The fleeting sense of relief that swept through the canyon was short-lived, snuffed out by a crushing despair.
Dustin kept striking. Each sword light precisely pulverized the reforming crimson energy into finer particles. The sheer destructive force behind his sword aura could have obliterated the soul of any ordinary cultivator, wiping them from existence entirely.
But the vile energy from the humanoid beast refused to stay dead. It clung to the air like an ancient curse, a blight that couldn’t be purged. No matter how many times it was destroyed, it kept pulling itself back together from the faintest traces of dust-each time a little faster than before.
The crimson vortex seemed to watch Dustin’s efforts with cold contempt. With every rebirth, the air grew heavier, thick with death and seething hatred.
“How is this possible? It won’t die… It just won’t stay dead!” someone cried.
“E-Even Mr. Rhys… can’t do anything about it?”
Fear swept through the group, leaving them pale and trembling. Dustin had always been their godlike savior, but watching him struggle against this abomination shook them to their core.
Grace frowned, concern etching across her features.
On Elysium Isle, some existences perhaps fundamentally defied the laws of nature.
Trying to kill them outright might awaken something none of them were ready to face.
“If it can’t be killed,” Dustin said, “then I’ll seal it away for good.”
After several futile strikes, he stopped attacking. Seizing the moment when the crimson energy hadn’t fully coalesced and its power was at its lowest, he sheathed his sword and retreated several steps back.
His hands formed a series of incredibly complex and intricate hand seals at a speed barely visible to the eye. As he did, the energy waves around him shifted completely.
The sharp, aggressive edge of the swordsmaster vanished. It was replaced by something vast, ancient, and immovable as the earth itself, carrying the unyielding authority of cosmic law.
The mystical pure energy within him stopped radiating outward and instead turned inward, condensing and circulating along a precise pattern. It began to draw upon the elemental and spatial forces around him, bending them to his will.
“By primal law and elemental force, let the undying be sealed!”
Dustin’s low cry rolled through the canyon like the voice of creation itself.
He thrust both hands forward, and light flared between his palms. A complex mystical formation of gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow rapidly expanded.
At its heart, two opposing forces spiraled endlessly. Around them, countless glowing chains materialized and dissolved in rhythmic cycles. It radiated an energy that could imprison even the darkest of evils.
“Seal!”
The five-colored formation shot toward the half-formed crimson beast like a net of divine punishment.
The beast seemed to sense the threat of the sealing power and let out a piercing shriek.
Its half-formed arms thrashed frantically, hurling surges of dark energy in a desperate attempt to break the mystical formation. But in its incomplete state, its power was feeble.
Dustin’s sealing art-a supreme technique of the orthodox mystical path-was designed to counter precisely all manner of twisted and malevolent forces.
Dark energy slammed against the five-colored formation, but it only caused ripples and was neutralized by the flowing elemental forces.
The mystical formation blazed brighter and spun downward. Countless chains of energy, inscribed with ancient runes, shot out like living creatures. They coiled around the beast’s body, climbing from its ankles to its waist, then to its chest, arms, and finally its head.
The beast roared furiously. It thrashed violently, and crimson light pulsed frantically as it tried to break free from the chains. But the bindings only tightened, searing deep into its energy-formed flesh.
The five-colored light traveled down the chains, branding the beast’s form. It suppressed and purified the violent death-essence within.
Under the tense watch of the onlookers, the formation locked into place. The beast was encased in a pulsating light-cocoon about 30 feet across.
Glowing symbols drifted across the surface of the cocoon, with the opposing forces spiraling at its center. The sealing power formed an impenetrable barrier, cutting off the disturbing presence within completely.
The beast’s struggles grew weaker, and its roars faded into silence. All that remained was the giant light-cocoon standing in the canyon like a tombstone.
The canyon fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stood frozen, eyes fixed on the glowing cocoon before shifting to Dustin. He swayed slightly, face pale. Clearly, wielding such a powerful sealing technique had exacted a heavy toll.
It took a long while before they were sure the cocoon had stopped moving. Only then did the relief of cheating death surge through them again.
“Is… Is it over? Has it been sealed?” Judith muttered, her voice trembling.
“Are you okay, Dustin?” Grace asked, hurrying to his side. She’d never seen him look this drained since his breakthrough.
“I’m fine,” he replied, shaking his head slightly. “That thing can’t be killed, and its nature defies death itself. I’ve temporarily restrained it with an elemental seal, but it’s not a permanent solution.
“The seal will weaken over time or from external impacts. We shouldn’t linger here, so we must cross this canyon before anything else happens.”
His words hit like cold water, dousing the brief relief that had flickered through the group. It turned out that the crisis had only been temporarily suppressed, not truly resolved.
None of them dared to linger any more. They steadied their nerves, adjusted their gear, and followed Dustin with even greater caution and respect. Moving carefully around the five-colored light cocoon that emitted powerful sealing fluctuations, they continued to move deeper into the canyon.
