On the main peak of Taixu, fierce winds howled.
Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao rode their swords, charging straight through the breach in the mountain-guarding array. The scene before them filled their hearts with dread and horror: nine strands of green light were coiled like chains around the Receiving Platform, and dozens of Taixu disciples lay sprawled across the ground in disorder, each with a green mark between their brows.
"Soul-Locking Curse!" Chu Yao immediately squatted down to inspect them. "They are still alive, but their souls have been imprisoned!"
Yun Qingyu raised his head to look at the center of the Receiving Platform. Lingxiaozi was kneeling on one knee, blood streaming from his facial orifices. His longsword had snapped into two pieces, yet he was still desperately shielding the Soul Lamp behind him. And that lamp—its flames, originally an interweaving of gold and blue, had now turned almost entirely green, burning so faintly that they could be extinguished at any moment!
"Senior Lingxiao!" Yun Qingyu rushed forward in a single stride.
The old sword immortal raised his head with great difficulty, his left eye already clouded over. "Qingyu... Chu Yao... leave quickly... the Nether Lord has made a move in person..."
"Where is Nian'er?" Chu Yao's voice trembled.
Lingxiaozi did not answer, only trembling as he pointed toward the Soul Lamp. Following his gesture, Yun Qingyu saw that the flames of the lamp vaguely reflected the scene inside the Taixu Secret Realm—Little Nianyao was trapped inside a green crystal, and countless hair-thin green threads were piercing into her young body. Even more terrifyingly, three familiar figures stood beside the child: Lin Qingyang and two Taixu elders, all of their eyes glowing with a nether-green light!
"The traitor really is Lin Qingyang!" Yun Qingyu's fury caused his hair to stand on end. "Senior, please open the secret realm passage immediately!"
"No... I cannot..." Lingxiaozi coughed up a mouthful of black blood. "The secret realm has been contaminated by Nether Qi... forcing it open now will only play right into the Lord's hands..."
Li Taibai arrived shortly after, and upon seeing the situation, immediately fed a medicinal pill to Lingxiaozi. "Old friend, hold on!"
After taking the medicine, Lingxiaozi's complexion improved slightly, and he struggled to sit up. "Listen to me... The Nether Lord has used an ancient forbidden art... He is going to transform Nian'er into the 'Nether Sacred Body'... Once he succeeds..."
"What will happen?" Chu Yao asked urgently.
"He will be able to ignore the seal... and descend directly into the mortal world through Nian'er's body!" Lingxiaozi's words plunged everyone into an abyss of freezing despair.
Yun Qingyu clenched his fists. "Then we'll forcefully disrupt the ritual!"
"It's no use... The secret realm is now like the Nether Lord's home turf..." Lingxiaozi smiled bitterly. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless someone can enter the secret realm without carrying the slightest trace of spiritual fluctuations." Lingxiaozi looked at Li Taibai. "Just like you, who possessed the 'Yin-Dark Body' a hundred years ago..."
Li Taibai's expression changed. "Are you saying... you want me to cripple my own cultivation?"
"No." Lingxiaozi shook his head. "I mean... soul-wandering the void."
Yun Qingyu's heart shook. Soul-wandering the void was a secret, forbidden art of the Taixu Sword Sect, which allowed the primordial spirit to leave the physical body and cross barriers. But the risks were immense; the slightest misstep would cause the soul to scatter completely!
"I'll go!" Chu Yao said without the slightest hesitation. "My Cold Moon bloodline is best suited for primordial spirit detachment."
"No." Yun Qingyu flatly refused. "If anyone goes, it will be me."
"Stop arguing, both of you." Li Taibai suddenly spoke. "This old man is the most suitable to go. First, my cultivation is the highest, and second..." He patted his wine gourd, "this treasure can protect my primordial spirit from dispersing."
Lingxiaozi pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement. "But you must remember—you cannot use any spiritual power whatsoever inside the secret realm, or you will be immediately detected by the Nether Lord."
Li Taibai laughed heartily. "Don't worry, back in the day, when this old man looted the entire immortal realm, I relied entirely on mortal kung fu!"
There was no time to lose. Forcing himself up despite his severe injuries, Lingxiaozi restarted the Receiving Platform. Nine unconscious elders were brought over, barely enough to gather the number required for the array.
"During the soul-wandering, your physical body must be guarded by someone," Lingxiaozi urged. "The Nether Hall will not let this opportunity pass..."
Yun Qingyu drew the Jiuxiao Sword. "Over my dead body will anyone be allowed to come within half a step of the seniors!"
Chu Yao took out twelve ice crystals, setting up the Cold Moon Palace's strongest "Mystic Ice Demon-Sealing Array".
With preparations complete, Li Taibai sat cross-legged at the eye of the array, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp of wine. "Exhilarating! It's been so long since I've played something this thrilling!" With that, he formed hand seals and chanted incantations. A translucent figure gradually emerged above his head—it was precisely his primordial spirit.
"Remember, you only have three hours," Lingxiaozi said solemnly. "Once the time is up, you must return, or else..."
"I know, I know, my soul will scatter into nothingness!" Li Taibai's primordial spirit waved dismissively, transforming into a streak of azure light that plunged into the Receiving Platform.
The light of the array blazed brilliantly, then returned to tranquility. Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao stood guard on either side, vigilantly scanning their surroundings. The entirety of Mount Taixu was terrifyingly quiet at that moment; even the sound of the wind had vanished.
A quarter of an hour... half an hour... Time trickled slowly by.
Suddenly, the flame of the Soul Lamp flickered, and the green color faded slightly. Yun Qingyu's heart leapt with joy. "Senior Li has found Nian'er!"
Before his voice had even faded, an eerie laughter echoed from the distance. "Found her so what? It's merely sending one more sacrifice..."
Black mist surged from all directions, condensing into a human shape in front of the Receiving Platform—Mo Shang, the Left Envoy of the Nether Hall! Yet his aura at this moment was several times more formidable than it had been at Return to Void, reaching almost the Tribulation Passing Stage!
"You're not dead?" Chu Yao said in shock.
Mo Shang sneered. "Under the protection of the Myriad Soul Banner, we are virtually undying and indestructible!" He waved his hand, and hundreds of nether creatures swarmed out from the black mist. "The Lord has ordered your lives taken!"
The battle was on the verge of erupting. Yun Qingyu unleashed the Jiuxiao Sword Art to its fullest, every sword strike carrying the white lotus purifying fire; Chu Yao's jade flute produced wave after wave of sound, her cold moon sword qi pouring down like rain. The two coordinated seamlessly, somehow holding off the tidal wave of attacks for the time being.
"Struggling on in a desperate gasp!" Mo Shang suddenly dissolved into black mist and vanished, appearing directly above the Receiving Platform the very next second. "Destroy this array, and Li Taibai will never be able to return!"
He condensed an ink-green sphere of light in his palm and smashed it fiercely toward the core of the array! At the critical moment of life and death, a streak of sword light flew from beyond the skies, deflecting the light sphere—it was Lingxiaozi's broken sword!
"Your opponent is this old man!" The old sword immortal stood up at some point; though his aura was weak, the fighting intent in his eyes blazed fiercely.
Mo Shang showed utter disdain. "A half-dead old thing, you dare to—"
Before he could finish speaking, Lingxiaozi suddenly bit the tip of his tongue, spitting a mouthful of vital blood onto the broken sword. That broken sword actually began to grow anew, transforming into a blood-red longsword from tip to hilt!
"Taixu Forbidden Art·Blood-Refining Demon Execution!" Lingxiaozi's hair and beard stood on end. "This sword is for the disciples of Mount Taixu who died!"
The blood-colored sword light shot across the sky like a rainbow, and the hurried defense Mo Shang had gathered shattered like paper! The sword qi pierced straight through his chest, and the Nether Left Envoy let out a piercing scream as his body disintegrated inch by inch!
"Impossible..." Mo Shang looked at the bloody hole in his chest in disbelief. "I was clearly... undying and indestructible..."
"The protection of the Myriad Soul Banner has its limits as well," Lingxiaozi said coldly. "This sword slays your very origin!"
Mo Shang finally dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and vanished. The remaining nether creatures, left without a leader, were quickly cleared away by Yun Qingyu and his wife.
However, the joy of victory had not even lasted a moment when the Soul Lamp shook violently! The scene within the lamp flames filled their souls with terror—the green crystal inside the secret realm had shattered, and Little Nianyao was suspended mid-air, her entire body entwined with ink-green chains. Even more frighteningly, Li Taibai's primordial spirit was bound by those same chains, struggling with all his might!
"Senior Li!" Chu Yao cried out involuntarily.
Inside the lamp flames, Little Nianyao suddenly opened her eyes—they had turned completely dark green! A hoarse male voice issued from her mouth:
"The game should end here... The day I descend in person... shall be the day of your destruction!"
The chains tightened abruptly, and Li Taibai's primordial spirit let out a painful roar. At this critical juncture, the gold-blue mark between Little Nianyao's brows suddenly blazed with brilliant light, and the child's own voice rang out weakly:
"No... not allowed... to harm... Grandfather Taibai..."
The two voices clashed within the child, and the image shook violently. Finally, with a "bang," the lamp flames exploded, and the Soul Lamp was completely extinguished!
"Nian'er!" Chu Yao collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.
Lingxiaozi's expression also changed drastically. "Not good! The connection to Li Taibai's primordial spirit has been severed!"
Yun Qingyu supported the tottering Lingxiaozi. "Senior, is there any other way to enter the secret realm?"
The old sword immortal smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless someone can execute 'Shattering the Void' and forcefully tear open a passage." Lingxiaozi looked at Yun Qingyu. "That requires at least the Great Vehicle Stage cultivation..."
Yun Qingyu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What realm is the complete form of the Mutual Heart Avatar equivalent to?"
Lingxiaozi was startled. "Theoretically... close to the Tribulation Passing Stage. But the two of you right now—"
"What if we burn our lifespan?"
"Qingyu!" Chu Yao grabbed his arm fiercely. "Have you lost your mind?"
Yun Qingyu gripped her hand back. "Remember our fusion at the Flame Demon Fortress? In that state, I could sense that... we were only a hair's breadth away from Shattering the Void."
"But how much lifespan would that consume? What if..."
"There are no 'what ifs'." Yun Qingyu looked at the extinguished Soul Lamp. "Nian'er cannot wait, Senior Li cannot wait, and the entire cultivation world cannot wait."
Tears streamed down Chu Yao's face, but she finally nodded. "Alright... We'll do it together."
Lingxiaozi let out a long sigh. "If you are determined to do this... this old man has a secret technique that can make your burning lifespan exert ten times its effect. But the price is..."
"What is it?"
"The Fate Pact might temporarily snap," Lingxiaozi said heavily. "You must prepare yourselves for the heart-to-heart connection to be forcefully severed."
Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao exchanged glances, seeing the unwavering resolve in each other's eyes. Their fingers intertwined, the power of the Fate Pact fully unleashed, and the two of them entered the fusion state once more.
The complete form of the Mutual Heart Avatar reappeared in the world. This time, it directly burned its lifespan, and a gold-blue flame of life engulfed its entire body! Lingxiaozi did not dare to delay, immediately forming hand seals and casting spells as a streak of blood-red light plunged between the avatar's brows.
"Open!"
The avatar let out a furious roar, its hands acting like blades as they slashed toward the void. With a ripping sound, space was forcefully torn open into a fissure! Through the fissure, the scene inside the Taixu Secret Realm was faintly visible—Little Nianyao was suspended in mid-air, completely shrouded in green light, while Li Taibai's primordial spirit was being dragged by chains toward a vortex resembling a black hole!
"Nian'er! Hang on!" The avatar charged into the fissure without hesitation.
The scene inside the secret realm was even more horrifying than what the Soul Lamp had shown. The entire sky had turned ink-green, nine green moons hung high, and many Taixu disciples lay scattered in disorder across the ground—all of them receiving emissaries responsible for caring for Little Nianyao. Lin Qingyang and the two elders stood beside the altar, the green light in their eyes malevolent and fierce.
The avatar's appearance immediately provoked a reaction. Lin Qingyang shouted sternly, "Who dares to trespass—"
Before he could finish, the avatar struck out with a single palm, sending him flying dozens of zhang away! The other two elders barely managed to move before they were subdued by the avatar with lightning speed.
"Senior Li!" The avatar dashed toward the black-hole vortex.
More than half of Li Taibai's primordial spirit had already been dragged in, and hearing the call, he raised his head with difficulty. "Be... careful... The Lord has planted... within Nian'er..."
Suddenly, the suspended Little Nianyao abruptly raised her head, the green light in her eyes blazing fiercely. "You've finally come... This seat has been waiting for you for a long time!"
The hoarse male voice overlapped with the child's voice, appearing bizarre to the extreme. The avatar's heart grew cold, knowing that the Nether Lord had partially taken control of the child's body.
"Let go of Nian'er!" the avatar shouted sternly, "or I'll scatter your soul to the winds!"
"Hahaha... Little Nianyao" laughed aloud, "just with this forcibly elevated avatar of yours?"
She—or rather the Nether Lord—waved her small hand, and nine streaks of green light descended from the sky, transforming into chains that wrapped around the avatar. The avatar wielded a sword in the left hand and a flute in the right, the gold-blue light weaving into a net that severed all the chains.
"It's useless... Little Nianyao" said sinisterly, "This child's body is merging with my primordial spirit... Soon, she will be me, and I will be you... Can you bear to harm your own flesh and blood?"
The avatar's movements paused. This was precisely their greatest weakness—no matter what, they could not deal a fatal blow to their daughter!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the black-hole vortex suddenly expanded, and Li Taibai's primordial spirit was completely swallowed! At the same time, more green-light chains shot out from all directions, surrounding the avatar tightly.
"Game over... Little Nianyao" announced triumphantly, "become the first sacrifice of the Lord's return to the mortal world!"
The chains tightened, and the avatar's movements grew increasingly sluggish. The power gained from burning lifespan was rapidly draining away; worse still, the Fate Pact was beginning to destabilize—Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao's consciousnesses were generating friction within the avatar!
"Qingyu... I can't hold on..." Chu Yao's voice echoed in their consciousness.
"Hold on a little longer..." Yun Qingyu gritted his teeth. "We must rescue Nian'er..."
"But... the Fate Pact is about to break..."
At this critical juncture of life and death, Lin Qingyang, who had been sent flying, suddenly stumbled to his feet. Unexpectedly, the green light in his eyes was weakening!
"Yun... Senior..." Lin Qingyang spoke with difficulty. "The... Nether Qi inside me... is weakening... Quick... attack that banner..."
Following his direction, the avatar saw that a black banner had appeared behind the altar at some unknown point—it was precisely the replica of the Myriad Soul Banner seen at Return to Void!
"So that's how it is... The source of the clone's power!" The avatar realized instantly.
Disregarding the sharp pain of the chains cutting into its body, the avatar poured all its remaining power into the sword and flute. A column of interwoven gold and blue light shot straight toward the Myriad Soul Banner!
"No! Little Nianyao" let out a non-human shriek.
The moment the pillar of light struck the banner, the entire secret realm shook violently! The black-hole vortex began to collapse, and the chains snapped one after another. Taking the opportunity, Li Taibai's primordial spirit broke free; though weak, he had finally escaped danger.
Even more gratifyingly, the green light enveloping Little Nianyao was also fading! The green color in the child's eyes flickered on and off, and two voices clashed within her:
"Get... out... This is... my body..."
Finally, with a crisp sound like shattering glass, all the green light completely dissipated. Little Nianyao fell from the air and was steadily caught by the avatar.
"Nian'er?" the avatar called out softly.
The child slowly opened her eyes, her pupils returning to clarity. "Daddy... Mommy... Nian'er missed you both so much..."
The Fate Pact finally reached its limit. Cracks appeared all over the avatar's body, and it finally split into two. Yun Qingyu and Chu Yao tumbled to the ground, both coughing up blood. Worst of all, that miraculous spiritual communion between them—the connection of the Fate Pact—had truly been severed, just as Lingxiaozi had foretold.
"Qingyu?" Chu Yao called out weakly, yet she could no longer feel that familiar telepathic tacit understanding.
Yun Qingyu tried to respond, only to find that the Fate Pact felt like a severed rope, leaving only a faint trace of connection. Suppressing his sense of loss, he scooped up his daughter. "Let's go home."
Li Taibai's primordial spirit returned to his physical body; though his vitality was severely damaged, his life was safe. When the three of them stumbled out from the fissure in the secret realm, Lingxiaozi finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Did you succeed?"
Yun Qingyu nodded, handing his daughter over to Chu Yao. "The Nether Lord's clone was beaten back, but..." He looked bitterly at his wife and daughter, "the Fate Pact is indeed broken."
Chu Yao held her daughter tightly, tears silently falling. Little Nianyao seemed to sense something, her small hand gently wiping away her mother's tears. "Mommy, don't cry... Nian'er will sing a lullaby for you..."
The child hummed the tune Chu Yao often sang, her childish voice exceptionally clear on the quiet Mount Taixu. Suddenly, Yun Qingyu felt something jump inside his chest—it was the response of the nearly vanished Fate Pact!
"Wait..." He looked at Chu Yao in astonishment. "Did you hear that?"
Chu Yao also wore an incredulous expression. "The Fate Pact... is reviving within Nian'er's singing?"
Lingxiaozi looked thoughtful. "Blood is thicker than water... Perhaps the child has become your new bond."
Li Taibai managed to sit up with difficulty. "No matter what, we won this time. But the Nether Lord will not let this rest..."
"Indeed," Lingxiaozi said solemnly. "We must gather the nine divine artifacts as soon as possible. Our next stop—"
"The Western Desert Buddha Realm," Li Taibai chimed in. "The Light-Time Pot is right beneath the Demon-Suppressing Tower of the 'Eternational Temple'."
Yun Qingyu looked at the drowsy daughter in his arms, then at Chu Yao, who was weak yet possessed a resolute gaze in her eyes. Though the Fate Pact was damaged, as long as the family was together, there was no difficulty they could not overcome.
In the distant sky, the first ray of morning light pierced through the nine green moons. The dark night would eventually pass, and their journey was still ongoing...