Bond

That deeply buried memory was like a boulder dropped into the lake of his heart, stirring up ripples that took a long time to subside. Yinglong clutched his chest, his fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure. The throbbing pain emanating from the depths of his soul was far more distinct than the backlash of the Law of Annihilation, and even more difficult to dispel.

Her previous cognition was completely disrupted by this unexpected glance.

It turned out that the "old friendship" that she thought would fade away with time was so heavy to Ao Guang, enough to overturn the world and burn his soul.

So, what exactly does her "protection" mean at this moment?

Was it compensation for his millennia of suffering? Or was it a way to make up for her own unfulfilled responsibilities? Or was it... a deeper bond, one that even she herself was unwilling to acknowledge?

“Woo…”

The core within her sleeve whimpered restlessly. The newly born spirit keenly sensed her chaotic state of mind and grew restless. And like a shark scenting blood, the dormant will of annihilation began to stir once more. Black lines slowly crawled across the core's surface, emitting a cold malice.

[Pain...his pain...is all because of you...]

[False protection...would be better...destroyed together...]

A chaotic stream of thoughts came flooding in.

Yinglong shook his head violently, forcibly suppressing those churning thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on the past! The most urgent task was to stabilize this core, otherwise everything would be over!

She took a deep breath, her eyes once again gleaning the resolve of a god of war. The past was irretrievable. No matter right or wrong, no matter who was right or wrong, what she held in her hands was the present, this strange fusion of hope and destruction.

She had to make a decision.

If the stalemate continues like this, it will only lead to continuous consumption and eventual exhaustion, causing the core to completely lose control.

Alternatively, they could completely purify it, burning it completely with the Burning Silence Divine Fire, putting an end to it once and for all. This was the most "clean" approach, and the one that best met the expectations of Heaven.

Or...

A bolder and more dangerous idea took shape in her mind.

Since neither suppression nor nourishment can eradicate the inner desolation, and since the new spirituality has become dependent on her, then can we consider... "guidance"?

Instead of forcibly erasing Nirvana, try to guide the newborn spirit to understand, to accommodate, and even... to control that trace of the law of Nirvana?

This is tantamount to playing with fire and getting burned. The Law of Nirvana is one of the most fundamental and dangerous laws in the universe, representing the end and nothingness. If one is not careful, it will backfire and lead to eternal damnation. If a newborn, fragile spirit were to encounter such a thing, the chances of success would be extremely slim.

However, this seems to be the only way to break the deadlock and truly stabilize the core. Simply suppressing it will only deepen the conflict. Only through guidance can there be a glimmer of hope.

It's very risky, but worth a try.

Yinglong's eyes became sharp and focused. She no longer hesitated, forming seals with her hands, divine power circulated throughout her body, and began to adjust her intervention method on the core.

She no longer used a strong barrier of divine power to isolate the will of annihilation, but began to carefully build extremely subtle, bridge-like "passages" between the new spirituality and the black energy of annihilation.

These channels are not meant to transmit power, but to transmit... "cognition".

She began to instill her understanding of "extinction" - not its destructive aspect, but its essence as part of the cycle of heaven and earth, representing the law of "the end is also the beginning of a new life" - into the newborn spirit through these channels in an extremely gentle and slow way.

At the same time, she also began to guide the new spirituality, actively "observing" the trajectory of the internal annihilation black energy, to feel the cold and pure "rules" power contained therein, instead of simply viewing it as an "enemy" that needs to be expelled.

This was an extremely delicate and mentally exhausting process, far more difficult than the previous suppression and nurturing. She had to constantly manage the pace, ensuring that the newborn spirit was not contaminated or devoured by the will of annihilation, while also ensuring that the "cognition" she imparted was clear enough to resonate with the spirit.

Time flows silently in the maze.

At first, the newborn spirit instinctively feared and rejected the aura of annihilation, sending out panicked thoughts. Yinglong patiently soothed it, repeatedly conveying the concepts of "balance" and "cycle."

Gradually, the spirit lost its fear and began to cautiously "observe" the black lines with a hint of curiosity. It discovered that these seemingly violent forces also seemed to follow a strange, cold order within.

The will of annihilation within the core initially fiercely resisted and fought back against the penetration of this "observation" and "cognition", but as time went on, it seemed to "realize" that this penetration was not direct suppression and destruction, but a kind of... "communication" that it could not understand.

The intensity of the resistance miraculously weakened a little.

Although still full of hostility, it was a more "calm" hostility, rather than the pure, crazy desire for destruction before.

efficient!

Yinglong's heart trembled slightly, and she saw a glimmer of hope. She focused even more intently on maintaining this fragile state of "communication," constantly strengthening the bridges of thought and refining the transmitted cognition.

As these subtle changes continued—

"Buzz!"

A powerful and familiar probing force, like an invisible tentacle, suddenly hit the outer edge of the maze set up by Yinglong!

It was the power of the Zhoutian Patrol Mirror! The prince's pursuers finally got close!

The maze rippled violently, stirring the chaotic flow of information from the outside world even more violently. Countless fragments of memory, like a swarm of startled bees, frantically crashed against the maze's walls!

Yinglong's face changed, and she immediately gathered her mind and focused on maintaining the stability of the maze. She knew that once the maze was broken, she would be immediately exposed to the pursuers, and all her efforts would be wasted!

However, external interference still affected the fragile balance within the core!

The sudden energy shock startled the newborn spirit, which had just begun to "understand" Nirvana, sending waves of fear through it. The Will of Nirvana seized the opportunity to strike back, its black lines expanding rapidly, attempting to sever those bridges of thought and regain control!

【Outside world...threat...destruction!】

【Depend on us...to destroy them!】

Chaotic thoughts surged again!

Internal and external troubles broke out at the same time!

Yinglong was attacked from both sides, with more blood flowing from the corners of her mouth. The dual pressure of maintaining the maze and guiding the core almost pushed her to her limit.

She looked at the core in her sleeve that had become unstable again and was flashing violently, and at the new spiritual being that was wavering between fear and temptation, a hint of determination flashed in her eyes.

No more hesitation!

She suddenly put her fingers together like a sword, forcing out the last drop of brilliant blood from her heart, but not dripping it towards the core, but pointing it towards her own eyebrows!

"In the name of the God of War, I will use the Nine Netherworlds as my witness to temporarily seal time and space!"

The essence and blood merged into her brows, and the divine power around her body burned in an unprecedented way! The crimson light no longer just enveloped herself and her core, but suddenly spread outward, forcibly merging with the entire maze and the endless reverberations of the Netherworld Laws around her!

She was using her own origin as a sacrifice to temporarily and forcibly "freeze" the laws of time and space in this area!

Beyond the maze, the power of the Heavenly Observing Mirror seemed to have hit an invisible yet incredibly resilient wall, unable to advance any further. The scene within the mirror's light completely solidified into an indecipherable chaos.

Within the maze, all energy flows and thought transmissions fell into almost absolute stillness at this moment.

Only Yinglong and the core in her sleeve still retained their last consciousness.

She looked at the core, frozen in time and space, still struggling. Using her final strength, she transmitted an incomparably clear, unquestionable final thought, which, like a brand, was engraved into the deepest part of the newborn spirit:

[Stay true to yourself... Understand it... Control it...]

【Survive!】

The next moment, boundless darkness swallowed her consciousness.

Before she completely lost consciousness, the only thing she could sense was the core in her sleeve. Under the impact of that final thought, it burst out with a fierce light that was a mixture of confusion, shock, and a hint of strange determination...

The ancient beast's skull, along with the maze surrounding it, was like an insect sealed in amber, completely frozen in this dark corner.

Time and space are frozen here.

Chasing and escaping, protecting and destroying, all came to a temporary halt.

Only within that core, a silent transformation that determines the future direction is quietly taking place in this extreme silence.