Chapter 385 – The Final Outcome

“Boom…”

North of Tianfeng City, on the wilderness surrounded by military forces, visible tremors began to appear, startling countless birds into flight.

“Roar…”

“Roar…”

The roars of Phantom Demons emerged one after another, sounding both panicked and disoriented as they frantically rushed out from the entrance of the Midnight Labyrinth.

Their frightened state left the Tianfeng City military and Professional teams, who were tasked with intercepting all Phantom Demons and preventing them from breaking through the encirclement, utterly bewildered. In the confusion, many Phantom Demons managed to slip through the gaps and escape the blockade.

The military and Professional teams from Tianfeng City within the encirclement were indeed at a loss.

After all, they too had felt the ground tremors and sensed the anomalies within the Midnight Labyrinth. Combined with the previously unexplained massacre phenomenon whose cause remained unknown, even the S-rank teams specifically assigned to intercept Phantom Demons emerging from the Midnight Labyrinth and carry out the encirclement and extermination began to feel apprehensive for their own safety.

One after another, investigation and reconnaissance teams operated specialized instruments and devices inside tents, continuously analyzing and monitoring the situation within the Midnight Labyrinth.

Under such circumstances, only one question lingered in everyone’s mind:

“What exactly is happening?”

This question remained unanswered for a long time.

Only one thing had to be acknowledged with heavy hearts:

“The Professionals who entered the Midnight Labyrinth this time are likely in grave danger.”

That was the truth.

The Professionals who entered the Midnight Labyrinth this time were indeed in peril.

Some fell victim to the massacre by 『Sin』, never to see the sunlight outside again.

Others were caught in the violent collision that occurred on the tenth floor, as if struck by a natural disaster—either swept into the collapse phenomenon and vanished without a trace, or clashed with panicked hordes of Phantom Demons, engaging in fierce battles with heavy casualties.

At this moment, those closer to the tenth floor at the bottom of the Midnight Labyrinth suffered more severe impacts.

The thousands of Professionals on the tenth floor searching for the Golden Dream Sprite Thread were affected to the greatest extent.

Fortunately, every Professional who reached this floor was among the best of their kind.

Even if they weren’t Upper-Rank Professionals, they were outstanding among lower-rank Professionals, with the weakest being top-tier Three-Star Professionals. Otherwise, they couldn’t have survived on this deeply demonic tenth floor and would have lost their minds long ago.

Their exceptional strength allowed them to barely preserve their lives even when facing this disaster-like phenomenon.

Of course, those extremely close to the canyon, near the epicenter of all this, weren’t so fortunate.

Especially those in the basin.

No, there was no basin anymore.

With the collapse phenomenon occurring across the entire tenth floor, both the basin and the canyon had been flattened by the terrifying shockwaves generated from the force collision.

The entire canyon had transformed into a dust-shrouded ruin, littered with rubble and debris, resembling the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Scorched marks and the smell of burnt earth were everywhere, perceptible in every direction.”Boom!”

At a certain moment, a section of the ruins suddenly exploded, allowing a figure to break free from within.

“Cough, cough…”

Li Wu was still carrying Crow over his shoulder, axe in one hand and person on the other, coughing while obvious traces of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

“Damn it!”

Li Wu’s appearance had clearly become much more disheveled, and he was even injured, causing him to let out an extremely furious low roar.

It went without saying that in this wave, their ‘Sin’ organization must have suffered heavy losses.

Over a hundred Upper-Rank Professionals, including himself, had all been entangled by that inexplicable ice and snow and blizzard just before the Demon Emperor Sword and Great Sin Blade produced their purest collision of power, unable to leave the center of the impact.

In other words, they had borne the brunt of the aftermath and collateral damage.

Being at the center of the collision, even Li Wu, a Seven-Star Professional, had ended up in such a state. There was no need to even think about what had happened to the others.

Li Wu could only glare with reddened eyes, first checking on Crow whom he was carrying.

Fortunately, due to his protection, Crow hadn’t suffered much collateral damage and still had a breath of life left.

As for how the others were faring, Li Wu didn’t know, and in the current situation, it was impossible to search for them one by one.

But there was one person who absolutely could not come to harm no matter what.

“Qing Qing!”

Li Wu shouted within the ruins.

“Where are you? Answer me! Qing Qing!”

Li Wu was showing rare signs of losing composure.

It couldn’t be helped.

Qing Qing was not only his niece, his elder brother’s daughter, but also the wielder of the Great Sin Blade.

With the loss of the Demon Emperor Sword, their ‘Sin’ organization only had the Great Sin Blade left as a Divine Artifact.

If they were to lose the Great Sin Blade as well, losing their only remaining Divine Artifact, that would be truly troublesome.

After all, to break the Seal beneath Longyao City, a Divine Artifact as a medium was absolutely necessary.

Therefore, both emotionally and logically, Li Wu could not stand by and let Qing Qing come to harm.

Fortunately, as the wielder of the Great Sin Blade, Qing Qing was no ordinary character either, unlikely to have perished directly in that terrifying collision just now.

“Uncle…”

A weak voice reached Li Wu’s ears, making his entire body jolt. Without a second thought, he dashed toward the source of the sound.

Soon, Li Wu saw.

In a massive, charred crater resembling a meteor impact site, two figures stood facing each other.

Or rather, they had been facing each other.

At this moment, the two stood at a distance from each other, but neither was in good condition.

They were none other than Su Ming and Qing Qing.

Su Ming knelt on one knee in front of Qing Qing, motionless with his head bowed, the Demon Emperor Sword shrouded in black energy propped in his hand as if he had lost consciousness.

Qing Qing was in much worse condition than Su Ming, not only lying on the ground covered in wounds, but the Great Sin Blade had also slipped from her grasp and was embedded to the side, the crimson blood energy on the blade seeming to have dissipated considerably.

“Did Qing Qing lose?”

Seeing this scene, Li Wu’s heart sank.

Anyone with eyes could see that in that terrifying clash of Divine Artifacts just now, Su Ming had ultimately come out slightly ahead.

It couldn’t be helped.

In that kind of pure power collision, the characteristics of the Demon Emperor Sword undoubtedly gave it the advantage.

The Demon Emperor Sword was a Divine Artifact symbolizing power, the very embodiment of strength itself.

It had been forged from the right hand of the Spirit Demon Abyss King who once ravaged the land.The “King’s” right hand is hailed as the “embodiment of ultimate power.”

It could even tear through the seal of the Chaos Demon Cave, allowing that “King” to manifest in this world, demonstrating just how astonishing the power contained within this right hand truly is.

In contrast, the Great Sin Blade is a Divine Artifact forged from the “King’s” left hand.

The left hand of the Spirit Demon Abyss King symbolizes death and is renowned as the “end of all existence.”

As the name implies, it is a hand of death capable of bringing about the end of all that exists.

Land touched by it loses its vitality, rivers dry up, forests decay, rocks turn to sand and dissipate, and whether mountains or mountain ranges, they gradually crumble and lose their original form.

The Great Sin Blade, forged from this left hand, possesses equally terrifying properties. Merely approaching it, let alone touching it, subjects one to erosion by the Death Qi emanating from the Divine Artifact, gradually sapping their life force.

Under such circumstances, even the strongest individuals would find it fatal to be struck by the Great Sin Blade’s edge, or even grazed by it.

Not only Su Ming, but even a Seven-Star Professional like Li Wu would, without undergoing Demonization and utilizing all their magical power and strength to resist, be eroded by Death Qi the moment they approached the Great Sin Blade, gradually losing their vitality.

And if struck, even the smallest wound would be a fatal blow, causing even a Seven-Star Professional to perish instantly, beyond any hope of revival.

In terms of dread and difficulty, the Great Sin Blade undoubtedly surpasses the Demon Emperor Sword.

However, in a scenario of pure clash utilizing the power of the Divine Artifacts, as just witnessed, the Great Sin Blade naturally falls short of the Demon Emperor Sword, which symbolizes power itself.

This is evident from the current states of Su Ming and Qing Qing.

Su Ming merely kneels on one knee, uninjured. His loss of consciousness is likely not due to the collision but rather the Demon Emperor Sword’s inherent erosion of the spirit.

Earlier, the young man’s condition was clearly abnormal, as if influenced by the Demon Emperor Sword’s will, his own consciousness becoming somewhat blurred, allowing the sword’s will to dominate him.

Now, after the Demon Emperor Sword and the Great Sin Blade clashed, the young man suffered from the impact of the power, his spirit shaken, leading to his loss of consciousness—not due to injury.

Qing Qing was not so fortunate.

The girl, covered in wounds and unable to stand, has clearly sustained extremely severe injuries.

Thus, the difference is clear at a glance.

Li Wu could only flash to Qing Qing’s side, bend down to check her condition, and then let out a sigh of relief.

“Fortunately, although the injuries are serious, they are not fatal…”

Li Wu immediately took out an alchemical potion, uncorked it, and sprinkled the liquid over Qing Qing.

“Mm…”

The alchemical potion took effect, healing Qing Qing’s wounds and eliciting a comfortable moan from her.

Soon after, the girl also lost consciousness, as if a tightly drawn string in her heart had loosened, allowing her to rest at ease.

Only then did Li Wu turn to look at Su Ming.

Gazing at the young man kneeling on one knee, leaning on his sword, head bowed, and unconscious, a palpable Killing Intent flashed in Li Wu’s eyes.He set Crow down and began advancing step by step toward Su Ming, the tightly gripped axe in his hand slightly raised, its blade gleaming with a cold radiance.

Without a doubt, Li Wu was preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

This man’s talent was truly astonishing, and Li Wu couldn’t afford to leave him unchecked.

Unlike Qing Qing, who had always relied on the Great Sin Blade—resulting in irreversible mental erosion and frequent loss of control as the price for her formidable power—Su Ming did not owe his strength to the Demon Emperor Sword. Instead, he was inherently exceptional and powerful.

If such a prodigy were allowed to grow, even without the Demon Emperor Sword, he would become a significant threat.

Coupled with the need to retrieve the Demon Emperor Sword, Li Wu had no intention of sparing Su Ming.

However, as Li Wu approached Su Ming, a figure once again appeared before him, blocking Li Wu’s path.

Li Wu halted, his gaze falling upon the newcomer, and the first emotion to surface in his eyes was not anger but sheer astonishment.

For the person before him was overwhelmingly, breathtakingly beautiful.

She possessed an exquisitely beautiful face, a bewitching figure with distinct curves, and an aura of elegance and nobility that enveloped her entire being.

A faint mist of water and ripples of cold air swirled around her, revealing to Li Wu that this extraordinarily beautiful woman was the one who had earlier obstructed them with ice and blizzards.

Her aura was clearly extraordinary, not far inferior to his own.

She stood protectively in front of Su Ming, her cold eyes fixed on Li Wu, one slender hand slightly raised, coalescing with terrifying cold energy, warning him not to take another step forward.

Unfortunately, Li Wu had no intention of backing down.

“So it was you who obstructed us and ruined our plans earlier?” Li Wu said coldly. “Good. We’ll settle both old and new scores together.”

As he spoke, Li Wu released his own aura.

Naturally, he had no fear of Hai’er.

After all, Hai’er was only at a Realm between Six-Star and Seven-Star, not yet reaching Seven-Star, and thus no match for Li Wu.

Because of this, Hai’er’s expression grew solemn.

Yet, the more grave her expression became, the more fearsome the cold energy gathering in her hand grew.

Clearly, she would not retreat even a single step.

Even if it meant death.

To this, Li Wu had only one response.

Kill.

Unfortunately, he would not succeed.

“Boom!”

With a deafening roar, the ceiling of the tenth floor, which connected to the upper rock walls of the ninth and even the eighth floor, exploded.

A streak of light shot out from within, carrying a towering Aura, and landed with a thunderous impact between Li Wu and Hai’er, appearing in the collapsed tenth level.

“Who goes there?!”

Li Wu swiftly retreated to Qing Qing and Crow’s side, shouting toward the front.

The response came in the form of a voice.

A voice that was somewhat aged, weathered, yet brimming with power.

“So, the anomalies in this Midnight Labyrinth are all the doing of you ‘Sin,’ after all?”

As this voice echoed through the collapsed tenth floor, reverberating across the ruins and scorched earth, Hai’er remained unmoved, but Li Wu’s pupils contracted sharply, his expression turning dreadful.

Hai’er continued to shield Su Ming, not yielding an inch, her gaze shifting only to the newcomer.

Amid the swirling dust and shockwaves, the figure gradually revealed itself in full.Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an elderly man past his fifties, with graying hair and a weathered face that appeared quite aged, yet surprisingly bore no wrinkles. His posture remained exceptionally upright.

The old man’s vitality was remarkably robust—far surpassing that of a middle-aged person, comparable even to a young man.

However, from his presence, Hai’er sensed a wave of fear.

A dread as if she had encountered an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, with her very instincts urging her to flee immediately and avoid any direct confrontation.

Li Wu clearly felt the same.

Unlike Hai’er, Li Wu evidently recognized this old man.

“It’s you?”

Li Wu spoke in a low voice, his entire body tensing up.

His demeanor was that of facing a formidable enemy.

7017k

(End of Chapter)