Qi Yu was groggy.
Yan Hua examined her injuries, his brow furrowed tightly. He then realized Qi Yu was gravely wounded.
"This wound is filled with evil energy, there's a risk of infection," Yan Hua covered Qi Yu's neck with spiritual energy. "We must take her back quickly."
"But she's in a spiritual body state, no, this is her primordial spirit, how can we take it back?" An Nuo was frantic.
"I don't know if we can leave this Malignant Cold Hell barrier. If we can, we'll take her out. If not, we'll have to expel the evil energy from her wound here." Yan Hua spoke as he instructed Si Qing to hold Qi Yu and try.
As soon as Si Qing flew to the entrance of Malignant Cold Hell, he was indeed repelled by the barrier.
Malignant Cold Hell allowed Si Qing to leave alone, but it did not allow him to take his master's primordial spirit with him.
"It's no good," Yan Hua judged. "Qi Yu's soul is bound to Malignant Cold Hell, and her physical body in reality is in a coma. Therefore, we must wait for her to wake up from her coma before she can leave."
Although Yan Hua's tone was calm, a rare anxiety showed on his face.
He had lived for so many years and had never seen a dragon's primordial spirit injured to this extent.
"Sister, Sister," Si Qing gently patted Qi Yu's cheek, his voice choked with sobs.
An Nuo sat beside them, his face ashen. Though he wasn't lying, he looked like he was about to collapse.
Shao Feng took off his outer robe and draped it over Qi Yu.
Qi Yu opened her eyes, feeling people calling her, but she couldn't respond. Her eyes were dim and lifeless.
Father, Mother...
Si Qing...
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Chen Xi gently tested the temperature of Shao Feng's hand, finding it too cold. He then erected a barrier, blocking the surrounding blizzards and creating a makeshift safe haven.
Sui You was also extremely worried, but he couldn't do anything. So, he focused on starting a fire to warm everyone.
Ming Lou spread his wings and covered Shao Feng's shoulders.
To shield him from the cold.
Everyone gathered as closely as possible, forming a circle to ensure warmth in this place.
Even so, their efforts were like a drop in the ocean against the biting cold of Malignant Cold Hell.
No matter how much phoenix fire Sui You burned, it was still frozen.
"Don't worry," Yan Hua continuously channeled spiritual energy into the wound on Qi Yu's neck, gently comforting her. "It's likely this wound infected with evil energy that's making your throat unable to speak. I'll temporarily suppress it with spiritual energy. Once your primordial spirit stabilizes, I'll help you expel the evil energy."
Qi Yu's gaze was vacant, everything appearing blurry and indistinct. However, she could still hear clearly, so she instinctively nodded slightly, hoping to be seen responding.
Si Qing shifted his position.
He had been holding Qi Yu tightly for so long that his legs felt numb from the cold.
Seeing this, Shao Feng extended his hand to Si Qing and took the semi-conscious Qi Yu from him. He sat down on the ice, cradling Qi Yu in his lap, and used his spiritual energy to compress the evil energy attempting to seep into Qi Yu's primordial spirit.
Qi Yu felt a pang of pain and instinctively tried to curl up, but was held down by An Nuo and Si Qing.
An Nuo's eyes welled up with tears, but he dared not make a sound, fearing he would disturb everyone. He continuously rubbed Qi Yu's hands and channeled his own spiritual energy into her, hoping to help her strengthen her internal spiritual energy circulation.
Qi Yu's eyelashes were coated with frost from the wind.
His knuckles were red from the cold.
He felt some pain, but even so, he refused to let go of the hand holding Qi Yu's fingertips.
They tried their best to warm Qi Yu and help her wake up as soon as possible.
But Qi Yu's primordial spirit was icy cold. The hand holding An Nuo and Si Qing's fingers remained frigid.
She was consciously trying to use everyone's help to boost her internal spiritual energy circulation, but the evil energy coursing through her veins prevented her from circulating spiritual energy smoothly.
Shao Feng and Yan Hua took turns applying pressure, but no matter what they did, they couldn't completely expel the evil energy.
Chen Xi, seeing this, hesitated before speaking, "If it really doesn't work, perhaps we can all take turns channeling our spiritual energy into her. Maybe that will expel all the evil energy from her meridians."
"This isn't an issue of how many people there are. Even the two of us, Shao Feng and I, taking turns using spiritual energy couldn't expel this evil energy. The main problem is that we can't circulate spiritual energy for Qi Yu. Therefore, our spiritual energy can't reach some of the smaller meridians," Yan Hua said, shaking his head. He then noticed Chen Xi shivering from the cold and took off his outer robe to give to him.
Chen Xi shook his head, indicating he didn't need it. He then shrunk to his original form and hid in Yan Hua's pocket.
Jin Yan and Yu Yuan saw this and immediately followed suit, burrowing in.
"Sister, please wake up quickly," Si Qing softly called to her. "Only when you wake up can we send you back to reality."
"..." Qi Yu could hear Si Qing speaking, but her eyelids felt extraordinarily heavy, completely unable to open.
She tried to open her mouth to respond.
But still, she couldn't.
In a haze, Qi Yu opened her eyes, but all she saw was a vast expanse of white.
Where was this?
As she pondered, Qi Yu was surprised to find that the white expanse was gradually receding, replaced by a pure white seat.
Around the seat, luminous blue energy orbs floated.
"You've come."
A voice sounded from behind Qi Yu.
Qi Yu, who had been curiously staring at the energy orbs, immediately turned around. Upon seeing who it was, she narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
A man appeared before her. He was barefoot, clad in a white robe, with long black hair cascading down to his waist. His phoenix-like eyes felt incredibly familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
Ah.
It was the Blood Demon Fiend.
When the Blood Demon Fiend had previously borrowed the Heavenly Dao's body, he had looked like this. However, due to the erosion of evil energy, the Heavenly Dao at that time had not appeared as gentle as he did now, but rather somewhat sinister.
So, was this the Heavenly Dao...?
"I apologize for taking so long to see you," the Heavenly Dao met Qi Yu's gaze. "It should have been sooner."
"What do you mean by that? Why did you specifically come to see me? And why am I meeting you in this place?" Qi Yu was completely bewildered.
The Heavenly Dao walked over, picked up the books scattered in the corner, tidied them one by one, and placed them on the shelf. "This is your world, so you were bound to be here. As for why I came to see you, it's mainly to apologize."
Although Qi Yu was still confused, she had a general understanding of his apology. "Are you apologizing for matters concerning the mortal realm? So, was the curse your doing, or the law's?"
"Have you considered what will happen to the Three Realms if you continue like this? The curse must stop immediately!"
Thinking of the dire situation in the mortal realm, Qi Yu was consumed by anxiety.
It wasn't that she cared deeply about the mortal realm, but rather that she understood that if the foundation collapses, the eggs will be shattered. Once the mortal realm is destroyed, it would soon be their turn.
At that point, perhaps all beings in the Three Realms would be buried along with this curse.
She had worked hard to live again, and she had no intention of dying so soon.
"The curse cannot be stopped," the Heavenly Dao closed his eyes. "Originally, when the Blood Demon Fiend was defeated, the new Heavenly Dao and new laws should have awakened, and I should have turned to dust and disappeared. But... the law did not wish to be replaced and hoped I would continue to reign. It was for this reason that it cast the curse upon the realm, and the fate of all beings in the Three Realms changed due to the selfish desires of the law and myself."
"The method to lift the law's curse is only to be stopped after the primordial spirit power of the new Heavenly Dao is completely absorbed."
"However, after the new Heavenly Dao and its power were entirely transferred to me by the law's curse, I, due to my transgression, could no longer hold the position of Heavenly Dao. And it will take at least several hundred million years for the next new Heavenly Dao to be born."
"In other words, once the curse stops, the Three Realms will experience all sorts of disasters due to the lack of restraint from the law and the Heavenly Dao."
"At that time, demonic energy and evil energy will grow stronger and stronger due to the lack of anyone to restrain them. These two forces, righteousness and evil, might even be inverted."
Qi Yu's expression drastically changed. "If this is not done, is there no other way? Must the new Heavenly Dao be sacrificed?"
"If not done this way, there is another option," the Heavenly Dao paused, then suddenly handed a dagger to Qi Yu and pointed at himself. "That is to kill me."
Qi Yu let go of the dagger.
The Heavenly Dao offered the dagger to her again, his voice indifferent. "After killing me, the curse can also be forcibly stopped."
"But while doing so will avert the tragedy of the mortal realm becoming a purgatory, the price is that you will bear the infamy of killing the former Heavenly Dao. You will also have to shoulder the sins of the killings caused by the law's curse, as well as the responsibility for the altered destinies of all beings in the Three Realms."
"Although this may seem unfair, anyone who forcibly stops the curse must pay a price. This is why I did not place this solution as the first option."
Qi Yu, who had been listening with a muddled mind, suddenly changed her expression as she heard the end. Her hand holding the dagger trembled slightly. "So, the new Heavenly Dao you mentioned refers to me?"
Although she had anticipated this, hearing the Heavenly Dao admit it personally still felt incredible.
The Heavenly Dao remained silent and nodded.
Qi Yu opened her mouth, feeling utterly powerless for a moment. "But... hearing you say this, won't I be destined to bear this ill repute?"
"I am truly sorry that things have turned out this way," the Heavenly Dao looked at Qi Yu with deep remorse. "As compensation, I will gradually transfer my power to you during this time."
"But this is all I can do."
"I no longer have the mark of the Heavenly Dao and cannot perform the duties of the Heavenly Dao. The Three Realms cannot withstand this curse for much longer. How you choose to proceed is entirely up to you."