The crimson and moon-white light tore through the chaotic clouds atop Qingyun Peak, and like a meteor falling to earth, it plunged into the highest point of the solitary peak, into the area shrouded in the densest demonic energy—the cave dwelling of the Immortal Lord Qingxu, Qingxu Palace.
Contrary to Su Nian's imagination of a demonic lair filled with ghostly energy and countless skeletons, Qingxu Palace retained its celestial aura, with white jade steps, glazed tiles, and soaring eaves and brackets, ethereal and otherworldly. However, once one stepped through that invisible barrier, a chilling, deathly, and chaotic force that froze one's soul gripped them like countless icy hands, entangling them from all directions, almost suffocating them.
Here, the celestial energy had long been eroded away, replaced by an overwhelming, impenetrable aura of despair, violence, and madness born from the inner demons of the Immortal Lord Qingxu. The air was as viscous as a swamp, and each breath felt like a direct influx of countless negative emotions into one's lungs.
"Bang!"
Su Nian was thrown onto the cold, smooth ground without any pity. The impact to her wound caused her to cough violently again, and drops of blood splattered onto the spotless white jade tiles, appearing particularly glaring.
She struggled to lift her head and looked around.
This appeared to be the main hall of the cave dwelling, extremely spacious, with nothing but a few jade pillars supporting the dome. There was no light source inside; the only light came from the dim, blackish runes that swirled on the walls and dome. The entire space was permeated with a suffocating sense of oppression.
And Immortal Lord Qingxu stood right in front of her.
The demonic aura surrounding him seemed slightly more subdued than when he was outside, but the crimson in his eyes hadn't faded. Instead, now that he was back in the lair of his inner demons, they possessed an even more unbridled depth and eeriness. He looked down at her as if she were a newly captured, strange prey awaiting study.
"This is my sacred place, but also the breeding ground for inner demons." He spoke, his voice echoing in the empty, deathly silent hall, carrying a chilling resonance. "Here, you have nowhere to hide."
He paced slowly, circling around her, his gaze like a tangible scraper, scraping over her frail body and swaying soul again and again.
“The nascent form of the Sword of Intent… the soul fluctuations that don’t belong to Yun Zhi… and that damned, familiar feeling…” He muttered to himself, his eyes swelling with each word, confusion and violence intertwined. “Tell me, what exactly are you? Why can you infiltrate my inner demons? Why… do you feel… familiar to me?”
He practically uttered the last two words through gritted teeth, his voice filled with a sense of offended anger and a hint of...unease that even he himself was unwilling to admit.
Su Nian curled up on the ground, feeling the pervasive negative energy around her trying to erode her consciousness, and his oppressive scrutiny. Her heart sank to the bottom. Here, she felt like the last faint candle flame in a storm, which could be blown out at any moment.
She couldn't answer. She was unable to answer.
Should I tell him that she is a soul from another world, bound to the system to complete a mission and prevent him from becoming a demon? Or should I tell him that they may have known each other countless lifetimes ago?
Any explanation, at this time and place, will only be seen as a more cunning seduction by inner demons, leading to more direct destruction.
She could only close her eyes and desperately try to activate the remaining "Ice Soul Condensation Technique," gathering the meager chill of the ice soul around her soul to form a fragile protective layer, resisting the erosion of external demonic energy and the penetration of his terrifying gaze.
However, in this arena dominated by her inner demons, the effectiveness of the "Ice Soul Condensing Heart Technique" was greatly diminished. The chilling sensation, like ice cubes thrown into boiling water, quickly melted away. The demonic energy, like a persistent, insidious ailment, relentlessly tried to penetrate her consciousness, stirring up the fear, despair, and negative emotions deep within her heart.
She saw the helplessness she felt when she died suddenly before transmigrating, the fear of being imprisoned in the world of domineering CEOs, the punishment for failing missions, and even more so, the vision of the man before her completely falling into demonic ways and destroying everything in the future…
"Ugh..." she groaned in pain, her soul feeling as if it were being roasted on fire or pierced by countless ice needles. The injuries to her body, the exhaustion of her soul, and the continuous corrosive effects of the environment made her clearly feel that her consciousness was gradually becoming blurred and her life force was slowly but steadily draining away.
If this continues... she really will die here.
Just as Su Nian's consciousness was about to be completely swallowed by darkness and pain, something unexpected happened.
Perhaps it was because of the faint "alien" aura brought about by her continuous use of the "Ice Soul Condensation Technique";
Perhaps it was because of the special fluctuation contained in her blood that made Xie Chen's soul tremble;
Or perhaps, it was simply that this inner demonic illusion itself, in consuming her as a "foreign object," produced some unpredictable "rejection" reaction...
In a daze, she seemed to "hear" another voice.
A call that was extremely faint, extremely distant, as if sealed away by layers of shackles at the bottom of an endless abyss...
It was neither the seductive whispers of inner demons nor the cold, violent questioning of Immortal Lord Qingxu.
That voice... carried an indescribable weariness and pain, yet it also revealed a trace of... familiar warmth that made her soul tremble?
“…Nian…Su…Nian…”
Who?! Who's calling her?!
Su Nian suddenly opened her eyes wide, struggling to focus her unfocused gaze as she tried to find the source of the sound.
She saw that the Immortal Lord Qingxu, standing before her, swayed almost imperceptibly, and the surging bloodlust in his eyes fluctuated briefly and violently! It was as if something within him... struggled for a moment?
That calling voice... came from him?!
No, it didn't come from his current consciousness, dominated by inner demons, but... from something deeper! From his original soul essence, which was heavily sealed by demonic energy?!
Is it Xie Chen?! Is it the imprisoned part of his consciousness belonging to "Xie Chen" calling her?!
This realization was like a thunderbolt, shattering Su Nian's consciousness, which was shrouded in despair!
He wasn't completely devoured! His original consciousness, though suppressed and sealed by his inner demons, still existed! And... it seemed that because of her arrival, because of the stimulation from this "anomaly," it had begun to... loosen?
A faint but incredibly real spark of hope suddenly ignited in her heart!
She had to do something! She had to find a way to strengthen this connection and awaken him!
With her last ounce of strength, she no longer merely defended herself, but actively channeled all her remaining will, along with the calming essence of the "Ice Soul Condensing Heart Technique," and all the memories and emotions deep within her soul about the name "Xie Chen," into a silent, stubborn cry, crashing fiercely toward the direction from which the call she perceived was coming!
"Xie Chen—!!!"
This cry from the soul was like a stone thrown into a still, deep pool, instantly creating violent ripples in this eerily demonic hall!
"Ugh—!!!"
Immortal Lord Qingxu clutched his head, letting out a roar even more painful and violent than before! The demonic energy around him surged and exploded violently like boiling ink! Blood, ink, and golden light flashed and battled wildly in his eyes, and his face showed an expression of extreme pain and struggle!
"Shut up! You ant! Don't even think about...bewitching me!" He roared at the air, as if he were fighting an invisible enemy within his body.
The entire Qingxu Palace trembled with his pain, and the talismans on the walls flickered, as if they were about to collapse at any moment.
Su Nian was so shocked by the sudden change and the even more terrifying pressure that she almost fainted, but she gritted her teeth and maintained the last bit of clarity in her mind, trying her best to sense that faint response from deep within.
She "saw" it—deep within that sea of consciousness shrouded in crimson demonic energy, a dim yet resilient light of consciousness belonging to "Xie Chen's" origin was desperately breaking through the surrounding constraints! And the fluctuation that called her name was emanating from that light!
It worked! Her call really stimulated his sealed body!
However, her actions also thoroughly enraged the demonic thoughts that controlled this body!
Immortal Lord Qingxu (or rather, his inner demon) suddenly turned his head, his bloodshot eyes, now completely filled with violence and killing intent, fixed on Su Nian! His gaze was no longer filled with confusion, but only with the purest desire for destruction that had been touched on his most sensitive spot!
"You...you really...cannot be allowed to live!"
He abandoned all inquiry and hesitation, his five fingers forming claws, carrying overwhelming demonic energy and an extremely pure will of destruction, and fiercely clawed down towards Su Nian's crown!
This time, there is absolutely no room for maneuver!
The suspense reaches its peak at this moment, a race against time—the female protagonist unexpectedly discovers that the male protagonist's original consciousness has not completely succumbed and has successfully established a weak connection with him, but this also attracts the most thorough killing intent from his inner demons! Will this fatal blow land? How will the imprisoned original consciousness react? All awaits to be revealed in the next chapter.
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