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..."Cough... ugh!"
Intense pain instantly swept through her entire body. Qian Renxue curled up on the ground, feeling as if her internal organs had shifted, and every bone in her body was breaking inch by inch. A mouthful of fresh blood uncontrollably gushed out, staining the flagstones beneath her.
She struggled to lift her head, but her vision was blurry. She could only see a vague figure appear before her like a ghost.
Xuan Ming looked down at her disheveled state, his eyes devoid of pity. He lifted his foot and mercilessly stepped on her back!
"Crack..."
A bone-chilling sound of bones cracking faintly echoed. Qian Renxue let out a muffled groan of pain, feeling as if her spine was about to be crushed! The immense humiliation and pain almost made her faint.
"Get back to your Angel God Temple." Xuan Ming's voice came from above, cold and ruthless, "Want revenge? You can. Come find me after you become a god."
After speaking, he withdrew his foot, then abruptly kicked Qian Renxue in the waist!
"Ugh—!"
An irresistible force struck, and Qian Renxue, like a ball, transformed into a golden streak of light, uncontrollably flying backwards towards the summit of Pope Mountain, in the direction of the Angel God Temple. She ultimately crashed heavily onto the plaza in front of the temple, stirring up a cloud of dust, and completely lost consciousness.
Having done all this, Xuan Ming stood silently in place, watching the direction where Qian Renxue disappeared, not speaking.
The Blood Spear had long vanished, and the sharp Killing Intent around him instantly receded, leaving only a deep, ineffable loneliness.
Bibi Dong had walked to his side at some point, quietly watching him, her purple-gold eyes filled with complex emotions. She said nothing, only gently held his somewhat cold hand.
She knew too well.
How complicated Xuan Ming's feelings for Qian Renxue were.
Those years in Heaven Dou City, two psychologically unstable children struggled in a quagmire of power, schemes, and mutual probing.
Qian Renxue was one of the few individuals with whom he had profound interactions during his dark years.
She was an enemy, a supervisor, and perhaps... in a twisted sense, the only 'friend' who could understand each other's predicament.
They might have been angry with each other, schemed against each other, wishing to strangle each other when angry, but they never truly wanted to take each other's lives.
Xuan Ming had always 'tormented' Qian Renxue in his own way, and Qian Renxue had always stubbornly wanted to 'conquer' Xuan Ming. That twisted and special relationship was difficult for outsiders to understand.
But now, Xuan Ming had personally severed all of it in the cruelest, most decisive way.
He was unwilling to harm her, it was true in the past, and it was true now.
But now, this was the only method he could think of.
To sever the tangled threads of affection, block all possibilities of ambiguity, and push her to the extreme of hatred.
At least this way, Qian Renxue could hate him righteously, without having to struggle painfully with the twisted relationship between the three of them, without having to think about those 'what ifs' that would never have a result.
Pure hatred, sometimes, is easier to live with than complex, inexpressible love.
Qian Renxue's figure, like a bird with broken wings, disappeared in the direction of the summit of Pope Mountain, leaving only cold stone bricks and a dazzling pool of blood on the plaza.
Xuan Ming stood silently in place. The night wind ruffled the black hair on his forehead, but it could not disperse the deep loneliness that permeated him. He slowly withdrew his gaze; deep within his ice-blue eyes, something seemed to shatter, and something else seemed to be completely frozen.
Bibi Dong stood by his side, gently holding his hand, conveying silent warmth and support. She could feel the coldness and subtle trembling of his fingertips, but she said nothing, only held him tighter.
Just then, a silver figure silently emerged from the shadows within the hall.
Gu Yuena.
Her silver-purple eyes gazed quietly at Xuan Ming's back, her expression incredibly complex, containing shock, heartache, sudden understanding, and a trace of... an ineffable palpitation.
She had once again underestimated Xuan Ming's resolve.
She had thought he was merely expressing dissatisfaction through passive resistance, that he was evading. She thought that by forcing Qian Renxue, she was helping him break the deadlock.
But now she understood that everything she had done might have been within his calculations. He deliberately delayed, deliberately showed resistance, perhaps... he was waiting for her to make a move, to push Qian Renxue before him.
Then, he could use this cruelest, most thorough method to personally end everything.
He wasn't avoiding; he was strategizing. Using the most decisive method to sever all ties that might make him hesitate or soften his heart.
The Xuan Ming before her now was completely different from the Xuan Ming of the past, who, though stubborn and ruthless, still retained a trace of bottom line and warmth deep within his heart.
Under high pressure, continuous scheming, probing, and the feeling of being manipulated by an invisible hand, had ultimately changed him completely. He became colder, more decisive, and more... willing to stop at nothing.
Gu Yuena felt a pang of heartache, for Xuan Ming's current state, and for the pain he was enduring internally.
She couldn't imagine how much pain he truly felt inside, personally pushing away, trampling, and even almost killing Qian Renxue—the person with whom he had complex entanglements, who was, in a sense, a special mark of his past years—in such a cruel manner.
That was certainly not something superficial indifference could cover up.
But she could say nothing.
She couldn't comfort, couldn't ask, and couldn't even show the slightest understanding or pity.
Because she knew Xuan Ming didn't need these. Having chosen this path, he was already prepared to bear all the pain and sin alone.
Any form of comfort would be a desecration to him, only tearing open the calm he forcibly maintained and making him suffer more.
Some paths, once taken, cannot be turned back from.
Gu Yuena ultimately said nothing. She just stood there quietly, like another silent statue, bathed in the cool moonlight with Xuan Ming and Bibi Dong, jointly enduring this heavy and silent ending.
The night wind blew, carrying the scent of distant mountains and vegetation, but it could not disperse the thick, unyielding oppression and sorrow that permeated the three of them.
"The Fourth Trial, should be considered complete, right?"
Xuan Ming spoke, not knowing to whom he was asking.
Almost at the instant his voice fell, above the night sky, as if responding to his words, a soft yet supremely majestic golden pillar of light suddenly pierced through the clouds, precisely enveloping Xuan Ming!
The light was not dazzling; instead, it carried a warm, pure aura, forming a stark contrast with the cold Evil Qi that had not completely dissipated around Xuan Ming. Within the light, pure and vast divine force was contained, along with a clear intention:
[Seagod Nine Trials, Fourth Trial: Severing Affection, Achieving Mental Clarity. Passed.]
[Reward: One god-bestowed spirit ring, all spirit ring lifespans increased by fifty thousand years.]
The golden light poured down like mercury, quickly merging into Xuan Ming's body. Beneath his feet, spirit rings flashed uncontrollably one after another—
The already astonishing configuration had undergone earth-shattering changes! The red spirit rings, representing the ultimate, became even deeper and richer in color, as if steeped in countless years of accumulation and power, emitting a pressure that made the surrounding air freeze!
The lifespan of all his spirit rings was forcefully elevated by fifty thousand years at this moment! This was an enhancement that could drive any Spirit Master mad!
However, there was no trace of joy on Xuan Ming's face. He didn't even carefully feel the surging power within his body, merely glanced indifferently at the even more terrifying spirit ring configuration beneath his feet, then turned and walked silently towards the depths of the Supreme Pontiff Palace, leaving the golden light and the two silent women behind.
He needed a quiet place to absorb this god-bestowed spirit ring.
Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena watched his departing back, neither of them stopping him. They knew that at this moment, any words would be superfluous.