wind, shattering inch by inch, dissipating!
Demonic energy like a flood without a dammadly leaking from his body!
"My... Golden Core... No---!!!"
Situ Minglet out shrill desperate howls, his entire aura like a deflating balloon rapidly wilted. He fell helplessly from mid-air, heavily crashing to the ground, raising dust. Though not immediately killed, his Golden Core destroyed, cultivation completelyabandoned, he had become a thoroughtrash!
This shocking scene instantlyshocked the entire battlefield!
All fighting Situ clan members, whether radical faction or Grand Elder's faction, involuntarily stopped their hands, staring in disbelief at that young figure slowly descending from the sky, holding the Divine Nail, like a god descending to earth, and at the Young Lord Situ Ming sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, his cultivation destroyed!
The Young Lord... was defeated?! Destroyed in one strike?!
Fear, like a plague, spread among the radical disciples. If even the strongest Young Lord couldn't withstand one strike, what hope did they have?
"Ming'er!!!"
Situ Yuan, locked in fierce battle with Situ Ming, let out a heartbreaking roar, his eyescrack! Though controlled by demonic thoughts, father-son connection was deep. Seeing his son destroyed, the huge impact made his mindinstantlyfall!
Situ Ming seized thisonce-in-a-lifetime'sopportunity, a "Spirit-Sealing Lock-Yuan Seal" condensed with his lifetime of formation attainments ruthlessly slapped out, hitting Situ Yuan's chest squarely!
"Boom!"
Situ Yuanas if struck by a heavy blow, spitting a jet of jet-black blood. The demonic energy around him instantly disordered and scattered. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his aura rapidly declining. Though not completely sealed, he temporarily lost most of his combat effectiveness.
He struggled to raise his head, looking at hislimp as mud son nearby, then at Xiao Qi holding the Demon-Suppressing Nail, aura profound like mountains, and at Situ Ming who, though greatly depleted, had firm eyes. His mad blood-red gaze gradually faded, replaced by a bottomless despair and... a dazed confusion like being released from a burden.
After consecutive blows, the demonic thoughts haunting his spirit seemed also shaken, their control greatly reduced.
Situ Ming's form flashed, arriving before Situ Yuan. Looking at this person he once had great hopes for, now fallen to the demonic path, his heart ached. His voice was hoarse: "Yuan'er... turn back... look at this scarred ancestral land, look at those dead and injured clan members... is this the result brought by the power you pursued?"
Situ Yuan stared blankly at his surroundings, at the bodies of fallen clan members, at the fear and confusion in surviving disciples' eyes, then at his destroyed son. Two streams of turbid tears finally slid from his eye corners. He opened his mouth as if to say something, ultimately only becoming a long, endless regretful sigh, collapsing his head.
Even the Family Head had... given up?
The remaining radical disciples and elders' last trace of fighting spirit completely collapsed.
"Clang!" Someone dropped their weapon first.
Like a chain reaction, more and more people gave up resistance,with an ashen face kneeling on the ground.
The rebellion,thus completely suppressed!
Situ Ming forcefully endured his heartache, stood straight. His voice, though tired, carried undeniable dignity, echoing across the entire ancestral land: "All Situ clan members, hear! The rebellion is quelled! Those whoput down your weapons will not bepursue! From now on, our Situ family returns to the righteous path, upholds ancestral teachings, guards the seal, purges demonic influence, to atone for past sins!"
He turned and bowed deeply to Xiao Qi and all clan members supporting him: "Many thanks to the fellow cultivator for turning the tide! Many thanks to all clan members for your righteousness! I, Situ Ming, swear here that I will lead the family to clear thegate, repair the ancestral land, and with the entire clan's strength, guard the seal, absolutely not letting the demonic entity harm the world again!"
The surviving Situ clan members, regardless of which faction they previously belonged to, now all bowed in response. Their voices carried relief at surviving catastrophe and determination emerging from confusion.
A bloody internal struggle finally ended with victory for the righteous side, though at atragic price. The Situ family paid heavy costs: the Young Lord was destroyed, the Family Head was disillusioned, many clan members died or were injured. But they had not completely slid into the demonic abyss.
Xiao Qi watched this scene, his heart deeply moved. He put away the Demon-Suppressing Nail, that vast suppressing Dao rhyme slowly internalizing.
Clearing thegate was complete. Next was using the Situ family's strength and this repaired Demon-Suppressing Nail to face the even greater crisis.