The World-Ending Spirit Fire, burning its own life source, saw a flicker of clarity return to Ye Ling's eyes and a gratified smile appeared on its face.
"Kid, I don't know what you've experienced in the Star Devouring Abyss, but enemies have already begun to subtly influence you, and you haven't even realized it."
"My brain is slow and I can't think of any solutions. To break this deadlock, you'll need your sharp mind. However, Ye Ling... you must not be led by the nose by those guys."
After uttering these two sentences, the World-Ending Spirit Fire turned to ash before Ye Ling, its last spark dissipating.
To break the barrier around Ye Ling, it had used all its life energy, detonating itself in an instant. Only then did it manage to blast a small hole, allowing Ye Ling to notice it.
"World-Ending... Spirit Fire?"
Ye Ling watched the World-Ending Spirit Fire vanish into sparks, his mind a blank. Before he could react, the hole blasted by the World-Ending Spirit Fire was swiftly filled by a flood of red garbled code.
Ye Ling's vision once again became a sea of garbled characters.
However, at this moment, Ye Ling could no longer concern himself with his own state.
"Did... the World-Ending Spirit Fire just die?"
Ye Ling murmured, struggling to retrieve the scene of the World-Ending Spirit Fire dissipating into sparks from his memory, which was now filled with garbled code.
But even that brief image was being eroded by the vast amount of garbled text, and Ye Ling's last vestiges of memory were about to vanish.
"What in the world is going on?"
Ye Ling looked at the endless red garbled code in his memory, the grief in his heart gradually overwhelming his urgency and unease.
The red phantom behind Ye Ling seemed to sense something. It looked down at Ye Ling and reached out to grab him.
"No... something is definitely wrong. Ever since the roots of the Negative Tree were destroyed, things have been very strange!"
Ye Ling looked at the boundless red garbled code surrounding him, trying to break free, but the red characters were like quicksand, attempting to swallow him.
Simultaneously, outside the Star Devouring Abyss, Long Yu and the others waiting suddenly noticed that the vast Star Devouring Abyss was now filled with a red glow, like a terrifying hell that threatened to consume souls!
"Not good! Dad is in danger!"
The Little World-Ending Fire seemed to sense something. It cried out in alarm and, before Long Yu could stop it, leaped directly into the Star Devouring Abyss!
Meanwhile, in a certain place in the void.
Shan, who was meditating, slightly opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of the Hidden Ruins, his gaze becoming incredibly sharp. "Zun?"
He rose, intending to rush to the Hidden Ruins, but an endless stream of runes surged around him, trapping him in place.
"Shan, this is a grievance between Zun and Zui. I have abided by our agreement and will not act against that brat Ye Ling. You should also not interfere in their affairs without permission! Otherwise, you'll be discovered by them."
E, emerging from the void, smiled at Shan, his eyes narrowed.
Shan looked at E outside the rune cage, his gaze turning incredibly cold. "Zun is directly acting against Ye Ling, and you are the one instigating this, aren't you?"
E chuckled, "How can it be considered instigation on my part? I merely went to another world for tea. Zun targeting Ye Ling was his own deduction."
Shan: "There's no need to say such things to me. I understand you better than anyone... You are a scoundrel who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals!"
"You failed once by choosing to sacrifice everything back then. Do you want to repeat the same mistake now?"
"Shan, you wound me by saying that," E shook his head. "After the last failure, I have conducted a thorough self-reflection."
"The reason for my failure was simply that my plans were not perfect enough. Thinking three steps ahead was far from sufficient. But this time is different..."
"What's different?" Shan said coldly, "The current Ye Ling is no match for Zun at all. Xie Wushuang... you have overstepped!"
E chuckled lightly, "Shan, you keep saying you believe in Ye Ling, yet when he faces true danger, your first reaction is still to save him."
"You are not his mother, and your current actions are harmful rather than beneficial to him!"
"I won't fight you this time, but you need to think carefully... You can save that boy once, but you can't save him for a lifetime. If he cannot overcome this hurdle of Zun, it would be better for him to be reforged."
"That's all I have to say. Make your choice."
After saying this, E withdrew the rune cage that had trapped Shan and vanished into the void.
As E departed, Shan looked towards the Hidden Ruins and couldn't help but pause. "Am I truly harming that boy by doing this?"
After a moment of thought, Shan shook his head fiercely. "No! I almost fell for E's manipulation! Ye Ling has come this far entirely through his own efforts, and I haven't interfered excessively! Zun finding Ye Ling is entirely due to E's interference!"
"Ye Ling is not Zui, and he should not have to endure this undeserved tribulation!"
With that, Shan transformed into a faint glow and fled towards the Hidden Ruins!
...
In the Star Devouring Abyss, the red phantom had already captured Ye Ling. Endless red garbled code surged from its palm, corrupting everything within Ye Ling.
It knew that after the World-Ending Spirit Fire sacrificed itself, Ye Ling had regained some rationality. If it didn't intervene further, Ye Ling would definitely break free!
It was merely an avatar now, unable to maintain itself in the Hidden Ruins for long. It had to eliminate Ye Ling before the supreme powers of the void discovered it!
"Zui, let me end your tragic fate once more!"
"Give me back my dad!!!"
Just as the red phantom was about to strike Ye Ling with full force, the voice of the Little World-Ending Fire echoed from above the Star Devouring Abyss. Subsequently, a large number of runes coalesced around Ye Ling, repelling the giant palm of the red phantom!
"This power!"
Upon seeing the power wielded by the Little World-Ending Fire, the red phantom was instantly startled, its heart churning like a stormy sea!
Then, the Little World-Ending Fire activated the Sea God's Forbidden Domain, gathering all the water within the Star Devouring Abyss to condense into a massive water spear, which it hurled fiercely at the red phantom!
"Damn you! I will never forgive you!!!"
The water spear pierced through the Star Devouring Abyss, shooting towards the red phantom at speeds exceeding light. The power it emitted even made the red glow around the red phantom and Ye Ling become moist!
"Sea God's Forbidden Domain?"
Seeing the water spear hurtling towards it, the red phantom's eyes lost some of their terror.
"If that person wanted to kill me, they wouldn't use such a crude karmic technique. It seems you've only inherited their legacy, and you're nothing to fear!"
The red phantom chuckled lightly, raised its arm, and directly shattered the massive water spear, then grabbed the Little World-Ending Fire as well!