In a corner of his mind overwhelmed by despair, Jian Ji gasped desperately for air, but he couldn't break free from the bone-deep hopelessness closing in on him.
He realized his spirit was contaminated, no longer under his control.
This was the terrifying power of Feng Qi's negative consciousness.
The despair accumulated through every timeline wasn't as simple as 1 + 1 + 1.
It was a compound build-up of negative emotions.
For example, Feng Qi from timeline 3 had absorbed the negative emotions of Feng Qi from timeline 2, which included the despair from timeline 1—meaning he had experienced timeline 1's despair twice.
If timeline 4 absorbed the memories of timeline 3, it would bear three times the despair of timeline 1, two times that of timeline 2, and so on.
This recursive memory stacking continued endlessly.
After all, these were all part of the experiences lived in every timeline.
With each layer added, every memory Feng Qi absorbed came with an overwhelming pressure of compounded negative emotions.
If it weren't for the repeated tempering of his mental state through the Miracle Heart Refinement Platform, Feng Qi would've already collapsed under this crushing pressure several timelines ago.
The Path of Struggle, the Path of Longevity, the Path of Mind…
Each trial had forged his mental chains stronger and tighter.
The Narrator had once said there was a demon locked deep inside his heart.
It had no consciousness, so it wouldn't break free of the mental chains forged for it, yet the leaking negative emotions still tormented Feng Qi endlessly.
If one day, this demon of negative emotions were to gain independent consciousness, it would definitely break free from its cage, spiral out of control, and inevitably devour the primary personality.
And this time, Feng Qi had willingly unleashed that demon.
The demon, which previously had no mind of its own, gained sentience through the negative persona's will, giving birth to its own nascent consciousness.
From the moment it awoke, it embodied pure evil to its very core.
It was the physical manifestation of despair, death, fear, anger, depression, sorrow, pain…
The gathering of all the world's worst emotions.
The instant the negative Feng Qi emerged, it polluted the Demon Blade, forcefully triggering its adaptive transformation, turning it into a tangible Ghost Blade.
Feng Qi's flesh could no longer endure the terrible corruption and fully transformed into pure negative energy.
His body became semi-transparent, flickering between real and unreal, as gray mist-like negative energy billowed off him like drifting smoke.
The horrifying power of these negative emotions wasn't physical or energetic but a kind of spiritual contamination and damage.
No matter how many sword spirits Jian Ji had to protect him, no matter how indestructible his body was, he could not resist the invasion of negative emotion.
While the body could resist physical and energetic damage, the spiritual sea bore the burden of mental assault.
Even with an unbreakable body, if the spirit was fragile, any spiritual strike could cause devastating damage or even spiritual death.
And the power of negative emotion was the purest form of spiritual destruction.
Though Jian Ji's body, fortified by the Million Sword Spirits, was nearly invulnerable, the mental damage caused by the negative emotion was unavoidable and had to be endured with willpower alone.
At that moment.
Negative Feng Qi's form slowly took shape in the spiritual domain of negativity.
He stared at the struggling Jian Ji with an exaggerated grin, letting out a mad, maniacal laugh.
In negative Feng Qi's eyes, Jian Ji's suffering was the finest delicacy.
The bright and prosperous future that the primary Feng Qi longed for was the worst possible outcome in the eyes of this negative Feng Qi.
In his view, the world was not meant to become better.
Its ultimate destiny was to be filled with pain and despair.
As Jian Ji writhed in endless agony, strands of gray energy began rising above his head.
Floating in midair, negative Feng Qi looked down on Jian Ji like a predator toying with prey, his eyes filled with mockery and cruelty.
"Betrayal!"
Negative Feng Qi grinned as he spoke.
The moment those words fell, Jian Ji, who had sunk into despair, suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of weightlessness.
When his vision cleared again, he found himself back in the Sword Clan.
The Blade Clan still existed at that time.
This time, Jian Ji himself had become the betrayed.
He watched helplessly as his loved ones and clansmen were slaughtered under betrayal, experiencing the same bone-deep agony that the Demon Blade had once endured.
"Fear!"
The wicked voice rang out again.
This time, Jian Ji began reliving a nightmare of fear on endless repeat.
In every cycle, he struggled and grew through pain, feeling the most intense torment, yet he could never break free.
Negative Feng Qi kept injecting his own negative emotions into Jian Ji's mind, weaving for him the most agonizing experiences.
Betrayal, fear, death, despair...
In these endless cycles of misery, Jian Ji's mental willpower began to crumble.
Despite living for over one thousand years, Jian Ji had never truly faced such despair.
As the Sword Clan's greatest prodigy since youth, his path had been smooth and victorious.
At the peak of his rise, he had even obtained a Miracle Item—The Fortification Gem—something countless beings in all realms could only dream of.
Possessing a miracle item was the highest fortune for any domain creature, and for Jian Ji, it had become the perfect match for his abilities.
Any weapon or equipment embedded with the Fortification Gem would gain terrifying power boosts.
His sword, fused with the Fortification Gem, gave him the potential to gaze upon the future.
But this time, in the cycle of negativity, there was no smooth sailing—only endless despair.
Every disaster and curse fell upon him.
He had no power to control his fate and could only sink deeper into hopelessness.
Pain made Jian Ji scream again and again, but to negative Feng Qi, that sound was like music.
Negative Feng Qi's voice echoed endlessly in Jian Ji's ears, magnifying his torment.
Jian Ji had no strength to resist.
The moment the Ghost Blade touched him, he had already been corrupted by the purest evil.
He could not live, nor could he die.
Jian Ji had completely become negative Feng Qi's plaything, his howls of agony serving only to amuse him.
The Outside World.
The ground had collapsed, leaving nothing but devastation.
The entire northern district of Winterfell had been leveled.
Not even the ruins of buildings remained—only uneven craters of all sizes.
Under the terrifying aftermath, the remains of the buildings had long been ground into dust.
Feng Qi and Jian Ji's figures hung in the sky.
Jian Ji's eyes had lost their golden glow, turning gray, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
Negative Feng Qi hovered in front of Jian Ji, countless gray tendrils of negative energy spreading from his body, tightly wrapping around Jian Ji.
Time quietly slipped by.
Several hours later, Xiao You and the others arrived at Winterfell's northern district.
When she saw the negative Feng Qi floating in the air, Xiao You immediately lit up with a bright smile and waved as she called out to the figure above:
"Boss, why are you smoking again?"
As she spoke, she made to float toward Feng Qi.
At that moment, Taihang suddenly leapt up and bit down on her left leg, yanking her out of the air.
Just as Xiao You pouted and was about to complain, Lei Ting spoke with a serious expression:
"Stupid You, don't move recklessly. Something's wrong with him. His body's turned into a semi-illusory energy state. Even from here, I can feel waves of terrifying negative emotions. It's making me want to puke."
"What do you mean?"
Taihang explained:
"Xiao You, remember when I told you about the nightmare hell I experienced before? Boss is using that power right now. But this time, he hasn't entered the Shura form. His body seems to have been completely corrupted by negative emotions. Right now, he might not even recognize friend from foe. If you go over there, you'll die."
Hearing this, Xiao You's expression instantly turned tense.
"Is Boss going to die?"
Faced with her question, Po Jia, Lei Ting, and Taihang all fell silent.
Without a physical body to carry his primary consciousness, even if they could suppress Feng Qi's negative emotions back into his mental sea, the primary personality wouldn't have a vessel to survive in.
After all these years together, they knew just how cruel that answer would be for Xiao You.
So none of them dared to speak the truth.
"He won't die!" Lei Ting, who always liked to scold Xiao You, spoke firmly this time.
"Hah! I knew Boss would win again. When he comes back, we're definitely having a barbecue to celebrate… heh heh."
Just mentioning food made Xiao You break into a bright grin again.
"Taihang, can your Nightmare Bell suppress Boss's negative emotions?"
Po Jia turned to Taihang with a serious expression.
Taihang looked up at Feng Qi's semi-illusory form floating in the air, his face heavy.
"I've used the Nightmare Bell before to suppress his negative persona, but I've never seen Boss like this. I'm not sure if it'll work, but I'll try."
"It might work. If Boss's negative power hasn't fully developed independent consciousness yet and is still being carried by the negative persona, there's still a chance the Nightmare Bell can suppress it," Lei Ting nodded.
"I'll give it a shot."
Taihang shifted his body, instantly expanding in size before sprinting toward Feng Qi.
Seeing this, Xiao You instinctively tried to follow but was grabbed by Po Jia.
"Xiao You, stay here. Don't make things worse."
"…Alright."
Xiao You sighed helplessly and struck a pose as if saying, "You guys leave me no choice."
Moments later, Taihang reached the area beneath Feng Qi's floating form.
Even before getting close, Taihang started dry heaving.
A powerful fear clung to him like a bone-deep curse, impossible to shake off.
The interference from the negative emotions had awakened the deepest fear buried in Taihang's heart.
Unbidden, scenes from the time he was dragged into the negative hell replayed in his mind—easily the most terrifying experience of his life.
If he could've chosen back then, he would've preferred death over being trapped in that endless cycle of torment.
Even now, just remembering it sent chills down his spine.
It was like what Feng Qi had casually mentioned once—stories from human mythology about the Eighteen Layers of Hell, tortures so horrific they required an eternity to fade.
Right now, the negative energy radiating from Feng Qi was dragging Taihang back into his worst nightmare.
Taihang's body trembled uncontrollably.
He doubled over, dry heaving as if trying to vomit out the negative emotions.
But mental contamination couldn't be purged through physical vomiting.
After a long struggle, Taihang finally gritted his teeth and activated the Nightmare Bell.
An eerie, mind-disturbing sound echoed out.
The bell's tone spread strange sound waves upward.
At that moment, negative Feng Qi was still tormenting Jian Ji in the spiritual hell, savoring the pitiful cries of despair that brought him such twisted joy.
That's when the interference waves began to ripple through the spiritual hell.
Negative Feng Qi's consciousness wavered for a moment but quickly recovered, not even bothering to investigate the source of the disturbance.
As a newly born negative persona, it had no sense of crisis.
All it cared about was continuing to torture Jian Ji, feeding off his suffering.
Meanwhile, outside.
Despite pushing the Nightmare Bell to its limit, Taihang quickly realized the problem.
No matter how hard he pushed its power, it had no effect on the current negative Feng Qi.
This had never happened before.
He had once used the Nightmare Bell to suppress Feng Qi's negative persona—that was the very reason Feng Qi had kept Taihang by his side.
When Feng Qi entered his Shura Evil Ghost form, he completely lost consciousness.
Only Taihang could use the Nightmare Bell to suppress the negative persona, allowing Feng Qi's Shura Evil Ghost form to achieve perfect balance.
But now, that ability no longer worked on Feng Qi.
Taihang understood why.
Feng Qi's current negative power was simply too overwhelming, far beyond what the Nightmare Bell could handle. Its interference had no effect on his cognition.
If he had the true Miracle Nightmare Bell, Taihang might have had the confidence to suppress negative Feng Qi.
But all he had was an imitation.
Its power was nowhere near that of the real thing.
Despite his growing anxiety, Taihang gritted his teeth, resisting the waves of negative emotions spilling from above as he kept ringing the Nightmare Bell, trying to use continuous interference to suppress negative Feng Qi and return control to the primary personality.
Time passed, and Taihang's condition was getting worse.
Even though it stood on the ground, still far from Negative Feng Qi, the interference from the negative emotions continued to eat away at it.
Taihang had no doubt that if it pushed any further, it might once again fall into mental corruption and be dragged back into that cycle of suffering.
Glancing back at Xiao You, Taihang's eyes filled with determination.
It had made up its mind.
The Nightmare Bell hanging around its neck might have been a false miracle, but it had been crafted as a replica of the true Nightmare Bell, containing within it a fragment of the true Nightmare Bell's source power.
It was precisely because the replica had been forged with a shard of the true source that it could produce similar effects.
Taihang knew that if it extracted the source inside the replica, the bell would lose its power forever.
But right now, it had no other choice.
With a swing of its neck, Taihang snapped the cord holding the Nightmare Bell. Then, turning its head, it bit down hard on the bell.
As its teeth clamped down, Taihang's consciousness pierced into the bell, manipulating it to break apart.
Time ticked by.
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound echoed, and Taihang's eyes turned red.
"Taihang, this is the treasure bestowed upon our tribe by the King. It once belonged to me, and now it's yours."
"Taihang, grow strong. One day, you must pass this treasure on to your own descendants."
Its father's words echoed faintly in its mind.
But the sorrow in Taihang's heart turned to resolve as it suddenly threw back its head and let out a long howl toward Negative Feng Qi.
A sphere of deep blue energy shot from Taihang's mouth and exploded in midair.
Countless glowing blue particles rained down, drifting under Taihang's control toward Negative Feng Qi, wrapping around his entire body.
The source power of the miracle began to seep into Feng Qi's spiritual sea.
This time, Negative Feng Qi reacted. The crazed grin on his face slowly faded.
He could feel his surging negative energy receding like a tidal wave, being pushed back down into the deepest parts of his spiritual sea.
Negative Feng Qi immediately started to thrash in a hysterical struggle.
But the power of the miracle was absolute.
No matter how much he struggled, it had no effect.
Little by little, his strength weakened.
The unconscious true Feng Qi and his negative persona began to awaken again.
Together, they started suppressing the awakening negative energy.
As time passed, and the source power of the Nightmare Bell fully entered Feng Qi's spiritual sea, Negative Feng Qi's consciousness began to blur under the interference.
In the end, the negative persona was forcibly torn away from Negative Feng Qi's body.
With its consciousness dissipating, Negative Feng Qi finally stopped struggling, allowing the combined efforts of the Nightmare Bell, Feng Qi, and the negative persona to push him back into the deepest prison of the spiritual sea.
But a new crisis arrived.
Without the support of the negative energy to carry his consciousness, Feng Qi had lost his physical body.
A consciousness without a vessel was like a rootless weed, unable to exist in the cycle of the world's laws.
Just as Feng Qi's consciousness returned and he thought he was about to vanish completely, something unexpected happened.
He saw golden light flashing within his spiritual sea, and a faint tree seedling began to grow rapidly.
It was the life seed the Elf King had given him.
Back when it had been planted in him, the life seed had split into two parts—one rooted in his heart, the other in his spiritual sea.
Both had absorbed the branches given by the Elf King, holding immense life force within them.
Now, the life seed at his brow stretched out countless roots, piercing through the spiritual sea and beginning to weave a new physical body on the surface.
Before long, Feng Qi's consciousness was wrapped in a golden energy body.
The life seed in his spiritual sea grew weaker and weaker until it finally shattered completely.
The golden energy body slowly transformed into flesh and blood.
When the golden light faded, Feng Qi realized that his body had been rebuilt.
But this new body was frail.
All the strength he had gained through his long journey had been burned away in his battle with Jian Ji.
The life seed's power was gone. Feng Qi and Jian Ji's bodies fell from the sky.
Taihang leapt up and caught Feng Qi on its back as they crashed to the ground.
"Cough, cough…"
The heavy impact pressed on Feng Qi's chest, forcing a violent cough from him.
When Taihang landed, Feng Qi saw Xiao You, Po Jia, and the others rushing toward him.
"Whoa! Boss won again! Looks like it's time for a feast to celebrate…"
Xiao You was about to cheer when she finally saw Feng Qi's face and froze.
His face was haggard. His hair had turned white.
There were visible marks of time on his skin.
The once radiant and sharp Feng Qi now looked tired.
His body carried a decaying aura, like an old man nearing the end of his life.
Xiao You's heart ached, but soon she forced a bright smile and dove into Feng Qi's arms, shouting:
"Geez, Boss, you're hurt again. This time you turned into an old man! Hurry up and use your life seed to heal yourself. You look so ugly right now."
Hearing her complaint, Feng Qi reached out and ruffled her hair.
He knew his condition all too well.
His time was running out.
The Elf King hadn't lied—
The life seed had indeed saved his life, rebuilding his body.
But the process had only been half-complete.
Normally, both the seed in the heart and the one in the spiritual sea needed to be activated together to fully restore the body.
But the seed in his heart had long since withered away.
It had been drained dry during his battle with Jian Ji, and completely decayed under the pollution of negative energy.
The fact that he had even managed to rebuild his body was already a miracle.
Feng Qi understood that even if his body had been perfectly restored, he wouldn't last much longer.
The surge of negative energy had already left his spiritual sea riddled with holes.
The strain of borrowing multiple abilities at once had only made it worse.
With so many factors stacking against him, just surviving was already a blessing.
But the oil in his lamp was nearly spent.
He wouldn't last much longer.
Watching Xiao You still mumbling to herself, Feng Qi felt a mix of emotions in his heart.
He struggled to his feet, leaping off Taihang's back. As soon as he landed, he nearly lost his balance and fell.
Steadying himself, he slowly made his way toward Jian Ji, who had already lost consciousness.
Out of habit, he reached for something from his spatial wristband, only to realize it had already shattered and vanished in the battle.
"Xiao You… cough… the brain activity needle."
Hearing his instruction, Xiao You quickly nodded and pulled out the brain activity needle from her spatial wristband.
Taking it from her, Feng Qi removed the protective cap on the needle tip.
As soon as the emerald-green needle made contact with the air, its surface shimmered with a metallic glow, radiating a strong spiritual energy wave.
The needle tip was crafted from top-tier spiritual ore, giving it extremely high penetration power.
Kneeling beside Jian Ji, Feng Qi drove the needle tip toward Jian Ji's brain with force.
The moment it touched Jian Ji's skull, he was met with intense resistance.
Even though the Million Sword Spirit Formation had stopped, Jian Ji's body was still terrifyingly strong.
"I'll do it!"
Po Jia stepped forward, taking the syringe from Feng Qi. With a sharp motion, he drove the needle down hard.
This time, the brain activity needle successfully pierced Jian Ji's skull.
As the blue liquid in the syringe was fully injected into Jian Ji's brain, Feng Qi struggled to stand back up.
He couldn't tell for sure what Jian Ji's condition was.
To ensure Jian Ji's consciousness wouldn't be lost, he figured injecting him with the brain activity needle was the safest bet.
"Po Jia, carry him."
Without hesitation, Po Jia nodded, slinging Jian Ji over his right shoulder.
Feng Qi shifted his gaze north and slowly began walking toward where Mu Qing lay.
After a long while, he finally found her body.
The wind and sand had half-buried her, but even in death, her fists were still tightly clenched, and her eyes remained open, filled with unyielding battle spirit.
Her shattered body showed she had fought to her last breath.
Kneeling down beside her, Feng Qi gently tried to close her eyes, but no matter what he did, they refused to shut.
He let out a long sigh and carefully lifted her body, taking slow, heavy steps toward the north gate of Winterfell City.
Watching Feng Qi's lonely back and the gray-white hair swaying in the wind, Xiao You and the others felt a deep ache in their hearts.
They followed silently behind.
Two months later.
In front of Mu Qing's grave.
Feng Qi sat in a metal wheelchair, staring at the black-and-white photo of Mu Qing on the tombstone.
The sharpness in his eyes had completely faded, leaving only the air of someone at life's end.
The effects of the negative emotions were still there.
It was like he was suffering from dementia, often slipping into overlapping memories.
The war in Winterfell City had ended.
But the cost had been devastating.
The entire northern district had been reduced to a wasteland, filled with craters large and small. The southern, eastern, and western districts had also been heavily damaged, especially the west, where entire buildings had collapsed, filling half the district with debris.
Winterfell City was on the verge of collapse.
Though they had won the battle against Jian Ji, the price had been immense.
Who knew how many years it would take to rebuild the city?
That was why Feng Qi had insisted on completely eliminating Jian Ji.
If Jian Ji wasn't erased, this tragedy would only repeat itself in future timelines.
More cities would end up as ruins.
Jian Ji had now been sealed in ice by Zhang Daowen and sent to a secret base of the Crimson Research Institute.
If all went well, once Jian Ji was killed in the main timeline, he would finally become history.
Victory should have brought joy, but Feng Qi couldn't feel anything but emptiness.
Having witnessed Mu Qing's death with his own eyes, it felt like a heavy stone was crushing his chest, leaving him unable to breathe.
Mu Mian could be reborn in the sun, but Mu Qing was truly gone.
For the future timelines, Mu Qing's fate could still be rewritten.
But for this sacrifice line, there were no second chances.
What was gone would never return.
Cough, cough…
As emotions surged, Feng Qi couldn't help but cough violently.
Even breathing felt like dragging a dull knife through his throat.
With a shaky hand, he gently patted the sleeping Xiao You, who was curled up on his lap.
Xiao You mumbled something, wiggled her little butt, and went back to sleep.
Feng Qi knew his time was almost up.
At the end of his life, he didn't know how to arrange Xiao You's future.
He had tried to convince her to stay in Star City and live as a human, just like Zhang Daowen had, becoming part of the city.
But every time he brought it up, Xiao You would cry and throw a fit, refusing to leave his side.
After the battle with Jian Ji, he had used up everything. He wouldn't last much longer.
On this sacrifice line, he had pushed past the limits of life time and time again during the God Ascension Challenge, transforming his very existence.
A journey spanning over a hundred years, filled with countless memories.
He had crossed endless deserts, walked through lush gardens, and stood before crumbling city gates, fighting against the strong…
So many unforgettable moments.
But now, all of it had faded away.
He had returned to the mundane, like an old man awaiting the end.
Gazing at the setting sun in the distance, his life felt like that sun, sinking behind the mountains.
The sky was ablaze with twilight, the wind scattering the clouds.
His breathing grew slower as he reached out with a soft smile to stroke Xiao You's head.
Xiao You instinctively wiggled, grumbling a few words as if blaming her boss for disturbing her sleep again.
His life flickered like a dying candle in the wind, finally extinguishing with the setting sun.
His hand remained on Xiao You's head, the smile on his face frozen in place.
After a long while, Xiao You suddenly lifted her head and looked at Feng Qi with bright, clear eyes.
"Boss."
"Eh? Are you asleep?"
Xiao You waved her hand in front of Feng Qi's face.
"Boss, Xiao You is hungry. I want to eat barbecue."
Seeing no response from him, Xiao You puffed up her cheeks.
In her mind, Boss had just taken severe damage during the God Ascension Challenge, but he'd recover like he always did. That bright, carefree Boss would come back.
It had always been like that.
The idea that Boss might actually die didn't exist in Xiao You's world.
"Boss, Boss, wake up! Xiao You is starving!" Xiao You flew to Feng Qi's ear and shouted loudly.
"Xiao You, Boss is gone."
At that moment, Po Jia, Lei Ting, and the others appeared and called out, stopping Xiao You from continuing to shake Feng Qi.
"Gone? But he's right here," Xiao You replied with confusion.
"Boss… is dead." Po Jia sighed.
Upon hearing those words, Xiao You immediately put her hands on her hips, looking proud as she declared:
"Boss is just healing… he can't be…"
She tried to argue back, but mid-sentence, her tears started to fall uncontrollably.
"Boss can't die… Boss just got badly hurt during the God Ascension Challenge. He'll come back just like before… don't joke with Xiao You."
Po Jia and the others didn't respond. They just stood silently nearby, listening to Xiao You's sobs.
"Boss, wake up… stop messing with Xiao You… Xiao You is really scared."
"Boss, Xiao You will be good, okay? I'll work hard and train properly. Please don't scare Xiao You again… wu wu wu…"
Facing Feng Qi's lifeless body, Xiao You kept talking, making promises over and over, hoping he'd suddenly wake up and startle her like always.
But Feng Qi never woke up again.
As night fell and silence blanketed the graveyard, Xiao You's sobs grew louder and louder.
No matter how Po Jia and the others tried to comfort her, Xiao You refused to believe Boss was really gone.
She kept insisting that Boss was just healing and would be back soon.
Day after day, Xiao You cried for three whole days, her eyes so swollen she could barely open them.
But she still clung tightly to Feng Qi's body, refusing to let go.
Her heart was already filled with nothing but confusion and sorrow.
In those days, her mind kept flashing back to all the memories she had with Feng Qi.
To Xiao You, home had never been a fixed place.
Wherever Boss was, that was home.
Through the long, grueling journey, no matter how hard things got, she never felt sad.
Because Boss was always ahead, holding up the sky for her.
But now, that sky had collapsed.
"Boss, please wake up… Xiao You won't be naughty anymore, I won't rush you to cook barbecue again…"
She reached out to touch Feng Qi's now cold face, her voice hoarse from crying.
"Boss, you said there's a place called hell in human myths… would you be lonely there without Xiao You? Can I come keep you company?"
As those words left her mouth, Xiao You's eyes grew dim with despair.
Her spirit was starting to freeze over, and her will to live began to fade.
Seeing this, Po Jia and the others grew anxious, not knowing what to do.
No matter how much they tried to talk to her these past few days, Xiao You hadn't listened to a word.
She was like a flower about to wither away, her life force thinning as if she were about to cut her own thread of existence.
Just as Xiao You's breath grew weaker, Wei Wei appeared.
She walked over to Xiao You and tried to pull her away from Feng Qi, but Xiao You clung to him, refusing to let go.
Wei Wei leaned down, whispering softly into her ear:
"Xiao You, Boss isn't dead. He'll return in over a thousand years…"
Hearing this, Xiao You slowly turned to look at Wei Wei, her eyes flickering with a trace of hope:
"Really?"
Wei Wei smiled and patted Xiao You's head.
"Of course it's true. Even Demon Blade knows this. You can ask him yourself when he wakes up."
"What you need to do is keep growing stronger, and live until the day Boss comes back. If he comes back and finds you gone, it'll be his turn to cry."
Looking into Wei Wei's smiling face, Xiao You turned her gaze back to Feng Qi's "sleeping" body, a glimmer of hope lighting up in her eyes.
"Demon Blade… where is Demon Blade?"
Xiao You suddenly called out.
"I brought it for you." Wei Wei held up a wooden box and opened it, revealing the shattered pieces of Demon Blade, now broken into three segments.
"Demon Blade's spirit hasn't disappeared. It's just that no one knows how long it'll take to recover."
Taking the wooden box from Wei Wei, tears welled up in Xiao You's eyes again.
Even though Demon Blade's shape had changed, she recognized it at a glance. It was Boss's treasured weapon.
"To live until Boss returns…"
Xiao You whispered, her eyes growing firm:
"From now on, I'll be the one to carry the blade!"
Three days later, Feng Qi's ice coffin was buried.
That day, outside the west gate of Star City.
Xiao You walked westward, hugging the wooden box, with Po Jia, Lei Ting, and Taihang following behind.
Seeing Xiao You's determined steps, Po Jia and the others felt a deep ache in their hearts.
Feng Qi's death had made Xiao You grow up overnight.
The carefree, playful Xiao You was gone. She had completely changed.
There was no more laughter on her face, no more loud yelling at random moments.
"Xiao You, where are we going next?"
"We'll retrace Boss's God Ascension Challenge path. I'll grow stronger and live until the day I can see Boss again."
"You really believe that?"
"I do. Boss can do anything!"
As she finished speaking, the wooden box in Xiao You's hands shattered.
The broken pieces of Demon Blade were connected by threads of energy, and she held them tightly in her grip.
Raising the blade high above her head, the morning light shone through the cracks of Demon Blade, casting its glow onto her face.
Xiao You's eyes burned with determination.