The two souls awaken, a torrent of memories surges forth.
The night in Xuanmo was icy cold.
Yun Zhiyu pushed his speed to the limit, starlight swirling beneath his feet. Each step left a pale silver imprint on the sand, which was then buried by the sandstorm. He deliberately chose to traverse areas with complex terrain, using the massive sand dunes and jagged rocks to avoid the terrifying aura behind him that seemed to cling to him like a malignant tumor.
The roars of the ancient scorpion's remains and the deathly tracking incantations of the Shadow Cultists relentlessly pursued him like death warrants. Although the massive undead creature was not as fast as him, the pressure it exuded was like an invisible swamp, constantly eroding his demonic power and will. The annihilating chill that had been temporarily suppressed in his left arm began to stir again.
The jade pendant in his arms emitted a warm glow, and the circulation of the Ice Star River was stable and powerful, continuously transforming the power of the "Enlightenment" Star Key into the driving force to support his escape. He could clearly feel that the two remnant souls within the jade pendant were in a highly "active" state due to the extreme crisis in the outside world. It was no longer a simple instinct, but a kind of... throbbing that was about to break out of its cocoon.
During a forced traversal of a dense, wind-eroded stone forest, an unexpected event occurred!
Several condensed, eerie purple beams of death light, as if predicting his trajectory, shot out cunningly from the shadows of the stone forest! It was an ambush by the Silent Shadow Sect! They had actually sent a small team to circle around to the front ahead!
Yun Zhiyu's pupils shrank sharply. At this moment, his old strength had just been exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated. His body was in mid-air with nowhere to lean on, and he had no time to dodge! The corrosive and annihilating power contained in that death ray made his soul tremble!
He was about to be swallowed by the death ray—
"Buzz!"
The jade pendant in his arms suddenly shone brightly! It was no longer the gentle starlight, but a blazing, intensely bright, glassy flame that seemed to burn everything!
A woman's figure, entirely composed of shimmering, fiery light, appearing both ethereal and incredibly clear, suddenly broke free from the jade pendant and stood in front of Yun Zhiyu! She glanced back at Yun Zhiyu, her eyes still bright and lively, carrying a hint of cunning, a hint of determination, and even more so... a clear longing that transcended the fog of life and death!
It was Mo Xiaoyu! Part of her consciousness awakened at that moment!
"Little Fish... No!" Yun Zhiyu's eyes were bloodshot as he screamed, trying to stop her, but he could only watch helplessly as the glass figure resolutely faced the deadly light!
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
The dark purple death light, powerful enough to annihilate even the soul, seemed to have met its nemesis the moment it touched the glassy fire. It hissed and was burned and purified by the pure and blazing fire of life.
However, the remaining power of the death ray still pierced through the slightly illusory glass figure and slammed into Yun Zhiyu behind him!
"puff--!"
Yun Zhiyu was struck as if by a heavy blow. His protective demonic aura shattered instantly, and a sharp pain of bone breaking shot through his chest. A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out, and he was thrown backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the hard sandstone. His consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
In the instant before he completely lost consciousness, he seemed to hear a heart-wrenching cry, choked with sobs, echoing clearly in the depths of his soul across fifty years:
"Clouds stop—!!!"
...
Chaos, endless chaos.
Cold and heat clashed wildly within my body, as if my soul was being torn apart and forcibly glued back together.
Fragmented images flashed through the darkness like a revolving lantern:
A woman in green smiled sweetly beneath a peach tree...
In the Suspended Mirror Palace, the resolute look in her eyes as she pressed her warm, glassy heart into his chest...
Beneath the scars of a fallen star, the unspeakable pain and reluctance as the soul is scattered...
Before the Mirror Image Guardians of Flowing Sand City, that sword strike where ice and fire intertwined...
And... that illusory figure that stood in front of her, burning with iridescent flames, and her final, heart-wrenching cry...
"Little fish..."
A deep, hoarse voice, filled with endless pain and realization, resounded in the depths of Yun Zhiyu's mind (or rather, a consciousness awakening deep within this body).
Immediately afterwards, a chilling sword intent, far purer and sharper than Yun Zhiyu's own, imbued with aloofness and a protective will, erupted from the jade pendant like a volcano that had slumbered for millennia, instantly taking over the severely injured and collapsing body!
Yun Zhiyu (Xie Yunzhi) suddenly opened her eyes!
Those icy blue eyes were no longer the resolute and forbearing ones of the past, but filled with the vicissitudes of life and death and the understanding of reincarnation, and an unquestionable majesty! Although his face was still as pale as paper and his chest was seriously injured, his spine was straight, like a solitary peak that would never bend!
He looked down at the jade pendant in his arms, its light dimmed and the flame of its glass almost invisible, a sharp pain flashing in his eyes. He gently stroked the pendant, his movements as tender as if it were a rare treasure.
"Idiot... This time, it's my turn."
He raised his head and looked at the Shadow Cultists who were closing in from all directions, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty, as well as the ancient scorpion remains that were slowly approaching from behind the stone forest, emanating a terrifying pressure.
No words were spoken.
He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers forming a sword shape. At his fingertips, instead of ice crystals, a single, exquisitely condensed, sparkling point of light leaped forth! It was the fusion of Mo Xiaoyu's remaining power and his own sword intent!
Using your finger as a sword, gently swipe forward.
A thin, glassy thread, seemingly capable of cutting through space, silently swept past the few Shadow Cultists at the forefront.
The cultists remained in their forward-charging posture, their bodies silently cleaved in two. The cuts were smooth as mirrors, with no blood flowing out, only the glassy marks left by the combined effects of extreme heat and cold! Their souls were instantly annihilated by the ice and fire Daoist principles contained within the sword energy!
The power of that single sword strike was terrifying!
The remaining Shadow Cultists stopped in shock, fear finally showing in their gray eyes.
The ancient scorpion's remains let out an angry roar, and its huge stinger, carrying an all-consuming dark purple light, crashed down like a pillar of heaven!
Yun Zhizhi (Xie Yunzhi)'s gaze remained unchanged, and the spark of glass at his fingertips suddenly magnified, transforming into a glass light shield as thin as a cicada's wing that stretched across his front.
"clang--!!!"
The deafening impact was deafening! The purplish death ray collided violently with the glass light shield, and the turbulent energy pulverized the surrounding sandstone into dust!
The light shield fluctuated violently, yet stubbornly remained unbroken! Yun Zhizhi groaned, another trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, clearly struggling to hold on. He was, after all, only a remnant soul had awakened, relying on a heavily injured body.
But in that stalemate—
The jade pendant in his arms, with its extremely faint, glassy flame, seemed to sense his hardship and stubbornly pulsed once more, conveying a faint yet unwavering support.
At the same time, a clear, concerned, and anxious female thought, like a gentle stream, flowed into his mind (and also into the original consciousness of Yun Zhiyu deep within his body):
[Yun Zhi... Be careful... Don't push yourself...]
And... thank you for coming... to find me...
The thought, though faint, was incredibly clear! It was Mo Xiaoyu! Her consciousness hadn't completely dissipated; she had simply fallen into a deep sleep due to overexertion!
In Yun Zhizhi's (Xie Yunzhi's) cold eyes, endless tenderness and an even stronger will to protect her surged forth in an instant.
"wait for me……"
He silently recited the mantra, and his eyes sharpened once more. Using the force of the ancient scorpion's stinger, he flew backward like a willow catkin, while simultaneously flicking his fingertips. Several streams of light, imbued with starfire sword energy, shot towards the eye sockets and joints of the ancient scorpion's remains. Although they failed to inflict fatal wounds, they successfully hindered its movement.
"Walk!"
He no longer lingered in battle. He glanced deeply at the terrified Shadow Cultists and the roaring Ancient Scorpions, then turned into a streak of light and fled without hesitation into the depths of the Xuanmo Desert, instantly disappearing into the vast night and sandstorm.
This time, the Shadow Cult members, gazing at the glassy remains scattered across the ground and the ancient scorpion temporarily halted, dared not give chase immediately.
In the silent sea of sand, only the unwilling roars of the ancient scorpion's remains echoed.
Deep within Yun Zhiyu's (or rather, Yun Zhizhi, who was currently in control of the body) sea of consciousness, a dialogue that transcended the boundaries of life and death was taking place silently.
"You're awake." A slightly weak thought belonging to Yun Zhiyu echoed.
【Yes. Thank you for protecting her until now.】 Xie Yunzhi's mental response was filled with gratitude and complex emotions.
"She did it to save me too..." Yun Zhiyu's thoughts were filled with guilt and sorrow.
[Don't blame yourself. This was our shared choice.] Xie Yunzhi's words were gentle yet firm. [The most urgent task is to find the next Star Key as soon as possible to stabilize her soul source. Your body... is also nearing its limit.]
I know. I've memorized the star map left by the sand. Next stop... 'River of Rebirth'.
Two consciousnesses, united in their shared mission to protect one another, achieved an unprecedented level of understanding and unity at this moment.
Hope and crisis coexist, awakening and slumber intertwine.
The road ahead is still long.
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