With a thunderous crash, I landed on Emperor God. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a figure. The strange phenomena in the sky had disappeared, and Emperor God held his sword aloft, its blade trembling and covered in fine cracks. The dragon's head biting onto Tan Tian's Golden Soulstone was also crumbling bit by bit.
I thrust Belle directly at Sylvia Yan before me, but the moment her hand touched Belle, I heard a piercing, agonized scream—it was Xi Shi from within the sword. My eyes widened in terror as I watched Belle dissolve until only half remained.
"Give up resisting, Rachel Lan, or I will kill her."
I let go, and the remaining half of Belle turned into a wisp of pink vapor and vanished. At that moment, ropes of flame shot up and wrapped around my body, instantly robbing me of all mobility.
With a deafening boom, Emperor God's eyes widened in terror as half his body was destroyed by the jet of energy erupting from the Golden Soulstone. The sword in his hand was shattered beyond recognition. Emperor God sprang up, transforming into a golden meteor that shot into the distance, and I felt myself moving rapidly as well.
The ropes loosened, and I collapsed onto the ground. I had arrived in Sylvia Yan's palace. She sat quietly on a chair, gazing at me in silence. Beside me, a room appeared, filled with various pieces of furniture.
"Here, you may do as you wish, Rachel Lan. Once Tan Tian's side is resolved, we will take you to Snowridge Springs. You need to seriously consider helping us open the entrance to Snowridge Springs."
I stared at Sylvia Yan, about to speak, but she vanished. I walked to the edge of the massive pillar's summit and looked down over the sprawling city below. I saw tiny pinpricks moving about, and everything in the city seemed normal.
With a thunderous roar, my eyes widened. Far from me, a surge of black energy shot into the sky. Instantly, I felt an unbearably cold corpse aura, and in a flash, the city below was devastated by this sudden, overwhelming force.
It seemed that although they had captured me, Tan Tian was still a huge problem for them. Just now, Emperor God used that strange sword to briefly control Tan Tian and then caught me. I reached out to touch the invisible wall before me, trying to use my power, but I couldn't break through.
I remembered that Luo Yu and Luo Yichen were both on this side, and they would surely try something. What I needed to think about now was what to do next. Waves of violent shock swept through the city below. Although I couldn't see the distant battle, I could see the devastation below—houses and other things being torn apart and flung into the air.
I walked over to the chair where Sylvia Yan had sat and knocked on it—it was just an ordinary chair, nothing changed. The rumbling continued beneath my feet. Then I saw the distant sky turn black, and a gigantic mouth appeared in the clouds, as if devouring everything. I could clearly see bolts of black lightning striking down. In the distance, only cliffs remained—the ground seemed to have been swallowed up by that enormous mouth.
All I could think about now was, if I was taken to Snowridge Springs, how could I prevent those three from getting inside? What they need is the Coexistence Instinct, the key to opening Snowridge Springs. If Coexistence leaves my body, it will return to its master in Hell, so they're unlikely to use force. But if they threaten my parents or friends, just like before, I'll have to give up resisting. I could feel Xi Shi's power within me growing weaker. I'd already used the power of rebirth, but it was useless. I raised my half-dissolved Belle—the sword was covered in cracks.
I tried calling out several times, but Xi Shi didn't respond at all. The sword looked like it was about to shatter completely.
"Bastard."
I cursed, not knowing what to do. I put Belle away again. Then I saw a massive wall of flames erupt from the collapsing ground, instantly stopping the fissure. It looked like neither side would win anytime soon.
For a moment, I thought of death, but quickly dismissed it. No matter what, I had to try. Purple flames burst from my hand—I stared in shock, gripping a purple Phoenix Blade. I gathered the strongest purple fire within me and charged at the invisible wall, hacking at it. But the flames only raged through the space for a while before vanishing.
I kept trying again and again, but every time I failed. Panting, I watched the Phoenix Blade in my hand gradually dissipate. My strength was failing, starting to decline—the burden of the purple flames was simply too great, and I still couldn't use them repeatedly. If I kept this up, my power would be exhausted.
"Go find Breaking Dawn—if you want to make a difference in this world."
I returned to my original form and noticed that the wall of flames Sylvia Yan had created was constantly warping and bulging. Tan Tian was probably still making his way here—the tremors in the ground were still obvious, but I was completely out of options.
I sat at the edge, considering every possibility. Suddenly, a streak of blood-red particles flashed past my eyes. I jumped up in surprise, and with those particles, John Chou was suddenly standing before me.
"John Chou, how did you..."
John Chou looked at me with a half-smile, holding up a single finger.
"Best not to make a fuss."
"Weren't you still trapped in the underground palace?"
I asked in confusion, and John Chou just smiled.
"It's just an illusion. Rachel Lan, try sensing everything inside your body. You should have another kind of power—this sudden force really surprised me."
I had no idea what John Chou meant, but I closed my eyes anyway. I felt helpless. So, John Chou being trapped in the underground palace was just an illusion—he must have gotten out long ago.
"It's a pity. My idiot little sister and I are still wandering inside. If you were in the Underworld or the Living World, I wouldn't be able to contact you—the special nature of this place is the only reason it works."
"I can't feel anything at all."
I said, and John Chou smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. The Curse Wolf immediately appeared around my neck.
"You may not feel it, but this guy sure does."
"So what should I do now?"
I asked, and John Chou glanced at the wall of flames behind him, smiling.
"That old man Tan Tian has probably been trapped by something they used over there—he won't be coming for a while. As soon as they get a chance, they'll take you away from here to the Living World. So you need to get out quickly; only then can Tan Tian withdraw."
"I know, that's why I'm asking you what I should do."
John Chou stared at me, then suddenly smiled.
"Go find Dawn—if you want to make a difference in this world."
I looked at John Chou in confusion, and he vanished into a burst of particles. I stomped my foot in frustration, but the Curse Wolf around my neck suddenly perked up—it knew I wanted to escape.
With a swish, the Curse Wolf lunged at the invisible wall before me. Just when I thought nothing would happen, a black passage suddenly appeared in the wall. Beyond it was a mass of flames burning outward. I swallowed nervously, staring at the fire—it was like a giant whirlpool in the ocean, capable of devouring everything. The Curse Wolf signaled for me to hurry.
I stepped straight into the black tunnel. Soon, the darkness vanished, and the Curse Wolf returned to my body. I leapt out, spread my wings, and dove rapidly toward the ground. The wall of flames vanished instantly. A violent mass of fire shot at me, but halfway, it was swallowed whole by a gigantic mouth rising from the earth. I landed on an empty street, quickly withdrawing all my power. A black feather drifted down before me. Just as I was startled, a long-haired, black-clad handsome man placed a hand on my shoulder. I felt dizzy, and black feathers swirled around me. In an instant, I was in an underground room. I cried out in surprise, and the man nodded.
"Chief Tan Tian will be here soon."
"Are you Luo Yu?"
I asked, and the man nodded, expressionless. I saw a table in the middle of the room and walked over to sit down, finally catching my breath.
It looked like both Tan Tian and I had arrived in Sylvia Yan's domain. Tan Tian must have escaped by now. All I had to do was wait and then pass on John Chou's message: find Dawn, though I still had no idea what it meant.