murderous intent
Yunxiu looked at the reactions of the three people, and the doubts in his heart faded a little.
"But I still don't understand." Yunxiu frowned and his gaze fell on Yan Xiu again.
"If you really wanted to save me, why didn't you tell me the truth earlier? Why did you watch me go to Qinglan Sect to grab the Condensed Jade Marrow and fight Zhi Huan to the death? Also, why can you mobilize the divine power that originated from me? Were you able to do the same in your previous life?"
Yan Xiu's body stiffened for a moment, and he avoided Yun Xiu's gaze.
"It was only at the end of my previous life that I discovered I could also mobilize this kind of divine power. Perhaps it was because when I transformed, I also absorbed some of the residual power of the ancient gods, but it was much less than you. I didn't tell you the truth earlier because I thought I could handle it myself. I could stop Zhi Huan before you could."
"So, you asked me to go to the tournament because you wanted to avoid me and solve this matter?"
"Partly. I asked you to go to Qinglan Sect because the Soul-Condensing Jade Marrow can purify evil energy. I want to help you stabilize the divine essence in your body."
He paused and turned his head:
"I know it sounds like an excuse, but what I said is true."
Yingtang and Wuyi said nothing, and looked at Yunxiu with Yan Xiu.
Yunxiu didn't say anything, just looked down at his palm.
She remembered Yan Xiu standing in the audience during the Qinglan Sect semifinals, the panic welling in his eyes; she remembered Yan Xiu fighting against Zhi Huan's black vortex in the cave to protect her; she remembered Wu Yi chasing her all the way from Qinglan Sect to the cave despite his injuries...
These images were too real, so real that she couldn't completely doubt them.
If that's the case...
She recalled what Zhihuan had said in the cave: "You are the last vessel of the ancient god's power and his only hope for revival."
I remembered that the ancient god Gao said: "Zhi Huan inherited my resentment."
Thinking of the uncontrollable divine power in my body.
If she really is a "vessel" and is truly connected to the Ancient Gods, does a way to break the connection really exist?
The flickering candlelight cast the four figures' shadows on the cold stone walls, elongated and twisted, like ghosts lurking in the darkness. The air was stagnant, carrying the scent of dust and ancient books. Only the occasional crackle of the wicks punctuated the suffocating silence.
The series of impacts just now almost drained her remaining strength.
The wound ached slightly due to fatigue and emotional agitation, but she couldn't care less at the moment.
"But even if you know this..."
She raised her head, her voice filled with fatigue.
"It's hard for us to even get close to Zhihuan right now, let alone find a way to break the connection between me and the Ancient God."
"The divine essence in your body is actually more powerful than you think."
Yan Xiu's voice was low, but firm.
"Your current divine power is connected to that of the Ancient God. I suspect that, in a sense, you share the same roots and destiny. He relies on your divine essence to maintain his residual soul form, and you rely on his dissipated divine power to stabilize your form. Zhi Huan didn't dare to really touch you because he was afraid that if something happened to you, the residual soul of the Ancient God would dissipate along with you, and all his efforts would be in vain."
Yunxiu was stunned. She subconsciously touched the pendant on her chest, where the divine energy was still slightly warm.
"Sharing the same roots and destiny? Doesn't that mean that as long as I live, the Ancient God will never dissipate?"
The three of them looked at Yunxiu at the same time, and the room was silent for a few seconds.
“Not really.”
Yan Xiu shook his head, and the divine power at his fingertips slowly converged.
"If you can strengthen your own divine power and allow your will to completely suppress his residual soul, you can drive his soul out of your body. At that time, without the support of divine energy, his residual soul will dissipate on its own in no time."
"Then how can we strengthen Xiaoyou's divine power? We can look for fragments of divine essence scattered across the land. I've heard from Master before that deep within Yaoxi Mountain, there are still many traces of divine power left behind by ancient gods."
Wu Yi folded his hands and responded with this sentence.
"it's useless."
Yan Xiu sighed and turned his gaze to the depths of the cave, where the rock wall still bore cracks from the previous fight.
"The fragments of divine essence are too scattered, and it will take too long to collect them. Zhi Huan will not give us that time. Moreover, the power of those fragments is too weak, and there is no way they can support Xiao You in suppressing the residual soul of the ancient god."
"What should we do then? We can't just sit there and watch Zhi Huan continue to gather divine power and wait for the ancient god to revive, right?"
Wu Yi said this again. Yun Xiu looked at him strangely, but couldn't see any clues.
The cave fell into a brief silence, with only the ticking sound of water dripping from the rock wall echoing repeatedly.
Yunxiu leaned against the cold rock wall. The pain from her wound made her eyes go dark, but she felt that there had never been a clearer time than at this moment.
Zhi Huan, ancient god, same fate, divine power... these words were spinning in her mind like a kaleidoscope, and suddenly, an idea suddenly popped up in her mind.
"Does Zhihuan also have a lot of divine power?"
She looked up at Yan Xiu: "Before in Qinglan Sect, and just now in the cave, the divine power he mobilized was very strong, stronger than any immortal I have ever seen. If... if I can obtain his divine power, can it strengthen my strength?"
Yan Xiu slowly turned his head to look at her, then nodded:
"You're right. In this world, besides you, the only one who possesses a large amount of divine power is Zhi Huan. He has been collecting divine power for so long and has absorbed the power of many immortals. The total amount of divine power in his body is probably greater than yours."
He paused and spoke slowly.
"As long as you can obtain his divine power, combined with your own divine essence, it is not impossible to suppress the residual soul of the ancient god."
"Ke Zhihuan... it's okay to control him for a short time. Like what I did just now, that was a trick I came up with after being beaten for several months. It can only catch the opponent by surprise and cannot be sustained for long. So, don't we have to flee in panic? We don't know when he will find this place." Wu Yi said.
Yan Xiu suddenly smiled and said, "I have a way to kill Zhi Huan."
He took two steps forward and stood between the three. "Zhi Huan's goal has always been to revive the Ancient God. What he cares about most is the Ancient God's remaining soul. The place where the Ancient God was born and fell is deep in Yaoxi Mountain. There may be hidden his original divine core, and it is also the place where his last consciousness lingered when he incarnated into the world."
Yingtang guessed, "You mean, if we go back to Yaoxi Mountain together, Zhihuan will definitely think we want to destroy the Divine Core or cut off Xiaoyou's connection with the Ancient God, so he will follow us?"
"That's right."
Yan Xiu nodded, and his fingertips drew a faint mark in the air, outlining the general outline of Yaoxi Mountain.
"Deep within Yaoxi Mountain—the mountain behind the forbidden area—there lies a natural divine barrier. The space there is extremely unstable, and once a large amount of divine power collides, it will cause the barrier to collapse. The divine power within Zhihuan is too strong. As long as he enters the barrier, we can find a way to provoke him and force him to mobilize his divine power to its full potential. When that happens, the force generated by the barrier's collapse will be enough to completely shatter his divine essence."
Yunxiu leaned against the rock wall, looking at the outline drawn by Yan Xiu's fingertips, and his heart couldn't help but beat faster.
This plan was too risky. If it failed, not only would they die, but all the creatures in Yaoxi Mountain would be affected by the collapse of the barrier. This plan wasn't particularly clever; it was simply a predatory move using her as bait.
But she could only grit her teeth and say, "I agree."
Several people set up camp on the spot and lived a secluded life for a while.
The faint light of early morning filtered through the gaps in the old vines at the entrance of the cave, leaking in a few strands of pale golden light, which fell on the bluestone covered with banyan leaves.
Yunxiu was awakened by the warmth from Yingtang's fingertips. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yingtang's hand, dangling in front of her. Pale green spiritual energy condensed in her fingertips, seeping slowly through her wrist veins like a stream flowing through cracks in the rocks, gently combing through the still-unrepaired spiritual veins.
"Awake?" Yingtang's voice was hoarse from just waking up. When he saw her open her eyes, a smile immediately appeared in his eyes.
"How do you feel? I replaced the banyan fruit for you last night. Try to mobilize your divine power. It should be smoother."
Yunxiu tentatively moved her fingertips, and sure enough, the previous sluggishness eased considerably. A cold, white divine power slowly emerged from her fingertips, condensing into a small, faint glow in her palm. It no longer surged and spun around like it had in the past few days. She supported herself against the bluestone and sat up. As she leaned her back against the rock wall, the sharp pain from her wound faded to a faint numbness.
The cave was quiet. Yan Xiu sat beside a black stone not far away, polishing his Broken Water Sword.
Wu Yi was squatting at the entrance of the cave, fiddling with a few fresh sycamore branches in his hands. His fingertips were emitting light green spiritual power as he was weaving the branches into a dense net.
"What is Wu Yi doing?" Yun Xiu asked curiously.
Yingtang followed her gaze and explained with a smile, "We plan to reinforce the barrier. Your injuries haven't healed yet, and although Zhihuan hasn't made any moves in the past few days, there's no telling when he might come looking for us. The barrier will not only conceal his presence but also prevent him from attacking us."
Yunxiu had indeed never been involved in anything related to barrier formations. Back in Yaoxi Mountain, Yan Xiu and his master were responsible for that. Now, the job fell to Wu Yi. Yunxiu sat back and enjoyed the fruits of his labor with a clear conscience, feeling no guilt.
As he spoke, Wu Yi had already woven half of the rattan net. He held it up to the light and looked at it, then raised his chin proudly.
"Look at my craftsmanship! These sycamore branches were freshly cut from the mountain behind us. The net I made is tough and strong! But it still requires some effort..."
Yan Xiu put down the Broken Water Sword, walked over to Wu Yi, and pointed to a gap in the vine net:
"The spiritual energy here isn't evenly woven. Add a few more strands. The barrier needs to block even the cracks in the ground, otherwise the aura will leak out."
Wu Yi curled his lips, but still obediently gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips and filled the gap with a few strands. The vine net, soaked with spiritual energy, glowed with a faint luster. The originally loose branches and vines instantly became tight, not even the wind could penetrate.
Yunxiu leaned against the rock wall, watching the three busy figures, and suddenly felt a warm feeling in his heart.
The warm wind seemed to blow away the depression brought about by the truth and disaster.
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