392: Everything is interdependent

The Armored Man, wrapped in black afterimages, lunged towards Su Han, and Bi Yao's dagger instantly burst into golden flames.

She flipped in mid-air, transforming the flames into chains that wrapped around the Armored Man's ankles.

The moment the chains touched the black mist, they emitted a harsh sizzling sound, causing the Armored Man to stumble back half a step. The long sword in his hand slashed out at a tricky angle, aiming directly for Bi Yao's throat.

Bi Yao sidestepped to avoid it, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw cold sweat pouring down Su Han's forehead.

At this moment, the ice-blue light on the giant sword was fiercely clashing with the Abyss's black mist, each collision causing cracks to spread across the ground.

Her heart tightened, and she suddenly recalled the bloody wasteland full of Manjusaka flowers in the illusion. A voice deep in her memory was whispering:

"All things are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining; light is not the only salvation."

"Su Han! Try using ice to freeze the black mist!"

As Bi Yao shouted, she sent out several golden rays, forcing the Armored Man to retreat repeatedly. "Although they are energy bodies, their essence is condensed resentment!"

Upon hearing this, Su Han's pupils contracted sharply. He fiercely bit the tip of his tongue, injecting the bloody Spirit Energy into the giant sword.

The ice-blue light instantly surged, transforming into ice prisms that climbed along the edge of the Abyss.

When the black mist came into contact with the cold air, it emitted a shriek like a baby crying and began to condense into black ice crystals that fell rustling down.

Seeing this, the Armored Man roared. The black mist around him condensed into three giant wolves, and the venom dripping from their fangs corroded the ground.

Bi Yao gripped her dagger and met them head-on. The golden light pillar collided with the wolf claws, stirring up sparks everywhere.

She rolled to her feet in the aftermath of the explosion, suddenly noticing a section of dark red pattern exposed on the Armored Man's neck...

That pattern was exactly the same shape as the petals of the Manjusaka flowers in the illusion.

"So you were cursed too!"

A sharp light flashed in Bi Yao's eyes. "The star chart fragment is not your power at all; it is controlling you!"

The Armored Man's movements paused slightly, and the giant wolves formed by the black mist actually dispersed for a moment.

Su Han seized this momentary weakness. He took the opportunity to gather his ice Spirit Energy into an ice cone and thrust it directly into the connection point between the giant sword and the Abyss.

The moment the ice cone pierced in, a roar like an ancient beast awakening came from the Abyss. The giant sword began to tremble violently, and the ice-blue light and black mist intertwined into a vortex.

Bi Yao took the opportunity to rush towards the Armored Man, her dagger slashing across his arm, exposing more of the dark red pattern.

The Armored Man let out a painful roar. The cracks on the star chart fragment in his hand began to spread, but the overflowing black mist suddenly transformed into countless tiny vines, wrapping around Bi Yao's wrists.

The vines were covered in barbs. With each prick, Bi Yao felt the power within her body being madly absorbed.

"These are... Soul-Devouring Vines?"

Bi Yao recalled the ancient texts; this was a forbidden technique used by ancient evil cultivators to extract others' Spirit Energy.

She endured the intense pain, mobilizing the remaining golden power in her dagger, but found that the power was swallowed the instant it touched the vines.

Meanwhile, Su Han's situation was also not optimistic.

The mysterious power in the Abyss suddenly became violent, and the ice-blue light began to shatter inch by inch.

He felt as if his Meridians were being pierced by thousands of steel needles, and blood continuously dripped from the corner of his mouth.

But he clenched his teeth tightly, injecting the last trace of Spirit Energy into the giant sword—just as the ice-blue light was about to extinguish, it suddenly resonated with the dormant power within the giant sword.

An ancient dragon's roar emanated from the giant sword, and a phantom dragon image appeared on the sword body.

The dragon phantom raised its head and roared. What it spewed was not flames, but ice breath originating from the same source as Su Han.

Wherever the ice breath reached, the Soul-Devouring Vines froze one after another. The Armored Man let out a terrified shriek, and his body formed by the black mist began to twist and deform.

Bi Yao took the opportunity to break free from the restraints. As she looked at the dragon phantom and the mysterious patterns flowing within the giant sword, memories surged like a tide.

The White-Clothed Woman standing on the bloody wasteland in the illusion was clearly holding this giant sword in her hand.

When the woman turned around, she saw her face clearly—it was none other than another version of herself.

"So that's how it is..." (End of chapter)