On the Verge of Death

Western suburbs.

Two kilometers away from the entrance to the Taiyi Dao Sect's folded space.

Along the abandoned dirt road, wild grass had been spurred by spiritual energy to grow half a person tall.

Under an old locust tree, Shen Fei leaned against the rough trunk, completely unconscious.

His breathing was extremely weak.

The black blood that had bled from his facial orifices had already congealed on his pale face.

Warning: Soul integrity: 45 percent... continuously dropping.

The system's cold electronic voice echoed mechanically in Shen Fei's silent sea of consciousness.

This was an injury mortals could not comprehend.

His physical body was perfectly intact, but the core driving this vessel was being torn apart bit by bit by the residual laws of that ancient Soul-Severing Talisman.

If he did not receive restoration from high-dimensional energy within three hours, Shen Fei's soul would completely collapse, leaving him as a vegetative state patient with nothing but the cultivation base of a Grandmaster.

...

At the same time.

Second Ring Road of the Capital, the Ye Family Manor.

Ye Qingyu's private meditation room.

This place had been urgently converted by Ye Cangshan into a small cultivation room, its surroundings paved with expensive spirit-gathering jade.

Ye Qingyu sat cross-legged on a futon.

She wore a minimalist white training suit.

Ever since the earthquake in the western suburbs yesterday, which caused spiritual energy to flood into the capital, the light-element origin in her body—which Shen Fei had forcibly regulated and suppressed—began to stir uncontrollably, as if subjected to an intense resonant stimulation.

Right now, her palm was holding a cluster of blindingly pure white light.

The light was pulsing violently.

Ye Qingyu's head was covered in sweat. She gritted her teeth, trying to guide this power using the method Shen Fei had taught her.

But it was useless.

The ball of light seemed to have gained a consciousness of its own, fiercely resisting her control, even showing faint signs of going berserk again.

Just half an hour ago, unable to suppress it any longer, she had called Shen Fei.

But Shen Fei only replied, Come to the secret room in the courtyard, before hanging up.

Ye Qingyu was just getting up to head out.

Suddenly.

Buzz...

The phone resting beside her vibrated.

A text message notification.

Ye Qingyu picked up the phone.

Sender: Shen Fei.

The content consisted of only two words: Western suburbs.

No punctuation.

No extra explanation.

Ye Qingyu stared at the two words on the screen.

Her mind, which had always maintained extreme rationality, felt as if it had been violently struck by something in that instant.

Shen Fei went to the western suburbs?

Moreover, he only sent these two words.

This was definitely not Shen Fei's usual style of giving orders.

If he wanted her to go there to handle a task, it would never be this brief.

This felt more like... a cry for help.

Or rather, a person's final location ping in an extreme situation.

The moment Ye Qingyu realized this!

Boom!

The restless ball of white light in her palm suddenly erupted into an incredibly blinding glare!

This light did not harm her.

Instead, like an invisible fuse, it instantly connected to a distant, incredibly weak frequency.

Ye Qingyu felt her heart suddenly spasm.

A phantom pain originating from the depths of her soul, as if she were being torn apart, swept through her entire body without warning.

Something happened to him.

This completely certain thought flashed through Ye Qingyu's mind in an instant.

That night in the Shen family's secret room, Shen Fei had forcibly invaded her origin with his Heavenly Demon True Qi to help her clear her meridians.

The two of them had already established an extremely subtle and deep connection on both the energetic and soul levels.

Now, the light-element origin in her body sensed it.

The mark left deep within her origin was rapidly weakening!

Ye Qingyu abruptly stood up from the futon.

She didn't hesitate at all.

She pushed open the door of the meditation room and rushed out.

Someone, come!

Ye Qingyu's voice echoed through the manor's corridors, carrying an urgency and strictness that the Ye family had never seen before.

Prepare a helicopter! Immediately!

The Ye family butler hurried over with two bodyguards.

Eldest Miss, right now the airspace over the capital is under strict aviation control due to the chaotic spiritual energy magnetic field. Furthermore, the western suburbs have already been locked down by Longyuan...

I don't care about any control!

Ye Qingyu directly interrupted the butler.

In her normally clear eyes, a trace of coldness remarkably similar to Shen Fei's flashed past.

Within three minutes. I want to see a helicopter take off.

If it's not approved, say it's for Shen Fei.

If anything goes wrong, are you going to take the blame?

The butler shuddered. He was intimidated by the imposing aura radiating from Ye Qingyu and didn't dare spout any more nonsense, immediately turning around to make the arrangements.

Ten minutes later.

An Agusta helicopter bearing the Ye family crest forcefully took off, braving the chaotic magnetic field as it flew at full speed toward the western suburbs.

Inside the cabin.

Ye Qingyu sat in her seat.

She didn't look at the scenery outside the window.

She kept her eyes closed.

Focusing all her attention on the ball of white light in her palm.

Hold on a little longer.

Please...

She prayed silently in her heart.

The helicopter soon arrived at the perimeter of the western suburbs' blockade line.

Eldest Miss, up ahead is Longyuan's air defense alert zone. They've sent a warning signal demanding we land immediately! the pilot turned back and shouted.

Ignore them! Cut off the radio! Keep flying!

Ye Qingyu's voice was ice-cold.

She snapped her eyes open.

The white light in her hand grew brighter and brighter, and the sense of resonance with Shen Fei's origin became increasingly clear.

Turn left fifteen degrees. Avoid the main peak.

Fly along that abandoned dirt road!

Relying on her ability's perception, Ye Qingyu bypassed Longyuan's radar blind spots and directed the helicopter to hover at a low altitude.

Stop!

Ye Qingyu suddenly yelled.

Right below! Land!

Amidst the powerful air currents, the helicopter managed a very rough landing in a clearing beside the dirt road.

Before the propellers had even fully stopped.

Ye Qingyu had already pushed open the cabin door and jumped out.

At a glance, she saw the old locust tree.

And Shen Fei, leaning against its trunk, his life or death unknown.

Ye Qingyu's heart clenched fiercely.

She had seen Shen Fei's domineering might when he crippled Zhao Tianyu with one hand, and she had seen his cold ruthlessness when he decided the life and death of the Ye family with a single word. In this woman's mind, Shen Fei was a demon god who would never fall.

But now.

This demon god was collapsed in the desolate wilderness, his face covered in blood.

Ye Qingyu ran over quickly.

Shen Fei!

She knelt beside Shen Fei and reached out to support him.

But the moment her hand touched Shen Fei's arm.

Hiss...

Ye Qingyu drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

So cold.

It wasn't a physical low temperature, but a deathly stillness that felt like it could freeze the soul.

She saw the black blood bleeding from Shen Fei's facial orifices and his tightly furrowed brow.

It's no use... his physical body has no external injuries.

Ye Qingyu forced herself to calm down.

Her mind raced.

This is trauma on the soul level.

She took a deep breath.

She cupped Shen Fei's freezing face, stained with black blood, in both hands.

Without any hesitation.

Ye Qingyu directly activated the newly awakened light-element origin in her body, even though it was not yet fully under her control.

A dazzling pure white light surged from her palms.

This was an extremely pure power of healing and purification.

The white light followed Shen Fei's cheeks and slowly seeped into the space between his eyebrows.

Ding!

High-purity light-element ability origin injection detected.

[Soul tearing speed decelerated.]

[Current soul integrity: 41 percent... Decline halted.]

In Shen Fei's silent sea of consciousness, the system's notification tone changed.

Although light-element abilities could not completely repair the soul tearing caused by the laws of cultivation, this high-dimensional healing energy acted like an incredibly tough bandage, temporarily sealing the breach where his soul was leaking.

Ye Qingyu felt Shen Fei's extremely weak breathing stabilize just a fraction.

However, having overdrawn her newly awakened origin power, her own face had become even paler than his.

Sweat dripped down her chin onto Shen Fei's black shirt.

She did not stop.

"Carry him onto the helicopter."

Ye Qingyu turned her head and ordered the two bodyguards who had followed her down.

"Be gentle."

The bodyguards carefully carried Shen Fei into the cabin, laying him flat on the back seat.

Ye Qingyu followed and got in.

Her hands never left Shen Fei's body; a continuous stream of white light maintained the stability of his soul.

"Miss, to the hospital?" the pilot asked anxiously.

"No, not the hospital."

Ye Qingyu's eyes were resolute.

With injuries of this magnitude, going to a hospital would only mean waiting for death.

"Back to the city. Head to the Second Ring Road."

"To the Shen family courtyard."

The helicopter lifted off once again, flying toward the center of Jingcheng.

Inside the cabin.

Ye Qingyu looked down at the man lying on her lap.

Using the back of her sweat-dampened hand, she ever so gently wiped away the black blood from the corner of Shen Fei's eyes.

"You saved me once."

"I am giving my life back to you."

Ye Qingyu's voice was so soft that only she could hear it.

At the dawn of this spiritual energy revival, right before the world was about to undergo a drastic change.

This daughter of the Ye family, who had originally remained aloof and independent amidst the struggles of the noble families.

Because of a desperate, life-risking rescue.

Completely.

And irreversibly.

Bound herself to the same chariot as this villain, a man known as a demon.

Half an hour later.

The helicopter landed directly on the spacious backyard lawn of the Shen family courtyard.

The deafening roar alerted the entire Shen family.

Ling Shuang and Ling Xue rushed out immediately, leading the shadow guards.

When they saw Ye Qingyu stepping down from the helicopter, supporting an unconscious Shen Fei whose face was covered in blood.

Ling Shuang's eyes instantly erupted with a terrifying murderous intent.

"What happened to the Young Master?!"

Ling Shuang's hand was already gripping the short blade at her waist, her gaze fixed deadly upon Ye Qingyu.

It was as if she would not hesitate to sever Ye Qingyu's head if she said a single wrong word.

"He is severely injured. On a soul level."

Facing Ling Shuang's murderous intent, Ye Qingyu did not flinch in the slightest.

"Prepare a secret room."

"No one is allowed to disturb us."

"If he dies."

Ye Qingyu looked into Ling Shuang's eyes, her tone terrifyingly calm.

"I will have all of you buried with him."