I can't believe it turned out like this! Jasper Xiao was stunned too—who would've thought the one most desperate to destroy the One Ring was none other than Sauron himself?
"But the bond between me and this damned ring is too strong. I want to break free and become a truly independent being, but I just can't find a way. At one point, I was even in despair. Then, one day, everything changed." Sauron lowered his gaze, his deep eyes fixed on Jasper Xiao, a sudden intensity flickering in their depths: "You took it away from my life."
Jasper Xiao remained composed, his tone casual, as if chatting with a friend: "I'm all ears."
And Sauron really started to explain in detail: "You disappeared from this world with it. In that moment, it wasn't destroyed, but the bond between me and it was completely severed."
"If the Ring isn't destroyed, I can't die. But at the same time, if I can't sense the Ring, I can't truly live either. I ended up trapped in a state of neither life nor death—a chaotic silence. It was dangerous, teetering on the edge of total annihilation, ready to vanish into nothingness at any moment. But on the flip side, it was also the opportunity I'd been longing for—a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"
"I seized that chance with everything I had, and I succeeded. I started to recover, slowly pulling myself out of chaos, my soul climbing higher and higher. I got closer than ever to the throne of the gods—closer than ever to true 'freedom.' I was about to become the first true Dark Demon God since ancient times!"
"Thanks to the opportunity you brought, I'm on the verge of real success!" Sauron grew more excited as he spoke, his emotions becoming more visible even under the endless dark sky above. But then he suddenly paused and stared at Jasper Xiao again, his gaze shifting from intense to—well, it's hard to describe. If I had to pick a word, maybe 'resentful' fits best.
Sauron looked at Jasper Xiao with that complicated, resentful expression, his tone full of mixed feelings: "But of course, it's you again. You came back, bringing this black thing with you."
He raised his hand, and with a puff, a black flame ignited in his palm. The flame looked no bigger than a candle, tiny and fragile, like a breeze could snuff it out. But Jasper Xiao could sense the incredible power hidden within that smoky fire.
"It came with you, so you must know something about it. I don't know what you call it, but at its core, it's an incredibly high-level energy—shocking and irresistible."
"It started out as a kind of black energy, the opposite of your nature, but perfectly aligned with mine. The Blackfire followed the link of my soul through the void, found me, and merged with me, transforming into this flame. It brought me back from chaos at lightning speed, let me traverse the endless path that should've taken eons, and gave me all sorts of unimaginable high-level powers!"
He pointed at the towering black sky. "Do you realize, with the help of this Blackfire Flame, I could ascend to godhood in no time!"
"If I wanted to, I could burn a hole right through the eternal darkness above us with Blackfire!"
"If I wanted to, I could be invincible in the blink of an eye!"
Invincible!
Invincible...
Unbeatable...
The echoes of "invincible" shook the Black Wasteland, Sauron's declaration of dominance was absolute and awe-inspiring—a trailblazer on the path to godhood. But Jasper Xiao showed no fear at all. He simply shook his head: "But you still didn't do it."
"That's right, I didn't." Sauron lowered his hand, his voice tinged with loneliness. "I let go of victory, my armies, the world—everything. I just sat alone at the threshold of the final gate. Sure, if I reached out, I could push open the door to godhood, but I wasn't sure if the one who'd walk through would still be Sauron, or some twisted evil god completely consumed by Blackfire."
"I kept questioning myself, and then I realized—the only thing complete here is the Blackfire, not me. I'm still missing something, my time hasn't come. So I sit here under this eternal darkness, refusing to take that last step."
"Do you realize, you made me who I am. You gave me the chance—the first time I've ever clearly seen hope for success, a way forward."
"Do you realize, you ruined me too. You brought this black energy, tangled it up with my soul, and almost completely blocked my path to my true self."
"You brought me so close to the throne of gods, yet so far away. You made me admire you, and hate you at the same time."
"After all that, I finally understood. My moment isn't somewhere else—it's right here, with you." Sauron pointed at Jasper Xiao, his gaze so sharp it seemed to slice through space, his eyes nearly glowing with black light. "The fate between us is so tangled and deep, unless I unravel this knot, I'll never be free! So no matter what your friends outside try, I won't let anyone interrupt this meeting!"
"Today, right now, this meeting is a ritual, a ceremony—a moment of destiny that can't be profaned or interrupted! And you really showed up. Looks like you felt the call of fate too."
Sauron stepped down from his throne, stopping less than five meters from Jasper Xiao, arms spread wide as if to embrace something. "Come on, let's figure it all out—together!"
Jasper Xiao just quietly listened to Sauron's speech, watching him without blinking. That look was special—like he was staring at Sauron, but also at a reflection, a black-and-white negative. It was just like Teacher Yang, back at the bottom of the Heart of Ice Lake, seeing his opposite self.
He didn't react outwardly—no emotion, no expression, nothing. But suddenly, the Holy Light around him flickered and vanished, withdrawing deep into his body.
He took a deep breath, his chest swelling, brows lifting, eyes brightening—his whole demeanor changed in an instant.
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He slowly opened his eyes, the light in them deep and clear, and repeated Sauron's words: "Alright, come on—let's settle everything."
"Alright!" Sauron's eyes blazed, his voice echoing to the heavens. "Either you make me, or I make you—doesn't matter which! Under this boundless darkness, let's face destiny together, let's rush toward the coming end, let's climb to the peak of life!!"
With a roar, the nine Blackfire flames on the throne twisted into long ribbons, winding around Sauron's body. His regal robe dissolved into drifting black dust, and massive black flames erupted from beneath his feet, quickly engulfing him.
Sauron was engulfed in terrifying black flames, laughing wildly as energy and will radiated outward like a nuclear reactor. An unimaginable force blasted skyward like a laser cannon, a black beam piercing the endless dark heavens.
Boom—the sky went dark.
Not just in this Black Wasteland between illusion and reality—even in the real world, the sky went dark. The sun still rose, there were no clouds, no physical darkness. But with Doom Volcano at the center, countless beings, good and evil, strong and weak, all looked up in terror, feeling as if disaster was upon them. Before their eyes, everything was pitch black—no light at all.
Looking up and down, the oppressive force was inescapable, as if a great eternal doomsday was descending upon the world. Magic and energy froze like cement; no one could freely channel power. Elf Queen, White-Robed Wizard, mortal kings—every single one, their hearts pounding as if about to burst.
The immortals looked up, faces pale as death. These beings, who survived from ancient times, still remembered the gods' might from long ago. Now, the aura filling the world had already taken on a divine presence.
Divine power swept across heaven and earth, radiating for a hundred miles.
Gandalf's jaw dropped so far he couldn't close it. He was utterly stunned; his boundless wisdom was useless now. Faced with this divine power, his mind went blank, and he could only mumble: "Sauron's becoming a god... It's over... We're doomed..."
Compared to the powerful heroes still on the slopes of Doom Mountain, the twins at the Stone Gate sensed the terrifying change even earlier. The black energy on the gate surged like a tidal wave, and the twins, who had been halfway through pushing the Miracle Radiance sphere, were forced to retreat by an unstoppable force.
Their feet scraped four deep grooves into the rocky ground. The Miracle Radiance didn't go out, didn't bow to the dark power, but the twins were pushed back nine meters. If the Miracle Radiance hadn't cut through the darkness like a heavenly blade, this tidal wave of darkness would've overwhelmed any hero.
Feeling the overwhelming invincible aura, the twins were shocked and caught off guard.
The Dark Demon Soldiers tossed aside nearby let out excited cries, but the impatient Yang Qi slapped them: "Knock it off! Quit dreaming—it's not your time to shine!"
Yang Qi focused intently on the terrifying divine power, finally declaring with resolve: "It's not time to despair yet—Sauron hasn't won. We can't even fathom the Black Death Emperor's aura, but this one we can. It feels like when the Limit Monument appeared, so at best Sauron's just taken a step beyond the limit, but he's not at the peak yet. We still have a chance!"
The two exchanged determined glances and nodded to each other.
Screw it, we're going all out today—burn through every ounce of stored energy if we have to!' If peak-level internal power can't get the Miracle Radiance through, then it's time for something even stronger!
The higher the energy, the harder it is to control—and the bigger the risk. But if you want to make a mark in this world, you've got to do what must be done, not just play it safe!
Boom! The chilling force from beyond and the holy fire erupted together. Yang Qi's body crackled with a bloody aura, while Yang Qi scattered bits of frost all around. The two faced each other with hands raised, their stances etched into the void. Just then, the Divine Weapon Embryo suddenly sprang up, shooting into the space between their hands.
The weapon embryo hummed, Miracle Radiance swirling all around.
If things were this intense outside the Stone Gate, Jasper Xiao's pressure in the eternal Black Wasteland was unimaginable. Yet, facing this world-ending demonic aura, Jasper Xiao just smiled—a smile of relief, like breaking free from chains. He'd found his answer.
That answer didn't come from the demon king's words, but from his own heart.
He truly understood.
When the heart understands, the spirit follows.
He wore the Celestial Ring of Light on his left hand, but now put the One Ring on his right. As the ring slid on, Jasper Xiao recited the sacred words with ease.
I grant you boundless light. Facing the direction of heaven.
Infinite light burst forth, like the dawn of creation.
At the heart of the endless radiance, a sigil formed—rising, suspended in midair, illuminating the world.
Sigil of Legend.
Ha ha ha! Good, good—come on!' Sauron laughed wildly, burning himself into boundless Blackfire. Jasper Xiao stepped forward, walking resolutely into the Blackfire that could swallow a soul forever.
Crack! Thunder split the sky. Light and dark, life and death, all blended together.