One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Nie Lingfeng peered cautiously into the pit.

Then, as if struck by lightning, he froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, his mouth involuntarily slightly agape, his face filled with disbelief, shock, bewilderment, and... a hint of absurdity.

In the very center of the crater, where everything should have been completely annihilated and vaporized, lay a small figure lying quietly.

It was a little girl who looked only five or six years old and was completely naked.

The little girl curled up, sleeping peacefully. She had soft, slightly messy, rare silver-white hair, the ends still tinged with a faint, lingering dark red. Her skin was almost translucent, revealing tiny blood vessels beneath. Her face was delicate, like a porcelain doll's, long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyelids, and her lips a pale pink. Her body was small and thin, appearing somewhat malnourished, without any wounds or the twisted features of the previous "Seraph" test subject, such as dark red scales, fleshy wings, and horns. She was like the most ordinary, purest human child, sleeping harmlessly in the heart of this scorched earth that had just been destroyed.

But Nie Lingfeng would never consider her ordinary.

Because, on her slender neck, there was something hanging.

It was a feather-shaped pendant, no bigger than a fingernail, with a warm, clear, golden-red hue like the finest amber. The material of the pendant was exactly the same as the fragment of the "Nirvana Feather" jade pendant on his chest! Moreover, this small feather pendant was currently emitting a faint, warm, and pure golden-red halo that resonated with the jade pendant on Nie Lingfeng's chest, gently enveloping the sleeping little girl like a breath.

What shocked Nie Lingfeng even more was that, despite the vast difference in appearance, physique, and aura, the faint, pure sense of familiarity that came from the depths of her blood, and the unconscious furrowing of the little girl's brows in her sleep, were vaguely similar to the last glimmer of clarity in the eyes of the "Seraph"!

Is it...

An absurd yet seemingly the only reasonable thought struck Nie Lingfeng's mind like lightning—

The "Seraph" test subject, who was corrupted, transformed, endured endless suffering, and finally chose self-destruction and revenge in a moment of lucidity, miraculously triggered a certain instinct deep within her thin phoenix bloodline during that terrifying energy explosion, stimulated by Nie Lingfeng's jade pendant and Chen Duo's flames, thus completing a kind of... "Nirvana"?

It wasn't death, but rather shedding all the tainted and imposed distorted shells and powers, returning to the most primitive and purest form of life—a child who had lost all memories and all power (on the surface), like a blank sheet of paper…? Moreover, judging from that feather pendant, the "root" or "mark" of her phoenix bloodline seemed to have been preserved in some way, transforming into this amulet-like pendant?

Just as Nie Lingfeng was stunned and stood there dumbfounded, as if sensing the approach of an unfamiliar aura, or as if naturally awakening after completing some kind of transformation, the silver-haired little girl at the bottom of the pit trembled slightly with her long eyelashes.

Then, slowly, she opened her eyes.

What kind of eyes were those?

It was no longer the crazed crimson eyes of the previous "Seraph," nor the clear black and white of an ordinary child.

Instead, they are like a pair of the purest, most translucent glass gemstones, burning with a faint golden-red flame.

Pure, innocent, with the bewilderment and curiosity of a newborn infant, clear and without a trace of impurity. Deep within the pupils, a faint, warm golden-red light flows, as if containing endless vitality and warmth.

She blinked her stunningly beautiful golden-red eyes, looking blankly at the charred, apocalyptic surroundings, a hint of fear and confusion on her small face. Then, her gaze naturally fell on Nie Lingfeng, who was staring at her in disbelief at the edge of the pit.

Eyes facing each other.

Nie Lingfeng could clearly see that the initial confusion and fear in the little girl's eyes quickly dissipated after she saw him, and especially after she felt the gentle warmth emanating from the jade pendant on his chest.

Instead, there is a strange, inexplicable, almost instinctive... closeness and dependence.

She looked at Nie Lingfeng, blinked, and then, timidly, stretched out her two small, fair arms to him.

Her little mouth opened slightly, and she let out a soft, sweet sound, still a little sleepy and slightly aggrieved, her words a bit unclear:

"p...apa...?"

Nie Lingfeng: "……(⊙ˍ⊙)???"

He froze completely at the edge of the pit. His mind went blank, with only the soft, sweet "papa" echoing endlessly in his ears.

What... what kind of crazy plot twist is this?!

Just then, behind him came Wang Ye's shrill, distorted cry of shock:

"Holy crap!! Old Nie! You...you...when did you secretly have such a big daughter?! And she's silver-haired and red-eyed?! Does she look like her mother?! Wait! This place! This situation! This...this...could this be that...that...exploded beauty from earlier...turned into a child?! Don't lie to me, I'm not well-educated! Is this some kind of rebirth or rejuvenation?! Σ(っ°Д °;)っ"

Nie Lingfeng: "...(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻ What the hell?! Do I look like I can give birth?! And what did she just call me?! Did you hear that?! This is a huge misunderstanding!"

However, before Nie Lingfeng could recover from the shock that was enough to short-circuit his brain, something even more chilling happened.

The little girl at the bottom of the pit, seeing that Nie Lingfeng did not respond (he was still petrified), pouted, and her big golden-red eyes instantly filled with bright, glistening tears that were about to fall. Her little nose twitched, and she looked like she was about to cry.

But then, as if sensing something, she suddenly turned her head and looked behind Nie Lingfeng in the direction where Chen Duo had fainted.

Her beautiful, large, golden-red eyes lit up instantly, even brighter than when she had seen Nie Lingfeng! It was a more direct, purer kind of joy and dependence, as if she had found a true kindred spirit!

Then, under Nie Lingfeng's stunned gaze once again, the little girl actually, wobbled, stood up from the bottom of the pit by herself! She seemed not quite used to this small, newborn body, staggered for a moment, but quickly regained her balance.

Then, completely ignoring Nie Lingfeng's bewildered expression at the edge of the pit, and disregarding the dangerous surroundings, she took two short, white legs and, wobbling impatiently, toddled towards Chen Duo! As she ran, she uttered indistinct but joyful syllables:

"jie...jie...nuan...nuannuan..."

Nie Lingfeng: "..." (´-﹏-`；)

Wang Ye: "..." (⊙_⊙)?

The little girl stumbled across the scorched ground, skirted a few pebbles, and headed straight for Chen Duo, who lay unconscious in the corner. Then, to the astonishment of Nie Lingfeng and Wang Ye, she thrashed about, carefully (though her movements were still a bit uncoordinated), and lay down beside Chen Duo. She reached out her small, soft hand and gently grasped one of Chen Duo's fingers.

The moment the little girl grasped Chen Duo's finger, a smile of utter contentment and peace spread across her face, as if she had found the warmest harbor. She nuzzled Chen Duo's arm, then curled up beside her, still holding Chen Duo's finger, and closed her eyes, her breathing quickly becoming even and long—she had fallen asleep again. And she slept exceptionally soundly and peacefully, a sweet, contented smile playing on her lips. The small, golden-red feather pendant around her neck seemed to glow even warmer and softer, gently enveloping her and Chen Duo.

Nie Lingfeng and Wang Ye, two grown men, stood there dumbfounded, looking at the little silver-haired girl sleeping soundly, then at the same bewildered expression on her face, and then at Chen Duo, who was still unconscious but did not react to the little girl's approach (or rather, in her unconscious state, she subconsciously slightly tightened her fingers and grasped the little hand back).

A cool breeze carrying a burnt smell blew by, stirring up some dust.

The ruins were eerily silent.

Only Wang Ye finally regained his voice, and in an almost sleepwalking tone, he murmured:

"So...so...we fought tooth and nail, almost got wiped out, and then...a silver-haired, red-eyed little loli appeared...who looks only six years old, calls you Dad, calls Xiao Chenduo Sister, and has a natural clingy nature? Old Nie...are you sure we weren't just playing some hidden dungeon, and this is the reward for clearing it? This reward...isn't it a bit too...too far-fetched? (′⊙ω⊙`)"

Nie Lingfeng's lips twitched as he looked at the silver-haired little one, nestled close to Chen Duo and sleeping soundly, and felt the unprecedented, calm, and gentle warmth emanating from the jade pendant on his chest. He then recalled the resolute and tragic final charge of the "Seraph"...

He exhaled a long, long breath, feeling a slight pain in his head.

"...Stop talking nonsense, Lao Wang." Nie Lingfeng wiped his face, trying to accept this surreal reality. "Hurry up, see if there's any usable road left. Take Chen Duo...and this 'little thing,' we need to get out of this hellhole immediately. We can talk about the rest later when we're safe."

He walked over to Chen Duo and the little girl, carefully took off his tattered but relatively clean undergarment (his outer coat had long since been destroyed), and gently wrapped it around the naked little girl before carefully lifting her up. The little girl stirred slightly in her sleep, unconsciously finding a more comfortable position in his arms, smacked her lips, and continued sleeping, even rubbing her face against his chest, where the jade pendant was radiating a reassuring warmth.

Nie Lingfeng stiffened, looking down at the light, soft, and warm little one in his arms. Looking at her unguarded sleeping face, the violence and killing intent that had been building up in his heart due to the fierce battle and the serious injury of his comrades unknowingly dissipated by more than half. In its place was an indescribable and complex emotion.

He glanced again at Chen Duo, who was still unconsciously holding the little girl's hand, and sighed.

"Let's go."

Wang Ye struggled to his feet and limped over. Looking at the little one in Nie Lingfeng's arms, then at Chen Duo, whom Nie Lingfeng carefully cradled in his other arm, he stroked his chin and muttered, "Speaking of which... Old Nie, your current pose, holding one in each arm, actually looks quite convincing... It's just that this 'daughter's' background is a bit scary, and this 'sister' is a ticking time bomb... Isn't our team getting weirder and weirder? (´･_･`)

"Shut up! Find the way!" Nie Lingfeng glared at him irritably, but deep in his eyes was a hint of relief at surviving a disaster, as well as... a deep headache and bewilderment about this inexplicably added "little burden" in the future.

The two dared not linger any longer. After discerning their direction (mainly relying on Wang Ye's half-baked divination skills to sense the Life Gate), they helped each other (mainly Wang Ye supporting the seriously injured Nie Lingfeng) as they stumbled along, making their way towards the depths of the laboratory ruins. There, they found a dark, deep passage that had been accidentally revealed by the explosion and seemed to lead to something further down or to the side.

Behind them lay the evil laboratory, now reduced to ruins, and the black-robed "messenger," whose fate was unknown but most likely dire.

In Nie Lingfeng's arms, the silver-haired little girl was fast asleep, occasionally letting out soft whimpers like a kitten. The small gold and red feather pendant around her neck emitted a faint but warm light, illuminating the dark road ahead.