Soul Devouring Green Weeds and Silent Sound in Ashes
The giant face of the Huai Hun, transformed into a form, suddenly opened its mouth, instantly swallowing the soul-calling altar at the base of the tree. The sound of the altar shattering, mixed with the cries of countless souls, exploded over Qingwu Town. A phantom blue flame spilled from the giant face's "mouth," spreading along the ground. Wherever it passed, the villagers' bodies turned into black gas and were sucked into the giant face's mouth. Those villagers, controlled by the resentful spirit, had now become the Huai Hun's "food."
Su Xiao supported Zhao Yu as she retreated, tripping over a blackened locust tree root. She looked down and saw the root wriggling. Tiny barbs sprouted from its tip, crawling up her trouser leg, seemingly trying to burrow into her skin. The flame of the Red Sun Gu flickered faintly in her palm, its light dim as a candle in the wind, unable to burn through even the barbs.
"Lidya Su... I can't take it anymore..." Zhao Yu leaned against her, the wound on his neck still bleeding, his face as pale as paper. He looked at the villagers devoured by the Huai Soul, his eyes filled with despair, "Have we... lost?"
Su Xiao didn't answer, staring intently at the Huai Hun's enormous face. Its "eyes"—the holes in the trunk—were constantly oozing black liquid. The liquid fell to the ground, transforming into blurry figures: Meng Meng, Lin Xi, and the old patriarch. Their bodies twisted, and they reached out toward Su Xiao, as if begging for help. But as soon as their fingertips touched the corner of her clothes, they disintegrated into black air and were sucked back into the giant face.
“Save…save me…” Meng Meng’s voice came from the black air, filled with heart-wrenching pain, “The Huai soul is eating my soul…Su Xiao, kill me…kill me quickly…”
Su Xiao's heart felt like it was being squeezed. She raised the Red Sun Gu box, trying to ignite the flame, but found the cracks in the box growing wider, and the Red Sun Gu's light was almost extinguished. The Huai Soul seemed to sense her movements, and its giant face suddenly tilted towards her. A powerful suction came from its "mouth", sucking Su Xiao's hair up and sending her body flying towards the giant face.
"Catch me!" Zhao Yu suddenly used up his last bit of strength, plunged the machete into the ground, and tightly grasped Su Xiao's wrist. But his strength was too weak, and the machete scratched the ground deeply, and the two were still pulled towards Huaihun bit by bit.
At this moment, the Huai Hun's giant face suddenly paused, and the red light in its "eyes" began to flicker. Su Xiao looked up and saw a column of black smoke suddenly rising from the direction of the volcano in the distance. The smoke twisted into a snake shape in the air and flew towards Qingwu Town—it was the evil aura of the black-robed man! As expected, he had not completely dissipated, but was instead reborn with the power of the Huai Hun!
"Hahaha! Su Xiao, look! This is what will happen to you!" The black-robed man's voice came from the smoke column, with a crazy laugh, "The Huai Soul will devour your soul. I will use its power to become the new evil witch god. The entire Qingwu Town will become my sacrifice!"
A column of smoke penetrated the Huai Hun's massive face, its red glow instantly becoming blindingly bright, its suction intensifying. Zhao Yu's machete snapped, and the two were violently yanked toward the Huai Hun's "mouth." Su Xiao watched the approaching giant face, the black energy and spirits swirling within its "mouth," and a wave of despair suddenly welled up within her. She had fought so hard, yet she hadn't been able to protect Qingwu Town or the people around her.
The Red Sun Gu box suddenly slipped from her arms and fell to the ground. The lid opened, and the Red Sun Gu transformed into a faint red flame, dancing a few times on the ground, as if bidding her farewell. Su Xiao looked at the Red Sun Gu and recalled the days of adventure with Meng Meng, Lin Xi, and Zhao Yu, the long-awaited looks of the elders, and the smiles of the villagers in Qingwu Town.
"No... I can't give up!" Su Xiao suddenly screamed. She broke free from Zhao Yu's hand and lunged towards the Red Sun Gu. She pressed her palm against the Red Sun Gu and, using all her spiritual power, infused her soul into it. "Red Sun Gu, I will use my soul as fuel for yours! Burn away all the evil and protect Qingwu!"
The Red Sun Gu suddenly erupted with a dazzling red light, instantly enveloping the entire Qingwu Town. Su Xiao's body began to turn transparent. She looked at Zhao Yu with a relieved smile, "Zhao Yu, I'm sorry... I couldn't protect you, I couldn't protect Qingwu Town... But I will burn Huai Hun and the black-robed man. From now on... I'm relying on you..."
In a crimson glow, the Chiyang Gu transformed into a massive flaming sword, piercing the giant face of the Huai Hun. The flaming sword pierced through the face, pinning the black-robed figure's smoke column to the tree trunk, triggering a violent explosion. The Huai Hun's giant face began to crumble, and the red light in its "eyes" gradually faded, and the black energy and soul in its "mouth" also began to dissipate.
Zhao Yu looked at the transparent Su Xiao, tears streaming down his cheeks. He tried to grab her, but only managed to grab a handful of air. Su Xiao's body became increasingly transparent, eventually transforming into a streak of red light that merged into the flaming sword. The blaze of the flaming sword grew stronger and stronger, completely burning away the evil aura of Huai Hun and the black-robed man. Finally, the sky of Qingwu Town returned to clarity.
When the red light faded, Qingwu Town returned to peace. All that remained on the ground were the broken machete, the shattered Red Sun Gu box, and Zhao Yu's lonely figure. He looked at the empty Qingwu Town, at the traces left on the ground, his heart filled with grief. Su Xiao was gone, Meng Meng was gone, Lin Xi was gone, and the old patriarch was gone too. He was left alone, guarding this scarred village.
The sun slowly rose in the distance, its golden light casting a shadow over the land of Qingwu Town, but it couldn't illuminate the despair in Zhao Yu's heart. He squatted down, picked up the broken Red Sun Gu box, and held it tightly in his arms. Tears dripped onto the box, making a dripping sound.
The crisis in Qingwu Town was finally resolved, but those who had perished would never return. Zhao Yu knew he would remain in Qingwu Town, guarding the land Su Xiao had sacrificed her life for, protecting her last hope. But every night, in the stillness of the world, he would recall Su Xiao's relieved smile and the dazzling red light of the Chiyang Gu, and the despair and grief in his heart would surge like a tide, lingering for a long time.
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