The hanging blade falls, the embers extinguished.

"The way of sticking to tradition is not about defending the city! It's about guarding the heart!"

Ji Zhai's cold and desperate roar, emanating from through the ferocious beast-faced helmet, was like a final death knell, crashing into Xiao Yuxuan's eardrums amidst the collapsing, roaring, and blood-splattered hellish furnace, reaching the very depths of his soul! Every word carried the scalding molten iron and the bloody stench of the Mohist remains!

Guard your heart? Guard that flickering flame of "non-aggression" and "universal love"?

But what lies before me?

It was a cataclysmic upheaval! It was a furnace overturning! It was living Mohists being instantly swallowed by molten iron and turned into charred remains! It was the sophisticated defensive equipment twisting and groaning beneath the collapsing boulders! It was the Qin army's frenzied ramming at the tunnel gates and the stench of burning oil!

Is this endless hell, this raging fire that burns the body and the heart, the price of guarding one's heart?

"Ugh—!" A surge of excruciating pain, a mixture of immense grief, absurdity, and the complete detonation of the evil energy within him, caused Xiao Yuxuan to let out a roar that was inhuman! His vision was a blood-red blur: the mountains of corpses and seas of blood along the Wei River, the crimson rainbow of blood from General Bai's suicide, the poisonous smoke silently spreading from the mouth of Eagle's Sorrow Valley—all these superimposed upon the scene before him: flesh and blood flying everywhere, metal twisting and crumbling! Ji Zhai's heavy words, far from calming the fury in his heart, were like adding fuel to the fire, igniting his last shred of reason!

If you can't guard your heart, even the sharpest weapon will become the fires of hell.

Let the fires of hell burn even brighter! Burn away this cannibalistic world! Burn away this endless slaughter!

A violent, completely out-of-control power erupted from the depths of his meridians! The sharpness of metal, the burning heat of death, the filth of poison, the terror of fear… all the evils that had been forcibly restrained by Xuanweizi's bone needles and temporarily suppressed by Ji Zhai's medicinal power broke free from all constraints at this moment! Like a flood bursting its banks, or a volcano suppressed for millennia, it raged and crashed wildly within his shattered body!

"puff--!"

A large mouthful of thick, viscous blood, thick with a strong sulfurous stench and a strange bluish-black hue, gushed from Xiao Yuxuan's mouth like a fountain! Blood mist filled the air, emanating a nauseating, toxic stench! His body convulsed violently, as if being torn apart by an invisible, immense force, his vision completely filled with a violent crimson and chaotic golden light! His consciousness, like a flickering candle in a storm, was instantly swept towards the brink of annihilation by this out-of-control storm of power!

"He's not going to make it! The backlash of his malevolent energy!" the young Mohist exclaimed, trying to support the collapsed Xiao Yuxuan, but his arm went numb from the violent and chaotic aura!

Just then!

"Boom—!!!"

A deafening roar, far more terrifying than any previous collapse, as if the sky itself were crumbling, suddenly erupted from the direction of the tunnel gate! Accompanied by a piercing, ear-piercing scream as the metal structure shattered completely!

Deep within the passageway, the final gate, cast in "black bronze" and known as the "Immovable Gate," finally succumbed to the relentless bombardment of the Qin army's "city-breaking chisels" and the chain reaction of collapses triggered by the explosions of the internal "walled city mines"! The massive hinges snapped! The entire bronze gate, weighing over ten thousand jin, collapsed inwards with an overwhelming, destructive force, like a mountain toppled by giants!

"The Immovable Gate... is broken!" A desperate cry echoed through the workshop.

Smoke and dust surged in like a tsunami! Obscuring the sky and the sun! Choking dust mingled with the acrid smell of gunpowder and blood! Within the smoke and dust, countless Qin soldiers, like a black tide, roared battle cries, treading over the collapsed ruins of the massive gate, brandishing spears, halberds, and swords, and surged forward! The cold, standard Qin armor, illuminated by the remaining embers of the forge, reflected a chilling glint of death!

"kill--!"

"Leave no one alive!"

"Traitors to the Mohist school, kill them without mercy!"

The roar of the Qin army was like a raging storm, instantly drowning out all other sounds in the workshop!

The final barrier vanished! Close combat ensued! A bloody melee erupted instantly!

On the circular stone corridor, every firing port became a death trap! The Qin army's powerful crossbows swarmed in like locusts! Arrows struck the stone walls, producing a dense, rain-like "thud!" Those Mohists who couldn't dodge in time screamed as they fell to the ground, struck by arrows! Below, in the core area of ​​the workshop, heavily armored Qin soldiers charged in like tigers among sheep, their heavy spears sweeping across and their sharp ring-pommel swords slashing! Caught off guard, the Mohist craftsmen and soldiers resisted in despair, their flesh and blood easily torn apart by the cold torrent of metal! Screams, the clash of weapons, the cracking of bones, the dying wails… instantly transformed this vast underground workshop into a true slaughterhouse!

"Juzi! Run!" Several Mohist warriors, covered in blood and with tattered armor, roared as they desperately protected the command platform, holding off the Qin army that surged forward like a tide!

Ji Zhai stood at the edge of the command platform, his dark gray beast-face helmet stained with blood and soot. Through the gaps in his menacing visor, he coldly gazed at the hellish scene below, watching familiar Mohist figures fall one by one under the Qin army's blades. His eyes, once filled with confusion and pain, now held only a frozen, icy resolve. He slowly raised his hand, pointing to an inconspicuous corner deep within the workshop, hidden by a massive gear train.

"Take him...through the 'Path of the Flame'!" Ji Zhai's voice, icy cold and devoid of warmth, pierced through his mask, yet clearly reached the ears of the young Mohist beside him, who was also covered in blood and supporting Xiao Yuxuan. "This boy...bears Bai Yu's question of 'stopping war,' and is also tainted by the infernal flames of my Mohist school...whether the flame will be passed on after the flame is exhausted...or burned to ashes...is up to fate!"

"Master Ju!" The young Mohist's eyes widened in fury, and he wanted to say something more.

"Go!" Ji Zhai shouted sharply! At the same time, he drew a uniquely shaped bronze short sword (*the Mohist symbol "Non-Aggression Sword"*) from his waist, its blade pointing at the surging Qin army! That dark gray figure, like a moth drawn to a flame, or like the last silent bulwark, resolutely leaped off the command platform into the black tide of death! A flash of sword light, and blood gushed from the throat of a Qin army garrison commander at the forefront! Instantly, he was engulfed by more spears and halberds!

"Juzi—!" The young Mozi let out a heart-wrenching roar! Tears mixed with blood rolled down his face! But he did not hesitate. He suddenly lifted up Xiao Yuxuan, who was completely unconscious, burning hot, and exuding a chaotic and violent aura. With all his strength, he smashed open a hidden door behind him, controlled by a bronze mechanism, and stumbled inside!

Beyond the hidden door was a narrow, steep stone staircase leading down to the ground, barely wide enough for one person to pass. It was damp and cold, filled with the heavy smell of mildew and the stench of rock. Behind them, the heavy, scraping sound of the hidden door closing instantly shut out the deafening shouts and dying cries outside, leaving only a deathly silence and the two men's heavy, suppressed breathing.

"Hurry! Let's go!" The young Mozi's voice was hoarse and tearful as he supported Xiao Yuxuan, practically dragging him along as they groped their way forward in the darkness. The stone steps were slippery and bottomless, as if leading to the deepest hell.

After descending for an unknown amount of time, the faint sound of flowing water and a sliver of light could be heard ahead. At the end of the stone steps lay a small underground cavern. A cold, underground river flowed silently within, emanating a chilling aura. In a corner of the cavern, a figure stood silently in the dim light, like a ghost that had been waiting for a long time.

Clad in a faded, mud-stained indigo robe, his hair casually tied back with a withered branch, it was none other than Xuan Weizi! In his hand, he held a strange jade stone the size of a longan, emitting a soft white light (*a Taoist "night-shining pearl" or "fluorite"*), illuminating his weathered yet unusually serene face. His strange gray eyes were silently watching Xiao Yuxuan, who had been dragged in, unconscious and radiating a chaotic and violent aura.

“He… his violent energy backfired… his heart meridian is about to break…” The young Mo practitioner gasped, his voice filled with despair, as he carefully placed Xiao Yuxuan on the cold, damp rock.

Xuanweizi remained silent. He slowly stepped forward, crouched down, and his withered fingers gripped Xiao Yuxuan's wrist like iron clamps. The pulse transmitted through his fingertips was chaotic, violent, like boiling magma surging and crashing in a collapsing riverbed! Clashing weapons, raging fire, foul poison, terror… all evils were completely out of control, frantically tearing apart this already exhausted body!

Xuanweizi's brows furrowed tightly, a trace of solemnity flashing deep in his gray eyes, which then turned into a sigh that was almost pitying. He quickly pulled out three of the longest bone needles from the old leather pouch in his bosom, and dipped the tips of the needles hard into the thick, honey-like emerald ointment in the dark green jade box!

Without any hesitation! Xuanweizi's wrist moved with lightning speed!

The first needle was inserted into Xiao Yuxuan's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head! The needle penetrated about an inch deep!

The second needle was inserted into the chest cavity, specifically the acupoint 17 (CV17), reaching as deep as the sternum.

The third needle was inserted into the Qihai acupoint below the navel! The needle trembled slightly!

With each needle insertion, Xiao Yuxuan's body convulsed violently and inhumanly! It felt as if countless venomous snakes were writhing wildly beneath his skin! After the three needles were in place, an overwhelming, cold, and domineering surge of Daoist true qi forcefully poured into Xiao Yuxuan's body through the bone needles! Like three invisible icebergs, it fiercely suppressed the several raging evil energies!

"Ughhhhhh—!" Xiao Yuxuan, still unconscious, let out a bloodcurdling scream that was so shrill it was inhuman! His body arched up like a shrimp! Dark red, almost black blood seeped from his seven orifices at the same time! Mixed in with the blood were extremely fine, visible traces of bluish-black foul air!

Xuanweizi's expression remained unchanged, his fingertips continuously channeling true qi to suppress the attack! His gray eyes were fixed on Xiao Yuxuan's twisted and pained face, his voice low and deep like an ancient well's cold spring, each word carrying a soul-piercing power, fiercely chiseling into the depths of Xiao Yuxuan's chaotic consciousness:

"Foolish child! Wake up!"

"The aura of war, the burning flames, the terrified soul, the foul miasma... these external evils are nothing more than scabies!"

"What truly devours your soul and extinguishes your life force is the raging, all-consuming fire within your heart!"

"If this fire is not extinguished, even the most miraculous elixirs will be like drinking poison to quench thirst! It will only increase suffering and hasten destruction!"

"Ji Zhai sacrificed himself to give you this chance to live, not so that you would fall back into the demonic path and become a vicious weapon that only knows revenge and burning the world!"

"The torch has been extinguished... but the flame has been passed on! It is not merely ashes left after the fire has burned!"

"Guard your heart! Guard that last bit of humanity within you! Guard that tender sprout struggling to survive in the blood and mud by the Wei River! Guard the question of 'stopping war' that Bai Yu wrote in blood!"

"If this heart cannot be guarded... even if one escapes to heaven... one will be nothing more than a walking corpse... no different from a puppet controlled by malevolent energy!!"

This piercing shout, like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploded in Xiao Yuxuan's chaotic and turbulent sea of ​​consciousness! Ji Zhai's resolute back as he leaped off the command platform, the tender green locust bud stubbornly peeking out from the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood by the Wei River, General Bai's sorrowful eyes filled with ultimate questioning before his suicide... were like three faint but incredibly stubborn beams of light, forcefully piercing through the raging crimson and chaotic golden stars before his eyes!

"Hah...hah..." Xiao Yuxuan's arched body trembled violently, his throat emitting a hoarse, bellows-like sound. Under the suppression of Xuanweizi's domineering true qi and the interrogation of his soul, the rampant evil energy seemed to freeze for an extremely brief moment! A torrent of immense pain, bewilderment, and a faint glimmer of clarity suddenly breached the dam of malevolence! In his bloodshot pupils, almost consumed by malevolent fire, a faint glimmer of humanity struggled to return with immense difficulty!

A glint flashed in Xuanweizi's eyes! Seizing this fleeting opportunity, he swiftly pulled out three bone needles! The tips of the needles carried three wisps of murky, bluish-black energy! At the same time, his withered hand struck Xiao Yuxuan's back and spiritual acupoint with lightning speed! A surge of pure and peaceful true qi instantly flowed in, like sweet rain falling on scorched earth, forcefully protecting his collapsing heart meridian!

"Ugh—!" Xiao Yuxuan spat out another mouthful of foul blood! This time, the bluish-black color in the blood was noticeably lighter! His body went limp, as if all his bones had been removed, and he collapsed heavily onto the cold rock, panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face, soaking his coarse linen clothes. Although he was still extremely weak, and the evil energy within him had not been eradicated, the raging, self-destructive fire within him had been temporarily suppressed by Xuan Weizi's domineering methods and soul-piercing interrogation!

"Take him away! Follow the underground river downstream! The exit is thirty miles away, beneath the ancient locust tree at the 'Mass Burial Mound'!" Xuanweizi swiftly withdrew his needles and urgently instructed the young Mohist, his voice laced with unwavering urgency. "The Qin army will soon find this place! This boy has only a slim chance of survival; whether he lives or dies depends on his own fate!"

The young Mohist nodded emphatically, wiped the blood and tears from his face, and once again helped the exhausted and unconscious Xiao Yuxuan toward a simple wooden raft moored by the dark river.

Xuanweizi stood still, watching the young Mohist settle Xiao Yuxuan on the raft and secure him with ropes. The jade stone in his hand, emitting a soft white light, reflected on his wrinkled face, and his strange gray eyes, now as deep as an abyss, silently gazed at the figure on the raft whose breath was weak but who had temporarily escaped the engulfment of the malevolent flames.

"The sword has fallen..." Xuanweizi's deep voice echoed in the dark cave, like a sigh, yet also like a prophecy, "Will the flame be rekindled, or... will the embers turn to ashes? Xiao Yuxuan... the path... is beneath your feet..."

The raft was pushed forcefully by the young Mohist, and silently slid into the deeper darkness of the cave along the cold, swift current of the dark river, quickly disappearing from sight.

Xuanweizi stood alone on the cold rock, listening to the faint, ever-approaching footsteps of the Qin army searching above and the clanging of armor. He slowly put away the jade in his hand, and the cavern plunged back into absolute darkness. Only the cold water of the underground river flowed eternally and mournfully in the endless darkness.

...

Icy cold. Bone-chillingly cold.

And there's the bumpiness. An endless bumpiness.

Xiao Yuxuan's consciousness floated and sank in the boundless darkness and icy river. He felt like a lifeless piece of driftwood, swept along by the rushing water, stumbling and bumping through narrow, winding caves, each impact bringing a dull pain deep within his body. Xuan Weizi's infuriating interrogation, Ji Zhai's resolute figure as he leaped from the command platform, the tender buds of the locust trees by the Wei River... countless fragmented images flickered and collided in the darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, a cold wind carrying a strong stench of decay and earthiness suddenly rushed into my nostrils!

The bumpy ride stopped.

Xiao Yuxuan struggled to open his eyes a crack. The blinding, blood-red light of the setting sun made him squint instantly. After a moment, he was able to see his surroundings clearly.

This was a vast, desolate, and chilling mass grave. Broken tombstones lay askew, like broken fangs. Withered weeds grew taller than a person, whistling in the cold wind. Exposed bones, fragments of rotting coffins half-buried in the mud, and shallow pits dug by wild dogs were everywhere, emitting a pungent, nauseating stench of decay. Several black crows perched on a withered tree not far away, their blood-red eyes coldly watching the new "residents."

He lay beneath a massive, completely dead ancient locust tree. Its branches, gnarled and twisted, resembled demonic claws reaching towards the sky, casting long, hellish shadows in the blood-red sunset. The trunk was thick, and near the roots, there was a dark, gaping opening hidden by dense, withered vines—the exit of the "Path of the Flame." The young Mohist was nowhere to be seen; only his simple wooden raft lay half-submerged in a small, murky puddle beside the opening.

He struggled, using his last bit of strength, to prop himself up halfway from the cold, muddy ground. Each movement brought excruciating pain and weakness to his entire body. He leaned against the cold, rough trunk of the withered locust tree, breathing heavily.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the entire mass grave a desolate crimson. The cold wind whipped up the withered grass and dust, swirling it around with a mournful wail.

it's over?

Craftsman Yuan… Mohists… Ji Di… Xuanweizi… Qin Army…

it's all over?

Like a crazy and bloody nightmare.

Trembling, he pulled a broken piece of wood with the words "Hanging Blade" carved into it from his tattered clothes. The sharp edges of the wood left deep marks on his palm, from which blood seeped, mixing with dirt and staining the cold characters red.

The sword has fallen.

Ji Zhai risked his life to pull the lever that last "hanging sword" for him.

Will this falling "knife" bring a path to survival, or a gateway to a deeper hell?

Is it an opportunity to rekindle the flame? Or is it the embers that burn everything to ashes?

He stared blankly at the mass grave strewn with corpses, at the blood-red setting sun slowly sinking below the horizon. A profound grief, exhaustion, and a deep-seated sense of bewilderment overwhelmed him like a cold tide. General Bai's question of "stopping the war," Ji Zhai's sigh of "guarding the heart," Xuan Wei Zi's metaphor of "the hanging sword"... all weighed heavily on his broken heart like countless boulders.

Where is the road...?

He lowered his head, his gaze inadvertently falling on the exposed, gnarled roots of the withered ancient locust tree. In the cracks of the thick pile of decaying leaves and soil, a tiny, almost imperceptible, trembling tender green shoot, covered in cold mud, struggled to emerge in the afterglow of the blood-red setting sun, yet with unwavering stubbornness.

Xiao Yuxuan's bloodshot, blank pupils were fixed, fixed, fixed on that faint but stubborn green.