Dead silence.

Around the altar lay the devastation of a great battle. The frozen domain shattered, leaving only glittering ice fragments and several ice sculptures in various poses, telling the story of the recent carnage. The air was thick with the scorching scent of annihilated energy, a faint stench of blood, and a wisp of starlight dust—a poignant and purifying remnant of Erwin's (Derrick's) burning life force.

Su Nian sat on the cold, hard altar floor, holding the unconscious Xie Chen in her arms. The wounds on her left shoulder and right arm had reopened due to the previous impact, and blood soaked through the makeshift bandages, bringing waves of tearing pain. Deep within her soul, the excessive exertion and successive shocks left her feeling empty and piercing, as if she had been hollowed out. Every part of her body screamed out in exhaustion and pain.

But she dared not relax, not even dared to fall asleep. The faint breathing of the person in her arms was her only source of comfort. She carefully examined his condition—his body was cold, his breath weak and extremely erratic, and the dark golden crack mark between his brows throbbed slightly, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. Within him, the clear consciousness that had just been awakened, belonging to the true Xie Chen, clung to him like a candle in the wind, struggling to survive amidst the remaining dark energy and the broken seal, as if it might be extinguished at any moment.

Did we win?

The price was the complete disappearance of Erwin, Xie Chen falling into a deeper and more dangerous coma, and her own serious injuries and near-death experience, trapped in the perilous core of the Eternal Night Forest.

We lost?

At least, she touched his true soul, even if only for a moment. At least, a crack was torn in that dark cage.

She gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and, like the finest silk thread, poured her remaining energy, imbued with the essence of Ice Soul, into his body. It wasn't for repair (that was far beyond her current capabilities), but merely to nurture and protect that faint flame of consciousness, preventing it from being completely swallowed by the remaining darkness.

Time flowed slowly in agonizing torment. The Eternal Night Forest had no day or night, only perpetual darkness and drifting specks of light. Su Nian lost track of how much time had passed; hunger, thirst, pain, and extreme mental exhaustion relentlessly eroded her will. She dared not leave the altar to search for food and water; at least here, the aura emanating from the ice core fragments could slightly dispel some of the forest's malice and provide a meager replenishment of energy.

She began to attempt a deeper communication with the suspended ice core fragment. After her memories returned, her connection with the fragment became clearer and stronger. She discovered that, in addition to borrowing its power, she could also seem to glean some fragments of vague information belonging to the Ice and Snow Clan from ten thousand years ago—about the direction of the forest's ley lines, about certain relatively safe areas, and even… about how to use the ice core fragment to condense the purest, drinkable "Moonlight Dew" and the "Ice Crystal Essence" to nourish the soul.

This is undoubtedly a timely help!

She focused her mind, guiding the power of the ice core fragments, carefully drawing upon the sparse water element and moonlight energy from the air, slowly condensing a few clear dewdrops radiating a soft glow above the altar. She then attempted to draw upon a trace of the fragment's core essence, peeling away a few icy blue specks of light, like stardust.

The process was extremely mentally taxing, almost draining the last bit of strength she had just recovered. But when she dripped a drop of "Moonlight Dew" onto Xie Chen's chapped lips and guided a wisp of "Ice Crystal Essence" toward the pulsating mark between his brows, she could clearly feel that his weak breathing seemed to have become a little more steady, and that the flame of his consciousness seemed to have solidified by an almost imperceptible amount.

This small success greatly encouraged Su Nian.

She also gathered a little dew for herself, moistening her burning throat. The cool liquid, carrying a strange energy, slid into her body, slightly relieving the physical pain and mental exhaustion.

However, just as she caught her breath and prepared to continue nurturing Xie Chen's soul—

A subtle yet clearly malicious sense of being watched, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly coiled around her soul!

This sense of being watched didn't come from the creatures of the forest, nor from any surviving vampire pursuers. It was more...higher in dimension, more icy and...inhuman. It carried a pure, almost experimental, scrutinizing, and calculating quality.

Main God Space!

Su Nian instantly understood! It was when Erwin sacrificed himself and Xie Chen's consciousness awakened, causing violent energy fluctuations, that it once again turned its "gaze" here!

She suddenly looked up, her sharp gaze sweeping across the dark forest surrounding the altar. The Ice Soul Mark deep within her soul spontaneously activated to its maximum, emitting a cool glow in an attempt to resist the invisible probing.

The sense of being watched seemed to pause for a moment after she strengthened her defenses, then became even more...targeted. It was no longer scanning indiscriminately, but like a probe, it concentrated its power, attempting to penetrate the protection of her Ice Soul Power, to delve into the core of her soul, to probe the awakened memories, to assess Xie Chen's current state, and even...to touch that fragment of the ice core!

"Get out!"

Su Nian roared silently in her heart! She gathered all the power she had just recovered, along with the resonance with the ice core fragments, and built a hard ice crystal barrier around her soul, radiating absolute cold!

The power of the spying collided violently with the ice crystal barrier! There was no sound, yet it stirred up a tidal wave deep within her soul! She felt as if her consciousness was being pierced by countless cold needles, and the excruciating pain almost caused her to collapse instantly!

But she gritted her teeth, her mind filled with images of the figures standing side by side in the sea of ​​stars, Xie Chen's last clear-eyed look, and Erwin's resolute disappearance... Her obsession transformed into the strongest shield!

The ice crystal barrier remained unmoved by her tenacious defense! The spying force tried several times, but seemed unable to break through without causing too much disturbance (or perhaps being restricted by some rule?), and finally receded slowly like the tide.

The feeling of being spied on disappeared.

But Su Nian knew it hadn't left; it had simply hidden itself temporarily. Like a hunter lurking in the darkness, waiting for its prey to reveal a weakness.

Su Nian collapsed onto the altar, gasping for breath, her clothes soaked in cold sweat, her soul wracked with excruciating pain as if it were being torn apart. Once again... faced with an absolute disparity in power, she barely managed to hold on thanks to her willpower and her unique existence.

She looked at Xie Chen in her arms; he was still unconscious, completely unaware of what had just happened. The dark golden crack between his brows seemed to have been nourished by her full exertion of Ice Soul Power, and its light had stabilized slightly.

She gently held his cold hand, feeling the faint connection between their souls.

We can't stay here any longer.

Although the altar is a sacred place of ice and snow, where ice core fragments provide shelter and energy, it also acts as a massive signal source, constantly attracting the scrutiny of the Main God Space. What happened just now was merely a probe; next time, it might not be a mere "gaze," but rather a more direct means of "purification."

She had to take Xie Chen away from here and find a more secluded place, one that could shield or interfere with the detection of the Main God's space. The Eternal Night Forest was so vast; there must be such a place. The fragments of memory left behind by the Ice and Snow Clan seemed to point to the far north of the forest, a place known as the "Silent Ice Abyss"...

But this meant she had to carry a comatose, extremely unstable patient through this treacherous forest. In her current state, this was tantamount to suicide.

However, staying behind also means waiting to die.

Su Nian's gaze gradually hardened. She gently laid Xie Chen down, letting him rest his head on her travel bag (a simple makeshift pillow made from tattered clothes). Then, she struggled to her feet, walked to the edge of the altar, and gazed up at the slowly rotating fragment of the dark blue ice core.

She reached out, not to touch, but to communicate with him through her soul.

“I need help… to get us… away from here… to the Silent Ice Abyss…”

She conveyed a clear message, a mixture of pleading and resolve.

The ice core fragments spun silently, their eerie blue light flickering erratically. After a long while, an extremely faint, guiding chill, like a thread, extended from the fragments, pointing in a certain direction of the forest.

At the same time, a few ice crystals fell from the surface of the fragments and drifted down to Su Nian, condensing into three fingernail-sized, dark blue ice runes that emitted a chilling aura.

"Concealment... Protection... One strike..." A vague thought followed.

Su Nian carefully put away the three ice talismans, sensing the powerful, different natures contained within them. This was the final gift from the ice core fragments, and also the spark of hope that ignited her on her unknown journey.

She returned to Xie Chen's side, took a deep look at the ancient altar that had witnessed so much sorrow and change, then bent down and, with her uninjured right arm, struggled to carry Xie Chen on her back.

His body was cold and heavy.

Su Nian gritted her teeth, adjusted her posture, and gripped the "Concealment" ice talisman tightly.

A faint blue light flashed, and the two of them instantly became as inconspicuous as rocks in a forest.

She glanced in the direction the ice core fragments were pointing, where a deeper, more unknown darkness lay.

Then, she took a step, carrying the unconscious Xie Chen on her back, and resolutely walked down the steps of the altar, disappearing into the boundless shadows of the Eternal Night Forest.

On the altar, the light of the ice core fragments seemed to dim considerably after she left, as if it had exhausted its power and fallen back into a long silence.

(End of Chapter 68)

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Next Chapter Preview: Su Nian carries Xie Chen on her back, embarking on a perilous journey to the "Silent Ice Abyss"! Will the three ice talismans help them overcome numerous crises? Will the watchful eyes of the Main God Space return? Will Xie Chen's unconscious consciousness undergo unseen changes? In the far north of the Eternal Night Forest, what awaits them: a glimmer of hope or deeper despair? Their perilous journey has officially begun!