Chapter 317: Come Back
But even so, he felt his body was about to give out. Every inch of his skin and every bone was suffering unimaginably intense pain and pressure.
But he couldn’t stop. If this colossal force stopped, he wouldn’t be able to continue.
He wouldn’t be able to bring back Su Xiaoxiao.
Yun Zhonghe’s emerald eyes locked onto Su Xiaoxiao. Dragging his heavy body, he moved swiftly like a yellow bolt of lightning piercing through the night sky, straight for Su Xiaoxiao.
Upon seeing this, Su Xiaoxiao was absolutely terrified. She tried to summon her Misfortune Power to fight back, hoping to destroy the sword qi with its destructive power. But Yun Zhonghe’s sword qi was unbreakable, slicing through as if it wanted to sever all the ties that bound her to fate itself, breaking all misfortunes in its path!
“No… Don’t!”
Su Xiaoxiao screamed in horror, feeling the threat of d*ath, driving her instinct to run away.
But Su Xiaoxiao lacked the sheer destructive power of Yun Zhonghe; she could never match his speed or reaction time.
Yun Zhonghe was like a cheetah, rapidly closing in on Su Xiaoxiao and suddenly appearing right above her!
A massive golden sword in the sky reflected in her eyes, its qi seeming as if to split the heavens themselves, filling her vision with fear. Her terror grew like ripples on a pond until it completely filled her eye sockets.
“Break!”
Yun Zhonghe roared!
The triple Heaven-Cleaving Slash hit her shield of Misfortune, instantly creating a massive crack, resembling shattered glass by a giant hammer. At the same time, Su Xiaoxiao was violently chopped down to the ground!
Her pupils contracted, her hands shook.
Fear raged within her heart, wave after wave crashing against her sanity.
This couldn’t be happening… She thought she was invincible. Why?
The slash was incredibly powerful.
In terms of spiritual energy alone, it might not compare to those divine spells from spirit cultivators, but it already showcased the ultimate principle of the sword. This force triggered a series of chaotic rule changes around them, causing even the hallucinations where Mu Jixue and Xia Linglong were present to warp.
For a moment, the exit of the illusion disappeared, leaving Mu Jixue and Xia Linglong blind to the outside world.
Their hearts, already full of shock, were now burning with anxiety as if watching an epic movie that got disrupted by a commercial right at the climax.
“Four folds!”
Outside, Yun Zhonghe’s harsh voice made Su Xiaoxiao even more panicked.
She didn’t expect Yun Zhonghe would keep adding layers to the attack. Three Heaven-Cleaving Slashes were already overwhelming, and he was adding another layer!
Yun Zhonghe’s body started gushing bl**d, even with double reinforcement, such reckless layering surpassed his physical limits way too far.
His eyes turned bloodshot, as if they’d ignite any second. His gaze was so fierce, he looked ready to annihilate Su Xiaoxiao.
Su Xiaoxiao felt a massive heart attack coming on.
“Don’t… don’t k*ll me!” she finally couldn’t hold it, begging desperately.
She couldn’t handle the power of the triple Heaven-Cleaving Slash; the quadruple would utterly erase her existence.
Su Xiaoxiao felt doomed.
Despair washed over her like icy waves, submerging her completely.
She screamed in terror, filled with helplessness, feeling her fate once again gripped tightly in an invisible hand.
Under the golden giant sword, her tiny figure seemed so insignificant.
Yun Zhonghe rapidly descended from the sky, his large sword constantly growing in her view, ready to strike her weak body.
The sword’s principles had her locked in place; unless she could gather enough Misfortune Power to break free, there was no escape.
But Su Xiaoxiao’s Misfortune Power had just been dispersed by Yun Zhonghe; gathering it quickly was impossible, let alone using its destructive power to break free.
She was thoroughly defeated!
No…
I don’t want to d*e…
Su Xiaoxiao cried out in despair, tears blurring her vision.
She didn’t understand why everyone hated her so much, wanting her dead…
Even she deserved happiness, right?
Just as Su Xiaoxiao thought this devastating slash would hit her, the giant sword suddenly vanished.
Yun Zhonghe voluntarily released all his sword qi. His expression, which moments ago had been grave, was now abnormally gentle.
He descended from the sky and gathered the pale-haired Su Xiaoxiao into his arms.
Killing Su Xiaoxiao? Not a chance.
He hadn’t become stronger to k*ll; he did it to protect.
When Su Xiaoxiao was no longer resisting, finishing her off entirely wasn’t necessary.
His only thought was bringing this fate-stricken girl to where she belonged.
“Come back, little one!”
Yun Zhonghe’s voice pierced through her mind’s fog, reaching deep into her soul.
He took a deep breath, as if compressing all his emotions into it, and leaned close to her face. Softly, he pressed his lips against her slightly dry ones.
Like healing her cracked heart, his lips moistened hers.
Her familiar scent and gentle embrace left Su Xiaoxiao stunned, her pupils trembling!
Yun Zhonghe narrowed his eyes, taking advantage of her daze. His spiritual energy, like a gentle stream, flowed into her sea of consciousness!
Transmission was more efficient and almost lossless—far better than broadcasting in the air.
It was a one-time opportunity; he aimed to do his best to awaken Su Xiaoxiao’s true self.
With this method, all his spiritual energy poured into her, delving into her inner world!
Darkness enveloped Yun Zhonghe’s soul…
Too dark, too cold.
It was a forgotten corner of the world, without light, warmth, only eternal loneliness and cold.
This was Su Xiaoxiao’s inner world, pitch black, devouring all time, endless loneliness making everything decay.
Yun Zhonghe’s consciousness was lost in this endless darkness.
He forgot why he was there, who he was, or what living meant. He didn’t even know his own appearance, wrapped in darkness.
He felt stripped of everything, only aimlessly wandering in this dark void for something.
Who am I?
What do I want?
Yun Zhonghe kept repeating these questions, unsure how long he had wandered.
One year? Two years? Or longer?
Uncertain, knowing nothing.
Occasionally, he noticed drifting fragments of memories, like fireflies glowing faintly amidst the darkness.
Each touch to these memory shards let him experience someone else’s life, full of suffering, struggle, and desperation!
Yearning for salvation.
These emotions flooded his heart, suffocating, while also bringing a faint hope for a ray of light.
Hope?
No!
Suddenly, Yun Zhonghe felt he had caught a thread of something—his own.
The shell that encased him cracked.
Observing his Heart!
Snap!
Observing his Inner Self—he recalled—this practice helped him recover his true essence. He realized he wasn’t just waiting for Su Xiaoxiao to be saved.
He wanted to act—to save her!
The desire was intense!
Snap, snap! As the longing grew, the cracks in his black shell widened!
In this moment, Yun Zhonghe found his purpose. To save and break the endless darkness, coming here for her, Su Xiaoxiao!
Clouds of black vanished, and clarity surged.
His unwavering will shattered the chains, unleashing his spiritual power like a tidal wave!
“Disaster Empress! You can’t stop me!”
Yun Zhonghe knew, this mess was engineered by the Disaster Empress to thwart his efforts to bring Su Xiaoxiao away silently.
Gradually regaining consciousness, he heard stifled sobbing.
He followed the sound, finally spotting a small figure trembling in a corner.
“That’s…
Su Xiaoxiao, but not the current one, but her younger self, wearing tattered clothes, thin, face streaked with tears. Just looking at her brought an instant ache.
She wept, shivering, alone and helpless in the endless darkness.
“Little one!”
Yun Zhonghe called out, running without hesitation. He stretched his hand to grab the tiny form, but the path to her seemed endlessly extended, no matter how hard he ran, she remained out of reach.
“Little one!”
He called out loudly, heart burning with the wish to awaken her from her prison.
He arrived, he would take her away.
Even if the entire world wanted to push her into despair, Yun Zhonghe swore he’d break through it all.
