No Road
Yunxiu woke up before the morning mist had dissipated.
Yan Xiu was still asleep, with her inky hair hanging on the pillow.
Yunxiu's fingertips gently touched his sleeve. Hidden there was a short blade, which Yan Xiu had found last night from the bottom shelf. The wooden handle still bore the words carved by his master.
Yan Xiu seemed to notice her movements, his eyelashes trembling, and he slowly opened his eyes. He didn't say anything, but raised his hand, gently placing his palm on the back of her hand, with the sleepy feeling of just waking up: "Awake so early?"
"I can't sleep."
Yunxiu's voice was a little hoarse. She moved closer to him, rubbed her nose against his collar, and could smell the faint scent of pine needles.
Yan Xiu sat up and helped her tidy up the loose hair on her forehead:
"I've already cooked the porridge. It's warming on the stove. Let's go after we finish eating."
Yunxiu nodded, but when she stood up, Yanxiu grabbed her wrist. He looked at her and said:
"Don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid." Yunxiu held his hand in return: "As long as you are here, I'm not afraid."
"You're lying." Yan Xiu smiled and said, "Actually, you're not afraid even if I'm not around."
After finishing the porridge, Yan Xiu put the short blade on his waist, and took out the half of the banyan leaf jade pendant from his arms - Jing Er's relic, and stuffed it into Yun Xiu's hand.
Yunxiu clutched the jade pendant tightly: "We will come back together."
Yan Xiu just smiled and didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand to help her fasten the collar of her plain robe.
The morning mist gradually dissipated, and the sunlight crept over the bamboo house's wall, falling on the two of them like a layer of gold. They walked side by side towards the back mountain.
The grass and trees on both sides of the mountain path had long since withered, with only a few purslane plants still showing a light green hue, which were the traces of Yingtang's last immortal power nourishing them.
"We're almost there." Yan Xiu's voice sounded at the right moment. He pointed to the corner ahead and said, "After that forest, we'll find the sacrificial formation."
Yunxiu looked up and saw the faint outline of a magic circle behind the corner. The lines on the ground glowed dark red in the sunlight, like congealed blood. She took a deep breath, grasped Yan Xiu's hand, and followed him forward.
After turning the corner, the sacrificial array was fully revealed before our eyes.
A massive black stone formed a circle, its ground etched with dense, ancient patterns. These were the marks left by ancient gods thousands of years ago, and despite the erosion of time, they remained clear. Dried blood still lingered in the grooves of the patterns, left behind by Yan Xiu's sacrifice to his master. A faint, fishy odor lingered in the breeze.
The groove in the center of the magic circle was empty, and the dead vines wrapped around the five black stone pillars swayed gently in the wind, like banners to summon souls.
Yan Xiu walked to the edge of the magic circle and stopped. He turned back to look at Yun Xiu:
"This formation requires divine power and blood from the same source to activate. Only my blood can activate it."
Yunxiu nodded and watched him draw a short blade from his waist. The blade shone with a cold light, and Yan Xiu didn't hesitate, raising his hand and slashing it towards his left wrist.
The blade cut through the flesh, and blood instantly gushed out, flowing down his wrist and dripping into the patterns of the magic circle.
"Buzz—"
As countless drops of blood fell onto the lines, the formation suddenly vibrated. A dark red glow rose from the grooves, slowly spreading along the lines like a snake coming to life. Yan Xiu gripped the short blade tightly, not stopping, allowing the blood to continue flowing while simultaneously mobilizing the divine power within his body.
Spots of light overflowed from his chest, intertwined with the blood, and flowed along the lines towards the center of the magic circle.
Yunxiu stood aside, watching his wrist bleed continuously and his face gradually turn pale.
She wanted to step forward, but Yan Xiu stopped her with a shake of his head: "Don't come over. The formation hasn't been fully activated yet. If you get close, you'll be attacked by the divine power."
His voice was soft, yet filled with undeniable resolve. Yunxiu could only pause, watching his blood and divine power gradually merge into the formation. He watched as the lines on the ground grew brighter, from dark red to a dazzling golden red. The entire mountain behind the forbidden area began to shake violently, black rocks tumbling and dust rising into the air.
"Did you activate the formation this way last time? Why don't you see it in your memory?"
Yan Xiu lowered his eyes: "At that time... my memory and thinking were very confused. There are some things that I can't remember myself."
Yunxiu wanted to ask something else, but was interrupted by Yan Xiu: "It's almost done..."
Yan Xiu's breathing became increasingly rapid, and the blood from his wrist continued to flow. His body instinctively repaired the wound, requiring Yan Xiu to continue cutting it open.
Yunxiu could clearly sense Yan Xiu's divine power rapidly draining away, the ripples around him growing weaker and weaker, like a candle in the wind. She gritted her teeth, gathered a wisp of divine power, and gently floated to Yan Xiu's side, helping him stabilize his chaotic breath.
"Use my blood... I am no different from you, I can also..."
Yan Xiu didn't know where he got the strength from, but he tightly grasped Yun Xiu's hand:
"Can't!"
Yunxiu looked at Yan Xiu, who was already somewhat exhausted. He said:
"When the divine powers flow together, the Ancient God will surely appear... You and I should both conserve our strength and stop arguing."
Finally, the magic circle exploded with a loud "boom".
A golden beam of light erupted from the groove at the center of the magic circle, reaching the sky and dispersing the morning mist. The lines on the ground illuminated completely, and golden-red light surged through the magic circle like a tide. The withered vines on the five black stone pillars suddenly came to life, rapidly growing upwards, quickly wrapping around the pillars and blooming dark red flowers.
The sacrificial array has been activated.
Yan Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, the short blade slipping from his grasp, clanging to the ground. His wrist was still bleeding, his face pale as paper, and he could barely stand. Yun Xiu immediately raised his hand, gathering divine power to help him stop the bleeding, but Yan Xiu grabbed his hand.
"Don't waste your energy." His voice was hoarse, but with a smile, "We should go in."
Yunxiu looked at the wound on his wrist and nodded. She supported Yan Xiu and stepped into the center groove of the magic circle. As soon as they stood still, they felt a gentle force coming from the ground, flowing along the soles of their feet and into their spiritual veins. It was the power of the magic circle, guiding their divine powers to merge.
Yan Xiu slowly raised his hand, his palm facing Yun Xiu's. Yun Xiu understood and raised his hand as well, their palms gently touching.
Instantly, a familiar warmth spread from their palms. The divine powers of the two intertwined along their palms, like two intertwining streams, forming a cocoon of light around them.
Yunxiu could clearly feel that their divine powers were resonating and merging, and even the white jade statue on his heart began to feel hot.
But at this moment, a suffocating pressure suddenly came from the sky.
Yunxiu and Yanxiu looked up at the same time, only to see a crack suddenly appear in the sky above the magic circle, and a golden shadow slowly descended - silver-white hair fell on his shoulders, and his robe, which was a mixture of moon white and light gold, was emitting a divine halo, and his cyan-gold pupils were filled with cold anger.
It is an ancient god.
Well, Yunxiu had long known that the fusion of their divine powers could summon the Ancient Gods. He hadn't understood it in the cave before, but now he knew it because, in a sense, the two of them were born from the same origin and coexisted with the Ancient Gods.
"You think you can destroy me like this?"
The Ancient God's voice exploded like thunder, and golden divine power surged from his body, crashing into the light cocoon of the magic circle:
"I gave you all your lives, why are you fighting me?"
Yan Xiu subconsciously moved Yunxiu behind him to protect him. At the same time, he mobilized the remaining divine power in his body and waved his hand forward. Light instantly expanded, forming a translucent barrier that firmly protected him and Yunxiu.
"Bang!"
The Ancient God's divine power collided with the barrier, making a deafening sound. The barrier shook violently, cracks covering its surface, but it remained intact.
Activating the magic circle just now had already consumed too much of Yan Xiu's divine power. Now that he was forcibly maintaining the barrier, he felt a tearing pain in his spiritual veins.
"Brother!" Yunxiu quickly supported him and transferred his divine power to help him strengthen the barrier. "How are you?"
"I'm fine." Yan Xiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"He can't hurt us. He had Zhihuan before... but now I have it. He can't break this barrier."
The ancient god looked at the two people in the barrier, and the anger in his eyes became even stronger.
He raised his hand and condensed a golden blade of light, slashing it fiercely towards the barrier, but it was still blocked by the barrier. The blade of light turned into tiny points of light and dissipated into the air.
"It's useless. You're just a remnant of your soul now, and you can't even exert one ten-thousandth of your strength. We can afford it, but you can't."
The Ancient God's expression darkened. He could clearly sense that these two men were using their lives to counteract his divine power. Both sides were weakening, but if this continued, he would surely be the first to fall.
He stared at the two people in the barrier, and suddenly changed his tone. His voice became gentle, as if coaxing:
"Yunxiu, you were created by my divine power and share the same roots as me. As long as you are willing to submit to me, I can make you my Queen of Gods and rule the new world with me. I can give you anything you want."
Yunxiu looked at him and raised his eyebrows with interest:
"Ancient God, logically speaking, Yan Xiu is the reincarnation of your soul, and I am the condensation of your divine power... In this sense, are we part of you? Or are we your children?"
Regardless of which theory is followed, the position of "Goddess Queen" is not suitable for Yunxiu. It is somewhat contrary to normal ethics.
"I have no taboos."
Yunxiu was speechless and simply stopped talking.
The Ancient God raised his hand and waved towards the distant village. A golden chain of light instantly entangled several mortals hiding in the cave, pulling them towards the magic circle. The mortals' screams drifted on the wind, so shrill that they made people tremble.
"Look! If I want, I can bury these mortals with me at any time! Yunxiu, are you really going to give up your chance of eternal life for these ungrateful people?"
Yunxiu's heart suddenly skipped a beat and was held tightly by Yan Xiu.
"Don't be impulsive!" Yan Xiu's voice rang in her ears, "He's trying to provoke you! Once you leave, the barrier will be broken, and all our previous efforts will be in vain!"
Yunxiu gritted his teeth and watched those mortals struggling in the light chain.
But she knew Yan Xiu was right. Yun Xiu took a deep breath, gathered her divine power, and swung it at the light chain outside the barrier. The blade instantly severed the chain, and the mortal fell to the ground, tumbling and crawling away.
"you!"
The ancient god stopped talking nonsense, and the golden divine power around him surged, transforming into countless light blades as thin as cow hair, shooting densely towards the barrier.
The light blade hit the barrier, and cracks appeared more and more, and the light became weaker and weaker.
Yunxiu knew that if she let go of Yanxiu's hand, the Ancient God would disappear. But she couldn't.
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