The embers of fire contain jade, and the first awakening is not human.
The collapse of the Hall of Rebirth did not attract much attention from the outside world. In the past ten years of demonic corruption and resource scarcity, the various tribes of the Demon Realm had long been accustomed to all kinds of bad news. Only a few of Yun Zhiyu's most core Snow Owl guards silently carried their seriously injured and unconscious leader out of the ruins and placed him in the deepest part of the "Frost Camp," which now serves as a temporary stronghold.
Yun Zhiyu was unconscious for three days.
He was tossed about in endless nightmares, sometimes seeing the young master Yun Zhixue burn to ashes under the starfall scar, sometimes seeing Mo Xiaoyu's crystal heart shatter inch by inch, and finally being dragged into the abyss by that cold and greedy will. It wasn't until a faint but unusually stubborn warmth, like grass seeds buried deep in the cold winter, continuously emanated vitality from his heart that he was slowly pulled back from the dark swamp.
On the morning of the fourth day, he suddenly opened his eyes. His icy blue pupils were initially unfocused, but then quickly focused. The weakness from his serious injuries swept over his body, but his first action was to reach out and touch his chest—the young master's jade pendant was still there, warm to the touch, and even... more alive than before.
He carefully probed the jade pendant with his divine sense.
Previously, this jade pendant only carried a trace of Yun Zhixue's original demonic power, like stagnant water without a source. But now, deep within that demonic power, he "saw" two extremely tiny specks of light nestled together. One was like a flickering flame in the wind, its light dim and uncertain; the other was like a frozen sword tip, radiating a chilling aura and a faint will to protect.
They were too faint to even be considered complete fragments of consciousness; they were more like the most primal imprints of the soul, clinging to life by relying on each other's aura and the shared power within the jade pendant.
Yun Zhiyu tried to touch it with her divine sense.
"Young Master? Miss Mo?"
There was no response. Only the glassy flame flickered slightly as his divine sense approached, conveying a hint of almost instinctive "closeness" and "weariness." The frozen sword tip emitted a faint ripple, protecting the glassy flame in the center, displaying a natural wariness towards the external probing.
Yun Zhiyu withdrew his divine sense, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He had succeeded, yet he had also failed. He had indeed brought back a portion of their soul essence, averting complete annihilation. But could this state still be called "alive"? Could they ever return to being the Yun Zhixue and Mo Xiaoyu they once were?
He didn't know. But he gripped the jade pendant tightly, a resolute light rekindling in his eyes. As long as there was even a sliver of a spark, he would never give up.
Meanwhile, in the human realm, at the Tianji Pavilion's Star Gazing Platform.
Xuan Chengzi frowned as he looked at the constellations on the celestial globe, which still pointed north and had a blank center. Several days ago, he had clearly sensed a powerful soul fluctuation attempting to break free from the constraints of the Starfall Mark. Although it seemed to have failed in the end, that momentary disturbance made him even more certain of his guess.
"The Myriad Manifestations of the Netherworld..." he murmured to himself, his wrinkled fingers tracing the ancient scroll he had just deciphered. "The soul's desolation is not its final resting place, but rather the gap between reincarnations... To return in reverse, one must use the blood of those of the same origin as a guide, and the resentment of all spirits as a bridge..."
A flicker of fanaticism and fear flashed in his eyes. If this record was true, then the Starfall Mark was not merely a prison, but possibly a twisted passage leading to the "Ruins of Return"! And Xie Yunzhi and Mo Xiaoyu's souls might very well be trapped in that chasm between life and death. Forcibly opening the passage to bring their souls back would inevitably disturb the "rules" of the Ruins of Return itself—that is, that cold, devouring will.
“Blood of the same origin… the resentment of all spirits…” Xuan Chengzi pondered, “Yun Zhixue is dead, and her reincarnation… may be the key. And the resentment of all spirits…” His gaze turned towards the direction of the Spring of Youth in the Southern Frontier and the Desolate Domain in the Northern Border. Those desolate places born from the traces of falling stars were filled with fragments of souls filled with pain and despair. Weren’t they the most intense “resentment”?
A crazy and dangerous plan gradually took shape in his mind.
At the Frost Camp, Yun Zhiyu's injuries were slowly healing with the support of elixirs and his own powerful physique. He spent most of his time in the meditation room, nurturing the remnant soul within the jade pendant on one hand, and consciously guiding the wisp of icy sword intent belonging to Yun Zhixue within the jade pendant on the other.
At first, this sword intent was very repulsive to him, carrying Xie Yunzhi's unique aloofness. But Yun Zhiyu did not force it to be refined. Instead, he slowly infused it with his purest snow owl demon power every day, as if treating a sleeping senior, telling him about the current predicament of the demon realm, and expressing his memories and promises to the young master.
Water dripping wears away stone. Several days later, the sword intent seemed to acknowledge his bloodline and will, no longer rejecting it, and even began to actively absorb the demonic power he provided. The icy aura on it gradually resonated subtly with Yun Zhiyu's own demonic power.
On this day, as he was concentrating on guiding his sword intent, the jade pendant on his chest suddenly felt slightly hot!
It didn't come from sword intent, but from that tiny spark of glass!
He immediately immersed his consciousness into it.
The once flickering, shimmering flame had become much more stable and was now emitting a clear, yearning intent—not for demonic power, but for… energy, the vast and pure energy of heaven and earth!
Almost simultaneously, a guard's urgent voice came from outside the quiet room: "Chief! Something terrible has happened! The batch of 'Moonstones' we just brought back... they... they are losing their sentience!"
Moonstone is one of the few minerals that can still stably provide gentle energy in the Demon Realm, making it an important resource for maintaining the operation of the camp's formations and treating the wounded.
Yun Zhiyu's heart stirred, and he immediately got up and left the meditation room. Upon arriving at the warehouse, he saw that the pile of moonstones, which had originally emitted a soft glow, was turning gray and rough at a visible speed, as if the energy within them had been instantly drained. The moment he stepped into the warehouse, the jade pendant on his chest became scalding hot, and the "desire" and "satisfaction" conveyed by the glassy flames became even stronger.
It's her! It's the instinct of Mo Xiaoyu's remnant soul, unconsciously absorbing external energy to repair itself!
Looking at the pile of ruined moonstones, Yun Zhiyu felt a pang of heartache, but even more so, she was overjoyed! The fact that she could actively absorb energy meant that her soul's essence was spontaneously seeking recovery! This was incredibly good news!
He immediately ordered: "It's alright. Dispose of these stones that have lost their spiritual power. Send more people to increase the mining of moonstone, at any cost!"
Although the guards were puzzled, they still obeyed the order and left.
Yun Zhiyu returned to the quiet room, stroking the warm jade pendant, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at the glass flame that seemed to have grown slightly stronger.
"Miss Mo...you really are...as troublesome as ever." He chuckled softly, but his tone carried an undisguised sense of satisfaction.
Trouble is nothing to fear, as long as there is hope.
However, neither Yun Zhiyu nor Su Xiaolou and Xuan Chengzi, who were far away in the human realm, noticed that at the moment when Yun Zhiyu forcibly pulled the remnant soul and Su Xiaolou disrupted the rules with the Nightmare Thorn, the pair of cold and silent "eyes" deep within the Starfall Scar briefly opened for a moment, indifferently "sweeping" across the directions of the demon realm and the human realm.
The hunt has only just begun. The price to maintain the "balance" of this world requires more souls to pay. And the fish that have escaped the largest mesh of the net often need more precious bait to lure them back onto the hook.
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