The demonic claw, carrying a pure will to destroy, tore through the air with a teeth-grinding shriek, and slashed down at Su Nian's unsuspecting crown! Before the claw even arrived, the condensed killing intent and demonic energy had already made her scalp tingle and her soul feel as if it had been thrown into a meat grinder, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable suffering!

Death is so close that even thought seems to be frozen.

it's over……

At that critical moment, when even System 088 seemed to fall silent due to this absolute impasse—

The anomaly erupted in a way that far exceeded everyone's (including the inner demons themselves) expectations!

It did not come from the outside world, nor could it be resisted by Su Nian's already depleted power.

Rather, it originated from... Immortal Lord Qingxu himself! From the deepest part of his sea of ​​consciousness, which was heavily sealed by demonic energy!

"boom--!!!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying will, seemingly dormant since time immemorial, carrying endless coldness, majesty, and a kind of utterly enraged rage, burst forth like a volcano that had been accumulating for millions of years, breaking through all the shackles and blockades of the inner demons and instantly taking over this body!

Time seemed to be forcibly frozen at this moment!

The demonic claw that was about to crush Su Nian's skull abruptly stopped less than an inch from her crown! The destructive energy swirling around the claw tip fluctuated and twisted violently, yet it could not advance even an inch further!

At the same time, centered on Qingxu Immortal Lord's body, a visible, extremely cold, icy blue ripple suddenly spread out, like a domain of absolute zero!

"Crack... Crack..."

A chilling freezing sound rang out in rapid succession!

The dense, almost tangible demonic energy within the hall solidified and froze instantly the moment the icy blue ripples swept across it, as if boiling water had been plunged into liquid nitrogen! The frenzied whispers and negative emotions that filled the air ceased abruptly! Even the flowing runes on the walls and dome, mixed with black energy, were covered with a thick layer of frost that exuded absolute chill!

In a fraction of a second, the entire main hall of Qingxu Palace transformed into a silent, magnificent, and deadly... frozen demon cave!

The first thing to be affected was the demonic claw itself! Starting from its fingertips, it was quickly covered and frozen by crystal-clear ice, along with the terrifying power it contained, all of which were forcibly sealed away!

Su Nian collapsed to the ground, her pupils dilated with extreme shock, forgetting to breathe and forgetting the pain.

She stared blankly at the unbelievable scene before her—the deadly claw was suspended right in front of her, firmly sealed by a layer of mysterious ice that emitted a chilling aura that stung her very soul, preventing it from falling even an inch.

She slowly, with great difficulty, moved her gaze upwards.

Then, she met a pair of eyes... eyes that made her soul tremble!

It was still that incomparably handsome face, but now, all the madness, distortion, and pain on that face had vanished. In its place was an absolute, seemingly eternally frozen... calm.

No, it's not calm. It's a deeper, more terrifying indifference than anger and madness...

Those eyes were no longer scarlet, nor ink-black, but... a dark gold that was extremely pure and profound, as if it contained an endless sea of ​​stars and absolute zero!

Su Nian recognized those eyes! In the final moments of the CEO world, during a brief glimpse into the battle for consciousness—that fleeting glimpse!

It was "him"! It was that higher-level consciousness known as the "Fragment of God"! He actually... at this moment, with such absolute dominance, completely suppressed the inner demons and took over this body?!

Was it the shock of her near-death experience? Or was it because her soul-stirring cry triggered some crucial switch?

Su Nian didn't know. All she knew was that the "Immortal Lord Qingxu" before her, though lacking the pure killing intent, brought her a deeper, more unfathomable, and terrifying pressure, as if he were looking down on her from another dimension!

"Immortal Lord Qingxu" (or rather, the dark gold consciousness that had taken over his body) slowly, with a strange, rhythmic movement that seemed to belong to another world, withdrew the frozen demonic claw. He didn't even glance at the ice, as if it were just a speck of dust being brushed away.

His dark golden eyes fell on Su Nian without any emotion.

There was no murderous intent, no probing, no confusion.

There was only one kind of gaze... as if examining an object that had suddenly intruded into his domain and had slightly caught his "attention".

“An interesting…variable.” He spoke. His voice was no longer the coldness of Immortal Lord Qingxu or the violence of his inner demons, but a more ethereal, more indifferent one, as if a harmony woven from countless laws, which resounded directly into the depths of Su Nian’s soul.

This sound made Su Nian's soul tremble, as if she had heard the voice of the world's rules themselves.

He tilted his head slightly, as if sensing something, his dark golden eyes gleaming with a data-like light that Su Nian couldn't comprehend.

“The ‘anchor point’ of the lower-dimensional world… the incomplete ‘system’ creation… and… a trace of… familiar ‘source’ aura…” He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also analyzing her in some essential way, “The chaotic causal lines… the forcibly distorted trajectory of fate…”

Every word he spoke was like a heavy hammer blow to Su Nian's heart, chilling her to the bone! He saw through her too clearly! In his presence, she seemed to have no secrets whatsoever!

Just then, the inner demon that had been forcibly frozen and suppressed seemed unwilling to remain silent. Inside its frozen claws, the scarlet energy began to violently collide with the ice, attempting to break free of its restraints! The entire frozen hall also began to tremble slightly, and fine cracks appeared on the frost on the walls!

Dark Gold Consciousness frowned almost imperceptibly, seemingly displeased by the instability inside the "container".

He focused his gaze on Su Nian again, and in that scrutinizing gaze, there was a hint of... weighing.

"Your existence has disrupted the stability of the 'container,' but it has also... brought new 'possibilities,'" he said indifferently, as if stating an objective fact. "Clearance, or... observation."

Su Nian's heart skipped a beat! Elimination?! Observation?!

She had no doubt that he had the ability and the will to carry out the "elimination" at any time!

Driven by the will to survive, she disregarded the excruciating pain in her soul and the fear of facing this unknown entity. With her last ounce of strength, she screamed (though her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz): "I... can help him! Help him stabilize! I know... his inner demons..."

She didn't know if "he" referred to Immortal Lord Qingxu, the dark golden consciousness before her, or the body they shared. She simply instinctively seized any possible chance to survive!

The dark gold consciousness listened quietly, its dark gold eyes showing no emotional fluctuation.

"Help?" His ethereal voice seemed to carry a faint, almost mocking tone. "With your current... ant-like strength?"

His words were like icicles, piercing through Su Nian's last shred of hope.

Yes, what can she do to help? Faced with such a being, she can barely protect herself.

However, just as she was sinking into despair, the dark gold consciousness suddenly changed its tone:

"However... the not-yet-completely-severed link between your 'anchor' and 'container'... might... have some value."

What is its value?

Before Su Nian could understand the meaning of those words, she saw the Dark Gold Consciousness slowly raise its other hand.

It wasn't an attack, but rather a feint aimed at her!

An irresistible, gentle yet absolutely powerful force instantly enveloped her severely injured body and weakened soul!

She felt her consciousness being forcibly pulled from her shattered body, transforming into a faint yet solid ray of light that fell into his palm, which seemed to be made of pure energy.

The dark gold consciousness lowered its head, looking at the light belonging to Su Nian's soul origin in its palm. Its dark gold eyes scanned and analyzed it like the most sophisticated instrument.

"For now... I'll spare your life."

He spoke calmly, and then, to Su Nian's horrified perception, the light in his palm that represented her soul was enveloped and sealed by a purer and more terrifying power of ice, eventually transforming into an ice crystal the size of a fingernail, crystal clear, with what seemed to contain a faint flame inside...

Then, he flicked his finger!

The ice crystal that sealed Su Nian's soul transformed into a barely perceptible stream of light. Instead of flying elsewhere, it... directly entered the sea of ​​consciousness between Qingxu Immortal Lord's (himself's) brows! It fell into the depths of that frozen space of consciousness, where inner demons still surged in the shadows...

"Within this frozen prison of the heart..."

"Prove your 'worth'..."

"Or... be assimilated and return to nothingness."

The ethereal and indifferent voice of the Dark Gold Consciousness, like a final judgment, was clearly imprinted deep within Su Nian's (Bingjing's) soul the moment she entered her sea of ​​consciousness.

The next moment, the dazzling dark gold in the eyes of the body outside faded away rapidly like a tide.

The absolute ice-bound domain within the main hall began to slowly dissipate, and demonic energy began to permeate again in wisps, but it seemed much thinner and more stagnant than before.

The crimson and chaos in "Immortal Lord Qingxu's" eyes reappeared, but when he looked at his hand, which had been frozen and still retained a chilling coldness, a huge, bewildered look appeared on his face, as if the brief, absolute control he had just experienced was just an illusion.

Unbeknownst to him, deep within his chaotic sea of ​​consciousness lay an extra… absolutely frozen soul ice crystal belonging to Su Nian.

The suspense of the story now takes a completely new and even more bizarre turn—the female protagonist's soul is sealed by a higher level of consciousness within the male protagonist and cast into the realm of his inner demons. Will it become the key to breaking the deadlock, or will she be utterly annihilated in the frozen prison of her heart? All awaits to be revealed in the next chapter.