Chapter 41: Crossing the Heart Bridge Together
The moment Mo Li defeated his inner demons with a resolute will, Chu Yun felt a resilient spiritual force, imbued with logic and creativity, piercing through countless barriers and faintly touching his consciousness, which was about to be crushed by a sense of fate. "Mo Li?" His mind, floating in the sea of fire, felt a slight ripple. "Chu Yun! Can you hear me?" Then, like a lone lamp lit in a raging storm, Li Ge's cold yet resolute voice resonated with him. "We've broken through the barriers! We're approaching you!" Their voices were faint and distant, as if separated by countless worlds. But in that moment, to Chu Yun, mired in despair, they were like heavenly music. "I... am here..." Chu Yun tried with all his might to respond. He remained kneeling in the sea of fire, a sea of memory and pain. His "father," now transformed into a form of energy, still stood before him, his eyes, filled with hope and "trust," fixed on him. "Accept it, Yun'er." The voice of "father" resounded in the depths of his soul once again. "This is your destiny, your glory. Become 'Daoshu', use your life to fill that crack, to protect this world. Just like me." "No..." Chu Yun shook his head painfully. "I don't want it... I don't want such a fate..." He didn't want to be a symbol, a tool, a sacrifice that had to sacrifice itself for the so-called "great justice." He wanted to be a living person, to avenge, to protect, to decide his own life and death. "You have no choice." The voice of "father" became majestic and cold. "From the moment you were born, your fate was determined. Resistance will only bring you greater pain." The sense of destiny called "Daoshu" once again turned into a physical shackle, wrapped around him, tightening bit by bit, to completely crush his will. "Chu Yun! Don't be fooled by him!" Li Ge's voice came again, this time clearer. "That's not your father! That's an illusion created by Nightmare, exploiting your deepest fears and awe! It's distorting your memory and destroying your will!" "I know..." Chu Yun responded in his heart, "I know he's fake... but... everything he said is true..." Yes, it was all true. His father's self-sacrifice, Dao Shu's fate, none of this was fabricated by Nightmare. Nightmare simply laid this cruel truth bare before his eyes in a way that would most destroy his will...
The moment Mo Li defeated his inner demon with his resolute will, Chu Yun felt a tenacious spiritual force full of logic and creativity, which penetrated through numerous obstacles and faintly touched his consciousness that was about to be crushed by the sense of fate.
"Mo Li?" His consciousness, which was floating in the sea of fire, produced a slight fluctuation.
"Chu Yun! Can you hear me?" Then, Li Ge's cold yet resolute voice appeared in his perception, like a solitary lamp lit in a violent storm. "We have broken through the obstacles! We are approaching you!"
Their voices were faint and distant, as if they came from countless worlds away. But at this moment, to Chu Yun, who was in deep despair, they were like the sound of nature.
"I... am here..." Chu Yun tried his best to respond to them.
He still knelt in the sea of fire made of memories and pain. His "father," now transformed into a body of energy, still stood before him, his eyes filled with hope and "trust," still fixed on him.
"Accept it, Yun'er." The voice of "Father" resounded in the depths of his soul once again. "This is your destiny, your glory. Become the 'Daoshu', use your life to fill that rift, and protect this world. Just like me."
"No..." Chu Yun shook his head painfully, "I don't want it... I don't want such a fate..." He didn't want to be a symbol, a tool, a sacrifice that had to be sacrificed for the so-called "righteousness". He wanted to be a living person, to avenge, to protect, to decide his own life and death.
"You have no choice." The voice of "father" became majestic and cold. "From the moment you were born, your fate has been determined. Resistance will only bring you greater pain." The sense of fate called "Daoshu" once again turned into a physical shackle, wrapped around his body, tightening little by little, trying to crush his will completely.
"Chu Yun! Don't be fooled by him!" Li Ge's voice came again, this time a little clearer, "That's not your father! That's an illusion created by the nightmare using your deepest fear and awe! It's distorting your memory and destroying your will!"
"I know..." Chu Yun responded in his heart, "I know he's lying... but... everything he said is true..." Yes, it was all true. His father's self-sacrifice, Dao Shu's fate, none of this was fabricated by Nightmare. Nightmare simply laid this cruel truth bare before him in a way that would most destroy his will.
How could he refute it? How could he fight against a "mental prison" constructed from "truth"?
"That's different from him!" Mo Li's voice, with the decisive logic of a craftsman, forced its way into his consciousness. "Even if the fate of Daoshu is true, even if it is your responsibility to protect the seal, who stipulates that you must do it in the same way as your father?"
"I..." Chu Yun was stunned.
"Your father chose 'self-sacrifice' because in his time, in the desperate situation he was in, it was the only, or perhaps the best, 'solution' he could find!" Mo Li's voice became clearer and stronger. "But now, times have changed! We have new 'tools' and new 'companions'! We have my mechanical engineering skills and Li Ge's ghost medical skills! We may be able to find a brand new 'solution' that doesn't require anyone to sacrifice!"
"Believe in us, Chu Yun!" Mo Li continued, "Just like we chose to believe in you just now! You are not fighting alone! Don't be trapped by the shackles of the 'past'. Join us and create a 'future' that belongs to us!"
"The future..." Mo Li's words were like a flash of lightning, splitting the haze of "fate" in Chu Yun's heart. Yes, he wasn't alone. He had Li Ge, Mo Li, and Zhi Lan, who waited for them outside. Each of them possessed their own unique strength and wisdom. In Tianshu Tower, they had demonstrated with their actions that when three people united, they could create miracles beyond imagination.
Why, then, did he cling to his father's lonely, tragic "old path"? An unprecedented, intense will to survive, and an even stronger determination to protect his companions, erupted in his heart.
"I understand." Chu Yun slowly stood up from the sea of fire. He raised his head and looked directly at the illusion of his "father" in front of him, representing his "fate."
"Perhaps what you said is correct." His voice no longer contained pain and confusion, but was filled with an unprecedented calmness and determination. "As the 'Daoshu', it is my responsibility to protect the seal. I acknowledge this."
"But," he changed the subject, his eyes igniting with golden flames, "I refuse to fulfill this responsibility your way. I will use my own way, together with my companions, to find a completely new method that does not require anyone to sacrifice. I want them all to see that the legacy of 'Dao Shu' is not hopeless self-destruction, but... the flame of creating hope!"
"You..." For the first time, the illusion of "father" showed a look of surprise on his face.
"So, get out of my head!" Chu Yun roared. He no longer tried to distinguish truth from falsehood, nor did he try to refute "fate." He chose... to accept his responsibility, but at the same time, he also chose to embark on a completely different "path," one that belonged to him!
As his will changed, the "Heart-Protecting Talisman" on his chest burst out with an unprecedented, brilliant golden light.
"Li Ge! Mo Li!" He concentrated all his attention on the two weak spiritual connections with them, "Catch me!"
He no longer passively waited, but actively and forcefully channeled his Taiyi Qi, which had been completely transformed by the idea of "protection," through the resonance of the "Heart Guarding Talisman" and sent it in reverse! Li Ge and Mo Li felt a warm and powerful spiritual force instantly surge into their consciousness. That power, like a tenacious bond, instantly strengthened the already weak connection between the three of them several times.
"This is..." Mo Li was shocked to find that she could not only clearly sense the presence of Chu Yun and Li Ge, but could even vaguely "see" the scene of the "heart prison" they were in at the moment.
"He is using his will to build a 'bridge' for us." Li Ge immediately understood Chu Yun's intention, and her voice was full of shock.
"It's not enough." Chu Yun's voice rang in their minds, "Zhilan is still outside. Her spirit is the most fragile. We must bring her in as well! There are four of us, and no one can be left behind!"
"Leave it to me!" Mo Li responded immediately. She focused all her energy on the "heart knot" she had crafted. Using Chu Yun's "heart bridge" as the backbone and her own knowledge of mechanical engineering as a blueprint, she quickly began to construct a brand new "spiritual circuit" on this invisible "bridge," specifically designed to connect to Zhilan.
"Zhilan!" Li Ge used her voice that could soothe the soul to call out through the "bridge of the heart" to the faintest and purest point of light in their perception.
Outside, Zhilan, who had been anxiously waiting, suddenly felt the warm "Heart Guarding Talisman" in her arms suddenly light up. Then, she heard Sister Lige's gentle call. Without hesitation, she reached out her small hand and tightly grasped the talisman.
The next second, her consciousness was pulled into a warm and safe "passage" made of golden light by a gentle force.
"Success!" Mo Li shouted excitedly. On that "bridge of hearts"—a bridge of Chu Yun's will, Mo Li's mechanical skills, Li Ge's soul voice, and Zhi Lan's pure heart—the four people's spirits were truly connected for the first time.
Although they are still in their own "prison of the heart", they all know that they are no longer alone. They can clearly feel each other's presence, and feel each other's determination and courage.
"Do you feel it?" Chu Yun's voice echoed in the "Heart Bridge". "This is our true strength. It's not my Taiyi Qi alone, nor Li Ge's ghost medical skills alone, nor Mo Li's mechanical skills alone. It's the four of us combined, forming... 'symbiosis'!"
At the moment their four minds achieved perfect synchronization, the entire dream world trembled violently. The nightmare core hidden deep within, which had been toying with their minds like a god, felt threatened for the first time.
It could sense the birth of a new force not belonging to this hopeless world, filled with hope and bonds. The "bridge of the heart" formed by Chu Yun's will was like the most potent... poison to this world based on loneliness and fear!
"Roar!" A roar, inhuman and filled with rage and fear, echoed from the deepest recesses of the dream, resounding through every "heart prison." All the nightmares of the entire world ceased their cycle at this moment. All the villagers' faces, twisted and filled with pain, turned in unison towards Chu Yun and the other three.
Nightmare, completely enraged.
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