The remnant soul is entrusted with the mandate of heaven.
After the voice of the remnant soul of the Ancestral Dragon dissipated, the abyss fell into an eerie silence. The dragon bones still emitted a shimmering white light, but the immense pressure gradually subsided, as if a weary giant had finally found peace.
Mo Xiaoyu stared blankly at Xie Yunzhi. The touch of his fingertips brushing her cheek still lingered, carrying a strange tenderness that came with the passage of time. Looking into the unfathomable depths of his eyes, her heart clenched slightly. At this moment, he was both familiar and strange.
"You..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to ask. Should she ask him how much he remembered, or who he was at this moment?
Xie Yunzhi slowly withdrew his hand, his gaze shifting from her face back to the massive dragon skeleton. His eyes held a complex mix of reverence, grief, and heaviness, ultimately settling into an almost frozen solemnity.
“It hasn’t completely dissipated yet,” he suddenly said, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “It’s waiting for me.”
Before the words were finished, a faint but pure golden light slowly emerged from the spot on Long Gu's chest where the Zhan Yuan Sword had pierced him. The golden light flickered like a candle in the wind, yet it exuded an ancient aura that sent chills down one's spine.
Mo Xiaoyu instinctively held her breath. She saw the golden light slowly drift away from the dragon bone, like a dandelion seed, light yet carrying immense weight, floating towards Xie Yunzhi.
Xie Yunzhi did not dodge; he simply stood there quietly, as if he had anticipated this moment. He even closed his eyes slightly, like a believer preparing to be baptized.
The moment the golden light touched his brow, a stream of information far more vast and ancient than the previous flood of memories gently and firmly surged into his sea of consciousness.
This time, it is no longer a painful replay, but a kind of inheritance, a kind of entrustment.
Within the sea of consciousness, the scenery shifts and changes.
He felt as if he were standing beneath an endless starry sky, with a flowing silver river beneath his feet. The ancient and majestic figure of the Ancestral Dragon appeared before him in the form of a spirit, more sacred and more weary than the skeleton.
"He who holds the jade, you have finally arrived." The voice of the Ancestral Dragon resounded directly in the depths of Xie Yunzhi's soul, carrying a sigh of relief.
"Senior." Xie Yunzhi (or rather, the one currently more dominated by Yunxi's consciousness) bowed respectfully. He could sense the weakness of the Ancestral Dragon's soul body, a kind of consumption that originated from its very source and was almost irreversible.
"Time is running out, listen carefully." Zu Long's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space. "The Qingtian River is no ordinary river. It is the place where the spiritual veins of heaven and earth converge, and it is also the 'source river' that maintains the balance of this world."
As Zu Long spoke, Xie Yunzhi "saw" a dazzling river of light that stretched across the heavens and earth, in which the vitality of countless living beings and the circulation of spiritual energy were all closely related.
"Three hundred years ago, an alien demon from beyond the heavens coveted this world, intending to pollute the source and turn this place into a demonic land. I, Yunxi, the Mo clan, and many other powerful beings at the time rose up to resist. That so-called 'flood' was actually a 'spiritual vein backlash' that erupted after the source was polluted."
The scene changed again. The once brilliant river of light was corrupted by the dark filth, becoming violent, out of control, and turning into a destructive torrent.
"We risked our lives to set up the 'Nine Revolutions Sealing Spirit Array' in an attempt to purify the source and expel the alien demons. At the critical moment, Su Yan was taken advantage of by his inner demons, coveting the spacetime power contained in the Dream-Tracing Jade, which caused the array to become unbalanced and all our efforts to be in vain." Zu Long's voice was filled with deep regret and a hint of anger. "To repair the array's foundation, the Mo clan burned their divine souls, and I also exhausted my own source, barely managing to seal most of the pollution deep within the river's eye. However, the alien demons' will has not been completely extinguished, and the pollution is still slowly eroding the seal."
Xie Yunzhi was deeply shaken. The truth was far more cruel than he had imagined. This was not merely an internal grudge among humans, but a war concerning the very survival of this world.
"Three hundred years are approaching, and the power of the seal is much weaker than before. If the seal cannot be strengthened and the source purified within eighty-one days of the next peak of the 'Spirit Tide', the backlash of the spiritual veins that have been suppressed for three hundred years will completely erupt. At that time, the flood will be devastating, all things will perish, and this world will be devoid of life."
Eighty-one days! Xie Yunzhi felt an immense pressure instantly descend upon him.
“You are the reincarnation of Yunxi, the chosen holder of the Dream Jade, and the only one who can inherit my remaining power and lead the repair of the formation.” Zulong stared intently at him. “This is your destiny, and also your responsibility.”
"What... should I do?" Xie Yunzhi's voice was hoarse.
"Find the other eight fragments of the 'Spirit Sealing Stele' scattered in various places, use the Dream-Tracing Jade as a guide and the Abyss-Slaying Sword as a brush to redraw the Nine-Turn Spirit Sealing Array. But remember, the core of the array requires two people with compatible minds and complementary spiritual power to jointly wield it. One is the jade holder, and the other is... the array guardian."
Zulong's gaze seemed to pierce through Xie Yunzhi's sea of consciousness and land on Mo Xiaoyu, who was nervously guarding the outside world.
“She carries the bloodline of the Mo clan and is deeply entangled with you in karma, making her the perfect choice to guard the formation. The ‘Soul-Stabilizing Pearl’ on her chest is a relic of the Mo clan from back then. It can stabilize your mind and protect your soul at critical moments. The two of you complement each other and neither can be missing.”
So that jade bead was called the Soul-Stabilizing Bead. Xie Yunzhi understood now; no wonder it could calm the turmoil in his sea of consciousness.
“Senior, the Su family…” Xie Yunzhi recalled Su Qingqing’s obsession and madness.
"Su Yan's mistakes have affected his descendants. His clansmen have been blinded by the distorted history and have become obsessed with evil. However, with the great calamity approaching, if possible... I hope you can guide them towards good. The more strength you have, the greater your chances of victory. If not..." Zu Long's voice carried a hint of compassion, "then put the well-being of the people first."
This was almost an impossible task. Xie Yunzhi felt the burden on his shoulders was so heavy that he could hardly breathe. Not only did he have to repair the formation that concerned the survival of the world, but he also had to face the pursuit and obstruction from "his own people".
"Child," Zulong's voice grew weaker and weaker, his soul gradually becoming transparent, "Do not repeat the same mistakes... Do not... leave any more regrets... Protect... what you want to protect..."
The final words transformed into specks of golden light, like warm raindrops, merging into Xie Yunzhi's sea of consciousness. He felt a pure and gentle dragon essence flow into his limbs and bones, blending seamlessly with his own spiritual power. His cultivation surged instantly, breaking through one bottleneck after another, directly approaching the Nascent Soul realm. At the same time, the profound mysteries of the Nine Revolutions Sealing Spirit Array and the methods for sensing the fragments of the Sealing Spirit Stele were clearly imprinted in his memory.
The legacy has ended.
In the abyss, Xie Yunzhi suddenly opened his eyes.
A flash of golden light appeared in his eyes, and his aura was harmonious and restrained, yet unfathomable. The Zhan Yuan sword in his hand emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, as if rejoicing at the awakening of its true master.
"Yun Zhi?" Mo Xiaoyu called out cautiously, clearly sensing that he was different. It wasn't just an improvement in his cultivation level, but a transformation from the inside out, like a long-sealed divine weapon finally wiping away the dust and revealing its unparalleled sharpness.
Xie Yunzhi turned around and looked deeply into her eyes. The look no longer held the confusion and struggle of before, but was filled with a calm determination.
“Little Fish,” he began, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable power, “I know everything. The truth about the cataclysmic event of the Heavenly River, our mission, and… the time left.”
He briefly told her about the information of the Ancestral Dragon's legacy, including her identity as the guardian of the formation, the origin of the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl, and the imminent eighty-one-day deadline.
As Mo Xiaoyu listened, her face gradually paled. The survival of the world, the sacrifice of their ancestors, the heavy mission… these things far exceeded the comprehension of an ordinary handyman disciple, even beyond the understanding of a cultivator. She subconsciously clenched the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl on her chest; the icy touch calmed her down slightly.
"So...we only have eighty-one days?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Yes." Xie Yunzhi nodded, his gaze sweeping across the abyss above. "Moreover, what we will face first is probably not the alien demons, but the pursuit from our 'fellow cultivators'."
He reached out his hand, not to take hers, but to offer her his open palm. It was an invitation, a gesture that gave her the choice.
"The road ahead is fraught with peril, a near-certain death. You can choose to leave, and I will never blame you." His eyes were honest and solemn. He remembered the pain of his past life, and in this life, he didn't want to force her to sacrifice anything for him again.
Mo Xiaoyu looked at his hands, his fingers clearly defined, his palms calloused from sword practice. She remembered the weeping by the cold pool, the guarding outside the alchemy room, the poisoned sword he shielded her from... all those memories, flowing together like a river.
She looked up, her eyes still showing lingering fear, but now filled with even greater determination. She gently placed her hand in his palm.
“In the past life, you bore the burden alone, and the ending was regret. In this life,” she held his hand tightly, her tone firm, “I said I would face it with you. Whatever the mission or calamity, we will bear it together.”
The warmth and strength emanating from her palm warmed Xie Yunzhi's icy heart. He turned and gripped her hand tightly, as if holding a lost treasure that had been found again.
"Okay." A thousand words can be summed up in just this one.
He took her hand, turned to face the dragon skeleton that was beginning to lose its luster, and bowed deeply.
Then, he raised the Abyss-Slaying Sword in his hand, pointing the tip of the sword at the exit above the abyss that was blocked by thick fog, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.
"Then let's go. Let's meet those people who are waiting for us."
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