Soul Gathering (I)
"The essence of the Spirit Purifying Bottle... has never been in me... but in her... in the essence of this peach tree..."
Shadow Demon's voice became distorted and overlapping, as if her voice and Tao Hua's voice sounded at the same time. It was very strange, and every syllable made a teeth-grinding noise.
"Tell me, if even the roots that support the flower tree are completely withered and rotten... is there still a possibility... of it blooming again?"
“Aha ...
A wild laugh that was so shrill it didn't sound like a human voice suddenly erupted, tearing the stagnant air around them.
The two voices merged completely together, shaking the entire bottom of the Nine Nether Prison, making people's scalps tingle and their hair stand on end.
"You'll never save him! Never—"
"don't want--"
He Shu instantly understood her intention to die together with her, and with a roar that was almost tearful, he ran desperately towards the figure that exuded a breath of destruction.
He Qi beside him reacted faster, hugged him tightly around the waist, and used all his strength to drag him backwards:
"She wants to blow herself up, you can't stop her! Don't go and get yourself killed!"
Almost at the same time, Sang Li's white bone fan sensed its owner's intention and flew in front of the two of them in an instant.
The fan surface suddenly expanded several times, and complex runes flowed between the bone textures, like an indestructible giant shield, barely blocking them from the turbulent spiritual energy.
The next moment, an indescribable huge spiritual energy exploded, like a raging sea, instantly knocking the three people and the huge bone fan to the ground.
He Shu felt his mind was in turmoil, his vision went dark, and his internal organs seemed to be displaced by the shock.
As his blood and energy surged, he couldn't help but cough out a mouthful of hot blood, which splashed down in drops and soaked his lapel.
But he had no time to care about it, and couldn't even feel the pain in his body. There was only one thought in his mind that was screaming madly - Qingshan!
He Shu struggled to support his upper body with his trembling arms, and moved slowly and stubbornly towards the center of the area where spiritual power was in chaos and smoke and dust were everywhere.
My ears buzzed incessantly, and the sounds of the world became distant and blurred. My fingertips scratched bloody marks on the rough ground, and a broken, blood-frothing whisper emanated from deep in my throat:
"No...no...Qingshan..."
The bone fan blocking the front let out a wail as it could not bear the weight, and cracks spread rapidly on the fan. Finally, with a "crack", it shattered into pieces, turning into countless points of light, and fell sadly to the ground.
The smoke and dust slowly settled, and the vision gradually became clearer. He Shu finally saw the scene in front of him clearly -
Tao Hua's body was wrapped in a dark light, and the halo suddenly collapsed inward after blooming to its extreme.
She fell to the ground powerlessly, and the horrifying darkness on her face gradually faded away like the tide, revealing her beautiful face again, but with another shadow of pain faintly overlapping it.
That was the Shadow Demon's last struggle.
A drop of thick blood and tears slowly slid down from the corner of Tao Hua's tightly closed eyes, leaving a shocking mark on her pale skin.
Intermittent whispers drifted in the deathly silence, as if coming from far away:
"Chun Fei... I don't want to... I don't want to go back to that dark, restricted cage..."
The voice was extremely faint, yet extremely clear, and carried a sense of relief that was almost nihilistic.
"Let's go back together... Let's go back to the deep earth... It's dark, damp, and warm there... That's where we belong..."
Their bodies transformed into fine, shimmering gray-white dust, slowly drifting down like silent black snow, settling on the cold and silent prison stone, no longer distinguishable from each other.
The last whisper stopped abruptly.
Absolute silence enveloped everything.
Only a faint, bitter fragrance like burning flowers remained in the air.
He Shu stumbled forward. He stretched out his hand, trying in vain to grab the dust that had not yet completely dissipated, but his fingertips could not touch even a trace of the remaining warmth.
Qingshan... What should he do with his Qingshan...
The bone-chilling feeling of powerlessness was like the coldest lake water that completely engulfed him and froze every limb.
The last bit of strength in his body was completely drained, and he collapsed on the cold ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
He Shu couldn't make any sound, his eyes were dry and painful, as if all his tears and vitality had died along with the silent black snow.
——
The dead branches are twisted and tangled, piercing the sky ferociously.
There is no more blooming flower or green leaf.
Beneath the tree lay piled fallen flowers and leaves that seemed to have rotted in an instant. They melted into a dark brown mud, emitting a dull smell of dust and decay.
The peach tree in the yard that once bloomed brilliantly has completely withered.
He Shu was supported by He Qi and Sang Li on both sides and brought back to the cabin. What caught his eyes was such a completely dead and lifeless scene.
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief, and the last lingering hope in his heart was completely broken.
He stretched out his hand tremblingly, and carefully stroked the cracked and curled bark with his fingertips. The gray wood underneath was exposed, covered with marks of decay.
The whole tree stood stiffly, all its former tenderness and grace gone, leaving only a withered shell that had been ruthlessly drained of all vitality and spirituality, emitting a faint whine in the breeze.
"Qingshan——"
With a start, He Shu suddenly broke free from the support of the person beside him and staggered into the house. It was not until he saw Qingshan still lying safely on the bed that he suddenly stopped his panicked steps as if he had been cast under a spell.
He took a deep breath, subconsciously held it, and slowly approached the bed, his heartbeat beating like a drum in his chest.
The person on the couch lay motionless, his face sunk deep into the soft pillow, making it difficult to see clearly, but his posture was too quiet, so quiet that it made people feel uneasy and inexplicably frightened.
"Qingshan..."
He Shu's voice was dry and hoarse, and finally, his trembling fingertips touched a warm and even breath.
The heart that had been hanging in his throat fell back heavily to its original place, hitting him so hard that his body went limp and he could not hold on any longer, and he collapsed on the edge of the bed.
Qingshan is fine... At least at this moment, he's still alive... As long as he's still breathing... There's still hope...
He let out a long sigh, and only then realized that his back was soaked with cold sweat from fright.
But before he could completely relax, new worries quietly arose and tightly wrapped around his heart.
If what Shadow Demon said before self-destructing was true... then the Spirit Purifying Bottle and Tao Hua's soul are one, and are crucial to the survival of the Green Mountain Earth Soul...
Now that Tao Hua is dead and gone, her true form has withered... I'm afraid the Spirit Purifying Bottle... Qingshan... probably won't be able to hold on for much longer...
He Shu's heart was once again shrouded in a thick gloom. He reached out and gently touched Qingshan's cheek. His voice was as low as a dream, filled with endless sorrow and pleading:
"Why...why are you doing this...wake up...please wake up, okay?"
"nameless……"
Heqi's voice sounded softly from behind him, with a touch of fatigue and caution.
He Shu didn't look back, his eyes were still fixed on Qingshan's pale face.
"The heavenly soldiers have arrived. The prison base will need to be cleared and suppressed... I must return to Heaven immediately and report this incident to the Ministry of Justice..."
Heqi paused and slowed down his voice.
"I'll...go first..."
"…Give Madam Xi my regards."
He Shu lowered his head and held Qingshan's hand tightly, as if trying to draw a little strength from it.
After a moment's silence, he added in a low voice:
"By the way... please ask Emperor Xuanyue to descend to the mortal world immediately..."
"must."
Heqi agreed solemnly, said no more, and his figure quietly disappeared from the spot.
Heshu gently put Qingshan's hand back into the quilt and carefully tucked in the corners.
He stood up and walked back to the courtyard with a somewhat unsteady step. Sang Li came towards him and saw that her face was also a little pale. She seemed to have thought of something and lowered her eyes and asked:
"Your weapon..."
"Nothing."
Sang Li waved her hand, her tone calm.
"It's just a bone fan made from the bones of an ordinary spirit beast. Master added some rune power to it, so it can block the residual power of that...shadow demon's self-destruction..."
As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily looked inside the house, her brows slightly furrowed, and she seemed a little hesitant, but in the end she asked softly, with concern in her voice:
"Aoyama...how is he? Is he okay?"
He Shu's gaze also turned towards the half-open window, his voice filled with unconcealable sadness and worry:
"Perhaps the peaches I fed him before leaving are still having some effect... Qingshan's body is fine for now, but he's been unconscious and his breath is getting weaker and weaker... I don't know... how much longer he can hold on..."
"Wuming, don't be too desperate."
Sang Li tried to comfort her, her tone firmer.
"Master is Emperor Xuanyue, knowledgeable and powerful. He must have a way. You..."
"I heard that our little Wuming is looking for me?"
A voice that couldn't be more familiar, with a hint of teasing and laziness in its tone, suddenly sounded.
Xuan Tongzi appeared behind them out of nowhere and sat leisurely on the stone bench in the yard. He stroked his beard, looking relaxed and contented.
He obviously still had a mountain of questions, a heart full of resentment, anger and grievances that he wanted to question him, but when he really saw this person, He Shu was stunned for a moment.
Those intense emotions seemed to be drained away in an instant, leaving only a huge sense of confusion and helplessness.
He trembled his lips a few times, but didn't say a word. Instead, he walked towards the dead peach tree in the opposite direction.
Seeing this, Sang Li subconsciously stretched out her hand to stop him, but her raised hand paused in the air for a moment before slowly lowering it.
She could only turn and walk towards Xuan Tongzi, bow slightly and salute:
"Master."
"Alas, Master has told me many times that there's no need for these empty formalities..."
Xuan Tongzi waved his hand casually and patted Sang Li's arm gently.
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