Lightning gathered upon the Dragon Spear, and heaven and earth dimmed beneath its brilliance.
Standing atop the dragon's head, the Tenth Lin gazed down upon the battlefield. The silver spear in his hand drew the thunder of the nine heavens. Lightning surged along the shaft, making him appear like a god of thunder reborn.
Below him, the man in the golden mask raised both palms toward the sky, slowly drawing circles in front of him.
Behind him, a Seven-Colored Sacred Buddha manifested with a thunderous presence, its palms pressed together in supreme majesty.
At the same time, golden light burst from his right eye. A Five-Petaled Golden Eye sigil bloomed behind him. The golden domain expanded more than ten meters outward before suddenly compressing, condensing into a radius of three feet around the sacred Buddha.
The golden light grew increasingly dense, nearly solid.
Under its radiance, the Buddha looked as though it had been cast from pure gold.
Then—
A vertical eye slowly appeared upon the Buddha's forehead.
Moments later, all three eyes opened.
Within each pupil, five golden petals blossomed.
A bolt of true lightning descended from the heavens, striking the Dragon Spear with perfect precision.
ROAR—
Accompanied by a dragon's cry, the Tenth Lin leapt from the dragon's head. Man and spear merged into a single streak of lightning that pierced the heavens as it descended.
"Sacred Art — Heavenly Dragon Shattering the Firmament!"
"Sacred Art — Formless Tathagata!"
The golden-masked man thrust both palms forward.
The Seven-Colored Buddha followed, unleashing a strike powerful enough to stir the very forces of heaven and earth.
The ground cracked beneath the impact.
Fractures spread outward like a spider's web, while the remaining blades of grass on the battlefield were lifted into the air, trembling violently.
The divine lightning struck the Buddha's palms.
The sky turned deathly white.
Cracking sounds echoed from the Buddha's hands as fissures spread across its palms. Lightning crawled along the fractures like a web of destruction.
Yet at that moment—
The three golden eyes of the Buddha shone brightly.
Golden light surged through the cracks, slowly mending the breaking palms.
But the destruction was faster than the healing.
The lightning spear cut deeper and deeper into the Buddha's hands.
Every inch the spear advanced, the cracks spread another foot.
Rip—!
At last, the lightning pierced through the Buddha's palms and descended toward the golden-masked man.
Golden light erupted from his right eye.
The Seven-Colored Buddha suddenly lunged forward without hesitation, using its own body as a shield to create the final barrier.
The vertical eye upon the Buddha's forehead faced the descending spear.
The moment the spear pierced that eye—
Thousands of bolts of lightning scattered violently in all directions.
Lightning and collapsing golden light filled every inch of space around the Sacred Tree, shaking the entire forest with thunder and fire.
Though the Buddha remained intact under the reinforcement of golden light, its body was already collapsing.
From its fingertips.
From the edges of its robe.
From every tiny corner.
It was dissolving into countless specks of golden light.
All of its remaining power was being concentrated into the vertical eye locked in its final struggle with the lightning spear.
"Tenth Lin… have you lost your mind?!" the golden-masked man roared through gritted teeth.
Blood slowly seeped from his right eye, running down the golden mask.
The Tenth Lin's gaze remained resolute.
Within the pupil of the vertical eye, the five-petaled golden flower formed an almost indestructible barrier, blocking the spear.
Even though heavenly lightning continued to pour into the spear—
His body was becoming increasingly transparent.
Starting from his legs, specks of light were drifting away.
This single strike had already consumed all of his spiritual power.
Yet he did not retreat.
"Dragon."
He turned toward the azure dragon coiled upon the tree crown.
His voice was soft.
"It's your turn."
The dragon slowly lowered its head.
Their gazes met.
In the next instant—
The dragon raised its head and roared, its cry shaking the heavens.
It soared downward, its massive body carving a blue arc through the sky before merging directly into the Dragon Spear.
Dragon roars erupted from the spear's tip.
The cry was ancient and desolate, as though echoing from the primordial age.
The clouds rolling across the sky burst with countless bolts of thunder.
Those lightning bolts no longer struck individually.
They gathered together into a colossal pillar of light, pouring down from the heavens and flooding into the spear.
BOOM!!!
The pillar of lightning shattered the Buddha's vertical eye.
The eye containing the power of the Five-Petaled Golden Eye exploded under the overwhelming thunder.
Immediately after—
Cracks spread across the golden body of the Buddha.
Starting from its forehead, fractures spread throughout its entire form like a spider web.
Finally—
The massive Buddha shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the night sky.
The Dragon Spear left the Tenth Lin's grasp.
It shot directly toward the golden-masked man.
At that very moment—
A streak of white light burst out from the collapsing green barrier.
It was the white-masked figure.
Having finally broken free from the vines, he threw himself toward the spear without hesitation.
A tremendous lightning bolt struck the ground.
The entire Sacred Wood Forest was illuminated by a blinding white flash.
Everything within the lightning's reach was reduced to dust.
Then—
The forest floor collapsed.
A massive crater formed, spanning nearly a hundred meters.
It was as if a piece of the earth had been violently carved away.
The lightning faded.
At the bottom of the crater lay two figures among the ruins.
The golden mask was destroyed, revealing half of the man's blood-covered face.
The right side of his face had been sliced away.
Flesh and bone were exposed.
His eyes were closed.
He had completely lost consciousness.
Beside him lay a white-haired youth.
His white mask had turned to dust.
His clothes were burned away by lightning and fire.
His body was scorched black.
His right arm had been severed at the root, still smoking as blood poured into the soil.
He slowly turned his head toward the unconscious man.
"Mas…ter…"
His voice was barely audible.
Using his remaining left arm, he struggled to lift his body and drag the golden-masked man onto his back.
The next instant—
Blinding white light erupted from his body.
The entire crater was illuminated.
He shot into the sky like a meteor.
Thick vines burst from the ground, chasing after the streak of light like giant green serpents.
But the moment they touched the white radiance, they were instantly burned apart.
The light broke through every obstruction and was about to escape.
"Lord Tenth Lin! They're escaping!" Wanli shouted anxiously from the crater's edge.
The Tenth Lin did not move.
Not because he would not pursue them.
But because he could not.
His spiritual body was already collapsing.
Everything below his waist had disappeared into drifting specks of light.
The disintegration continued upward.
Soon, his entire form would vanish.
He watched the escaping streak of light silently.
Wanli turned back and saw the state of his spiritual body.
In that moment—
He understood.
His eyes reddened instantly.
At that moment, the sound of rushing wind approached.
More than a dozen figures were arriving rapidly.
"The Qingluo Guards!" Wanli shouted.
He pointed toward the escaping light.
"Chase them!"
Among the guards, another streak of white light shot into the sky.
It was a boy no more than fifteen or sixteen.
His entire body radiated brilliant white light.
He flew like a meteor toward the fleeing figure.
His speed was astonishing.
The light surrounding him was nearly identical to the enemy's—
Yet far purer.
Far brighter.
The two streaks of light disappeared beyond the distant mountains into the night.
Meanwhile, the Qingluo Guards gathered before the Tenth Lin.
Seeing his disintegrating body, grief filled their faces.
"My lord… your spiritual body…"
"It's fine," the Tenth Lin said softly.
Yet his voice was perfectly clear.
"Wanli. Qingkong. Take some men and check on Changfeng and the Ninth Lin. Changfeng should still be alive. Save him."
"Yes, my lord!"
They immediately departed.
"The rest of you, come with me to the Sacred Tree."
He arrived before the enormous crack in the tree's trunk.
Golden traces still lingered along the wound left by the golden-masked man's Evil Eye.
Green essence slowly leaked from within the tree.
"He wanted to absorb the Sacred Tree's essence…"
"But that is the primordial power of heaven and earth… no one can refine it…"
He fell silent.
Then shook his head.
Whatever secret lay behind it—
He would never learn it.
What mattered now…
Was the Sacred Tree.
He could not heal the wound.
Without the Evil Eye, no one could close the crack.
And as long as it remained—
The tree's essence would continue to leak away.
Until the Sacred Tree died.
"Bring me my son," he said.
Three Qingluo Guards quickly returned through the night sky. One of them carried an infant in his arms. He landed before the Tenth Lin and carefully handed over the swaddled child.
Inside the blanket slept a baby no more than seven or eight months old. His cheeks were soft and pink, his breathing calm and steady, completely unaware of everything that had just happened.
The Tenth Lin reached out and took the child.
Looking down at the infant in his arms, the cold and resolute lines of his face finally softened.
He gently brushed his finger across the baby's cheek.
The baby stirred slightly, smacking his lips before continuing to sleep peacefully.
"Fei'er… be good."
The Tenth Lin raised his head and looked toward the Sacred Tree.
Forming a seal with one hand, he began to chant quietly.
The Sacred Tree trembled again.
This time the tremor was stronger than ever before. Countless leaves fell from the enormous canopy.
From the great crack in the trunk, streams of glowing green essence poured out, like countless rivers of light gathering and swirling through the air.
"Fei'er… forgive your father."
"I have no choice but to place this burden upon you."
He raised a finger and gently pressed it against the baby's lower abdomen.
The green essence in the air surged forward like a thousand rivers flowing into the sea, pouring into the child's body.
A faint glow appeared across the baby's skin.
The sudden surge of power disturbed the infant, and he began to cry.
Within his abdomen, mysterious patterns began to appear.
The patterns spread like living things, extending across his entire body.
Time slowly passed.
At last, the final strand of essence entered the child.
His skin was no longer as soft and pale as before.
Instead, a faint green tint shimmered across it, glowing softly under the night sky.
A deep hum echoed from the Sacred Tree.
The silver-white bark began to lose its luster rapidly, as though something essential had been completely drained away.
The glow faded like receding tides, revealing the dull gray beneath.
The once-living wood hardened—
Turning into stone.
The great crack still remained on the trunk.
But now nothing flowed from it.
The Sacred Tree's essence had vanished completely.
The Sacred Tree… had died.
The Tenth Lin looked down at the child in his arms.
The baby had already stopped crying and fallen asleep once more.
His breathing was deep and steady.
There was even a faint smile on his small face.
Yet his aura had changed.
It was deep as the ocean.
Vast as the abyss.
As though a boundless starry sky now existed within him.
"Fei'er… from this day forward, the burden you must carry will be heavier than anyone else's."
Gathering the last fragment of spiritual power within his fingertip, the Tenth Lin gently pressed it against the baby's forehead.
A mark slowly appeared between the infant's brows.
It was shaped like a dragon fang.
The mark was no larger than a fingernail, faintly glowing with a trace of azure light.
It looked as though it might soar into the sky at any moment.
"If you ever have the chance… go visit your mother's homeland."
Before the final words faded—
The Tenth Lin's spiritual body completely collapsed.
His form turned into countless drifting motes of light, scattering into the night wind.
"Tenth Lin!"
Several people fell to their knees, their voices choked with grief.
The swaddled child slowly descended through the air before being caught firmly by the middle-aged guard.
"Young Master…" he said hoarsely.
"From this day onward… we will protect you with our lives."
The Sacred Tree that had protected the Giantwood Kingdom for thousands of years now stood silent.
Its body had turned to stone.
It no longer glowed.
It no longer swayed.
It stood like a massive gravestone in the darkness, witnessing everything that had happened tonight.
The night over Senluo City had never been so dark.
And the catastrophe of the Lin Realm—
Had only just begun.