Lu Chenge and his four disciples stood at the entrance of the Nexus cavern. The air here was thick with a corrosive, sickly green Qi—the taint of the Erosion Demon. The cavern opening, previously stabilized by their efforts, now pulsed faintly with unnatural malice.
"The Demon's influence is stronger here," Lu Chenge stated, his voice resonating within his Tri-Law Nascent Soul Domain. He activated the domain's power just enough to neutralize the corrupting Qi at the entrance, creating a small pocket of clean air for his team.
"Yuan Meng, your guidance is first. We need the shortest path to the seal."
Yuan Meng, her eyes fixed on the flow of karmic threads visible only to her purified Fate Essence, pointed to a narrow, jagged fissure. "Master, the main passage is a decoy. This fissure is the fastest route, but it is laced with misfortune traps."
"Jia Li," Lu Chenge said. "Your turn."
Jia Li stepped forward, placing her hand on the fissure wall. Her Void Essence activated the Quad-Essence Array Talisman, linking her spatial power with the others. A shimmering, utterly colorless layer of the Void Barrier instantly coated the walls of the fissure, nullifying the spiritual traps.
"The traps are harmless, Master. The path is stable," Jia Li confirmed.
"Move!"
⏳ The Demon's Den
The descent was quick but brutal. Deeper within the mountain, the pressure was immense. The air grew thick and heavy, saturated with the demon's will.
They reached a massive underground chamber. At its center, a swirling vortex of black and green energy marked the ancient seal. The seal was cracked and weeping abyssal energy. Within the vortex, a colossal, amorphous shadow with burning crimson eyes twisted and thrashed—the Erosion Demon.
The Demon sensed their presence and bellowed—a psychic wave of corruption that targeted the mind and spirit.
"Who dares disturb the feast?!" the voice echoed, dripping with hate.
The attack slammed into the party, but Lu Chenge instantly amplified his Tri-Law Domain. The Law of the Soulshielded their consciousnesses, making the psychic assault irrelevant.
"Wei An, precise timing!" Lu Chenge commanded.
Wei An closed her eyes, and her Time Essence flowed into the Quad-Essence Array. She saw the Demon's containment seal weakening in cyclical pulses, but also noted that the Demon's psychic state had moments of utter instability.
"Master! The seal will enter its deepest state of weakness—its temporal nadir—in exactly thirty-five breaths. But the Demon's mind will completely collapse into chaos at the same moment! That is the re-sealing window!" Wei An reported, her breath coming fast.
🔥 The Final Contribution
Lu Chenge knew thirty-five breaths was agonizingly short for four synchronized strikes. He had one final contribution planned, one that was purely spiritual, aimed at boosting the disciples' endurance and mental fortitude for the climax.
He quickly retrieved four small, vibrant jade stones from his pouch—Spiritual Endurance Cores, earned from a previous return.
"Take these! Absorb their essence instantly! They will triple your endurance for the final, critical strike!"
The four disciples quickly swallowed the cores as the Demon's thrashing intensified.
[Host Contribution Detected: 4 x Spiritual Endurance Cores (High-Grade Spiritual Utility).] [Contribution Essence: Endurance, Mental Fortitude, and Focused Intent.] [Commencing 10,000-Fold Return (Quadruple Synchronous Trigger)…] [Return Acquired: 40,000 x Celestial Immortal Stamina Artifacts.]
Lu Chenge felt the massive influx of absolute stamina and mental clarity wash over his Nascent Soul. His control over the Tri-Law Domain sharpened exponentially, making his power feel not just vast, but infinite.
[Host Nascent Soul is now infused with Absolute Endurance. Tri-Law Nascent Soul Domain Stability increased by 500%. Host's control over Laws is now deemed flawless.]
💥 The Synchronized Strike
"Thirty breaths!" Wei An shouted.
Lu Chenge spread his arms, and his Tri-Law Domain expanded, perfectly isolating the chamber. The Law of Incineration created a deadly zone of heat outside the Void Barrier, and the Law of the Void maintained a pocket of clean air around the disciples.
"Yuan Meng! Pin the weakness!"
Yuan Meng focused her Fate Essence and cried out: "The rupture point is five degrees off the central axis! It will open wide at zero time!"
"Jia Li! Seal the spatial breach!"
Jia Li projected her Void Barrier not to defend, but to instantly encapsulate the entire chamber, preventing the demon's escape and cutting it off from the external world.
"Mu Yun! NOW! Deliver the flame of cleansing!"
Mu Yun roared, releasing every ounce of his Volcanic Fire Essence. The energy, focused and refined by the Array, condensed into a single, screaming pillar of pure, solar fire. It struck the exact point Yuan Meng had pinpointed, timed perfectly by Wei An.
The Demon shrieked—a sound of unimaginable pain—as the pure fire hit its core weakness. The colossal shadow shriveled and began to burn, purified by the celestial essence.
Lu Chenge seized the moment. He unleashed his fully stabilized Tri-Law Domain, pouring the Law of the Soul into the weakened demon and the Law of the Void into the ancient seal.
With a final, desperate struggle, the Erosion Demon vanished, purged from existence, and the ancient seal slammed shut, healed and fortified by Lu Chenge's perfected spiritual power.
The chamber fell silent. The air was clean, and the spiritual nexus below began to hum with renewed, healthy energy. Lu Chenge and his four prodigies had saved the Azure Cloud Sect.