Chapter 18: "Soul Sundering – The Price of Salvation"
Scene 1: The Edge of Annihilation – Sect Under Siege
Voidspire Peaks trembled under the Devourer's gaze, its serpentine form blotting out the sun. Xiao Ling's mutated body hovered mid-air, veins pulsing with fractal energy as the Devourer's voice boomed through her:
Devourer/Xiao Ling:
"*Your loyalty is touching, Luo Fan… but futile.*"
The sect's defenses crumbled. Hybrid disciples—Kael and Lyra—collapsed, their bodies warped by corrupted Qi. Jiang Chen, half-consumed by Admin code, struggled to maintain the Admin Firewall.
Luo Fan (activating Worldshard Resonance):
"Hold the line! We're not done yet!"
**[System Alert: "Sect Stability: 20% → 15% | Devourer Respawn: 60% → 65%"]**
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Scene 2: Princess Lian's Bargain – The Soul Sundering Technique
Princess Lian's hologram sliced through the chaos, her smirk sharp as a blade.
Princess Lian:
"One last chance, streamer. My Soul Sundering technique can split Xiao Ling from the Devourer… but it'll cost your Starforge cultivation."
**[Terms of the Deal]**
- Luo Fan surrenders his cultivation to Lian's cauldron.
- Xiao Ling is purified but left a mortal.
**[Live Audience Poll: "Sacrifice Power" (38%) vs. "Find Another Way" (62%)]**
Luo Fan (glaring at Lian):
"I'd rather carve the technique from your soul."
Princess Lian (laughing):
"Then watch her die."
**[User [DemonQueen666] Donated 30,000 SC: "RAID LIAN'S LAB FOR THE TECHNIQUE!"]**
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Scene 3: Subscriber Clans Mobilize – The Dominion Core Raid
Luo Fan rallied clans in the Subscriber Hall, their avatars buzzing with urgency.
**[Clan Deployments]**
- **Shadowblade Guild**: Sponsored **Void-Tunneling Worms** (1,000 SC each) to infiltrate the Dominion Core.
- **Celestial Vanguard**: Funded **Starlight Barricades** (2,000 SC each) to shield the raid party.
- **Chaos Covenant**: Unleashed **Xiao Ling's Clones** (mutated echoes, 5,000 SC each).
**[VIP Contribution]**
- **User [Void_Emperor]**: Designed **"Soulbrand Armor"** (Reduces corruption by 20% for allies).
- **User [CelestialPeach]**: Named the raid's medic **"Peach Blossom Vanguard"**.
Luo Fan (to camera):
"Today, we steal fate from the Devourer's jaws!"
**[Subscribers: 4,200 → 5,000 | Morale: +25%]**
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Scene 4: The Dominion Core – Admin-01's Resurrection
The raid party breached the Dominion Core—a fortress of glitching code and screaming souls. At its heart, Admin-01 (in Jiang Chen's body) stood fused with the final Worldshard Relic.
Admin-01/Jiang Chen:
"You're too late, streamer. The Devourer's rise is inevitable."
**[System Alert: "Admin Override Protocol Complete"]**
**[All Skills Locked | Corruption Spread: +50%]**
Luo Fan (activating Karma Inversion):
"Jiang! Fight him!"
**[Skill Malfunction: Karma Inversion → Corrupted Judgment]**
**[Effect: Allies take 30% damage | Sect Stability: 15% → 10%]**
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Scene 5: Lady Mingxia's Sacrifice – Shen Li's Final Echo
Lady Mingxia materialized, her hologram flickering with Shen Li's fading light.
Lady Mingxia/Shen Li:
"Take the relic, Fan'er… and free us both."
She merged with the Worldshard, her essence reforging the relic.
**[Worldshard Relics: 1/5 → 2/5]**
**[System Alert: "Shen Li's Memory Unlocked – Temporal Reversion (2 uses)"]**
**Flashback**:
*Shen Li sacrificing her soul to seal the Devourer, whispering:*
"*Live, Fan'er. Live and rebuild.*"
Luo Fan (voice breaking):
"Mom… I'm sorry."
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Scene 6: Soul Sundering – The Fractured Bond
Luo Fan lunged at Admin-01, the Worldshard's power clashing with corrupted code. Xiao Ling's body convulsed, her mutation peaking.
Xiao Ling (screaming):
"Do it, Luo Fan! Now!"
**[Live Audience Poll: "Use Soul Sundering" (55%) vs. "Merge with the Devourer" (45%)]**
Luo Fan (tearing the technique from Lian's cauldron):
"This ends here!"
He activated Soul Sundering, his Starforge cultivation unraveling as Xiao Ling's mutation split from her soul.
**[Luo Fan's Cultivation: Starforge (Early) → Qi-Threading (Mortal)]**
**[Xiao Ling's Mutation: 90% → 0% | Status: Mortal, Comatose]**
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Scene 7: – The Devourer's Ascension
The Worldshard Relic exploded, its energy merging with the Devourer. Shen Li's chained form dissolved into the void as the Devourer solidified, now wearing Xiao Ling's face.
Devourer/Xiao Ling:
"*You've only delayed the inevitable.*"
Admin-01's laugh echoed through Jiang Chen's corpse, now a hollow puppet.
Admin-01:
"The system is mine. The multiverse… is ours."
Luo Fan (collapsing, clutching Xiao Ling):
"Next time… I'll save *everyone*."
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**Final Stats**:
- **Cultivation**: Qi-Threading (Mortal)
- **Subscribers**: 5,200
- **SC**: 12,450
- **Sect Stability**: 5%
- **System Stability**: 10%
- **Worldshard Relics**: 2/5
- **Xiao Ling**: Mortal, Comatose
- **Active Quests**:
- Reunite Shen Li's Soul (2/5)
- Rebuild Cultivation (0/100%)
- Liberate Jiang Chen (Admin Corruption: 100%)
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Next Chapter Preview:
Luo Fan, stripped of power, must rely on Subscriber Clans to rebuild from ashes. Princess Lian offers a dark pact: "Regain your strength by streaming the Dominion's conquests." Meanwhile, the Devourer begins assimilating realms, and a time-lost Shen Li appears with a cryptic warning: "The only way to win… is to lose everything."
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