Chapter 49: From Cocoon to Butterfly (1)
"Let's go and take a look." A strong, inexplicable premonition suddenly surged in Chu Yun's heart. The four of them slowly walked to the center of the open space. When they got closer, they could see clearly that the glowing object was a jade pendant. The jade pendant had a very ancient shape. It felt somewhat similar to the half jade pendant on Chu Yun's chest and the "Heart of Heaven" he had obtained in the Mechanical City, but it was completely different. "This is..." Chu Yun's breathing suddenly became rapid. He slowly reached out and picked up the jade pendant from the ground. The moment his fingers touched the jade pendant, a cool, peaceful and inclusive energy immediately surged from the jade pendant and flowed through his body. His head, which was about to split apart due to excessive mental exhaustion, was miraculously relieved by the soothing energy. "This is..." Chu Yun's eyes were filled with shock. He could sense that this energy came from the same source as the Taiyi Qi within him, but it represented neither "destruction" nor "birth," but rather a higher-level force, akin to "suppression" and "stabilization." "The third fragment of the Evil-Suppressing Seal..." He came to this conclusion almost subconsciously. "What?!" Li Ge and Mo Li exclaimed simultaneously. "Why is it here?" Mo Li asked, puzzled. "I guess... I guessed it," Chu Yun said, his eyes complicated as he looked at the jade pendant in his hand. "Nightmare itself is an extremely concentrated form of pure spiritual energy. This fragment of the Evil-Suppressing Seal was likely drawn here by sensing this immense energy, and has been suppressed by the Nightmare's negative emotions, thus remaining undiscovered." "And after we purified the Nightmare, the transformed pure spiritual energy actually became the 'nutrient' that nourished it, which is why it appeared." This speculation, while a bit unbelievable, was the most reasonable explanation at the moment. "Anyway, I've finally found it," Mo Li breathed a sigh of relief. "Now the three fragments are finally complete." "Yes," Chu Yun nodded, carefully placing the new jade pendant in his arms. Just then, something unexpected happened. As the new jade pendant approached the other two fragments in his arms, the three fragments, as if sensing something, simultaneously emitted a slight humming sound, which grew increasingly rapid! A vast energy wave, several times more powerful than before, suddenly spread out from his arms! Chu Yun's expression changed instantly. That vast energy wave had arrived quickly, and it vanished just as quickly...
"Let's go take a look." Chu Yun suddenly felt a strong, inexplicable premonition. The four of them slowly walked to the center of the open space.
As they got closer, they could see clearly that the glowing object was a jade pendant. This jade pendant had a very simple shape and was somewhat similar to the half jade pendant on Chu Yun's chest and the "Heavenly Heart" he got in the Machinery City, but it was completely different.
"This is..." Chu Yun's breathing suddenly became rapid. He slowly reached out and picked up the jade pendant from the ground.
The moment his fingers touched the jade pendant, a cool, soothing, and inclusive energy gushed out, flowing through his entire body. His head, aching from the intense mental exertion that threatened to split, miraculously eased under the soothing influence of this energy.
"This is..." Chu Yun's eyes were full of shock. He could feel that this energy came from the same source as the Taiyi Qi in his body, but it represented neither "destruction" nor "birth", but a higher level of power similar to "suppression" and "stability".
"The third fragment of the Evil-Suppressing Seal..." He came to this conclusion almost subconsciously.
"What?!" Li Ge and Mo Li exclaimed at the same time.
"Why is it here?" Mo Li asked in confusion.
"I guess... I guessed it." Chu Yun looked at the jade pendant in his hand with a complicated look in his eyes. "Nightmare itself is a kind of extremely concentrated pure spiritual energy. This fragment of the evil seal was probably attracted here by sensing this huge energy, and it has been suppressed by the negative emotions of the nightmare, so it has not been discovered."
"After we purified the nightmare, the pure spiritual energy that was transformed became the 'nutrients' that nourished it, so it appeared." Although this speculation sounds a bit incredible, it is the most reasonable explanation at the moment.
"Anyway, I finally found it." Mo Li breathed a sigh of relief. "Now the three fragments are finally complete."
"Yeah." Chu Yun nodded and carefully put the new jade pendant into his arms.
At this moment, something unexpected happened. When the new jade pendant approached the other two fragments in his arms, the three fragments seemed to sense something and simultaneously emitted a slight humming sound, which became increasingly rapid! A vast energy wave, several times more powerful than before, suddenly spread out from his arms! Chu Yun's face changed instantly.
The vast energy surge vanished just as quickly as it arrived. It lasted only a few seconds, and the resonance of the three Evil-Suppressing Seal fragments returned to calm, as if forcibly suppressed by an invisible hand. But even in those few brief seconds, the three present were already breaking into cold sweats.
"What's going on?" Mo Li was the first to react. She immediately stepped forward and looked at Chu Yun nervously, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Chu Yun shook his head, his face still a little pale, but his eyes were unusually bright, "They are just... too 'excited'. It's like brothers who have been separated for many years and finally meet again." As he spoke, he took out all three pieces from his arms.
He saw the half jade pendant engraved with the word "Chu," the "Heart of Heaven" that felt like a core of energy, and the new jade pendant he had just acquired, emitting a peaceful aura, lying quietly in his palm. Each of them emitted a faint light, forming a strange and stable energy cycle between them.
"They 'complement' each other." Li Ge looked at the three fragments. Her ghost doctor skills allowed her to clearly feel the subtle flow of energy between them. "Each fragment represents a different kind of power. When they are put together, it seems that they form a...complete 'Tao'."
"A complete 'Tao'..." Chu Yun repeated softly, looking at the fragments in his hand, thoughtfully.
"Don't study it for now." Mo Li interrupted his thoughts. She glanced at the villagers around them who were looking at them with curiosity and awe, and said in a low voice, "It's not suitable to stay here for long. We made such a big noise. Although we have purified the nightmare, there is no guarantee that it will not attract other things. We must leave as soon as possible."
"I agree." Li Ge also nodded, "Besides, we are not in good condition now and are not suitable for fighting. We must find a safe place to rest."
Chu Yun knew they were right. He put the three fragments away and said to Zhilan, "Zhilan, we're leaving. You..." He wanted to ask if Zhilan wanted to go with them, but the words stopped. He knew that Zhilan didn't belong in their world of murder and conspiracy.
Under the villagers' grateful and complicated gazes, the four of them silently left the village and returned to the cave where they had rested before.
…
Inside the cave, the crackling bonfire dispelled the night's chill. The four sat around the fire, silent, a delicate silence forming. In their dreams, they had crossed the "bridge of the heart," unreservedly revealing their deepest fears and most vulnerable secrets to one another. They witnessed Chu Yun's resistance and struggle against the fate of the Daoshu, Li Ge's guilt and devotion towards his family, and Mo Li's yearning for and self-blame for his family's glory.
It could be said that they now understood each other better than anyone else in the world. But precisely because of this, when they returned to the real world, freed from the extreme circumstances of shared life and death, they didn't know how to face each other. It was like two strangers who had just experienced a thrilling adventure and, after returning to their peaceful daily lives, suddenly found themselves at a loss for how to start a normal conversation.
In the end, it was Mo Li, who was never good at handling such emotional issues, who was the first to break the silence. She glanced at Chu Yun, who was closing his eyes and regulating his breathing, and then at Li Ge, who was concentrating on wiping the silver needle. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke somewhat unnaturally, "That... in the dream... I..." She seemed to want to say something, but didn't know how to say it, and her pretty face flushed slightly.
"I saw it." Li Ge didn't look up, but said lightly, "You saw your people, they are all blaming you."
Mo Li's body stiffened for a moment.
"I saw it too." Chu Yun also opened his eyes. He looked at Mo Li with a calm and sincere look. "I saw how you used your own willpower to reject those false 'glories' in that magnificent hall. You are amazing."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com