193: Sound trace interruption and one-way door

Don't look for me.

The voice was like an ice-tempered needle, piercing into Liu Shan's brow and spreading along his nerves to his entire body.

He froze in place, his blood seemingly freezing instantly, even his breath carrying a bone-chilling cold.

The petals in his palm had burned away, leaving only a bit of warm ash that scattered with the wind, as if they had never existed.

But the traces left by that voice were incredibly clear, carved deep into his consciousness with an unquestionable determination.

She... what did she say? Liu Zhi's voice trembled with disbelief; he had also faintly heard that half-echo, How could Miss Qingxue...

Shi Yan's expression was equally grave; he walked over to Liu Shan and placed a hand on his shoulder, only to be violently shaken off by Liu Shan.

Liu Shan's gaze was fixed intently on the path leading to the Fifth Corridor.

It was a passageway made of grayish-white mist, rolling and endless, with a translucent door floating at the entrance; the door had no runes, only a blurred, constantly flowing gray shadow, as if someone was struggling behind it.

She is inside, Liu Shan said in a low voice, his voice raspy as if rubbed by sandpaper.

He could feel that Lin Qingxue's Spiritual Vein aura was hidden within that mist, faint yet tenacious, like a spark in the darkness that refused to be extinguished.

But she told you not to look for her. Elder Xuan Jin's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant, his golden vertical pupils fixed on the gray shadow on the door, That place... is not right.

Liu Shan ignored him.

He tightened his grip on the Sword of Light and Darkness and walked step by step toward the passageway.

With every step, the voice in his consciousness became clearer, carrying a strange power of Gu: Don't look for me, This is my path, You go your own way...

These words were like vines, wrapping around his temples and making them throb, yet his pace did not falter in the slightest.

He knew Lin Qingxue too well.

She was never one to give up easily.

Saying such things meant she had either encountered an unsolvable danger and wanted to face it alone, or... she had discovered some truth that she had to face by herself.

No matter which it was, he could not turn around and leave.

Liu Shan! Liu Zhi chased after him, trying to pull him back, At least think it through! Miss Qingxue wouldn't say things like that for no reason!

I am very clear. Liu Shan stopped, turned back to look at Liu Zhi and Shi Yan, his eyes showing no wavering, Wait for me here. If... if I don't come out, follow the Star Rail Bridge back and guard Luoxia Valley.

What nonsense are you talking about! Liu Zhi grew anxious, his face flushed red, If we go, we go together! We agreed back in Luoxia Valley that no one would be left behind!

Shi Yan also nodded, gripping the Pill Furnace in his hand: The ancient books of the Guardian say that the seven corridors are one; splitting up will only be more dangerous. We go together.

Liu Shan looked at their firm gazes, his heart warming.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but Elder Xuan Jin suddenly leaped from his wrist, his golden body turning into a stream of light as he rushed into the mist of the passageway first.

It's already gone in, are you still going to stop us? Liu Zhi grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and gripped his short blade.

Liu Shan took a deep breath, hesitated no longer, and turned to walk into the mist.

As soon as he stepped into the passageway, a viscous chill enveloped his entire body, colder than the resentment threads of the Heart Plains, carrying a prying malice.

Countless tiny specks of light floated in the mist; looking closer, they were blurred human faces, all phantoms they had seen in previous corridors—the phantom of Luoxia Valley, the reflection of the Mirror Realm, the Figure in Qing Bu Skirt from the Star Rail Bridge...

These faces had no eyes, yet they seemed to see them, gathering toward Liu Shan, their mouths opening and closing silently, as if repeating those provocative words.

Get lost! Liu Shan swung his sword, his Light and Darkness Power cleaving a gap.

But those faces surged like a tide; as soon as one batch was shattered, new ones immediately filled in, endless.

They are stalling for time! Shi Yan's voice was urgent; cyan-gold flames rose from his palms, forcing back the approaching faces, This mist is absorbing our power!

Liu Shan indeed felt that the consumption rate of his Light and Darkness Power was several times faster than usual; where the mist touched his skin, there was a slight stinging sensation, as if something was slowly draining his Spiritual Vein.

Charge toward the door! Liu Shan shouted, his Light and Darkness Power condensing into a shield to protect the three of them as they rushed toward the depths of the passageway.

Liu Zhi brandished his short blade, clearing the way in front of the shield, the star patterns on the blade erupting with dazzling light to shatter the faces; Shi Yan kept throwing Pulse Stabilizing Pills from behind the shield, the Medicinal Pills turning into specks of light upon landing, temporarily forcing back the surrounding mist.

Elder Xuan Jin cleared the way ahead, his golden flames burning a path, occasionally turning back to hiss as if urging them to hurry.

After an unknown amount of time, the mist before them suddenly thinned, and the translucent door became clearer and clearer.

The gray shadow on the door also became distinct—it was Lin Qingxue's figure!

She was entangled by countless gray-black threads, floating behind the door, her eyes tightly closed, the Dust Seed between her brows shining blindingly, her cyan-gold Lingmai Power like a butterfly trapped in a cocoon, struggling in vain among the threads.

Qingxue! Liu Shan's heart tightened, and he accelerated.

Just then, the gray shadow on the door suddenly opened its eyes!

Those were not Lin Qingxue's eyes.

The pupils were filled with gray-black patterns originating from the same source as the door, cold and hollow, carrying a condescending indifference.

She looked at Liu Shan, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile identical to that of the Figure in Qing Bu Skirt.

You still came. She spoke, the voice was Lin Qingxue's, but it carried an oldness and exhaustion that did not belong to her, I said, don't look for me.

Who exactly are you? Liu Shan stopped in front of the door, his Sword of Light and Darkness pointing directly at the gray shadow, Give her back to me!

Who am I? The gray shadow laughed, the laughter echoing in the mist with countless overlapping reverberations, I am her, and I am not her. I am the last consciousness left by the Guardian, the protector of the Star Core fragments, and also... a sacrifice about to be devoured.

Sacrifice? Shi Yan frowned, What do you mean?

The eye of ending has awakened. The gray shadow's voice lowered, a flash of pain in her eyes, It is waiting at the Summit of the Star Core, waiting to devour all the fragments and fully undergo Awakening. She and I... are the most crucial fragment; only by returning to its side can we temporarily stabilize it and buy you time.

Stabilize it? Liu Shan's heart sank, You mean... let her go to her death?

It is a sacrifice, not death, the gray shadow corrected, her tone carrying an unquestionable firmness, The Guardian left a contingency plan long ago; as long as the fragments can be re-integrated into the Star Core before the eye of ending fully undergoes Awakening, it can be purified using the Origin power of the Star Core. But this process... requires the consciousness of the fragment to sacrifice itself willingly, without the slightest hesitation.

So you controlled her, forcing her to say those things? Liu Shan's voice carried suppressed anger, his Light and Darkness Power churning violently in his palm.

The gray shadow did not answer, just looked at him, a flicker of complex emotion passing through her eyes: She knows very well what she must do. That sentence just now, half was my intention, and half... was her true heart. She was afraid you would be impulsive, afraid you would follow her into the trap at the Summit of the Star Core.

Liu Shan's gaze fell on the corner of Lin Qingxue's tightly closed eyes behind the door; there seemed to be a crystal-clear liquid there, wrapped by the gray-black threads, not falling.

It was a tear.

His heart felt as if it were being fiercely gripped, hurting so much he couldn't breathe.

He knew the gray shadow was telling the truth.

Given Lin Qingxue's personality, once she decided on something, she would never change it easily, even if that thing required a huge price.

I will go with you. Liu Shan took a deep breath, the anger in his eyes gradually subsiding, replaced by a nearly stubborn determination, The resonance of the dual seals can enhance the power of the fragments; perhaps... it can reduce the risk of the sacrifice.

Impossible. The gray shadow immediately refused, her tone iron-clad, This door is one-way, it can only be passed through by the fragment's consciousness. If you force your way in, you will only be torn apart by the power of the eye of ending, and you will also interfere with the sacrifice process.

Then I will wait here. Liu Shan gripped the Sword of Light and Darkness, the tip of the sword pressing against the door, Waiting for you to bring her out in one piece.

The gray shadow looked at him, silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, that smile carrying a trace of relief, and also a trace of deep helplessness: You and her... truly are equally stubborn.

Her figure began to become transparent, the gray-black patterns on the door gradually fading, revealing Lin Qingxue's face behind it.

Her eyes remained tightly closed, but the Dust Seed between her brows suddenly lit up at this moment, producing a strong resonance with the Dust Seed on Liu Shan's brow!

A familiar, warm power came through the door, surging into Liu Shan's consciousness.

He seemed to hear Lin Qingxue's voice, this time no longer cold, but carrying a gentle smile:

Liu Shan, wait for me.

The moment these three words fell, the door suddenly erupted with dazzling light, dispelling all the surrounding mist!

Liu Shan instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the gray shadow on the door had disappeared, leaving only Lin Qingxue's figure, slowly retreating toward the depths of the passageway, getting further and further away, becoming more and more blurred.

Qingxue! Liu Shan reached out, wanting to grab something, but only grasped a piece of cold air.

The door began to become more and more transparent, finally turning into a stream of light and dissipating into the mist.

At the end of the passageway, a deeper darkness was revealed; in the darkness, one could vaguely see a floating staircase made of Star Core fragments, leading to an unknown height.

Elder Xuan Jin let out an anxious hiss and rushed toward the stairs.

Liu Shan looked at the stairs, then back at the direction where the door had disappeared, his heart feeling as if a piece had been hollowed out.

He knew that from this moment on, their paths would be temporarily separated.

But he would not stop.

He would follow these stairs, step by step, to the Summit of the Star Core.

No matter what was waiting for him.

He lifted his foot, just about to step onto the stairs, when a faint vibration suddenly came into his consciousness.

It was the aftermath of the dual seal resonance.

In the aftermath, there was a trace of an extremely faint, familiar Spiritual Vein aura.

This aura... was not above the stairs.

It was below the stairs.

In that deep, seemingly all-consuming darkness.

Liu Shan's footsteps faltered.

He looked sharply at the darkness below the stairs, his heart rising again.

What exactly was hidden there?

Why would Lin Qingxue's aura appear there?