No Solution

When he opened his eyes again, there was not a trace of hesitation in Yin Tianzheng’s clouded old eyes.

"Let alone one grandson," he said.

"Even if it costs me my entire Yin family, this seal cannot be touched."

"A-Chen’s life is the price he must pay as a descendant of the Yin clan."

The courtyard fell deathly silent. The old man’s face looked exceptionally cold.

Hong Yuan’s breathing grew heavy. The blade of her axe clinked against the stone slab, brewing with suppressed anger.

Long Ao stepped forward but was stopped by An Changqing’s outstretched arm.

An Changqing looked Yin Tianzheng straight in the eye, his voice loud and unwavering:

"Elder Yin, we will not abandon our friend."

"Moreover, you must be aware—if Guan Jinyue dares to offer this condition, it means she has the power to destroy Magic City."

"If you don’t go, she will not let this rest."

Yin Tianzheng’s gaze turned frigid.

An oppressive weight, heavy enough to choke the air from one’s lungs, poured out of him. The lanterns around the courtyard shattered simultaneously, paper scraps scattering in all directions through the shockwave.

Cracks spiderwebbed from beneath his feet across the bluestone slabs.

Long Ao and Hong Yuan both dropped into a half-crouch, straining against the pressure, veins bulging on their foreheads.

Su Yuehe was shielded behind An Changqing, who bore the brunt of the pressure.

"Destroy Magic City?" Yin Tianzheng’s voice rang out through the oppressive force, cold as ice.

"She isn’t capable of that."

"But if you dare to interfere, don’t blame this old bones for subduing you young ones first."

The pressure crushed down from Yin Tianzheng—formless yet so heavy it made their knees tremble.

"Old Master, scaring us won’t work," Chen Guan spoke up. Only then did Yin Tianzheng notice that this young man’s expression was calm, as if he felt nothing at all.

"Yin Chen is my friend. I won’t just watch him die."

"If you have time to threaten us youngsters, you’d be better off bringing your grandson back."

The pressure suddenly withdrew.

Everyone lurched forward. Hong Yuan nearly stumbled; Long Ao caught her arm, repaying the favor from their time in the Northern Borderlands when she had steadied him.

Yin Tianzheng turned his back to them.

The courtyard was silent for a long time.

When he spoke again, all the sharpness in his voice was gone:

"You don’t understand."

His tone was heavy with anguish:

"That thing has no reason. Once released, it will devour the soul at the array’s center instantly, then spiral completely out of control."

"That girl’s soul has been trapped there for three years."

Yin Tianzheng looked up at the sky, as if speaking to someone unseen:

"Do you know why I used a living person as the array’s core back then?"

An Changqing did not answer.

"That thing is the remnant of an ancient fallen god—no consciousness, but it has instinct. Its instinct is to awaken and destroy."

The old man clasped his hands behind his back, his fingers trembling slightly.

"I tried seventy-three sealing methods. All failed. That thing’s power is too immense; no dead object could suppress it."

"In the end, that girl came to me herself."

He paused.

"She said her soul was pure enough to trick the remnant into believing it was still asleep."

"I refused her three times."

Yin Tianzheng’s voice dropped.

"On the fourth time, she cried in front of me. She said that if I didn’t agree, and the thing awoke, the whole of Magic City would be doomed."

"She said trading one life for a city was worth it."

No one in the courtyard spoke.

Long Ao’s fists clenched and unclenched, again and again.

It was impossible to judge right or wrong in a situation like this.

Hong Yuan kept her head down, muttering, "So now what? We just let Yin Chen be sacrificed too?"

"You think my heart doesn’t ache?"

Yin Tianzheng turned his head back. "A-Chen was raised by my own hands. I was by his side when he first awakened his powers."

The old man’s voice cracked with emotion.

"But have you thought about this? The moment I break the seal, the instant the remnant awakens, the girl in the array will have her soul devoured."

"By then, Guan Jinyue won’t be able to save anything. She’ll go completely mad and unleash thousands of demon beasts."

"Right now, she still has hope. Once that hope is destroyed, everything will become terrifying."

"And the mindless god remnant will go berserk in the heart of Magic City."

"At that point, it won’t be one person dying—it will be hundreds of thousands."

An Changqing finally understood.

Every word the old man said led to the same conclusion.

This was an unsolvable dilemma.

Save Yin Chen—break the seal, let the soul at the array’s center be devoured by the god remnant, Guan Jinyue’s sister perishes completely, the remnant awakens, and Magic City falls.

Don’t save Yin Chen—Guan Jinyue will gamble with her hostages and the entire city. The outcome is equally unpredictable, but at least Guan Jinyue still has a shred of conscience, making the consequences relatively lighter.

"Then let’s just charge in and grab Yin Chen back!"

Long Ao finally exploded, his voice rising to a roar.

"Sitting here waiting to die is useless! That woman Guan is at the top of the tower, right? Let’s go together, take her down, and be done with it!"

Yin Tianzheng shook his head.

"Her spatial ability is too insurmountable. Rushing in would only mean death. Even I can’t do it, because she has the backing of the legendary god Baal—a god who fiercely protects his own."

The old man’s tone was terrifyingly calm. As someone who had lived long, he knew the horror of that god.

"And it would only enrage her completely. A-Chen would die instantly."

Long Ao opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Hong Yuan slammed her axe into the ground, her voice muffled: "So we do nothing? Just wait like this?"

Yin Tianzheng gave no answer.

Su Yuehe peeked out from behind An Changqing, her voice soft but clear:

"Elder Yin, Guan Jinyue only gave us an hour. We’ve already used up twenty minutes."

Those words stabbed into everyone’s hearts.

An Changqing lowered his sword hand slowly: "Elder Yin, is there any way to not fully break the seal—just open a crack, let that girl’s soul come out?"

Yin Tianzheng gave a bitter laugh.

"The seal and the array’s core are one. Once the soul is withdrawn, the seal collapses. There is no middle ground."

Everyone fell silent.

The air was suffocating. Shredded lantern paper littered the courtyard, with no wind to sweep it away.

Chen Guan, who had been standing at the very back, finally spoke.

"There’s one way."

All eyes turned to him.

Yin Tianzheng also turned around, hope flickering in his gaze.

He knew this boy—the champion of this year’s Northern Borderlands, praised endlessly by his old subordinate Li Ce.

"Speak," he said.

Chen Guan stepped forward, looked Yin Tianzheng straight in the eye, and said each word clearly:

"The reason the seal is loosening is because of me."