55: Instinct Awakening 2

"Very good." His voice was no longer hoarse; instead, it was clear and pleasant. "You should be proud to have forced me to reveal my true form."

The other two Evil Lords also transformed into humanoids. Xue Shi Evil Deity was a red-haired muscular man with strange blood patterns covering his skin, while Shi Gu Evil Deity was as thin as a bamboo pole, shrouded in a gray robe, revealing only a pair of bone-white hands.

"Do you know why we are determined to obtain the plane of origin?" Black Fiend Evil Lord slowly walked forward. With each step, the ground beneath his feet automatically transformed into dark crystal. "Because this power originally belonged to us!"

He suddenly accelerated, his figure blurring into a black line, heading straight for Xiao Yan! His speed was so fast that even a Saint Grade expert like Yao Lao could only catch afterimages.

However, in Xiao Yan's eyes, Black Fiend Evil Lord's movements were as clear as slow motion. He shifted slightly, perfectly avoiding the attack, and at the same time, concentrated Chaos power in his right hand, punching the opponent's back.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Black Fiend Evil Lord was actually sent stumbling forward by this punch, his back scales shattered, and black blood flowed out!

"You!" He turned abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How could you hurt me?!"

Xiao Yan did not answer, because he and Xiao Bing simultaneously received memories from the plane of origin—in ancient times, these three Evil Lords were originally guardians nurtured by the plane, but they fell into greed, attempting to devour the plane of origin, and were eventually Sealed and exiled. Now, they had returned for revenge!

"So you were the traitors," Xiao Bing said coldly. "The plane of origin split precisely because of your sneak attack."

The expressions of the three Evil Lords changed simultaneously; they clearly hadn't expected this secret to be exposed.

"So what?" Xue Shi Evil Deity sneered. "Today, let history repeat itself!"

He clapped his hands together, and countless blood threads burst forth from his body, weaving into a giant net that covered the sky. Every blood thread on the net carried a terrifying aura that corroded all things, even etching countless tiny holes in space.

Shi Gu Evil Deity attacked simultaneously, his gray robe fluttering without wind, as countless bone-white powders scattered. Wherever the powder passed, whether rock or metal, it all turned into dust!

Facing this overwhelming attack, Xiao Yan and Xiao Bing stood back to back, simultaneously injecting Chaos power into the ice soul mirror. The mirror surface glowed intensely, projecting a hemispherical light shield that enveloped the two of them.

The blood net and bone powder fell onto the light shield, emitting a grating "hissing" sound, but they could not break through in the slightest.

"It's our turn," Xiao Yan whispered.

Xiao Bing understood, and they both formed hand Seals simultaneously. The ice soul mirror suddenly split into two, transforming into two streams of light that merged into their brows. In an instant, their aura surged again, and the Chaos power around them almost solidified!

"Flame Ice Tribulation!"

Xiao Yan's right hand ignited with azure Chaos fire, and Xiao Bing's left hand condensed blue Chaos ice. They both struck out with their palms simultaneously, and the ice and fire power intertwined in the air, forming a giant azure and blue Dragon that pounced towards the three Evil Lords!

Wherever the giant Dragon passed, space collapsed inch by inch, revealing dark nothingness. Xue Shi Evil Deity and Shi Gu Evil Deity hastily dodged, but Black Fiend Evil Lord sneered and formed a hand Seal: "Petty tricks!"

The vertical 紋 on his brow suddenly split open, revealing a blood-colored vertical eye that shot out a beam of black and red light.

"Boom!"

The two forces collided, and the resulting shockwave swept across a thousand li! Even with the protection of experts like Yao Lao, the allied forces were still sent sprawling. Some Disciples with lower cultivation directly fainted.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Xiao Yan and Xiao Bing flew backward, blood spilling from their mouths. The three Evil Lords were equally unwell: Black Fiend Evil Lord's vertical eye bled continuously, half of Xue Shi Evil Deity's body was charred black, and Shi Gu Evil Deity's gray robe was tattered beyond recognition.

"They are stronger than we imagined," Xiao Yan wiped away the blood and transmitted a message to Xiao Bing. "Chaos power is being consumed too quickly; we can't prolong this battle."

Blue light flickered in Xiao Bing's eyes: "Brother, I have an idea..."

Their Souls resonated, and Xiao Bing's idea was instantly transmitted to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan's eyes lit up: "Good idea!"

Black Fiend Evil Lord was about to attack again when he suddenly noticed that the aura of the Xiao Yan brothers was rapidly weakening, and the Chaos power around them also became chaotic.

"Haha, can't hold on?" He laughed triumphantly. "Forcibly activating the plane of origin, the backlash must be unpleasant, right?"

Xiao Yan knelt on one knee, feigning difficulty as he gasped: "Damn it... just a little bit more..."

Xiao Bing also swayed, his face as pale as paper: "Brother... we failed..."

Yao Lao watched from afar, anxious, and was about to go to their rescue, but Skyfire Venerable pulled him back: "Wait... something's not right..."

Indeed, as soon as the three Evil Lords approached Xiao Yan and Xiao Bing, a sudden change occurred! Their "weak" aura instantly recovered, and the Chaos power not only did not deplete but became even stronger than before!

"Not good! It's a trick!" Black Fiend Evil Lord reacted the fastest, retreating rapidly.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Xiao Yan and Xiao Bing simultaneously slammed their palms on the ground, and the Chaos power they had secretly laid out instantly erupted, forming a huge energy vortex that trapped the three Evil Lords within it!

"Welcome to the 'Pseudo-Plane,'" Xiao Yan grinned, showing no signs of weakness.

Xiao Bing formed hand Seals, and the ice soul mirror's phantom appeared above the vortex: "This is a trap designed to mimic a plane's collapse, specially prepared for you."

The three Evil Lords were shocked and enraged, furiously attacking the vortex's barrier, but they were horrified to discover that their power was like a stone sinking into the sea, being assimilated and absorbed by the Chaos power!

"Damn ants!" Black Fiend Evil Lord roared. "When I break free, I will make your lives worse than death!"

Xiao Yan no longer paid attention to the impotently raging Evil Lords and turned to Xiao Bing: "How long can they be trapped?"

Xiao Bing estimated: "At most twelve hours. The Chaos power consumption is too great; we need..."

He suddenly stopped, his face turning exceptionally pale, and a trickle of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Xiao Bing!" Xiao Yan quickly supported him, only then realizing that his younger brother's spiritual power was almost exhausted, and many of his Meridians were damaged. "You... you took on most of the consumption?"

Xiao Bing forced a smile: "Your punch just now almost used up seventy percent of your power... If I didn't..."

Before he could finish speaking, his vision went dark, and he fainted in Xiao Yan's arms.

...

Xingyun Pavilion camp, late night.

Xiao Bing lay quietly in the makeshift healing room, his face still pale. After checking, Yao Lao confirmed that it was merely spiritual power overexertion and that he would recover after a period of rest.

Xiao Yan sat by the bed, playing with the yan emperor seal in his hand. After today's battle, all the rust on the surface of this jade Seal had fallen off, revealing its crystal-clear jade quality, with golden liquid faintly flowing inside.

"Teacher, how much do you know about the plane of origin?" he suddenly asked.

Yao Lao put down the medicine bowl in his hand and sighed: "Ancient records are very scarce. I only know that it is the manifestation of the plane's will, possessing the power of creation and destruction." He looked at the unconscious Xiao Bing. "The abilities you displayed today have already far exceeded the scope of ordinary Heavenly Supreme experts."

Xiao Yan nodded, then hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice: "But I feel... this is not its complete state yet. The plane of origin seems to be... urging us to go further."

Yao Lao's brows furrowed tightly: "What do you mean?"

"Fusion," Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse. "A complete Soul and physical body Fusion. Only then can the plane of origin fully Awaken."

The medicine bowl in Yao Lao's hand fell to the ground with a "snap," shattering into pieces: "No! That means one of you must completely disappear!"

Xiao Yan smiled bitterly: "I know. But if there's no other way..."

"There must be another way!" Yao Lao interrupted sharply. "Tomorrow I will go through ancient records, and if that doesn't work, I'll go to the ancient clan ruins..."

"Teacher," Xiao Yan said softly, "The Source World can't wait. The Evil Lords are only temporarily trapped; when they break free, our current power is insufficient to Seal them again."

Yao Lao was silent for a long time, then suddenly, old tears streamed down his face: "I finally cultivated two good Disciples, am I to watch them..."

"No," Xiao Yan forced a smile. "Perhaps when Xiao Bing wakes up, we can think of a solution that satisfies both."

Yao Lao saw that his Disciple was putting on a brave face, his heart aching but powerless, so he could only silently exit the tent, giving Xiao Yan space to be alone.

Inside the tent, Xiao Yan held Xiao Bing's cold hand and whispered: "Silly boy, you're younger than me, yet you always want to be the older brother's protector... This time, let me protect you."

He took out the yan emperor seal and gently placed it on Xiao Bing's chest. The jade Seal glowed with golden light, seemingly recording something.

"The plane of origin will choose the more suitable person..." Xiao Yan murmured to himself. "You are calmer than me, and you know how to control power better... The Source World needs you..."

Outside the tent, Yao Lao had not gone far. Hearing the low murmurs inside, his fists clenched, making cracking sounds, and he suddenly turned and walked towards his own tent. There, he kept an ancient forbidden Dao text obtained from the ancient clan ruins, which recorded a secret technique called "Soul Substitution"...

At the same time, no one noticed that in his unconscious state, Xiao Bing's finger twitched slightly, and a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.