Grand Elder Tian Xuan stepped back."What is happening?"Qing Li's eyes widened."The heart is opening."The crystal floor suddenly separated without breaking and circular section slowly sank,and beneath it,a staircase began rising from the darkness. The steps were not made of stone.They looked like enormous intertwined roots of crystal and silver light,glowing softly as they emerged one after another until they formed a path toward the chamber below.Everyone stared at the descending path.
Xu Yang looked down into the darkness,then slowly turned toward the others.Chen Yu immediately stepped forward."We're coming with you."The white-haired man raised one hand."No."Chen Yu looked at him sharply. "Why?"The white-haired man pointed toward the glowing staircase."The Heart will only allow one person to approach."Yan Luo frowned."How do you know?"The man looked toward the Heart Blossom."Because the formation has already chosen its bearer."
Xu Yang glanced at the rose mark glowing beneath his skin.The mark pulsed once,as though answering him.He slowly smiled. "Then I'll go."Chen Yu immediately grabbed his shoulder."Xu Yang,this isn't something you should face alone."Xu Yang looked at him calmly."I know."He gently removed Chen Yu's hand."But if the heart truly chose me,bringing everyone down there may only put you in danger."Chen Yu wanted to argue, but the silver roots suddenly brightened beneath Xu Yang's feet and faint pressure pushed him back."Damn it..."Chen Yu clenched his staff."Then come back."
Xu Yang looked at him and gave nod."I will." Lin Chen suddenly stepped forward and caught Xu Yang's sleeve.His expression was unusually serious."Come back."Xu Yang looked at his hand,then at Lin Chen's worried face."I will."Lin Chen hesitated before finally letting go."You'd better."Hei Long quietly approached him.He held several of the white petals he had collected earlier.One petal glowed faintly in his palm. He carefully placed it in Xu Yang's hand. "Take this."
Xu Yang looked down at the delicate white petal."For luck?"Hei Long slowly shook his head."For remembering us."Xu Yang's expression softened.He carefully closed his fingers around the petal."I won't forget."Hei Long looked at him for a few seconds."Even if the Heart shows you things?"Xu Yang paused."Even then."Hei Long's fingers curled against his palm."Even if you remember something that makes you want to leave us?"Xu Yang looked directly into his eyes."I won't."
Hei Long's eyes trembled slightly."You can't know that."Xu Yang stepped closer and gently touched his shoulder."Maybe I can't know what I'll remember."He smiled faintly."But I know what I've chosen now."Hei Long looked at him silently."And I've chosen you all."For a moment,Hei Long couldn't answer.His eyes became slightly teary,but he quickly lowered his head and nodded.Xu Yang gently squeezed his shoulder before turning toward the staircase."Wait for me." Hei Long finally whispered,"We will."
Then Qing Li stepped forward.He had been silent the entire time,but his expression was different from everyone else's.He wasn't simply afraid.He looked as though he had just realized something he desperately wished wasn't true."Xu Yang."Xu Yang turned toward him."What is it?"Qing Li glanced toward the staircase.The silver roots were glowing brighter now,and the Threads around the entrance had begun moving in strange patterns."Before you go,I need to tell you something."
Xu Yang waited. Qing Li slowly took a breath. "If the Heart shows you someone you recognize..."He paused."Don't immediately believe that person is real."Xu Yang's brows furrowed."What do you mean?"Qing Li looked toward the darkness below."The Threads carry memories.But memories aren't always complete."He touched his temple."They can preserve a voice,a face,a feeling...and still hide the truth."
Xu Yang's expression became serious."So the Heart could show me a false memory?" "Not false,"Qing Li replied. "Incomplete."Xu Yang understood the difference."Then how will I know what's real?"Qing Li stared at him for a long moment."You won't."Xu Yang's eyes narrowed."That's not very reassuring." A faint smile appeared on Qing Li's face."I know."Then his expression became serious again."That's why I need you to remember one thing."Xu Yang waited.
Qing Li pointed toward Xu Yang's glowing rose mark."If the memory tries to make you hate someone..."He paused."...stop."Xu Yang's expression changed."And if it makes me want to save someone?"Qing Li's eyes darkened."Stop and ask yourself why."Xu Yang fell silent.Qing Li continued softly,"Your feelings may be real,but the reason behind them may not be yours."The words made Xu Yang glance at the rose mark."You think the mark can influence my emotions?""I think we don't know what it can do."
Qing Li looked toward the Heart Blossom. "And that's more dangerous than knowing it can."Suddenly,the Heart Blossom pulsed. The entire staircase trembled.A silver thread shot from the darkness and stopped directly between Xu Yang and Qing Li.Qing Li's expression changed instantly."Wait."The Thread slowly formed a strange symbol in the air like a small circle surrounded by nine tiny points.
Xu Yang stared at it."What is that?"Qing Li stepped closer,but the moment his fingers approached,the symbol disappeared."I've seen that symbol before."Xu Yang looked at him."Where?"Qing Li's face turned pale."In the archive."Everyone became silent.Xu Yang's eyes narrowed."At Moonfall archive?"Qing Li nodded slowly."It was beside the records of the First Weaver."He looked toward Xu Yang."And beneath it was one sentence."
Xu Yang waited."What sentence?"Qing Li's voice became barely audible."When the Bearer returns,the forgotten connection will awaken."Xu Yang looked down at his rose mark.The mark suddenly glowed brighter. "The Bearer..."he whispered."That's me." Qing Li didn't answer.Xu Yang looked at him. "Qing Li."Qing Li finally nodded."Yes.Xu Yang smiled faintly."Looks like I really don't get to have a normal life."Lin Chen let out a nervous breath."You think?"Xu Yang glanced back at them."I'll be back."
Qing Li stepped forward."Xu Yang..."Xu Yang stopped."Don't let the Heart decide who you are."Xu Yang looked at him for a moment before answering quietly,"Then I'll decide for myself."He turned and stepped onto the glowing staircase.The moment his foot touched the first step,the silver Threads parted.The Heart Blossom shone brightly, and the darkness below seemed to awaken. As Xu Yang descended,the last thing he heard was Qing Li's voice behind him. "Remember who you chose to be."Xu Yang looked back once."I will."Then the darkness swallowed him.
He turned and stepped onto the glowing staircase.The moment his foot touched the first step,the silver Threads parted around him.The Heart Blossom shone brightly,and a wave of silver light traveled down the staircase as though illuminating a path specifically for him.Xu Yang took another step.The moment his foot landed,the darkness below seemed to retreat slightly. "So this is really happening..."he murmured, glancing into the endless darkness."I came here looking for answers,and somehow I ended up walking into the heart of the entire Thread network."He gave a quiet sigh."Why does everything in this world have to be so complicated?"
He took another step.The glowing roots beneath his feet pulsed softly beneath his shoes and faint sound followed him from the walls whispers that sounded almost like distant voices.Xu Yang stopped."Did someone just speak?"He turned his head, but the staircase behind him was empty.He narrowed his eyes."No...probably just the Threads."He continued downward.As he descended,the air gradually changed.The walls around him began revealing fragments of images.The first showed people holding hands.The second showed a mother embracing her child.The third showed two strangers meeting after years apart.Xu Yang slowed down."Memories..."He reached toward one,but the moment his fingers approached,the image vanished."So these are the connections the First Weaver created."He looked at the moving Threads around him."They weren't meant to hurt anyone."A faint sadness crossed his face. "Then who turned you into this?"
The Threads trembled in response.Xu Yang stopped walking."Was it Heaven?"No answer came.He looked downward."Or was it something else?"The staircase suddenly shook.Xu Yang immediately grabbed the glowing root beside him."Whoa!"A powerful pulse traveled through the staircase,and the rose mark on his hand flared brightly. "Again?"He stared at his palm."You really like glowing whenever something dangerous is nearby,don't you?"A faint silver Thread brushed past his shoulder.Xu Yang glanced at it suspiciously."I'm talking to myself now." He sighed."Great."
He continued descending.The deeper he went,the louder the heartbeat-like pulses became.Each pulse echoed through the chamber like a distant drum.The Threads on the walls began gathering above him, forming big patterns that looked almost like branches of a celestial tree.Xu Yang looked up in awe."That's beautiful..."He slowly turned as the glowing patterns spread across the darkness."If this is what the Threads looked like before they were corrupted..."His expression became thoughtful."Maybe they really were meant to connect everything."
The staircase finally reached its end.Xu Yang stepped onto the smooth stone floor, and the final glowing root faded behind him. He stood completely still.The silence was overwhelming.He slowly looked forward.At the bottom,the staircase opened into an enormous chamber.The ceiling was lost in darkness,and countless silver-black threads stretched across the walls like roots of an ancient tree.At the center floated the gigantic crystal heart.It was far larger than it had appeared from above.Each pulse sent rings of silver light through the chamber,and with every pulse,the rose mark on Xu Yang's hand glowed brighter.
Xu Yang slowly approached.The heart pulsed again.This time,the entire chamber seemed to breathe with it.Xu Yang stopped several steps away and looked up at the ancient crystal structure."You're the First Weaver?"For several seconds,there was no answer.Then the heart released a faint silver wave,and a voice echoed through the chamber.It sounded neither young nor old."I am what remains."Xu Yang's expression changed.He slowly looked around the chamber."What does that mean?"The heart pulsed once."The First Weaver you seek no longer exists as one being."
Xu Yang's brows drew together."Where is the rest of you?"Silence filled the chamber for a long moment.Then the voice answered, "Scattered among the Threads."Xu Yang's eyes widened slightly.He looked toward the countless corrupted strands surrounding the chamber."So you're inside them?""A part of me is."Xu Yang's gaze darkened."Then you're suffering."The heart gave a slow pulse."I have suffered for a very long time."
Xu Yang lowered his eyes.The Threads around him carried faint images within them people laughing,people crying,children holding hands,old promises,broken relationships,and memories that had been twisted into something painful.He slowly looked back toward the heart."Was Heaven responsible for all of this?"The heart remained silent for several seconds. "Heaven did not create the wound."Xu Yang waited."They simply refused to let it heal." His expression tightened.
The heart continued."They feared what the Threads could become if every living being was connected without a master."Xu Yang looked toward the corrupted Threads."So they tried to control them.""Yes.""And Shou Heng?"The heart pulsed faintly."A man who was caught inside a wound that had existed long before him."Xu Yang's fingers tightened around the Heart Blossom."Can I save him?"The heart's light dimmed slightly."You cannot save someone by destroying everything that holds him."
Xu Yang stared at it."Then what can I do?" The voice became quieter."You must return the threads to what they were meant to be." Xu Yang looked around the chamber. "Can I save you?"The heart answered,"Only if you are willing to save what others fear."Xu Yang's eyes widened as he understood."The Threads.""Yes." The enormous heart pulsed gently,and silver light traveled through the countless threads surrounding the chamber. Xu Yang slowly walked closer,his expression filled with conflicted emotions. "So all this time..."He looked at the corrupted strands. "They weren't trying to destroy everything." His voice became quieter."They were trying to return to what they were."
The First Weaver answered,"They remembered connection,but they were taught control."Xu Yang's fingers tightened around the Heart Blossom."And Shou Heng?"The chamber fell silent for several seconds."He became one of the strongest vessels of their grief."Xu Yang lowered his gaze."Then if I restore them...will he be saved?""Perhaps."Xu Yang immediately looked up."Perhaps?"The heart pulsed once."Restoration does not erase what has happened."Xu Yang's expression became serious."So his memories,the pain,the choices...everything remains?" "Everything."Xu Yang slowly exhaled."Then restoring the Threads won't magically fix everyone.""No.""It only gives them the chance to choose again.""Yes."Xu Yang looked at the enormous heart for a long moment."Then I understand."
The crystal heart suddenly opened slightly and narrow seam appeared across its surface,and from within came a tiny point of pure light.It was so bright that Xu Yang instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes.The First Weaver's voice echoed through the chamber."Destroy the threads... "The tiny light expanded slightly."...and the world will become quiet."Xu Yang lowered his hand."Quiet?""No memories will be shared.No grief will cross from one heart to another.No connection will remain strong enough to wound another."
Xu Yang's expression darkened."And everyone will be alone.""Yes."The heart pulsed again."Restore them..."The light inside the heart became warmer."...and every living being will once again be connected."Xu Yang stared at it."Then people will feel each other's pain.""Yes." "Their grief?""Yes."Xu Yang swallowed. "Their fear?""Yes."He was silent for several seconds."Their love?"The heart answered without hesitation."Yes."Xu Yang slowly closed his eyes.The thought of every person feeling the sorrow of another terrified him, but then he remembered Shou Heng and Yue Ning.He remembered how their love had survived despite everything Heaven had done to them.He remembered Hei Long's expression when he discovered the truth about his father.He remembered Lin Chen grabbing his sleeve and asking him to come back.He remembered Qing Li telling him not to let the Heart decide who he was.
A faint smile slowly appeared on Xu Yang's face."Then I'll restore them."The heart became completely still."You understand what you are choosing?"Xu Yang opened his eyes."No one should be forced to live without feeling just because feeling can hurt."He looked directly at the light inside the crystal heart."If connection brings pain..."His fingers tightened around the Heart Blossom."...then people should learn how to carry that pain together."The First Weaver remained silent for a moment.Then the chamber seemed to breathe."Then choose."Xu Yang stepped forward and raised the Heart Blossom."I choose connection."He carefully placed the Heart Blossom into the center of the crystal heart.
For one second,nothing happened.The chamber remained completely silent.Xu Yang stared at the flower."That's it?"He frowned."I was expecting something more dramatic." The moment he finished speaking,the Heart Blossom suddenly opened and wave of pure silver-white light exploded through the chamber.Xu Yang was thrown backward,but an invisible force caught him before he hit the ground.
The entire shrine illuminated.The walls,the pillars,the staircase,and every Thread suddenly became visible beneath the overwhelming light.Above the shrine,the enormous corrupted Thread network stopped moving.All across the mountains, the black strands froze in midair.The Heavenly cultivators stared upward in disbelief."What is happening?"one of them whispered.Another slowly lowered his weapon as the threads began changing before his eyes."They're restoring..."His voice trembled."He's restoring them."
A third cultivator fell to his knees."The First Weaver has accepted him."Inside the chamber,Xu Yang slowly opened his eyes. "Did it work?"The Heart gave no answer. Instead,the enormous network above suddenly began moving again.This time,the blackness slowly peeled away and silver light spread through every thread like dawn breaking through a storm.The corrupted strands became translucent,and countless fragments of memories passed through them laughter,tears,goodbyes,promises, and people reaching for one another across impossible distances.Xu Yang stared in panic."They're remembering."Then his expression suddenly changed."Wait..."
The Heart Blossom began glowing violently. Xu Yang's body jerked as something pulled through his arm."Ah—!"He grabbed his wrist."What are you doing?"The threads surrounding the chamber suddenly rushed toward him.The silver strands entered his body like streams of light,and the rose mark on his hand flared so brightly that it nearly blinded him.Xu Yang screamed."Stop!"The light spread from his palm to his wrist,then across his forearm.Chen Yu suddenly heard his voice echo from somewhere below."Xu Yang!"He immediately turned toward the staircase."That was him!"
Lin Chen's face went pale."Something happened!"The white-haired man's calm expression finally disappeared."Something is wrong."Qing Li looked toward the big Thread network above them.His pupils contracted as he watched the silver strands converging toward the shrine."The Threads aren't simply being restored."Yan Luo immediately looked at him."Then what are they doing?"Qing Li's face slowly lost its color."They're choosing."Chen Yu frowned. "Choosing what?"Qing Li looked toward the chamber below,and his voice became barely audible."A new Weaver.
Everyone froze."What?"Lin Chen stared at him."You mean Xu Yang?"Qing Li's eyes remained fixed on the glowing rose mark spreading across Xu Yang's arm."The First Weaver disappeared..."he whispered."Its heart remained."His expression became increasingly horrified."And now that heart has found someone capable of carrying what it left behind."
Inside the chamber,Xu Yang stared at his arm in shock.The rose mark had spread farther,forming intricate patterns across his skin like glowing roots."No..."He tried to pull his arm away from the Threads,but they only wrapped around him more tightly."I didn't choose this!"The First Weaver's voice echoed through the chamber."You chose connection."Xu Yang gritted his teeth."I chose to restore the Threads.I didn't choose to become their master!"The voice answered calmly,"A Weaver does not command the Threads."
Xu Yang's eyes widened."Then what does a Weaver do?"The Threads surrounding him suddenly became completely still."A Weaver carries them."Xu Yang's breathing stopped. The rose mark spread another inch across his arm."No..."He shook his head."That's not possible."Above him,the entire shrine began glowing brighter,and every restored Thread across the world seemed to respond to the same heartbeat.Qing Li stared upward in horror."It's happening."Yan Luo looked at him."What?" Qing Li's voice trembled."The First Weaver has chosen its successor."
Chen Yu's expression changed instantly. "Successor?"He looked toward the chamber below."You mean Xu Yang?"Qing Li slowly nodded."The Heart isn't simply restoring the Threads anymore."His eyes remained fixed on the brilliant light beneath the shrine."It's searching for someone who can carry their connection."Lin Chen's face went pale."But Xu Yang never agreed to that."Qing Li's hands tightened."That's the problem."A violent pulse suddenly erupted from beneath them and entire staircase shook,and silver-black threads shot upward through the cracks in the floor.
They didn't attack the group.Instead,they surrounded the staircase like an enormous living storm,all of them moving toward the chamber below.Chen Yu gripped his staff. "Xu Yang!"His voice echoed through the shrine."Can you hear me?"Far below,there was no immediate answer.Then a muffled cry came from the chamber."Ah—!"Lin Chen's eyes widened."That's him!"He rushed toward the staircase,but the white-haired man immediately raised his arm and stopped him."Don't."
Lin Chen turned angrily."He's in pain!""And if you enter now,"the white-haired man said calmly,"the Heart may choose another vessel."Lin Chen froze."Another...?"The man looked toward the glowing Threads. "The formation is unstable.If someone interferes,it may search for another person to carry the burden."Chen Yu's face hardened."Then we'll stay here."He looked down toward the chamber."But we're not leaving him alone."
Inside the chamber,the Threads began entering Xu Yang's body,wrapping around his arms,shoulders,and chest like countless silver-black ribbons.Their surfaces shimmered with both darkness and silver light,as though corruption and purity were fighting inside every strand.Xu Yang's body trembled and rose mark burned intensely beneath his skin,spreading glowing patterns across his arm and toward his shoulder.His breathing became uneven as he tried to pull himself free."Stop..."His voice shook."Get off me..."
The Threads tightened.Xu Yang clenched his teeth and tried to tear one away,but the moment his fingers touched it,an entire flood of sensations rushed through his mind.He saw strangers crying.He felt the loneliness of someone standing beside an empty grave.He felt a child's happiness at seeing their mother return.He felt the desperate love of someone waiting for a person who would never come back.
Xu Yang gasped and staggered backward. "So many..."He pressed a hand against his chest."How can anyone carry all of this?" The ancient heart pulsed softly."That is the burden of a Weaver."Xu Yang looked toward it angrily."Then I don't want it."The voice remained calm."You misunderstand what has been offered."Xu Yang's breathing became heavier."Then explain it!"His voice echoed across the chamber."Because right now,it feels like you're putting the entire world inside my body!"
The Threads continued moving around him. The heart answered,"A Weaver does not command the Threads."Xu Yang looked at the glowing heart."Then what does a Weaver do?""A Weaver gives them purpose."Xu Yang's expression hardened. "Purpose?"He laughed bitterly."That's exactly what Heaven did.They gave the Threads a purpose too.They turned them into chains.They used them to control people.They decided what memories people should keep and what feelings they should lose."
The heart remained silent.Xu Yang stared at it."And now you want me to become another person who decides what the Threads should do?"The voice answered,"That is not what I ask."Xu Yang clenched his fists."Then what are you asking?"The heart pulsed again."To choose what they become."Xu Yang shook his head."No."The Threads suddenly stopped moving for a moment.He looked toward them,his eyes filled with determination."I don't want to control them."He slowly raised his hand,and the rose mark burned brighter."I want to free them."
The Threads hanging around Xu Yang froze in midair,each strand suspended like silver-black ribbons caught inside invisible water. Xu Yang looked around in confusion. "What?"The voice returned,but this time it sounded different.There was something almost like surprise within it."Free them..." Xu Yang nodded."Yes."His voice was steady despite his trembling body."If the Threads were created to connect people,then they should belong to everyone...not Heaven,not you,and not me."The heart remained silent.
Xu Yang continued,"People should be able to choose whether they want to connect. They should be able to feel someone's pain without being forced to carry it.They should be able to love without having their memories controlled.They should be able to let go when they need to."His eyes became wet,but his voice remained firm."A connection isn't meaningful if someone is holding a chain around your neck."The silver Threads slowly began glowing brighter."So I won't become your master."Xu Yang looked directly at the Heart of the First Weaver."And I won't become Heaven's replacement."
The rose mark suddenly flashed across his entire arm.The Threads trembled around him."Then what will you become?"the voice asked.Xu Yang slowly lowered his hand. "Someone who gives them back their choice."The chamber shook and wave of silver light erupted from the crystal heart and traveled through every Thread.Xu Yang raised his arm to shield his eyes,but instead of entering his body,the Threads began pulling away from him.The ribbons around his chest loosened.The strands around his arms separated,and the dark portions of their surfaces began turning completely silver.
Xu Yang stared in disbelief."They're listening..."The voice answered,"Not to you but to your choice."Xu Yang slowly lowered his arm.The countless Threads now floated around him peacefully,like a vast silver constellation.The Heart Blossom remained suspended inside the crystal heart,glowing brighter than the sun.Xu Yang looked upward."Then let me make one more choice."The heart pulsed once."Speak."Xu Yang took a deep breath."Don't choose a master."His eyes hardened."Choose everyone."The entire chamber exploded with silver light.