159: Afterglow and Whisper of the Earth

As the sunlight pierced through the clouds, Lin Qingxue was kneeling where the Light and Darkness Power had dissipated.

Her palms pressed against the ground, she could feel the faint warmth remaining in the soil—the temperature of the Spiritual Vein recovering—yet it was so hot that her fingertips trembled.

Liu Zhi walked over, leaning on a broken piece of wood, his pant legs still stained with dark red mud.

He looked at the locust tree that was sprouting green buds again, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Sister Qingxue, has he... really left?"

Lin Qingxue did not turn back.

Her fingertips traced shallow marks on the ground, where the soil was softer than elsewhere, mixed with a faint trace of Light and Darkness Power, resembling the strength Liu Shan had unleashed at the very end.

"Look," she suddenly spoke, her voice as light as a sigh.

Liu Zhi looked down and saw that on the land nourished by the rain of light, tiny green buds were emerging at a speed visible to the naked eye.

They were not biye flowers, nor were they common plants of the valley, but a species he had never seen before—leaves half-green and half-black, with veins that looked exactly like the spiral mark on Liu Shan's brow.

"This is..."

"It is what he left behind."

Lin Qingxue's fingertips gently brushed over the leaves, the cool sensation making her eyes heat up, "He once said that the Spiritual Vein and the Shadow Eaters must coexist in balance, just like these leaves."

Before she could finish, a low hum suddenly came from the depths of the Earth Vein.

The entire Luoxia Valley began to tremble slightly; the newly born exotic flowers and herbs shot up instantly, the greenish-black patterns on their leaves lighting up and resonating with the rhythm of the Earth Vein.

Shi Yan and the surviving clansmen were surprised to find that the depleted Spiritual Veins in their bodies were being repaired by a gentle force, and even the wounds previously eroded by the blood-colored aura were itching as they healed.

"The Earth Vein... is responding to him?" Shi Yan muttered, looking at the locust tree in the center of the valley.

By now, the locust tree had completely shed its black color; not only were new green shoots sprouting from its branches, but they were also entwined with a faint flow of Light and Darkness Power, looking exactly like the Taiji pattern Liu Shan had once controlled.

Lin Qingxue stood up abruptly.

She felt that the gentle force was not only repairing the Earth Vein but also guiding something.

Looking in the direction of the airflow, she saw that the entrance to the secret passage behind the valley, which led to the Duan Yun Mountains, was emitting the same aura as the exotic flowers and herbs.

"He is there!" she blurted out, turning and running towards the secret passage.

Liu Zhi and Shi Yan exchanged glances and immediately followed.

The surviving clansmen supported each other, wanting to follow as well, but were blocked inside the valley by an invisible force—the aura of the Earth Vein had formed a barrier at the valley entrance, seemingly only allowing the three of them, including Lin Qingxue, to pass.

The secret passage was brighter than in their memories.

Crystalline droplets seeped from the rock walls, emitting Spiritual Qi similar to that of the giant golden orb, illuminating the passage like broad daylight.

The rhythm of the droplets falling was perfectly synchronized with the humming of the Earth Vein, as if someone were whispering.

"Listen." Lin Qingxue suddenly stopped and tilted her head to listen.

Within the sound of the dripping droplets, there was a trace of an extremely faint breathing sound.

It was not human breathing, but more like the rhythm of some kind of energy, creating a wondrous resonance with the Spiritual Vein recovering within her.

Following the sound of the breathing forward, the scene at the end of the secret passage made the three of them stop instantly.

It was not the wilderness of the Duan Yun Mountains, but a suddenly spacious karst cave.

In the center of the cave was a circular pool of water, crystal clear, reflecting the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and in the center of the pool, a translucent figure was floating.

It was Liu Shan.

His eyes were closed, the spiral mark on his brow appearing and disappearing, and the flow of Light and Darkness Power slowly circulated around him, merging with the aura of the pool, the stalactites, and even the entire cave.

He looked as if he were sleeping, yet it did not seem like a true slumber—his body would become solid at times and transparent at others, as if he might dissipate completely at any moment.

"Is he... still alive?" Liu Zhi's voice trembled.

Lin Qingxue walked quickly to the edge of the pool, reaching out to touch the figure, but was blocked by a barrier interwoven with Light and Darkness Power.

The barrier transmitted a familiar temperature, exactly the same as the strength Liu Shan had unleashed at the very end.

"He is in Fusion with the Earth Vein," Shi Yan suddenly said, his eyes complex, "The Blood Master's power remains in the depths of the Earth Vein; he is using his own Light and Darkness Power to purify it, while at the same time... he is also being assimilated by the Earth Vein."

Assimilation.

This word made Lin Qingxue's heart contract sharply.

She could feel that Liu Shan's aura was becoming closer and closer to the Earth Vein, to the point where she could no longer distinguish which part was him and which part was the Spiritual Vein of Luoxia Valley.

Just like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

"No! He cannot go on like this!" She raised her hand abruptly, injecting the Lingmai Power that had just recovered within her into the barrier.

"Liu Shan! Wake up! We are going home!"

The barrier fluctuated violently, and the flow of Light and Darkness Power became chaotic.

The figure in the pool seemed to be startled, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and the spiral mark on his brow lit up, but he did not open his eyes.

Just at this moment, a dull vibration came from the depths of the cave.

It was not the humming of the Earth Vein, but some kind of heavy footsteps, slowly approaching from the shadows of the cave.

Shi Yan's face changed drastically: "It is... the aura of the Xuan Jin Snake Clan!"

He was right.

Emerging from the shadows was a giant snake covered from head to tail in greenish-gold scales, nearly ten zhang in length, with a pair of curved horns on its head; it was none other than an Elder of the Xuan Jin Snake Clan—the Xuan Jin Elder who had met Liu Shan once in the Blood-colored Canyon years ago.

But the current state of the Xuan Jin Elder was somewhat eerie.

Its scales were covered in blood-colored patterns similar to those of the Blood Master, its scarlet vertical pupils staring fixedly at Liu Shan in the pool, flicking its tongue and emitting a threatening hiss.

"It has been controlled by the residual power of the Blood Master!" Lin Qingxue realized instantly.

The Xuan Jin Elder ignored them, its massive head dipping down abruptly, spitting a golden beam mixed with blood-red color towards the figure in the pool!

The beam struck the barrier of Light and Darkness Power, emitting a piercing sound, and cracks instantly appeared on the barrier!

The figure in the pool swayed violently, his transparent body almost completely dissipating.

"Stop it!" Lin Qingxue's eyes were wide with fury, and she gathered her Lingmai Power to block in front of the barrier.

Liu Zhi and Shi Yan also acted immediately, their combined strength barely blocking the Xuan Jin Elder's attack.

However, the Xuan Jin Elder's power was too immense, especially after being strengthened by the blood-colored aura, and their defense was crumbling.

What made them even more desperate was that from the shadows deep in the cave, more hissing sounds came.

More and more Xuan Jin Snakes were rushing towards them, their scales all covered in blood-colored patterns, clearly all under control.

Lin Qingxue looked at the increasingly transparent figure in the pool, then at the approaching group of Xuan Jin Snakes, a flash of determination in her eyes.

She suddenly turned around, injecting all her Lingmai Power into her palms, and pressed them against the cracks in the barrier of Light and Darkness Power.

"Liu Shan, wake up!"

Her voice carried unprecedented power, piercing through the barrier and reaching the ears of the figure in the pool:

"You said you would teach me to control the Spiritual Vein! You said you would watch Liu Zhi grow up! You cannot break your promise!"

The Lingmai Power in her palms collided with the Light and Darkness Power of the barrier, emitting a dazzling light.

The figure in the pool opened his eyes abruptly.

In his pupils, one half was greenish-gold, and the other half was pitch black.

The barrier of Light and Darkness Power was instantly repaired, even erupting with a stronger light, reflecting the Xuan Jin Elder's attack back!

The Xuan Jin Elder let out a painful hiss, forced back by its own power.

But Liu Shan's figure became completely transparent in the light, leaving only the spiral mark on his brow, floating in the center of the pool, emitting a faint light.

The hissing sounds from the depths of the cave were getting closer and closer.

The Xuan Jin Elder shook its head and lunged towards the mark again.

Lin Qingxue spread her arms, blocking the side of the pool, with Liu Zhi and Shi Yan behind her.

She looked at the faint mark and said softly:

"This time, it is our turn to protect you."

The spiral mark suddenly flashed violently, and the pool water began to boil.

The humming of the Earth Vein reached its peak.