The sensation of flying on a sword felt like tearing through space and time. The trajectory of the Taoist sword left a dazzling starry trail in the night sky, dispelling the black mist in its wake. The city beneath Haotian's feet lay in utter silence, save for the Lion Mall, shrouded in a blood-red pillar of light, resembling a sharp sword piercing the heavens.
There were twenty-three minutes remaining until the total lunar eclipse.
The mall's rooftop was unrecognizable. Seven bronze pillars were arranged according to the Big Dipper's constellation, each wrapped in living bodies—Haotian recognized Zhou Manager, the jewelry store clerk, and even Dr. Li from a few days ago. Red threads pierced their chests, and blood flowed down the pillars into the central altar. On the altar, Xiao You's crystalline body floated in midair, with seven bone needles piercing her seven major acupoints, continuously extracting golden light particles.
Most unsettling was the scene behind the altar—the Demon Lord was no longer a desiccated corpse but a handsome, sinister man greedily consuming the black mist converging from across the city. With each breath, his body grew more solid.
"You've finally arrived, Little Taoist Master," the Demon Lord said without turning his head, his voice like nails scraping glass. "I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Hao Tian landed at the edge of the rooftop, and the Taoist Master's Sword flew back into his hand. The lotus mark on his chest burned with unbearable pain, as if something was about to burst out of his body.
"Release her."
"Oh?" The Demon Lord finally turned, revealing a smile like a cat toying with a mouse, "Why should I?"
"Because of this." Hao Tian raised the Taoist Sword, and the three religious symbols lit up simultaneously, "The three religions unite, all laws converge!"
The sword light shone like a rainbow, striking directly at the altar. The Demon Lord did not dodge or flinch, but merely raised his hand lightly—Xiao You's crystalline body suddenly moved into the path of the sword light! Hao Tian was startled and forced the sword's momentum to twist, the sword energy grazing past Xiao You's hair and exploding into a burst of flames in the distance.
"Hahahaha!" The demonic overlord laughed, "You're still so soft-hearted. Thirty years ago, it was because you couldn't retract your sword in time that I took the opportunity to severely wound you."
Haotian's pupils contracted sharply. Fragments of his past life suddenly became clear—in that great battle, it was because of his momentary hesitation that his master Zhang Xuanzheng had to sacrifice himself to take his place...
"Not this time." Haotian clenched his teeth, and the Tian Shi Sword suddenly split into seven sword shadows, "Seven Star Soul Lock!"
The seven sword lights simultaneously shot toward the seven bronze pillars. The Evil Lord snorted coldly, and seven black qi flew out from his sleeves to intercept them. At that moment, Xiao You on the altar suddenly opened her eyes!
"Senior Brother... now!"
Her crystallized hands struggled to form a seal, and a brilliant lotus blossomed from her chest. The seven bone needles trembled simultaneously, causing the Demon Lord's form to falter—this momentary opening was enough! The seven sword beams bypassed the black mist and precisely severed the red threads on the bronze pillars.
The imprisoned people fell like puppets with broken strings, and the bloodlight on the altar weakened by more than half. The evil overlord let out a thunderous roar, causing the entire rooftop to shake violently:
"You're asking for death!"
The black mist turned into countless arrows and shot toward Xiao You. Hao Tian stepped forward to block the altar, his celestial sword dancing to form a light barrier. Most of the black arrows were blocked, but a few still pierced Xiao You's body. She let out a muffled groan, and spider-web-like cracks appeared on the surface of the crystal.
"Xiao You!"
"I'm fine..." Golden light points trickled from the corner of her mouth, "Be careful... the lunar eclipse has begun..."
Haotian looked up and saw the blood moon being slowly swallowed by shadows. The Demon Lord spread his arms in ecstasy as black mist surged toward him like a tidal wave. The fallen people rose again, their eyes completely black, moving mechanically toward the altar.
"Do you see it?" The Demon Lord's voice grew distorted and hoarse, "This is the dark side of human hearts! Greed, jealousy, hatred... more delicious than any怨气!"
Haotian suddenly understood—the Demon Lord was not some ancient demon, but a conglomeration of human negative emotions! No wonder the sages of past generations could only seal him, not destroy him...
"Senior Brother..." Xiao You's voice echoed in his mind, "Remember Master's words... The key to the unity of the three teachings..."
The Way follows nature, Buddhism is compassionate, and the words of the gods are sincere. Haotian was enlightened, and the three teachings' runes on the Tian Shi Sword began to reorganize. But it was still missing something... a crucial element...
The Demon Lord had swollen to over three meters tall, with countless tortured faces emerging from beneath his skin. He snarled and reached out to grab Xiao You: "Since you refuse to cooperate, then become a part of me!"
At the last moment, a white figure suddenly descended from the sky! Li Youlan held a bone needle and stabbed it fiercely into the demonic overlord's back—but the needle tip stopped inches from the skin, as black mist clamped down on her wrist like iron pincers.
"Foolish girl," the demonic overlord said without turning his head, "do you think I didn't notice the aura of the enchantress on your body?"
Li Youlan's lips were stained with blood, but she wore an eerie smile: "Who said it was... to stab you?"
The bone needle suddenly turned and pierced her own heart! Blood gushed out, but it wasn't red—it was a crystalline golden liquid, identical to Xiao You's sacred maiden's blood!
"Sister... I'm coming to be with you..." Li Youlan looked at Xiao You as her body gradually crystallized, "Remember... we... are one..."
The crystal shattered, turning into a golden dust that enveloped the altar. The cracks on Xiao You's body began to heal, and the seven bone needles trembled in unison. The Demon Lord finally paled: "Twin Holy Maidens?! That old fool Zhang Xuan Zheng actually—"
He didn't get to finish. Xiao You clasped her hands together and chanted a solemn Buddhist mantra. The blood symbols on the altar lit up with golden light, transforming into a purification array! At the same time, Hao Tian felt the lotus mark on his chest burn like a hot iron, and Xiao You's voice echoed in his mind:
"Senior Brother, now is the time!"
The three religious symbols on the Tian Shi Sword finally completed their重组, transforming into a brand-new symbol—∞ (infinity). Hao Tian, inspired by divine grace, leaped into the air, the sword tip pointing directly at the evil leader's forehead:
"The Way follows nature, Buddhism is compassionate, the words of the gods are sincere—the three religions return to the source!"
The demonic overlord hastily grabbed two hostages under his control and held them in front of him. Haotian's sword strike did not waver, but upon contact, the sword light flowed like water around the innocents, striking directly at the demonic overlord!
"Impossible!" The demonic overlord screamed as the sword light pierced him, his body beginning to disintegrate. "How could you see through my—"
"Because this time, I did not cling to 'slaughter,'" the Heavenly Sword murmured, "but chose 'transcendence.'"
The evil leader's body froze. A flash of understanding crossed his distorted face: "So that's it... the true essence of the unity of the three teachings is..."
Before he could finish, his body exploded into countless specks of light. These specks did not dissipate but flew to every corner of the city, merging into the bodies of those under control. The black mist in their eyes gradually faded as they looked around in confusion.
The lunar eclipse reached its peak, and the blood moon turned pure black. Xiao You's crystalline body floated up from the altar and slowly landed before Hao Tian. Her body began to soften, the crystals fading away to reveal her original skin—but it remained translucent, like a faint, ethereal spirit that might vanish at any moment.
"Did it work?" she asked weakly.
Haotian reached out to touch her face, but his fingers passed through the ethereal form: "Why... is it still like this?"
"Because the Demon Lord has only been transformed, not destroyed," Xiao You smiled. "My body has already become a seal container; this is irreversible."
"No!" Haotian gripped the Tian Shi Sword tightly. "There must be another way! The Record of Defying Heaven and Changing Fate records—"
"That requires sacrificing a soul of the same level," Xiao You shook her head, "and I won't let you do that."
Just as the two were arguing, the altar suddenly glowed with bloodlight again! A black shadow burst out from the ground—it was a shrunken version of the Demon Lord, which had hidden its core underground at the last moment!
"Let's die together!" The Demon Lord screamed as it charged at Hao Tian.
Xiao You stood in front of Hao Tian without hesitation. The Demon Lord collided with her semi-transparent body, and both began to disintegrate!
"Xiao You!"
"Remember..." Xiao You smiled one last time before fading away, "We live and die together..."
In the deafening explosion, Haotian was blown away by the shockwave. He watched helplessly as Xiao You and the Demon Lord turned into countless specks of light, half rising into the sky and half sinking into the ground. The Tian Shi Sword flew up on its own, drawing a massive talisman in the air to seal the two forces separately.
When everything settled, the lunar eclipse had ended. The bright moonlight once again shone down, illuminating the empty altar. There remained only a small crystal lotus flower and a bronze bell.
Haotian knelt on the ground, the burning pain from the lotus mark on his chest fading—the feeling was as though a piece of his heart had been torn out.
——————
Three months later, Lion City had returned to peace. The incident on the rooftop of the shopping mall was explained as a gas explosion, and those who had been controlled only remembered having a long nightmare.
Gujin Zhai reopened, but the shopkeeper had been replaced by a taciturn young man. Every evening, he would place a crystal lotus flower on the counter and mutter to himself as if there were an invisible person standing there.
As the shop closed that day, the wind chimes suddenly moved on their own. Hao Tian looked up sharply: "Xiao You?"
There was no response. But when the moonlight shone through the window onto the crystal lotus flower, he clearly saw two shadows on the ground—one was his own, and the other resembled a girl with a ponytail.
"To live and die together, never to part..." Hao Tian murmured softly, his lips curving into a faint smile.
Outside the window, a cloud shaped like a lotus flower drifted past the moon. Meanwhile, at the newly built park on the other side of the city, a nameless monument stood, its inscription bearing only two simple characters:
"Gratitude."