"Yu'er, is it you? Is it really you?" An Nuo clasped her hand, his voice choked with emotion.
She had so many questions, but not a single one could escape her lips. She could only reach out as best she could and ask with a trembling voice:
"Does it hurt a lot? Mother will send you spiritual energy. I'm not leaving, I'm right here. Don't be afraid."
Qi Yu's fingertips lightly touched An Nuo's palm. She felt the warmth flowing from An Nuo, her eyelids growing heavier. But she couldn't leave. Their time together was precious, so she forced herself to stay awake, not letting herself fall asleep. She lightly wrote on An Nuo's hand:
"It doesn't hurt, I'm not afraid. Is Father alright now?"
An Nuo froze at her words. He recalled the inexplicable recovery of Shao Feng and immediately burst into tears.
It wasn't a mysterious recovery at all...
It was Qi Yu.
"Your father is fine," An Nuo said, wiping away tears with his other hand. "Everyone is fine, except for you."
Shao Feng, standing behind them, was frantic. Hearing An Nuo's words, he was bewildered.
The sudden improvement in his injuries.
The sudden disappearance of Qi Yu.
The sudden appearance of E Tian Dao.
How could there be so many "suddens"?
"It must be the old laws," Chen Xi said, looking at Shao Feng's ashen face. "The curse was the work of him and the old Heavenly Dao. Now that I think about it, that Nightmare Demon, tainted with the curse's aura, was indeed arranged by the old Heavenly Dao and old laws. If either you or Si Qing became contaminated by the curse, the condition for forcing Qi Yu to become E Tian Dao would be met."
Shao Feng's wrist veins bulged.
"Why..." Si Qing stood behind them, his mind a blank. "Why would they do this... Why would they force my sister to become E Tian Dao..."
He had heard so much from Jin Yan and Yu Yuan, but he had never imagined that E Tian Dao was his sister.
His only sister.
Chen Xi lowered his gaze. "What else could it be for? Naturally, it's because they don't want to be at death's door and still be pointed at and called the culprits who brought disaster to the three realms for the curse they caused..."
"But that's their responsibility! They are the ones who let the curse ravage the mortal world!" Si Qing gritted his teeth in hatred. "Why, just because they don't want to take the blame, don't want to be responsible, they force my sister to endure all of this."
Chen Xi pursed his lips and sighed.
"Quick, come here!" Yan Hua suddenly appeared at a corner, waving them over. "There's a ventilation shaft here. It's narrow, but much wider than a door crack."
Si Qing and Shao Feng rushed over.
The ventilation shaft was indeed very narrow, only palm-sized, tucked away in the corner of the room.
It looked like it was used for drainage by the previous Heavenly Dao when watering plants.
A powerful barrier blocked the entrance.
Si Qing and Shao Feng tried several positions without success. Finally, they both lay on the ground, their faces pressed against the floor.
Only then could they barely see Qi Yu, kneeling by the door inside, tightly grasping An Nuo's hand.
Her back was a bloody mess.
The shackles on her limbs were like leeches, constantly draining her primordial spirit and spiritual energy.
Qi Yu clearly noticed Si Qing and the others.
She slightly turned her head, pointed to the shackles on her neck and limbs, then gently shook her head, indicating that it was too far, and she couldn't get over.
It was at this moment that Shao Feng also noticed how tightly the shackles on Qi Yu's neck were digging in.
Qi Yu was unable to speak in such a state.
His pupils contracted into slits, his fingers digging into the wall as if he wanted to tear down the entire structure.
Yan Hua was startled and quickly stopped him. "E Tian Dao can still be saved, but if you truly demolish this place, then 'Qi Yu' will be truly beyond saving."
"Yes, Shao Feng," Chen Xi said urgently. "First, we need to find a way to save her. Saving her is paramount, we can't act rashly!"
Shao Feng slowly relaxed his grip on the wall, his reason returning, but his voice was hoarse. "To save E Tian Dao, is there truly only one method, as you mentioned before, Lord Yan Hua?"
This was the cub he had doted on and protected for so long.
He even remembered clearly how she had hatched.
And now, someone had put a chain around his cub's neck!
Yan Hua fell silent and nodded. "Yes, there is only that method."
Jin Yan touched his nose and murmured, "That's too difficult..."
Yu Yuan sighed.
Si Qing looked at Qi Yu, so close yet completely out of reach. He cried and clenched his fists.
Shao Feng stood up. "If that's the case, then let's prepare now!"
He walked back to An Nuo, took out spiritual energy-replenishing berries and spirit stones from his storage pouch, and tossed them through the gap in the door that An Nuo's arm had propped open. He held onto the door, looking at Qi Yu's pale face.
"Wait for me, Daddy will help you. Daddy will definitely be able to rescue you. Believe me."
"Hold on until then."
"Sister, wait for us," Si Qing also walked to the door crack, his forehead pressed against the wooden panel. "I will definitely bring you out."
Qi Yu let out a strong hum.
An Nuo knew that staying there was futile. She had to find a way to rescue Qi Yu. So, after channeling as much spiritual energy as possible to Qi Yu, she reluctantly withdrew her hand and, looking back repeatedly, was led away from the Thirteenth Heaven.
Along the way, An Nuo was in a daze. It wasn't until they entered the South Sea that a piercing pain shot through her arm, and she realized that she had broken her wrist bone just to get her hand through the door crack.
It had been broken for a long time; the pain had only just begun to register.