108: Chapter 108 Searching for the Nest with an Echo

Shen Xiao wiped away a bit of blood foam seeping from the corner of his mouth, baring a smile devoid of warmth. Facing the crack, and also facing Xia Lengbai beside him, he whispered breathily:

"It seems... our 'old neighbor'... has something in its hands that it wants to 'exchange' as well."

These words were like a stone thrown into icy water.

The fluctuation of consciousness within the crack of the Light Cocoon fell completely silent, leaving only that icy blue pattern on the shell of the Light Cocoon, flickering slightly like a weary scar.

It seemed incapable of even maintaining the most basic "goodwill"; the urgent and fearful communication just now had almost drained its last remaining strength.

The radiance of the Tomb Guardian Seal flowing around Xia Lengbai subsided by more than half, leaving only a thin layer of protection clinging to her skin.

The mass of deep icy blue energy in her palm, however, did not dissipate; instead, it rose and fell slowly like breathing, shrouding her entire being in a layer of dim blue light.

She could feel it.

Not through vision or hearing, but through a more direct sensing originating from the energy level.

The mass of contaminated energy within her own body, which had been "regulated" once by the ice crystal tube—those "new scents" tinged with gray—were like a piece of poisonous bait emitting an exotic fragrance to the existence inside the Light Cocoon.

The threat was real.

The characteristics of the "domesticated" emotional residue contained within that energy made it instinctively feel stinging pain and repulsion.

The temptation was also real.

A form of contamination that had been "processed" and seemed capable of being "understood" or even "absorbed"?

For a prisoner who had been soaked in a primitive contaminated environment for who knew how long, starving and terrified, this was in itself an irresistible, twisted attraction.

That was why, after the initial fear, it had revealed such contradictory and urgent intentions.

Shen Xiao leaned against the cold stone wall, another violent fit of coughing surging up uncontrollably; he suppressed it with all his might, yet his shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Having finally suppressed the metallic taste of blood, he felt like a broken Puppet that had been taken apart and barely pieced back together, with every breath pulling at countless tiny pains.

Yet, stimulated by the pain, the speed of his brain reached a state of near-cold clarity.

Information rolled, pieced together, and was filtered rapidly in his mind.

Although the Silver Pattern was dim, the mental inertia formed based on "recording" and "induction" remained.

The Consciousness Entity wanted to leave.

This was its core demand.

This Light Cocoon that imprisoned it had now, due to the appearance of the "new scent" on Xia Lengbai, transformed from a relatively stable cage into a torture chamber continuously stimulated by "contamination resonance."

Staying here was equivalent to slow suicide.

It had recognized the aura of the "protocol fragments."

Perhaps it was the System connection remaining on Shen Xiao, or perhaps it was the "mark" carried by the Silver Pattern itself, originating from rules on a higher level.

In its ancient cognition, a "protocol" often meant some kind of "channel," "authority," or "contract object."

It might believe that Shen Xiao, or what Shen Xiao represented, was the key to its departure, or at least a variable worth trying.

And the altar channel... that was indeed a way out, but also a dangerous place.

The Consciousness Entity pointing there was not necessarily out of goodwill.

More likely, it needed two living "path-finding stones" to touch the dangers within the channel for it, to activate potential "guarding mechanisms," or... to become the "first meal" it would need after escaping the Light Cocoon.

Shen Xiao needed its guidance to avoid the most fatal "resonance nodes" and reduce unnecessary consumption.

But he also had to control the variables; he could not let it take the initiative, and even less could he let it treat Xia Lengbai or himself as snacks after it escaped.

He inhaled slowly; the cold air stung his lungs, but it also lent his voice a strange stability.

He turned to Xia Lengbai, avoiding the direction where the Consciousness Entity might "hear," and lowered his voice further, audible only to the two of them:

"It says... deep within the altar channel, there might be a 'cleaner' isolation space."

He omitted the subject and also hid the urgency of the Consciousness Entity, which was based on fear and exploitation.

"Suitable for you to handle... internal issues."

He tapped his own temple and then gestured vaguely toward Xia Lengbai's chest, referring to the restless energy within her that needed to be digested.

"But the channel itself... is 'not very settled'."

He used a more vivid description rather than "unstable," "The lingering 'scent' is stronger, and there might still be some... 'old rules' that haven't been cleaned up."

He paused, looking at Xia Lengbai's icy blue eyes; the undercurrents were still there, but there was a hint more of attentive listening.

"We need it (the Light Cocoon) to lead the way. In its 'memory,' there should be routes to avoid those most troublesome 'Echoes gathering places.' Without guidance, if we force our way through, the probability of survival is less than thirty percent. With it, perhaps we can raise it to fifty percent."

Xia Lengbai did not respond immediately.

She closed her eyes.

Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyelids, and the lines of her profile appeared exceptionally cold and rigid in the dim blue light.

She was sensing, evaluating.

The mass of dim energy within her, tinged with gray, was like a trapped beast that had been temporarily pacified but was far from tamed, lurking deep within her Meridians.

It brought power, but it brought even more erosion and uncertainty.

At every moment, she needed to divert a portion of her mind and energy to suppress, to guide, and to slowly wear down its wildness.

A truly "clean" environment, undisturbed by continuous external contamination, was crucial for her "internal digestion" process.

She was very clear about the danger.

The altar channel—just hearing the name, one knew it was not a good place.

Added to this was the ancient Consciousness Entity of unknown origin, strange state, and obvious exploitative intent... this journey could be called dancing on the edge of a blade.

After a few breaths, she opened her eyes.

Her gaze was like an ice pick, stabbing straight at the silent icy blue pattern on the surface of the Light Cocoon.

"I can temporarily 'carry' it."

Her voice was cold and clear, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if stating an experimental procedure,

"Using my Power of the Ice Soul to provide basic protection, isolating it from some of the continuous stimulation of external contamination. This can help it save strength and also make the foundation of our 'cooperation' more stable."

The energy light in her palm flared slightly, and a sense of biting cold permeated the air.

"But its 'guidance' must be real-time and clear. There can be no ambiguity, no misleading."

She did not continue speaking.

But the mass of energy in her palm suddenly contracted inward, then violently expanded outward for an instant!

Although it did not release any aggressive beams or shockwaves, the change in energy structure at that moment, and the pure and extreme sense of "freezing" and "annihilation" it emitted, caused the nearby air to stagnate for a moment.

The icy blue pattern on the surface of the Light Cocoon flickered violently twice.

From within the crack, a weak yet exceptionally clear, and even slightly urgent, fluctuation of consciousness emerged.

It was not language, but pure concepts:

[Agreement.] [Guidance.] [Safe.]

It repeated this three times, as if afraid that Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai hadn't "heard" clearly.

Shen Xiao looked at the Light Cocoon, then at Xia Lengbai, and nodded.

This fragile "alliance," with each side harboring its own thoughts, was once again barely patched together under the pressure of survival.

He no longer delayed, quickly checking his own state, like a seasoned soldier taking one last inventory of his equipment before battle.

The Silver Pattern remained dim, coiled in his Dantian, its analytical capabilities basically lost, but the basic perception of danger, as well as those three life-or-death "limit usage" counts, remained.

This was his trump card, and also the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

Within his body, the energy mark left by Xia Lengbai mixed with his own remaining cultivation.

That energy carried regenerative vitality, but also a cold, alien quality; from time to time, it caused slight friction with the Silver Pattern, bringing hidden pain, but also a strange sharpness, as if he could perceive the flow of surrounding energy through her.

It was enough. Even if it wasn't enough, it had to be.

He turned his gaze to the other side of the stone chamber, to the entrance of the altar channel that was frozen over and from which a faint, wailing wind could be heard.

The shadows beneath the ice twisted and writhed, as if countless invisible things were crawling inside.

The wind was mixed with fragmented, inhuman sobbing and gibberish; even at a distance, it made one feel uneasy.

The first and only goal: to pass through there alive.

Carrying a body full of unhealed wounds, carrying the "scent" like Echoes left after their energies intertwined, and carrying the hidden dangers and schemes within.

Carrying an ancient prisoner who was equally heavily wounded, weak, and full of fear and schemes.

Shen Xiao braced himself against the stone wall and slowly straightened his body.

His bones made faint, overwhelmed sounds; he was expressionless, as if that were not his own body.

"Then... let's go."

He took a step and walked toward the frozen entrance.

His steps were somewhat unsteady, but each step was firm, leaving shallow, damp footprints.

Xia Lengbai withdrew her gaze, and with a pull of the energy in her palm, a wisp of that deep icy blue light separated, like a living tentacle, and reached gently toward the Light Cocoon.

The moment it touched the icy blue pattern, the light of the pattern seemed to stabilize, no longer flickering uncertainly.

The light of the entire Light Cocoon also shifted slightly toward Xia Lengbai, as if it had found a temporary reliance.

She followed Shen Xiao, maintaining a distance of about three steps.

Neither too far nor too close; they were allies, yet maintained space to react independently or break away at any moment.

The Light Cocoon hovered behind and to the side of Xia Lengbai, gently guided by that wisp of icy blue energy, like a silent, glowing little ghost following them as they moved.

The three of them—or rather, the two people and one cocoon—slowly approached the frozen entrance.

The closer they got, the clearer the wailing wind became, and the twisting shadows beneath the ice writhed more violently.

A stench mixed with decay, blood, and something indescribable—as if time itself had rotted—drilled into their nostrils.

Shen Xiao stopped one step before the ice.

He did not turn back, only looking at his own blurred and twisted reflection on the ice, and the darkness deeper within the reflection that seemed to lead to another nightmare.

"Xia Lengbai."

"Hmm."

"When we go in later, if the 'guidance' is wrong, or if it tries to pull any other tricks..."

Shen Xiao's voice was very soft, yet carried a cold hardness like rust,

"You are responsible for 'handling' it. I am responsible for... finding the way."

"Understood."

Xia Lengbai's response was equally brief, cold, and without the slightest hesitation.

The Light Cocoon seemed to tremble, but in the end, that weak consciousness did not transmit any rebuttal or fear.

Only the icy blue pattern shone steadily, pointing to the very center of the frozen entrance.

Shen Xiao stopped speaking, took a deep breath of that turbid, cold air, and raised his hand.

In his palm, the last wisp of silver light, so faint it was almost invisible, emerged with difficulty, like a dying firefly.

He did not use this wisp of silver light to attack or investigate, but used his last bit of control to guide it to gently tap the very center of the frozen entrance.

There was no loud noise, no explosion.

Only an extremely slight "pop," like a bubble bursting.

That frozen entrance, with its writhing shadows, rippled like the surface of water into which a stone had been thrown.

The ice did not shatter, but "caved in" and "melted" inward, revealing a deep, constantly twisting and changing opening that allowed only one person to pass through.

Inside the opening, it was no longer the scene of the stone chamber.

Instead, there was rolling, viscous gray-black fog; deep within the fog, one could vaguely see twisted "walls" that did not belong to any known material. They looked like the inner lining of a living creature's intestines, slowly writhing and contracting.

The wailing wind surged out from there, carrying a chill that pierced straight to the Soul.

Shen Xiao withdrew his hand, and that wisp of silver light completely extinguished, disappearing into the depths of his dim Dantian.

His face was terrifyingly pale, but his eyes were as sharp as an unsheathed blade.

He did not hesitate at all, took a step, and his figure disappeared into that twisted, deep opening, instantly swallowed by the rolling gray fog.

Xia Lengbai followed closely behind, the icy blue energy wrapping around her and the Light Cocoon behind and to her side, like an icy blue meteor plunging into the deep sea, disappearing into the edge of the writhing darkness.

The opening behind them silently and slowly... sealed shut.

The stone chamber returned to silence; only the slowly healing indentation on the ice served as proof of everything that had just happened.

And just at the last instant before the opening completely disappeared, the light of the icy blue pattern on the surface of the Light Cocoon seemed to flicker... extremely subtly.

The frequency was completely different from when it faced Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai before.