Deep within Penglai Island, the mist was like a churned ink pool, so thick it seemed to solidify; each wisp of fog moved like a living thing, emitting low, mournful whimpers. Blood still welled from the wound on Shen Mingyue’s palm, bright red droplets sliding along her wrist bone to bleed into the crystal coffin lid, forming seductive, intricate patterns that looked like blooming spider lilies. Enduring the searing pain from her wound, she pressed the joined halves of the Jade Pendant against the lid. Her knuckles turned white from the intensity of her grip, and the veins beneath her skin bulged as if they might burst at any moment. Her nails dug deep into the old scars of her palm, blending new blood with old to stain the edges of the Jade Pendant with an uncanny design.
A gold and crimson light suddenly erupted from the dragon carvings on the pendant, as if molten magma had been injected into them, surging wildly through the meridians of her wrist. Shen Mingyue felt as though countless fire serpents were ravaging her body; every inch of her skin burned with agony, and beneath the glow, her blood vessels were clearly visible, pulsing with a strange, dark purple hue. She bit her lower lip, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth, yet she held the pendant firmly, refusing to retreat. A stifled groan escaped her throat; as the light pulsed, her consciousness began to blur. She felt as if she could see her own lifeblood resonating with the pendant, an ancient power thrashi…
Chapter 77