People in the Imperial Music Bureau: The Storytelling Demon Child Nezha

Li Qiye reached out and touched it, feeling a cold sensation, but suddenly a bloody mark appeared on his fingertip.

Blood dripped onto the runes, and the map instantly transformed into a stream of light that entered his brow. In his mind, a city shrouded in eternal darkness appeared.

"The City of Eternal Night..." Su Yuqing stared at the gradually dimming patterns on the stone tablet. "Even the name sounds dangerous." She paused, a hint of doubt flashing in her blue eyes. "But you were injured just now, and the runes actively absorbed your blood. Doesn't that mean..."

“Perhaps the life core is somehow connected to this city.” Li Qiye gripped the Blade of the Boundary tightly, the blade trembling slightly, as if echoing the unease in his heart.

Ripples spread across his chest from his life core, and an unfamiliar power coursed through his meridians. His left pupil slowly turned into the same dark gold color as the runes.

A muffled rumble of thunder came from afar, and a jet-black bolt of lightning struck down from the purple clouds, blasting a deep crater into the ground, billowing black smoke.

Su Yuqing's Blood Curse Dagger automatically unsheathed, crimson runes swirling wildly on the hilt: "Something's coming!"

Countless dark figures crawled out of the deep pit, resembling spiders but with human faces, each eye radiating a scarlet light.

Li Qiye swung his light blade at the nearest dark figure, but the blade pierced through the figure's body—these monsters were actually formed from nothingness (ahae)!

"Watch out! They can devour attacks!" Li Qiye pulled Su Yuqing back, but the strong wind generated by the golden wings was instantly absorbed by the black shadows, making them even more solid.

One of the monsters opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and spewed out a corrosive beam of light. The moment Su Yuqing's blood curse barrier came into contact with the light, it was pierced through as thin as paper.

His life core suddenly trembled violently, and the dark golden light in Li Qiye's left eye surged.

Instinctively, he raised his hand and pointed, unleashing a beam of golden light inlaid with runes. The moment it struck the monster, the dark figure let out a piercing shriek and vanished in a wisp of smoke. "It's the power of runes!" he shouted. "Use an attack with life-core patterns!"

Su Yuqing bit her fingertip and drew a blood-red curse mark in the air, merging with the life core runes.

The cursed seal transformed into chains that bound the monster, and Li Qiye seized the opportunity to unleash a light blade. The golden-red light flowing along the blade finally shattered the dark shadow completely.

However, more monsters surged in from all directions, and the purple clouds in the sky began to coalesce into a huge vortex.

"This can't go on!" Li Qiye felt that his source power was being consumed too quickly, and the light of his life core was gradually dimming.

He suddenly remembered the map on the stone tablet, and as he tried to concentrate, he discovered a hidden path leading to the City of Eternal Night in his mind—marked with many mysterious totems that shimmered with a faint light along the way.

"Su Yuqing, come with me!" He grabbed her hand, and his golden wings spread out at full power.

Chapter 226 The Imprisoned Soul

The two broke through the monsters' encirclement and flew in the direction indicated on the map.

The monsters below roared angrily, but none of them dared to approach the area where the mysterious totems were located.

During the flight, Li Qiye discovered that he could sense the power fluctuations of the totem.

He tried channeling the power of his life core into the nearest totem, and the ancient stone pillar suddenly lit up, its light forming a barrier that incinerated all the pursuing monsters. "These totems are the barrier protecting the City of Eternal Night!" he exclaimed in surprise. "But... someone is destroying them!"

As they ventured deeper, they encountered more and more destroyed totems. Before a collapsed altar, they discovered half a crystal engraved with abyss patterns.

The crystal surface is covered with cracks, yet it continues to release corrosive energy.

Su Yuqing crouched down to examine it, her face instantly turning pale: "The aura of this crystal... is exactly the same as that on the Ice Abyss Envoy!"

Before he finished speaking, the ground suddenly cracked open, and a huge bone claw burst out of the earth.

Dark purple mist swirled around the bone claws, and each knuckle was inlaid with glowing abyssal crystals.

Li Qiye swung his blade at the bone claw, but the Blade of Severance was deflected by the crystal, leaving a small notch on the blade.

"This is the new body of the Abyss Apostle!" Li Qiye wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and at this moment, his life core felt a burning pain.

His left eye began to tear uncontrollably, and the tears that fell to the ground transformed into golden runes, temporarily slowing down the bone claw's attack.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Yuqing inserted the Blood Curse Dagger into the gap between the bone claws, and the blood-red runes spread along the crystal patterns.

The bone claw creaked and cracked, but just then, a beam of light suddenly descended from the purple vortex in the sky, pouring into the crystal at the tip of the bone claw. The entire bone claw began to grow wildly, transforming into a mobile abyssal fortress.

"We can't let it complete the fusion!" Li Qiye felt that the power of the life core was about to be exhausted, but at this moment, an ancient resonance came from the ruins of the altar.

He focused his mind and discovered a complete totem array buried underground, with the crystal at the array's core resonating with his life essence in a wondrous way.

"Su Yuqing! Activate the array eye with your blood! I'll draw its attack!" Li Qiye spread his tattered golden wings and charged towards the abyss fortress.

As the Blade of Severance collided with the crystals on the surface of the fortress, amidst the sparks, he saw countless souls sealed inside, including several familiar figures—souls that had been imprisoned by the Chain Apostles!

Su Yuqing's blood curse light shone from below, activating the ancient totem array. The released power formed a massive net of light that enveloped the abyss fortress. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Qiye poured his last bit of power into the Blade of Severance, and a complete life core rune appeared on the blade: "Open!"

..... ...... ...

The light net and runes erupted simultaneously, and the Abyss Fortress exploded.

The sealed souls were freed, transforming into starlight and dissipating into the sky. However, Li Qiye and Su Yuqing, having exhausted their power, fell from the sky.

Just as they were about to touch the ground, the life core suddenly released its last bit of power, forming a teleportation array below. In the instant the light shone, Li Qiye saw the outline of the City of Eternal Night in the distance, and the two characters "Eternal Night" on the plaque above the city gate were dripping blood.

“We…have arrived.” Li Qiye gripped Su Yuqing’s hand tightly, and the light from the teleportation array engulfed the two of them.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a narrow alley.

Chapter 227 The Madness of Burning Everything

The surrounding buildings were covered in moss, and the air was filled with the smell of decay.

At the end of the alley stood a figure draped in black robes, toying with a black crystal in his hand that resembled the patterns on his life core...

The man in black robes twirled his fingertips, and patterns identical to those on the life core appeared on the surface of the black crystal. A faint light flowed within the crystal, as if imprisoning countless restless souls.

Li Qiye stood guard in front of Su Yuqing with a wary expression, the Blade of Severance held horizontally in front of his chest, his life core trembling rapidly within his chest cavity, resonating with the crystal in the black-robed man's hand.

"Welcome to the City of Eternal Night."

The black-robed man's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping. He slowly lifted his hood, revealing a face that was seven parts similar to Li Qiye's, except that his left eye was empty and lifeless, with a dark purple abyss crystal embedded in it. "I am the 'Shadow' of the Life Core, the mirror image you least want to see."

Su Yuqing's pupils contracted sharply, and the Blood Curse Dagger was instantly drawn: "Who exactly are you? Why do you look like Li Qiye?"

“An interesting question.” The shadowy figure curled into a twisted smile, raising his hand to unleash a dark golden blade of light, its trajectory mirroring Li Qiye’s attack. “The life core was born from the collision of the tomb guardian’s power and the Heavenly Evil bloodline, and I am the ‘price’ stripped away during your fusion—all the suppressed fear, anger, and… the thirst for power.”

As the Blade of Severance clashed with the Blade of Light, Li Qiye felt a familiar yet unfamiliar power emanating from the blade—the rage he had suppressed at the edge of the abyss.

His life core suddenly became scorching hot, and countless images flashed through his mind: the thrill of personally slaying enemies, the madness of burning everything to protect those he cared about. These emotions, which had been deliberately buried deep, now became weapons of the shadow attack.

"Don't let him interfere!" Su Yuqing's blood-red incantations wove a cage in the air, trying to trap the shadow. "He's using your inner demons!" However, the black crystal in the shadow's hand suddenly burst out with a bright light, and the incantation cage instantly collapsed. The power of the blood curse was reflected back and almost hit Su Yuqing.

Li Qiye suddenly grabbed Su Yuqing's wrist, and his golden wings forcefully created a hurricane, carrying the two away from the attack range.

Upon landing, he discovered that the stone slabs beneath his feet were covered with ancient formations, each line absorbing the abyssal aura in the air. ... The shadow slowly approached, and wherever it passed, the formations glowed with an eerie purple light, transforming into chains that wrapped around the two of them.

"See? This city was prepared as a cage for you." The shadow raised his hand and summoned twelve phantoms, the Abyss Apostles who had been defeated earlier. "At the core of the City of Eternal Night lies the 'Reversal of Fate Stele' left behind by the First Heavenly Evil Buddha. Once you activate it..." His voice suddenly turned manic, "I can replace you and become the true host of the Fate Core!"

Li Qiye felt the power within his body draining away uncontrollably, and the resonance between his life core and the black crystal gradually blurred his consciousness.

In a daze, he saw his childhood self kneeling before the shrine of the Gravekeeper, his master's stern voice echoing in his ears: "The Gravekeeper must suppress all selfish desires, or he will fall into the abyss." But now, the shadows are turning these suppressed desires into deadly weapons.

"Li Qiye! Wake up!" Su Yuqing's blood-curdled dagger suddenly pierced his arm, and the sharp pain brought Li Qiye back to his senses.

Chapter 228 The Ancient War

Her eyes were filled with determination: "Do you remember the first time we fought side by side? You said then that true strength is not about suppressing emotions, but about facing your own heart!"

Blood dripped down the blade, and the life core erupted with unprecedented light. Li Qiye gripped the Blade of Severance, and patterns completely different from those on the Shadow Blade appeared on its surface—new runes fused with the will of protection.

He swung his sword and severed the binding chains; wherever the golden light reached, the array patterns began to crumble.

"You think you can defeat me with pain?" Li Qiye's voice was as firm as iron. "Yes, I have fear, I have anger, but these emotions will only make me stronger!" The golden wings on his back suddenly materialized, with blood-red patterns extending from the tips of the wings, resonating with Su Yuqing's Heavenly Evil Bloodline.

A crack finally appeared on the shadow's face as he frantically brandished the black crystal, summoning a massive abyssal vortex.

Countless tentacles extended from the vortex, each one wrapped with fragments of memories that Li Qiye had once sealed away—the sorrows and regrets he had to forget in order to protect the world.

"Look at these!" the shadow roared. "The past you buried with your own hands is proof of your weakness!" Tentacles wrapped around Li Qiye's limbs, and fragments of memories pierced his consciousness like sharp blades. In the scene, countless familiar faces disappeared in the abyss, and he was powerless to stop them.

Su Yuqing's crimson vines suddenly wrapped around the shadow's neck, her voice carrying an undeniable firmness: "You're wrong."

It's precisely because he remembers these painful memories that he won't let the tragedy repeat itself! She turned to look at Li Qiye, her blue eyes gleaming with trust. "We'll face it together, just like every time before!"

Li Qiye and Su Yuqing simultaneously channeled their power into their life cores, and the golden and red light transformed into a pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

In the light, he saw his true self—not a flawless guardian, but a warrior bearing scars who still chose to move forward.

The Blade of Severance and the Blood Curse Dagger were swung out simultaneously, their light blades and blood-red rays intertwining to form a net that completely enveloped the abyss vortex and shadows.

The shadow roared in resentment, its body beginning to turn transparent: "Impossible... I am the life core..." Its voice abruptly stopped, the black crystal shattered in the light, turning into countless points of light and dissipating.

Li Qiye felt something within his body being completely severed, and the light of his life core became even purer.

As the light faded, a faint glow began to appear in the sky above the City of Eternal Night.

A tremor emanated from the distant street as a stone tablet covered in runes slowly rose—the very "Destiny Reversal Tablet" the shadow had spoken of. The patterns on the tablet's surface perfectly matched the life core, and at its top, a complete abyssal core was embedded.

“It seems the real challenge has only just begun.” Li Qiye gripped Su Yuqing’s hand tightly, his life core throbbing in his chest like a war drum. “But this time, we will not back down.”

The moment the Monument of Rebellion rose from the ground, the entire City of Eternal Night trembled violently.

The runes on the monument flowed, reflecting countless blurry human figures, as if depicting a tragic scene from an ancient war.

Li Qiye and Su Yuqing gripped their weapons tightly and cautiously approached, only to see the abyss core at the top of the monument suddenly burst forth with purple light, enveloping the two in a mysterious halo.

"Watch out! This light..." Before Su Yuqing could finish speaking, she was sucked into a spacetime vortex.

As the light faded, the two found themselves in a floating temple in the sky, surrounded by shattered stars, with the ground covered in crystals emitting a ghostly blue light.

Chapter 229 Abyss Core

Even more shockingly, in the center of the temple stands another stele of rebellion against fate, its surface engraved with scenes of the battle between the first Heavenly Evil Buddha and the tomb guardian.

"This is... a memory seal?" Li Qiye gently stroked the surface of the monument. As soon as his fingertips touched the patterns, countless memories flooded into his mind like a tide.

He saw the first generation of tomb guardians fight the Abyss side by side with the Heavenly Evil Buddha, but turned against each other on the eve of victory due to ideological differences; he saw them seal the core of the Abyss in the Reverse Fate Monument, while setting up layers of restrictions; and he saw a familiar black-robed figure secretly controlling everything—the face of that black-robed person was somewhat similar to the shadow.

“So that’s how it is…” Li Qiye murmured, “The break between the first generation was a conspiracy from the very beginning.”

Su Yuqing frowned and looked around: "But why is the Reversal of Fate Stele here different from the outside world? Also, how do we get back?" Before she finished speaking, all the crystals in the temple suddenly shattered, and a phantom figure emerged from the stele.

It was a woman clad in silver armor, with a cold and stern face, and a rune similar to her life core imprinted between her brows.

"Outsiders, why have you touched the Monument of Rebellion?" The woman's voice was ethereal and distant, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Li Qiye gripped the Blade of Severance tightly, his life core slightly warm to the touch: "We are searching for a way to fight against the Abyss, and this monument... seems to hold the truth of everything."

The woman stared at the two of them, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "The Tomb Guardian Mark and the Heavenly Evil Bloodline... can actually be fused together like this."

Very well, now that you've touched on the core issues, there are some things you should know.

"I am the adjutant of the first tomb guardian, responsible for protecting this Temple of Memory." She raised her hand and waved, and the images on the monument began to flow. "Back then, although the core of the abyss was sealed, the power of the seal would weaken over time."

The original group set up a trap within a trap, deliberately creating the illusion of a rift, but in reality, they wanted to split the Abyss Core in two, sealing the two halves within the City of Eternal Night and the Rebellious Stele in the outside world.

Su Yuqing's pupils constricted sharply: "In other words, the core elements within the two steles are now resonating with each other, and once they fully resonate..."

"The Abyss will be fully awakened." The adjutant's expression was solemn. "And the shadow that fought with you was the remnant of the first tomb guardian adjutant who was corrupted by the Abyss. He has been waiting for the host of the life core to appear, attempting to use your power to restart the seal, but in reality, he wants to release the Abyss."

Li Qiye felt a chill run down his spine, and the unease emanating from his life core grew stronger: "Then what should we do? We can't just let the abyss descend upon us."

The adjutant raised his hand and conjured a transparent key: "Only by gathering the power of the two Reversal Tablets can we reseal the core of the abyss."

But before that, you must pass the Temple's trial—confront your deepest fears. As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding space began to distort, and Li Qiye and Su Yuqing were each drawn into different illusions.

Li Qiye found himself in a desolate graveyard, surrounded by tombstones belonging to grave keepers, and on the tombstone at the very front was engraved the name of Su Yuqing.

In the center of the graveyard stood countless familiar faces, corrupted by the abyss. Their eyes were vacant as they slowly stretched out their hands toward Li Qiye (Qian Nuohao).

"It was you... who killed us..." A familiar voice came from all directions, "You were utterly powerless to protect anyone..."

Li Qiye gripped the Blade of Severance tightly, his arm trembling slightly: "No...this isn't real!" His life core erupted with light, illuminating a corner of the graveyard. He saw Su Yuqing standing in the light, smiling at him with unwavering eyes.

"This is a trial! Don't be fooled by illusions!" Su Yuqing's voice pierced through the illusion.

Chapter 230 Why didn't you save us?

Li Qiye took a deep breath, his golden wings unfurled, and a blade of light swept out: "I may be afraid of losing, but I will never back down because of it!" Wherever the light touched, the illusion began to crumble.

On the other side, Su Yuqing found herself in a castle shrouded in blood, where the deepest self-reproach echoed—her family had been wiped out, and she had been powerless to stop it. Countless vengeful spirits crawled out from the walls, clinging tightly to her.

"Why didn't you save us... Why are you alive..." The vengeful spirit's howl pierced our eardrums.

Su Yuqing bit her tongue, and the blood-curdled dagger in her hand shone brightly: "I live so that tragedy will never be repeated!" The blood-red incantation bound the vengeful spirits like chains, shattering them all.

When the two broke through the illusion, the adjutant nodded slightly: "Not bad, you have passed the trial."