Chapter 79: Breaking the Cycle

The temple's collapse sent tremors through the battlefield, shaking the very foundations of the Abyss. Cracks splintered across the stone floor as abyssal energy surged, filling the air with an eerie, pulsating hum. Dust and debris rained down as Li Feng stood at the edge of the crumbling chamber, his gaze locked on Shen Longwei. The warlord's body pulsed with abyssal power, his form shifting between flesh and shadow, his eyes glowing like embers in a dying fire.

Li Feng's mind raced. The abyssal energy was spilling into the world, feeding on the chaos, threatening to consume everything. If he didn't act now, the world itself might be lost.

"Li Feng!" Mei Lian's voice rang through the chaos. She and Yan Shun had barely made it out of the collapsing ruins, now standing at the temple's threshold. Behind them, Zheng Wei, barely conscious, leaned against a fractured pillar, his face pale with exhaustion. "We have to get out of here before it's too late!"

Yan Shun, breathing heavily, stepped forward. His expression was resolute, no longer clouded with doubt. "No," he said firmly. "Not yet."

Mei Lian turned to him, disbelief in her eyes. "Are you insane? The entire structure is falling apart!"

Yan Shun clenched his fists. "I won't run again. Not this time." He turned to Li Feng. "I chose wrong before, but not now. Whatever happens, I fight with you."

Li Feng took a deep breath. The weight of his decision pressed down on him like a mountain. If they left now, they might escape the Abyss—but at what cost? If they stayed, they could put an end to this madness once and for all. He looked back at Shen Longwei, who stood amidst the destruction, smiling.

"You hesitate, Li Feng," Shen Longwei taunted, his voice a distorted echo. "This is your moment, your chance to seize true power. Or will you let it slip away?"

The ground beneath them groaned, splitting wider, revealing a chasm of swirling abyssal energy below. The temple was no longer just collapsing—it was merging with the Abyss itself. The walls pulsed with an unnatural light, as if the structure were alive, breathing, waiting for something to tip the balance.

Li Feng's gaze flickered toward the great stone dragon carved into the chamber's center. The inscriptions along its body glowed faintly, almost as if it were calling to him. He stepped forward, reaching out. The energy thrummed beneath his fingertips, resonating with the Coiled Dragon Ring. He could feel its power, its history, its burden.

Mei Lian watched, fear tightening her grip on her weapon. "Li Feng, whatever you're thinking—"

"I have to do this," he said, cutting her off. "The Abyss is breaking free. If I don't stop it, no one will."

Yan Shun stepped beside him. "Then we do it together."

With a final breath, Li Feng pressed his palm against the dragon's stone scales. The reaction was immediate. A pulse of raw energy surged through him, searing through his veins like fire. The Coiled Dragon's power poured into him, mingling with his own, a force of balance against the abyssal corruption. His vision blurred as the chamber shifted around him.

Shen Longwei roared as the abyssal energy lashed out, trying to consume them all. "You think you can stop me? The Abyss is eternal!"

Li Feng's fingers curled into a fist. "Then let's end this."

The temple shuddered violently, and the final collapse neared. But within the chaos, Li Feng could feel it—hope, power, and the strength to change fate.

As the final collapse neared, Li Feng made a desperate attempt to absorb the Coiled Dragon's power before it was too late.