Young Jiang Ziya

"Who?!" the Nightmare roared shrilly. "Who dares to—"

The humanoid figure raised its hand and gently shook its head at Daji.

Daji's unfocused gaze sharpened.

As she looked at the outline of the light, a sense of familiarity suddenly arose within her for some reason.

"I..." Her lips moved.

The outline stopped looking at her and turned to face the enormous nightmare.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his right hand, his index finger pointing straight at the core of the Nightmare—the three rotating vortexes.

Then, he whispered a single word.

A word that is simple to the extreme.

"**Disperse**".

But the moment that word was uttered, the entire space of Biluo seemed to "freeze" for a moment.

The Nightmare's roar abruptly ceased.

"This is impossible—" For the first time, fear appeared in the Nightmare's voice. "Words become law... This level of psionic power... Who are you?!"

The outline of light did not answer.

It merely maintained the posture of raising its hand to point at the Nightmare, its figure beginning to thin out—clearly, forcibly unleashing this level of power within the Azure Heaven was also a huge drain on it.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Daji suddenly woke up.

She bit her tongue, the sharp pain sharpening her senses. She glanced at the outline of light, then at the still trembling but beginning to reform the nightmare, and then—

She rushed towards Shigure.

"Child, wake up!" Her hand passed through the bubbles, gently shaking Shiyu's shoulder. "Shiyu, I'm here to save you! Wake up!"

Inside the bubble, Shigure's eyelashes trembled slightly.

The Nightmare let out an angry roar.

Although it was severely damaged by that mysterious "words become law," its core remained intact and it still possesses power.

It abandoned its inquiry into the outline of light, instead directing all its malice towards Daji—

"Since you're courting death—"

A giant shadowy claw materialized and slammed down on Daji and Shiyu.

---

At the same time, deep within the azure sky, in another corner.

Shen Gongbao stood amidst ruins.

This is no ordinary ruin. Every broken brick and every piece of rubble bears the marks of psionic burning. On the charred walls, one can vaguely see runes that were once carved—the mark of the Tower of Purity.

"This is..." His voice trembled.

"Does this sound familiar?" a voice asked from behind.

Shen Gongbao suddenly turned around.

The speaker wore the standard armor of the Breaking Law Guard, with a metal mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. He held a long spear in his hand, the tip pointed at Shen Gongbao's heart.

"This was once your 'home'." The guard's voice was devoid of emotion. "The Tower of Purity in South E. Ten years ago, because of your 'mistake,' seven apprentices, three mentors, and twelve civilians died here."

"No..." Shen Gongbao took a step back, "That accident was..."

"What is it?" The guard took a step closer. "Is it that you can't control your power? Or do you simply not care about the lives of those 'mortals'?"

The surrounding scenery began to change.

The ruins were rebuilt, transforming back into a complete and serene tower.

Shen Gongbao knelt before the ruins, his body covered in blood.

He was surrounded by guards, all of whom were pointing their spears at him.

The leading guard—the one standing before him—coldly announced: "The sorcerer Shen Gongbao has been practicing blood magic without permission, an unforgivable crime. He will now undergo a demon-sealing ritual."

"No...that's not it..." Shen Gongbao covered his head, "I didn't—"

"So the blood plague in Nan'e was your doing?" The guard's voice was full of sarcasm. "Those fallen comrades? Those civilians turned into blood puppets? Shen Gongbao, you're always like this—never admitting your mistakes, always thinking that others are persecuting you."

The surrounding scenery changed again.

He saw the day he escaped from the tower.

In Hubei, he was pursued by He Ding and had to hide like a stray dog.

The same gazes always surround me—warning, disgust, and fear.

"Look," the guard's voice softened, yet grew even more malevolent, "this is how the world treats sorcerers."

Spellbreakers? They're not protectors, they're shackles! Feet pressing down on the warlock's neck!

Shen Gongbao's breathing became increasingly rapid.

His blood began to boil, and the conflict with psychic energy intensified.

The pain felt like a thousand needles piercing his bone marrow, but even more intense than the pain was the anger.

"They say warlocks are dangerous... but who's really dangerous?" The guard leaned close to his ear and whispered, "They're those who wield power and decide the life and death of others at will."

"They are the ones who lock sorcerers in towers and 'manage' them like livestock. Shen Gongbao, how much longer are you going to endure this?"

"I……"

"Think of Ogata," the guard's voice was alluring. "She chose a different path."

She didn't hide or conceal herself; she spoke with power. At least Chaoge gave her respect—because they needed her power. But in Xiqi? Even breathing was wrong.

Shen Gongbao raised his head, his eyes beginning to redden.

It wasn't the red of the Blood Puppet's blood, but a deeper, colder dark red.

"The Guardians of the Law-Breaking Guard..." he murmured, "...all...deserve to die?"

"Yes," the guard laughed, "they all deserve to die."

A hand formed of shadow was extended to Shen Gongbao.

He held a dagger wreathed in blood in his hand.

"Take it. Take the power of vengeance."

Shen Gongbao looked at the dagger and slowly... extended his hand.

---

On Daji's side.

The demon's giant claws had already fallen, only three feet away from Daji and Shiyu.

Daji gritted her teeth and shielded Shiyu behind her. She knew she couldn't withstand this attack, but she would never back down.

Just then, Shigure opened her eyes.

Those eyes were a clear, emerald green, like the purest jade. He looked at Daji, then at the descending giant claw, and then—

He reached out and gave it a gentle push.

The giant shadowy claw suddenly "froze" when it was only a foot away from them.

It wasn't that they were blocked, but rather... they were prevented from getting close by some kind of spiritual power.

"You…" Nightmare's voice was filled with shock, "How could you—"

Shi Yu didn't look at the Nightmare. He turned his head to look at a certain spot on the lake, where the outline of light had become so thin that it was almost invisible.

"Jiang... Ziya..." Shi Yu said softly, her voice young yet clear.

As soon as he finished speaking, a soft blue halo burst forth from his small body.

A halo of light swept across the lake, and wherever it passed, the darkness faded and the pent-up fear dissipated.

The Nightmare let out a resentful roar, but its body rapidly dissolved in the blue light.

Its last vestige of consciousness was fixed on the direction where the outline of light had disappeared, and with all its might it roared out a name—

"Jiang Ziya!!!"

The sound echoed in the azure sky, then abruptly ceased.

The nightmare completely vanished.

The lake surface began to collapse, and Biluo's dream was about to end.

Shi Yu grabbed Daji's hand, pointing in a certain direction with her other hand: "Over there... that sorcerer... needs help..."

Without hesitation, Daji picked up Shiyu and rushed in that direction.

---

Amidst the ruins.

Shen Gongbao's hand had already grasped the blood-red dagger.

An unprecedented sense of power filled my body—not psionic energy, not blood magic, but a power that was more primal and closer to "hatred" itself.

"Yes, that's it." The guard—or rather, the seductive whisper of the lingering "Revenge" nightmare—murmured in his mind, "Now, make those who persecuted you pay the price—"

Before he could finish speaking...

A beam of blue light tore apart the illusion of ruins.

Daji rushed in, carrying Shiyu. When she saw the dagger in Shen Gongbao's hand, her expression changed drastically: "Shen Gongbao! Throw it away! That's a trap set by the Demon Nightmare!"

When Shen Gongbao saw Daji, his pupils suddenly dilated.

Only the thoughts of a sorcerer can enter the Azure Heaven; Daji is doing this—

Before he could even think it through, the space around Biluo began to tremble violently.

"Time is running out," Daji said urgently. "Shen Gongbao, let's take Shiyu back together."

Shen Gongbao remained silent.

He looked at the dagger in his hand, then at Shigure, and finally at the gradually collapsing illusion of ruins around him.

The nightmare's last voice screamed in his mind: "Kill them! Kill them and you will be free—"

Shen Gongbao closed his eyes.

Three seconds later, he opened his eyes.

He threw away the dagger.

The moment the dagger hit the ground, it turned into black smoke and dissipated.

"Let's go," he said, his voice returning to its usual hoarseness, but with an indescribable weariness and... a kind of cold determination.

Daji breathed a sigh of relief and handed Shiyu to him: "You hold him, I'll clear the way."

Shen Gongbao took Shi Yu and held her tightly in his arms. The three of them rushed towards reality along the shimmering bloodline.

Behind them, the ruins collapsed completely.

At the heart of the collapse, a faint, resentful thought lingers—the last fragment of the "Revenge" nightmare.

"Jiang Ziya...you will regret this...hatred never fades..."

---

The real world. A public square.

The light of the blood array flickered, indicating that it was on the verge of collapse.

Ogata knelt at the edge of the array, blood seeping from her seven orifices. Maintaining the passage for two consciousnesses to enter the Azure Heaven was far beyond her capacity.

Worse still, she sensed that her "anchor point" in the Azure Sky—the wisp of blood magic consciousness she used to guide—was being eroded in reverse by something.

"No..." she gritted her teeth, "The passage is collapsing... If they don't come back—"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Gongbao's body shuddered violently in the center of the blood array.

He opened his eyes, a faint dark red still lingering deep in his pupils.

Almost simultaneously, the unconscious Shiyu appeared out of thin air in his arms—the child's body solidified from the illusion and landed steadily in his embrace.

"It's a success!" Ji Fa exclaimed in delight.

But the next moment, something unexpected happened.

A fierce glint flashed in Ogata's eyes.

This was the moment she had been waiting for—a brief energy resonance between the caster and the recipient before the portal closed. That was the perfect opportunity for the blood magic to backfire!

"With blood as the bond, with the soul as the payment—" She formed hand seals and chanted a wicked incantation, "Thank you for bringing this child out. Now, he is mine!"

A dark red line of blood shot out from her fingertips, piercing straight into Shen Gongbao's heart!

Shen Gongbao was not fully conscious and had no time to react.

A hair's breadth away.

A pale golden sword light arrived first, even though it was delayed.

"Clang!"

The sword light precisely severed the line of blood.

Yin Jiao had appeared in front of Shen Gongbao at some point, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground.

He looked at Ogata, his eyes calm: "A sneak attack? Senior's methods are still so despicable."

"Despicable?" Ogata sneered, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "All these years of experience have taught me a lot, the most important of which is—anyone who gets in my way must die."

She wanted to cast another spell, but her body swayed and she almost fell over—she was too exhausted.

Just then, Daji on the other side also "woke up".

She opened her eyes, her face as pale as paper, and the cracks in the jade throbbed with pain.

Shi Yuan immediately stepped forward to check on her condition, while blocking the view of others with his body, and quickly put a small bottle of powder in her hand: "Hold it under your tongue, it can temporarily calm the fluctuations of spiritual energy."

Daji glanced at Shi Yuan gratefully and did as he was told.

"Ogata." Himeka stepped forward, sword already drawn. "Where is your integrity?"

"Credit?" Ogata gasped for breath, but still smiled. "I've kept all the previous promises. I never made any promises about anything after saving that child."

Han Ling and He Xu surrounded them from the left and right, respectively, and the blood mark between their eyebrows lit up at the same time.

"You think you can hold me back?" Ogata scanned the crowd, his gaze finally settling on the weakened Shen Gongbao and Daji. "Two key players are crippled, an old man, a swordsman, and you bunch of wrecked soldiers... Do you really think you can stop me?"

She formed hand seals again, preparing to annihilate them all.

But halfway through the mudra, her movements suddenly froze.

Because Yin Jiao's sword was already pressed against her throat without her noticing.

He was moving so fast that no one could see how he moved.

"You can try," Yin Jiao's voice remained calm. "Is your magic faster, or my sword?"

Ogata stared intently at him, a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashing in her eyes. This swordsman's movements and sword intent... she couldn't fathom their depth at all.

At that moment, the Nightmare Mother's Nest in the center of the square began to collapse.

Shiyu was rescued, and the Nightmares, having lost their cores, began to go out of control and devour each other.

The enormous lair collapsed like a melting wax figure, finally freeing the three thousand defenders trapped inside—though a few remained barely alive.

"The nest is about to explode!" Han Ling shouted. "Everyone, retreat!"

Ji Fa glanced at Ogata, then at the collapsed lair, and gritted his teeth: "Save the people first! Organize the remaining soldiers to retreat! Shi Yuan, Lü Shang, treat the wounded!"

Everyone immediately took action.

Yin Jiao's sword was still pressed against Xu Fang, but he turned his head slightly and said to Ji Fa, "Leave her to me. You all retreat first."

Ji Fa gave Yin Jiao a deep look and nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."

The crowd began to evacuate the square in an orderly fashion. As Lü Shang passed by Yin Jiao, Yin Jiao said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Well done."

Lu Shang paused, looking at the man in disbelief.

How did this person detect my entry into the Azure Heaven? With my abilities, I shouldn't have generated any psionic fluctuations.

In the Azure Sky, the silhouette of light that saved Daji and severely injured the Demon Nightmare is Lü Shang.

He risked sending a wisp of his consciousness to infiltrate and use his spiritual power to defeat the demon, but he almost exhausted his spiritual energy in the process.

His head was throbbing so badly it felt like it was going to split open, and he was only holding on by sheer willpower.

Yin Jiao not only noticed it, but also covered up the faint fluctuations during his spellcasting, thus concealing his aura.

He remembered this favor.

**

As everyone retreated to a safe distance, the nest in the center of the square finally exploded completely.

Taking advantage of the chaos of the explosion, Ogata's figure flickered and he vanished as a streak of blood.

Yin Jiao did not pursue.

He sheathed his sword, gazing thoughtfully at the direction where the bloody light had vanished.

"She got away?" Ji Fa walked over.

"She poses no threat in the short term," Yin Jiao said. "Besides... she might be more useful alive than dead."

"What do you mean?"

Yin Jiao did not explain, but turned to look at Shi Yu, who was being treated by Shi Yuan, and Shen Gongbao and Daji, who were sitting aside and meditating.

"They need rest," he said. "Especially Shen Gongbao... he's not feeling well."

Ji Fa followed his gaze.

Shen Gongbao sat cross-legged, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.

He appeared calm on the surface, but Ji Fa noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly, his nails digging deep into his palms, drawing out traces of blood.

That wasn't a trembling from exhaustion.

It was a tremor suppressing some intense emotion.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Daji leaned against the ruins, and Shi Yuan was taking her pulse.

Her face was still pale, but her eyes had regained their clarity.

However, when she occasionally glanced at Ji Fa, her eyes would flash with extremely complex emotions—alienation, doubt... and a deep pain.

Ji Fa felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

After returning from Biluo, some things... have changed.

---

Late at night. Temporary campsite.

Most people were asleep. Han Ling and He Xu were on night watch, while Ji Fa was planning tomorrow's operation—the barrier was beginning to weaken, and they needed to organize the survivors to evacuate Winterfell as soon as possible.

In a corner of the camp, Yin Jiao found Lü Shang sitting alone by the fire.

"Here you go." He handed over a water pouch.

Lü Shang accepted it and thanked him in a low voice.

The two sat in silence for a while, watching the flickering flames.

"Regarding Biluo," Yin Jiao suddenly spoke, "I won't tell anyone."

Lü Shang gripped the water bag tightly.

"I don't know why you would hide such a rare talent," Yin Jiao continued, "but you have your reasons. And... you saved them. You are the hero, even if no one knows."

Lü Shang raised his head and looked seriously into Yin Jiao's eyes for the first time.

In those eyes, there was no probing, no calculation, only pure respect and understanding.

"Why are you helping me?" Lu Shang's voice was somewhat excited and joyful.

Yin Jiao smiled, a smile tinged with bitterness. "People like you... who are willing to work quietly without seeking fame, are rare."

He stood up and dusted off his clothes.

"Get some rest. The real trouble starts tomorrow—we need to resettle the tens of thousands of survivors in this city and deal with the aftermath of the Sky Crack."

He took a few steps, then turned back:

"By the way, that child you rescued... Shiyu. Perhaps we should find him a home."

Lü Shang's pupils contracted slightly.

Yin Jiao continued, "This child... is not simple. Does he know your abilities?"

Lu Shang remained silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head: "I don't know."

This is the truth. It was the first time he had seen this child, yet he heard him call himself "Jiang Ziya" in the Azure Sky.

He had never heard the name before, but when Yu called it out in the Azure Sky, something deep within his soul was indeed touched.

"Then don't think about him," Yin Jiao said finally. "I thought that child was someone from your clan or something."

He turned and left, his figure disappearing into the night.

Lü Shang sat alone by the fire, clutching his water bag, and looked up at the starry sky.

The cracks in the sky have begun to heal, but the torn "wounds" remain.

He knew that many things would change after tonight.