The atmosphere in the laboratory turned chillingly cold.
Lam Minh stood frozen in front of the screen, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The rage within him didn't erupt into a roar but condensed into a thick, ice-cold killing intent.
"Raising... a pill furnace..." he repeated each word, his voice hoarse.
The Holy Master's cruelty had surpassed any limit he could have imagined. He didn't just treat the lives of others like dirt; he turned them into tools, into stepping stones for his own path to power. It was the ultimate form of selfishness and ruthlessness.
Minh Thu sat beside him, not daring to say anything. She could feel Lam Minh's suppressed fury. She just quietly placed a hand on his shoulder, a small gesture of comfort that was full of concern.
Lam Minh took a deep breath, trying to calm his churning mind. He knew that anger wouldn't solve anything right now. He needed to be calm, to think.
He looked at the jade containing Xiao An's soul. He now understood why she hadn't woken up. That "Heart-Seed" was not just suppressing, but also "protecting" her soul, ensuring that this "pill furnace" wasn't damaged before the "harvest."
"Is there any way... to remove that 'Heart-Seed'?" he asked Minh Thu.
Minh Thu shook her head, her face full of helplessness. "This document only talks about how to plant the 'Heart-Seed,' not how to remove it. According to the description, the 'Heart-Seed' is created from a part of the caster's soul origin. It has fused as one with the vessel's soul. If you try to destroy it with external force, the vessel's soul will also shatter."
Once again, Lam Minh was at a dead end.
He had saved the person, but he couldn't save her completely. He was holding the soul of his best friend in his hands, but he couldn't wake her up. This feeling was more unbearable than facing a powerful enemy.
"But..." Minh Thu suddenly continued, "there's a final passage, written in a very complex code. I... I'm trying to decipher it."
She returned to her work. Her hands flew across the keyboard again.
Lam Minh had to wait once more. He paced back and forth in the room, his mind reeling.
If the "Heart-Seed" couldn't be removed, what should he do with Xiao An's soul? Just let her sleep forever in this jade? No. He couldn't accept that.
Or perhaps... go find the Holy Master? Force him to remove it?
He immediately dismissed that thought. It was suicide. With his current strength, facing the Holy Master was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
So what could he do?
He felt like he was walking into a dead end. All paths seemed to be blocked.
While he was in turmoil, Minh Thu suddenly let out a small gasp.
"Got it!"
Lam Minh rushed over. "What is it? What does the last part say?"
Minh Thu pointed at the screen. The code had been deciphered. It was just a very short sentence, but it left them both stunned.
"Fight poison with poison. Use another 'Heart-Seed' to devour the old one."
"'Fight poison with poison'?" Lam Minh frowned. "What does that mean? Find someone else who cultivates this secret art and have them plant their 'Heart-Seed' in Xiao An? That's insane! That's just jumping out of the frying pan into the fire!"
"No... that's not it," Minh Thu shook her head, her expression extremely complex. "This sentence... seems to have another layer of meaning. But I... I can't understand it."
Lam Minh also sank into thought. Use another "Heart-Seed"...
He suddenly remembered.
He also had Dragon Qi. He also had a Golden Core condensed from his origin. In theory, he could also separate a part of his soul to create a "Heart-Seed."
A crazy, bold, and extremely risky idea emerged in his mind.
What if he used his own "Heart-Seed," a "Heart-Seed" carrying the bloodline of the Dragon God, and planted it into Xiao An's soul?
Could his Dragon Qi devour the Holy Master's dark energy?
This was a life-and-death gamble.
If he succeeded, he might be able to save Xiao An completely. Her soul would be freed.
But if he failed?
If his "Heart-Seed" couldn't defeat the Holy Master's "Heart-Seed," Xiao An's soul would be torn apart by the two energies.
And he himself, after separating a part of his soul origin, would be severely weakened, and his cultivation might even drop. He could even be discovered by the Holy Master through the connection of the two "Heart-Seeds," revealing his location and secrets.
The risk was enormous.
Lam Minh stood there, looking at the jade on the table. He could see the faint image of Xiao An sleeping inside. He remembered the memories of his past life, remembered her smile, remembered her sacrifice.
He clenched his fist.
He had made his decision.
"Minh Thu," he said, his voice incredibly firm. "I need your help with something. Prepare an absolutely secure isolation room. Set up the strongest defensive and aura-concealing formations you can. I... am about to perform a soul surgery."
Minh Thu looked at him, worry shining in her large, round eyes, but she didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded decisively.
She knew that the hero she believed in was about to bet his life on a hand with no way back.
...
With the help of Minh Thu and To Quyen (who had been informed of the gravity of the situation), a special operating room was prepared within a few hours.
It was a room on the deepest level of the laboratory, reinforced with the best materials. Minh Thu had used all her skills to set up complex formations, both to conceal any energy leaking out and to block any probing from the outside.
Inside the room, there was only Lam Minh and the jade containing Xiao An's soul.
He placed the jade on a stone pedestal in the center of the room. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind as much as possible.
He knew this surgery was more dangerous than any battle. A single small mistake would lead to an irreversible outcome.
He sat down cross-legged, facing the jade. He didn't act hastily. He once again used his spiritual sense to carefully observe the dark "Heart-Seed" sleeping within Xiao An's soul.
It was like a poisonous spider that had spun its web and become one with her soul. All of Xiao An's life and energy were being secretly absorbed by it.
"I have to separate it first," he murmured.
He began the first step of the forbidden art, "Saintly Soul Separation."
His soul once again left his body and entered the jade.
In the hazy soul space, he saw Xiao An's chained soul again. He didn't attack the "Heart-Seed" immediately. He used his own soul, very gently, to envelop Xiao An's.
He used his Dragon Qi, not to attack, but to "comfort," to "soothe," trying to awaken her deepest subconscious will.
"Xiao An, it's me... Wake up... Fight it..." he continuously transmitted his thoughts.
It seemed to have an effect. Xiao An's soul trembled slightly. Her closed eyes flickered.
But at the same time, the dark "Heart-Seed" also seemed to sense the intrusion. It began to stir, emitting a stronger dark energy, trying to tighten its grip on Xiao An's soul, to pull her deeper into sleep.
"Not so fast!"
Lam Minh knew the time had come.
He used his soul, transforming it into an invisible scalpel, and began the most difficult process: separation.
He didn't cut crudely. He slid his soul scalpel between the "Heart-Seed" and Xiao An's soul, slowly, carefully, severing one connecting thread at a time.
This was a task that required incredible precision. Each severed thread caused both souls to tremble violently. The pain shot directly into Lam Minh's soul, forcing him to grit his teeth and endure.
Time passed. One hour. Two hours.
Outside, Lam Minh's body was soaked in sweat, his face pale. To Quyen and the others watched through a special monitor, their hearts in their throats.
Inside, Lam Minh had already severed more than half of the connecting threads.
But the "Heart-Seed" didn't sit still. It began to resist fiercely. It controlled the dark chains, lashing out violently at Lam Minh's soul.
Lam Minh had to maintain the precision of his cutting while using his soul's sword intent to defend. Small cracks began to appear on his soul.
"Damn it! I can't hold on like this!"
He knew he had to take a risk.
He stopped cutting. He decided to perform the second step.
He separated a small but most essential part of his soul origin. A process as painful as tearing off a part of his own body.
That part of his soul, under his control, condensed, forming a golden "Heart-Seed" in the shape of a small dragon.
The Dragon God Heart-Seed!
"Go!"
He controlled the Dragon God Heart-Seed, sending it straight towards the dark "Heart-Seed."
As the ancient document said. Fight poison with poison. Use one "Heart-Seed" to devour another.
The two "seeds," one righteous and one evil, one of the Dragon God, one of the Holy Master, collided.
A battle on a completely different level began. They didn't use energy, but their very origins to corrode and devour each other.
Xiao An's soul, the battlefield, trembled violently, as if about to shatter.
But Lam Minh's Dragon God Heart-Seed, though small, carried pure yang Dragon Qi, the nemesis of all evil energies. It slowly gained the upper hand, beginning to "gnaw" on the dark Heart-Seed.
The dark Heart-Seed let out an invisible scream, trying to resist, but it couldn't escape the corrosion of the Dragon Qi.
Finally, after a long struggle, the Dragon God Heart-Seed had completely devoured its opponent.
But it was no longer intact. It had been partially tainted by the dark energy.
And more importantly, the connecting threads were still there.
Lam Minh, now severely weakened, used his last bit of strength to control his "Heart-Seed," connecting it to those threads.
He didn't destroy them. He replaced them.
He had succeeded. The Holy Master's "Heart-Seed" had been removed.
But the price was that his own "Heart-Seed" had now taken its place, becoming a parasite within Xiao An's soul.
He had saved her from the hands of the Holy Master.
But had turned himself into a new "sower of seeds."
He brought his soul back into his body, collapsed onto the floor, and fell unconscious.
And inside the jade, Xiao An's soul, for the first time in decades, slowly opened its eyes.
Her large, round eyes, dazed, looked out at the unfamiliar world.
She didn't remember who she was.
She didn't know what had happened.
There was only one image in her mind. The image of a small golden dragon, coiled next to her soul, both protecting and... imprisoning it.