Ghost Canyon, inside the cave.
When the chief demon's true form was refined by the Heavenly Dao Administrator in Chi You's Tomb, the corpse controller in the cave, whose body had been transformed into a half-human, half-demon, suddenly shuddered and let out a shrill scream!
The scales on his body began to fall off, and his life force rapidly declined.
Finally, he collapsed to the ground, his body quickly withered and weathered away, turning into a pile of black ash.
The eight mediums on the altar also exploded at the same time, and the black mist dissipated.
The black markings on Huo Yusen's left arm receded like a tide, from his cheek to his neck, then to his shoulder and arm, finally shrinking back to his wrist, condensing into a small black dot, and then... completely disappearing.
"Pfft—" Huo Yusen spat out a mouthful of black blood, which sizzled as it hit the ground and evaporated into black smoke.
"Xiao Jiu!" Huo Yuwei helped him up.
"I'm fine." Huo Yusen wiped his mouth, his face pale but his eyes clear and bright. "The demon seed is gone. I can feel it, it's completely gone."
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuwei's face lit up with joy, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Zhen stepped forward to check and confirmed that the demonic seed had indeed been purified, then nodded.
"With the demon chieftain's main body destroyed, all his divided souls naturally dissipated. The demonic seed within you lost its source and was suppressed by the Soul-Locking Seal, which is why it was completely eliminated. However, your essence and blood have been severely depleted, and you need to recuperate for at least three months."
Huo Yusen smiled, "Three months, worth it."
Ling Xuzi exclaimed, "I never expected that my little friend Qiqi would actually succeed! That's an ancient demon god! I wonder how she did it!"
"Because she's our little Qiqi." Huo Yuwei smiled, his eyes full of pride.
Qingyin said, "Now that things are settled here, let's go out quickly. Qiqi and the others should be looking for us too."
The group left the cave.
As soon as we emerged from the cave, we saw that the sky in the distance had returned to normal, and sunlight was shining down.
The mist in the canyon was also dissipating rapidly, revealing the original vegetation and rocks.
"It seems the matter at Kunlun Ruins has also come to an end," Li Wei said. "Let's go and meet up there."
The group walked out.
Along the way, they encountered some remaining zombies and vengeful spirits, but they were all in a daze and were easily eliminated.
“With the death of the chief demon, these evil creatures controlled by it have also lost their source of power,” A-Miao said. “However, it will take time to completely eradicate them.”
“That’s the work of the special departments and the Xuanmen,” Bai Zhen said. “Our mission is complete.”
As we reached the mouth of the canyon, we saw Qiqi and her group coming out from the direction of Death Valley.
The tiny figure walked at the front, followed by four celestial masters and twenty elite members of the Xuanmen sect.
When she saw Huo Yuwei and the others from afar, she immediately waved and ran over with her short legs.
"Big brother! Little Jiu brother!"
Huo Yusen squatted down and opened his arms.
Qiqi flew into his arms like a little butterfly and was lifted high by him.
"Qiqi, did you succeed?" Huo Yusen asked.
"It's a success!" Qi Qi nodded, looking at Huo Yusen, "Where's Little Nine's demon seed?"
“It’s purified.” Huo Yusen stretched out his wrist, which was now as smooth as ever. “Thank you, Qiqi.”
"You're welcome, we're family." Qiqi smiled, her eyes crinkling.
Master Zhang walked over and bowed to Bai Zhen and the other two, saying, "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoists."
Bai Zhen returned the greeting, saying, "It's our duty. Now that the matter is settled, we should take our leave."
Li Wei and A Miao nodded in agreement.
They were just traveling around and helping out as they went; now that the matter was settled, they naturally left.
Before leaving, Bai Zhen said to Qi Qi, "Young friend, we shall meet again someday. You have a bright future ahead of you, but remember, always keep your Dao heart as your foundation."
Qiqi bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Sister Bai, Qiqi will remember."
The three bowed to the others and took their leave, then transformed into three streaks of light and disappeared into the sky.
As soon as they left, the others also took their leave.
All four Celestial Masters need to return to their respective quarters for seclusion and recuperation, as they have expended considerable energy this time.
The twenty elite soldiers also had to return to their respective sects to report back.
In the end, only the Huo family, the Ji family, and the special department team led by Lin Wei remained.
"Let's go home," Huo Yuwei said with a broad smile and high spirits.
Everyone boarded the vehicle and embarked on their journey home.
On the way, Qiqi fell asleep in Huo Yusen's arms.
The little guy has exhausted himself today, and his soul has just returned to its place; he can't hold on any longer.
Huo Yusen gently held her, looking at her peaceful sleeping face, his heart softening.
Huo Yuwei sat down beside her and said softly, "This time when we go back, Qiqi can finally get some rest. She's only three and a half years old; she shouldn't have to endure so much."
"Yes." Huo Yusen nodded. "From now on, we'll be here for you."
Outside the car window, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was cloudless.
Everything seemed to be back on track.
***
One month later, in Beijing, at the Huo Family Manor.
Sunlight streamed into the living room through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Qiqi, dressed in pink bunny pajamas, sat cross-legged on the sofa, engrossed in reading an ancient book that was bigger than her face.
Mrs. Ji came over with a glass of milk. "Qi Bao, take a rest and have some milk."
"Thank you, Mom." Qiqi took it, gulped it down, leaving a ring of milk stains around her mouth.
Its soft, pink appearance softened Madam Ji's heart, and she smiled as she wiped it off for her.
"What are you looking at?" Huo Yuwei came out of the gym, covered in sweat, and casually picked up a towel to wipe his face.
“An ancient commentary on the Classic of Mountains and Seas,” Qi Qi said. “Some of the records in it are different from the current version, which is quite interesting.”
Huo Yuwei sat down next to her and patted her head. "Don't overwork yourself. You're still recovering."
"Okay." Qiqi closed the book, jumped off the sofa, and said, "I'm going to see Brother Xiao Jiu."
In the study, Huo Yusen was typing code on his computer.
His complexion had improved a lot, but he was still a bit pale. The doctor advised him to rest for at least three months.
"Brother Xiao Jiu, it's time to take your medicine." Qi Qi came in carrying water and pills.
Huo Yusen took it, swallowed it, and laughed, "Now it's your turn to take care of me?"
"Of course." Qiqi climbed onto the chair next to her, swinging her legs. "What are you doing?"
“Write a program to analyze the information on the rubbing of the Heavenly Dao Stele.” Huo Yusen brought up the screen. “Although the Demon Chief has been destroyed, the Heavenly Dao Stele still records many ancient secrets, which are very valuable for the study of the Xuanmen. I plan to organize them and share them with all the major sects.”
Qiqi nodded, "That's good. By the way, the four Celestial Masters contacted me yesterday, saying they want to jointly establish the 'Mystic Gate Council' and asked me to be their honorary advisor."
Huo Yuwei walked in and raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Honorary advisor? You're only three and a half years old. What are you going to do as an honorary advisor? Tell them it's too tiring and they're not going."
"That's what I said too, but they said age wasn't a problem and they wouldn't assign me many tasks." Qiqi shrugged. "In the end, I agreed, but only on the condition that I be listed as a member and not involved in daily affairs. After all, Mom said I still have to go to kindergarten."
Huo Yusen laughed, "Kindergarten? Which kindergarten would dare to take in a little tyrant like you?"
"Mom has already arranged for the private kindergarten next to the Ji family's house. School starts next month," Qiqi said. "Mom said I want to grow up like a normal child."
Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen exchanged a glance, both seeing the smile in each other's eyes.
An ordinary child? Their Qiqi will probably never be "ordinary" in this lifetime.
However, this is for the best.
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