Chapter 64:Rescue
In the Fallen Dragon Rift’s depths, dragon煞气 howled like a thousand blades, tearing at Shu Yue’s fading spiritual light. Her white robes fluttered, stained red by the rift’s malevolent aura, as she plummeted, her Golden Core dim under the third curse’s strain. Let it end. Her heart lake, once vibrant with guilt and fear, was now a void, her consciousness fraying as sha spirits—grotesque, writhing forms—sensed her presence, their wails echoing. Yet, a faint pulse of Frost Silence stirred in her hand, its icy qi resisting the rift’s pull, as if defying her surrender.
At Canglan Sect, the patrol mirror’s image burned into Qing Wan’s mind. Her Silent Annihilation Sword Intent flared, her earlier resentment replaced by raw desperation. “I’m going,” she declared, her voice steel as she broke free from Chu Yi’s grasp. Her sword light surged toward the southwest, Converging Heart Scabbard pulsing with her resolve. Lin Xiaoxi, clutching Shu Yue’s storage ring, sobbed but followed, her novice qi barely sustaining her flight. “Teacher, wait for me!”
Chu Yi raced to the council hall, where Elder Yuheng and the Sect Master deliberated. “Luyue’s in the Fallen Dragon Rift!” he reported, voice trembling. Yuheng’s counter-talisman glowed, its light dimming as she sensed the rift’s danger. “Her curse is active,” she said, her tone grave. The Sect Master, his Nascent Soul aura heavy, handed Chu Yi a jade talisman etched with protective arrays. “Take this. It may shield you from the煞气.” Chu Yi nodded, joining the pursuit.
Wan Qing, her flute in hand, activated her tracking talisman, its qi locked on Shu Yue’s fading signature. Luyue, you can’t escape your fate. Her gentle facade masked a flicker of regret as she flew toward the rift, her zither’s secret melody ready to counter sha spirits. Liu Qingxu, confined but defiant, whispered to a shadowed figure, “Ensure she doesn’t return.” Her jade slip cracked, the curse’s backlash weakening her, but her ambition burned. If Luyue falls, the trials are mine.
In the rift, Shu Yue’s descent slowed, a faint memory—Lin Xiaoxi’s anshen tea, Qing Wan’s wavering trust—sparking in her mind. I hurt them. Frost Silence hummed louder, its qi forming a fragile barrier against the sha spirits clawing at her. A spectral dragon’s wail shook the rift, and Shu Yue’s eyes opened, clouded but defiant. Not yet. The third curse surged, but her Golden Core flickered, resisting oblivion.
Qing Wan arrived first, her sword light slicing through the rift’s edge. “Master!” she shouted, her qi clashing with the煞气, the Converging Heart Scabbard stabilizing her sword intent. Lin Xiaoxi stumbled behind, her small frame trembling but resolute, channeling qi through Shu Yue’s ring to amplify her presence. Chu Yi’s talisman glowed, shielding him as he descended, while Wan Qing’s melody dispersed a sha spirit, her eyes fixed on Shu Yue’s faint light below.
“Master, hold on!” Qing Wan dove deeper, her sword intent carving a path through the煞气. She reached Shu Yue, grabbing her arm, her voice breaking. “You don’t get to leave us!” Lin Xiaoxi’s qi surged, a novice’s desperate plea anchoring Shu Yue’s fading consciousness. Chu Yi’s talisman flared, repelling a sha spirit, while Wan Qing’s melody faltered, her motives wavering. Why do I care? Shu Yue’s eyes met Qing Wan’s, a spark of life returning. “I… failed you,” she whispered.
Yuheng’s voice boomed from above, her counter-talisman blazing. “Luyue, rise!” The talisman’s light enveloped Shu Yue, weakening the curse. Qing Wan and Chu Yi pulled her upward, Lin Xiaoxi’s qi steadying her, as Wan Qing’s melody cleared a path. The sha spirits retreated, and Shu Yue’s heart lake rippled, her despair challenged by their unity. They came for me. The sect trials loomed, but Jinghong Peak’s bond, forged in the rift, he
ld firm.