69: Mysterious Ritual 2

Elder Yao shook his head with a bitter smile: "Counting myself, Xuan Guang Venerable, and the three Elders of the ancient clan, there are exactly three. But Xuan Guang Venerable's severe injuries have not healed, and the third Elder fell in yesterday's battle..."

Silence fell over the tent once more. Hope came quickly and left just as quickly.

"Wait," Xiao Yan suddenly transmitted his thoughts, "Aren't Elder Yao, Ling Xiao, and I also three?"

Elder Yao was stunned: "But Ling Xiao has contamination in him, and you..."

"I am a Saint Grade energy body," Xiao Yan's light figure flickered, "Although Ling Xiao is contaminated, the essence of a Spirit of the Plane is still there. With you, Teacher, it's exactly three people."

Xiao Bing stood up abruptly: "What about me? I can also..."

Elder Yao shook his head, interrupting him: "You no longer have the Heart of Chaos within you. Although your cultivation is strong, it has not reached the Saint Grade. And..." He hesitated for a moment, "This forbidden art requires a leader proficient in Soul Power, and only I can do it."

Ling Xiao carefully read the records on the ancient book, his silver eyes gradually brightening: "It's feasible! My brother's energy body is essentially a Soul form, which perfectly fits the requirements. And although I am contaminated, the core of the Spirit of the Plane is still there." He looked at Elder Yao, "Senior, when do we start?"

Elder Yao, however, looked troubled: "There's one more problem. Performing the forbidden art requires the temporary Fusion of three Souls. During this time, there can be no resistance whatsoever, otherwise..." He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear—at best, it would fail; at worst, Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

Xiao Yan's light figure floated in front of Elder Yao: "I trust Teacher."

Ling Xiao also nodded solemnly: "I trust Senior."

Elder Yao looked at the two of them, then at Xiao Bing, who seemed to want to say something but held back. Finally, he made up his mind: "Alright! I'll go prepare now. Xiao Bing, you will act as Protector outside. You must not let anyone disturb us."

Xiao Bing opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just nodded heavily: "I will protect it with my life."

......

At midnight, in the open space at the center of the camp, a complex triangular Law formation had been completed. Elder Yao, Xiao Yan, and Ling Xiao sat at the three vertices, respectively, with the Heart of Chaos suspended in the very center.

Outside the Law formation, Xiao Bing led the allied army's powerhouses to set up layers of protection. Everyone held their breath, knowing that this moment concerned the survival of the Source World.

"Let's begin," Elder Yao took a deep breath and formed an ancient hand seal. The full pressure of a Saint-Rank Heavenly Supreme was released. His white hair moved without wind, and his wrinkled face was filled with solemnity.

Xiao Yan's light figure became solid, his green fire core and blue ice meridians clearly visible; Ling Xiao, on the other hand, clasped his hands over his chest, and a colorful stream of light emerged from his body, reflecting off his silver hair.

"With my Soul as the guide," Elder Yao cut his wrist, and blood dripped into the Law formation, "Construct the cage of purification."

"With my spirit as the bridge," Ling Xiao softly chanted, and a silver light shot out from between his eyebrows, connecting to the Heart of Chaos.

"With my heart as the key," Xiao Yan's light figure fully expanded, enveloping the entire Law formation like a thin veil.

The Heart of Chaos began to spin rapidly, glowing with a brilliant red light. Three different colored energies intertwined above the Law formation, gradually forming a dazzling light triangle. In the center of the triangle, a small, faint cage phantom was vaguely taking shape.

"Soul Fusion, now!" Elder Yao let out a low cry.

The three simultaneously released their mental defenses, allowing each other's Soul power to penetrate into their innermost core areas. This was an exposure more complete than nakedness; any secret, any memory, would have nowhere to hide.

Xiao Yan saw Elder Yao's vicissitudes of thousands of years—from a spirited youth to his current old age, yet always adhering to his original aspiration as an alchemist; he saw Ling Xiao's endless solitude in the Forbidden Ground, guarding for millions of years just to fulfill a promise.

Ling Xiao felt Elder Yao's fatherly love for his three "Disciples"; he felt Xiao Yan's arduous journey from a useless young master to the Flame Emperor, and the untold pain and struggles.

Elder Yao, at the same time, experienced the eternal solitude of the Spirit of the Plane and the ethereal nature of the energy body, with an unspeakable bitterness in his heart.

Tears simultaneously fell from the three, not from pain, but from understanding. At this moment, they understood each other better than anyone else in the world.

The light triangle grew even more dazzling, and the cage in the center gradually materialized. The black Qi within Ling Xiao began to be extracted, twisting and struggling like countless tiny venomous snakes, yet unable to resist the gravitational pull of the Heart of Chaos.

"Almost there... Just hold on a little longer..." Elder Yao's voice trembled, clearly at his limit.

Suddenly, Ling Xiao's body shook, and black blood oozed from his seven orifices—the Chaos Devourer was making its final resistance! Xiao Yan's light figure immediately extended, enveloping his brother; Elder Yao also gritted his teeth and increased his spiritual power output, blood flowing from his nostrils and ears.

Xiao Bing, on the periphery, watched with burning anxiety but dared not disturb them rashly. He could only push his Extreme Ice Power to its limit, ensuring that no factors interfered with the ritual.

Finally, the last trace of black Qi was extracted from Ling Xiao's body and absorbed into the cage in the center of the light triangle. The Heart of Chaos shot out a red light, completely sealing the cage!

"It's successful..." Elder Yao smiled weakly, then his vision went black, and he fell forward.

Xiao Yan and Ling Xiao also simultaneously ran out of strength. The light triangle instantly dissipated, and the Heart of Chaos fell to the ground with a "clang," its red light much dimmer.

Xiao Bing rushed into the Law formation in a single stride. He first supported Elder Yao, checked him, and found that he was only unconscious and not in danger; although Ling Xiao was extremely weak, the black light in his eyes had completely disappeared; Xiao Yan's light figure, on the other hand, had become almost transparent, as if it could dissipate at any moment.

"Brother!" Xiao Bing stuffed the Heart of Chaos back into Xiao Yan's embrace, and only then did the red light stabilize.

A deafening explosion suddenly came from afar, followed by the soldiers' shouts of alarm. Xiao Bing looked up and saw that the huge crack in the sky was expanding, and countless black figures were pouring down like a waterfall!

"The main body of the Chaos Devourer... is about to descend!" Ling Xiao struggled to stand up but fell back weakly.

Xiao Yan's light figure floated to their side, enveloping Elder Yao as well: "Recover your strength... The final battle... is coming..."

The Heart of Chaos seemed to sense something and suddenly floated up on its own, slowly rotating above the four of them. A flash of understanding simultaneously appeared in the minds of Xiao Yan, Xiao Bing, and Ling Xiao—when the Chaos Devourer fully descends, only a complete Fusion of the three in one will have hope of contending with it.

The three exchanged glances, understanding each other's decision without words.

Xiao Bing carried the unconscious Elder Yao on his back: "Let's go back to the camp first. At least we have to wait until Teacher wakes up..."

Before he finished speaking, the entire earth suddenly vibrated violently! The crack in the sky expanded to an unprecedented degree. Beyond the pitch-black Void Realm, an indescribable terrifying existence was slowly manifesting. It had no fixed form; its mere existence caused the surrounding space to twist and collapse. The Laws of the Source World were like child's play before it.

"It's too late..." The terrifying scene was reflected in Ling Xiao's silver eyes, "It's here."

Xiao Yan's light figure solidified somewhat: "Then let's fight!"

The Heart of Chaos seemed to respond to this determination, suddenly splitting into three and entering Xiao Yan, Xiao Bing, and Ling Xiao's bodies respectively. The three simultaneously trembled, feeling an unprecedented power awakening within them.

Light burst forth from their bodies.

Green, blue, and colorful—three colors of light intertwined into a pillar of light that shot straight into the sky, standing against the overwhelming darkness!