Blinding light erupted. Three figures materialized, spirits of an ancient age. Their arrival sent ripples through the very fabric of the desolate plains, a stark contrast to Lin Xiao's simmering darkness.
Lin Xiao’s smile tightened. Not a single one flinched under his oppressive demonic aura, their eyes, one pair like ancient starlight, another like molten gold, the third sharp as chipped obsidian, fixed on him with unwavering resolve.
One, clad in robes the color of deep space, raised a hand. A vortex of shimmering starlight coalesced, not an attack, but a ripple that disrupted the very flow of Demonic Qi around Lin Xiao. It was a subtle, precise counter, not a brute force strike.
Another, bearing a blade that seemed to hum with the resonance of a thousand forgotten battles, lunged. His movements were fluid, impossibly fast, each step leaving phantom afterimages. The blade arced, not at Lin Xiao’s vitals, but at a specific node of circulating Demonic Qi within his aura.
Lin Xiao scoffed. "Ants," he rumbled, his voice a low growl that vibrated through the air. Demonic Qi surged from him, a ravenous storm. He met the blade with a bare hand, a clash of raw power against refined skill. Sparks, black and crimson, flew.
Yet, the third scion, cloaked in robes the color of dried blood, remained still. His gaze was unsettling, tracing patterns on Lin Xiao’s form, as if dissecting his every energy channel. A low chant began, guttural, ancient, shaking the very ground beneath their feet.
Suddenly, the colossal figure of the Dao Guardian stirred behind them. Its eyes, burning emerald orbs, fixed on Lin Xiao. A guttural roar, laden with ancient power, ripped through the air, sending shockwaves that cracked the earth.
Massive limbs, made of solidified earth and ancient roots, began to move. The Dao Guardian wasn't swift, but its attacks were cataclysmic, each swing capable of leveling mountains. It acted as an immovable force, herding Lin Xiao, limiting his evasive maneuvers.
Lin Xiao found himself pressed. The Dao Guardian’s raw power forced him to expend energy on evasion, while the Scions, with unsettling precision, aimed for his vulnerabilities. They moved as a single, perfectly synchronized unit, an ancient war machine reawakened.
He lashed out with a wave of Demonic Soul Shackles, spectral chains meant to bind their spirits. The starlit scion simply extended a palm. A shimmering barrier of cosmic dust formed, absorbing the chains, dissolving them into nothingness before they could even touch his companions.
"You understand my arts," Lin Xiao stated, his eyes narrowing to slits. His voice held a dangerous edge. "How?"
Molten gold eyes, belonging to the blade-wielding scion, flashed. "Our ancestors fought your kind, demon. Their knowledge runs in our blood." His blade, instead of merely striking, seemed to absorb Demonic Qi, dulling its edge, rather than being overwhelmed by it.
This was not just power. This was counter-knowledge. They knew the weaknesses, the specific energies that could disrupt his Demonic Dao. It was infuriating.
Lin Xiao erupted. Shadows stretched and twisted, coalescing into monstrous forms, claws dripping with corrosive energy. He unleashed his Demonic Bloodstorm, a vortex of crimson mist that sought to drain their life force, to corrupt their very essence.
A deafening roar. The Dao Guardian slammed a colossal fist into the ground. A wall of ancient stone, inscribed with luminous runes, rose instantly, deflecting the bloodstorm. The mist coiled around it, trying to corrode, but the runes pulsed, resisting.
Simultaneously, the third scion, the silent observer, completed his chant. Ancient symbols flared around him, forming a complex array on the ground. Energy, pure and incandescent, surged from it, flowing into the starlit scion and the blade-wielder.
Their power amplified. The starlit scion's barrier pulsed brighter. The blade-wielder's attacks became faster, each strike resonating with the very fabric of the Dao, making Lin Xiao's demonic defenses waver.
Lin Xiao laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Impressive. But not enough." He channeled more power. The air around him shimmered, distorting reality. His Demonic Ascension was complete, his form now radiating an ancient, primordial darkness, a true harbinger of chaos.
He moved with impossible speed, bypassing the Dao Guardian's slow but devastating swings. He appeared before the blade-wielding scion, a fist imbued with pure Demonic Annihilation aiming for his chest. This was a blow designed to disintegrate spirit and body.
Yet, the scion was ready. His blade met Lin Xiao's fist, but instead of clashing directly, the blade vibrated, redirecting the devastating force into the ground. The earth shuddered, a fissure erupting, but the scion remained unharmed, his stance unbreakable.
"Your arrogance blinds you," the blade-wielder snarled, pushing back. "We are not mere cultivators. We are the Last Scions. Our purpose is to stand against the encroaching darkness."
Lin Xiao felt a spike of genuine annoyance. No one had pushed him this far in a long time, let alone three mortals and a glorified Golem. He decided to end this. He drew upon the deepest reserves of his System, the raw, unrefined energy that thrummed beneath his cultivation. This was the primordial evil, the corrupting force that made his Demonic Dao absolute.
Shadows thickened around him, not just extensions of his power, but a living, consuming void. The light from the Dao Guardian's eyes dimmed, struggling against the oppressive dark. The Scions' complex array flickered, their amplified power straining.
He lunged again, not with a precise strike, but with an overwhelming surge of raw power, a wave of pure destructive intent designed to obliterate everything in its path. The ground beneath his feet cracked and imploded under the sheer force of his departure.
The starlit scion, however, had been preparing. His cosmic vortex, which had merely disrupted Lin Xiao's qi earlier, now expanded. It wasn't a defensive barrier anymore. It was a shimmering trap, laced with threads of cosmic energy, not unlike spiritual chains.
As Lin Xiao's primordial darkness crashed into it, the vortex shimmered and constricted, binding the formless energy. The other two scions, their faces etched with strain, poured their amplified energy into the starlit scion. The Dao Guardian, sensing the crucial moment, emitted a low hum, its emerald eyes flaring, channeling its ancient earth energy into the cosmic binding.
Lin Xiao roared. Not a growl of anger, but a cry of pure, unadulterated agony. The cosmic threads, imbued with the power of the ancient Dao Guardian and the Scions' inherited knowledge, didn't just bind his demonic qi. They reached deeper, seeking the very core of the primordial evil within him, the source of his monstrous power.
Pain, sharp and searing, lanced through his spiritual sea, through his very soul. It was as if his essence was being ripped apart, then stitched back together with burning starlight. His absolute power, for the first time in what felt like an eternity, wavered, flickering like a dying flame.
The starlit scion manages to momentarily bind the primordial evil within Lin Xiao, causing him agonizing pain and a temporary weakening of his absolute power.