198: White embers and echoing whispers

When the white light receded, the first thing Liu Shan felt was an bone-chilling cold.

It wasn't a void's chill, but a real, bone-deep cold, like instantly falling into an ice pond that hadn't melted for ten thousand years. Liu Shan suddenly opened his eyes, coughed a few times, and a metallic sweetness like rust welled up in his throat.

He lay on a piece of broken Star Core fragment, surrounded by boundless darkness, with only sporadic points of light flickering in the distance, like burnt ashes. The Sword of Light and Darkness was stuck in a nearby fragment, its blade covered in cracks, its light so dim it was almost invisible.

"Qingxue? Liu Zhi?" He struggled to sit up, but found his left arm completely numb, the skin under his sleeve cold and stiff, as if covered in a thin layer of ice.

No response.

In the darkness, there was only his own breathing, and a very faint sound, like glass rubbing, intermittently, from an unknown source.

Liu Shan's heart sank. He remembered that last white light, remembered the all-consuming void when the eye of ending opened, remembered the Guardian's last faint glow... Had they succeeded after all?

He gritted his teeth, grabbed the Sword of Light and Darkness with his only movable right hand, and propped himself up. The scene in his vision began to spin, and countless shadows seemed to flicker in the darkness, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing, much like the illusions in the mirror realm.

"Don't lie to yourself..." A faint voice echoed in his mind, carrying a familiar, cold mockery, "They're all dead. The Dual Seal Resonance failed, the eye of ending broke its Seal, and all realms have become nourishment for the void..."

It was the demigod's voice.

Liu Shan shook his head violently, trying to dispel the voice. But it clung to him like a maggot, spreading along his nerves, stirring up the fears temporarily hidden by the white light - Lin Qingxue's Spiritual Vein burning out, the moment Liu Zhi was swallowed by the black shadow, Shi Yan's last helpless smile...

"Shut up!" He roared, swinging his sword at the darkness, but the Light and Darkness Power only ignited a faint spark, which quickly extinguished.

The cracks on the long sword widened a bit more, as if it could completely shatter at any moment.

Just then, the glass-rubbing sound suddenly became clearer.

It came from the darkness to his front-left, with a rhythmic, faint "click-clack" sound, as if someone was gently tapping a Star Core fragment with their fingernail.

Liu Shan gripped his long sword and carefully walked towards the source of the sound. With each step, the fragments underfoot made a crisp sound, particularly jarring in the silent darkness.

The closer he got, the clearer the sound became, and he could even faintly hear a very soft, pained gasp.

Liu Shan's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he quickened his pace.

At the end of the darkness, a figure indeed lay there.

It was Lin Qingxue.

She was curled up on a larger Star Core fragment, her face as pale as paper, blood staining the corner of her mouth, her cyan-gold Lingmai Power as faint as a candle in the wind, forming a thin film of light around her. Her right hand clutched a soft sword tightly, knuckles white, while her left hand unconsciously tapped the fragments, making that "click-clack" sound.

"Qingxue!" Liu Shan rushed over and scooped her up.

Her body was icy cold, but she was still breathing, her chest rising and falling slightly, though her breath was so faint it was almost imperceptible. The Dual Seals on her brow were dim, with only a very faint cyan-gold glow, proving she was still holding on.

"You're awake..." Lin Qingxue slowly opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused, but when she saw him, a faint smile barely touched her lips, "I think... I caught you..."

Her voice was as light as a sigh, and after speaking, she fainted again, but her left hand still maintained the tapping motion, though the frequency was much slower.

Liu Shan's heart felt like it was being fiercely squeezed. He carefully transferred his remaining Light and Darkness Power to her, and when his fingertips touched her wrist, he realized her Spiritual Vein was almost shattered, with only a last shred of resilience desperately holding on.

That white light just now had saved her. Or rather, the Guardian's last faint glow had protected the core of her Spiritual Vein.

What about Liu Zhi then?

Liu Shan looked around, the darkness still boundless, with nothing but them and scattered Star Core fragments. He loudly called Liu Zhi's name, his voice echoing in the darkness, but only receiving an empty reply.

Could it be...

He dared not think further. He carried Lin Qingxue on his back, securing her with a strip of cloth, gripped the Sword of Light and Darkness in his right hand, and continued walking in the darkness. No matter what, he had to find Liu Zhi, alive or dead.

There was no direction in the darkness, only those sporadic points of light guiding something. Liu Shan followed the trajectory of the light points, the fragments underfoot becoming denser, occasionally revealing scattered objects - a piece of a Pill Furnace, a broken short sword, a few charred pieces of grey robe fabric...

It was Shi Yan's Pill Furnace, Liu Zhi's short sword, the Guardian's grey robe.

Liu Shan's steps became heavier and heavier, his heart feeling a prick with each item he saw.

Were they really...

"Click-clack."

Lin Qingxue on his back suddenly stirred again, her left hand tapping once more, this time at a faster, more urgent frequency, as if sending a signal.

Liu Shan stopped, listening carefully.

"Click-clack, click-clack-click-clack, click-clack..."

The rhythm was regular, like a simple Morse code.

Liu Shan suddenly remembered that when the children of Luoxia Valley played hide-and-seek, they used a similar rhythm to transmit signals - one long and two short meant "safe," two long and one short meant "danger," and this current rhythm...

It was "follow me."

Unconsciously, she was guiding him with the signal they had agreed upon when they were children!

Liu Shan's eyes instantly brightened. He adjusted his direction and walked towards where Lin Qingxue's left hand was tapping.

Sure enough, after not long, a faint glow of a Star Core appeared in the darkness ahead.

The light came from a huge, translucent Star Core fragment, which encased a blurred figure suspended in its center, surrounded by countless grey-black threads.

It was Liu Zhi!

He seemed to be in a deep sleep, his face peaceful, without pain. His short sword had fallen outside the fragment, but the star patterns on its blade were still glowing, resonating with the light inside the fragment, blocking the erosion of the threads.

"Liu Zhi!" Liu Shan shouted, rushing over to try and break the fragment.

But the fragment was unexpectedly hard; the Sword of Light and Darkness only left a shallow white mark when it struck, instead jarring Liu Shan's tiger's mouth.

"Don't waste your energy..." A hoarse voice suddenly came from within the fragment, it was Liu Zhi's voice, but with an old, weary tone that wasn't his, "This is the Star Core's last protective shield... It can block the void, but it also... traps me..."

Liu Shan was stunned.

Liu Zhi's lips hadn't moved at all; the voice seemed to emanate directly from the fragment, carrying the Star Core's unique, ancient resonance.

"Who are you?" he asked warily.

"I am the Guardian, or you could say... I am Liu Zhi." The voice replied, and the figure within the fragment gently swayed, "His consciousness was too weak; when he was eroded by the void, I used my last faint glow to protect his soul, temporarily residing within the Star Core fragment..."

Liu Shan's heart tightened abruptly: "Then can he still wake up?"

"I don't know." The voice carried a hint of helplessness, "It depends on his own will, and also... whether the eye of ending has truly been Sealed."

The eye of ending.

This name was like a piece of ice, instantly extinguishing the hope in Liu Shan's heart. He looked at the surrounding darkness: "Did we... succeed?"

The light within the fragment flickered, as if hesitating: "Half and half. The Guardian's power combined with the Dual Seal Resonance indeed severely wounded the eye of ending, forcing it back to the deepest part of the Star Core, but it wasn't completely Sealed. It is dormant, accumulating power, waiting for the next opportunity to break its Seal..."

"Then where are we now?"

"The Star Core's interstice." The voice replied, "A spatial rift torn when the eye of ending broke its Seal. It's temporarily safe here, but it won't last long... The rift is shrinking and will soon be filled by the void."

Liu Shan's heart sank to rock bottom.

They hadn't succeeded; they had still failed.

And they were trapped in this space that was about to disappear.

"However..." The Guardian's voice suddenly carried a hint of light, "On the other side of the rift, I sensed a familiar aura. It's the Spiritual Vein of Luoxia Valley, very faint, but very stable..."

Luoxia Valley?

Liu Shan suddenly looked up at the darkness outside the fragment.

There, indeed, was an extremely faint, cyan-gold point of light, like a distant star, twinkling at the edge of the darkness.

"That is..."

"A realm passage." The Guardian's voice carried a hint of relief, "When the eye of ending retreated to the depths, the spatial rift briefly connected to Luoxia Valley. As long as we can rush through before the rift closes, we can go back..."

Go back?

Liu Shan looked at the cyan-gold point of light, then at the unconscious Lin Qingxue on his back, and the sleeping Liu Zhi in the fragment, and his heart suddenly began to beat again.

Yes, go back.

Back to Luoxia Valley, back to the place with biye flowers, spiritual fields, and all their memories.

Who cares about the eye of ending, or the next time it breaks its Seal. At least for now, they were still alive, and they still had a chance.

"How do we get there?" Liu Shan gripped the Sword of Light and Darkness, his eyes becoming firm again.

"Use your power, shatter the fragment, take Liu Zhi, and follow that point of light." The Guardian's voice became urgent, "Hurry! The rift is starting to shrink!"

Liu Shan looked down at the huge Star Core fragment, then at the Sword of Light and Darkness in his hand, covered in cracks.

He could feel that his Light and Darkness Power was almost depleted, and his Spiritual Vein sent waves of stabbing pain, as if it could completely break at any moment.

But he didn't hesitate.

He took a deep breath, pouring all his remaining power, along with those memories of Luoxia Valley and the warmth of their bond, into the Sword of Light and Darkness.

The cracks on the long sword made a crisp sound, but its light was brighter than ever before, carrying the ultimate power of light and darkness, and a trace of... the cyan-gold Spiritual Vein aura of Luoxia Valley.

"Liu Zhi, we're going home!"

He roared, raised his long sword, and fiercely cleaved down towards the Star Core fragment!

Just as the blade was about to touch the fragment—

The grey-black threads within the fragment suddenly writhed violently, as if alive, spreading wildly along the fragment's patterns, instantly enveloping the entire fragment, forming a solid barrier made of resentful threads!

The Guardian's voice was filled with shock and anger: "It's the lingering resentment of the eye of ending! It's stopping us!"

Liu Shan's blade struck the barrier, producing a deafening roar.

Light and resentful threads collided fiercely, igniting sparks everywhere.

But the barrier remained unmoved.

Instead, more resentful threads surged from the darkness, like a tide, rushing towards Liu Shan and Lin Qingxue!

Liu Shan could feel Lin Qingxue's body stiffen on his back, her Lingmai Power instantly becoming chaotic - the resentful threads were stimulating the residual ego consciousness within her!

Her left hand stopped tapping, instead gripping Liu Shan's clothes tightly, her fingernails almost digging into his flesh, emitting a suppressed, painful whimper.

From the depths of the darkness, a low, mocking roar echoed.

It was the voice of the eye of ending.

It had awakened.

Or rather, it had never truly slept.

Liu Shan looked at the Star Core fragment, so close, at Liu Zhi's peaceful sleeping face inside, at the struggling Lin Qingxue on his back, and then at the increasingly dim, cyan-gold point of light leading to Luoxia Valley.

He gritted his teeth, condensing the last trace of Light and Darkness Power at the tip of his sword.

No matter what, he had to take them home.

Even if... it cost him everything.

His blade, once again, lit up.

This time, with a resolute, all-consuming light.