181: The Mysterious Corridor and the Blood-Piercing Prying Eyes
The moment the mark on his palm grew hot, the surrounding star tracks suddenly began to rotate in reverse.
Liu Shan gripped Lin Qingxue's hand tightly, his Light and Darkness Power exploding in his palm to barely steady their bodies.
They were standing in a corridor formed by star tracks, with endless darkness on both sides and only the flow of light beneath their feet guiding the way.
But now, the flow of light was like a tangled ball of yarn, frantically twisting and breaking, and the once-clear path instantly became chaotic.
"It's the aura of Luoxia Valley!" Lin Qingxue's voice was filled with surprise; she could feel that the fluctuations coming from the mark on her palm were identical to the Spiritual Vein of Luoxia Valley, though they were as weak as a candle in the wind, "They are guiding us!"
Liu Shan frowned tightly.
He stared at the star tracks rotating in reverse and extended his Light and Darkness Power along them, only to encounter a familiar, malicious obstruction—it was the aura of the Purple Abyss remnants, winding around the star tracks like vines, attempting to sever this guidance from Luoxia Valley.
"The trap is deeper than I imagined." He let out a low shout, and the Sword of Light and Darkness condensed once more, slashing toward those entwined purple-black vines.
The sword light swept past, and the vines snapped in response, only to re-form in an instant, becoming even thicker.
In the darkness on both sides of the corridor, countless crimson eyes emerged, identical to the pair outside Luoxia Valley.
These eyes had no physical form, being merely pure projections of consciousness, yet they carried a bone-chilling coldness, as if they were enjoying a struggle of trapped beasts.
"Liu Shan... you cannot escape..." A hoarse voice echoed in the corridor, sounding like countless voices layered together, "Give up, let us devour your Light and Darkness Power, and you can stay here forever, together with her..."
The voice was laced with familiar tones—there was the hiss of Elder Xuan Jin, the cough of Shi Yan, and even the hearty laughter of Liu Zhi; each one accurately struck at the soft spots in his memories.
Lin Qingxue's soft sword trembled violently, its cyan-gold light flickering on and off.
In her consciousness, scenes of Luoxia Valley being submerged by the purple-black aura emerged: Shi Yan collapsed at the entrance of the Pill Chamber, Liu Zhi's short blade broken in two, and Elder Xuan Jin's cyan-gold scales stained with black blood...
"Don't believe it!" Liu Shan squeezed her hand tightly, his Light and Darkness Power surging through their palms, "These are all illusions! The aura of Luoxia Valley is still there, which means they are still holding on!"
His words were like a thunderclap, splitting the haze in Lin Qingxue's consciousness.
She took a deep breath, and the light of her soft sword stabilized, becoming even more intense than before: "Yes, they are still waiting for us to return!"
The two stood back-to-back, their Light and Darkness Power and Lingmai Power weaving into a rotating wheel of light, forcing the surrounding crimson eyes back three feet.
The flow of light in the star track corridor seemed encouraged, and the originally chaotic path began to reorganize. A faint thread of cyan-gold light emerged from the chaos, extending toward the depths of the corridor—that was the guidance from Luoxia Valley, which had never been severed.
"Follow it!" Liu Shan shouted in a low voice, pulling Lin Qingxue as they sprinted in the direction of the light thread.
The crimson eyes emitted angry roars, and countless purple-black vines reached out from the darkness, coiling toward the two like venomous snakes.
Liu Shan swung his sword to sever the vines in front of him, while Lin Qingxue protected their rear, the cyan-gold light of her soft sword weaving into a screen of light to temporarily block the pursuit.
But the corridor seemed to have no end. The thread of light extended slower and slower, and the aura of Luoxia Valley grew weaker and weaker, like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
"They can't hold on much longer..." Lin Qingxue's voice was filled with anxiety; she could feel the fluctuations of the mark on her palm growing weaker, even beginning to tremble irregularly—that was a sign that the Spiritual Vein was about to dry up.
Liu Shan's heart sank to the bottom.
He knew how great the consumption of activating the Star Pattern Grand Array was for Luoxia Valley; for Shi Yan and the others to have held on until now was already their limit.
Just at this moment, the beacon on his wrist suddenly erupted with blinding light!
It was not the gentle fluctuation from before, but a light carrying a powerful impact that actually forced back the surrounding purple-black vines for a moment!
In his consciousness, the points of light at the edge of the sea of stars resonated with the guidance from Luoxia Valley as never before, and a clear path appeared in the star track corridor—that was a shortcut opened by the joint effort of the beacon and the Star Pattern Grand Array!
"It's that Guardian!" Liu Shan understood in an instant, "He is using his own power to pave the way for us!"
At the end of the shortcut, a familiar cyan-gold light gate could be vaguely seen; it was the entrance to Luoxia Valley!
"Charge through!"
The two exerted their strength simultaneously, the rotation speed of their light wheel reaching its limit, shredding all the purple-black vines coming toward them as they sprinted along the shortcut toward the light gate.
The crimson eyes emitted shrill roars, and in the darkness, a massive giant claw composed of countless vines suddenly reached out, swiping fiercely at their backs!
This claw condensed all the purple-black power in the corridor, carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth, causing even the star track light flow to be violently distorted!
They were only three steps away from the gate!
Liu Shan could even see the familiar outline of the spirit fields behind the light gate and smell the faint fragrance of the biye flower!
But he could also feel that the shadow of the giant claw had already enveloped them, the purple-black aura following like a shadow, burning their skin and eroding their Spiritual Veins!
Lin Qingxue suddenly turned around and pushed Liu Shan forward: "You go first!"
Her soft sword erupted with its final light, the cyan-gold screen of light meeting the giant claw; even knowing it was like an egg striking a rock, she did not hesitate in the slightest.
"I won't!" Liu Shan roared as he stopped his steps, pulling her behind him, his Light and Darkness Power exploding without reservation, the light of the Sword of Light and Darkness even overpowering the brightness of the beacon, "If we go, we go together!"
Just at the moment when the two were about to be devoured by the giant claw, the light gate suddenly erupted with a powerful suction force!
The Lingmai Power of Luoxia Valley, the guiding power of the beacon, and the final energy of the Star Pattern Grand Array... all powers converged at this moment, forming a massive vortex that forcibly pulled their bodies into the light gate!
The giant claw struck down, grazing the edge of the light gate, and the purple-black aura collided violently with the cyan-gold light, emitting a deafening roar!
At the very last moment before being pulled into the light gate, Liu Shan looked back—
He saw a flash of unwillingness and... eerie expectation in the crimson eyes on both sides of the corridor.
He saw a faint, wispy thread of cyan-gold light belonging to Luoxia Valley entwined around the vines of the giant claw.
He saw that the moment the light gate closed, a Star Pattern biye flower in the sky of Luoxia Valley was silently withering.
The moment his body passed through the light gate, a violent sensation of crushing came, and his consciousness felt as if it were being torn into countless fragments.
His final thought was of Lin Qingxue's tightly gripped hand and the cry that clearly reached his ears, laced with tears:
"Liu Shan—!"
The light gate closed completely.
The star track corridor returned to dead silence, with only the massive purple-black giant claw remaining at the spot where the light gate had disappeared, the purple-black liquid dripping from its claws corroding deep holes into the star tracks.
In the darkness, a hoarse voice slowly sounded, carrying a hint of triumphant laughter:
"Welcome home... my... other half."