123: Chapter 123 Stay Calm, We Can Win

Shen Xiao did not answer this question.

It was not that he did not want to, but there was no time.

Because he felt it; the arm Xia Lengbai was using to carry him was acting strangely.

At first, it was just a drop in temperature.

The night wind of the Gobi Desert already carried a chill, but the temperature of Xia Lengbai's arm was sliding toward a coldness far beyond natural limits at an abnormal speed.

Through their clothes, Shen Xiao could feel that chill like a living thing, seeping in bit by bit, gnawing at his already weak body temperature.

Then, he heard a muffled groan.

It was very soft, so soft it was almost swallowed by the wind.

But Shen Xiao heard it clearly; that sound squeezed out from Xia Lengbai's throat, carrying a trace of suppressed, extreme pain, as if something was tearing inside her.

Immediately after, there was a sound.

Not an external sound, but one coming from inside Xia Lengbai.

An extremely subtle, dense "crack" sound, like ice slowly cracking.

That sound started from her left arm, spreading along her shoulder, collarbone, and spine, as if something was growing crazily beneath her skin, between her bones, and within her Meridians in an unstoppable manner.

Shen Xiao's pupils contracted sharply.

He saw it.

On the side of Xia Lengbai's pale neck, beneath the skin, something was emerging.

Not veins, not blood vessels.

It was a pattern.

A pale blue pattern, like frozen lightning, poked its head out from the edge of her collar, spreading toward her chin, cheeks, and temples in an eerie way that defied human anatomy.

The shape of that pattern was exactly the same as the dark red mark of the Tomb Guardian Seal on her left arm.

But the color was wrong.

The temperature was even more wrong.

"Xia Lengbai..."

Shen Xiao's voice squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a hint of urgency he had not even realized himself, "Your Tomb Guardian Seal..."

"Shut up."

Xia Lengbai interrupted him, her voice colder and harder than before, yet also weaker.

"I know."

Her steps began to stagger.

The rapid run, previously as steady as the wind, suddenly became intermittent, as if someone had stuffed a handful of sand into a high-speed engine.

With every step she took, her body would uncontrollably sway, and the arm carrying Shen Xiao was trembling slightly.

Shen Xiao felt it.

The cold Qi escaping from her body was spiraling out of control.

It was not heading in a specific direction, but was spreading crazily in all directions without distinction.

A clump of withered yellow grass they swept past was covered in a layer of frost from root to leaf tip the moment the cold Qi brushed by, and then with a "crack," it shattered into powder.

In the distance, a crooked Populus euphratica tree suddenly had its dry, cracked bark covered by a layer of pale blue ice crystals. The ice crystals spread at an extremely fast speed; in just three breaths, the entire tree turned into an ice sculpture.

Then, the ice sculpture shattered.

It was not blown apart by the wind; it was eroded from within by that cold Qi. The fiber structure of the trunk was frozen brittle and cracked, collapsing like a shortbread cookie, kicking up a white mist of ice.

Shen Xiao's teeth began to chatter.

Not because of the cold—well, also because of the cold.

But more so, because he realized a more terrifying fact.

That cold Qi was not just eroding the outside.

It was backfiring.

It was backfiring on Xia Lengbai herself.

He looked down and saw her left arm, which was holding him; the area previously occupied by only the dark red mark was now completely covered by pale blue ice crystal patterns.

Those ice-blue patterns were like greedy vines, spreading from her arm to her shoulder blade, climbing from her shoulder blade onto her spine, devouring every Meridian in her body in an unstoppable manner.

And what was even more terrifying was that Shen Xiao, through the perception left by his Silver Pattern, vaguely "saw" the situation inside her...

The power of that Tomb Guardian Seal was going berserk.

Not a conscious berserk, but a more primitive, more chaotic state, like something had been "activated" and was completely out of control.

That power was rampaging through her Meridians like a beast let out of a cage, crazily slamming into every corner of her body. Each impact caused the ice-blue pattern to expand and erode a little more.

Xia Lengbai was trying to suppress it.

Shen Xiao could feel the brilliance of her Tomb Guardian Seal rotating crazily in her Sea of Consciousness, trying to guide, soothe, and even suppress that uncontrollable power.

But every suppression was like adding fuel to the fire.

That violent cold Qi not only did not subside, it backfired even more violently, causing Xia Lengbai to groan and a trace of blood to spill from the corner of her mouth.

The blood fell to the ground, instantly freezing into ice beads that rattled away.

"Stop."

Shen Xiao's voice was terribly hoarse.

"Don't suppress it anymore... the more you suppress, the more..."

He did not finish his sentence.

Because Xia Lengbai's gaze made him swallow the rest of his words.

Her eyes were beginning to lose focus.

The originally cold and sharp gaze was now covered in a thin mist, the focus of her pupils shifting constantly—sometimes focusing on the distant horizon, sometimes falling on the black sand under her feet, and sometimes appearing to pierce through Shen Xiao's body, looking toward some more distant place that only she could see.

This was the precursor to power losing control and consciousness beginning to blur.

Shen Xiao's heart sank abruptly.

He had seen this state before.

He had seen it in Nangong Li, just before her alchemy talent went berserk and she suffered Qi Deviation; her gaze was just like this, as if her Soul was being drawn out bit by bit, leaving only instinctive, chaotic, and uncontrollable power rampaging in her body.

And now, the same thing was happening to Xia Lengbai.

The difference was that Nangong Li's alchemy talent had been detonated by his own hand.

And Xia Lengbai's Tomb Guardian Seal going berserk was caused by... that thing.

That "hand" reaching out from the pitch-black depression.

The scene flashed rapidly through Shen Xiao's mind: that pitch-black, crack-filled "hand" gently resting on the Mechanical Beetle's limb, and then, the Mechanical Beetle was like its meaning of existence had been extracted, turning into fly ash inch by inch.

That was not an attack.

It was an "awakening."

Or rather, a "resonance."

There was some deeper, more ancient connection between that thing and the Tomb Guardian Seal.

And that moment of "contact" just now was like a key inserted into a dormant keyhole.

It completely "unlocked" the power of the Tomb Guardian Seal inside Xia Lengbai.

Shen Xiao's thoughts were running at high speed.

The weakness of his body, the depletion of his Silver Pattern, the severe pain from his old wounds—these were all forcefully pushed to the edge of his consciousness, leaving only the most core, most sober part to think.

Resist it head-on?

Impossible.

He could barely stand up right now, let alone suppress a Legacy power of the Tomb Guardian Seal's level going berserk.

Guide it?

What could he use to guide it?

His Silver Pattern was bottoming out, his own spiritual power was exhausted, and his knowledge of the Tomb Guardian Seal was almost zero.

[Ding.]

A cold, mechanical sound rang in his mind without warning.

Shen Xiao was stunned.

This sound... how long had it been since it appeared?

Since that fierce battle at the Kunlun Ruins, the System had been in a semi-dormant state, and apart from the occasional notification of destiny value changes, it almost never actively issued tasks or suggestions.

And now, it sounded.

[Detected high-concentration special Legacy energy going berserk.]

[Energy type: Tomb Guardian Seal (Ancient Tomb Guardian Bloodline Legacy).]

[Status: Out of control, backfiring, eroding the host.]

[Analyzing...]

[Analysis complete.]

[Target energy structure has a weak homologous resonance with the host's existing talent "Alchemy Initial Understanding (plundered from Nangong Li)" exist.]

[Analysis: The essence of Alchemy Initial Understanding is the instinctive perception and guidance of "medicinal energy flow."]

[Although the attributes of the Tomb Guardian Seal's berserk energy are different, its essence of "uncontrolled flow" has structural similarities with the berserk spiritual power in the Dantian.]

[Suggestion: Use yourself as a conduit, attempt to guide it.]

[Risk Level: High.]

[Note: During the guidance process, the host needs to withstand the impact of some of the berserk energy, which may lead to aggravated injuries, damaged Meridians, or...]

Shen Xiao did not read the words that followed.

He directly closed the System interface.

High risk?

Nonsense.

When had he ever done anything low-risk?

Shen Xiao used the hand that could still move, his right hand, to grab Xia Lengbai's cold, bone-chilling wrist tightly.

The tactile sensation made him gasp.

That was not the temperature human skin should have; it was the cold ice buried deep underground for thousands of years, the void that freezes everything.

As soon as his fingers touched it, a layer of white frost instantly appeared on his skin surface, and the sensation in his fingertips was rapidly fading.

But he did not let go.

"System."

Shen Xiao muttered in his heart.

"Bring up the perception mode of Alchemy Initial Understanding."

The next instant, a strange yet vaguely familiar feeling awakened deep in his consciousness.

That was the talent he had plundered from Nangong Li: the instinctive perception of medicinal energy flow.

Not seeing with his eyes, not probing with spiritual power, but a more primitive, more intuitive "feeling."

Just like an experienced old doctor, just by taking the pulse, one could perceive the direction, speed, and strength of Qi and blood rushing through the Meridians, as well as... where it was blocked, and where it was disordered.

Shen Xiao channeled this perception, along with the last trace of meager spiritual power in his body, with difficulty.

His spiritual power, like a weak stream, followed his fingertips, passed through Xia Lengbai's cold skin, and seeped into her Meridians.

Then, he "saw" it.

Xia Lengbai's Meridians were now like river channels attacked by a blizzard; that violent power of the Tomb Guardian Seal, like a raging flood, was rampaging in the river channels, and every impact left fine cracks on the walls of the Meridians.

And from those cracks, pale blue ice crystals were seeping out.

The ice crystals spread, froze, and expanded.

It was as if countless tiny, cold snakes were gnawing away at her body bit by bit along the cracks in the Meridians.

Shen Xiao gritted his teeth.

His spiritual power was too weak; in front of that violent power, it was like a straw trying to block a flood.

But he was not here to block it.

He was here to "guide" it.

The perception of Alchemy Initial Understanding allowed him to vaguely "touch" the flow pattern of that berserk power; it was not completely disordered, it was following some deeper, more ancient path, rushing crazily in Xia Lengbai's Meridians.

And that path had a subtle overlap with the normal path of spiritual power circulation.

Shen Xiao guided his own spiritual power like a tiny fuse, carefully probing into that overlapping path.

He was not fighting that violent power.

He was... following it.

Following its flow, following its speed, following its violence, and then, at a certain key connection point, he gently, gently flicked it.

Just like an experienced shepherd, not blocking the crazy flock, but following the direction they were running, and at a certain fork in the road, using a small whip to change their trajectory.

The next instant...

"Hum!"

A violent, cold power that almost froze his consciousness rushed back from Xia Lengbai's Meridians, following his arm and slamming fiercely into his body!

Shen Xiao groaned, and everything went black before his eyes.

That cold Qi seemed to have found a new outlet, pouring crazily into his Meridians, freezing every muscle in his body into spasms, his teeth chattering uncontrollably and loudly.

His internal organs felt like they had been stuffed into an ice cellar, and every breath felt like swallowing broken glass.

But he did not let go.

He gritted his teeth and pinned his spiritual power firmly to that key node, like a nail, immovable no matter how the flood washed over it.

Then, he felt it.

The trajectory of the violent power in Xia Lengbai's body shifted ever so slightly.

Just a little bit.

But that slight shift caused the ice-blue pattern spreading on her skin to freeze for an instant.

Just like a crazily growing vine suddenly being pinched at its thickest part.

Shen Xiao squeezed the voice out from between his teeth, every word sounding as if it had been soaked in ice water:

"Don't... circulate Qi... follow my spiritual power..."

Xia Lengbai's unfocused pupils contracted slightly, seeming to try to focus.

"Treat it as... a road..."

Shen Xiao's voice was getting lower, yet clearer.

"Don't block it... let it flow... follow its flow..."

He felt Xia Lengbai's wrist move slightly.

Not resistance.

It was a response.

That violent power was still rampaging in his Meridians, freezing him until he almost lost all sensation.

But at the same time, the ice-blue pattern spreading on Xia Lengbai's skin, that moment of stagnation, was slowly, slowly continuing.

Shen Xiao raised his head.

His vision was already blurred, and he could only vaguely see Xia Lengbai's outline.

But he saw her lips.

On her paper-pale face, those two thin lips were moving slightly.

There was no sound.

But Shen Xiao read the lip-reading...

"Road..."