Tao Qian finished speaking, and the illustrious heroes also followed with laments.
If Ying Qingdi were a duplicitous hypocrite harboring malice in his heart, they could have struck him down without any psychological burden, settling their accounts quickly.
But now, it seemed he was not such a person, merely a pitiable one.
Even so, he still needed to be killed.
The reason for their conflicted feelings, including Zhong Ziyang's, was Ying Qingdi's sudden clarity.
"If we kill him while he is twisted in chaos, it would be considered aiding his liberation."
"Killing him while he is clear-minded seems unbearable."
The cultivators sighed and felt repeatedly moved in their hearts, but their intention to kill was by no means diminished, and even grew more intense.
Pity as they might, they still had to kill the man, or future troubles would be endless.
As they pondered, Tao Qian was also surprised by the terrifying sight reflected in his eyes.
High Spirit Vision meant he could see the true nature of the world.
The current "Ying Qingdi," in the eyes of others, was undergoing a transformation and was in agony.
In Tao Qian's eyes, he saw only a vast, chaotic radiance, inside which was a mass of dark yellow flesh, writhing and howling.
At the center of the flesh was a face that was being stretched and spun like a vortex, the face of Ying Qingdi.
It was a dense yellow, overflowing with Evil Light.
After a few more glances, Tao Qian immediately sensed something was wrong.
Numerous "Yellow Robed Evil Seals" were, following his gaze, invading in reverse, and in a moment, his body's exterior, his internal organs, marrow, spirit… all showed signs of erosion.
The Record erupted in his mind: [Suffering from the corrosion of the Yellow Robed Bloodline's Source Power, with a chance to be transformed into a Yellow Robed Blood Slave… Exemption available! Exemption has been used!]
With the Record, the contamination dissolved.
But when he looked again, the Evil Qi returned, forcing Tao Qian to blink and exit the state of spiritual vision.
It was at this moment, he, along with the other heroes, witnessed another horrifying sight:
Whether it was Ying Qingdi's body or soul, most of it was the seed of the Yellow Robed Evil God.
The only thing that was hidden by the chaotic bloodline and tried to distort his "humanity" belonged to the Human Clan, to himself.
The Evil Curse was broken by Tao Qian, together with his subordinates, through a coincidental opportunity, and Ying Qingdi's humanity was restored.
In this way, he came to understand the causes and consequences, realizing how wrong and cruel his life had been.
Even though he was unmatched in battle and his cultivation reached heavenly heights, how could he bear it all at once?
His pained expression and struggling emotions also made everyone else uncomfortable.
Yet, no one dared say they could truly empathize with him.
After all, in this world, aside from himself, there was no other Ying Qingdi.
When he came to his senses, though he was in unbearable pain, his exceptional Spiritual Wisdom made him quickly realize some things that were easy to overlook in his chaotic distortion.
For instance, the secret plots of Tao Qian, Zhong Ziyang, and the other ten.
Realizing this, he was not only unangered but also felt joy mixed with boundless guilt.
Then, as if thinking of something, he suddenly shouted to the ten heroes charging towards him:
"Do not come any closer, you cannot kill me."
"Though I long to die at your hands, it cannot be, for once I suffer severe injury, the source of my bloodline within me will immediately act up, at that time the will of the Evil God taking over my body will send Divine Power, creating a true offspring of the Evil God, and it will be too late for regrets."
"I am aware of my past deeds, fellow Daoists, I, Ying Qingdi, have committed many wrongs, for which a thousand deaths would not suffice."
"Ziyang, besides the mortal heroes who died because of me, you are the one I owe the most."
"By some twisted fate, such is karma, if there is an afterlife, I will surely repay you."
The last two sentences were clearly directed at Zhong Ziyang.
At that moment, Ying Qingdi showed a face twisted with grief and covered in tears, tragic and pitiable.
His spirit, his Three Souls and Seven Spirits, though seemingly intact, were probably shattered to pieces.
He furiously pounded the Yellow Heaven Evil Mirror embedded in the old monster's forehead, looking at its fragile surface that was like steel and iron, allowing him to hammer without any movement or even a muffled sound.
As he vented his frustrations, he also said:
"Fellow Daoists, after my death, use your divine power to destroy all my flesh and bones, leave not a trace behind, lest you bring calamity to the human world."
Anyone hearing these words would know that these were his last.
The resolve to die in his eyes could not be hidden by any means.
After speaking, Ying Qingdi took a special weapon resembling the Jie Robes from his personal treasure bag.
Of unknown material, all that could be seen was the Golden Light surging on it, the blade full of compassion.
As soon as it was extracted, Buddhist chants resounded out of nowhere in the sky.
Immediately after, numerous images of Arhats and Bodhisattvas appeared.
Even someone unacquainted with such matters could see the preciousness of this blade.
Among the heroes, the Shazhei Monk exclaimed upon seeing this:
"This is a treasure from the Dharma Cakra Temple, named the Great Liberation Wisdom Gold Saber, used by the high monks of the temple to extract the root of ignorance."
"Mr. Ying is taking out this saber, could it be that he intends to..."
The Shazhei Monk was cut off mid-sentence when Tao Qian immediately saw that Zhong Ziyang, not far from his side, trembled, unable to hide his sorrow.
In the next moment, Ying Qingdi took action.
He first glanced around at the hundreds of Evil Spirit Servants hidden under the Yellow Robes and then looked at the Yellow Heaven Evil Mirror, the mirror surface immediately reflecting a disheveled, aged, and sorrowful face.
He could be seen with desperation reaching the heavens, resentful rage piercing through hell, half murmuring, half howling:
"I originally thought I, Ying Qingdi, was a cultivator with aspirations, seeking my own path, but in the end, it was all illusion."
"My body and soul are both conceived by the Evil God; coming into this world tainted, I only wish to leave a bit cleaner."
"Let it all return from whence it came, a body empty and clean is best."
Before his voice had faded, Ying Qingdi was seen holding the Prajna Gold Saber.
First, he cut off one of his own arms, then both his legs, and next he sliced open his abdomen, gutting himself and picking his bones... The scene unfolded too quickly for anyone to stop it, not that anyone would.
Under the current circumstance, the Ancestor Dragon Society had completely defeated the Seven Evil Sects and Alchemists.
Within the society, three factions existed, opposing neutrality and allegiance.
Conspirators like Zhong Ziyang, Chen Xiyi, and Tao Qian saw this and, while feeling intolerant of the act, they also had complex thoughts: If Ying Qingdi could end himself and thus prevent the descent of the Evil God, it might truly be a great liberation for him, and no one had any reason to stop it. Sёarch* The NovelZone.fun* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Those with evil intentions like Yin Susu and Xu Wenkai, the neutral party, felt the shock but also saw an opportunity, and they certainly wouldn't do anything.
The remaining faction, like Pei Hong and Linghu Ying, who were already servants of Ying Qingdi, had no possibility of stopping him.
Therefore, after the shocking scene occurred, the cultivators simply watched on, letting out small cries of alarm.
"Daoist Ancestor above, is Ying Qingdi really emulating the ancient Spirit God who scraped his bones to repay his father and sliced his flesh to repay his mother?"
"Hush, haven't you understood? Our leader is admitting to being the offspring of the Evil God, having committed many sins. He's now returning his Tao Body Dharma Body along with his Three Souls and Seven Spirits to that revered Outer Realm Evil God, dying cleanly to ensure our uprising succeeds."
"I initially didn't want to believe it, but looking at the expressions of Mr. Zhong Daoist and the others, could it really be true?"
"How could this happen? How could this be?"
"Alas, looking back, there were indeed signs – those Yellow Robed Attendants always appeared very sneaky and strange."
...
Who would have thought that after the successful uprising of the Ancestor Dragon Society, such a thing would suddenly erupt.
The "Reincarnated Ancestor Dragon Ying Qingdi", who was always revered, turned out to be the offspring of the Evil God, and from his own account and other information, it seemed he had committed many murderous sins while not in his right mind.
There were no fools present; the mystery unraveled, and with a little thought, they all remembered Ying Qingdi's past deeds of repeated battles despite defeats.
In the uprisings, whether it was cultivators or mortals, the death toll was always high, but... was Ying Qingdi the sole survivor?
Instantly, everyone felt a shiver down their spines.
In such an atmosphere, Ying Qingdi flayed himself with each slice, his actions appearing even more extremely sinister.
The Ancestor Dragon's cultivators were horrified, but for a moment did not know how to react, so they could only silently watch Ying Qingdi's actions.
At this very moment!
On the head of the Evil Dragon, flesh and blood fell piece by piece, plopping down upon the mirror surface, and in no time, there was left only a clean and white as jade, but still holding the Prajna Gold Saber, a skeleton.
Everyone knew: no ordinary blade, no ordinary scraping technique, could leave such cleanliness, at the least there would be some leftover blood and flesh, and ordinary methods couldn't even return the bloodline to the Evil God. If self-mutilation was too severe, it would still trigger a taboo, causing the will of the Evil God to come down from afar.
The Shazhei Monk obviously knew the truth, and after seeing this, his expression became even more complicated as he chanted:
"Om mani padme hum!"
"What Mr. Ying is practicing is the demon path's 'Secret Skill of Asura's Bone and Flesh,' cutting off his connection with the bloodline's source. This method is used to nurture the Asura Demon Soldiers, severing bones and flesh, cutting off worldly ties – thus, 'dust to dust, earth to earth.'"
"Now, with the addition of the Prajna Gold Saber, which digs out the root of ignorance, Mr. Ying isn't just removing his bloodline and bones; he's also severing his Three Souls and Seven Spirits. I'm afraid even his True Spirit will be utterly extinguished."
"Why must it come to this, why?"
After hearing these few lines, everyone present was deeply moved.
Looking down at the feet, indeed the pile of bloody flesh, organs, and bones had somehow turned to ash at some point, blown away by a gust of pre-emptive wind.
Everyone knew that once cultivation reached the level of Cavernous Mystery, true death was extremely difficult.
Especially for cultivators whose backgrounds were not ordinary, even at a dead end, they still had the option to reincarnate and cultivate anew.
But for reincarnation, the soul must exist.
At the least, a trace of the True Spirit must be retained.
If all is extinguished, then it is a complete death, with no trace left in the world.
And what Ying Qingdi was doing now was exactly this.
Everyone looked at the white skeleton, holding the saber and looking around; even without tears flowing, the heart-wrenching pain and the sorrow of the departing soul were still clearly felt.
His dark and hollow eye sockets turned to the people, and his hoarse voice came through:
"My friends, after my death, the Summoning Evil Curse will naturally unravel."
"Members of the Devil God Army, Taiping Army, and Heavenly Corpse Sect, you may be sent off out of the country."
"The entire Ancestor Dragon Society, and all the New Moon People are entrusted to you."
At the last sentence, the skeleton that Ying Qingdi had become suddensexly flung the Prajna Gold Saber, embodying his will, to the top of his head.
Bodhisattva Arhats' ethereal images appeared, along with sorrowful Buddha chants.
The roar of Asura was also heard, coupled with surging Demon Light.
Amidst their mutual radiance, the originally white skeleton underwent a sudden change.
One yellow, one black, two beams of light suddenly manifested.
The former covered most, directly forming a massive amount of dense 'Yellow Robed Evil Seals', spreading out like insects until, even in this final moment, they continued to consume and contaminate, or perhaps merge with the latter.
The black light was heavy and solemn, although there was only a small portion left, it still fiercely battled against the thick yellow Evil Seals.
This abrupt scene not only struck fear into everyone but also thoroughly confirmed the self-narration of Ying Qingdi.
"Mr. Ying, being both the offspring of the Evil God and a descendant of the Ancestor Dragon."
"Seeing this scene of bloodline erosion, if he did not take his own life, in some time, might we have seen the birth of a true 'Evil Spirit Ancestor Dragon'?"
Realizing these things.
The cultivators, while feeling pity for Ying Qingdi, also felt a sense of relief.
It was at this moment the golden saber was about to fall.
Having heard the explanation from the Shazhei Monk, all the cultivators understood that once the gold saber sliced down, the crisis here would be averted.
Even Zhong Ziyang, Chen Xiyi, and others held this thought deep down.
But one person did not.