Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

"Anyone who stops me, I'll kill them."

The cold, clear sound echoed within the void passage, shattering the surrounding stagnant space fragments.

Indra stood in the depths of darkness, his dark gold nine-dragon imperial robe fluttering without wind. Upon hearing this, his face showed no anger; instead, a very short, cold laugh escaped from his throat.

The supreme authority of the Demon Court, and the laws governing the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, would never allow even a wisp of a remnant soul, which could dissipate at any moment, to utter a word of provocation.

He said no more. His right hand emerged from his sleeve, his five fingers pressing lightly. A burst of dark golden light erupted, and the demonic essence instantly drained the surrounding spiritual energy. A large square seal condensed in the light, its base engraved with ancient demonic script, and nine dark golden dragons coiled around the seal's knob.

Dragon Emperor Seal.

Indra flipped his palm over and pressed down suddenly.

The Dragon Emperor Seal, imbued with the essence of the Demon Court, slammed towards Su Chang'an. Wherever the seal passed, the void resonated with a sickeningly powerful squeezing sound, and vast swathes of spatial laws were obliterated.

Without hesitation, Gu Xiang and Bai Yin stepped forward. Gu Xiang's blue robe fluttered in the wind. He pointed to his brow, and a surge of righteous energy erupted forth. The national fortune of the Great Zhou Dynasty intertwined with this righteous energy, transforming into a five-clawed golden dragon phantom that soared into the sky, silently roaring.

Bai Yin stepped heavily onto the void rift. His bare upper body muscles bulged, and his bones cracked. Extreme Western Geng metal evil energy burst forth from his pores, condensing and converging above his head, transforming into a gigantic white tiger head.

A dragon and a tiger crashed headlong into the Dragon Emperor's Seal.

At the moment of impact, there was no loud noise. The overwhelming energy annihilated all sound. A blinding halo exploded in the center of the passage.

Although Gu and Bai had their life force restored by the Heavenly Fox's lifeblood, allowing them to reach the peak of the Great Saint Realm, the gap in strength between them and Di Shitian, who controlled the origin of the Demon Court, was as vast as an insurmountable chasm. The Dragon Emperor Seal's downward momentum faltered for only a moment.

The golden dragon's illusory scales peeled away, its righteous energy dissolved by the demon court's essence. The white tiger's fangs shattered, its malevolent energy forced back into its body. Gu Xiang's body trembled violently, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. He gritted his teeth, forming hand seals, pouring all his remaining life force into the golden dragon. Bai Yin let out a muffled roar. His old wound on his back reopened, blood flowing freely. His legs were bent under the weight, his knees grinding together, yet he remained rooted to the spot, refusing to retreat an inch. Both were fighting to the death.

Su Chang'an stood behind. Seeing the two men's miserable state, a ruthless glint appeared in her usually cold eyes. No retreat, no escape. Beneath her pristine white robes, the illusory remnant souls glowed with a blinding red light. That was the last remaining essence of the Heavenly Fox.

She clasped her hands together, her fingers gripping tightly. Ignoring the danger of her remnant soul collapsing, she forcefully reversed the Heavenly Fox's origin. The crimson light ceased its outward expansion, instead collapsing inward. Fine cracks appeared at the edges of her divine soul—a sign of impending self-destruction. She was willing to sacrifice her soul and spirit to tear open the seal of the laws, blasting a path to survival for the two of them.

At the critical moment, a blur of green forcefully cut in.

Tianpeng gripped her nine-toothed rake tightly, unleashing the power of the Taiyin Star, its icy blue light radiating a dark golden aura. She exerted force with her waist and arms, the rake slamming into the side of the Dragon Emperor Seal with a sharp, piercing sound. The immense recoil caused her tiger's mouth to split open, but the Dragon Emperor Seal was deflected by this desperate strike, grazing Gu and Bai before crashing into the turbulent void.

As the pressure on Gu and Bai eased, they both collapsed to their knees, panting heavily.

Tianpeng formed a hand seal with his left hand, and a ball of extremely cold, lunar starlight flew from his fingertips, enveloping Su Chang'an. The starlight entered his body, forcibly severing Su Chang'an's meridian energy that was reversing its original nature. The collapsing destructive power was firmly suppressed, and the cracks in his soul stopped spreading.

Tianpeng suddenly turned around and stared intently at Su Chang'an. His eyes, which were usually tinged with drunkenness, were now bloodshot.

"Are you crazy?!" Tianpeng shouted angrily.

"With just this wisp of your remnant soul!" She pointed at Su Chang'an, her fingertips trembling with turmoil. "With just these two Great Sages who couldn't even withstand a single seal from Emperor Shitian? What do you think you have to break Li Changgeng's Quasi-Emperor Killing Formation? What do you think you have to withstand the Chen family's Imperial Weapon, the Heaven-Suppressing Bell?"

Su Chang'an remained silent, staring coldly at him, the madness in his eyes still lingering.

Tianpeng spoke rapidly, each word piercing the heart: "What is the Fallen God Abyss of Zhongzhou? Li Changgeng has set up the 'Nine Netherworld Refining God Array'! It's specifically designed to counter the divine soul! The moment your remnant soul steps into Zhongzhou, it will be instantly refined into ashes by the malevolent energy of heaven and earth!"

She pointed to the two people on the ground: "And them! When the Heaven-Suppressing Bell rings, time will be sealed. They will be crushed into mincemeat! You won't even be able to touch the threshold of the Guiyuan Hall before you die a clean death!"

The passageway was deathly silent.

Tianpeng looked at Su Chang'an's unyielding eyes, took a deep breath, and pointed his finger at the center of Su Chang'an's forehead.

"You're going to your death now," Tianpeng's voice suddenly turned cold and cruel, "He's clinging to his last breath, waiting for you at the heart of the formation. What's his motive?"

Su Chang'an froze.

Deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, Chen Xuan's life flame on the Heavenly Dao Destiny Plate was emitting a dark red, blood-red light. The extreme pain emanating from that blood-red light was clearly palpable. The image of Chen Xuan, his bones shattered, chained and suspended from the array's core, flashed through his mind.

Su Chang'an stared intently at Tianpeng, his chest heaving violently. The madness in his eyes finally faded under the stimulation of the life-fire. In its place was a rationality that chilled to the bone.

With only a handful of people at hand, going to the Central Continent would be suicide. If they couldn't save him, she would rather die in battle with Chen Xuan than accept a life of powerlessness.

Seeing Su Chang'an regain her composure, Tianpeng's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She held the rake upside down and took a deep breath of cold air.

"Chang'e, the Moon Goddess".

The four words were uttered like a thunderclap.

Di Shitian's expression changed drastically, a crack appearing in his Demon Emperor's majesty. Bai Yin rose, frowning; though he hadn't witnessed the events of the past ten thousand years, he had heard of this name. Gu Xiang wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, his eyes flickering. The passage fell silent once more.

Ignoring everyone else, Tianpeng looked at Su Chang'an and revealed the millennia-old secrets of the Demon Court.

"Back then, when the fairy Chang'e jumped into the Milky Way, everyone thought she had perished, body and soul." Tianpeng's voice was slightly hoarse. "But before she died, she scattered the essence of Taiyin, leaving behind a 'Taiyin Moon Amber' and a prophecy spanning ten thousand years."

Tianpeng's gaze swept over Di Shitian, and he said, word by word, "The three thousand snowflakes melted, the nine-tailed fox returned to its nest, the Heaven-Suppressing Bell rang, and the evil energy poured back."

Su Chang'an lowered his eyes and listened quietly.

Gu Xiang's pupils contracted slightly. These sixteen characters perfectly matched the changes in the far north, the reshaping of the Heavenly Fox, and the deadly trap laid by Li Changgeng. The prophecy of ten thousand years had unfolded today with perfect precision.

"The array counters the soul, and the clock locks in the years." Tianpeng revealed the key to breaking the deadlock: "Only by borrowing the extreme cold power of the 'Taiyin Moon Amber' can your remnant soul be protected from being refined by the evil energy, temporarily resist the time-locking, and gain a glimmer of hope."

"shut up!"

Indra roared. His imperial robes billowed, and the Demon Emperor's rage was fully ignited.

His eyes flashed with murderous intent: "The Taiyin Moon Amber is a sacred object used by the Demon Court to suppress death veins and maintain its destiny! Tianpeng, how dare you entrust the Demon Clan's foundation to outsiders? You are severing the very foundation of the Demon Clan!"

Indra's body shone with golden light, attempting to forcibly seize control of Moon Amber.

Tianpeng ignored it, his rake held horizontally across his chest, pointing directly at the Demon Lord.

"Three thousand years ago, before the altar of the Moon Palace, I hesitated once." She looked directly at Emperor Shitian without fear. "That hesitation killed Chang'e and made me suffer a living hell for the past three thousand years."

"Today, even if I bear the name of a traitor and am cursed by all demons," she declared resolutely, "this Moon Amber, I have already given it to you!"

Indra's face turned ashen, and the void around him crumbled and reformed.

Su Chang'an observed coldly, instantly seeing through the situation. The Taiyin Moon Amber was the only way to break the deadlock.

She took a step forward, passing through the crowd, and stopped beside Tianpeng. She slightly raised her chin, her posture disdainful: "I need neither your charity nor your protection."

A clear, cold voice pierced the deathly silence: "What I want is that piece of moon amber. Lead the way. Once you have it, I, Su Chang'an, will owe you this favor."

Gu Xiang transmitted his voice secretly: "Chang'an, if Yue Po is there to protect us, and I can use the national fortune to sever the earth's veins, our chances of breaking the formation can reach 70%."

Bai Yin lowered his arms, dispelling his White Tiger Dharma Form. He stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Su Chang'an, his fierce gaze sweeping over Di Shitian, and he sneered, "As long as Chen Xuan can be saved, I'll clear the way wherever we go to get the stuff. Anyone who gets in my way will be killed."

Looking at her arrogant and unyielding demeanor, Tianpeng suddenly smiled bitterly, relieved. Three thousand years had passed, and this fox's inherent arrogance and scheming remained unchanged.

She stopped looking at Indra and turned to face the side wall of the passage. The power of Yin flowed into her body without reservation.

"open!"

It slammed hard against the spatial barrier.

A massive gaping hole was forcibly torn open in the void passage. At the other end, the chilling stillness of the Demon Court's deadly realm shone through.

"Let's go." Tianpeng stepped in first.

Su Chang'an followed closely behind. Gu and Bai stood guard on either side, disappearing into the darkness.

Inside the passage, only Indra remained.

His face was grim, but he did not stop them. If Gu and Bai were to fight to the death, along with the rebellious Tianpeng, the fierce battle would surely damage the very essence of the demonic path. Moreover, he could not leave the demonic court for too long.

Di Shitian coldly snorted and flicked his sleeve. As he turned around, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

Concealed by his sleeves, two fingers lightly twirled together. A hidden communication talisman turned to dust.

An invisible wave pierced through the void, silently rushing towards the Fallen God Abyss in the Central Continent, tens of millions of miles away.