The slash disarmed the demon.
Golden petals crashed into its body, tearing it apart. No matter how fiercely it struggled to reform, another petal descended, shattering its shape again and again.
"Shit…shit…shit, what the hell is this, the Qi from these petals is eating away at my energy, dam you, boy, there is no way am I losing to a brat." It roared its voice hoarse.
A hundred destructions followed in relentless succession.
"Yes… that's it," Wang Gu thought sharply.
"If it's forcing all its energy just to maintain itself, then I can use the blade now, when there is no way for it to block."
Wang Gu raised his hand.
He vanished.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of the demon. The Destiny Blade moved without resistance, sliding cleanly through the demon's heart.
Spat!
The blade went through.
"It's over," Wang Gu whispered.
"Ohoho, f*ck."
The demon shrieked as its form twisted violently, its essence unravelling—then spiralling inward, being absorbed into the blade.
Woasssskkkkkkrrrr!
The sound hissed through the air as the demon cried, its form vanishing completely.
"I did it…" Wang Gu murmured, exhaling heavily.
"I managed to sever its soul-bound connection. The main body won't know what happened here."
"Hey, Wang!" Lian rushed forward.
"What's with him? We won… so why is he—" his thoughts slowed down,
Wang Gu staggered.
His vision blurred, the world tilting violently as he fell forward,
"Shit… I'm so weak I didn't even realise I was falling over," he thought weakly.
"I'm already paying the price for unlocking the seal."
His consciousness began to slip.
With what little awareness he had left, Wang Gu forced his hands to move. He formed a series of seals and tapped his forehead.
The markings there spun rapidly, glowing faintly.
His hair retracted, his ears receded back to normal, and the inhuman presence around him faded.
Then,
His body went limp.
But before he could hit the ground, Lian was already there, catching him and pulling him into his arms.
"Yeah… I knew there was going to be a price to pay for using that monstrous strength," Lian muttered, adjusting Wang Gu's weight as he balanced him and slung him over his shoulder.
"This fight was really something else…"
His eyes drifted across the surroundings.
Everything was gone.
The lush greenery that had greeted them when they first arrived had vanished completely. Nothing remained, only dust and irreversible scars carved deep into the earth, as if the land itself had been wounded beyond healing.
"I wonder what happened to everyone else," Lian thought.
"I couldn't sense their presence while I was trapped inside that blood dome, and by the time we came out… the ship was already gone."
He exhaled softly.
"Well, none of that matters right now. I need to find a place to lay low. Wang will need time to readjust, too. I'm sure they can take care of themselves until we find them."
Lian lifted his gaze and turned slightly.
"The place should be around that direction… right?"
He moved forward.
For miles, there was nothing but endless desert stretching beneath the dim sky. Then, finally, faint lights appeared on the horizon.
Lian's eyes narrowed.
He broke into a sprint.
"Surely, that's the city we're supposed to go to."
Qi surged through his legs as he increased his speed, covering massive distances in mere moments, the lights growing closer with every breath.