Chapter 101: The Resemblance – “Take His Heart Out.”

"I want you to kill me."

Jiang Yuhuo was shocked to hear this, unsure whether he was joking or serious.

Blood welled up in his eyes again, and the green-robed immortal shouted suddenly, "Quick! It's too late!"

Before Jiang Yuhu could react, he snatched her hand and plunged his sword into his own heart.

The weapon tore through flesh and blood. Jiang Yuhuo's hand trembled, and he wanted to let go, but the other party pressed him down firmly and pushed the weapon an inch deeper into his heart.

He coughed up blood, but a relieved smile appeared on his face. "Do you still remember the incantation? Recite it...recite it!"

Jiang Yuhuo's eyes widened in shock, not understanding why he was so determined to die, but those bloodshot eyes gazed at her tenderly, pleading with her to read it aloud.

She recited the incantation he had left in her mind, word by word, and a faint blue light appeared on the heart of the person under her sword.

Something was dissipating from his heart.

Jiang Yuhuo smelled that strong and strange fragrance again, and this time she could confirm that it was coming from his heart.

“Remember, night is eighteen, day is forty…” The man under the sword began to lose focus, but he murmured, “Day and night… intertwine on the wall.”

Jiang Yuhuo was concentrating on reciting his incantation, and only heard what he said, but couldn't concentrate on understanding the meaning of the sentence for a moment.

"stop!"

The immortal in green robes was pierced by Jiang Yuhuo's sword and no longer had the spiritual power to suppress Li Mengbai. Li Mengbai had finally regained his freedom, but when he saw the light under Jiang Yuhuo's sword, he immediately screamed in shock.

"Jiang Yuhuo, stop! The thing is in his heart!"

Jiang Yuhuo's incantation was interrupted by this shout. She turned to look at Li Mengbai, who was rushing towards her. But the next moment, she saw Li Mengbai's face suddenly turn to terror.

"Get away!"

Jiang Yuhuo realized something was wrong. Before she could draw her sword, she decisively threw it down and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the sharp claws that were about to pierce her heart.

Suddenly, a roar like that of a wild beast from the mountains and forests echoed through the stone chamber, the enormous roar causing the entire space to tremble.

Jiang Yuhu rolled to the side, looking at the huge monster that suddenly appeared in front of him, with bloodshot eyes, bulging veins all over its body, and full of violent rage. He couldn't connect this monster with the gentle and peaceful green-robed immortal just now.

How could this happen? How could a perfectly healthy person turn out like this?

"What exactly happened? What did you do to him?" Li Mengbai rushed over, and dozens of talismans flew out at the same time, temporarily trapping the strange man who had become like a demon in place.

Jiang Yuhu shook her head. It wasn't the incantation that caused it; he had already shown signs of demonic transformation before she even began chanting it. It was the interruption of the incantation that prevented the complete eradication of what was within him. Her sword was still embedded in his heart, but its light had already faded.

The talisman was not securely bound, and the monster would break free of its restraints if it struggled a little longer.

“Take his heart out.” Li Mengbai stared at the golden thread that was about to break, his gaze chilling. “The essence of the Heavenly Pillar is in his heart.”

Jiang Yuhu recalled the light and strange fragrance emanating from his chest, and couldn't help but doubt the legendary artifact that could supposedly enable people to cultivate and ascend to godhood.

Those maddening smells, and his desperate desire to destroy them within his body even in the face of death…

If it is truly possible to ascend to heaven through this method, why is this person still trapped underground where the sun never shines?

A beastly roar echoed through the stone chamber, and the golden threads binding him snapped completely. The monster, having been ambushed by Li Mengbai once, pounced on him as soon as the restraints were broken, unleashing a fierce gust of wind imbued with spiritual energy that slashed straight at Li Mengbai's face like a giant blade.

Li Mengbai was prepared. He made a hand seal and immediately created a barrier in front of him, preventing any attack from getting close.

He leaned against the barrier, gritting his teeth and cursing, "Damn old bastard, he's already like this and he still holds a grudge!"

The monster struck the barrier with several palm strikes in succession, and the originally sturdy barrier shattered instantly. Li Mengbai's eyes widened in horror. When did his array become so fragile?

Just as the giant hand was about to strike his head, Li Mengbai had no time to dodge. He saw a figure fly out from the side, seize the opportunity to grab the sword stuck in his heart, and push it hard, piercing straight through his body.

While the other party was stunned for a moment, Jiang Yuhuo recited the interrupted incantation again, and saw the light begin to emanate from under the sword once more.

But this seemed to enrage him completely. His bloodshot eyes were devoid of any human reason, and he seemed to feel no pain at all. He angrily pulled the sword out of his body and slammed both of them against the stone wall.

The heavy blow caused Jiang Yuhuo to spit out a mouthful of blood. She slowly slid down the stone wall, and a jade bead fell out of her arms and rolled into a corner she couldn't see.

"River Fishing Lights!"

Li Mengbai scrambled over to check on her injuries, but the monster was faster than him, reaching Jiang Yuhuo in an instant.

Jiang Yuhuo gripped his sword and got up from the ground. He closed his eyes and felt the newly acquired spiritual power within his body. The sword immediately burst forth with dazzling light.

In an instant, a gust of wind swept through the entire enclosed stone chamber, and all the wind converged towards the tip of her sword.

She suddenly opened her eyes, raised her sword, and, with a speed invisible to the naked eye, plunged the sword into the heart of the monster that was lunging at her.

Li Mengbai stared in astonishment, not even noticing when she drew her sword.

This time, without allowing the other party to resist, Jiang Yuhuo released his aura and used his sword to push the other party against the stone wall where there was nowhere to retreat, pinning him firmly to it.

The frenzied monster struggled wildly, and Jiang Yuhuo's sword tip pierced the heart. If she exerted just a little more force, she would rip out the heart containing the essence of the Heavenly Pillar.

But this person would rather die than let that thing be destroyed. Was it the essence of the Heavenly Pillar that turned him into this state? So he doesn't want it to be passed on?

The immortal in green robes transferred his power to her, instructing her to kill him and destroy the things inside her body using magic.

But she wanted the Heavenly Pillar Marrow to exchange for her senior brother's antidote.

What is the right thing to do?

In a mere instant, the incantation paused, the sword tip slashing. She always had the answer.

In the brief moment of contemplation, a drop of blood from the corner of her lips fell onto the other person's face. One drop after another, each drop contained the spiritual essence of incense, the ancient bloodline of the Feathered People, and even more so, the aura of that long-lost Feathered People girl.

The eerie light ceased to emanate, but the demonized figure beneath the sword showed a moment of stunned silence, his crimson eyes revealing a bewildered expression.

As the crimson light faded, his violent eyes became unfocused, and he murmured to the person before him, "A-Si...you've finally...come to see me..."

The sword was inside his body, piercing his heart; the sharp pain brought him back to some clarity.

Jiang Yuhu heard the voice, leaned down and looked at the person's eyes, which gradually became clear, and seemed to be glistening with tears. She didn't know who she mistook her for.

"No, you're not her..."

She wanted to finish the fight quickly, but the sword was held in someone's hand, preventing it from being stabbed any further. The person held the sword firmly in their heart and gave her a weak but loving smile.

"You're a good boy, don't touch that kind of thing."

Before she could extricate herself, Jiang Yuhuo felt an irresistible will creep into her mind, forcing her to recite the incantation.

The light beneath the sword grew ever brighter, yet the person beneath it became increasingly clear-headed. The bloodlust in his eyes faded, the strange phenomena in his body subsided, and he returned to his handsome immortal form.

A hand reached out towards her cheek, and Jiang Yuhuo, controlled by that will, chanted an incantation, unable to dodge.

But the hand did not attack her as expected; instead, it gently stroked her face.

"I should have seen it coming sooner..." he murmured, his gaze passing over the person before him, as if he could see again the white-haired, golden-eyed winged girl. She always liked to frown and purse her lips like that, looking defiant towards everyone.

But in the end, he broke her heart. She said she would never see him again, and then she disappeared completely.

"...I am already... satisfied to die by your hand in the end."

Jiang Yuhuo saw tears constantly sliding down his cheeks. Although he was smiling, it only made people feel sad. His appearance was starting to resemble Jiang Liuyun's again.

She suddenly felt very sad, as if Jiang Liuyun had died a second time in front of her.

Just as the incantation was coming to an end, a figure suddenly darted out from beside Jiang Yuhuo.

"Shut up! Stop reading!"

Li Mengbai covered Jiang Yuhuo's mouth with one hand and reached into the heart of the man under the sword with the other. To Jiang Yuhuo's shock, he directly pulled out a pebble-sized object with his hand.

Li Mengbai's eyes were filled with madness, his bloodied hand clutching the crystal-clear stone, which he had just pulled from his heart and was still warm in his hand.

His handsome face was filled with resentment as he frowned and muttered to himself, "How come there's so little left? There must be more..."

As he spoke, he reached in again.

Jiang Yuhuo lost control of her will and immediately slapped him, shouting angrily, "Are you crazy! Don't touch him again!"

She drew her sword, carried the green-robed immortal to the other side, to prevent Li Mengbai from going mad again.

The man had a horrific bloody hole ripped out of his chest by Li Mengbai. His eyes became unfocused, and he no longer had the strength to cry out in pain. His body was gradually dissipating.

Jiang Yuhuo felt a sudden surge of fear. Just moments ago, she had been able to thrust the sword into the ground without any hesitation, but now her hands were trembling uncontrollably. "Senior, please hold on a little longer, I will return the spiritual power to you right away."

She concentrated all her spiritual energy, controlled her trembling hands, and pressed on the man's pulse.

She pressed the pulse many times, but couldn't find a beating pulse. No matter how much she tried to infuse it, it wouldn't go in. It was like encountering a closed stone door; she was just futilely pounding on it.

"Jiang Yuhuo! You're out of your mind! Give him to me!"

Li Mengbai was still unwilling to give up and wanted to take that person's body again.

Jiang Yu was filled with rage. With a flick of his sleeve, the spiritual power he was about to channel into the immortal was redirected towards Li Mengbai, slamming him hard against the stone wall.

"It's no use... I should have died long ago..."

A hand as light as a feather stopped her from casting the spell.

Jiang Yuhuo felt even more heartbroken. She knew it wasn't that she couldn't find his pulse, but that it had stopped beating; he was beyond saving.

The face that resembled his father gradually became transparent...

He looked at her tenderly, his gaze filled with the same loving affection as Jiang Liuyun's.

"She was clearly a winged person... how did she become... like this... how could she... allow it..."

"Her?" Jiang Yuhuo was startled and hurriedly asked, "Who are you talking about?"

“Your mother…you didn’t…” He choked on a mouthful of blood, interrupting himself, but seeing Jiang Yuhuo’s bewildered eyes, he immediately understood, “Cough cough…so pitiful…”

"Look... here... it's all her..."

Jiang Yuhuo suddenly looked up, and all he could see was the statue of the winged girl.

"Where is she? Tell me."

"I have no idea."

The person on the ground slowly shook his head, closed his eyes in pain, and his body became completely transparent. As his body dissipated, the entire stone chamber began to shake violently, and huge cracks began to appear from the base of the walls, climbing upwards with falling rubble.

"Hurry up..."

The spirit-suppressing array is about to collapse.

Jiang Yuhuo felt a strong force push her away. The transparent figure that pushed her away smiled and said goodbye, "Remember to tell...that child, don't follow...my path."

Who exactly are you?

"My name is... Situ Xin."

Amidst the falling rocks, Situ Xin asked Jiang Yuhu a final question that he really wanted to know.

"Your father, really... looks a lot like me..."

Jiang Yuhuo's gaze sharpened, and he nodded.

The faint figure laughed loudly on the ground and then completely disappeared into the collapsing stone chamber.